Force, 67, keeps candles lit, keeps winning
Force has managed to keep those candles lit.
He just isn’t allowed to display them on his birthday cake without express written consent from the NHRA Safety Safari. NASCAR
■ Among those who called to congratulate John Force on his win at Charlotte was injured (concussion-like symptoms) Sprint Cup star Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had spent time at the track with the drag racing legend and his racing daughters, Courtney and Brittany. Junior posed for photos with the Force clan while wearing a throwback Cassius Clay T-shirt, which received raves from observant fans on Twitter.
■ It’s no secret that Brendan Gaughan’s favorite college basketball team is Georgetown, where he once kept the end of John Thompson’s bench warm. But he has more in common with Dayton in terms of the Xfinity Series’ first bracket-style championship. Like the Flyers in last season’s March Madness, the veteran Las Vegas driver is seeded seventh heading into Saturday’s Xfinity chase opener at Kentucky Speedway.
■ If NASCAR was like hip-hop music and had an East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry, Noah Gragson might have something on Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac. After sweeping a K&N West Series doubleheader on the road circuit at the Utah Motorsports Campus, the Las Vegas teenager also set the winning pace in a K&N East road course event at New Jersey Motorsports Park last weekend. LVMS
■ The local short-track racing season comes to an end Saturday when 12 track champions will be crowned during Championship Night at the three-eighths-mile oval. Gates open at 5 p.m. with racing at 7. And check this out — everyone attending will receive a free ticket to the Oct. 1 NASCAR truck series race at LVMS. ELSEWHERE
■ Simon Pagenaud, who sped into prominence with a three-year gig as lead driver for the IndyCar team owned by Sam Schmidt of Henderson, clinched his first championship in North America’s top open-wheel series by winning the season-ending race at Sonoma, California, driving for Roger Penske. James “Dancing With Stars” Hinchcliffe and Mikhail Aleshin, Schmidt’s drivers in the just-concluded season, finished 13th and 15th, respectively, in final points. Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ron Kantowski can be reached at rkantowski@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. His motor sports notebook runs on Friday. Follow him on Twitter: @ronkantowski