Auto Racing
Montoya is leaving NASCAR to return to IndyCar
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – With a chance to start over and maybe drive in any series he wanted, Juan Pablo Montoya thought long and hard about what mattered most at this stage of his career. The answer was simple: Winning.
So when a team owner synonymous with winning put an offer in front of him, Montoya snapped at the opportunity. He’ll leave NASCAR behind for a return to open-wheel to drive for Roger Penske – the IndyCar Series rival of Montoya’s longtime boss, Chip Ganassi.
Montoya will team next season with current IndyCar points leader Helio Castroneves and Will Power while driving for Penske, winner of 15 Indianapolis 500s. He also could drive in some NASCAR races as part of the deal.
Montoya won the 1999 CART title, the 2000 Indianapolis 500 and 11 races driving open-wheel for Ganassi. He then moved to Formula One, where he had seven wins and 30 podiums, before reuniting with Ganassi again in 2006 to compete in NASCAR.
But results in NASCAR have been sporadic. Montoya has just two wins in 244 career starts, and his best season finish was eighth in 2009. He’s 20th in the standings this season.
Ganassi decided in August not to bring Montoya back next year to his NASCAR program.
Cycling
Horner misses doping test, but no need for alarm
MADRID – American cyclist Christopher Horner has not officially missed a doping test despite being at the center of a whereabouts mix-up Monday, the United States Anti-Doping Agency said.
USADA’s statement said Horner provided an update on his whereabouts in advance, but as the information had been emailed to the U.S., an anti-doping control officer in Spain was informed of the change.
Acting on USADA’s instructions, Spain’s anti-doping agency tried to perform a routine test on Horner early Monday, only to find the rider was not at the address they originally had been given.
The RadioShack-Leopard racer, who won the grueling Spanish Vuelta on Sunday, spent the night at a different hotel than the rest of his team.
After the agency’s failed visit, Horner’s team released a statement saying the rider had updated his whereabouts with USADA correctly, giving the name of his hotel for the night.
Horner, the oldest rider to win a grand tour event, will be 42 next month.
Sailing
America’s Cup postponed because of high winds
SAN FRANCISCO – Two America’s Cup races between Emirates Team New Zealand and Oracle Team USA on Tuesday were postponed because of high winds blowing against a strong tide sweeping out of San Francisco Bay.
Organizers said lighter wind is expected Wednesday, when they’ll try to get in Races 11 and 12. The schedule is four races behind.
Team New Zealand leads 7-1 and needs two wins to claim the America’s Cup for the second time in 18 years. Oracle was penalized two points in a cheating scandal so it needs eight more victories to keep the Auld Mug.
On Tuesday, the wind gusted just above 24 knots right before the races were called off. The ebb tide was flowing at 2.7 knots, which meant the wind limit for the day was 20.3 knots.
Soccer
U.S. women to host Australia Oct. 20 at Alamodome
CHICAGO – The U.S. women’s soccer team will play Australia in an exhibition game Oct. 20 at San Antonio’s Alamodome.
The top-ranked and defending Olympic champion is 9-0 in previous indoor matches. The Americans beat the Matildas 2-1 and 6-2 last year in the final two matches under coach Pia Sundhage, who left to coach her native Sweden. She was succeeded by Tom Sermanni.
The game announced Monday is the first for the U.S. women in San Antonio since 1996.
Associated Press
