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Show D HERALD A,l UY .'Saturday, Aprl 10. 2004 Truexwecterectfyd , then car ; ' Teresa M. Walker THE ASSOCIATED V I PRESS Martin Truex shat- GLADEVILLE, Term. tered the Nashville Superspeedway track record with a lap of 166.515 mph Friday, then earned a field by crashing in trip to the back of the 43-c- ar practice. ffl' Truex crunched the right front corner of his Chevrolet after hitting the wall, was treated and released from the infield care center. He didnt appear injured as he worked with his crew to prepare his backup car before the final practice session ended. "I wrecked it, plain and simple," Truex said just a shame. It was the dumbest thing I've ever done I swear. I'm so mad at myself. "The car, it was so fast I was out there, and I knew I had a good car. I was passing cars, and I wanted to stay out there." :';r.- - t V; But his car became less stable with each lap; and he hit the walL His crew got him into the ; backun car for some nrartice lans. ' "It's not set up the same right now," he said, t "We kind of ran out of time. We'll put that setup we bad in the other car and try it, Truex said. With Truex switching to a backup car, the inside line will slide forward today, putting Bobby Hamilton Jr. at the front in a Ford. He was third-faste- st ' . qualifier at 165.670. A total of 21 drivers topped the qualifymg record of 163.324 set by Randy LaJoie before last year's Pepsi 300, starting with Kenny Wallace in e concrete ovaL the second car out on the But Truex, third-fastein the first practice session, added another pole to the one he took at Daytona after Johnny Benson came up just short matching his pace! They were the only drivers to top 166 mph with Benson coming in at 166.475 in his Dodge. Truex credited his success to racing at ' Nashville last year in his own car. This year, he drives for a team owned by NASCAR Nextel Cup star Dale Earnhardt Jr. "The first time I pulled on the track I felt like I had an edge, that confidence that I could go out and drive my car as hard as I wanted and not worry about anything," he said. "At the same time, I had a great car underneath me. "We didnt come here and test, just put in some things we learned over the course of the year, went cwtandhadareaDy great car out of the trailer." Benson qualified second, followed by Hamilton, Jason Keller and Johnny Sauter. Defending race !.V . It's . ' THANASSIS STAVRAHIS Associated Press Cranes hold parts of the roof of the Olympic Stadium on March 21, 2004. The Greek government promised to double or triple work crews on numerous projects that are not yet complete with the Summer Olympics scheduled to begin Aug. 13. steel-and-gla- ss Athens struggling to meet Olympic deadlines Patrick Quinn THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In a ATHENS, Greece land where ancient proverbs usuaiiv taKen to neart. Greeks seem to be planning the Athens Games with "better late than never" in mind. Others cite another saying: "Don't bite off more than you can chew." With just 18 weeks left before the Aug. games, organizers are still struggling to meet deadlines on many of the most grandiose designs. ' "We don't need words any longer. What we need is lots of work," urged, Deputy Culture a Minister Fani Key uiympics coordinator. One Greek commentator, Giorgos Papachristos, has even asked for divine help. "Let us hope that God helps so that Greece doesn't experience a national tragedy in August," he said. conservative government, elected March 7 after ousting the Socialists, decided to take matters into its own hands. It canceled a roof for the main Olympic swimming pool, curtailed the length of an ambitious tram line running from ers were pouring concrete and working feverishly all three days, although there were fewer people on strike day. At the third site, the main complex and its batross, the stadium roof crews worked feverishly all three days and even into the night. Although they surprised International Olympic Committee inspector Denis Oswald by Calatrava-designed pushing a 4,000-to- n roof into place over the cycling track in just two days, the main stadium's 17,000-to- n roof is a different matter. ' The IOC wants the stadium roof ready by the end of June at the latest On strike day, Oswald inspected the site and said the cycling venue was "a big encouj agement for the other roof, which has always been a challenge." But with much of the facility resembling a Martian land- scape of rocks and red dirt, a reporter asked Oswald if he thought workers would finish the job. "They will have to do everything at the same time," he replied. Looking at Oswald, one could only wonder if anottWr" old proverb ever crossed his uuiiu. iaju i leave iui luiuuirow what you can do today." The government also promised to double or triple work crews on numerous projects, including a roof designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava' for the showcase Olympic stasteel-and-gla- - 13-2- 9 PaUi-Petrali-a, Palli-Petrali- Olympic