NASCAR mourns death of driver Jason Leffler

SWEDESBORO, N.J. — NASCAR driver Jason Leffler died after an accident in a heat race at a dirt car event at Bridgeport Speedway.

The 37-year-old Leffler, a two-time winner on the NASCAR Nationwide Series who had the nickname "LefTurn" above the driver's side window on his race cars, was pronounced dead Wednesday night shortly after 9 p.m., New Jersey State Police said.

"NASCAR extends its thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies to the family of Jason Leffler who passed away earlier this evening," NASCAR said in a statement. "For more than a decade, Jason was a fierce competitor in our sport and he will be missed."

Bridgeport Speedway immediately suspended racing for the rest of the night after Leffler's accident at the 0.625-mile, high-banked dirt oval.

After losing his NASCAR ride, Leffler had been racing dirt car events most of this year, including the 410 Sprint Car race Wednesday that promised a $7,000 prize to the winner. On Sunday, Leffler finished last at Pocono in his lone NASCAR Sprint Cup start of the year. He ran just eight laps in a start-and-park ride.

From Long Beach, Calif., Leffler made 423 starts in NASCAR's three national series, but won just the two Nationwide races and one Truck Series event in a career that began in 1999. He also made three IndyCar Series starts, finishing 17th in the 2000 Indianapolis 500.

A statement from Indianapolis Motor Speedway called Leffler "one of the most versatile race drivers in America, showing his talent by competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during his career."

"He also displayed the skills that would help him reach the top levels of the sport by winning four USAC national series titles while winning on tracks throughout the Midwest," the statement said.

Leffler's last full NASCAR season was 2011, when he ran the entire Nationwide schedule for Turner Motorsports. He finished sixth in the standings that season and hadn't had a steady NASCAR ride since.

Although he never made it at the NASCAR Sprint Cup level, Leffler ran almost the entire 2001 season for Chip Ganassi Racing and ran 19 races in 2005 for Joe Gibbs Racing in the car now driven by Denny Hamlin.

Leffler is survived by 5-year-old son Charlie Dean.

"Really sad for Jason Leffler and his family," NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski said on Twitter. "Thinking about his little boy."

Leffler won three consecutive USAC Midget championships from 1997-99 before following mentor Tony Stewart's path into NASCAR. Stewart-Haas Racing, owned by Stewart, tweeted: "Thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Jason Leffler. A good man; a good racer. Godspeed friend."

Leffler originally signed with Joe Gibbs Racing, the same team Stewart drove for at the time, and ran the 2000 Nationwide season for JGR. He grabbed four top 10s as a rookie, and moved to Cup the next year with Ganassi in a deal that lasted only one season.

IndyCar driver Justin Wilson tweeted: "Another reminder of how this sport we love can be so cruel. Thoughts with his family." Wilson included the hashtag "LEFturn."

NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer also included the hashtag "LEFturn" in a tweet, saying: "So sad to hear about Jason Leffler. Was a wheel man and a fun fun person to be around."

Many drivers also mentioned Charlie Dean in their tweets. A single father, Leffler was devoted to his son and his Instagram account was full of photos of the two spending time together, including many at race tracks.

"Praying for all of Jason Leffler family, especially his little guy Charlie," tweeted IndyCar driver Ed Carpenter.

A little over two weeks ago, 22-year-old driver Josh Burton died of injuries sustained in a crash at Bloomington Speedway in Indiana. In late May at a dirt track in Nevada, two drivers were killed in a race. In March in California, two people were killed when a car careened off a dirt track and crashed on pit road.

Sprint car races can be more dangerous for drivers and spectators because the safety measures taken by series aren't at the same level. Many facilities lack the SAFER barriers that are standard in NASCAR and IndyCar, and the cars aren't always adequately protected.

Titus Young Arrested For Third Time In One Week

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say former Detroit Lions wide receiver Titus Young has been arrested in California for the third time in a week.

Orange County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Joe Balicki says the 23-year-old Young was arrested late Friday in San Clemente for allegedly breaking into a home.

Balicki says Young fought with deputies after a foot chase.

He has been charged with attempted burglary, assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. He is in custody Sunday on $75,000 bail.

Last Sunday, Young was arrested in Riverside County on suspicion of driving under the influence then arrested again the same day for trying to take his car from a tow yard.

The Lions drafted Young in 2011, but released him in February after a drop in productivity and disputes with teammates.

Talladega Crash: Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne Trigger 16-Car Wreck In Aaron's 499

Drivers crash in a multi-car pileup in Turn 2 during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Aaron's 499 auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., Sunday, May 5, 2013. From left to right, are: Jeff Burton (31), Brian Vickers (11), David Reutimann (83), Kevin Harvick (29), Martin Truex Jr., (56) and David Stremme (30).

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne practically re-enacted a scene from the Daytona 500, except on this massive speedway things ended badly for both of them.
Busch bumped Kahne's rear bumper, and the contact Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway triggered a 16-car crash on lap 43 that sent both briefly to the infield care center and their cars to the garage. It was very similar to what happened in the season-opening Daytona 500.
"I had a lot of momentum and shot past Jimmie (Johnson) and I got up in front of the 18 (Busch) and then he wanted to pass me," said Kahne, who was knocked out of the race. "He hit me once in the back when he tried to go to the right. We were just too close and he spun me. He got me in the right corner and spun into the wall. It was really hard to be pushing, especially through the tri-oval.
"With these cars the way they are, you can't really do that, and we learned that in Daytona. Basically the same two cars in the same spot on the race track and I crashed and he didn't that time. It's just basically a redo of Daytona."

