ekansekans's blog: "df"

FONTANA, Calif. -- Out of the corner of his eye, Ryan Hunter-Reay saw his only competition for the IndyCar championship crash out of the title-deciding season finale. Will Powers accident should have given Hunter-Reay a wide-open road to his first championship. Instead, he had to hang on for 500 nerve-racking miles, withstand several hairy restarts and a controversial red-flag to snatch the title away from Power on Saturday night. Needing to finish fifth to win the title after Power exited the race, Hunter-Reay did one better, finishing fourth to put the American flag back atop the IndyCar podium. Hunter-Reay claimed the title by three points over Power to become the first American since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006 to win the IndyCar championship. "I just drove 500 miles like it was for my life," he said. "I cant believe were IndyCar champions. I cannot believe this. My dream has come true." Power, denied for a third consecutive year, was in street clothes watching the finish on television after crashing out early at Auto Club Speedway. He took a 17-point lead into the finale, but once out of the race, gave Hunter-Reay total control of his destiny. But it certainly wasnt easy. Hunter-Reay struggled all week at California, even wrecking in Wednesdays open test session, and was off at the start of the race. But he picked his way through the field and was on the edge of where he needed to finish as the laps wound down. Still, a flurry of late cautions made for some hair-raising restarts and a late red-flag that drew the ire or team owner Michael Andretti. Hunter-Reay managed to hang on in a race that was won by Ed Carpenter, another American. "We were struggling all weekend. I didnt want to let anyone really know about it that much. We were really in the woods," Hunter-Reay said. Power, an Australian who has finished second in the points three years in a row, visited Hunter-Reay after the finish. "At the end of the day, Hunter-Reay is a deserving champion, a real fighter," Power said. Hunter-Reay won a series-best four races this season, his third with Andretti Autosport. He used a string of three consecutive wins during the summer to climb into the championship, and with Power in position to clinch two weeks ago at Baltimore, he won again to stay in the hunt. He was rewarded on the eve of the championship race with a new two-year contract from Andretti, the team he has credited for giving him the continuity and support he needed to put together the best season of his career. "It was really an unbelievable weekend," said Andretti, who won his fourth championship as an owner but first since 2007. Power, meanwhile, was left wondering how yet another title slipped away. Hes the most dominant driver on road and street courses, and knows that racing on ovals is the one glaring weakness in his program. And when he looks back at this season, he knows that a blocking penalty at Texas and crashes on the ovals at Indianapolis, Iowa, and now, California, cost him the title. "I wish I could put my finger on one particular thing I dont do right," Power said. "If you look at it, three ovals I crashed out of is a massive hit on points. Its over a whole season that you win a championship and that was proven tonight." Power crashed 55 laps into the race, spinning hard into the outside wall when his car slipped in a seam in the track. Its the third consecutive year Power has gone into the finale with the title on the line and had an incident snatch away his chances. He brushed the wall at Homestead in 2011 and lost the title by five points to Dario Franchitti. Last year, his points lead was gobbled up when another car hit him on pit road in the penultimate race, and he was involved in the 15-car accident that killed Dan Wheldon in the finale. Power broke his back in that accident in Las Vegas. "Man, depressing," Power said after leaving the wreck. "I wish I could care less." Power laughed nervously, searching and failing to find the right words to describe his frustration. "I dont know what to say. Its depressing," he said. "Depressing to lose the championship again that way. Nothing I can say, mate, its just depressing. I dont know what emotion to even feel right now." But his Penske team, which has not won a championship since Hornish in 2006, worked furiously to get his car back on the track so he could turn 12 laps and gain