SONOMA, Calif. – George Kurtz drove his No. 04 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 to victory Sunday at Sonoma Raceway in a flag-to-flag run that completed a GT America powered by AWS weekend sweep for DXDT Racing in the SRO3 class.

In Masters, Charlie Luck drove into a class win in his No. 45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 -R 991.2 on his way to the second position overall.

In the GT4 class, Rotek Racing’s Rob Holland drove his No. 99 Ford Mustang GT4 to the top of the podium after a race-long battle with Classic BMW’s Phil Bloom and Stephen Cameron Racing’s Sean Quinlan, with GMG Racing’s Jason Bell applying pressure to the group.

Under cold morning temperatures, warmed-up tires were the concern of the morning at the race’s start. A few inconsequential bumps and rubs later, competitors were ready to trust the tires and charge forward.

In the GT3 field, Kurtz was able to parlay the pole position into an excellent start that put him out front early. It then became a battle with the second- and third-place qualifiers, Jason Harward and Master Class polesitter Luck.

The two exchanged positions several times during the race while fending off challenging runs from Rearden Racing’s Jeff Burton in the No. 191 Lamborghini Huracan GT3.

By the middle of the race a full-course yellow due to errant track debris allowed the field to pack up and prepare for another run for the checkered, but Kurtz managed another excellent restart and was away to run the remaining six minutes building another lead.

Luck, unable to catch Kurtz, ended up first in class and second at the checkered, with Harward completing the weekend GT3 podium in third place.

In Masters, Burton managed to put together a decent run for both overall and Master Class positioning but ended up behind teammate Dimitiri Novikov at the drop of the checkered.

The GT4 contingent proved to be a competitive bunch as the undulating field positions of the grid started at the drop of the green and continued through the restart after the full-course yellow.

Holland and Bloom battled for top positioning after the restart, with race one winner Quinlan close enough to be a worry and Bell behind him, making it a possible four-way battle for first.

Several minutes ticked off from the remaining six after the restart when driving and mechanical incidents struck, including slowing from Tim Pappas and a late-race spin from Ross Chouest.

At the checkered, it was Holland, Bloom and Quinlan that took the podium positions in class and just denied Bell his second podium of the weekend in his new platform.

STAFFORD SPRINGS, Conn. – Stafford Motor Speedway will kick off its racing season with NAPA Auto Parts Opening Day on Saturday, April 24.

The Granite State Pro Stock Series will headline a five-division card of action, and among the headline GSPSS drivers will be 31-year old Joey Polewarczyk Jr. from Hudson, N.H.

Polewarczyk, the driver of the No. 97 Pole’s Automotive Ford, is the defending champion of the Granite State Series, winning the championship in his first full season with the tour.

Polewarczyk boasts wins in the prestigious Milk Bowl in 2010 and the Oxford 250 in 2012.

However, the 75-lap GSPSS race on NAPA Auto Parts Opening Day will mark Polewarczyk’s debut appearance behind the wheel at Stafford, and he is looking forward to the challenge.

“I’ve never raced at Stafford before,” said Polewarczyk.  “I helped out a K&N (East, now ARCA Menards Series East) team back around 2007 or 2008 and that’s the only time I’ve been to Stafford. It’s always unique and challenging anytime you go to a new track. I’ve watched a lot of videos and that kind of stuff from Stafford and it looks like it’s a racy track and very fast.

“I think the Granite State cars will get going pretty good around Stafford and it looks like a fun track and I’m definitely looking forward to trying it out.”

The GSPSS entry list currently stands at 22 drivers, with eight former or current Stafford regulars and 14 GSPSS drivers.

The Stafford regular list includes five former track champions in Cory Casagrande, Adam Gray, Devin O’Connell, Keith Rocco, and Jeremy Sorel, along with Mike O’Sullivan, Mike Scorzelli, and Alexander Pearl.

O’Sullivan is also a two-time GSPSS champion, while O’Connell is the 2018 GSPSS titlist.

The Granite State regulars are headlined by Polewarczyk, as well as feature winners Angelo Belsito, Josh King, Dave Darling, and D.J. Shaw.

With a mixture of drivers who have plenty of experience at Stafford versus drivers who will be seeing the track for the very first time, Polewarczyk feels like he and his fellow GSPSS regulars will be at a small disadvantage.

