NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 at Indy postponed
Persistent rain washed out the Brickyard 400 yesterday in Indianapolis and delayed the conclusion of NASCAR’s regular season.
Rain washed out the entire weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the final race before the playoffs was moved to today. It will run at 2 p.m., after the rescheduled Xfinity Series race.
Indianapolis was drenched by three days of rain and NASCAR has not been able to get any cars on track.
NASCAR’s playoffs begin next weekend in Las Vegas and the sanctioning body is eager to get the regular season finale concluded at Indianapolis. The race sets the field for the 16-driver playoffs.
Kyle Busch is scheduled to start on the pole alongside Kevin Harvick when the race does begin.
Record poll place for Tide
Alabama is No. 1 at being No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll.
The Crimson Tide made its 106th overall appearance at the top of the AP rankings, which started in 1936, passing Ohio State for the most by any school.
Alabama received a season-high 54 first-place votes from the media panel in the Top 25 released yesterday, strengthening its hold on No. 1 over No. 2 Clemson. The Tigers, who started the season with 18 first-place votes, are down to six after hanging on for 28-26 victory at Texas A&M on Saturday night.
No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Ohio State held their spots and Oklahoma moved to No.5, edging past No. 6 Wisconsin. The Badgers received a first-place vote.
No. 23 Arizona State is in the rankings for the first time since the 2015 preseason poll after the Sun Devils beat Michigan State 1613 on a last-second field goal.
Cavaliers sign Nwaba
The Cleveland Cavaliers made another move in their post-LeBron James makeover, signing freeagent guard David Nwaba to a oneyear contract. The deal is for the veteran’s minimum of $1.5 million.
The 25-year-old Nwaba played for Chicago last season, averaging 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 70 games. The 6-foot-4 guard made 21 starts.
A solid defender, he’ll give the Cavs backcourt depth and provide coach Tyronn Lue with more help as the team rebuilds following James’ departure this summer as a free agent.
France triumphant
Any lingering doubts that Kylian Mbappe is French soccer’s most valuable jewel were erased as the teenage striker celebrated the world champions’ return to Paris with a superb display — and a goal — in a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League.
Ryan Babel scored a second-half equalizer as France struggled in the closing stages, but Olivier Giroud gave France a deserved win with 15 minutes left . . . .
Nico Schulz scored late on his debut to give Germany a 2-1 win over Peru in a friendly game in Sinsheim, Germany . . . .
In its first match since going 0-3 in the World Cup, Egypt thrashed Niger, 6-0, in an African Cup of Nations qualifier in Cairo, with Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah posting two goals and two assists . . . .
One person died and at least 37 were injured in a crush before an African Cup of Nations soccer qualifier in Madagascar involving Sadio Mane’s Senegal team.
The stampede happened before kickoff at the Mahamasina Municipal Stadium in Antananarivo.
Marathon sign-ups today
The Boston Athletic Association said registration for the 2019 Boston Marathon will open at 10 a.m. this morning.
The BAA says it will again use a “rolling” registration to give the fastest qualifiers first dibs on a bib.
Athletes who’ve run at least 20 minutes faster than their age-graded qualifying standards will be the first allowed to register. Those who’ve beaten their standards by 10 minutes or more will follow on Wednesday. If there’s still room, other qualifiers will get a shot.
The 123rd Boston Marathon will be run on April 15, 2019, with the field capped at 30,000 entrants . ...
Thibaut Pinot won the challenging 15th stage of the Spanish Vuelta with a dominant charge on the iconic climb into Lagos de Covadonga in northern Spain, while Simon Yates stayed close and added a few seconds to his overall lead.
Yates, who made several breakaway attempts near the top, gained six seconds on Valverde, increasing his overall lead to 26 seconds . . . .
Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas has ended speculation by signing a new three-year contract with Team Sky.