I Dig Sports
DALLAS – Gar Robinson has joined Lone Star Racing for a five-race IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona Sprint Cup series campaign.
Robinson, a two-time Trans-Am TA2 champion, will co-drive the No. 74 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Lawson Aschenbach.
Racing with the support of ACS Manufacturing and 74 Ranch Resort, Robinson and Aschenbach will make their first start together next weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It is the first of five IMSA GT Daytona races scheduled for the No. 74 team this year and will be followed by the Detroit Grand Prix, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Road America and Virginia Int’l Raceway.
“Texas is in my blood, it’s my family and history,” Robinson said. “To work with Lone Star Racing in Texas feels right at home. We have the same mindset and way of doing things. For example, in 1992 my Dad always ran ‘Don’t Mess with Texas,’ which was an anti-littering campaign, on his cars. When I showed up to the LSR shop the first decal I noticed was ‘Don’t Mess with Texas.’ I’ll just say we all know what proper barbecue and tacos are!”
Lone Star Racing is based the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area in Cresson, Texas, while Robinson grew up in San Antonio.
“Gar fits right in with Lone Star Racing and we are going to have a lot of fun together both on and off the track,” said Lone Star Racing Team Manager AJ Petersen. “We all appreciate the ongoing efforts and commitment of Lone Star Racing team owner Dan Knox with our 2019 program.”
Robinson is a two-time champion in the Trans-Am TA2 class, with titles in 2015 and 2017. He was also the Rookie of the Year in Trans-Am during his 2015 championship run. Robinson also finished third in his only previous IMSA GT Daytona class start at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Aschenbach is a four-time champion in what is now known as Blancpain GT World Challenge America, most recently in 2014. In 2005, he became the first rookie to earn that series championship. In IMSA competition, Aschenbach was the 2010 ST champion in the then-Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and the 2014 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Pro-Am world champion. He most recently captured a win in the GT Daytona class in 2017 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.
“Confidence is the word that comes to mind when I think about this program,” Aschenbach said. “We have an experienced, race-winning team and two championship-level drivers teaming up for the IMSA Sprint Cup season. Everyone has a clear goal and that is to race for podiums. I’m excited to get things rolling at Mid-Ohio with Lone Star, Gar, and the Mercedes-AMG GT3.”
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TALLADEGA, Ala. – Brandon Lynn raced to his first General Tire Pole Award and put himself in prime position during ARCA Menards Series qualifying on Friday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway.
Driving one of three Venturini Motorsports Toyotas, Lynn posted a best lap of 53.298 seconds (179.669 mph) with his No. 20 Carolina Excavation Camry and will lead the field to green in the General Tire 200.
The pole for Lynn comes in his 11th career ARCA start and first of the season.
“The Venturini team is absolutely perfect,” Lynn said. “The car was great off the trailer. We’ve been so close here before, and Talladega is such a big deal, so that’s why we keep coming back here trying to win this thing. I think we’re pretty good, and now it’s just about putting all the pieces together in the race.”
Lynn led the Talladega ARCA race at the white flag in 2017, but ran out of fuel and finished 18th, and fought through early crash damage to come home seventh one year ago.
This time around, he’s hoping to redeem himself from those near misses and end the day with a win.
“The last couple years have been tough on us here. We’ve been right there for the finish and the victory, but something’s always happened,” Lynn noted. “I feel good about starting up front. We’ve started everywhere throughout the field for the past couple of years, and it’s nice to finally start on the pole.
“Now we just have to stay up front all day, be smart, time everything right and make it to the end.”
Ty Majeski will join Lynn on the front row after turning a time of 53.313 seconds (179.618 mph) with the No. 22 Ford for Chad Bryant Racing. Majeski was announced as the driver of that entry mid-week.
Former NASCAR modified champion Andy Seuss timed in third-fastest, followed by Gus Dean and two-time season winner Michael Self.
Riley Herbst, Brandon McReynolds, Sean Corr, Joe Graf Jr. and Grant Quinlan completed the top 10.
Thad Moffitt, the grandson of seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty, will roll off 11th for Friday evening’s 200-mile race.
Per ARCA Menards Series rules for restrictor-plate tracks, the teams went out in groups of five cars for four minutes. The fastest lap each driver turned in their respective session was their lap of record.
The General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway is set to start at 6 p.m. E.T.
To view complete qualifying results, advance to the next page.
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TOLEDO, Ohio – Poor weather conditions have led to the postponement of Saturday’s Hemelgarn Racing/Super Fitness Rollie Beale Classic at Toledo Speedway.
