Auto Racing
NEWTON, Iowa – Erik Jones will start first Sunday in the NASCAR Xfinity race at Iowa Speedway after winning his sixth pole of the season.
Jones has twice as many qualifying victories in 2016 as Kyle Busch, who is second in the series with three.
Daniel Suarez, who raced to his first series victory last week, will start second. Sam Hornish Jr. will start third, giving Joe Gibbs Racing the top three spots on the grid.
Justin Allgaier was fourth, followed by Elliott Sadler, Ben Kennedy and Sprint Cup regular Brad Keselowski. Kennedy is making his first series start.
BAKU, Azerbaijan – Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in Saturday’s pre-qualifying practice session at the European Grand Prix, edging Mercedes teammate and Formula One championship leader Nico Rosberg by a quarter of a second on the Baku street circuit.
The Mercedes cars were again a class above their rivals, with Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg third fastest but 1.2 seconds off Hamilton’s time.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was fourth, ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in fifth.
The session ended under a red flag because of debris on track after a collision by Force India’s Sergio Perez with the same trackside barrier that caught out Ricciardo on Friday.
Williams’ Valtteri Bottas did not complete a lap after driving over a pitlane drain cover which flicked up and punctured a hole in the car’s sidepod.
Golf
BELMONT, Mich. – Her ailing back a bit better, defending champion Lexi Thompson shot a 5-under 66 on Saturday for a share of the Meijer LPGA Classic lead with In Gee Chun.
Thompson birdied five of the first 13 holes at Blythefield in her bogey-free round to match Chun at 15-under 198. The 21-year-old American birdied three of the four par-5 holes and is 9 under overall on the par 5s.
Thompson won the Honda LPGA Thailand in February for her seventh LPGA Tour title. The long-hitting Florida player, ranked fourth in the world, also won a Japan LPGA event last month. The back pain could be a major concern heading into the busy summer schedule and golf’s return to the Olympics.
Chun had a bogey-free 65, making four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine. The U.S. Women’s Open champion sat out a month this year because of a back injury after was struck by a suitcase that rival South Korean player Ha Na Jang’s father dropped down an escalator at the Singapore airport.
NFL
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has received the 2016 Tennessean of the Year award from the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame announced that it presented Manning with the award Saturday at its annual “Champion Within” luncheon.
The award is presented to an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to the state of Tennessee through sports or other methods while demonstrating outstanding character and leadership.
Bill Emendorfer, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame’s executive director, said in a statement that “we have honored many outstanding individuals in the past 50 years, but none greater than Peyton.”
Manning, a former University of Tennessee quarterback, announced his retirement in March after helping the Denver Broncos win a Super Bowl in his final season.
Associated Press
