Auto Racing
Newman spins a track record to win New Hampshire pole
LOUDON, N.H. – Ryan Newman turned a track-record lap of 136.497 mph to win the pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and headline a top 12 loaded with Chase drivers for Sunday’s race.
Chase for the Sprint Cup championship drivers filled 10 of the top 12 spots Friday. Kasey Kahne was second, Jeff Gordon third, and Kurt Busch was fourth for the second Chase race.
Joey Logano qualified sixth, Kevin Harvick was eighth, series points leader and last week’s winner Matt Kenseth was ninth, and Greg Biffle will start 10th. Jimmie Johnson is 11th and Kyle Busch 12th.
Martin Truex Jr., who originally made the Chase but was bumped, will start fifth the same week he found out NAPA was dumping sponsorship of his Michael Waltrip Racing No. 56 car after the race-fixing attempts at Richmond earlier this month.
NHL
The nation’s capital will put 2015 Winter Classic on ice
WASHINGTON – A person familiar with the situation said the Winter Classic is coming to Washington in 2015.
The NHL’s annual New Year’s Day showcase will be played in the nation’s capital for the first time.
The person Friday confirmed the news to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is expected to make a formal announcement Saturday.
Sailing
Today’s daily postponement: Time thwarts Kiwis’ bid
SAN FRANCISCO – The lightest wind of the regatta thwarted Emirates Team New Zealand’s chance to win the America’s Cup on Friday.
Race 13 was abandoned because of a time limit, with the Kiwis far ahead of Oracle Team USA in light, shifty wind on foggy San Francisco Bay.
It was the sixth time a race was abandoned or postponed since Saturday. The previous five were because of wind over the safety limit. That was imposed after British sailor Andrew “Bart” Simpson was killed in the capsize of Artemis Racing’s catamaran during a training run May 9.
The Kiwis, who reached match point Wednesday, lead the series for the Auld Cup 8-2.
Soccer
U.S. women will host Kiwis for a pair of friendlies
CHICAGO – The U.S. women’s soccer team will face New Zealand in a pair of exhibitions next month, a rematch of their meeting in last year’s Olympic quarterfinals.
The Oct. 27 game at Candlestick Park will be the first time the U.S. women have played in San Francisco in their 28-year history. The teams then will travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a game Oct. 30.
The U.S. is 9-1 against New Zealand, including a 2-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Olympics. The Americans went on to win their third consecutive gold medal in London and currently are the top-ranked team in the world.
wnba
Sky, turns out, not the limit for Chicago’s Delle Donne
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Chicago Sky forward Elena Delle Donne won the WNBA rookie of the year, unanimously (39 votes).
Delle Donne received the award Friday night in Chicago before the Sky lost to the Indiana Fever 85-72 in the opener of their Eastern Conference playoff series.
Delle Donne averaged 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and shot 93 percent from the free-throw line to help Chicago make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The Sky earned the top seed in the East.
She finished third in the league’s MVP balloting behind Candace Parker and Maya Moore. She’s only the second rookie to finish that high in the voting in the last decade; Parker won the MVP in 2008 as a rookie.
Delle Donne was the league’s top vote-getter for the All-Star game in July, marking the first time a rookie held that distinction.
Associated Press
