Hamlin wins Bristol pole

Denny Hamlin has won the pole for tonight’s race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, a critical short-track showdown for drivers trying to qualify for the playoffs.

The Daytona 500 winner turned a lap at 129.230 mph in his Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in yesterday’s qualifying session. His effort bumped Kyle Larson to second and Larson is not locked into the 16-driver playoff field with three races remaining to fill the final seven slots . . . .

The plane carrying NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family bounced multiple times during a crash landing and veered off the runway before ending up on a Tennessee highway, investigators said.

Earnhardt’s sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, said in a statement that all five people aboard the plane Thursday are “doing well.” . . .

Ashleigh Barty was in the same predicament, trying to dig out from an ugly first set. The Western & Southern Open’s top seed found a way to do it again.

Barty reached the semifinals of the Mason, Ohio, tournament for the first time and moved closer to regaining the No. 1 world ranking by beating Maria Sakkari 5-7, 6-2, 6-0. With one more win, she can move into the top spot for the U.S. Open, taking it back from Naomi Osaka, who dropped out of her semifinal match because of a knee injury . . . .

Houston forward P.J. Tucker has withdrawn from consideration for USA Basketball’s World Cup roster, meaning 14 players remain in consideration for 12 spots.