The event will now be held Sunday afternoon, April 28.
The time schedule will be altered for Sunday’s show, taking into account the time to dry the track surface. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid 30’s Sunday morning, but the sun is expected to appear, with temps rising to the 50’s by early afternoon.
The pit gates will open at 9 a.m. The front gates and ticket office open at Noon, with practice to start at that time, pending track conditions. Time trials will go at 1:15 p.m., followed by show time at 2 p.m.
“The wet forecast for Saturday, and, having a Sunday rain date, made this early announcement the best decision in the interest of both the race teams and fans,” noted Ron Drager, promoter of Toledo Speedway. “We are very excited about the entry lists for this new format for our one and only open wheel event in 2019, and we think Sunday’s weather gives us the best opportunity to run this show.”
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MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – As a result of afternoon rains coupled with a tornado watch, Williams Grove Speedway has been forced to cancel its Friday night racing program.
Track management was hopeful that the rains would pass in time to still allow for action on Friday night and made a great effort to keep the surface raceable, but the amount of rain reached an intolerable level shortly after 4:30 p.m.
The rain out means the track has now lost the entire moth of April to weather.
With hopes that May will bring more favorable conditions for racing, the oval expects to be in action next Friday night, May 3 when it hosts the ASCS/URC Battle At The Groves for 360 sprints, along with the 410 sprints, at 8 p.m.
National stars on the 360 circuit will compete in the event, slated to be carried on MAVTV.
Originally slated for Easter weekend, May 3 will again find the oval hosting the Hoseheads Hoppers Giveaway At The Gate for kids.
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Tiger Woods will not play in next week's Wells Fargo Championship, according Charlotte, N.C. sports radio station WFNZ.
Woods had until 5 p.m. ET Friday to commit to the tournament.
An appearance at Quail Hollow seemed a natural fit in the event he was looking to make a competitive start between the Masters and the PGA Championship. Woods won the event in 2007 and made his return to the Charlotte stop last May after a six-year absence, finishing tied for 55th.
But it now appears he will go straight from Augusta National to Bethpage Black, where he'll begin the hunt for major No. 16.
Woods has kept a low profile since his Masters victory, eschewing a media tour. In an interview with GolfTV released Thursday, he said he's spent his time enjoying dinners with friends, taking his kids to and from school, and otherwise not doing "very much." GolfTV also tweeted out video on Friday of Woods playing.
In two major appearances on the Black Course, both in the U.S. Open, Woods won in 2002 and finished tied for sixth in 2009.
Th 81-time PGA Tour winner did make another bit of scheduling news this week, announcing his commitment to play in the Tour's first official event in Japan, the Zozo Championship, this October.
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Gay/Sabbatini (-12) lead as Zurich first round finally ends
Published in
Golf
Friday, 26 April 2019 07:52
AVONDALE, La. – Nearly 32 hours later, the first round of the Zurich Classic is in the books.
A seven-plus-hour weather delay on Thursday threw a wrench in the schedule, leaving players in the initial morning wave with two more early wakeup calls. The first afternoon wave, meanwhile, will head right back out for second-round foursomes play on Friday afternoon.
Not ideal, but this tournament should be back on track by Saturday evening.
Leaders Brian Gay and Rory Sabbatini were part of Thursday’s early tee times and completed 14 holes in 10 under before the horn blew for darkness Tuesday night. When they resumed their first round, at 7 a.m. local time, Gay chipped in two pars – missing a 6-footer for birdie on No. 16 – before Sabbatini birdied the final two holes for a tournament-record-tying, 12-under 60 in fourballs.
“We would have beat it if Brian hadn't actually let us down with his putting,” Sabbatini quipped about the usually lethal putter Gay.
Gay’s steady play and Sabbatini’s aggressiveness have kept this duo, a combined 90 years old, more than relevant so far this week. They’ve stopped trying to find a longer, younger partner to team up with for this event, and instead have found each other.
Going into foursomes, the veterans believe they can keep the momentum going as much younger teams, such as Scott Stallings and Trey Mullinax (11 under), J.T. Poston and Stephan Jaeger (10 under) and Joel Dahmen and Brandon Harkins (9 under), chase them.
“I think it felt like we actually match up very well because we've got very similar games in regard to how far we hit the ball, so we know what kind of lines we're looking at,” Sabbatini said. “But I actually felt very comfortable playing with him. Obviously, it's great having him out there because you know he's always going to putt well, so that takes a lot of pressure off it from the get-go.”
