Kurt Busch wins NASCAR Sprint Cup pole again

Kurt Busch won his third consecutive pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, finishing first in qualifying Saturday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn with a lap of 188.699 mph. He is the first driver to win three consecutive poles since Brian Vickers in 2009, and two qualifying sessions were canceled during that streak. The last person to win three poles in three races was Ryan Newman in 2007.

Busch is sixth in the points standings and has finished in the top 10 in three consecutive races, including a second-place showing last weekend at Pocono Raceway. He has not won in 2011.

David Reutimann (188.684 mph) was second in qualifying, and Matt Kenseth (188.620) was third. Vickers, who was fourth, was the leader at one point but Kenseth, Busch and Reutimann all posted faster laps toward the end.

Carl Edwards raced to his fourth Nationwide series victory of the year, passing teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with less than 10 laps remaining at Michigan International Speedway.

Edwards, the Sprint Cup points leader, had finished second in three Nationwide races in a row since winning at Dover in May, but he was able to slip underneath Stenhouse and then cut in front of him before holding on to win by 1.669 seconds in the No. 60 Ford. It was his 33rd Nationwide victory.

Dario Franchitti won the pole for the IndyCar race Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis., with an average speed of 170.841 mph. Helio Castroneves qualified second, followed by Scott Dixon. Simona De Silvestro was taken to a hospital after she crashed during her qualifying run. A series spokesperson said she was awake and alert.

ETC.

Nevada football player shot

Brandon Wimberly, a starting wide receiver at Nevada, was shot and seriously wounded early Saturday in a fight between a group of his football teammates and another group of men. Wimberly went to Gardena High.

Police said Wimberly, 22, was shot once in the abdomen when he approached the other men in downtown Reno as they fled in a car. He was taken to a hospital, where he was in serious condition.

Nevada Coach Chris Ault said Wimberly had surgery and his injuries are not life-threatening.

Janko Tipsarevic might have to sit out Wimbledon after slipping and injuring his groin during the Eastbourne final. The match was won by unseeded Andreas Seppi, who claimed his first career title when the third-seeded Serbian retired while trailing, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 5-3. Seppi became the first Italian to win an ATP title since Filippo Volandri in Palermo in October 2006. Marion Bartoli of France won the women’s final, defeating Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5. … Roberta Vinci of Italy rallied to beat Jelena Dokic, 6-7 (7), 6-3, 7-5, in the final of the Unicef Open at Den Bosch, Netherlands. Dmitry Tursunov of Russia won the men’s final, defeating Ivan Dodig of Croatia, 6-3, 6-2.

Two-time Olympic champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are within one victory of their fourth beach volleyball world title after they beat China’s Xue Chen and Zhang Xi, 21-17, 15-21, 15-10, in the semifinals at Rome. The Americans will face top-seeded Larissa Franca and Juliana Felisberta Da Silva in the final Sunday. The Brazilian team beat the Czech duo of Hana Klapalova and Lenka Hajeckova, 21-14, 21-13. Alison CeruttiEmanuel RegoMarcio AraujoRicardo Santos

Michael Phelps easily won the 200-meter backstroke at the Santa Clara International Grand Prix after rival Ryan Lochte was a healthy scratch. The 14-time Olympic gold medalist led the entire way and touched the wall more than 3 seconds ahead of the competition at 1 minute 57.05 seconds. Mitchell Larkin was second and Matthew Swanston third.

Alistair Overeem won by unanimous decision against Fabricio Werdum in a three-round Strikeforce heavyweight tournament quarterfinal at Dallas. Fedor Emelianenko Judges scored it 29-28, 30-27, 30-27 for Overeem, who is to fight Antonio Silva in the fall. Josh Barnett defeated Brett Rogers by submission in the night’s other quarterfinal.

Saul Alvarez retained his WBC light-middleweight title at Guadalajara, Mexico, earning a 12th-round technical knockout against Ryan Rhodes. Alvarez (37-0-1, 27 knockouts) dominated Rhodes (45-5, 31 KO) for most of the fight, dropping him in the fourth round. The fight was waved off by referee Hector Afu after Alvarez landed a few good shots.

Tiki Barber

Calbert CheaneyTom Crean