Patrick to end racing career at Indy 500
She started in go-karts when she was 10, and was a national champion two years later. By the time Danica Patrick turned 16, she was on her own in Europe, pursuing a racing career.
Patrick, a fearless woman in a sport almost exclusively made up of male drivers, broke down in tears when she announced her retirement at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday afternoon.
“I feel like this is where my life should be headed, and sometimes we just get kind of nudged there,” she began. “Sometimes it’s big nudges and sometimes it’s little.”
The 35-year-old Patrick announced that she will race only in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 next year and then she will walk away from a sport . ... Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest of the four NASCAR Cup Series championship contenders in qualifying and will start second Sunday in the season finale. Denny Hamlin stole the pole from Truex on the last lap of qualifying. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the 24th-best effort, but an engine change will drop NASCAR’s favorite son to the rear of the field for his final NASCAR Cup race.
IOC board weighing Russia’s eligibility
The International Olympic Committee’s executive board will announce Dec. 5 at its meetings in Lausanne, Switzerland, whether Russia can compete at the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea.
Russia has been embroiled in a long-running scandal, with antidoping authorities alleging that athletes, coaches and government officials participated in widespread cheating that includes the manipulation of samples in Russian testing labs.
The World Anti-Doping Agency, which has spearheaded the ongoing investigation, announced earlier this month that it had obtained evidence from a Russian database that supports claims of systemic cheating.
This week, WADA declined to reaccredit RUSADA, Russia’s anti-doping agency, because Russian officials refused to acknowledge a state-sponsored doping effort. The Russians have continually insisted that any athletes who took performance-enhancing drugs did so on their own.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed the U.S. for pushing the investigation. The 2018 Winter Games will be Feb. 9-25. — David Wharton USC’s bid to become the first school since 2009 to win consecutive NCAA women’s soccer titles ended in a penalty-shootout loss to Baylor in Texas.
The Trojans (15-3-2) dominated the match and, behind Leah Pruitt’s second-half header, were 16 seconds from a 1-0 victory when Baylor’s Sarah King scored off a rebound to send the game into overtime. USC couldn’t find the back of the net in overtime nor in the shootout, where Baylor (14-5-3) converted three of its four chances to move on to the third round.
UCLA also advanced, beating Northwestern 1-0 on Anika Rodriguez’s “Golden Goal” less than three minutes into overtime at Drake Stadium. The Bruins (172-2) will play host to Virginia on Sunday after the Cavaliers blanked Pepperdine 3-0. — Kevin Baxter Cleveland Cavaliers guard Derrick Rose will miss at least two weeks with a left ankle injury . ... Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley is out indefinitely with a sore left heel and Achilles tendon.
Aaron Boone became the first person with no experience as a manager or coach to interview to become manager of the New York Yankees . ... John Hart left the Atlanta Braves less than a week after being stripped of his role as president of baseball operations . ... The Oakland Athletics hired Matt Williams as their third base coach.
Sung Hyun Park took a threeshot lead in the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla . ... PGA Tour rookie Austin Cook has a one-shot lead at the RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Ga.
Tennis star Serena Williams married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in New Orleans, according to Vogue’s website.