“I’m sure the guys who race Stafford weekly will have a little bit of an upper hand because they know the characteristics of the track and how it reacts on long runs and things like that,” said Polewarczyk. “Everyone is excited to go to a new track and try something different and a lot of the guys who run the Granite State series are from that area, so I think you’ll see a good mix of drivers and it’ll be anyone’s race to win.

“We’re going to give it all we’ve got and try to get the car where we want it handling and hopefully the rest will take care of itself. If we can get the car to turn and get the car to have good drive off the corner, we should be all right.”

The mixture of Stafford veterans and Granite State regulars has Polewarczyk feeling like the 75-lap GSPSS feature has all the promise of delivering 75 laps of thrilling action.

“All the Granite State races last year were pretty close,” said Polewarczyk. “There’s a bunch of different guys who can win on any given week and when you add that to a new track with some of the regulars who are all really good at Stafford, I think the race will be very competitive.

“Guys like Ray Christian, Angelo Belsito, and Joey Doiron will all be tough and I think there will be at least 10 cars that will have a legit shot at winning the race.”

With no prior driving experience at Stafford, the opening laps of the first practice session will be of utmost importance to Polewarczyk and the rest of the GSPSS regulars can begin to get a feel for the half-mile facility and start to dial their cars in.

“The first laps on the track are going to be huge for everybody,” said Polewarczyk.  “We’re hoping to unload the car and be somewhat close to what we need right out of the gate and work on fine tuning things.  Stafford is the first Granite State race of the 2021 season so everyone is going to be itching to get back to the track and go racing.  If we can start the year off with a win or at least a good finish, that can really help set the tone for how the year is going to go.

“Everyone wants to do well in the first race and our hope is to keep all the fenders on the car and be there at the end to try to win the race.”

Bryson DeChambeau stayed aggressive Sunday on the par-5 sixth hole at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

For the second consecutive day, DeChambeau took a more extreme line off the tee,  blasting his drive 377 yards and leaving himself just 88 yards from the hole, but faced with a difficult bunker shot.

DeChambeau was tied for the lead at the time with playing competitor Lee Westwood and Jordan Spieth. Westwood took the more traditional route at No. 6, hitting his tee shot 306 yards but finding himself 168 yards farther from the pin than DeChambeau.

Nonetheless, both players missed the green in a near identical spot with their second shots.

Both players also managed to get up and down for birdie to remain tied at the top.

Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from next week's Players Championship with a knee injury.

This time it's his right knee.

"Brooks strained his right knee and he is scheduled to further consult with doctors this week to receive a more extensive evaluation and outlook,” Koepka’s manager, Blake Smith, said in a statement. “We will be able to provide additional updates and information as we learn more.”

Koepka battled a left knee injury for much of the past two years, including receiving multiple stem-cell treatments. He said the pain reached an all-time high last summer at Memorial, and he also was forced to withdraw from last September's U.S. Open. He dropped from No. 1 to No. 12 in the world rankings before breaking through for his first victory since the 2019 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational last month at the Phoenix Open.

"It's been a wild ride for the last year and a half and very frustrating," Koepka said after winning at TPC Scottsdale. "I've had moments where I didn't know if I was going to be the same, if I could even come back. ... I went through it mentally. I think that's probably the toughest thing, where you don't know if you're ever going to be the same competitor that you were. You go through some real dark places, and it's not a fun place to be."

Koepka then stated that he planned to play nearly everything week in the lead-up to the Masters, skipping only this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Valero Texas Open the week before Augusta National.

“I feel good, so why not play?”  Koepka said.

Koepka was slated to compete in a featured group alongside Patrick Reed and Jon Rahm for each of the first two rounds around TPC Sawgrass. He will be replaced in the field by Anirban Lahiri unless an non-exempt player wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed the performances of Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw after his team's impressive 2-0 win at Manchester City in Sunday's derby.

France forward Martial has struggled for large parts of this season and dropped down the pecking order behind Edinson Cavani, but with the Uruguayan ruled out Solskjaer asked the 25-year-old to lead the line, even though he too had faced a fitness test.

