MOTOR RACING ROUNDUP : Martin Cruises to Easy Victory at Watkins Glen

Mark Martin and his Ford Thunderbird were a flawless combination Sunday during a dominating victory in the Budweiser at the Glen NASCAR stock-car race at Watkins Glen, N.Y.

“We didn’t have any trouble anywhere at all,” Martin said after winning from the pole for the second consecutive year on the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course.

It was Martin’s first victory of the season and 13th of his Winston Cup career. And it came easily.

Driving for Roush Racing, Martin led 75 of the 90 laps and handily fought off a late challenge from Ernie Irvan, winning the battle of Thunderbirds by 0.88 seconds--about four car-lengths.

“I never gave up,” Irvan said. “I kept thinking maybe he would slip or something. The last lap he took it easy and I caught him pretty good, but Mark drove a great race.

“Any time you can go on a road course and not make any mistakes--and Mark didn’t make any today--our hat’s off to him.”

Dale Earnhardt, the six-time and defending series champion, finished third, and held onto the same 27-point lead he had coming into the 20th of 31 races this season.

Martin was cruising along with a lead hovering near three seconds when the fourth full-course caution flag waved on lap 81 enabled Irvan to move up to Martin’s rear bumper for the restart on lap 85.

When the green flag waved, Irvan tried an inside move and an outside move as the leaders raced into the first turn. The cars nearly touched, but Martin pulled away.

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Al Unser led a 1-2-3 Team Penske sweep in the Miller Genuine Draft 200, which turned on a stop-and-go penalty against teammate Paul Tracy.

The third Penske team member, Emerson Fittipaldi, who won this race at Lexington, Ohio, the previous two years, was third. Robby Gordon finished fourth and Michael Andretti fifth.

Tracy, who had led all but one lap, was penalized by CART officials for passing Gordon under a yellow caution flag on lap 53. The penalty forced Tracy to make an extra pit stop.

“I wasn’t planning on passing him, but he locked up his brakes and almost slid off the track,” Tracy said of Gordon. “What am I supposed to do? He slipped wide.”

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Michael Schumacher of Germany won the Hungarian Grand Prix at Mogyorod and his Benetton Ford teammate Jos Verstappen finished third. Schumacher sailed through 77 laps on the 2.46-mile Hungaroring circuit in 1 hour 48 minutes .185 seconds at an average speed of 105.237 m.p.h.