Auto Racing
Keselowski routs Richmond field to secure No. 1 seed
RICHMOND, Va. – Brad Keselowski routed the field Saturday night for his fourth win of the season, a victory that gave him the top seed in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Keselowski led all but 17 of the 400 laps at Richmond International Raceway.
There were two spots up for grab in the 16-driver Chase field, but Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman pretty much entered the race in control of their own fate. Biffle slid into the final spot with a 19th-place finish, and Newman never left anything to chance with a strong ninth-place finish.
Jeff Gordon, the points leader for much of the regular season, finished second.
Hamilton and Rosberg drive 1-2 for Italian Grand Prix
MONZA, Italy – Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are poised for another wing-to-wing duel in the Italian Grand Prix.
After colliding in Belgium two weeks ago and ensuing disciplinary measures, the Mercedes rivals qualified 1-2 on Saturday, and it will be tough for the pair to avoid each other entering the tricky first chicane at the Monza circuit.
Rosberg had won four consecutive poles and six of the last seven.
Hamilton clocked 1 minute, 24.109 seconds; Rosberg was second in 1:24.383.
Rosberg holds a 29-point lead over Hamilton in the standings, the biggest it has been all season.
Basketball
France and Spain will meet; Slovenia gets the U.S.
BARCELONA, Spain – Rivals France and Spain will meet again in the quarterfinals of the Basketball World Cup after both won in the round of 16 on Saturday.
Pau Gasol scored 13 of his 17 points in the first quarter, as host Spain routed Senegal 89-56 to remain unbeaten after dominating all five games of the group phase.
France, meanwhile, had to overcome an early deficit to eliminate Croatia 69-64, as Nicolas Batum scored 14 points and Evan Fournier 13 for the European champion.
On the other side of the bracket held in Barcelona, Slovenia and the United States advanced with wins and will play Tuesday.
Stephen Curry hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 points to help the U.S. ease to an 86-63 victory over Mexico. While the Americans’ victory was anything but surprising, Slovenia outlasted the Dominican Republic 71-61 in a thrilling contest of contrasting styles and scoring runs.
Cycling
Hesjedal wins Vuelta’s 14th; Contador increases lead
LA CAMPERONA, Spain – Ryder Hesjedal of Canada won a mountainous 14th stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Saturday, while Alberto Contador held onto the red leader’s jersey for a fourth consecutive day.
Hesjedal, a former Giro d’Italia winner riding for Garmin Sharp, edged Oliver Zaugg in the final meters of the summit ascent to claim the 125-mile ride from Santander to La Camperona featuring two category-one climbs. He finished the grueling stage in 5 hours, 18 minutes, 10 seconds.
Contador increased his lead to 42 seconds over nearest rival Alejandro Valverde, who finished 22 seconds behind the five-time grand tour winner.
Golf
Horschel takes a 3-shot lead at BMW Championship
CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE – Billy Horschel made a 32-foot birdie putt Saturday to close out a 7-under 63 and take a three-shot lead over Ryan Palmer into the final round of the BMW Championship.
Horschel, who had a chance to win the Deutsche Bank Championship before chunking a 6-iron from the 18th fairway Monday, birdied 14 and 15 to take the lead. His birdie on 18 left him at 13-under 197.
A few minutes later, Palmer answered with a 30-footer on 18 to draw within three.
U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer shot a 64 to get within five, tied with Masters champion Bubba Watson (66) and one shot ahead of Rickie Fowler (66).
Associated Press
