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Viewers Give Nascar Thumbs-Up

Associated Press

ESPN’s first NASCAR Winston Cup race of the season broke the network’s record for viewership of an auto racing telecast.

According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., an estimated 3.752 million households watched the Pontiac Excitement 400 on March 2 from Richmond. The viewership figure is based on a rating of 5.3 and ESPN’s subscriber total of 71.2 million households.

The previous record for the cable sports channel’s auto racing coverage was 3.728 million households for last April’s Winston Select 500 from Talladega, Ala. The rating was actually higher at 5.5, but ESPN’s household count at the time was only 67.7 million.

ESPN will televise 13 more Winston Cup races this season, including the TranSouth Financial 400 next weekend at Darlington, S.C.

In shape

A lot of people have noticed Michael Andretti’s new look.

The 34-year-old IndyCar star, who once was accused of being soft and out of shape, is now sporting a physique honed to near-perfection. He was hardly breathing heavily after stepping from his winning Swift-Ford two weeks ago on a hot, sunny day at Homestead, Fla.

“I have a real strenuous regular routine that I go through now,” he explained. “I do weight-lifting and cardio exercise. I really put it to it this year to try to build myself up. I want to make sure I can give my best.”

Ice racing

The latest sponsor to join NASCAR’s fast-growing Craftsman Truck Series is the National Hockey League.

Driver Lance Norick will drive a Ford pickup truck prominently featuring the NHL shield, its black and orange colors and the “Coolest Game on Earth” logo.

The new sponsor makes its debut Sunday in the Florida Dodge Dealers 200 at Metro-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex in Homestead, Fla.

Mr. Consistency

Todd Bodine hasn’t come close to winning a race this season and has yet to lead a lap, but he finds himself leading in points after the first four Busch Grand National races of 1997.

Going into Sunday’s Las Vegas 300, Bodine holds a 10-point lead over defending series champion Randy LaJoie, who won the season opener at Daytona and has two other top-10 finishes.

Mark Martin, winner of three in a row after a miserable start at Daytona, is third, four points behind LaJoie.