venues and scaled back a project to widen the marathon route. dium. vowed to "turn the night into day, so we can be completely ready." Following the pledge, The Associated Press visited three of the most problematic sites March 28-3- 1 to see if "words" were in fact being turned into "work." They included a problematic suburban rail project, the delayed tram line and the most troubled site in Athens the main Olympic stadium com- Palli-Petral- ia plex. A key day was March 31, when Greeks held a nationwide general strike. On the suburban rail connecting Athens international airport to the main Olympic sports complex, workers were busy on the first two days but absent on strike day when just supervisors were present. Halfway finished, the workers at the end of the track line had managed to build 70 percent of a prefabricated station. A diesel engine tested tracks, but power cables for the real train were missing. Further south, along a stretch of the tram line, work v MARK HUMPHREVAssociated Presir3 waits for other drivers to finish their qualifying laps at Nashville r Superspeedway on Friday. Martin Truex Jr. - 1.33-mil- st 1 champion and series points leader David Green 1 10th. qualified LSome Nextel Cup regulars who took advantage of the off weekend didnt fare as well Robby Gordon will start 11th, and Michael Waltrip 22ndL Tennessee already has been good to Truex, when won last montlvat Bristol. He's second in points, jy Benson believes Truex is doing a tremendous ' job. "He's with a great race team That part is obviously pretty good. They're doing great," Benson said ! i Benson had tested his Nextel Cup car here foiii half-dawhich he said helped He joked with Truex, asking if he scared him with speed But after starting 39th at Texas last week, Benson doesn't mind being second "I was going to be happy with anything in the, top 10 first time here, so I'm ecstatic with second, . That's great," Benson said y, 1 ill i2 USOC board clears swimmer to compete John Marshall THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DENVER The US. Olympic Committee's executive board determined Friday there is no legal basis to prevent synchronized swimmer Tammy Crow from being selected to the U.S. Olympic team despite her nocontest plea in a fatal car accident. Crow was sentenced to three months in jail for vehicular - n 101 manslaughter in a February 2003 car crash that killed her two passengers. The judge in the case postponed the sentence until after the Athens Olympics so she could compete. Crow tried to change her plea in February out of fear that she might be disqualified from the 01ympics,'but a California judge denied the request. In two donfereribe calls' this "'" week, the USOC's executive committee determined Crow was not in violation of the USOCs code of conduct or its ;ri constitution, the Olympic char- ter or amateur sports law. Tm really appreciative of tqe3' I opportunity they have given me, especially that they took the time and were really thor 6.1 ough in looking at my nomina tion, Crow said. "I am excited that I get to represent the United States." Final Derby preps may produce answers Birdstone scratched for Blue Grass Stakes Richard Rosenblatt THE i ft 'J! i'mar JOE CAVARETTAThe Associated Press promoter Don King, center, and Wladimir Klitschko pose after weigh-inThe pair fight tonight in Las Vegas. Lam on Brewster, left, s. Spinks gets big fight, but Klitschko tops card Tim Dahlberg THE ASSOCIATED PRESS tough challenger. "I have the mentality of the old champions, like a (Marvin) Ha-gler," Spinks said "We are in this sport to let the best fight the best. It is going to be a great fight, which is what we have to do to bring boxing back to the top. I will fight anyone. I want to get boxing back to its rightful place." Spinks could have been excused for taking an easy fight after beating the Mayorga in December to unify the welterweight titles. Instead n forhe gets Judah, a d mer champion who jumped at the chance to move up in weight to fight for the crown. undisputed Both are southpaws, and both are stylish boxers. Judah was on his way to being one of the dominant fighters in his division until he was stopped in a shocking knockout loss to Kostya Tszyu in November 2001. He has fought d three times since, scoring a knockout in his last fight on the same card as Spinks. Klitschko, meanwhile, has an opportunity of his own in a bout that is being billed as a fight for a fringe title. What it really represents is a chance for Klitschko to regain some of the confidence he lost in February 2003, when he was knocked out by Corrie Sanders in the second round Klitschko (42-- 39 knockouts) has won two fights by knockout since, and is a 1 f ' against Brewster (29-26 knockouts), who hasnt r fought in 13 months. . LAS VEGAS Before he beat Ricardo Mayorga to become the undisputed welterweight champion, Cory Spinks was known mostly for being .the son of former heavyweight champion Leon Spinks. He's a champion of his own now and has a big fight tonight against