Kevin Harvick starts on pole for NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600
Cup leader Larson to start last in Coca-Cola 600
Kevin Harvick was all smiles at qualifying Thursday at Charlotte, North Carolina, while NASCAR Cup Series points leader Kyle Larson was left bitter and frustrated heading into an important weekend of racing.
Harvick will start on the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday after turning a lap of 193.424 mph on the 1 1 ⁄ 2mile oval, while Larson will begin NASCAR’s longest race at the rear of the field after his No. 42 Chevy failed to get through prequalifying inspection in time for him to make a qualifying lap.
For Harvick, it was his third pole this season and 20th overall. Kyle Busch will start alongside Harvick on the front row.
Golf
Kelly Kraft, Derek Fathauer and PGA Tour rookie J.T. Poston all shot 5-under 65 to share the lead after the first round at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Jon Rahm, Scott Brown and Graeme McDowell followed at 66. Two-time Colonial champions Phil Mickelson and Zach Johnson both birdied their last three holes and were among six players with rounds of 67.
Stacy Lewis shot a 7n under 65 to share the firstround lead in the LPGA Volvik Championship in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Lewis was tied Wei-Ling Hsu, the Taiwanese player who has only one top-10 finish on the LPGA Tour.
Bernhard Langer will n sleep on a two-shot lead as he aims for his record ninth senior major at the Senior PGA Championship. Langer shot a 7-under 65 in the morning in Sterling, Virginia, and the lead held up as thunderstorms halted play in the afternoon with half the 156-man field still on the course. The 59-year-old German could break Jack Nicklaus’ record of eight senior majors with a win at Trump National.
Soccer
Josh Sargent scored his third goal of the tournament in the 34th minute, and the United States beat Senegal 1-0 at Incheon, South Korea, to move into good position to reach the knockout stage of the Under-20 World Cup. The U.S. would advance with a draw or win Sunday against Saudi Arabia. Jonathan Klinsmann, son of former U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann, got the shutout.
NFL
Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, 26, has no plans to alter his aggressive style of play following a second concussion last November, one that tugged at the emotions of a national TV audience when he was carted off the field sobbing uncontrollably. The 2014 NFL Defensive Player of the Year still doesn’t like talking about that Thursday night game, and is clearly itching to put concussion talk behind him and prove to doubters he’ll be just fine this coming season.
The New York Giants n ended their first week of voluntary organized team activities missing two of their biggest stars — wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and defensive end Olivier Vernon. The workout was third of the week, and Beckham missed them all. The team did not say whether Vernon missed all three, but the veteran who signed an $85 million contract in the offseason last year wasn’t there Thursday.
The Chicago Bears n signed former New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz to a one-year contract. Cruz was released after seven seasons in February
America’s Cup
There’s a British knight, a mob of Aussies even though there’s no Australian team, a crew of New Zealanders looking for redemption and the now-familiar billionaire set. Toss in a fleet of fast, space-age catamarans sailing on Bermuda’s Great Sound and the 35th America’s Cup will be like none before it. During the next 2 1 ⁄ weeks, five 2 challengers will vie for the right to face two-time defending champion Oracle Team USA in the first-to-seven America’s Cup match starting June 17.
The qualifiers had been scheduled to begin Friday with the opening races of Round Robin 1, but they were pushed back to Saturday because of predicted strong winds deemed unsafe for the 50-foot, wingsailed catamarans.