Both Kahne and Busch wound up hitting the wall, and Busch was turned sideways.
His fortunes have turned in recent races. Since sweeping the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races in Texas, he has wrecked at Kansas (finishing 38th), Richmond (24th) and now Talladega. He re-entered the race Sunday down 52 laps from the leaders.
Kahne quickly made the connection with Daytona. For Busch, it was reminiscent of other Talladega crashes that get touched off with spontaneous decisions and hair-trigger reactions that still aren't quite swift enough.
Busch said he was caught off guard when Kahne "made a move to get in front of me."
"It was just kind of a misjudge," Busch said. "That's how these wrecks happen. That's how the big ones do happen, especially when you're up in the front like that. I didn't expect Kasey to come up like that, but once I did I thought about staying in behind him. But then I was catching him too fast. Before I moved out from behind him, I got in the back of him.

"As soon as I touched him, he was spinning."

Tim Tebow Cut: Jets Release Quarterback After One Season In New York

             Tim Tebow #15 of the New York Jets runs off the field after a game against the San Diego Chargers at MetLife Stadium on December 23, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Tim Tebow's time with the New York Jets has expired, as first reported by Brian Costello of the New York Post.
The polarizing 25-year-old has been released just days after the Jets drafted quarterback Geno Smith in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Tebow's turbulent Jets career began with a large press conference but never truly got off the ground. Tebow attempted just eight passes while paired with New York's other embattled quarterback, Mark Sanchez.
"We have a great deal of respect for Tim Tebow," Jets coach Rex Ryan said in a statement released on the team's website. "Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we all had hoped. Tim is an extremely hard worker, evident by the shape he came back in this offseason. We wish him the best moving forward."
Albert Breer of NFL.com reports that Tebow learned of his release on Monday morning at the team's facilities. 

Usain Bolt Wins Copacabana Beach 150-Meter Race In Rio De Janeiro (VIDEO)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Usain Bolt opened his season with a 150-meter win on a track set up at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.

Bolt cruised to victory in 14.42 seconds, falling short of the world-best mark of 14.35 he set on the streets of Manchester in 2009. Brazilian sprinter Bruno Lins was second in 14.91, ahead of Ecuador's Alex Quinones and Antigua and Barbuda's Daniel Bailey.

Bolt said he was satisfied with his performance after the race, which was held under scorching heat on a four-lane track built on Copacabana beach in the host city of the 2016 Olympics.

"It was my first sprint race, definitely a good start for the season," Bolt said. "I'm looking forward to coming down here in 2016.

 

Bolt celebrated by dancing with a few Brazilian dancers after the run, which was an official event supervised by the IAAF. There were huge lines as fans tried to get near the track to see the Jamaican star.

Bolt, the first man to successfully defend the 100 and 200 titles at the London Olympics, was in Rio for four days, visiting social projects and participating in promotional events.

Also Sunday, double-amputee Alan Oliveira of Brazil beat American runner Jerome Singleton at the Copacabana track.

Oliveira had been initially expected to race against Oscar Pistorius, who withdrew after being charged with the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Oliveira beat the South African in the 200 at the London Paralympics.

Marysville Raceway Park Crash Left Two People Dead:

                                        2 killed in crash at California raceway, officials say

MARYSVILLE, Calif. –  Two people were killed after a speeding race car ran off a track and into pit row during warm-up laps at a California raceway Saturday evening, authorities said.
Fox40.com reports that the two, a 14-year-old boy and a 68-year-old man, were walking in the pit area at Marysville Raceway Park when a winged sprint car crashed into them.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene at the raceway some 40 miles north of Sacramento, and the boy was declared dead either at the hospital or in an ambulance, Yuba County Sheriff's Capt. Ron Johnson told the Marysville Appeal-Democrat newspaper.
The two were part of a crew and had a right to be in the pit area, but said no more about their roles, Johnson said.
The identities of the victims were not released and there were no reports of any other injuries, according to Fox40.com.
The raceway was hosting the California Sprint Car Civil War Series on the opening day of its season.
Steven Blakesley, the announcer calling the race from the stands, said the sprint cars were doing so-called "hot laps" about an hour before the race when a car driven by Chase Johnson, traveling at about 90 mph, couldn't make a turn.

                                                          

"There must have been a mechanical problem," Blakesley said. "The car didn't slow down. "
Blakesley said the car ran through a gap between the track and pit row, hit an empty golf-style cart then ran out of the view of the stands, where fans were mostly silent and left to speculation about what was happening.
He said the next thing he was able to see was CPR being performed on two people, and later a body being covered and crime scene tape going up.
The bio on Chase Johnson's website said he's a senior at Petaluma High School north of San Francisco and is a fourth generation race car driver.
Blakesley said Chase Johnson had been driving for two years already, and many on the sprint car circuit, seen as a stepping stone to higher levels like NASCAR, began as young as 15 as Johnson did.
He said others on the circuit, where small, high-powered cars race on short dirt ovals, were older drivers whose careers had peaked earlier.
The Sheriff's Department and California Highway Patrol were investigating to determine the cause of the crash, Ron Johnson said. The Sheriff's Department also serves as the county's coroner and would determine the identities and official cause of death for the two victims, he said.
An outgoing message on the track's phone line said only that Saturday's race had been canceled, and a message left for a raceway spokesman was not immediately returned.

The race track fatalities come less than a month after a crash on the last lap of a race at Daytona International Speedway injured at least 30 fans Feb. 23. The victims were sprayed with large chunks of debris -- including a tire -- after a car careened into the fencing that is designed to protect the massive grandstands lining the track.
At another NASCAR race in 2009 at Talladega, the crowd was showered with debris and seven fans were injured when a car sailed upside-down into the front-stretch fence on a furious dash to the finish line, showering the stands with debris. Seven fans sustained minor injuries.
And in 2010 at a National Hot Rod Association event in Chandler, Ariz., a woman was killed by a tire that flew off a crashing dragster at Firebird International Raceway.