Auto Racing
Quicken Loans lends Newman a familiar sponsor at RCR
WELCOME, N.C. – Quicken Loans will follow Ryan Newman to Richard Childress Racing as primary sponsor for 12 races next season.
Quicken Loans currently sponsors Newman for 18 races at Stewart-Haas Racing.
The online home lender will be an associate sponsor on Newman’s car at RCR when it is not adorning the hood. Quicken Loans also is the title sponsor of the Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway and is an associate sponsor of Team Penske IndyCar drivers Helio Castroneves and Will Power.
College Football
Air Force grounds Awini for an unspecified violation
AIR FORCE ACADEMY – Air Force quarterback Jaleel Awini was suspended from the Falcons football team.
The Academy said Wednesday that Awini “is no longer a cadet in good standing and is not allowed to represent the Academy in any outside activities, effective immediately.”
There was no indication of what got Awini in trouble.
The news release only added this: “All cadets are held to the same high standards – honor, physical fitness, academics and military aptitude – and each case is handled on its own individual merits. Holding each cadet to these high standards promotes good order and discipline throughout the institution.”
Awini took over as the Falcons’ starting quarterback after Kale Pearson hurt a knee in the opener. They won that game against Colgate but have lost three in a row since.
Cycling
Cookson calls UCI election a ‘crossroads’ for the sport
FLORENCE, Italy – With the shadow of the Lance Armstrong doping affair still hanging over cycling, British challenger Brian Cookson called Friday’s International Cycing Union presidential election a “crossroads moment” for the sport.
The president of British Cycling also said the “shennanigans” that have marred the sport under rival Pat McQuaid, who is seeking a third four-year term, no longer are acceptable.
The vote, held during the road world championships, will be a secret ballot of the 42 voters. A simple majority of 22 votes is required for victory.
The voting congress will be held in Florence’s historic Palazzo Vecchio.
NBA
Knicks and Nets will share All-Star weekend in ’15
NEW YORK – The Knicks and Nets are working together to split the NBA All-Star weekend in New York City in 2015.
The game will be played at Madison Square Garden, and the slam dunk contest and other skills events will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Wednesday’s announcement completes about two years of planning, an idea brought to the teams by the league to share the three-day weekend.
The league last split sites for its midseason showcase in 2010, when the Saturday events were in the Dallas Mavericks’ arena, and the game was held at the Cowboys’ stadium.
Community and fan events will be held in all five boroughs as the All-Star game comes to New York for the fifth time. The game will be played Feb. 15.
Skiing
Vail wants more security for world championships
VAIL – Authorities in Vail are asking for more outdoor surveillance cameras to keep an eye on people attending big events.
Vail Police Cmdr. Craig Bettis said the cameras would help authorities monitor the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships and other big events that could draw up to 150,000 people.
According to the Vail Daily, the city is budgeting about $120,000 for about 24 new surveillance cameras, with 15 or so in Vail Village and another nine in Lionshead.
Associated Press
