Patrick has a front-row seat for IRL race

Helio Castroneves set an Indy Racing League record on Saturday by winning his 22nd career pole -- and was overshadowed by Danica Patrick.

Patrick’s 121.098 mph was good enough to earn the other spot on the front row for today’s Honda Indy 200 at Lexington, Ohio, putting her in good position to become the first woman to win an IRL event.

“I’m starting on the front row, which is my best starting position of the year for a while ... actually, for a long time,” Patrick said. “That gives me a good chance to win the race, but let’s not forget I’m still up against incredibly good drivers and it’s going to be difficult.”

Patrick had never finished higher than 11th in qualifying on a road course in her three years in the IRL.

Castroneves, who had a fast lap of 121.620 mph, won his sixth pole of the season by beating Patrick by just under three-tenths of a second.

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Reed Sorenson earned his first victory in two years, winning the caution-filled NASCAR Busch Series Gateway 250 at Madison, Ill.

Sorenson passed David Reutimann on Lap 159 moments after the eighth yellow flag was lifted. He survived the race’s ninth and final caution with a strong restart to distance himself from Reutimann, who finished third.

Scott Wimmer earned his first pole position in 136 races earlier in the day and led the first 53 laps before a right flat tire forced him into the pits. He finished second. Sorenson, who had the second-fastest qualifying time, led 93 laps in a Dodge.

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Formula One points leader Lewis Hamilton appeared to escape serious injury when he crashed into a wall at Nuerburgring, Germany, during qualifying for today’s European Grand Prix in which Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen won the pole.

After spending about two hours under observation and undergoing a scan in a military hospital in nearby Koblenz, Hamilton returned to the circuit and his McLaren team, hoping to race.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis said no decision will be made until a final checkup before the race. If Hamilton drives, he will start from 10th position on the grid. He hit the wall hard after he slid across the gravel next to the track when the right-front wheel of his McLaren was damaged.

Raikkonen, who is coming off two consecutive victories, drove the fastest lap on the 3.2-mile circuit in 1 minute 31.450 seconds. McLaren’s Fernando Alonso was second in 1:31.741.

Will Power won the pole for today’s Champ Car World Series Grand Prix of Edmonton. It earned last year’s top rookie one point and moved him back into second place, one point behind rookie Robert Doornbos and one ahead of Sebastien Bourdais in the series standings.

Power had a fast lap of 58.403 seconds (121.617 mph). That broke the track record of 58.560 set last year by Bourdais on the 1.973-mile, 14-turn circuit. Bourdais won the provisional pole Friday, earning a guaranteed front-row start.

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Tim Huddleston took the lead from Michael Wright on Lap 19 and went on to win his third race of the season in the Auto Club Late Model division 40-lap feature at Irwindale Speedway.

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Casey Stoner will start from the pole in today’s U.S. Moto Grand Prix at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Calif.

Dani Pedrosa and Chris Vermeulen joined Stoner on the front row.

TRACK AND FIELD

Webb (3:46.91) sets American mile record

Alan Webb set the American record in the mile, running 3 minutes 46.91 seconds at a meet in Brasschaat, Belgium. His time, the fastest in the world this year, bested the 3:47.69 by Steve Scott in Oslo in 1982.

Two weeks ago at the Gaz de France in Paris, Webb won the 1,500 meters in 3:30.54, also a world best this year. He was the eighth-fastest to ever cover the mile. Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco has the world record of 3:43.13.

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Blanka Vlasic of Croatia won the women’s high jump with a season-best leap of 6 feet 8 3/4 inches at the Madrid Grand Prix.

TENNIS

Nadal reaches final at Mercedes Cup

Top-seeded Rafael Nadal defeated fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, 6-1, 7-5, to reach the final of the Mercedes Cup at Stuttgart, Germany. He will play Stanislas Wawrinka, who upset seventh-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-1. Nadal has won 92 of his last 93 matches on clay.

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Werner Eschauer and qualifier Steve Darcis advanced to the final of the Dutch Open at Amersfoort, the first time either will play for a championship.

Eschauer defeated Robin Haase, 6-4, 6-4, and at 33 has a chance to become the oldest first-time winner on the tour since 2005, when Wayne Arthurs won in Scottsdale, Ariz., at 33.

Darcis upset second-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, 4-6, 6-0, 7-5.

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Top-seeded Anna Chakvetadze bounced back from a rough second set to defeat Sania Mirza, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, and advance to the final of the Cincinnati Women’s Open. She will play seventh-seeded Akiko Morigami, who beat qualifier Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-3.

HORSE RACING

Sun Boat rallies to win San Diego Handicap

Sun Boat rallied from last place to win the $300,000 Grade II San Diego Handicap at Del Mar. Sun Boat, ridden by Michael Baze, beat Awesome Gem by a length in 1:45.39 and paid $15, $7.20 and $5.

Awesome Gem, with David Flores atop, paid $5.40 and $4.40, while Salty Humor returned $10.40 to show. The victory was worth $180,000 for Sun Boat.

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After Market heads a six-horse field scheduled to run in the Grade I $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar today.

After Market handed Lava Man his first loss in California in nearly two years in the Charles Whittingham Memorial at Hollywood Park on June 9 and is considered a legitimate threat in the Arlington Million on Aug. 11.

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ACTION SPORTS

White recovers to win skateboard vert event

Olympic snowboard gold medalist Shaun White of Carlsbad won the skateboard vert at the Dew Action Sports Tour’s Right Guard Open at Cleveland, despite falling on his first two runs.

He had a flawless final run, which earned him a score of 90.25.

Bucky Lasek of Baltimore finished second with 89.00 points, and Brazilian Bob Burnquist took third with a score of 87.00.