Menard claims pole at Daytona

Martin to race full time in '09; B. Williams advances

Dale Earnhardt Inc. swept the front row in qualifying yesterday for tonight's Coke Zero 400 in Daytona Beach, Fla., and ended up with three drivers in the top eight spots.

Paul Menard covered the 2 1/2 -mile Daytona International Speedway at 185.916 mph to take the pole, just ahead of teammate Mark Martin. Rookie Regan Smith was eighth.

• More auto racing // Martin, 49, will run a full schedule in 2009 for Hendrick Motorsports, making one final effort to win the NASCAR championship that has eluded him for 26 years. Martin, who has run a partial schedule the past two seasons, will race in the No. 5 Chevrolet. He has finished second in the standings four times.

• Track and field // Bernard Williams (Carver) advanced to the semifinals in the 200 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore., easing up to victory in 20.65 seconds. Williams, 30, who won the silver medal in the 200 at the 2004 Athens Olympics, is a long shot to reach his third Olympics.

• Hockey // Jaromir Jagr signed with a Russian team a day after his split with the New York Rangers, leaving the NHL after nearly two decades and returning to the club he joined during the 2004-05 lockout. The Russian League team Avangard Omsk announced the signing of the 36-year-old Czech wing on its Web site. The deal is believed to be for two years plus an option for a third and will pay the former Washington Capital about $7 million tax free.

• Baseball // The Milwaukee Brewers' surplus of minor league talent has reportedly given the organization an upper hand in the race to acquire the Cleveland Indians' C.C. Sabathia, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner. ... The Pittsburgh Pirates designated Bryan Bullington for assignment, a move that might end the former overall No. 1 draft pick's tenure with the organization without his winning a game in the majors.

• NBA // Michael Beasley, the No. 2 overall pick in last week's NBA draft, has a "slight crack" of his sternum, the Miami Heat said. He took an elbow to the chest Wednesday, but he has since returned to practice.

• Obituary // Dan Cook, the San Antonio sportswriter who popularized the phrase "the opera ain't over till the fat lady sings," died Thursday. He was 81.