Kyle Busch wins Nationwide race at Richmond

Kyle Busch took the lead from Carl Edwards during pit stops with just over 30 laps to go and won his eighth NASCAR Nationwide Series race of the season Friday night at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia.

Edwards came back out fourth, and while he and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. battled for position, Busch was able to pull away and win by 0.696 seconds. Stenhouse finished third.

Busch’s victory was his 51st in the series, the most in history, and came in a race he and Edwards dominated on the 0.75-mile oval. Edwards led 160 laps, Busch 74, including the last 34.

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David Reutimann won his fourth career NASCAR Sprint Cup pole at Richmond on Friday.

Reutimann turned a lap at 127.383 mph, claiming the top starting spot in the race that will begin with more than a dozen drivers trying to secure one of the three spots still up for grabs in the 10-race playoffs that begin next weekend.

Jamie McMurray secured the second spot. Jimmie Johnson will start third, and Mark Martin fourth.

ETC.

Lewis, Tseng tied for LPGA lead

Stacy Lewis and Yani Tseng shot five-under 66s and were tied for the first-round lead at the LPGA Northwest Arkansas Championship at Rogers, Ark.

Karen Stupples, Taylor Leon and Jin Young Pak were all at four under. Suzann Petterson, the world’s No. 2 player, was another stroke back in a group of nine that included Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel.

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Stephen Dodd of Wales was six under through first 13 holes and eight under for the tournament when darkness forced 78 players to abandon their rounds at the KLM Open at Hilversum, Netherlands.

Shiv Kapur of India shot a three-under 67 to take the clubhouse lead at seven under, and U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy surged into contention with a second-round 65.

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Ohio State fired Olympic gymnastics champion Paul Hamm following his arrest this week on assault charges. The termination is effective immediately, Athletic Director Gene Smith said. Hamm had been an assistant gymnastics coach at Ohio State since June.

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With his team on the brink of elimination, Dirk Nowitzki delivered for Germany. The Dallas Mavericks star scored 19 points overall and made four free throws in the last 19 seconds, helping Germany beat Turkey, 73-67, to stay alive at the European Championship at Vilnius, Lithuania. Clippers center Chris Kaman had 20 points for Germany

Defending champion Spain reached the quarterfinals, routing Serbia 84-59 behind the dominant play of brothers Pau and Marc Gasol.

France downed Lithuania, 73-67, with Nando de Colo 21 points. Tony Parker added 19 points for unbeaten France and Joakim Noah had 13 rebounds. France will play Spain for first place in Group E on Sunday.

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Rick Welts, president and chief executive of the Phoenix Suns is leaving the team for personal reasons four months after he became the first senior sports executive to openly acknowledge he was gay.

Welts said he plans to relocate to Northern California to be with his partner. He will end his work with the Suns on Thursday with nine months remaining on his contract.