Power captures first IndyCar victory of season
Will Power scored his first win of the season in a 1-2 finish for Team Penske on Saturday in the first race of a doubleheader at MidOhio Sports Car Course at Lexington, Ohio.
Power beat teammate Josef Newgarden, the reigning IndyCar champion, by more than 7 seconds in winning from the pole. Power earned his 60th career pole earlier and trails only Mario Andretti (67) for the IndyCar record.
“That’s probably the first race I reckon in about 10 years that I’ve just gone hard,” Power said. “Every other race I save fuel or we try to play a strategy game. Today, I said, 'Let’s just go hard, man. Screw this, we don't want to get caught by a yellow. Let's just go hard and use my pace and see what happens.' It was a great strategy."
Alexander Rossi, stuck in a miserable season, finished third.
Scott Dixon entered the SaturdaySunday doubleheader with a shot at mathematically clinching his sixth series championship by the end of the weekend. But he qualified an uncharacteristic 17th and had to scramble to make up ground.
But Newgarden was able to shave 20 points off Dixon's lead in the standings. Dixon takes a 76-point lead into Sunday's race. There are four races remaining on the most updated IndyCar schedule.
A Elsewhere: Justin Allgaier saw a more than 9-second lead evaporate when a late caution flag flew, but he pulled away again on a restart with 13 laps to go to complete a sweep of a NASCAR Xfinity series doubleheader weekend at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. Allgaier, who lost the lead when he had trouble on a previous restart, had no such issues starting on the inside last with Jeb Burton to his outside and Ross Chastain behind him. He quickly moved in front entering Turn One and pulled away in a dominant performance. The victory was his third of the season.
Burton held on for second, followed by Chastain, Harrison Burton and Justin Haley. Even with no fans in the stands, Allgaier celebrated with a burnout at the start-finish line. ... Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Tuscan Grand Prix ahead of his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, whose final attempt was ended after he had to slow down because Esteban Ocon span on track just ahead of him.
Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull, .365 behind Hamilton.
ETC.
A NFL: The Minnesota Vikings agreed to a fiveyear, $63 million deal with Dalvin Cook, a former Miami Central and FSU star, ending a protracted set of negotiations the day before their regular season begins and ensuring the running back will spend the rest of his prime in Minnesota. Cook’s average annual salary of $12.6 million makes him the sixth highest-paid running back in the league, putting him just ahead of Derrick Henry’s new $12.5 million average, but behind Alvin Kamara, who reportedly got a fiveyear, $75 million deal from the Saints on Saturday. ... Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Baker Mayfield reversed his decision and will not kneel during the national anthem Sunday.
A Cycling: Soren Kragh Andersen broke clear in a fast-changing finish on the roads of Lyon to win Stage 14 of the Tour de France.
Primoz Roglic, the overall leader, had a drama-free day to finish safely after a
4 1⁄ 2- hour ride, and was given the same time as his nearest challengers to keep the yellow jersey he claimed last Sunday.
A NHL: Brock Nelson broke a tie with 3:25 left, Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves and the New York Islanders beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 in Game 3 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference final on Friday night at Edmonton, Alberta. The Islanders rebounded from a stunning finish to Game 2 to trim their deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-7 series. Game 4 is Sunday.
A Soccer: Gladbach warmed up for its Bundesliga opener against Borussia Dortmund next weekend by routing fourth-tier Oberneuland 8-0, Augsburg thrashed fifth-tier Eintracht Celle 7-0, and Cologne enjoyed a 6-0 win over fourth-tier Berlin-based Altglienicke. All three underdogs gave up their cherished home advantage for the games after finding they could not meet the stringent conditions set by the German soccer authorities to minimize the risk of coronavirus infections. Up to 300 supporters were allowed at each game in Monchengladbach and Cologne, while there were none in Augsburg’s empty stadium. .... Mohamed Salah converted an 88th-minute penalty to complete his hat trick and secure Liverpool a thrilling 4-3 win over Leeds in a wobbly start to its English Premier League title defense. ... Striker Denis Bouanga scored a penalty and set up the second goal as Saint-Etienne beat struggling Strasbourg 2-0 to replace Nice at the top of the French league. SaintEtienne and Nice have six points, but Saint-Etienne leads on goal difference having played one game less.