- Ogden: Man United's derby win shows how far they have to go
- Ratings: Shaw, Martial 8/10 in win over Man City
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"Anthony Martial was man of the match. That was the Anthony we know; strong, positive and taking players on. Delighted for him," said Solskjaer. "Until two hours before warmup I wasn't sure if he'd play. Today he rediscovered himself."

It was Martial who was brought down after 34 seconds to earn United a penalty and he caused City problems throughout with his strong running and sharp movement.

Shaw, who has put his troubled time under previous manager Jose Mourinho behind him this season, contributed to a solid defensive unit but also got forward down the left flank. It was his surging run and then precise finish that made it 2-0 in the 50th minute.

"The second goal was magnificent," said Solskjaer. "Luke just showed what he is about. He was a massive doubt this morning and had to go through a fitness test to play. What a performance."

"When you come away with a 2-0 win and another clean sheet and a performance like this then you are delighted. We had to defend well. No team in the world of football has a chance against Manchester City without being collective."

The United boss, however, said there was no point in second-placed United thinking about overhauling City's 11-point lead at the top of the table.

"They [Manchester City] are so far ahead you can't really think about anything but making sure we win our games and be better than last year. We were third so we want to move up the table of course."

Tottenham forwards Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min have broken a 25-year record for most goal combinations in a single season in the Premier League.

Son set up Kane for Spurs fourth goal of the night and the Englishman's second in a runaway win against Crystal Palace on Sunday to give the duo 14 goal combinations so far this season.

The pair have overtaken Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton, who scored 13 goals at Blackburn Rovers during the 1994-95 season.

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- Notebook: Breaking down top clubs' hopes of signing Haaland

Son and Kane only need two more goals to equal the all-time Premier League record of 36 held by Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard at Chelsea.

"The understanding [between Kane and Son] is good," Spurs boss Jose Mourinho said in January when asked if they were the best attacking partnership in the division.

"That movement of Kane appearing on the right side and Sonny in a finishing position, it fits well with our game plan. They are doing special things this season."

Kane and Son memorably combined as Spurs beat Southampton 5-2 in September, with South Korea international Son scoring four goals via four assists by Kane.

"It is incredible to score four in the Premier League," Son said after the match. "Four amazing assists from Harry, he deserves the man of the match award.

"We have been working for five seasons together now. We know what we like and work hard on our relationship on and off the pitch. Hopefully, there are many more goals to come."

Kane has been at Tottenham having progressed from the club's academy, while Son joined the north Londoners in 2015 from Bayer Leverkusen.

Shearer and Sutton's record was close to being broken at the end of the 2018-19 season by then Bournemouth forwards Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser, who combined for 12 goals with two games remaining, but failed to match the record.

Joan Laporta in on track to be elected as the new president of Barcelona, returning to the post which he previously held between 2003 and 2010.

Barca members voted Laporta into power on Sunday ahead of rival candidates Victor Font and Toni Freixa. With 75% of the vote counted, Laporta had 19,293 votes, with Font second and Freixa third with 10,404 and 3,347 votes, respectively. That tally leaves no way back for Laporta's two competitors, with a statement expected from the Catalan club coming Sunday night to confirm the results.

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Laporta, 58, takes over at a critical moment in the club's history. Gross debt has risen to €1.2 billion during the coronavirus pandemic, with players forced to accept pay cuts, while star player Lionel Messi is out of contract in June and will walk away for free if new terms cannot be agreed.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, last season was Barca's first trophy-less campaign since 2008 and it ended with the 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

However, despite last month's 4-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie, there have been slow signs of recovery under coach Ronald Koeman.

Barca beat Sevilla last week to reach the final of the Copa del Rey and a 16-game unbeaten run in La Liga has seen them close the gap on leaders Atletico Madrid to three points after the leaders drew 1-1 with Real on Sunday. They travel to PSG for the second leg of their European tie on Wednesday.

The Catalan club have been without a president since October, when Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned from the role. Bartomeu's six-year mandate was due to end this year anyway, but he opted to step down early rather than face a vote of no confidence from members.

Bartomeu was one of four people connected to the club arrested last Monday for his role in the "Barcagate" social media scandal following allegations of misuse of funds and corruption. He was released on Tuesday and is awaiting a date to appear in court.

