NASCAR Notebook

Published 12:00 am Saturday, May 23, 2009

Associated PressCONCORD ó Mike Bliss raced to his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory since 2004, catching a break to claim the rain-shortened event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Bliss, who started from the back of the field Saturday night, took the lead because he was in the right position when the caution flag came out with 39 laps to go.
The caution put Bliss ahead of series points leader Kyle Busch, who clearly had the car to beat most of the night. It looked as if Busch would get lucky when rain halted the race a few laps later and got him back near Bliss’ bumper. But more showers came, and NASCAR officials called the Carquest Auto Parts 300 with 30 laps to go.
Brendan Gaughan was second, followed by Busch, Brian Vickers and Joey Logano.
LACROSSE
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. ó Defending champion Syracuse is back in the NCAA lacrosse title game.
The second-seeded Orange defeated third-seeded Duke 17-7 in a Division I semifinal Saturday. Syracuse (15-2) is seeking its 11th national title and will play in Monday’s final against Cornell. Fifth-seeded Cornell stunned top-seeded Virginia 15-6.
GOLF
IRVING, Texas ó Rory Sabbatini has already won at Hogan’s Alley. Now the South African shares the lead going into the final round at Byron Nelson’s tournament.
“Anything associated with his name would be an absolute honor,” Sabbatini said after shooting a 5-under 65 on Saturday to keep a share of the lead with John Mallinger in the Byron Nelson Championship.
Two years after his last victory, at the Colonial where Ben Hogan’s larger-than-life statue is prominent, Sabbatini is in position to win again. He made five birdies in a seven-hole stretch midway through his third round.
– BEACHWOOD, Ohio ó Michael Allen, winless in 271 PGA Tour events, shot a 3-under 67 to take a one-shot lead over Jeff Sluman and Tom Kite through three rounds in the Senior PGA Championship.
– CORNING, N.Y. ó Japanese rookie Mika Miyazato matched the tournament record with a 10-under 62 for a share of the third-round lead with South Korea’s Soo-Yun Kang in the final LPGA Corning Classic.
NHL
CALGARY, Alberta ó Mike Keenan was fired as coach of the Calgary Flames, almost a month after his team lost in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year.
Keenan spent just two seasons with the Flames, who finished the regular season with 46 wins and 98 points but were ousted in the first round in six games by the Chicago Blackhawks.
QUINNIPIAC
NEW HAVEN, Conn. ó A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing Quinnipiac University from eliminating its women’s volleyball team, saying the team was likely to prevail in its gender equity case.
NFL
MINNEAPOLIS ó A federal judge has dismissed most of the claims by two Minnesota Vikings stars facing suspension over their positive test for a banned diuretic.
U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson on Friday remanded two of the claims by Vikings defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams to state court.
Attorneys for the union and the Williamses argued that league officials knew a supplement called StarCaps contained a banned diuretic back in 2006 and did not specifically notify players.
But the judge agreed with the NFL that players are responsible for what is in their bodies.
NO-HITTERS
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ó Alabama sophomore Kelsi Dunne became the first player to throw back-to-back no-hitters in NCAA postseason play.
Dunne held Jacksonville State hitless for the second straight day in a 9-0 softball victory Saturday.