Starr takes truck pole

Las Vegas David Starr won the pole position Saturday night for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series Las Vegas 350. Starr, making his 66th start on the series, grabbed his first career pole with a record average speed of 163.112 mph around the 112-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Cowin top qualifier

Ennis, Texas Andrew Cowin picked up his fourth top spot of the season in the NHRA’s Top Fuel division in qualifying for today’s O’Reilly Fall Nationals. Cowin covered a quarter-mile at Texas Motorplex in 4.550 seconds, going 321.19 mph. The 22-year-old is looking for his first win.

Schumacher first at GP

Suzuka, Japan Michael Schumacher, a five-time Formula One champion, stayed on the Suzuka track after clinching the Japanese GP pole, turning a fast lap of 1 minute, 31.317 on the 3.636-mile circuit for the 50th pole of his F1 career.

The Ferrari driver, seeking his third straight Japanese Grand Prix victory, has won seven poles this season and is second on the career list behind Ayrton Senna (65). Schumacher has a record 10 victories this year, pushing his record total to 63.

Rubens Barrichello, Schumacher’s Ferrari teammate and a four-time winner this year, qualified second in 1:31.749.