AP Sports

William Byron launches Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary season with win in Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — William Byron launched Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary season by snapping the team’s nine-year Daytona 500 losing streak with his Monday win in the rain-postponed “Great American Race.” The last Hendrick driver to win the Daytona 500 was Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2014. The 26 year old from Charlotte, North Carolina is the sixth different driver to win the 500 for Rick Hendrick, the winningest team owner in NASCAR history who made his way to victory lane on the actual 40th anniversary of his first Cup win. Byron beat Hendrick teammate Alex Bowman as the race ended under one lap of caution.

Alex Bowman triggers ‘the big one’ in the Daytona 500 but escapes damage and comes home second

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Alex Bowman never saw how the big wreck started that marred the end of the Daytona 500. He was surprised to learn he triggered the big one. Bowman sparked the crash that involved nearly two dozen cars and knocked six former NASCAR champions out of contention in the Daytona 500. Bowman bump-drafted Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron on the backstretch with nine laps to go when Byron lost control, turned into Brad Keselowski and pretty much wrecked the field. Byron and Bowman were the biggest beneficiaries of the melee. They escaped with little damage to their cars and went on to give Hendrick Motorsports a 1-2 finish in “The Great American Race.”

The NBA’s scoring boom is still going strong, and some wonder if that’s a good thing

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Defense wasn’t really played in the All-Star Game, which explains why the Eastern Conference scored a record 211 points and the game saw nearly 400 points combined on Sunday night. Points couldn’t have been easier to come by. But in the regular season — although some might dispute this — defense does get played. And points just keep piling up anyway with the NBA on pace to see its highest-scoring season in more than 50 years with teams averaging more than 115 points per game, up about 1% from last year and up a staggering 15.5% from where it was a decade ago.

Nets fire coach Jacque Vaughn with team in 11th place at the All-Star break

The Brooklyn Nets have fired Jacque Vaughn after ending a disappointing first half of the season with a 50-point loss in Boston in their final game before the All-Star break. About a year after giving Vaughn a contract extension, the Nets changed course on Monday and said an interim coach would be named soon. The Nets are 21-33 and in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. They dropped five of their last six games. Nets general manager Sean Marks says “this was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we feel is in the best interest of the team going forward.”

Hundreds are set to descend on Tahiti for Olympic surfing. Can locals protect their way of life?

TEAHUPO’O, French Polynesia (AP) — The world-famous surf spot of Teahupo’o in Tahiti, French Polynesia, is set to host the 2024 Paris Olympics surfing competition. But the decision has thrust unprecedented challenges onto a small community that has long cherished and strives to protect a Tahitian way of life more closely connected to its wild lands and crystal-clear ocean than the fame promised by an Olympic stage. And while organizers are trying to adjust their plans to conserve the local environment, making sure that the village of Teahupo’o stays a village will still be an uphill struggle for locals.

Andreas Brehme, scorer of West Germany’s winning goal in the 1990 World Cup final, dies at 63

BERLIN (AP) — Andreas Brehme, who scored the only goal as West Germany beat Argentina to win the 1990 World Cup final, has died. He was 63. Brehme’s partner Susanne Schaefer has confirmed his death in a statement to Germany’s dpa news agency. Schaefer says Brehme died “suddenly and unexpectedly” in the night from a cardiac arrest. Brehme’s 85th-minute penalty decided the 1990 World Cup final in Rome against Argentina. Winning the World Cup brought a wave of national celebrations across Germany. The country was in the process of reunification after the fall of the Berlin Wall the year before.

The Wild made their win over the Canucks a perfect 10, setting the team record for goals

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The scoring binge the NHL has been on the last few seasons spread to Minnesota with hat tricks for Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov in a record-filled 10-7 win over Vancouver. Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov each had a six-point game that matched Marian Gaborik’s franchise mark. The Wild became the third team in the NHL this season to hit the 10-goal mark, following the Canucks and the Pittsburgh Penguins. They set their franchise record for goals in a game and period. They also had six goals in a 5:45 span for the fastest in the league in 25 years.

Major conferences races heating up down the stretch

South Carolina will try and wrap up the SEC regular season crown this week while Stanford hopes to move closer to winning its 27th regular-season Pac-12 title. The Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 Conference races are still up for grabs with a few teams within the hunt for each title. It’s not just the power five conferences that have big weeks ahead. The Ivy, Big Sky and MAC all have matchups between the top teams this week.

Southern California jumps to 7th in women’s AP Top 25. South Carolina is still unanimous No. 1

NEW YORK (AP) — Southern California has climbed three spots to No. 7 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll while South Carolina remains a unanimous No. 1. USC swept Oregon and then-No. 11 Oregon State over the weekend. The Trojans moved into a tie for second place in the Pac-12. The six teams in front of USC didn’t change, with South Carolina leading the way as it has since the regular season began. The Gamecocks received all 35 votes from a national media panel. Ohio State was right behind South Carolina, marking the first time in seven weeks that a No. 2 team held its place for two consecutive polls. Stanford, Iowa, Texas and North Carolina State followed the Buckeyes.

UConn is unanimous No. 1 in AP Top 25. No. 21 Washington State ends 302-week poll drought

UConn became the first unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll this season, earning all 62 votes from a national media panel. The Huskies picked up the 16 that went to Purdue last week after the Boilermakers lost to Ohio State. Houston was second, with Purdue, Arizona and Tennessee rounding out the top five. San Diego State returned to the poll at No. 19 and Washington State entered at No. 21 to end a 302-week poll drought. Colorado State, Texas Tech and Florida also entered the poll at the expense of Virginia, Wisconsin, Florida Atlantic, Indiana State and Oklahoma.