Auto Racing
Penske Ford drives 1-2 in Sprint Cup qualifying
LAS VEGAS – Joey Logano won the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, turning a qualifying lap at a track-record 193.28 mph.
Logano will start on the front row next to Penske Ford teammate Brad Keselowski, who came in second Friday at 193.099.
Clint Bowyer will start third alongside Austin Dillon in fourth. Jimmie Johnson is in fifth.
Indy 500 trades Bump Day for a ‘Fast Nine Shootout’
The new qualifying format for the Indianapolis 500 will include three rounds over two days, with the pole-winner emerging from a “Fast Nine Shootout” on what used to be Bump Day.
IndyCar officials also said Friday there will be points incentives that have yet to be announced.
Qualifying for the Indy 500 this year will begin May 17 when the fastest 33 cars are locked into the field. All entries will be guaranteed at least one four-lap attempt to qualify, and the fastest nine drivers will move into the shootout.
On Sunday, the previous days’ times will be erased, and entries 10 through 33 will complete another four-lap qualifying attempt to determine their starting position. The fastest nine drivers from Saturday will then make one four-lap attempt to determine the prestigious pole winner and starting front row.
Soccer
Sundhage, Sweden eliminate the U.S. from Algarve Cup
ALBUFIERA, Portugal – The U.S. women’s soccer team’s two-year unbeaten streak ended at 43 games Friday with a 1-0 loss to Sweden and former head coach Pia Sundhage at the Algarve Cup.
Lotta Schelin beat goalkeeper Hope Solo with a header in the 24th minute. The U.S. had been 36-0-7 since a 1-0 loss to Japan at the Algarve Cup on March 5, 2012, and 16-0-4 under Tom Sermanni, who took over as head coach after Sundhage left in 2012 to lead her native Sweden.
The Americans, who opened with a 1-1 tie against Japan, were eliminated from the tournament after two games.
The U.S. played without star forward Alex Morgan, who is sidelined with an ankle injury.
WNBA
WNBA Board of Governors ratifies a new 8-year CBA
NEW YORK – The WNBA Board of Governors ratified a new eight-year collective bargaining agreement Friday.
The agreement includes an additional roster spot for each franchise, allowing teams to carry a maximum of 12 players.
The new CBA also decreases the number of times a player can be “cored,” shortening the path to unrestricted free agency for stars. There also is an improved revenue-sharing program for the players and a small increase in the salary cap.
Another change is that teams now can offer players a “time off bonus.” Teams have up to $50,000 to divide up among players who play fewer than three months overseas. Those bonuses aren’t tied to any sort of offseason team obligations.
Free agency is set to begin Monday, and the regular season will start May 16, with training camps opening up a few weeks earlier.
World Cup Skiing
Fenninger wins two in a row to take the overall lead
ARE, Sweden – Anna Fenninger seized the lead in the overall Alpine World Cup standings Friday by winning a giant slalom for the second consecutive day.
The 24-year-old Austrian extended her first-leg lead to beat Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany by 0.61 seconds.
Jessica Lindell-Vikarby of Sweden was third, trailing 0.68 behind Fenninger’s combined time of 2 minutes, 00.15 seconds. Lindell-Vikarby retained her lead in the season-long giant slalom standings.
Still, it is Fenninger who leads overall, using the 100 race points for victory to take a slender seven-point advantage – 1,151 to 1,144 – over Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany.
Associated Press
