Logano Takes Checkered Flag for First Cup Series Win on Dirt Track
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ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2021 SPORTS 14 ‘Some clubs are going to decide they don’t want to release players’ Olympic failures show structural issues for US Soccer, MLS NEW YORK, March 30, (AP): The Catch-22 for US men’s soccer in the Olympics is this: The better a player Soccer Roundup gets, the less likely he is to play. Logano takes checkered fl ag for And compounding the diffi culty is a structural issue, according to Amer- ican under-24 coach Jason Kreis: Ma- Aguero quits City jor League Soccer does not adhere to the international calendar of a season that runs from August to May, leav- Kuwait, Lebanon fi rst Cup Series win on dirt track ing most of his players trying to re- draw 1-1 in Dubai gain fi tness while facing opponents in midseason form. DUBAI, March 30, (Agencies): Truex dominates Truck race The Americans failed to qualify Kuwait and Lebanon ended their for their third straight Olympics friendly football match in Dubai, when they lost 2-1 to Honduras on with a 1-1 draw. BRISTOL, Tenn., March Sunday. For the second time in three Kuwait opened the scoring in 30, (AP): Somewhere under Olympic cycles, a goalkeeping blun- the fi rst half through Shabib Al- the thick red haze fl oating der helped sink the US when David Khalidi, while Lebanon equalized Ochoa gifted the second goal, simi- in the same pe- over Bristol Motor Speed- lar to goalkeeper Sean Johnson fum- riod through way, Joey Logano took the bling a shot against El Salvador that a goal by Mo- checkered fl ag for NAS- cost the Americans a trip to the 2012 hammad Qa- London Games. douh. CAR’s fi rst Cup Series race In addition, the US streak of seven Kuwait is at a dirt track in 50 years. World Cup appearances ended in playing several He couldn’t see much - visibility 2018. friendly match- was next to nothing during this dust es in prepara- storm - but Logano clung to the fa- SOCCER tion for the miliar bottom lane around the bull- Asian qualifi ca- ring to collect the checkered fl ag on tion for Qatar’s Former American defender Alexi Aguero 2022 World this NASCAR experiment. Cup and Chi- Logano got a jump on Denny Hamlin Lalas, now a commentator for Fox, and ex-goalkeeper Tim Howard, na’s 2023 Asia Cup. on the overtime restart to earn his third ❑ ❑ ❑ career victory at Bristol. But this was now an NBC broadcaster, say the not the Bristol of old, the track had been onus is on the US Soccer Federation Sergio Aguero will leave Man- covered with 2,300 truckloads of red and MLS to get better players from chester City at the end of the sea- Tennessee clay so that NASCAR could teams. son after 10 years at the club fol- add a dirt track to the Cup schedule for Lalas maintains the burden to im- lowing its decision to not offer the the first time since 1970. prove the Olympic effort lies with striker a new contract. “How about Bristol on dirt, guys! Kreis, senior national team coach The Argentina international has This is incredible,” Logano said to the Gregg Berhalter and US men’s na- a club-record 257 goals in 384 ap- crowd, a reduced capacity sellout of tional team general manager Brian pearances for City since joining about 30,000 fans. McBride. FIFA regulations say clubs from Atletico Madrid in 2011. “There’s nothing like winning at don’t have to release players for One of those goals was arguably Bristol, but putting it on dirt and being Olympic qualifying or the Olympics. the most famous in City’s history the first to do it is very special.” Driver Martin Truex Jr (51) leads Sheldon Creed (2) during a NASCAR Truck Series race on March 29, in Bristol, European clubs regularly deny their - the stoppage-time winner against Logano became the seventh race Tennessee. (AP) players, and Major League Soccer’s Queens Parks Rangers on the fi nal winner through seven races this season Atlanta team blocked Kreis from day of the 2011-12 season that and gave Team Penske back-to-back the buildup a muddy mess. When race bumped Logano out of his way to take and Christopher Bell, two of the top dirt clinched the team its fi rst English victories. Ryan Blaney won in a Penske day finally arrived, torrential overnight over the point. racers in the country, were the favorites using defenders George Bello and Miles Robinson, and forward Brooks Premier League title. Ford last week. rains had flooded the Bristol grounds But Logano took over with 61 laps and the race might have gone differ- ❑ ❑ ❑ and NASCAR had to postpone remaining and wasn’t challenged until ently had the two not crashed with each Lennon. Sunday’s show by a day. other 54 laps into the race. “Some clubs are going to decide England’s second-tier Cham- CAR/TRUCK RACING the final restart when the race went to a they don’t want to release players. Through all the consternation, Smith two-lap overtime. Seven of the Cup regulars entered the pionship secured a funding remained optimistic and headed to the Truck Series race just to get some track There’s nothing you can do about that package worth more than $160 It was impossible to handicap this if that’s the ultimate decision,” Lalas The Logano victory closed a week- track Monday morning convinced this first dirt race because the teams had no time on an unknown surface, a decision million that will enable clubs to that bought them two additional prac- said. “But you better leave every end of uncertainty and even some hys- dirt project was a success. The final idea how to prepare and the drivers had meet their tax liabilities amid a teria as NASCAR launched this drive product was a doubleheader - Martin tice sessions as well as Monday’s ear- stone unturned in trying to convince wildly varying experience. Kyle Larson downturn in revenues during the through the dirt. It was broadcast part- Truex Jr. won his first Truck Series lier race. Truex, a dirt novice, domi- them and call in every favor and be pandemic. ner Fox who wanted a dirt race on the race in 15 years to open the day - and nated the field to win the trucks and led part of that negotiation in order to There have been no spectators Cup schedule and Speedway then Logano closed the Cup race with a race-high 126 of the 253 laps. do that. And then when it comes to for matches in the division for the Motorsports, seeking some new energy the overtime victory. Suarez was the other benefactor of the Major League Soccer teams that equivalent of a full season since at its beloved Bristol bullring, said it Everyone seemed happy, and before adding the truck to his schedule with a decided not to release players, I think the coronavirus outbreak, meaning would take the race. the race was even over, the track breakthrough finish for his brand new that in and of itself is inexcusable and clubs in the 24-team league have So NASCAR awarded the experi- announced over the public address sys- team. Of the so-called dirt experts, it it’s ridiculous and it’s a joke given lost around $200 million in gate ment to Bristol, bypassing dozens of tem that Bristol would run on dirt again was Stenhouse with a quiet runner-up the cooperation and the partnership receipts as well as other matchday quality established dirt tracks across next season. finish who delivered. and the historic connection that the revenue streams. the country. The snub extended to “It’s only my fourth dirt race ever, so Ryan Newman, who in the past few United States Soccer Federation and ❑ ❑ ❑ Tony Stewart, who had successfully I had a lot of fun trying to figure it out,” years began racing a bit on dirt with MLS has.” hosted seven Truck Series races at his Logano said. “I was having a blast rac- some regularity, finished a season-high While the US started 11 MLS play- Nationwide has become a spon- Eldora Speedway dirt track in Ohio ing, trying to find the right lanes, mov- fifth. ers against Honduras, age-eligible sor of the National Women’s Soc- but said was never considered for a ing around.” There had been serious pre-race con- cer League, the latest in a string Cup race. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a veteran dirt cern that the 3,400-pound Cup cars Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Josh Sargent, Sergiño Dest, Antonee Rob- of league partnerships that have Marcus Smith, the CEO of racer, was second for his highest finish were too heavy for the Goodyear tires been growing since the Women’s Speedway Motorsports, insisted con- of the season. Hamlin, who had last on the dirt surface. The combination on inson and Yunas Musah were with World Cup in 2019. crete Bristol was up to the challenge raced on dirt in go-karts when he was 8, Friday, in addition to kicking up serious the senior national team in Belfast The multi-year deal with Nation- and he told The Associated Press he’d finished third. dirt, caused the tires to wear to the for a 2-1 friendly win over Northern wide will help expand the league’s spent nearly $2 million to make the Daniel Suarez was a season-best cords while deep ruts developed on the Ireland.