more points in the standings. Power had already changed into street clothes, rushed back into his firesuit, and had a total change of attitude when he got back in the car. "Keep our fingers crossed," he smiled, his mood completely changed. Both Power and Hunter-Reay went into the race seeking their first career title, and Power said he watched on TV the closing laps unsure how it would end. He was cracking self-deprecating jokes when it was over, perhaps an unusual reaction for one of the most intense and driven drivers in the series. "Well, Ive done it for two years in a row, so Ive kind of learned how to cope with it," he said. Wholesale Jerseys China . Sidelined since his left ankle was broken by a line drive June 27 against Cleveland, the 40-year-old left-hander threw another simulated game Wednesday at Fenway Park and said he can rejoin the rotation immediately. Wholesale NHL Jerseys . -- The San Jose Sharks have signed defenceman Danny Groulx and forward Bracken Kearns to one-year contracts. http://elevatedcolor.com/hot.html . The 23-year-old American, who tied a course record, was making his first start on the tour and finished at 14 under for the week, three shots up on Brazils Lucas Lee and Victorias Cory Renfrew. It took 19 rounds, but that didnt matter to the London Knights after they recorded a 4-3 shootout victory over the Mississauga Steelheads 4-3 in Ontario Hockey League action Sunday. Seth Griffith scored twice in the shootout, including the winner, as the Knights (23-5-2) earned their 15th straight victory. The 19-year-old also picked up an assist and now has six points in his last three games and 19 goals and 50 points in 30 games, good for second in OHL scoring. Kevin Bailie stopped 36-of-39 shots through regulation and overtime and turned aside another 16 shots in the shootout for his 13th win of the year. Max Domi, Matt Rupert and Chris Tierney scored in regulation for London, which picked up its third shootout victory of the season. Domi has scored four times in his last three games and his 17 goals and 41 points in 30 games moves him into the top-10 in league scoring. Riley Brace scored a goal and added an assist to lead the Steelheads (17-9-2), who rallied back from a 3-1 deficit late in the third period on goals by Dylan Smoskowitz and Josh Burnside to force extra time. Smoskowitz has seven points in his last four games and his goal gives him 21 on the season, which ties his previous OHL career-high set in 2011 with the Barrie Colts. Spencer Martin made 21 saves in a losing cause for Mississauga, which is winless in its last three outings. The Knights went 1-for-3 on the power play while the Steelheads finished 1-for-6. Elsewhere in the OHL, it was: Brampton 4, Kingston 1; Sudbury 2, Erie 1; Windsor 2, Ottawa 1 (SO); Owen Sound 4, Saginaw 3 (SO); and Sarnia 3, Oshawa 2. At Misssissauga, Ont.dddddddddddd, Domi opened the scoring 8:39 into the first period with a power-play goal. Brace responded for the Steelheads at 14:12 of the second period to tie the game after 40 minutes of play. Rupert and Tierney scored 47 seconds apart to give the Knights a 3-1 lead less than seven minutes into the third period, but Smoskowitz cut into Londons lead at 14:12. Burnside completed the comeback for Mississauga and forced extra time with a power-play goal at 15:40. Both clubs used all 18 of their skaters in the shootout before Griffith won the game for the Knights in his second go around. Battalion 4, Frontenacs 1 At Brampton, Ont., Blake Clarke set up three power-play goals and Matej Machovsky stopped 21-of-22 shots as the Battalion (14-11-5) downed Kingston (15-13-0). --- Wolves 2, Otters 1 At Sudbury, Ont., Taylor Dupuis stopped 29 shots and Dominik Kubalik and Dominik Kahun each scored once as the Wolves (11-15-4) edged Erie (7-17-5). --- Spitfires 2, 67s 1 (SO) At Windsor, Ont., Brady Vail scored the shootout winner and Jaroslav Pavelka made 22 saves as the Spitfires (11-12-6) slipped past Ottawa (7-20-3). --- Attack 4, Spirit 3 (SO) At Saginaw, Mich., Daniel Catenacci scored the shootout winner and Brandon Hope stopped 42-of-45 shots as Owen Sound (21-5-3) earned its fourth victory in a row by defeating the Spirit (12-14-4). --- Sting 3, Generals 2 At Oshawa, Ont., JP Anderson turned away 40-of-42 shots and Alex Galchenyuk scored his sixth goal in the last four games as Sarnia (15-11-2) beat the Generals (16-10-3) for its fourth win in a row. ' ' '