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2B Daily News – Saturday, September 21, 2013 Hornish, Dillon Light wind, Oracle thwarts separated by 17 Kiwis in America's Cup in Nationwide SPARTA, Ky. (AP) — Sam Hornish Jr. and Austin Dillon like where they are in more ways than one. The top two drivers in NASCAR's Nationwide Series are separated by only 17 points entering Saturday night's 300-mile race at Kentucky Speedway, where both have succeeded in recent visits. Dillon has the edge here of the two, sweeping last year and finishing sixth in June. Hornish finished just three spots behind the 23-yearold to post his third top-10 in as many starts on the 1.5mile oval. That sets up several possible scenarios for the series' last stand-alone race this season. The drivers could flip positions, Hornish could distance himself from Dillon or things might remain tight — a dynamic that would shock neither driver considering how competitive they've been in what has been a rewarding year for both. ''It would really mean a lot to win this,'' said Hornish, the former open wheel champion and Indianapolis 500 winner who drives for Penske Racing. ''I always knew in my heart that given the right opportunities, I felt like I could make it happen. ''There's a part of believing in yourself and then a whole other thing of making other people believe. I wanted the challenge of this, and it's provided all of that.'' Dillon, who leads Regan Smith by 19 points and fourth-place Elliott Sadler by 27, is pushing toward the next milestone in his meteoric career. The grandson of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress — whose RCR Chevy Camaro sports the iconic No. 3 made famous by seven-time Sprint Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt — is trying to add a Nationwide championship to the Camping World Truck Series title he won two years ago at age 21, the youngest driver to do so. Returning to the track that provided his last win a year ago could help Dillon's quest. He has led 275 laps in three Nationwide starts on the 1.5-mile oval, including 18 in June before settling for one of 16 top-10s this season. ''I feel like I can get that first win of the season, and that can be a momentum-booster,'' said Dillon, who also has nine top-fives. ''Just running well here with the Trucks and knowing the bumps plays well into what I want to do.'' Both drivers like their prospects this weekend even more with Cup series regulars competing in Loudon, N.H. instead of here. Dillon's Chevy (173.410 mph) was second-fastest to Matt Crafton's Chevy (173.740 mph) in Friday's lone practice with Hornish seventh (171.898) before rain cancelled the final session. Qualifying is Saturday afternoon with a 7:30 p.m. start. For Hornish, sitting atop the points with seven races remaining culminates nearly seven years of hard-earned stock car experience after winning the last of three IndyCar titles and the Indy 500 in 2006 with Penske. He lost a full-time Cup ride with the team but has gone back and forth between series, learning lessons about racing and himself that have paid off the past two years. Fourth in points last season, Hornish has been fast and steady in the No. 12 Ford Mustang this season. He won in March at Las Vegas and has remained fourth or better in the standings with 20 top-10s and 12 top-five finishes. Five top-three finishes and a sixth over the past seven starts have positioned Hornish to chase a championship that crew chief Greg Erwin saw the makings of early this season. ''Being in and out of Cup and Nationwide cars have given him experience in how these cars drive and he has adjusted,'' Erwin said. ''He has also learned more about his surroundings and is more patient. At the beginning of the season we debriefed him after races and made adjustments, particularly on how not to duplicate some things he did before. ''One thing he certainly doesn't lack is bravery. He's not afraid to go fast, and is excelling at the high-speed tracks.'' Dillon has hung close with solid efforts including fourth last week at Chicago and looks to find a comfortable running line that will help continue his mastery of Kentucky. Last year's top Nationwide rookie is definitely enjoying the points race with Hornish, hoping to gain ground Saturday night but expecting competition to go down to the final race. ''He's obviously had a good year and their team has jelled well and made some good runs when it counted,'' Dillon said of Hornish. ''It's fun to be in the race and great to see good competition and I think we're kind of separating ourselves. ''But there's seven races left and anybody can get back in this thing with a bad week. Hopefully, we're able to capitalize on the first mistake that's made in this points race that'll put us ahead.'' Want to lose some weight? Scared of the gym? Worried you won't like it? Never been to Tehama Family Fitness Center? If you have answered yes to any of these questions we've got your solution! Take advantage of a Free 2 week trial membership We're convinced you will enjoy yourself. Experience the abundant benefits of exercise, and enhance your quality of life for FREE. Pick up your pass at Tehama Family Fitness Center Must be 18, one pass per person, offer available