Franchitti grabs IndyCar win at Milwaukee Mile

WEST ALLIS, Wis. -- Dario Franchitti took over the lead when Helio Castroneves had a tire problem, then held on to win the IndyCar Series race at the Milwaukee Mile on Sunday.

It was the third victory of the season for Franchitti, who stayed out of trouble as two fellow contenders fell by the wayside. Tony Kanaan crashed with 31 laps to go, and Castroneves gave up the lead when he had to make a late extra pit stop to change a tire that was going flat.

Graham Rahal was second, followed by Oriol Servia, Will Power and Danica Patrick. Castroneves finished ninth.

It was a return to racing for the Milwaukee Mile, a historic track that dates to 1903 but didn't host major events last year because of previous promoters' financial problems.

IndyCar was back on the schedule this year but fan response was tepid at best, with the grandstands perhaps one-third full at the green flag.

■ NHRA -- At Bristol, Tenn., Robert Hight raced to his fourth Funny Car victory of the season, breaking the national speed record with a 316.45 mph run in an elimination round, then winning the final in the Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals.

Hight gained momentum with a consistent string of powerful runs throughout the rain-delayed day of racing, and he finished off final-round opponent Jack Beckman with 4.092-second run at 314.90 mph in his Ford Mustang.

Larry Dixon (Top Fuel) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) won their divisions.

■ BULLRING -- Scott Gafforini and Bear Rzesnowiecky won 35-lap Super Late Models feature races Saturday night in the NASCAR All-American Series, highlighting the Chris Trickle Father's Day Doubleheader at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring.

Gafforini took the lead early in the first race and held it to win. In the second race, Rzesnowiecky passed Steve Anderson with seven laps remaining to win for the second time in three outings.

Other winners were: Patrick O'Hanley (Chargers), Jason Kiser (Bombers), Justin Irwin (Chargers) and Josh Gross (Thunder Roadsters).