Auto Racing
Harvick wins the pole; Stewart will start 12th
HAMPTON, Ga. – Kevin Harvick won the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Harvick turned a fast lap of 29.118 seconds Friday night, as drivers sought track time with cloud cover and cooler temperatures for better grip.
Brad Keselowski will join Harvick on the front row after qualifying second. Rounding out the top five were Kyle Larson, Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth, respectively.
Tony Stewart, making his return to racing this weekend, qualified 12th at 29.504. Stewart sat out three races after the sprint car he was driving struck and killed 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr., who had stepped onto the upstate New York dirt track to confront him after a crash involving the two drivers.
Castroneves wins pole; Power powerless
FONTANA, Calif. – Will Power struggled in qualifying for the final race of the IndyCar season, leaving the series leader to start in 21st place when he will chase his first championship.
Power had the second-worst performance in qualifying, while Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves won the pole. Castroneves turned a lap with an average speed of 218.540 mph.
Castroneves trails Power by 51 points in second place heading into the season finale. Both drivers are attempting to win their first IndyCar titles.
Cycling
De Marchi marches to a Spanish stage win
ALCAUDETE, Spain – Alessandro de Marchi of Italy pulled away from a small breakaway group to win an accident-filled seventh stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Friday, while Alejandro Valverde maintained the overall lead.
Former Tour de France champion Chris Froome fell early in the stage and cut his right hip, but he managed to get back on his bike and finished strongly, shaving two seconds off Valverde’s lead.
De Marchi, riding for Cannondale, shed the other three escapees and rode alone the final 8 miles to complete the hilly 105-mile ride through rolling olive groves in just more than four hours.
Nairo Quintana remained in second place, 15 seconds behind Valverde, his Movistar teammate.
NCAA Football
First national title game offers plenty for fans
ARLINGTON, Texas – Fans will have several ways to take part in the first College Football Playoff National Championship, even without tickets to the Jan. 12 game in Texas.
Game organizers announced Friday three primary fan events. They include an indoor experience and multiday music event open to the public, similar to those at the NCAA Final Four. People with game tickets can attend a free tailgate party outside AT&T Stadium on game day, including the bands and cheerleaders from both teams.
Playoff Fan Central, with a full-scale football field, will be Jan. 9-11 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. That is where the Bracket Town fan event was held when the NCAA Final Four also was played at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in April.
Associated Press