Bartomeu succeeded Sandro Rosell, who resigned in 2014 when a lawsuit alleged he had misappropriated funds in the signing of Neymar. During his mandate, Barca won three league titles, four Copas del Rey and one Champions League.

Rosell had been elected in 2010, replacing Laporta who had held the role since 2003.

In his first spell as Barca president, Laporta turned the club around, helping them win their second and third Champions Leagues -- they've now won five in total but none since 2015 -- and overseeing the appointment of Pep Guardiola as coach and the explosion of Messi as a player.

His stint in charge, when he worked closely with Johan Cruyff and alongside Manchester City duo Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain, is also remembered for the signings of Ronaldinho, Deco and Samuel Eto'o. He was the president to put Unicef on the front of Barca's shirts, too. He was unable to stand again in 2010 having served two mandates

Throughout the electoral campaign, Laporta insisted that he was the best-placed of the three candidates to keep Messi at Camp Nou and, following his election win, he will be able to open talks with the forward over a new contract. Sources have told ESPN Laporta hopes to visit the players at the training ground on Monday and plans to sit down with Messi after the PSG game on Wednesday, although he hinted on Sunday he could call Messi's dad, Jorge, before then.

Laporta has also said that coach Koeman has his full backing and, despite the club's perilous financial position, that his relationship with some of the game's super agents could help him make big signings this summer.

MANCHESTER, England -- In this wildest of Premier League seasons, another unexpected twist. Manchester United's 2-0 derby win extended their record unbeaten away in the Premier League ended Manchester City's winning streak, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's players will rue the 11-point gap that remains between themselves and Pep Guardiola's league leaders.

A second-minute Bruno Fernandes penalty, followed by Luke Shaw's goal five minutes into the second half, gave United victory in the 185th meeting between the two sides and no success in this fixture can be dismissed as insignificant. Indeed, snapping City's run of wins in all competitions at 21, as well as making it 22 in the league without defeat away from Old Trafford, adds more merit to United's display.

But while Solskjaer and his players will celebrate, the result will also serve as a reminder of what might have been this season and, going forward, underline the importance of giving the team a fighting chance of competing with City for an entire season, rather than merely over an isolated 90 minutes.

Because despite this defeat -- their fourth at home to United in the past six league campaigns -- City will cruise to the title this season. With 10 games to play, Guardiola's team will not surrender a double-digit point lead and allow United to become champions for the first time since 2013.

- Ratings: Jesus, De Bruyne poor | 8/10 Shaw superb
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United were top of the table in mid-January, but have allowed City to take charge of the because of inconsistency that has led to dropped points against strugglers such as Sheffield United and West Brom, as well as failures to beat rivals in top six.

United's performance in this game was outstanding, with Solskjaer selecting the right team and tactics to win all three points, but it came four days after a dismal 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace, which followed another grim stalemate at Chelsea.

But they are 12 points better off at this stage of the season than this time a year ago, so there are positives to counterbalance the negatives. Moreover, United's success in ending City's incredible run proves that Solskjaer has the club on the right track.

"We're a much better team than we were 12-18 months ago," Solskjaer said. "But they [Manchester City] are so far ahead that you can't really think about anything but making sure we win our games and be better than last year."

Earlier this week, following the release of the club's quarterly accounts, United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward said that "the progress made by Ole and the players this season is clear." Woodward is right, but this win at City brought his comments into sharp focus by showing what more must be done.

For all the progress, Woodward needs to urge United's owners, the Glazer family, to capitalise on the upward momentum by investing in the squad this summer to make the team competitive in every game next season and diminish the prospect of peaks and troughs that can undermine a title push.

From 1-11, they can beat any team -- City joined the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig as victims of United at their best -- but the lack of depth and quality at Solskjaer's disposal has also led to defeats against those same three teams, as well as a costly 2-1 loss at home to Sheffield United in January.

Woodward only needed to look at the respective substitute benches on Sunday to understand why City have been able to rotate players and remain fresh enough to win 21 on the bounce and, in doing so, move so far clear at the top.

The hosts had Sergio Aguero, Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte, Bernardo Silva, Ferran Torres, Benjamin Mendy, Fernandinho and Phil Foden to call upon. United, meanwhile, had Eric Bailly, Nemanja Matic and Alex Telles, plus four homegrown youngsters and Amad Diallo, the teenager who arrived from Atalanta in January.