Notables Brooks Koepka and Chase Koepka are 5 under, Jason Day and Adam Scott sit at 7 under, and Patrick Reed and Patrick Cantlay shot 65 in the first round. The cut, which is the low 35 teams and ties, will be made Saturday morning after the completion of 36 holes, and the current line is at 7 under.
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Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar has said he admires Eden Hazard and would like to play with the Chelsea forward some day.
Neymar has shared the pitch with some of the world's top players in his career -- a list that includes Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Kylian Mbappe.
However, when speaking to Fox Sports Brazil on Friday, the Brazil international who, like Hazard has been constantly linked to Real Madrid, said the Belgium international is another he's hoping to pair with in the future.
"I'd like to play with [Eden] Hazard. He's a special player. He plays a little bit like me. I'd like to play with him. I think we would give a lot of trouble [to the other team]," the 27-year-old said.
Neymar also told the outlet that he was "upset" over the harsh criticism he received for enjoying carnival during his recovery from a foot injury in his native Brazil.
"I am going to be honest, the things that were said made me upset," he told Fox Sports Brazil.
Neymar said his actions were overblown by individuals in the media, who chastised the former Santos man for not being with his team.
He said: "Of course people overreacted about it. I was hurt, but I could walk. The thing that hurt me the most was former players that have been through the same thing, badmouthing me. They've done even worse than me."
Neymar moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for a world record transfer fee of €222 million in the summer of 2017. When asked what made him pull the plug at Barça, he said the time was right.
"I wanted a new challenge. I love Barcelona until this day and I watch their games, but I felt it was time to move. It was hard. I hesitated a lot before my final decision," he said.
Neymar will play in this summer's Copa America for Brazil, where the final will be played at Rio de Janeiro's historic Maracana stadium. Neymar said he has special feelings for the Maracana -- home to city giants Flamengo and Fluminense -- and confessed he'd like to make it his home in an eventual return to Brazil.
"I think [I'd play for] Flamengo. The fans ... I want to feel what's like to play for Flamengo, play in the Maracana,"
Before moving to Europe, Neymar made his name at Santos, the club at which Pele spent his best years, leading them to Copa Libertadores and Copa do Brazil glory during his time with the Sao Paulo side.
"I love Santos too," Neymar added. "When I go back to Brazil, I'll have to play for Santos again."
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Naby Keita scored Liverpool's fastest Premier League goal in club history, 15 seconds into the Reds' match on Friday against Huddersfield Town.
Keita clipped the ball from Huddersfield's Jon Gorenc Stankovic within seconds of the whistle toward Mohamed Salah who then threaded it back to the Guinean for a shot into the low corner of the goal.
Keita's goal came days after Southampton's Shane Long scored the fastest in Premier League history, a 7.69-second strike against Watford on Wednesday.
Keita's quick strike effectively sealed the game before it really began, as Salah and Sadio Mane each added a brace for the 5-0 win over the Terriers.
"He was a massive strength today. He is a complete midfielder. He was outstanding today," manager Jurgen Klopp said of Keita, who now has three in his last five games in all competitions.
According to the club, Liverpool's fastest goal ever was Jack Balmer's score against city rivals Everton in February 1938 -- 10 seconds into that edition of the Merseyside derby.
The last player to score a goal for Liverpool inside the first minute of a game had been Martin Skrtel in February 2014 in a 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal.
Liverpool jump back atop the Premier League standings -- two points over Manchester City, who play Burnley on Sunday. The loss ensured already-relegated Huddersfield would finish last in the table.
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Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League with a 5-0 demolition of relegated Huddersfield Town at Anfield on Friday night.
Liverpool came into the match looking to reclaim top spot after Manchester City moved into first following a win over Manchester United on Wednesday, and they were in front seconds after the opening whistle when Naby Keita beat Jonas Lossl from a bad giveaway by the Huddersfield defence.
Keita's goal, which came in the 15th second of the match, set a new record for the fastest ever scored by Liverpool in the Premier League.
The hosts doubled their lead just past the 20-minute mark when Sadio Mane headed an Andrew Robertson cross in from the top of the six-yard box to make it 2-0.
Mohamed Salah made it 3-0 right before half-time, lofting a delicate volley over the keeper from a Trent Alexander-Arnold long ball for his league-leading 20th goal of the season. The strike also made Salah the first African-born player to score 20 goals in consecutive seasons in the English top flight.
Daniel Sturridge, in for the rested Roberto Firmino, looked to have made it 4-0 shortly after the restart when he turned home an Alexander-Arnold cross on a counter-attack, but the referee had the flag up for offside on the play.
