Kyle Busch’s Pocono win his first of 2017
LONG POND, Pa. — Kyle Busch used a bump-and-run on Kevin Harvick to take the lead and held on to snap a 36-race losing streak and win the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday.
Busch won for the first time this season in the No. 18 Toyota and won for the first time at Pocono.
Busch never had gone a full season without winning a race
Harvick finished second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski.
In other motor sports news:
• Josef Newgarden dominated at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on the way to his second consecutive IndyCar victory at the Honda Indy 200. Newgarden was not challenged most of the day on the 90-lap, 2.2-mile course neat Lexington, Ohio, and finished 5.156 seconds ahead of Team Penske teammate Will Power, the pole-sitter.
• Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel overcame steering difficulties to win the Hungarian Grand Prix at Budapest and extend his championship lead over rival Lewis Hamilton.
• J.R. Todd became the first black winner in NHRA Funny Car history, beating Tim Wilkerson in the final at the Sonoma Nationals in California. Todd beat Wilkerson with a 4.049-second pass at 323.27 mph in his Toyota Camry.
Vegas keeps title in Canadian Open
Jhonattan Vegas successfully defended his RBC Canadian Open title Sunday at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ontario, beating Charley Hoffman with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff.
Vegas’ approach from the left bunker on the par-5 18th hit the grass just above the sand lip and had enough power to clear the water and go through the green.
The 32-year-old Venezuelan chipped to within a foot — after racing a chip past the hole in regulation from the same area en route to a par — and won when Hoffman’s birdie try from the back bunker slid past the hole.
Vegas closed with a 7-under 65 to match Hoffman at 21-under 267. In other news: • Bernhard Langer won the Senior British Open at Royal Porthcawl in Bridgend, Wales, for his record-extending 10th senior major title and fifth in the last 10. Fighting a sore throat all week in the difficult weather conditions, the 59-year-old German star closed with an even-par 72 to finish at 4-under 280 and beat American Corey Pavin by three strokes.
• Mi Hyang Lee took advantage of Hall of Famer Karrie Webb’s late double bogey to win the Ladies Scottish Open for her second LPGA Tour title. A stroke ahead of Lee with two holes left at chilly Dundonald Links in Irvine, Webb dropped a shot back with the double bogey on the par-5 17th after driving into a bunker and having to play out backward. Lee, playing in the group ahead of Webb, increased the margin to two with a birdie on the par-5 18th. Needing an eagle to force a playoff, Webb closed with a birdie to tie for second with Mi Jung Hur. Lee shot a 6-under 66 to finish at 6-under 282.
Ertz leads U.S. surge vs. Brazil
Julie Ertz came off the bench and scored in the 89th minute as the United States overcame a late three-goal deficit to beat Brazil 4-3 at San Diego in the Tournament of Nations.
The United States was coming off a 1-0 loss to Australia in the team’s Tournament of Nations opener at Seattle on Thursday night.
9th-inning run lifts Skeeters
Anthony Giansanti’s run-scoring single in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Skeeters to a 4-3 Atlantic League victory over Somerset at Constellation Field in Sugar Land. … New England defensive stalwart Rob Ninkovich capped his 11-year NFL career by announcing his retirement. He was a two-time co-captain and won two Super Bowls after joining the Patriots in 2009. … Girvin unleashed a dramatic rally in deep stretch to upset McCraken by a nose in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. … Jon Jones reclaimed his UFC light heavyweight title Saturday night, stopping Daniel Cormier in the third round with a vicious head kick and a finish on the ground at UFC 214 in Anaheim, Calif. Jones (23-1) completed his rocky journey back to the top after a yearlong suspension with his 14th consecutive victory. He fended off a stiff challenge from Cormier (19-2), who held the belt for most of the last two years while Jones dealt with self-inflicted setbacks outside the cage.