Kurt Busch takes pole at Michigan Speedway
Kurt Busch won his second NASCAR Cup Series pole of the season Friday in qualifying for the race Sunday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich. Brad Keselowski was second, followed by Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. Kyle Busch and Harvick are 1-2 in the points standings and have won nine of the 14 races in the series this year.
It was the 24th pole of Kurt Busch’s career. He posted a lap of 203.361 mph in his No. 41 Ford. He also started first in Texas in April and finished seventh in the race.
More auto racing
Team Penske took the top three starting spots for the IndyCar race in Forth Worth, Texas, with the only 220-mph qualifiers. Defending series champion Josef Newgarden earned his fourth career pole — his first at Texas, and eighth for Penske at the track. Newgarden had a two-lap average of 220.613 mph, with Simon Pagenaud at 220.311 mph and Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power at 220.194 mph.
• Max Verstappen drove the fastest laps in the first two practices at the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. Verstappen completed the 2.71-mile lap at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 1:12.198, a full second better than his best time in the morning. That was 0.13 seconds faster than Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.
Pro basketball
Angel McCoughtry had 23 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists as the Atlanta Dream beat the host Las Vegas Aces, 87-83, in WNBA action.
Pro football
Houston Texans safety Andre Hal, 26, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma and insists he “will beat it.” He received the preliminary diagnosis of cancer of the blood cells from a team physician and has consulted with doctors at Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center. The Texans added that Hal is “undergo testing and evaluation and is discussing his treatment options.”
College football
Nine black former and current Minnesota players who say their rights were violated in a sexual misconduct investigation sued the school, alleging they are victims of racial and gender discrimination. The federal lawsuit stems from the university’s investigation into an alleged gang rape of a female student in September 2016 that implicated 10 players for a range of alleged misconduct. Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges due to insufficient evidence, but five students were ultimately expelled or suspended, while five others were cleared.
Figure skating
The International Skating Union passed a series of technical reforms, among them limiting the number of high-scoring quad jumps in individual free skates. The quad jump came under intense scrutiny at the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea, where men’s skaters who packed the most into their program finished atop the medal standings. Even skaters who did not land them cleanly were often awarded more points than those who did not try them.
Soccer
Italy qualified for the Women’s World Cup for the first time in two decades after a 3-0 victory against Portugal in Florence, Italy. The Azzurre have won all seven of their qualifiers in Group 6, securing a spot at the 2019 tournament in France with one match to spare. The achievement is magnified by the fact the men’s World Cup begins next week without Italy participating for the first time in six decades.