AUTO RACING
Retired quarterback Peyton Manning will serve as honorary race official for the Food City 500 on April 17.
Bristol Motor Speedway officials announced Manning’s involvement Wednesday.
As an honorary race official, Manning will accompany Dale Earnhardt Jr. during driver introductions. Bristol Motor Speedway executive vice president Jerry Caldwell said in a statement, “I don’t think it’s possible to pair two more beloved sports figures in the state of Tennessee than Peyton Manning and Dale Earnhardt Jr.”
Manning announced his retirement last month after capping his career by helping the Denver Broncos win the Super Bowl. The five-time NFL MVP played at Tennessee from 1994-97 and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up his senior season.
Motor sport’s governing body has agreed for Formula One to revert back to last year’s qualifying format after its new format proved massively unpopular with drivers and fans.
The move still needs to be officially approved by the F1 commission and World Motor Sport Council before the next race, the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on April 17, the FIA and Formula One management said on Thursday in a joint statement.
The new rolling-elimination format – in which the slowest driver is eliminated every 90 seconds – was used in Australia, and Bahrain last weekend, but heavily criticized both times for a lack of on-track action.
With teams and drivers increasingly unhappy, FIA president Jean Todt and series commercial chief Bernie Ecclestone backtracked under pressure.
Carl Edwards became the seventh different pole winner in the seven NASCAR Sprint Cup races this season, posting the fast lap of 194.609 mph in the final round of qualifying for Saturday night’s Duck Commander 500 at the Texas track where he has won three times.
Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. both had qualifying laps of 193.306 mph. Logano will start on the front row besides Edwards, with Truex third. Rookie Chase Elliott and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fill out the top five spots.
Jimmie Johnson, who has won the last three races at the 1 1/2-mile, high-banked track, qualified 11th.
It is Edwards’ 17th career pole, and his second in 23 starts at Texas.
BOXING
The uncle and trainer of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury says a rematch against Wladimir Klitschko will take place in Manchester on July 9.
Peter Fury posted details of the rematch on his Twitter account, saying an official announcement would be made later Friday.
Fury’s promoter has yet to make an announcement.
Fury beat Klitschko in a unanimous decision in November to take the WBA, IBF and WBO belts and end the Ukrainian’s nine-year reign as champion.
A rematch clause was inserted into the deal for the first fight, but the two camps have been struggling to come up with a date and location for a second fight.
Moto Sports
Marc Marquez has been complaining about poor acceleration on his Honda. He found enough Friday to top the first practice session at the Grand Prix of the Americas.
Marquez navigated the Circuit of the Americas with a best lap of 2 minutes, 4.953 seconds.
Associated Press
