Scott Dixons teammates spent the final three hours of the Rolex 24 at Daytona raving about his talent while watching him seal a victory in one of the most prestigious endurance races in the world.The three-time IndyCar champion would take none of the credit.Dixon, who carried the heaviest load for Chip Ganassi Racings four-driver lineup, insisted Sundays win was a team effort that included many people from Ganassis sprawling organization. But theres a reason Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray, Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan and NASCARs newest hotshot, Kyle Larson, didnt spend too much time worrying about the outcome during Dixons lengthy final stint in the car.They knew The Iceman would get the job done.Its really hard to appreciate the talent that guys have from other series until you race with them, McMurray said. Its crazy the pace that Scott is able to have in the car. I think Scott is one of the most talented guys in the field. Hes an incredible driver.The praise also came from Larson, who improved from his underwhelming debut last season by learning from Dixon, and Kanaan, who has raced against Dixon for 14 seasons.I got beaten by Scott for a long time, Kanaan said. Hes a very, very smart and complete race car driver. He can adapt to anything. Its unbelievable how he can make a bad car still be fast, and I think thats something that I try to learn from him every time I watch him.There was no need for Dixon to carry the team in the twice-round-the-clock race around Daytona International Speedway. The Ganassi group brought a pair of strong cars to the race and both set the pace early.Had the clutch not broken in the homestretch on the No. 01, that Scott Pruett-led car might have been racing for the win in the final hour.The Dixon-led No. 02 star car had no major issues, and, still in contention after daybreak, it became clear theyd use the New Zealander to close out the race. Larson drove an abbreviated stint and stayed in the car only long enough to make Dixon eligible to finish the race.IMSA rules state a driver can only be in the car for a total of four total hours in a six-hour period, and Dixon climbed in with 3 hours, 32 minutes remaining.It was a long final stint for Dixon, who drove three times for more than seven hours during the 24-hour race. His task in that final stretch was to conserve fuel, maintain the pace and follow strategy to give Ganassi its record sixth victory in the race.He did it with what appeared to be ease, and seemed fresh and ready to drive another three hours as he celebrated in victory lane.Its not easy whatsoever. I feel the load just as much as any of these guys, Dixon said. Pressure is what you make of it, and as long as you get out of the car and you know youve done the best that you could, you should be happy with that. I think for all of us here this weekend, the best that we did was good enough to get the victory.Dixon, so selfless and so content for so many years in the shadow of famous former teammate Dario Franchitti, cares far more about final results than accolades.But Dixon has earned any praise heaped his way for steadily building one of the most prolific careers in open-wheel history. Hes won three IndyCar titles, the 2008 Indianapolis 500 and his 35 career victories tie him for fifth on the all-time list with Bobby Unser. The only drivers ahead of Dixon are named Foyt, Andretti and Unser.Hes won the Rolex twice, and as he begins his 14th season with Ganassi, hes the longest tenured driver in the temperamental owners history.Dixon is also the only active driver to finish in the top three in points every year since 2006. Its that streak — he lost three consecutive championships to teammate Franchitti, who also won a pair of Indy 500s in that span — that has likely led to him often being overlooked.Ganassi team manager Mike Hull, who has been with Dixon his entire IndyCar and sports car career, said the driver gets plenty of appreciation within his organization.Hes one of those people that have enormous ability, has terrific passion, wants to make himself better every day, Hull said. Hes not complacent with where he is presently. Ill guarantee you, hell come back here to race again, and hell want to improve himself over where he just finished today.Hes very direct with what he wants with his race car, and then hes unselfish. He gives back. The younger drivers have a great mentor in Scott Dixon. . - Veteran Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr, sidelined since Game 1 of the Anaheim series, says hes close to returning. . - Urijah (The California Kid) Faber finds himself in an unaccustomed position Saturday night at UFC 175 — on the preliminary card.
http://www.cheapnationalsjerseysauthent ... and-jersey. -- With his team down 16 points in the second quarter and headed for another blowout loss at home, Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson yelled out to his players to keep shooting and keep fighting on defence. . LeBron James leads the Miami Heat in a quest for three consecutive championship titles, while Tim Duncan looks to add his fifth ring with the San Antonio Spurs when the series tips off with Game 1: Miami @ San Antonio on Thursday, June 5 at 9 p. . Its been two seasons in one for both parties and neither will look back on the first 18 games fondly. "I think I took the fall for a lot of things," said Gay, reflecting on his short time in Toronto ahead of Wednesdays game against his former club.LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- Jeffery Taylor scored 25 points and Sweden upset Russia 81-62 for its first win at the European basketball championship on Saturday. Russia, the Olympic bronze medallist last year and bronze medallist at the Europeans two years ago, now looks unlikely to make the second round after three straight defeats. Sweden is 1-2. Also Saturday, defending champion Spain limited the Czech Republic to two points in the final quarter in Celje and ran away with a 60-39 victory despite its own poor shooting. Slovenia stayed perfect by edging Georgia 72-68 and Greece also went to 3-0 by beating winless Turkey 84-61. Italy cruised past Finland 62-44 in Koper, while Croatia let a seemingly secure lead slip away before holding on for a 74-70 victory over winless Poland in Celje. Detroit Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko added 22 points and 13 rebounds for Sweden in the Group D game in Koper. Sweden pulled away in the final quarter after leading for most of the game. Aleksey Shved had 15 points for Russia and Semen Antonov added 13. Spain missed its last seven 3-point attempts and was marginally more effective than the Czechs in the fourth, only outscoring the Czechs 4-2 in the final quarter until less than three minutes remained in the game. The Czechs shot 24 per cent from the field and Spain 322 per cent.ddddddddddddThe Czechs pulled within five late in the third quarter but Spain then clamped down on defence. Rudy Fernandez had 14 points and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio added 10 for Spain. Memphis Grizzlies centre Marc Gasol scored his only basket halfway into the third quarter but pulled down 10 rebounds. Spain is 2-1 in Group C. Washington Wizards forward Jan Vesely had seven points and 14 rebounds and Lubos Barton had 12 rebounds and five points for the Czechs, who fell to 1-2. In Italys third straight win, Luigi Datome had 10 points. Finland fell to 2-1. Croatias Bojan Bogdanovic led all scorers with 23 points, while Michal Ignerski had 22 points and 12 rebounds for Poland. Playing without the injured guard Vassilis Spanoulis, Greece shot 61.5 per cent from the field and made 10 of 15 3-point shots. Center Yannis Bourousis led Greece with 21 points and guard Nikos Zisis had 11 assists. In Celje, Slovenia held off Georgia as Domen Lorbek scored eight of his 18 points with the game on the line. Zoran Dragic also made a jumper with six seconds remaining to secure the victory. Viktor Sanikidze had 17 points and 13 rebounds and Ricky Hickman added 19 points for Georgia, which is 1-2. Top three teams from each of the four groups advance to the second round. ' ' '
