Busch brothers marvel at Vegas’ sports growth

LAS VEGAS — Not too many years ago, NASCAR was the biggest show on the Strip during its annual week in Las Vegas.

This week, the fast cars are competing for Sin City’s sports fans with the NHL’s firstplace Vegas Golden Knights, the UFC 222 show and a major international rugby tournament. That’s all leading into next week, when several college basketball tournaments invade town. Later in the year, soccer’s Las Vegas Lights FC and the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces will take center stage — and it’s all prelude to the Raiders’ likely arrival in 2020.

This onetime sports desert has become a mecca, but the drivers who grew up in Vegas don’t mind the competition. In fact, they’re thrilled.

“It’s definitely grown,” Kyle Busch said Friday before qualifying. “When I was a kid here, I always kind of wondered why we didn’t have a professional team of any kind, whether it would be hockey or basketball or baseball or football.”

But Las Vegas didn’t have a major pro sports team while the Busch brothers grew up here in the 1980s and 1990s. Sure, Jerry Tarkanian’s UNLV Runnin’ Rebels were beloved, but it wasn’t the same as the world’s best athletes rolling into the town where many top entertainers already made their home.

“It really kind of blows my mind,” said Xfinity Series driver Spencer Gallagher, a Palo Verde High School grad who raced in the Legends series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway before moving into stock cars. “You grow up in this town for 20 years hoping and wishing for any kind of sports team, and the floodgates just opened. We went from going our whole lives having to pick other (cities’) sports teams to cheer for, and now we’ve got a bevy of options to choose from.”

Several sports pursuits are currently converging for what Vegas is calling the Ultimate Sports Weekend. Representatives from NASCAR, the UFC, the Golden Knights and the 2018 USA Sevens rugby tourney met for a pep rally earlier this week outside T-Mobile Arena, which will host the Pac-12 Tournament starting Wednesday.

Kyle Busch wins trucks race

Kyle Busch won his hometown NASCAR Truck race Friday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for his 50th series victory.

Busch took advantage when Brett Moffitt, last week’s winner in Atlanta, went sideways with 26 laps left. Busch, who had been fighting to overtake Moffitt in the final stage, took control on a restart with 12 laps to go.

Johnny Sauter was second. Moffit was third, followed by Grant Enfinger and Stewart Friesen, the winner of the second stage.

Mason Jobst had a goal and two assists, and the Ohio State men’s hockey team opened a best-ofthree Big Ten quarterfinal series with a 6-1 victory over Michigan State on Friday night at Value City Arena.

Jobst, Sasha Larocque, John Wiitala and Christian Lampasso scored in the third period for the No. 6 Buckeyes (22-8-5), who blew open a 2-1 game against the Spartans (12-21-2). Sean Romeo had 18 saves for Ohio State.

Tanner Laczynski began the scoring in the first period on assists from Jobst and Wyatt Ege. Patrick Khodorenko equalized in the second for the Spartans before Matthew Weis gave the Buckeyes a 2-1 lead entering the second intermission, setting the stage for a wild final frame.

The Buckeyes and Spartans will play today at 7 p.m. at Value City Arena.

Baseball

Brady Cherry’s threerun homer highlighted a five-run outburst in the bottom of the fifth inning that sent Ohio State (6-3) past Nicholls State 6-3 at Blue Wahoos Stadiun in Pensacola, Florida.

Kobie Foppe had two hits and two RBI for Ohio State, which erased an early 1-0 deficit against the Colonels (1-8). Starting pitcher Connor Curlis (2-0) struck out seven in six innings and Seth Kinker earned his second save of the season and 11th of his career.

Men’s lacrosse

John Wagner scored with 1:18 left in overtime to give No. 18 Marquette an 8-7 victory over No. 4 Ohio State at Wisner Stadium in Pontiac, Michigan, in the Midwest Lacrosse Classic.

Jack Jasinski and Lukas Buckley each scored twice for the Buckeyes (4-1), who got 10 saves from goalie Matthew Smidt. The Golden Eagles (3-0) won despite being held scoreless for the final 16:32 of regulation.

Women’s gymnastics

No. 21 Ohio State had its five-meet win streak snapped by No. 9 Kentucky in a 196.850195.725 loss in Lexington, Kentucky.

Jamie Stone posted the highest score by the Buckeyes on beam this season with a career-high 9.9, which earned third place. Janelle McClelland was third on the vault (9.825) and floor exercise (9.825).