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SPORTS Tuesday 30 april 2019
Larson rolled but Talladega delivered for NASCAR

By JENNA FRYER rates were uncomfortably
AP Auto Racing Writer quick and drivers unable to
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — adjust would steamroll over
Anything and everything the cars in front of him.
could have gone wrong at That means wrecks. The
Talladega Superspeedway, season-opening Daytona
where the cars were too 500, run two months ago
fast, engine makers feared under an old rules pack-
their motors couldn't go age, had been a demoli-
500 miles without overheat- tion derby and there was
ing and drivers insisted they every reason to believe
had no idea whatsoever Talladega, with so much
how they planned to race. uncertainty and new rules,
It could have been a disas- was going to be Daytona
ter. redux.
But NASCAR made adjust- Except it wasn't, and NAS-
ments on the fly and felt CAR chief racing devel-
confident Talladega was opment officer Steve
going to be a good show, O'Donnell told The Associ-
even as insiders worried ated Press the series felt Kyle Larson (42) flips as he makes contact with Jeffrey Earnhardt (81) on the back stretch during a
the event would be either confident it had a pack- NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, April 28, 2019, in Talladega,
terribly boring or, more age that could deliver safe Ala.
concerning, a dangerous and exciting racing. Associated Press
wreckfest. "Until an actual race takes
All things considered, NAS- place you never know topped 200 mph in the first Newman has taken many good racing. In the end,
CAR produced one of the what you'll see," O'Donnell session. The engine makers a trip through the air at Chase Elliott got his first win
better Talladega races said Monday, adding test- approached NASCAR and Talladega and told NBC of the season — first for ma-
in recent memory even ing and data had given said attrition was going to Sports speeds were "way ligned Chevrolet, first for
though Kyle Larson barrel- NASCAR engineers confi- be an issue, so NASCAR too fast. We've established Hendrick Motorsports — in
rolled down the Alabama dence safety had not been made a midday addition that over the last 10 years. an action-packed event in
track on the last lap of Sun- compromised. "You go into of a 1-inch wicker strip to That's when cars get air- which the 38 lead changes
day's race. the event confident in what the top of the spoiler be- borne." were the most since 2014.
Talladega is dangerous, you do." fore final practice. It felt ominous headed to- There were 10,650 passes
the speeds seemed dicey There were so many un- Ryan Newman then hit ward the green flag. But under green and early
and the present NASCAR knowns, though, and the 204.157 mph, logging the O'Donnell said NASCAR concern over dangerously
field has significant talent first practice under the speed as he led a single- staunchly believed it had fast closing rates instead
discrepancies. The veter- 2019 rules package was file group of cars through landed on a combination allowed drivers to pull off
ans understood that closing jarring because 21 cars the draft to another pack. that would make for very bold and brazen moves.q

POPOVICH this season with all the tur- tenure. That turned out to
Continued from Page 17 moil and turnover. be one of the highlights for
There is little chance Popo- A year ago, Kawhi Leon- the veteran coach.
vich ends up anywhere but ard played in only nine "It was kind of one of the
San Antonio, where he has games while nursing a right more enjoyable seasons
enjoyed unprecedented thigh injury. Reportedly up- because you got to see
success. His desire to re- set with how his rehabilita- people develop," Popov-
turn was apparent during tion was handled, Leonard ich said.
an 18-minute news con- forced his way out of San If that wasn't enough to
ference to wrap up a sea- Antonio in the offseason overcome, the Spurs also
son that ended with a loss and was sent to Toronto lost starting point guard De-
to the Denver Nuggets in along with Danny Green in jounte Murray to a season-
Game 7 of their first-round a trade for DeMar DeRozan ending knee injury in the
series. and Jakob Poeltl. preseason and his replace-
Popovich has1,245 wins, The Spurs also lost Manu ment, Derrick White, missed
third-most in NBA history Ginobili to retirement and the first month with a knee
behind Don Nelson and Tony Parker left the team injury.
Lenny Wilkens, and is one in free agency along with In one four-game stretch, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich sits on the
bench before facing the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of an NBA
of five coaches to win five veteran Kyle Anderson. the Spurs lost three games basketball first-round playoff series Saturday, April 27, 2019, in
NBA championships. He "I didn't know what to ex- by 30-plus points; in Popo- Denver.
will coach USA Basketball pect, to be honest," Popov- vich's first 1,758 regular- Associated Press
in the FIBA World Cup in ich said. "I didn't know how season games as coach,
China this summer, and this group would respond the Spurs had only lost by "I think that when we all re- the court and prepping
will coach the Americans to that kind of adversity, 30-plus five total times. Of flect on the season, they rookies Lonnie Walker IV,
in the Tokyo Olympics next but they showed us a lot course, they also won five achieved a lot more than Chimezie Metu and Drew
summer should the team in continuing with the pro- straight games by 25-plus a lot of people gave them Eubanks in the G League.
qualify. gram and trying to do what points for the first time un- credit for having the oppor- "It's the beginning of a new
The Spurs have reached we wanted them to do. So, der Popovich and ended tunity to achieve," Popov- culture for a new group,"
the playoffs the last 22 sea- that was very impressive to up seventh in the Western ich said. San Antonio was Popovich said. "So, we'll
sons, a streak that ties for me." Conference as DeRozan able to reach the postsea- have a little bit of corpo-
the longest in NBA history. San Antonio had eight new and veteran LaMarcus Al- son while also developing rate knowledge going into
Many doubted the Spurs players on its roster this sea- dridge helped carry the young players like White, next season and they'll
would continue that streak son, the most in Popovich's team's young roster. Poeltl and Bryn Forbes on show that, I think."q