Tearful Patrick to retire from racing
Danica Patrick broke down in tears Friday as she announced in Homestead, Florida, that she will retire from full-time racing next year after running the Daytona 500 and then the Indianapolis 500.
Patrick, 35, would not reveal who she will drive for in either race, but Chip Ganassi Racing is the likely Indy ride.
She will not be driving in the Daytona 500 for Stewart Haas Racing, team co-owner Tony Stewart told the AP.
Patrick moved from IndyCar to NASCAR after the 2011 season, and has been racing Cup cars for SHR since 2012. She is being replaced after Sunday’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway by Aric Almirola.
She ran the Indy 500 from 2005 through 2011. Her highest finish was third in 2009.
Her retirement was put in motion when GoDaddy first left auto racing after 2015, then new sponsor Nature’s Bakery was unable to fulfill its three-year commitment to SHR and Patrick. HAMLIN WINS POLE, TRUEX SECOND >> Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest of the four NASCAR Cup Series championship contenders in qualifying and will start second in Sunday’s finale.
Truex, the regular-season champion, turned a lap of 173.952 mph at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Denny Hamlin stole the pole from Truex on the last lap of qualifying. Hamlin went 173.980 mph to take the spot.
Kyle Busch will start third, Brad Keselowski fifth and Kevin Harvick ninth. BELL (AND BUSCH) TAKE TRUCKS TITLE >> Kyle Busch celebrated one championship already this weekend when driver Christopher Bell captured the Truck Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
It was the first title for Bell, won five races this season for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Busch races for his second Cup title Sunday. Bell finished second to Chase Briscoe, who won his first race.
Tennis
GOFFIN TO FACE FEDERER >> David Goffin is into the
last four of the ATP Finals in London. To go any further, he’ll have to do something he’s never done before: beat Roger Federer.
The No.7-seeded Goffin beat Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-1 to set up a semifinal meeting with Federer on Saturday. Grigor Dimitrov will meet Jack Sock in Saturday’s other semi.
Dimitrov defeated Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1, 6-1 in the late match.
Golf
COOK’S COOKING IN PGA TOURNEY >> PGA Tour rookie Austin Cook sank a 6-foot birdie putt on his final hole for an 8-under 62 and a oneshot lead going into the weekend at the RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Ga.
Cook has gone 36 holes without making a bogey. He was at 14-under 128 and held a one-stroke lead over Brian Gay, who shot 64. FITZPATRICK LEADS IN
DUBAI >> Defending champ Matthew Fitzpatrick shot a second straight 5-under 67 to secure a one-stroke lead over Tyrrell Hatton halfway through the European Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship in Dubai.
PARK AHEAD IN LPGA >> Sung Hyun Park made five straight birdies and seized control late in the second round with an eagle for a 7-under 65 and a three-shot lead over Caroline Masson and Sarah Jane Smith in the LPGA Tour’s CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla. Park was at 12-under 132.
Olympics
DECISION ON RUSSIA SET
FOR DEC. 5 >> The International Olympic Committee will decide on Dec. 5 if Russia can compete at the Pyeongchang Winter Games.
Russia faces being banned from the Feb. 9-25 games in South Korea as punishment for statebacked doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
The IOC said a “decision with regard to the participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 will be taken” by its executive board on the opening day of a Dec. 5-6 meeting in its home city of Lausanne, Switzerland.