Auto Racing
Blaney wins his first career Nationwide Series pole
NEWTON, Iowa – Ryan Blaney will start from the pole Sunday in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway after winning Saturday’s qualifying.
Blaney, who won a NASCAR Truck Series race in Iowa in 2012, took the pole for the first time in the Nationwide Series.
Sam Hornish Jr. will join Blaney on the front row, followed by Michael McDowell, Regan Smith and Dylan Kwasniewski.
Series points leader Chase Elliott will start sixth in the Nationwide’s first stand-alone race of the season while the Sprint Cup runs its all-star exhibitions.
Carpenter fastest by morning and afternoon in qualifying
INDIANAPOLIS – Ed Carpenter posted the fastest time early in Saturday’s qualifying, then did it again late in the afternoon to take top seed into Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 pole shootout.
Last year’s Indy pole winner hadn’t been in an IndyCar all season – until last weekend. But his four-lap average of 230.661 mph was just ahead of Carolos Muñoz. The Colombian, who drives for Andretti-HVM, was second at 230.460. Three-time Indy winner Helio Castroneves, of Team Penske, was third at 230.432.
Cycling
One Australian wrestles the Giro away from another
MONTECOPIOLO, Italy – A final push from Diego Ulissi and the Italian won a tough eighth stage as the Giro d’Italia took to the mountains Saturday, while Cadel Evans ended Michael Matthews’ grip on the overall lead.
Ulissi made his move inside the final 300 meters, bursting out of the peloton to edge Robert Kiserlovski for a second stage win in the race.
Evans finished fifth in the 111-mile leg from Foligno to Montecopiolo, which had two category one climbs, including the final ascent to the finish, to take the lead from fellow Australian Matthews, who had worn the pink jersey for six days. Evans now has a 57-second advantage over Rigoberto Uran, with Rafal Majka third.
Sagan wins Stage 7 sprint; Wiggins leads California
PASADENA, Calif. – Slovakia’s Peter Sagan won the seventh stage of the Tour of California in a field sprint Saturday, and Britain’s Bradley Wiggins closed in on the overall title.
Sagan, riding for Cannondale, jumped to the front just after the final corner to win the 88.7-mile Santa Clarita road race in 3 hours, 24 minutes, 33 seconds.
Wiggins, the 2012 Tour de France winner who rides for Sky, finished in the main field to maintain his 30-second lead over Australia’s Rohan Dennis of Garmin-Sharp. American Lawson Craddock of Giant-Shimano remained third overall, 1:48 back.
MLB
Diamondbacks hire La Russa to run baseball operations
PHOENIX – The Arizona Diamondbacks hired Tony La Russa as their chief baseball officer Saturday, hoping the Hall of Fame manager can help turn around the team after one of the worst starts in franchise history.
La Russa will report to Diamondbacks’ President Derrick Hall and oversee the entire baseball operations department. He will work with manager Kirk Gibson and general manager Kevin Towers in shaping their future, who were 16-28 heading into Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Soccer
Arsenal ends 9-year drought with an FA Cup title
LONDON – Aaron Ramsey ended Arsenal’s nine-year trophy drought, completing his team’s comeback in extra time in the FA Cup final to clinch a 3-2 victory over Hull.
Hull never has won a major trophy in its 110-year history.
Santi Cazorla began Arsenal’s comeback in the 17th minute by scoring directly from a free kick. Laurent Koscielny tied the score in the 71st minute to force extra time, where Ramsey completed the comeback.
Associated Press
