CLERMONT – Larry Dixon took the Top Fuel qualifying lead in the U.S. Nationals on Saturday, capping a record-setting day at historic O’Reilly Raceway Park.
Dixon, the winner of nine races and the top seed entering the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, had a track-record run of 3.776 seconds at 324.36 mph.
Matt Hagan, Jeg Coughlin and Andrew Hines also led their divisions in the first of six playoff events.
Hagan powered his Dodge Charger to the top of the Funny Car order with a track-record time of 4.039 at 277.89.
Three-time U.S. Nationals winner Coughlin moved to the front of the Pro Stock field with a track-record time of 6.580 at 209.39 in a Chevy Cobalt.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Hines set a national record with a 6.815-second run at a track-record speed of 195.17 mph on a Harley-Davidson.
AUTO RACING
McMurray wins Nationwide race
Jamie McMurray’s first win of the season is making Kyle Busch wait for another try at Nationwide Series history. McMurray held off Busch to win the Great Clips 300 Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. Busch, trying to become the first driver in the 28-year history of the Nationwide Series to win 11 races in a season, fell short in his late efforts to catch McMurray. Busch led the most laps in the race but finished second, ahead of Carl Edwards and less than a second behind McMurray.
COLLEGES
Ex-Harding star joins Buckeyes
Roderick Smith, the highly regarded former Harding running back, has been cleared to join the Ohio State football team, according to the Columbus Dispatch. His arrival had been held up by the NCAA academic clearinghouse, which wanted to peruse his high school records.
Neck injury shelves MSU fullback
Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio says fullback Josh Rouse is out for the season after a neck injury in East Lansing, Mich. Rouse left Michigan State’s 38-14 victory over Western Michigan in the first half walking under his own power but did not return to the game. Dantonio said the injury is to a vertebra in the neck. Rouse was expected to have surgery Saturday night. Dantonio said Rouse has full movement.
Butler topples Division III Albion
Andrew Huck completed 20 of 31 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns as Butler beat Albion 29-13 in Albion, Mich. Huck connected with Jordan Koopman on TD passes of 2 and 26 yards and with Zack Watkins on a 17-yard score.
FOOTBALL
Woodson honored by Big Ten Network
The Big Ten Network is counting down the top 50 athletes in conference history – based solely on their collegiate careers – and Fort Wayne’s Rod Woodson is No. 45. Woodson played football at Purdue, where he was also a five-time conference champion in track. He qualified for the Olympic trials in track and wound up a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a defensive back. Former Purdue quarterback Drew Brees was already named No. 48 on the list.
HORSE RACING
Quality Road wins Woodward easily
Heavily favored Quality Road drew away in the stretch and cruised to a 4 3/4 -length victory in the $750,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga Race Course In Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The Todd Pletcher-trained Quality Road, a 3-10 favorite ridden by John Velazquez, ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.
VOLLEYBALL
IPFW women 0-3 at invitational
The IPFW women’s volleyball team didn’t fare well at the Xavier Invitational, losing to Xavier, Western Kentucky and Northeastern, without winning a game along the way. Maya Schlindwein had 10 kills in the 25-23, 25-18, 25-19 loss to Xavier. Taryn Parker had nine kills in the 26-24, 25-16, 25-22 loss to Western Kentucky. Tessa McGill and Megan Steenhuysen each had 10 digs in the 25-18, 25-23, 25-23 loss to Northeastern.
