Toyota Set for Nextel Cup and Busch Series in 2007
Toyota will race in Nextel Cup events beginning in 2007, becoming the first foreign competitor in NASCAR’s top stock car series since the 1950s.
The Japanese auto maker will also run the Busch Series races after the 2006 season, joining Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge. The announcement was expected at a news conference today from NASCAR’s research and development facility in Concord, N.C., a person close to Toyota told the Associated Press.
The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because an official announcement hasn’t been made, said Toyota “is looking forward to being competitive right off the bat” in both series.
The last foreign manufacturer to participate in NASCAR’s top racing series was Jaguar, which entered several races in the 1950s.
Nextel Cup driver Ken Schrader raced to his record 16th title at Phoenix International Raceway and fourth West Series victory, winning the feature race in the Copper World Classic at Avondale, Ariz.... Open-wheel star Paul Tracy will drive at least five races in NASCAR’s Busch Series this year and plans to make his debut in the season-opening event next month at Daytona International Speedway. Tracy has signed a five-race deal to drive a Chevrolet for Frank Cicci Racing.
WINTER SPORTS
France’s Vidal Wins World Cup Ski Title
Olympic champion Jean-Pierre Vidal of France took his first World Cup title in five years by winning a slalom Sunday, and Bode Miller finished 18th in a bumpy run at Kitzbuhel, Austria. Vidal completed two nearly flawless runs on the tough, icy course at the most prestigious stop on the men’s World Cup circuit in 1 minute 38.88 seconds.
Austria’s Reinfred Herbst was the runner-up, 0.36 of a second behind, for his first top-three finish. Overall World Cup standings leader Benjamin Raich was 0.50 back in third.
Raich’s total time gave him the combined title, which is calculated by adding the results of the slalom with Saturday’s downhill.
Miller was second in the combined, with Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway third.
Overall leader Janica Kostelic of Croatia won a super-combi and Lindsey Kildow finished third in a World Cup race at St. Moritz, Switzerland, that renewed concerns about course safety.
Michaela Dorfmeister nearly skied into a course worker while going 50 mph.
A day earlier, Norway’s Anne Marie Mueller crashed into an Italian trainer during a downhill.
Kostelic, second after the morning downhill, had the fastest slalom leg to win the season’s first super-combi in a combined time of 2 minutes 15.74 seconds.
American Joey Cheek earned the biggest title of his career, winning the world sprint speedskating championship at Heerenveen, Netherlands, three weeks ahead of the Winter Olympics.
Cheek pumped his fists with delight when he won the 500 in 35.09 seconds. He beat Pekka Koskela of Finland by 0.15 of a second, and Yu Fengtong of China took third. Casey FitzRandolph of the U.S. finished fourth.
Two-time Olympian Clint Jones upset Todd Lodwick in the normal hill U.S. Ski Jumping Championship at Howelsen Hill in Steamboat Springs, Colo., ending Lodwick’s run of eight straight titles over three years.
Jones jumped 99 and 101.5 meters to win with 276.0 points. Lodwick had two jumps of 100 meters for 273.0 points.
In the women’s national championship, Lindsey Van made it two titles in two days, jumping 88.5 and 91.5 meters for 230.5 points.
Todd Hays led the United States to victory by 0.04 of a second over Canada in a four-man bobsled World Cup race at St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Hays and his team of Pavle Jovanovic, Steve Mesler and Brock Kreitzburg led after a first heat of 1 minute 5.47 seconds. The team then clocked 1:05.04 for a combined 2:10.51.
SOCCER
Lilly’s Two Goals Power U.S. Women Over China
United States captain Kristine Lilly scored twice in the first half, and the Americans beat China, 2-0, at Guangzhou, China, to win the Four Nations Tournament for the fourth time.
Lilly, playing in her record 302nd international game, scored on a penalty kick in the 11th minute and on a strong shot from inside the box just before halftime.
Real Madrid midfielder Zinedine Zidane denied that he would retire from soccer after this year’s World Cup.
Spanish news reports said the 33-year-old France international told Madrid President Florentino Perez that he planned to quit after the World Cup, which starts June 9.
MISCELLANY
Bonds Doesn’t Want to Bat Second in Lineup
Barry Bonds has a message for San Francisco Giant Manager Felipe Alou: He doesn’t want to bat second in the lineup.
Bonds made the comment after hearing reports that Alou said he was thinking about using the seven-time MVP in the No. 2 hole to get him more at-bats.
“I am going to speak with Felipe, because at this point in my career it doesn’t work for me to be second bat,” Bonds told the Dominican newspaper, El Caribe. Bonds was in the Dominican Republic to play in a charity golf tournament.
Sarah Hammer and Becky Quinn earned their second medals of the weekend to push the U.S. total to five at the conclusion of the L.A. World Cup cycling event at the Home Depot Center.
Hammer and Quinn finished 1-2 in the women’s scratch race Sunday. Hammer won her second gold medal and Quinn her second silver.