through 10/31/13 Tehama Family Fitness Center 2498 South Main St. Red Bluff • 528-8656 www.tehamafamilyfitness.com SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The lightest wind of the America's Cup led to one crazy day on foggy San Francisco Bay. When the boats came back to shore Friday afternoon, Jimmy Spithill and his Oracle Team USA teammates were smiling and slapping each other on the back after keeping the America's Cup in America for at least one more day. Dean Barker and his mates on Emirates Team New Zealand could only shake their heads at how close they'd come to wresting the oldest trophy in international sports from the American powerhouse. Spithill and Oracle Team USA stayed alive for the second straight day, pulling away from the Kiwis to win the re-sail of Race 13 by 1 minute, 24 seconds. Oracle's victory came an hour after light, shifty wind thwarted the Kiwis' chances to wrest the Auld Mug from software billionaire Larry Ellison. The first attempt at Race 13 was abandoned because of a time limit with the Kiwis far ahead. Team New Zealand, which reached match point on Wednesday, leads 8-3. Oracle has won five races but was penalized two points by an international jury in the biggest cheating scandal in the Cup's 162-year history. Oracle Team USA, owned by Oracle Corp. boss Ellison, has won four of the last six races. It needs six more wins to complete a miracle comeback. Earlier Friday, organizers had to abandon or postpone a race for the sixth time since Saturday. The previous five were because of wind over the safety limit. That was imposed after British sailor Andrew ''Bart'' Simpson was killed in the capsize of Artemis Racing's catamaran during a training run May 9. Team New Zealand was slogging along on the upwind fourth leg when the 40-minute limit was reached. The Kiwis had a lead of a mile at one point on the fourth leg. It was a bizarre scene as the high-performance catamarans limped between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island in only 9 knots of wind. Previously, the cats had hit speeds of 50 mph while skimming across the tops of the waves on hydrofoils, with their hulls completely out of the water. The Kiwis might have beaten the time limit if not for a move by Spithill. Barker went too deep in the starting box, allowing Spithill to take the favored leeward position off the start line. Normally it's a sprint across the wind on the reaching first leg as the big cats pop onto their foils. But during the crawl to the first mark, Spithill pushed the Kiwis off course as far as he could before rounding the buoy. But the Kiwis caught a favorable puff early on the downwind second leg and sailed into the lead. The wind built past 11 knots for the restart and both boats foiled into the starting box. With the big cats a mere 10 feet apart, Barker fended off Spithill's attempt to get the inside position and led at the start and around the first mark. With both boats foiling going downwind, Oracle was able to grab the lead. As the boats converged, New Zealand crossed just ahead on port gybe but Oracle, on favored starboard, had to dip out of the way and protested. New Zealand was penalized, but it was moot because Oracle had sailed into the lead. The Kiwis made another mistake at the bottom gate mark. The American boat gybed on top of them and headed for the right buoy. Instead of following Oracle, the Kiwis gybed toward the other buoy and slowed considerably. That allowed Oracle to open a 20-second lead. Raiders' Ross to start in place of injured Branch ALAMEDA (AP) — Oakland defensive back Brandian Ross made a fairly smooth transition from cornerback to safety this past offseason. Trying to stop Denver quarterback Peyton Manning? That's an entirely different challenge. Ross was picked as the Raiders' starting strong safety Friday, ending a week's worth of speculation over how the team would compensate for the loss of injured Tyvon Branch. Not bad for a player who went undrafted out of college two years ago and was on Green Bay's practice squad at the beginning of last season. Ross has only one other start in his NFL career, which came at cornerback in the 2012 regular-season finale. ''It's the perfect timing for me to make an impact on this team,'' Ross said. ''We're going to go out and do what we have to do. To have it come Monday night against Peyton Manning, it's the perfect opportunity.'' Ross was pressed into duty after Branch injured his ankle in Oakland's 19-9 win over Jacksonville last week. The exact nature of Branch's injury or how long he might be out is anyone's guess. Oakland coach Dennis Allen, following a pattern established during training camp, has declined to get into specifics about the situation. Branch's injury created a gaping void in the Raiders' secondary. He had started 64 games over the past four-plus seasons and led the team in tackles in 2010 and '11. Ross has just 16 games of NFL experience and has spent most of his time on special teams. If not for his ties to Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie, who worked with Ross in Green Bay, the former Youngstown State DB might still be buried on some team's practice squad. ''Going against a great quarterback, I'm focusing and I'm ready,'' Ross