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A22 SPORTS
Saturday 21 april 2018
Bell holds off Gragson to win Xfinity race at Richmond

By HANK KURZ Jr. “I probably should have
AP Sports Writer gone there with 18 to go.”
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Points leader and Virginia
Christopher Bell grabbed native Elliott Sadler finished
the lead from Noah Grag- third and won a $100,000
son shortly after a restart to bonus as the top finisher in
begin the final stage and the Dash for Cash.
held off his Joe Gibbs Rac- Sadler also won the second
ing teammate after a late stage, his first stage win of
challenge to win the NAS- the season, but restarted
CAR Xfinity Series race at the final stage third and
Richmond Raceway on Fri- never challenged again.
day night. “To not win the race is bad,
Bell led by nearly 0.6 sec- but to win the $100,000 is
onds at one point during great,” said Sadler, now
the final stage, then had winless in 30 career series
Gragson close onto his rear starts on the 0.75-mile oval.
bumper with about 10 laps “It took my car a while to
to go. But just as quickly as get going and we knew
Gragson mounted a chal- that. It was just a little bit
lenge in his first career start, tighter this time than we
Bell again pulled away for wanted at the end of the
his second career victory in Christopher Bell celebrates winning a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at Richmond Raceway in race.”
the series. “That was pretty Richmond, Va., Friday, April 20, 2018. Bell, Sadler, Matt Tifft and
special there,” Bell said. “I Associated Press Austin Cindric, who finished
had to work for it.” me the race.” said, adding that he had thing. I’m going to try to go. fourth and fifth, will be in
At the end, Bell said, he Bell climbed from fifth to some regret for listening Just tell me when,’” he said. the Dash for Cash next
could feel his car fading second in the points race, to his spotter, instead of “About 18 to go, I told weekend at Talladega.
and just ran as hard as 29 behind Sadler and two his own instincts, when he them, ‘I can’t wait any Daniel Hemric, another of
he could and hoped for ahead of Tyler Reddick, thought he could catch longer. I don’t have any Friday night’s Dash for Cash
the best. “I think the word who finished 11th. Bell over the final 20 laps. more patience. I’m going contenders, had a strong
teammate kind of goes out Gragson seemed more dis- “I found a little something to go’ and I ran Christopher early run and won the first
the window when you’re tressed at having come up in the track, a little speed down about two, three car stage, but chanced stay-
racing for a win, other than short than having had an there at the end of the sec- lengths there and I used it, ing on the track with a fail-
the fact that you try not impressive debut. ond stage on old tires that and my spotter said not too ing tire late in the second
to crash each other,” Bell “It’s kind of great to finish I kept in my memory bank quick. He might catch on stage. He eventually hit the
said. “Track position, man. second in my first race, but until then end and I told my and you might not be able wall and fell way off the
That’s what ultimately won I really wanted to win,” he team, I said, ‘I got some- to pass him. pace, finishing 29th.q
Flyers beat Penguins 3-2 to force Game 6

By The Associated Press the Flyers. Michal Neuvirth Winnipeg beat Wild to win
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sean stopped 30 shots, including a playoff series for the first
Couturier’s long shot from a diving stop on the door- time in franchise history.
the point got past Matt step to deny Penguins star Connor Hellebuyck made
Murray with 1:17 left and Sidney Crosby shortly after 30 saves for his second
the Philadelphia Flyers beat Couturier’s knuckler put shutout of the series, and
the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 Philadelphia in front. Mark Scheifele added a
on Friday night to force a Jake Guentzel and Bryan goal in the third to help the
sixth game in the first-round Rust scored for the Pen- Jets finish off the Wild in five
series. guins. Matt Murray made games. Winnipeg will face
The Flyers cut the Penguins’ 21 saves but had no the winner of the Nashville-
series lead to 3-2 going into chance on Couturier’s win- Colorado series in the sec-
Game 6 on Sunday in Phila- ner as the puck found its ond round. Winnipeg’s pre-
delphia. way through a sea of play- vious post-season appear-
After missing Game 4 with a ers and into the net. ance was a sweep by Ana-
lower-body injury, Couturier JETS 5, WILD 0 heim in 2015. The franchise
extended his team’s sea- WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) moved from Atlanta in
son at least two more days — Jacob Trouba, Bryan 2011. The Thrashers started
by picking up his second Little, Brandon Tanev and in 1999-2000, with their only
goal of the series. Claude Joel Armia scored in the first playoff series ending in four
Giroux, Valtteri Filppula and 11:59 to chase Minnesota straight losses to the New
Matt Read also scored for goalie Devan Dubynk and York Rangers in 2007.q

Philadelphia Flyers’ Sean Couturier (14) celebrates his goal
with Scott Laughton (21) and Wayne Simmonds during the third
period in Game 5 of an NHL first-round hockey playoff series
against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 20,
2018.
Associated Press /arubatoday/