Liverpool's fourth, and Mane's second, came shortly after though when the Senegal international backtracked to catch up to a Jordan Henderson ball into the box and head it past Lossl to extend the lead.
Jurgen Klopp made two changes after the goal, giving Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain his first senior minutes since suffering a devastating knee injury against Roma in the Champions League one year ago and also bringing on Xherdan Shaqiri for the final 20 minutes.
Oxlade-Chamberlain nearly had a dream start to his return when Salah sprang him in the penalty area only for Lossl to stuff his close-range shot on the line and preserve the 4-0 scoreline, before Mane's effort at a third headed goal came crashing back off the post.
Salah made it five as full-time approached, weaving through the Huddersfield defence to be first to a Robertson square ball in front of goal and tap home to edge in front of teammate Mane in the race for the Golden Boot with 21 and 20 goals, respectively.
Robertson now has 11 assists on the season to become the first Premier League defender with double-digit assists in a season since Antonio Valencia did it for Man United in 2011-12.
The three points puts Liverpool on 91 for the season with two games to play, but they'll need Manchester City to drop points in one of their remaining three matches to have a chance at winning the Premier League for the first time since the 1989-90 season.
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Ben Duckett, Steven Mullaney fire as Notts rack up another 400-plus total
Published in
Cricket
Friday, 26 April 2019 12:02
Nottinghamshire 433 for 7 (Duckett 86, Mullaney 81, Libby 66, Nash 56, Clarke 55, Moores 50) beat Leicestershire 259 (Dearden 74, Cosgrove 59, Fletcher 3-53) by 87 runs (DLS method)
Nottinghamshire moved a step closer to qualifying for the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup with a brutal batting display against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge.
For the sixth time in three years Notts went past 400 in one-day cricket, before closing on 433 for 7. Ben Duckett and Steven Mullaney led the assault upon the Foxes attack but the four other member of the Outlaws top order also hit punishing half-centuries. Duckett scored 86 from only 61 balls and Mullaney went even faster, bludgeoning 81 from 41 balls.
The run chase was interrupted by rain, resulting in a revised target of 347 from 37 overs but the soaring run rate counted against the visitors, as wickets began to tumble at regular intervals. Luke Fletcher claimed figures of 3 for 53 as the Foxes were bowled out for 259 in 33.2 overs, leaving the home side as victors by 87 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.
Earlier, Notts' initial plans were thrown into disarray just before the toss when the in-form Ben Slater was withdrawn after picking up a slight niggle in the warm-up. His deputy at the top of the order, Chris Nash, proved to be an able replacement and an ideal foil for Joe Clarke as the hosts added 82 in the opening 10-over Powerplay.
Clarke had been spilled on 26, driving Chris Wright to the finger-tips of Paul Horton at cover but he offered very little else to the fielding side until clipping to short fine leg for 55. Nash, who had helped add 108 for the first wicket, then fell to the spin of Colin Ackermann for 56.
Duckett went through his full repertoire of shots, hitting boundaries all around the wicket as he reached his 50 from 41 balls. The left-hander dominated a third-wicket partnership of 106 with Jake Libby, before tamely ramping the ball straight into the hands of wicketkeeper Lewis Hill. Libby had reached his first one-day 50 from 45 balls and advanced his score to 66 before holing out.
The impetus was maintained with a thrilling partnership of 91 in only 7.3 overs between Mullaney and Tom Moores. Both eventually lost their wickets to Gavin Griffifths, the most successful Leicestershire bowler with 3 for 92, leaving James Pattinson to club the 14th and final six of the innings.
The Outlaws total was their second highest in history, falling just short of the 445 for 8 that they made against Northants in 2016.
Mark Cosgrove and Harry Dearden put on 106 for the first wicket in only 13.2 overs as the Foxes tried to lay the foundations for an unlikely victory chase. Pattinson broke their stand, pinning Cosgrove lbw for 59, shortly before Mullaney bowled Ackermann.
At 152 for 2 from 21.5 overs, a shower of rain forced the players from the field and left a revised target of almost 13 runs per over. Dearden, who had become the eighth player in the match to pass 50 fell in the quest for quick runs and was immediately followed back to the pavilion by two team-mates.
Sharp work by Pattinson ran out Paul Horton for 36 and Arron Lilley was bowled first ball by Patel. Hill scored a defiant 21 from only 10 balls but was one of three wickets to fall in the same Fletcher over.
The outcome means that Notts have taken maximum points from their first four matches for the first time since 2013. Leicestershire's defeat leaves them on two points from five matches and unable to qualify from the group.
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