Zab Judah to prove it. But Spinks still finds himself overshadowed by a heavyin this case, Wladimir weight Klitschko. Spinks fights Judah in a dangerous yet attractive title fight that should top a card But heavyweights rule in boxing, and Klitschko's fight with Lalnon Brewster will be the featured bout (HBO, 7:45 p.m.) at the Mandalay Bay Klitschko is the younger half of the Ukrainian brother team that d hotel-casin- HBO hopes will become the big new heavyweight attraction His brother, Vitali, fights April 24 for the WBC heavyweight title vacated bv Lennox Lewis, and Wkdimir is trying to rebound from a knockout loss to show he is a legitimate contender, too. "For me, it's about myself," Wladimir said "Do I belong to the champion's league or am I just good enough for the first league?" 10 knockouts) Spinks (32-has already shown he belongs in the champion's league. Beating Mayorga made him the champion, and he didnt waste any time in taking on a 2, 147-pou- g once-beate- 140-poun- d first-roun- 2, 9-- 2, ASSOCIATED 3 PRESS The Kentucky Derby picture might finally come into focus. In one of the more confusing years for sorting out the Derby lineup, today's final round of the Wood major preps Memorial in New York, the Blue Grass in Kentucky, and should the Arkansas Derby go a long way in clearing things up. Take it from Todd Fletcher, the only trainer with a entered in each race: This season has been unpredictable. "Every Saturday, there have been different horses stepping up," said Fletcher, who sends out Value Plus in the Wood Limehouse in the Blue Grass, and Purge in the Arkansas Derby. "No one has gone about it as consistently as normal. That's why it is the way it is." Pletcher already has a Derby horse in Pollard's Vision, winner of last week's Illinois Derby. He could have three more by late Saturday. Value Plus, a tall and speedy gray colt, will be among the Wood favorites off his runner-u- p effort in the Florida Derby. Master David, trained by Bobby Frankel, is the 2 morning-lin- e choice despite making his first start in more than two months. Limehouse, winner of the Tampa Bay Derby, has been a Blue Grass afterthought in a field that includes the promising Lion Heart, San Felipe wintrained ner Prechinattnebar and Breedby Bob Baffert ers' Cup Juvenile winner n This Day. for Smarty Jones, trainer John Servis, is the horse to beat in the Arkansas Derby, but Purge is the third choice at 5-Smarty Jones beat Purge in the Rebel by 2 34 lengths last month. "Ifs definitely a wide-ope- n year," said Beau Greely, who trains Borrego, the second choice in the Arkansas Derby. ' At this point, any horse who 5-- Ac-tio- L : 4 York last October. Trainer Nick Zito scratched Birdstone from today's Blue Grass Stakes, a blow to the trainer's Kentucky Derby hopes. tJ 3T 1.i can go a Could come up and win the race." All three preps are 1 18 miles; the Derby is 1 14 miles. The prep season has seen more than its share of surprises. Friends Lake won the Florida Derby at odds of 37-won the Santa Anita Derby at odds of 30-- and Sinister G took the Lane's End Stakes at 16-The road to the Derby has not been going well for trainer Nick Zito, who began with three top contenders but could be down to one: Blue Grass starter The Cliffs Edge. The colt is Wor-- 2 this year, but he closed well for third in the Florida Derby. Last Friday, Eurosilver was . pulled off the Derby trail with a neck gland infection, and Birdstone was scratched from the ' Blue Grass on Thursday be 1, 1, 1. Cas-tleda- le cause of a high white blood cell count. Zito also saddles long shot Royal Assault in the Wood A look at the preps: I Wood Memorial: The Derby favorite could come from this race, which has produced three of the last four champions at Churchill Downs Pegasus (2000), Monar-cho- s (2001) and Funny Qde Also in the field are Baffert's Consecrate, Edding-- " ton and Sinister G. , I Blue Grass: A competitive field of eight, including four Action This stakes winners Day, Limehouse, Lion Heart and Preachinattbebar. "It's the toughest prep race there is," said Lion Heart's trainer Patrick Bianeone. ; I Arkansas Derby: With a , (2003). win, Smarty Jones not only ,i Master David, with Alex So--' heads to Louisville as one of lis aboard, won the Sham at favorites, but with a chance a $5 million bonus offered by 3 Santa Anita on Feb. 8. He missed the Florida Derby 'with Oaklawn Park for a horse an illness, but a win would earn ning the Rebel Arkansas Deri the colt enough money to lock ; by and Kentucky Derby. in a Derby spot, and perhaps - i Also in the field is Hassle- even the favorite's role. free, perhaps D. Wayne Luk ' "I feel very fortunate to be final chance to make it to this on the Derby trait said Peter - year's Kentucky Derby. The four-timMinikes of Georgica Stable,1 tri which owns Master DavkL ' er nas saacuea at lease one "The question is wnether or hot ' horse in the race 22 of the' last ; ' ; 23 years. he's good enough, Fu-saic- hi v tl f; -- : . k Derby-winnin- : .3.1;. MM ( i. 1 i .. g |