Busch wins again, accelerates push for Chase
Kyle Busch continued his remarkable comeback from a horrific February crash with a victory Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, winning for the second straight weekend and the third time in the last four NASCAR Sprint Cup races to move to the cusp of a berth in the Chase for the Cup championship playoff.
Busch isn’t where he needs to be in the standings yet. His three wins are enough to earn a Chase berth, but he’s still outside the top 30 in points, which is the second major qualifier to race for the title in the season’s final 10 events. He is 33rd, 58 points behind No. 30 David Gilliland, but has gained 70 points on the 30th spot in the last two races.
Busch broke his right leg and left foot in a crash the day before the season- opening Daytona 500 and missed the first 11 races.
Brad Keselowski was second Sunday. Kevin Harvick was third. reportedly will receive forward Kostas Papanikolaou and guard Pablo Prigioni, neither of whom has a fully guaranteed contract, along with forward Joey Dorsey, guard Nick Johnson and a protected 2016 first- round pick. Lawson has been arrested twice this year on suspicion of driving under the influence and has entered a rehab facility in Malibu.
Rajeev Ram won the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R. I., beating Ivo Karlovic of Croatia in the final, 7- 6 ( 5), 5- 7, 7- 6 ( 2). Ram, a 31- year- old American ranked 161st, also won the grass- court tournament in 2009, his only other ATP Tour title.
In Davis Cup play, Andy Murray beat Gilles Simon, 4- 6, 7- 6 ( 5), 6- 3, 6- 0, on a grass court at Queen’s Club in London to seal a 3- 1 victory over France that put Britain in the semifinals for the first time in 34 years. Australia completed a rally from2-0 down to edge Kazakhstan, 3- 2, andwill play at Britain on Sept. 18- 20 for a place in the final in November. Argentina will play at Belgium in the other semifinal.
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia defeated Sara Errani of Italy, 7- 6 ( 3), 6- 3, in the final of a clay- court tournament in Bucharest, Romania. . . . Johanna Larsson of Sweden beat Mona Barthel of Germany, 6- 3, 7- 6 ( 2), to win a clay- court title in Bastad, Sweden.
Newly unsealed documents in the case of Christopher Hawkins, a former college football player chargedwith violating North Carolina’s sports agent law, suggest he funneled money to multiple Tar Heels players and set up meetings with agents and financial advisers trying to sign them to contracts.
Trainer Art Sherman said at Del Mar that California Chrome, the 2014 horse of the year who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, will race next year. The 4- year- old colt is in Kentucky, recovering from a bone bruise that had triggered speculation his racing career might be over. . . . Prize Exhibit won Sunday’s Del Mar feature, the $ 200,000 San Clemente Handicap for 3- year- old fillies.
Three- time world champion surfer Mick Fanning, competing in the televised finals of the J Bay Openin Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa, escaped unharmed after being knocked off his board by an attacking shark. The Australian punched the shark after it struck from behind as he sat on his board waiting his turn. Fanning furiously tried to swim to safety before a rescuer pulled him out of the water.
Jen Kessy and Emily Day won the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour’s New York City Open, beating Nicole Branagh and Jenny Kropp, 24- 22,19- 21,23- 21. Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson defeated Ryan Doherty and John Mayer in themen’s final, 19- 21, 21- 15,15- 12.