After No. 5 Iowa's 77-73 win over No. 25 Wisconsin on Sunday, the school announced it would retire Luka Garza's No. 55.

Garza, a Wooden Award contender who finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds against the Badgers, said he was emotional after Fran McCaffery told him the news after the game.

"I honestly didn't expect that at all," Garza said after the game. "I didn't realize that was a plan or that was going to happen. I was just really happy we won the game. For Coach to tell me that, it was a surreal feeling. Time slowed down, as I heard those words."

Garza has helped Iowa, which has won seven of its past eight games, build key momentum entering this week's Big Ten tournament. The win also solidified the 3-seed in the Big Ten tournament for the Hawkeyes. Garza, a 6-foot-11 big man, has made 43% of his 3-pointers this season.

"It was a pretty emotional moment for both of us," McCaffery said. "Incredibly heartwarming for me to watch what he's accomplished."

No one will ever wear No. 55 again.

Iowa plans to retire @LukaG_55's number after the season. #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/Uj7gkE9JeU

— Iowa Basketball (@IowaHoops) March 7, 2021

Sunday's win featured Garza's 12th double-double of the season. He leads the Big Ten in scoring and is third in the nation.

Iowa improved to 20-7, 14-6 in the league, and will open its conference tournament slate in the quarterfinals at Indianapolis on Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Joan Laporta in on track to be elected as the new president of Barcelona, returning to the post which he previously held between 2003 and 2010.

Barca members voted Laporta into power on Sunday ahead of rival candidates Victor Font and Toni Freixa. With 75% of the vote counted, Laporta had 19,293 votes, with Font second and Freixa third with 10,404 and 3,347 votes, respectively. That tally leaves no way back for Laporta's two competitors, with a statement expected from the Catalan club coming Sunday night to confirm the results.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

Laporta, 58, takes over at a critical moment in the club's history. Gross debt has risen to €1.2 billion during the coronavirus pandemic, with players forced to accept pay cuts, while star player Lionel Messi is out of contract in June and will walk away for free if new terms cannot be agreed.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, last season was Barca's first trophy-less campaign since 2008 and it ended with the 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

However, despite last month's 4-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie, there have been slow signs of recovery under coach Ronald Koeman.

Barca beat Sevilla last week to reach the final of the Copa del Rey and a 16-game unbeaten run in La Liga has seen them close the gap on leaders Atletico Madrid to three points after the leaders drew 1-1 with Real on Sunday. They travel to PSG for the second leg of their European tie on Wednesday.

The Catalan club have been without a president since October, when Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned from the role. Bartomeu's six-year mandate was due to end this year anyway, but he opted to step down early rather than face a vote of no confidence from members.

Bartomeu was one of four people connected to the club arrested last Monday for his role in the "Barcagate" social media scandal following allegations of misuse of funds and corruption. He was released on Tuesday and is awaiting a date to appear in court.

Bartomeu succeeded Sandro Rosell, who resigned in 2014 when a lawsuit alleged he had misappropriated funds in the signing of Neymar. During his mandate, Barca won three league titles, four Copas del Rey and one Champions League.

Rosell had been elected in 2010, replacing Laporta who had held the role since 2003.

In his first spell as Barca president, Laporta turned the club around, helping them win their second and third Champions Leagues -- they've now won five in total but none since 2015 -- and overseeing the appointment of Pep Guardiola as coach and the explosion of Messi as a player.

His stint in charge, when he worked closely with Johan Cruyff and alongside Manchester City duo Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain, is also remembered for the signings of Ronaldinho, Deco and Samuel Eto'o. He was the president to put Unicef on the front of Barca's shirts, too. He was unable to stand again in 2010 having served two mandates

Throughout the electoral campaign, Laporta insisted that he was the best-placed of the three candidates to keep Messi at Camp Nou and, following his election win, he will be able to open talks with the forward over a new contract. Sources have told ESPN Laporta hopes to visit the players at the training ground on Monday and plans to sit down with Messi after the PSG game on Wednesday, although he hinted on Sunday he could call Messi's dad, Jorge, before then.

Laporta has also said that coach Koeman has his full backing and, despite the club's perilous financial position, that his relationship with some of the game's super agents could help him make big signings this summer.