Auto Racing
On a fast Friday, Keselowski gets a pole and a record
LOUDON, N.H. – Brad Keselowski turned a lap of 135.922 mph to set a track record and win the pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Keselowski led a fast Friday on the track as nine drivers topped the previous track record held by Ryan Newman, who went 135.232 in 2011.
Jimmie Johnson joined Keselowski on the front row for Sunday’s race, but Johnson flunked inspection because both sides of the front of his No. 48 Chevrolet were too low. He’ll start in the rear, in the 43rd spot.
Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch now follow Keselowski, while Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, and Jeff Burton all topped Newman’s record.
Keselowski, the 2012 series champion, has yet to win a race this season and needs a big weekend if he wants to defend his title in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Franchitti wins pole position for Toronto IndyCar race
TORONTO – Dario Franchitti, fresh off his first podium finish of the year, carried that momentum into Toronto with a pole-winning run for the first of two races at Exhibition Place.
The four-time IndyCar Series champion was flawless in three rounds of Friday qualifying to coast to the top starting spot at Toronto, a 1.75-mile street track where Franchitti has three career victories. It’s his fifth pole at Toronto and third on the season.
Sebastien Bourdais was second in his first appearance in the Fast Six this year, Will Power third for Saturday’s 85-lap race, and Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan was fourth and was followed by James Jakes, whose previous best start at Toronto was 23rd.
MLB
Fresh off the disabled list, Jeter strains right quad
NEW YORK – Derek Jeter will miss the Yankees’ weekend series against Minnesota with a Grade 1 strained right quadriceps, according to magnetic resonance imaging, and New York cannot rule out a return to the disabled list.
After missing the first 91 games of the season because of a broken ankle, Jeter was activated Thursday and went 1-for-4 with an RBI groundout as the designated hitter against Kansas City. He injured the leg in his third at-bat.
The 39-year-old shortstop broke his left ankle Oct. 13 in the AL championship series opener, then broke it again in April during his rehabilitation.
Soccer
Another American dips into English Premier League
LONDON – Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan bought the English soccer club Fulham on Friday, becoming the sixth American owner in the Premier League.
The deal between previous owner Mohamed Al Fayed and Khan for the sale of the London club was completed Friday and approved by the Premier League. Financial details were not disclosed.
Manchester United (Glazer family), Arsenal (Stan Kroenke), Liverpool (John Henry), Aston Villa (Randy Lerner) and Sunderland (Ellis Short) also are controlled by American opwners.
The sale comes with Khan’s Jaguars preparing to play NFL regular-season games in London: Jacksonville has a deal to play one home game in London for four consecutive seasons starting in October at Wembley Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers.
Tennis
Sharapova and her coach agree to ‘part ways’
Maria Sharapova said she and coach Thomas Hogstedt have decided to “part ways” after nearly three years working together.
On her personal website, Sharapova said Hogstedt will be unable to travel in the immediate future, so they both agreed she should find another coach.
Sharapova, who won three Grand Slam events from 2004 to 2008 but has won only the 2012 French Open title since, lost in the second round at Wimbledon this year. She said she expects to announce a new coach in a few days.
Associated Press
