Associated PressFORT WORTH, Texas ó A win Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway just might be the biggest of Jeff Gordon’s career.
Is that a stretch for someone with 81 career victories and four Sprint Cup championships?
Perhaps, until you consider that it would end a 47-race winless streak, the longest of his career, and leave just one active track where Gordon hasn’t driven to Victory Lane.
It would also be a win at a track that seems to grow in stature annually.
“I want to win here bad,” said Gordon, who leads the point standings through six races. “This team deserves to win here. They’ve put ourselves in position to win here a couple of times.”
TENNIS
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. ó Rising from her chair following the final changeover, Serena Williams glanced at her skirt and brushed away some lint, trying to look good in defeat.
It wasn’t easy. A sore leg and erratic strokes were too much to overcome, and the top-ranked Williams was upset 6-3, 6-1 Saturday by 19-year-old Victoria Azarenka in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open.
GOLF
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. ó Kristy McPherson’s first LPGA Tour victory might just come in a major.McPherson shot a 2-under 70 on a hot, calm Saturday to take sole possession of the lead in the Kraft Nabisco Championship at 8-under 208. Fellow American and 2007 U.S. Open winner Cristie Kerr (70) was one shot back at Mission Hills.
– HUMBLE, Texas ó Bo Van Pelt moved to 11-under par to take a one-shot lead through eight holes of his third round at the Shell Houston Open just before play was suspended because of darkness.
IVERSON
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. ó The Detroit Pistons announced All-Star guard Allen Iverson will miss the rest of the season ó and the playoffs if they make it ó because of a sore back.
Iverson missed 16 games from Feb. 27 to March 28. He returned for the past three games and averaged 7.7 points and 2.7 assists in nearly 19 minutes. He complained about his role as a reserve, saying he would rather retire than come off the bench next season. Leon Rose, Iverson’s agent, insisted Iverson’s health was the only factor in the decision.
OLYMPICS
CHICAGO ó Chicago wasted little time Saturday reminding the International Olympic Committee that President Barack Obama really wants his hometown to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
From a video in which Obama extols the virtues of the city, to the short film on the city’s history that features Obama’s election night acceptance speech at Grant Park, it was clear the president is a key component of the bid.