said. ''(Manning) definitely makes it challenging, so you have to play with great eyes and not try to anticipate too much, try not to guess.'' Ross played safety in college, but the Packers and Raiders both tabbed him as a cornerback. A dearth of safeties on the roster in the offseason convinced Oakland's brass to move Ross back. ''That's my natural position ... well, to me at least,'' Ross said. ''Corner was just something that I was able to do, that I'm capable of playing.'' Ross made an impact for Oakland after Branch got hurt in the first half against Jacksonville. He had three tackles and a hurry and got his first career sack. The Raiders could have started Usama Young in Branch's spot. Defensive coordinator Jason Tarver, however, felt good enough about Ross that he opted to go with the young defensive back instead of the veteran Young. ''To be the best you have to beat the best,'' Tarver said. ''This is why you play the game. 'Monday Night Football' against them doing something nobody thinks you can do? There's nothing better than that.'' Notes: LG Lucas Nix (ankle) was limited in practice and took reps with the first-team offense but is still questionable. If Nix cannot go, five-time Pro Bowl center Andre Gurode is expected to get the start. ... OL Menelik Watson (knee) and TE David Ausberry (shoulder) did not practice. Woods finishes over par again at East Lake ATLANTA (AP) — Tiger Woods was doing his best to get back into the mix Friday at the Tour Championship. The last five holes changed everything. Woods made a double bogey from the trees and a triple bogey with a tee shot into the water. That turned one of the best rounds of the day into a 1-over 71 that kept him at the bottom of the pack. ''I put everything I had into that start and didn't have much at the end,'' Woods said. ''Just ran out of gas.'' Woods made his first birdie of the tournament on his 21st hole, a 10-foot putt on No. 3 that he thought he missed. He made four birdies in a six-hole stretch around the turn and was 5 under for his round through 13 holes, and four shots behind Henrik Stenson, who had yet to tee off. That was as close as he got. His tee shot on the 14th bounced off a tree and went deeper into the woods. He didn't think he could punch out to the fairway, so he tried a high fade through a gap in the trees to get into a bunker, allowing him a reasonable chance to save par. But it came out soft and settled about 50 yards short of the green. His next attempt over a tree went into the bunker, and Woods made double bogey. After a bogey on the 16th — a tee shot toward trees on the right and a poor chip — Woods hit his 3-wood left all the way and into the water. ''My legs were just tired,'' Woods said. ''I didn't rotate through the ball.'' He dropped on a forward tee, and his fourth shot with a sand wedge came up short of the green and rolled down a slope. Woods went with a putter, but his ball didn't quite reach the green. Two putts led to a triple bogey. He was at 4-over 144 for the tournament. It was the first time since the 2011 PGA Championship that Woods started a tournament with back-to-back rounds over par. Woods never directly answered questions about his health, specifically his back. ''I'm tired,'' he said. Asked if his back was OK, he replied, ''It's been just a long, long grind.'' Woods entered the Tour Championship as the No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup. While he's not likely to win the tournament, he could still win the $10 million prize if Stenson, Adam Scott, Zach Johnson or Matt Kuchar did not win. Stenson and Scott were at the top of the leaderboard. Sky's Delle Donne named WNBA's Rookie of Year ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — It was pretty obvious to voters who the best rookie in the WNBA was this season. Chicago Sky forward Elena Delle Donne got all 39 first-place votes to easily win the league's rookie of the year award Friday. The second overall draft pick and part of a heralded class of first-year players, Delle Donne was presented with the trophy by WNBA president Laurel J. Richie before the Sky's playoff opener against the Indiana Fever. ''I had the pleasure of watching Elena Delle Donne compete in her first WNBA game in Phoenix on May 27 and in my very, very humble estimation it seemed to have taken her maybe 10 minutes to make the transition from the college game to the professional game,'' said Richie. Delle Donne was part of a rookie class that included top pick Brittney Griner — out of powerhouse Baylor — and Skylar Diggins, who was taken third out of Notre Dame. But it was the 6-foot-5 forward from Delaware who outshined them all. Delle Donne averaged 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and shot 93 percent from the free throw line to help Chicago make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The Sky earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference. ''I'm definitely humbled to be receiving this award among such a talented rookie class this season,'' said Delle Donne. In her first WNBA game — against Griner and the Mercury — Delle Donne scored 22 points to lead Chicago to a victory. She went on to set franchise rookie records in 3-pointers (42), blocks (54) and points (543).