Dover Motor Speedway hosted its first NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday, but the event quickly turned into a demolition derby that knocked out several major drivers before the final segment even began.
Multiple collisions during the opening two 75-lap portions caught more than half of the 36 cars competing. While 19 drivers made it to the 200-lap sprint for $1 million, Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain were forced out when their vehicles couldn’t be fixed in time, and replacement cars weren’t permitted. Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell entered the concluding stage driving damaged machines.
In golf news, Kurt Kitayama made history at the PGA Championship by shooting a 63 in the final round, matching the lowest closing score ever recorded in a major tournament. The 33-year-old from California became just the ninth golfer to achieve a 63 in a major’s final round and only the second to accomplish this feat at the PGA Championship. Kitayama attributed his success to exceptional putting, sinking more than 141 feet worth of putts throughout the round.
The tournament at Aronimink features an unusual mix of established stars and newcomers. Alex Smalley holds a two-shot advantage and will compete in the final pairing alongside Matti Schmid. This marks the first occasion in 23 years at any major where the concluding group consisted of two players who had never claimed victory on any of the world’s primary professional tours.
At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Felix Rosenqvist recorded the top four-lap average speed of 232.599 mph during the opening round of Indianapolis 500 qualifying. David Malukas finished second at 231.813 mph, with Conor Daly taking third at 231.744 mph, securing spots in the 12-driver pole competition.
Tennis saw Jannik Sinner become the first Italian man in five decades to capture the Italian Open title, defeating Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the championship match. The world’s top-ranked player also became only the second man after Novak Djokovic to claim all nine Masters 1000 tournaments. Sinner has now won 29 consecutive matches and stands 17-0 on clay courts this season heading into the French Open.
In basketball news, the NBA will announce this season’s Most Valuable Player award on Sunday, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander considered the heavy favorite. The timing mirrors last year when Gilgeous-Alexander received the honor one day before the Oklahoma City Thunder played a Western Conference finals home game.
Soccer headlines include a North Korean women’s team arriving in South Korea for the first time in eight years to participate in a regional competition, and West Ham facing potential relegation from the Premier League after losing 3-1 to Newcastle.
