Kentucky track offers preview of playoff race
Vegas has lead at John Deere Classic
Jhonattan Vegas shot a 9-under 62 on Friday in the John Deere Classic to take a one-stroke lead into the weekend. Off since missing the cuts in the Memorial and U.S. Open in June, , the three-time PGA tour winner from Venezuela said he "found something really good" on the range Thursday after an opening 67. "Probably the best I've felt all year, to be honest," Vegas said. "I hit the ball extremely well, kind of what I've been struggling with a little bit the past few months. It felt really good, in control the whole time with the ball-striking, which is my type of game. So I'm glad that stuff is back." Vegas had a 13-under 129 total at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. "It's usually soft, and it's been a little firmer because of the conditions, obviously a little warm," Vegas said. "It's the best I've ever seen it. The greens are perfect. The fairways are rolling more. It's actually a little bit tricky because a lot of the fairways, as undulated as they are, you have to be a little careful with some of those run-outs." He last won on the tour in 2017 at the Canadian Open. Andrew Landry was second after his second 65. He birdied the first three holes on his second nine, then played the next six in 1 over with a bogey on the par-4 sixth hole.
Goosen leads Senior Players
Retief Goosen shot an 8-under 62 to take a three-stroke lead in the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship, the fourth of the PGA Tour Champions' five major tournaments. After returning in the morning to birdie the 18th for a 69 in the rain-delayed first round, Goosen made an 8-foot eagle putt on the par-5 second hole in the second round and added six birdies in the bogey-free round at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. "I got it off to a nice flying start on my 18th hole at 7 this morning. I birdied 18 this morning, then went back to the hotel, had an hour and a half sleep again. Came back out and continued the great play after that." The 50-year-old South African is winless in 11 starts in his first season on the senior tour, losing a playoff to Jerry Kelly last month in the American Family Insurance Championship. Goosen won seven times on the PGA Tour, taking major titles at the U.S. Open in 2001 and 2004. Playing partner Steve Stricker, the first-round leader after a 64 that he completed with a birdie in the morning, had a 70 to drop into a tie for second with Brandt Jobe.
Kim takes Marathon Classic lead
Sei Young Kim shot a 7-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead over U.S. Women's Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 in the Marathon Classic at Sylvania, Ohio. Kim had four straight birdies on Nos. 3-6 and also birdied the par-4 12th and 15th holes and the par-5 18th to get to 11-under 131 at Highland Meadows Golf Club. The South Korean player won the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship in May in California for her eighth tour title. Lee6 shot her second straight 66. The South Korean birdied two of the last three holes.
Three-way tie at Scottish Open
Bernd Wiesberger carded a 10-under 61 at the Scottish Open to move into a three-way tie for the lead after the second round. The lowest round of Wiesberger's career on the European Tour lifted him alongside England's Lee Slattery and South Africa's Erik van Rooyen, who shot consecutive 64s to be at 14 under.
Romo leads celebrity event
Defending champion Tony Romo birdied six of his final 11 holes to take the first-round lead in the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback turned NFL analyst shot a 2-under 70 and scored 26 points in the celebrity tournament that uses the modified Stableford scoring system. Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson was two points back, and former major league pitcher Derek Lowe was another point behind. Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz was fourth at 22, and actor Jack Wagner, a two-time winner in the event, had 21.
Sparta, Ky. — NASCAR drivers know there is little data from Kentucky Speedway's unique 1.5-mile layout that can be applied to the remainder of the intermediate tracks on the Cup schedule.
But there are four stops at 1.5-mile tracks looming in the upcoming playoffs and tonight at Kentucky gives teams a chance to hone their intermediate packages. Different banking at opposite ends of the Kentucky track adds intrigue to the 400-mile race as well as curiosity as to whether NASCAR's new aerodynamics package generates more passing.
Two-time defending race winner Martin Truex Jr. welcomes a challenge after dominating last July. He led 174 of the 267 laps while starting from the pole.
"I think that's one of the most unique parts about our sport and what we do as drivers and teams," said Truex. "This stuff is always changing . ... They change the tires all the time. The rules of the cars are changing all the time. All the top drivers are consistently working on how they drive the cars and how they do better. It's a huge challenge to try to stay near the top of the sport, and that's part of what makes it fun."
Truex is among the favorites Saturday night as he and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch lead the series with four wins each. One of Truex's victories came at 1.5-mile Charlotte in May, but Truex desires more consistency at that length.
Brad Keselowski is a three-time winner at Kentucky, while Busch has won twice and both figure to be in the picture after qualifying inside the top 10.
The winner of seven of the last eight races at Kentucky has started inside the top 10.
Toyota teams have won five times at Kentucky, while Ford has two wins and Chevrolet is still seeking its first trip to this victory lane. But Chevy is coming off back-to-back wins the last two weeks with Alex Bowman at Chicago for Hendrick Motorsports and Justin Haley on Sunday at Daytona for Spire Motorsports. Bowman and Haley marked the first back-to-back first-time winners in the Cup Series since Casey Mears and Truex in 2007.
Kurt Busch, who might have won at Daytona on Sunday if he had not pitted from the lead right before weather stopped the race, is hoping Chevrolet shines at Kentucky.
"I'm hopeful to have the right sequence of pit stops," said Kurt Busch. "This place is really starting to act a lot like Texas with the tire and the banking on both ends of the track. What we're looking forward to doing is just kind of simulate the way we've seen sister tracks and how the winds have happened."
The field's mission is handling a tri-oval where turns 1 and 2 are banked slightly higher (17 degrees) than turns 3 and 4 (14 degrees) following a 2016 reconfiguration and repave. Finding a groove is another matter, though drivers seem pleased with a mixture of rubber and traction additive that has improved grip.
How much that will be a factor on Saturday night and several months from now remain to be seen. The drivers' objective is just making the most of Kentucky and hoping that provides some baseline for a layout they'll see often this fall.
"Now the track's pretty smooth," Keselowski said. "And the grip is mostly on the bottom, except for the PJ1 (additive) they put down. Long story short, it was a little more comfortable before it was repaved, but it is what it is now, a roller coaster."
Suarez wins pole
Daniel Suarez couldn't wait to see what strong practice sessions would yield during provisional qualifying at Kentucky Speedway.
His confidence culminated in a front row sweep for Stewart-Haas Racing. The field will not be finalized until cars pass inspection prior to tonight's race.
Suarez turned a lap at 184.590 mph in his SHR Ford to nab the top starting spot. If it stands after inspection, it will be Suarez's second pole in 91 career starts. He bumped teammate Aric Almirola to the outside front row in Friday qualifying.
“Pretty much the whole day has been pretty smooth,” Suarez said. “We've been very quick. We haven't done a lot. My car was fast out of the box, so I feel very good about it.''
The 2016 Xfinity Series champion and first NASCAR champion from Mexico has made seven top-10 starts in 18 races this season, most recently fifth in last month's road course race at Sonoma, California.