Hampden driver rallies for Speedway 95 win
HERMON, Maine — With half of his car’s right front fender missing from a skirmish in his qualifying race, and the rear bumper dragging on the track during the feature, James Goodman Jr. of Hampden came from his 15th place starting spot to pass Henry Boudreau of Winterport on lap 18 of the 20-lap RoadRunner feature to post his first win of the season Wednesday night at Speedway 95.
Boudreau, who led from lap 8 to 18, finished second after winning last week’s race. Bradley’s Sam Betts, who won the season opener in the division, finished third. Rob Brideau of Milford, who flipped his car on its side in his qualifying race, returned in the feature to finish fourth. The fifth-place finisher was not confirmed yet by track officials.
OTHER 95 RESULTS (top five) — Modified Enduro (20 laps): 1. Steve Kimball, Holden; 2. Jeff Overlock Jr., Hermon; 3. Andrew Crosby, Hermon; 4. Mark Sawyer, Corinth; 5. Keith Drost, Stetson; Stars of Tomorrow (20 laps): 1. Isaac Rollins, Hudson; 2. Scott Hunt Jr., Glenburn; 3. Joshua Merrill, Corinth; 4. Brady Campbell, Stetson; 5. Jacob Wood, Greenbush
Stamkos staying with Lightning, agrees to eight-year deal
What Steven Stamkos might have earned on the free-agent market is no longer an issue as the Tampa Bay captain confirmed Wednesday that he agreed to an eight-year contract extension with the Lightning.
Multiple media outlets reported that the contract will pay Stamkos $8.5 million a year and includes a full no-movement clause for all eight seasons.
The 26-year-old Stamkos is an eight-year NHL veteran who had 36 goals and 28 assists in 77 regular-season games this past season.
Stamkos has scored 312 goals since beginning his career in 2008-09, second only to Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin (362) over that span.
Spurs’ Duncan exercises option, still mulling retirement
Tim Duncan exercised his $6.4 million player option for next season but retirement remains an option.
Duncan had ups and downs in 2015-16 in the regular season and playoffs but said he is still weighing whether to play one final season after helping the San Antonio Spurs win a franchise-best 67 games and tying an NBA record for going 40-1 at home this season.
The Spurs were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs.
After a loss in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich joked that Duncan and Manu Ginobili could go another five years. Duncan wasn’t in a talking mood after that defeat but the introspective veteran will be 41 next season.
He has averaged 19 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in his 19-year NBA career but averaged 8.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks last season.
Catchings dedicates game to Summitt as Fever beat Sky
Indiana forward Tamika Catchings scored 26 points and moved into sole possession of seventh place on the WNBA career list of made 3-pointers as the Fever beat the Chicago Sky 95-83 on Wednesday afternoon.
Catchings went 3 of 4 on 3-pointers, giving her 587 in her career and breaking a seventh-place tie with Kara Lawson. Catchings, in her 16th and final WNBA season, dedicated the game to her college coach, Tennessee’s Pat Summitt, who died Tuesday.
Indiana (7-9) scored the first six points and never trailed. Chicago (6-9) has lost five of its past six games.
Catchings made 7 of 11 shots from the field and all nine of her attempts from the free-throw line, coming with one point of tying her season high. She entered the game averaging a team-high 13.0 points per game.
AstroTurf files bankruptcy
AstroTurf LLC, the maker of synthetic turf that has carpeted the Houston Astrodome and other playing fields for a half-century, has filed for bankruptcy protection and plans to be sold after losing a $30 million patent verdict to rival FieldTurf USA Inc.
Subject to court approval, Germany’s SportGroup Deutschland Holding GmbH, which makes artificial turf systems and running tracks, agreed to buy AstroTurf’s turf business for $92.5 million in cash, according to a press statement and papers filed on Tuesday in a Georgia bankruptcy court.
AstroTurf’s Chapter 11 filing came after a federal jury in Detroit found last Oct. 9 that the privately-held company willfully infringed a FieldTurf patent related to a system of attaching artificial blades of grass to a woven backing layer.
The jury awarded FieldTurf $20.3 million for lost profit and $9.7 million for royalties. AstroTurf said it lacks the financial wherewithal to post a bond to cover a judgment.