Mario Andretti, seeking the only major title to elude him in more than three decades as a driver, went after it Saturday in the car favored to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
The 55-year-old former Indianapolis 500 and Formula One series champion wants to join Graham Hill as the only driver ever to win those titles and Le Mans. Andretti also has won the Indy-car title and the Daytona 500, the world's most prestigious stock car race.Andretti retired from Indy-car racing last year after winning 52 of 407 races. He also appeared in 128 Formula One races, winning 12.
Frenchmen William David, Jean-Baptiste Bouvet and Richard Balandras were the fastest qualifiers Thursday, averaging 134.611 mph by covering the 8.45-mile course in 3 minutes, 46.05 seconds.
At Brooklyn, Mich., it didn't take long for Jeff Gordon to bounce back.
The 23-year-old NASCAR wunderkind, smarting from disappointment after a missed shift on a restart cost him a victory last Sunday at Pocono, led a record-smashing qualifying session Friday for Sunday's Miller Genuine Draft 400.
Gordon drove his Chevrolet Monte Carlo to a fast lap of 186.611 mph.