IndyCar boss warns outspoken drivers

ButMiles admits rules package faulty for Fontana race

The CEO of IndyCar said Wednesday that the series went too far with the rules package for last weekend’s race at Fontana, where many drivers sharply criticized what they said was dangerous pack racing.

Despite the admission, chief executive Mark Miles warned that criticism of IndyCar by its teams and drivers won’t be tolerated going forward.

The Saturday race was largely considered one of the most entertaining races in recent memory because of the flag-to-flag competition. But there were multiple complaints about the dangers of pack racing on an oval track, with competitors questioning the safety and evoking the 2011 crash in Las Vegas that killed Dan Wheldon.

Miles called the criticism “damaging” to IndyCar — particularly after an event that was embraced by fans. He said IndyCar has been too lax until now about allowing stakeholders to damage the brand.

“I do think we need to be more forceful in ensuring that no one individual or individuals are really damaging the value,” Miles said.

A short time later, IndyCar fined defending series champion Will Power $25,000 and placed him on probation for the rest of the season for directing improper language or gestures at a series official. Power shoved a medical worker after a late-race crash, and he later told the reporters the racing was “crazy.”

The race was breathtaking in that the drivers raced almost start to finish in close quarters at high speeds that led to several banging wheels. The conditions were created in part by the rules package set by IndyCar, which made a change in the downforce levels to combat expected high temperatures.

Miles said IndyCar’s competition officials agree the series was too aggressive with the rules.

College

Seven former University of Illinois women’s basketball players sued the university, accusing coach Matt Bollant and a former assistant of violating their civil rights by creating a racially hostile environment.

nUtah cornerback Dominique Hatfield has been arrested in Salt Lake City on suspicion of robbing a man who planned to buy an Xbox game console from him.

Soccer

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has said in a magazine interview that he is not corrupt and that he has a “clear conscience” despite corruption investigations into world soccer’s governing body. “Whoever accuses me of being corrupt has to prove it to me first. But nobody can do that because I’m not corrupt,” Blatter told Thursday’s edition of German weekly Bunte, extracts of which were released Wednesday.

NFL

The Pittsburgh Steelers submitted an application at the owners meetings in May for the right to bid on the 2023 Super Bowl. It’s the first time the Steelers — whose six Super Bowl victories are the most in the NFL — and city have applied to host the game.

Former Buffalo and n New England linebacker Brandon Spikes has pleaded guilty in a hit-and-run crash in Wrentham, Massachusetts, that injured three people. Spikes will serve a year of probation.

WWE

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. is asking a federal judge to block lawsuits by former wrestlers who claim they have suffered long-term health problems from concussions they received in the ring.