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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Anthony Spencer Jersey . -- Danica Patrick cleared a path for her teammates in NASCARs new knockout qualifying that led to a Turner Scott Motorsports rout at Daytona International Speedway. Dylan Kwasniewski won the pole for his Nationwide Series debut -- the first rookie since Rusty Wallace in 1985 to win the pole at Daytona -- by following Patrick and Kyle Larson through traffic in Fridays qualifying session. The 18-year-old topped the speed chart with a lap at 192.078 mph in the rain-shortened qualifying session. Larson qualified second with a lap at 192.074 and Patrick was third as Turner Scotts cars went 1-2-3 for Saturdays race. "Danica did a fantastic job of leading us through the pack and getting us clean through there," said Kwasniewski, winner of the K&N East title last year and the K&N West title in 2012. "Being a rookie, it was hard for me to make the decisions on where to go," he said. "Danica did a fantastic job, she got us through clean and I was coming up to a sea of cars on the back straight and I was like, I have no idea how we are going to be able to get us through this. But she picked her way through perfectly, got us in the right position and got us all three a great lap. We stuck together and made sure we could be a team out there." The qualifying session was the first for NASCARs new multicar, knockout-style format. All cars were on track for the opening 25-minute segment that was interrupted twice by rain. The fastest 24 cars were scheduled to advance to a second, 10-minute round, but it was rained out. There were as many as 30 cars on the track at one point, which made the one segment that was run far more entertaining than the traditional single-car runs NASCAR had used. Patrick acknowledged the session was worth watching, but could be interesting as the season progresses. "I think there are some times when its going to be a total disaster," Patrick said. "Like when we go to short tracks. I just cant imagine where its going to be like. (At Daytona), theres plenty of room, people can go wherever, theres many lanes, its all about momentum. But when you go to places like Bristol, Martinsville and even Phoenix. Short tracks in general are just going to be a really big challenge. And then youve got the mile-and-a-halves where youre just going a lot faster." Jason Witten Elite Jersey . "I like the toughness factor in certain situations where last year and two years ago wed get bumped, get hit [and] wouldnt respond," Casey said an hour and a half before facing the league-best Thunder, a team that hadnt yet lost at home. Justin Durant Womens Jersey . -- San Francisco Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro says he will begin the season on the disabled list.WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- Lizette Salas didnt have to wait long to be tested in her latest attempt at a breakthrough victory on the LPGA Tour. The challenge came on the first hole Sunday in the Kingsmill Championship, after she was overly cautious with her first putt, leaving it nearly 10 feet short of the cup with a sliding, downhill test to save par. She made it, the start of a day when she did little wrong on her way to a four-shot victory. "Yeah, that was a big putt just to start off the day," Salas said. "Downhill slider to the right. I mean, I even threw in a fist pump because I knew how important that was for me mentally and on a confidence standpoint." The 24-year-old Salas made it look easy the rest of the way, even while shooting just an even-par 71 on the River Course. Salas started the day with a three-shot lead, doubled it with birdies on the par-5 third and par-3 fifth. A bogey on the par-4 eighth was her only hiccup -- and only her third bogey in four rounds -- until she three-putted the par-3 17th. She finished at 13-under 271 and earned $195,000. Yani Tseng, Kraft Nabisco winner Lexi Thompson and Sarah Jane Smith tied for second. Salas was never really challenged in the final round on the River Course, and when her final putt fell on the 18th hole, she cupped her head in her hands and covered her face in celebration. Her winning moment was quickly interrupted, however, when four fellow players arrived and doused her with champagne, water and wine. The victory came after Salas flirted with victory several times in her three years on tour. It also came after she missed the cut two weeks ago and realized she needed to change her mental approach to give herself a fighting chance. "I felt like I wanted to be perfect all the time," she said. "I felt like I needed to play like a top tier golfer every week. Thats not it. Its about feeling confident. Golf is a sport where you cant control everything. ... I just took a step back and looked at golf differently. I just tried to have fun this week. That was the most important thing." This year, she tied for third in the season-opening event in the Bahamas and shared the lead after three rounds in the Kia Classic in her home staate of California, but Anna Nordqvist closed with a 5-under 67 -- to Salas 70 -- to win by one. Roger Staubach Womens Jersey. Last year, playing alongside winner Inbee Park in the final group of the Kraft Nabisco, Salas shot 79 to tie for 25th. Two weeks later, Salas lost a playoff to Suzann Pettersen in the LPGA LOTTE in Hawaii. Salas chunked her approach into the water on the first extra hole after closing with a tournament-record 62. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Salas was introduced to the game when her father, the head mechanic at Azusa Greens west of Los Angeles, did some handyman jobs for the club pro and, instead of pay, asked him to teach his daughter to play. She went on to star at Southern California, where she was a four-time All-America selection and helped the Trojans win the 2008 NCAA title. The victory came on a rare weekend when her parents didnt come to the tournament, but watched from their home in California, and it brought tears to the eyes of Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez, who has been a mentor of sorts for Salas. "Im crying. Im so proud of her," Lopez said by telephone after watching the celebration on the green. "She looked great out there, just very confident and swinging great. ... Like she said on TV, she was ready. It was time." Salas expects "some tears of happiness" when she sees her parents Monday. Tseng, seeking her first victory since 2012, got within three with three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine, but she finished with two pars and a double bogey for a 69, expanding Salas lead to five shots. Thompson had a 69, and Smith shot 66 -- the best round of the day. Tseng nearly made it very interesting at the par-5 15th, but her eagle putt stopped just short of the cup. "One more roll it will be in," she said. "I know if I make that I have a good chance." The tournament also featured a golf rarity, a double eagle. It was scored by Frenchwoman Joanna Klatten on No. 15. Klatten said her drive left her a perfect distance away for her 3-wood, and she had a feeling something great was coming. "Its intuition. I had a good feeling about that shot," she said. "Of course there is a little bit of luck in that." cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
