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SPORTS Friday 16 November 2018

It’s The Big Three and Joey Logano in NASCAR’s title race

By JENNA FRYER Their interpretation of that
AP Auto Racing Writer conversation now differs
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — as Truex claims he’d “abso-
Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick lutely” move Logano out of
and Martin Truex Jr. sat on his way to win the champi-
a bench, scrolling through onship.
their phones , oblivious to “I have a free pass. He al-
their surroundings and the ready told me I could. He
stakes. told me he’s fair game. So
Joey Logano was a room here we go,” Truex said.
away, mingling in the back Logano recalled the talk
of a ballroom, grinning ear- differently.
to-ear and totally at ease. “I didn’t tell him that. I said
“It’s the Big Three and me,” ‘Hey, I expect to get raced
Logano shrugged. “I might the way I race people,’”
be the underdog in the Logano said. “I’m a hard
stats standpoint, but we racer. I expect to get raced
sure don’t feel like we are.” hard. I said it before, we
Logano is the outcast, sta- didn’t crash each other. I
tistically and socially, of didn’t crash him. Moved
Sunday’s championship him up enough to have a
field. He wasn’t picked to In this May 19, 2018, file photo, Joey Logano looks from the garage after practice for the NASCAR drag race. That’s what I ex-
advance to the Home- All-Star auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. plained to him.”
stead-Miami Speedway Associated Press No matter how it plays
finale but he’s part of the title contenders off to New The trio combined to win lot,” Busch continued. out, the four title contend-
championship party be- York City this week for a 20 of 35 points races this Logano smartly closed the ers expect to control the
cause he used his bumper full day of promotional ac- season, while Logano has subject: “It’s best if I keep race Sunday in a thrilling
to move Truex out of his tivities, then brought them two victories but had the my mouth shut on this one,” push to the winner-take-all
way and win at Martinsville together Thursday for the steadiest playoff run. he said. Cup championship. Since
Speedway. opening of champion- Asked Thursday if this is the Indeed, the most interest- the elimination format was
That victory put Logano in ship weekend. They had most competitive four-driv- ing thing to emerge from introduced in 2014, the
the finale, where the so- lunch together, filmed a er finale since the format NASCAR’s championship champion has won Home-
called Big Three were al- segment on the beach for launched in 2014, it was preview day was the con- stead to win the title every
ways supposed to be, and “The Today Show,” then Harvick who noted it ac- fusion on how Logano and year.
Logano is seemingly just previewed the title race in tually isn’t much different Truex plan to race each “I think there’s about a 99
along for the ride. a posh South Beach hotel. than last season when The other Sunday. Truex had percent chance that one
But he doesn’t view it that It hardly made for a tense Big Three raced against Lo- vowed not to let Logano of these guys is going to win
way and thinks this champi- or dramatic lead-in to what gano teammate Brad Kes- win the championship after (the race) to win the cham-
onship might be his to lose. is expected to be the most elowski. Logano moved him out of pionship,” Truex said. “That’s
“You have to have that competitive championship “It’s the same four organi- the way last month at Mar- what you come down here
confidence,” Logano said. race since this playoff for- zations from last year,” Har- tinsville. Forced to spend prepared for as a group,
“I feel like our team is in a mat was launched in 2014. vick said. the better part of two days as a team, as a driver, and
great spot. We’re ready Harvick won the 2014 title, “It just depends on if Joey is together as a group, Loga- that’s your goal coming
to get to Sunday and see Busch grabbed the crown a better driver than Brad,” no and Truex at one point here to win, and then you
what happens.” in 2015 and Truex is the de- Truex added. apparently discussed the can guarantee yourself a
NASCAR shipped the four fending series champion. “They both run into you a situation. championship.”q

Swim meet canceled after FINA’s threat to ban athletes

By GRAHAM DUNBAR which aims to operate out- Peaty of Britain wrote on South Africa and Sarah for taking part in Turin.
AP Sports Writer side FINA’s control and pay Thursday on Twitter he was Sjostrom of Sweden were However, a European
GENEVA (AP) — Amid higher prize money. “incredibly disappointed” due to take part in their Commission decision last
growing conflict between “FINA declared the event by the cancellation. 25-meter pool event. year suggests swimmers
swimmers and their world ‘non-approved’ . threaten- The politics involved will It was scheduled days af- could successfully chal-
governing body, an inter- ing sanctions against the “galvanize swimmers, not ter the short-course world lenge any attempt to limit
national swimming meet participating athletes,” Ital- break them,” wrote Peaty, championships being their right to race and earn
was canceled on Thursday ian officials said in a state- who holds the world re- staged in Hangzhou, Chi- money.
after threats to ban ath- ment. cords in men’s 50-meter na. The European Union’s ex-
letes who took part seeking FINA, based in Lausanne, and 100-meter breast- The clash of events seemed ecutive arm ruled the In-
better prize money. Switzerland, did not imme- stroke. to provoke FINA into find- ternational Staking Union in
The Italian swim federation diately respond to a re- Peaty has previously sup- ing more prize money for its breach of anti-trust laws by
called off the Dec. 20-21 quest for comment. ported Hungarian star Ka- worlds event in the smaller threatening severe bans for
competition it was organiz- Some Olympic champions tinka Hosszu in her public pool. speed skaters who wanted
ing in Turin, saying it acted have long criticized FINA, criticism of FINA, and calls On Nov. 6, FINA added to to compete in a South Ko-
to protect athletes from believing swimmers should to create a swimmers’ its promised prize fund for rean-organized event in
FINA. be better rewarded, have union. China by almost doubling Dubai.
The Turin meet was linked more say in decisions, and Italian organizers said the total to $2.07 million. The ISU’s threats “also serve
to a proposed Interna- could create their own Peaty, Hosszu and other FINA wrote to member fed- to protect its own commer-
tional Swimming League, union. Olympic champions in- erations on Oct. 30 warning cial interests,” the Europe-
a privately run operation Olympic champion Adam cluding Chad Le Clos of of bans of up to two years an officials said. q