Page 21 - Aruba Today

SPORTS A21
Longtime rivals race fair in Harvick’s thrilling win
BY MIKE CRANSTON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP)
-- When Kevin Harvick
and Carl Edwards started
bumping side-by-side on
the final lap Sunday, many
NASCAR fans had to re-
call the image of Edwards
grabbing Harvick’s throat
in a 2008 garage alterca-
tion.
Or maybe they thought
about the time two years
later when Harvick called
Edwards “fake” and Ed-
wards responded by say-
ing he had “no respect” for
Harvick.
Six years later, there was
no wild wreck and ensuing
brawl between the long-
time rivals. Just a clean,
thrilling finish that left Har- Truex Jr. at the Daytona
vick on top for a record
eighth time at Phoenix In-
ternational Raceway.
“I don’t think there’s any
real love lost between the
two of us,” Harvick said af-
ter Sunday’s 0.01-second
Sprint Cup victory over Ed-
wards. “I knew I was going
to get hit, and I’m going to
hit him in the same type of
manner.”
Harvick, working on old
tires on the overtime restart
after Kasey Kahne hit the
wall, turned into the charg-
Short-handed Penguins surge past Rangers
The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Conor
Sheary scored twice and
Matt Cullen had the go-
ahead goal in the third pe-
riod in the Pittsburgh Pen-
guins’ 5-3 victory over the
New York Rangers on Sun-
day.
The Penguins star Evgeni
Malkin is out six to eight
weeks after sustaining an
upper-body injury Friday
night in a victory at Colum-
ing Edwards first to try to
slow his momentum.
Edwards, who went from
fourth to second on the
restart with two fresh tires,
returned the favor and got
into Harvick’s door. But as
they came to the check-
ered flag at the mile oval,
Harvick had his fifth win in
six Phoenix races.
“I don’t want to spin him
out, but you definitely
want to rough him up be-
cause that’s not the guy
that I want to lose to,”
Harvick said. “And I know
he doesn’t want to lose to
me.”
It was NASCAR’s second
photo finish in a month, the
same margin of victory as
Denny Hamlin over Martin
500.
There have only been six
closer finishes since NAS-
CAR began using electron-
ic scoring in 1993.
And this time, there was no
throat-grabbing or name-
calling.
“Just a lot of fun,” Edwards
said. “I really wish it would
have worked out a little
bit differently, but it was a
good race.”
Hamlin recovered from an
early pit penalty to finish
third. Kyle Busch, his Joe
NHL Capsules
bus. He is second on the
team with 27 goals and 31
assists in 57 games.
Patric Hornqvist also scored, 0
Sidney Crosby added an
empty-netter for his 29th of
the season and Marc-An-
dre Fleury made 24 saves
for the Penguins.
Derick Brassard scored his
team-leading 25th goal
for the Rangers. Ryan Mc-
Donagh and Chris Kreider
Tuesday 15 March 2016
Kevin Harvick (4) and Carl Edwards, top, run side-by-side into the second turn during a NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series auto race at Phoenix International Raceway Sunday, March 13, 2016, in Avon-
dale, Ariz. Harvick defeated Edwards at the finish line.
Associated Press
Gibbs Racing teammate, day. He took the lead for we’d be OK,” Childers said.
started from the pole and good in the No. 4 Chevro- “But every time, there’s al-
led the first 77 laps before let when he immediately ways seven or eight that
ending up fourth. passed Edwards on a re- stay out in that situation.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who start with 77 laps to go. Har- And when there was only
ended Harvick’s four-race vick, who led a race-high three, that turned into a
winning streak at Phoenix 139 of 313 laps, built a lead little bit of panic mode for
with a rain-shortened vic- approaching 3 seconds me.”
tory in November, was fifth. before the final caution. Harvick, though, found a
Harvick’s weekend started Harvick crew chief Rodney way to win at what’s be-
slow when he qualified Childers decided to stay come almost his personal
18th on Friday. But he had on the track while Edwards track. By all-but-clinching a
the fastest car at the end and others took on two spot in the season-ending
of Saturday’s last practice tires. playoffs, he gave NASCAR
and meticulously worked “I knew that he had been four winners in four races
his way to the front on Sun- saving his stuff and thought from four race teams.q
also scored and Derek Ste- Palat had a goal and an as- his 12th career shutout to
pan had two assists. sist while Vladislav Namest- lead Toronto past Detroit.
LIGHTNING 4, BLUE JACKETS nikov also scored. It marked the Maple Leafs’
second shutout of the Red
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Tampa Bay moved into a Wings in the last 30 years.
Ben Bishop made 37 saves, tie with Florida for second The last time was Curtis Jo-
Steven Stamkos had two in the Atlantic Division with seph’s 3-0 victory on Dec.
goals and an assist as the 85 points but Nikita Kuch- 6, 2000, in Detroit.
Tampa Bay beat Columbus erov and Valtteri Filppula
to stop a three-game losing left with injuries. Michael Grabner scored
streak. MAPLE LEAFS 1, RED WINGS with 30 seconds left in the
It was Bishop’s fourth shut- 0 second.
out of the season and No. DETROIT (AP) — Jonathan Petr Mrazek made 26 saves
16 for his career. Ondrej Bernier made 38 saves for for the Red Wings.q