Auto Racing
Stewart-Haas swaps crews for Busch and Patrick
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Stewart-Haas Racing said Wednesday it will swap the teams of Kurt Busch and Danica Patrick after this weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway.
Tony Gibson and the crew he’s had since 2002 will move to Busch’s No. 41 team, beginning next week at Texas Motor Speedway. Daniel Knost, crew chief this season for Busch, will move his group to Patrick’s No. 10 team.
The pit crews for the two drivers will remain unchanged.
Cycling
2015 Tour de France favors climbing over the trials
PARIS – The punishing hairpin climb to the Alpe d’Huez ski station high in the French Alps will provide the dramatic climax for the 2015 Tour de France, before cycling’s showcase race will sweep into Paris for its traditional finish in front of cheering crowds on the Champs-Élyseés.
The atypical 2015 route unveiled Wednesday by Tour organizers also sees a greatly reduced emphasis on time trialing, plenty of opportunities for sprinters to shine and potential traps that could trip up race favorites, including a return to tricky cobbled roads in northeast France.
The Tour will start July 4 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, with a 8½-mile time trial, the only solo race against the clock of this 102nd edition.
There also will be a short 17-mile team time trial in Brittany on July 12, with a challenging uphill finish.
The second half of the Tour will be decisive, with three days ascending in the Pyrenees and four in the high Alps. The riders will grind up a total of 26 mountain climbs, including 18 hairpin bends at Montvernier in the Alps on Stage 18. Never before climbed by the Tour, they promise spectacular views and television pictures.
The crescendo at l’Alpe d’Huez will come two days later, at the end of Stage 20.
After pedaling 2,078 miles counter-clockwise around France, the riders will finish in Paris the next day, July 26, where the winner will collect his trophy and $575,000 prize.
NBA
NBA owners shoot down draft lottery reform
NEW YORK – NBA owners voted down proposed changes to the league’s draft lottery system, staving off efforts to curb tanking for the time being.
The proposal needed 23 votes for approval but only received 17. The vote means the existing system will remain in place for now. The team with the worst record still will have a 25-percent chance at getting the top pick and cannot drop lower than fourth.
NHL
Ottawa shootings postpone Senators’ home game
OTTAWA, Ontario – The NHL postponed Wednesday night’s game between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs because of the shootings in Ottawa.
A Canadian soldier standing guard at a war memorial in the country’s capital was shot to death Wednesday, and gunfire then erupted inside Parliament, authorities said.
The game was scheduled at the Canadian Tire Centre in nearby Kanata.
Soccer
USA will play Colombia, not Croatia, in London
CHICAGO – The United States’ men’s soccer team will play third-ranked Colombia in an exhibition game Nov. 14 in London at Craven Cottage, the home stadium of Fulham.
The game, announced Wednesday, will be four days before the 17th-ranked U.S. will play Ireland in Dublin.
Croatia’s federation announced Oct. 11 that its team would play the U.S. at Craven Cottage on Nov. 12, but the U.S. Soccer Federation never reached an agreement.
Associated Press
