Auto Racing
Kansas City is just what the doctor ordered for Kenseth
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Matt Kenseth took the pole Sunday at one of his favorite places after setting a track qualifying record of 191.864 mph at Kansas Speedway.
Kenseth won the fall race at Kansas last season and hasn’t finished outside the top 10 since having engine trouble in the 2009 race. He has finished in the top five at Kansas five times.
Carl Edwards will start on the front row for the first time at Kansas after qualifying second with a lap of 191.748. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. qualified third.
Joey Logano will start 22nd, and Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski will go off 33rd. Both drivers arrived at Kansas with their full teams after appealing heavy sanctions handed down by NASCAR for bringing unapproved parts to last weekend’s race at Texas.
nba
Sleepless in Sacramento as Seattle gains momentum
SACRAMENTO – The Maloof family is asking NBA owners to approve the sale of the Kings to a Seattle group, saying there is “significant distance between us and the Sacramento group.”
In a letter sent to the NBA’s relocation and finance committee, then obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, the Maloof family said the Sacramento group originally matched the $525-million valuation for the franchise negotiated by Chris Hansen, who is heading the Seattle group. Hansen then increased the valuation offer to $550 million last week.
The Maloofs said the Sacramento group has asked not to enter into a binding agreement until the Seattle deal is terminated. The Maloofs said that would be a breach of contract and cost them the “leverage to aggressively renegotiate terms in the event the existing agreement is terminated.”
If a vote is taken at some point in the next couple weeks, the Seattle group needs 23 of 30 owners to approve the sale of the team. A simple majority – 16 votes – is all that’s needed to approve relocation.
NBA breaks a few ties when it comes to its draft
NEW YORK – The Detroit Pistons won a tiebreaker with the Washington Wizards, giving them slightly better odds to finish with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
Both teams finished 29-53 this season. The Pistons will have 36 chances out of 1,000 heading into next month’s lottery, and Washington will have 35.
The Orlando Magic, with a league-worst 20-62 record, will have a 25-percent chance of winning the lottery.
The NBA broke three other ties through random drawings Friday:
Philadelphia (34-48) won a tiebreaker with Toronto.
Houston (45-37) won a tiebreaker with Chicago and the Los Angeles Lakers; the Lakers then won a tiebreaker with Chicago.
The Clippers (56-26) won a tiebreaker with Memphis.
Cycling
Nibali sweeps the final day of the Giro del Trentino
SEGA DI ALA, Italy – Vincenzo Nibali won the four-day Giro del Trentino with a solo victory in the final stage Friday.
Nibali, who rides for the Astana team, attacked on the long and grueling uphill finish and completed the 104-mile leg from Arco to Sega di Ala in over 4 hours, 21 minutes. Fellow Italian rider Mauro Santambrogio crossed second, eight seconds behind. In the overall standings, Nibali finished 21 seconds ahead of Santambrogio.
The race was a key warmup for the ProTour major Giro d’Italia, which will begin May 4 in Naples.
Soccer
NWSL gets a television deal with FOX Sports TV
CHICAGO – The National Women’s Soccer League has landed a TV deal with FOX Sports.
Six regular-season matches will be shown in July, followed by two playoff matches and the championship Aug. 31. Beginning July 8, FOX Soccer will televise one game per week in the final six weeks of the season, leading up to the NWSL playoffs.
Associated Press
