Allgemeines » w tweaks and hard work got the O-line back on trac

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- The 2016 IndyCar championship has been fought out almost exclusively between Penske Racing teammates Simon Pagenaud and Will Power.But Sunday at Watkins Glen International, Scott Dixon provided a timely reminder that he remains the best driver in the Verizon IndyCar Series.?Dixon produced another textbook performance at one of his favorite tracks to claim his 40th career Indy car race win, tops among active drivers and fourth all time.Dixons fourth Watkins Glen win was one of his best, as he defeated Josef Newgarden by 16.5 seconds in what looked more like a demonstration than a race.?There was no catching Scott, admitted Newgarden. He clearly had a pretty big edge on everyone and every session got a little bit more demoralizing.?Dixon didnt make a clean sweep of the Watkins Glen weekend. He failed to pace one practice session and allowed his Ganassi Racing teammate Tony Kanaan to turn the fastest lap in the race.But in everything that really mattered, the 35-year-old New Zealander once again showed that he is the class of the IndyCar Series field.Dixons margin in practice was generally about half a second a lap and he claimed pole position with the fastest road racing lap in Indy car racing history. His 147.008-mph average around the 11-turn Watkins Glen road course was faster than some short ovals were not that long ago.In the race, the No. 9 Target car enjoyed a similar advantage and in a change of luck compared to a couple occasions earlier in the year (notably at Toronto), the yellow flags fell Dixons way and he was essentially unchallenged.They roll either way, Dixon said of the IndyCar Series propensity for a caution to occur at the most inopportune time. Sometimes youre going to get them, and sometimes youre not. But today, after it bit us pretty good in Toronto, it was a nice way to turn it around.Its been almost a sweep this weekend and you dont get these too often, especially with the competition level that we have in the Verizon IndyCar Series, he added. Ill definitely remember this one.Meanwhile, after a promising start when Power and Pagenaud ran second and third in the opening laps, the championship drama fizzled out. First, the main protagonists got caught out by the Lap 15 yellow that worked in Dixons favor.While Pagenaud slowly worked his way back through the pack and eventually took seventh place, Power was not so fortunate. He ended the race in the track medical center after a contentious crash with Dixons Ganassi teammate Charlie Kimball.Power, who is being monitored for concussion symptoms and has not yet been cleared to drive in the IndyCar Series finale at Sonoma Raceway in two weeks, was furious after he clouted the guardrail on the backstretch in the Lap 39 clash.Racing with Kimball, thats expected, he said. No one in the paddock likes racing him. They all talk about it -- hes the most dangerous guy on the track. It was very disappointing.Kimball, who survived the clash with Power and another that ended with Graham Rahal in the Turn 1 wall to finish sixth, was unrepentant.He can be disappointed, but if he knew I was there, he drove me into the grass, Kimball said. We still have mirrors. Youre still driving the car. We would have gone by him if he had given me room.While Dixon crossed the line to take an easy win, Pagenaud ended the race in fuel saving mode and was grateful to score a top-10 finish. ?It was a good day for the championship, said Pagenaud, who opened up a 43-point gap to Power heading into the double-points finale. Its a much more comfortable position to be in going into Sonoma.Obviously you cant control the outside factors, but I believe we can do it if we finish in the top five and on these kind of tracks we are totally capable of doing that. I just hope Will is all right because I want to take this fight to Sonoma.In theory, Dixon and Sundays third-place finisher Helio Castroneves are still mathematically in title contention, both 104 points behind Pagenaud -- the maximum number available at Sonoma. But that would require Pagenaud not taking the start at all.With a fifth IndyCar crown out of reach, Dixon can relax and enjoy his latest triumph at one of Americas most historic road racing venues and reflect on taking home another of Watkins Glens famous victory wreaths.Actually I have zero -- theyre all hanging at the Seneca Lodge, he confessed. But Im happy to donate a fourth to that collection we have built up there. I think we should have a double points race here and race two or three times at The Glen.Instead, the season will wrap up at Sonoma, where Dixon gives Pagenaud the overall edge despite Powers spectacular record at the California road course, which includes four poles and three race wins.Its a Penske-centric track and its going to be interesting to see how it plays out, Dixon said. Will has maybe a stronger situation going in as far as his speed in qualifying. But the race can throw in so many different variables and Simon has just been rock solid in so many situations this season.Its going to be a good battle to watch, he added. I just hope Im in front of them. Langston Galloway Jersey .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. Bruce Brown Jr. Jersey . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. https://www.pistonsrookiesshop.com/Andre-Drummond-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. Isiah Thomas Pistons Jersey . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. Christian Wood Pistons Jersey . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State tailback Mike Weber sprained his shoulder in Saturdays game against Nebraska but is expected to play when the No. 6 Buckeyes travel to Maryland this week to face the Terrapins.Weber, a freshman who has compiled 842 rushing yards this season, left Saturdays blowout in the third quarter favoring his shoulder and didnt return. Hes fourth in rushing in the Big Ten, averaging 93.6 yards.He should be fine for the game, coach Urban Meyer said Monday. No contact this week in practice.Weber had 11 carries for 72 yards when he left the game, which Ohio State won 62-3 . Demario McCall spelled Weber and picked up 73 yards on 16 carries in the second half.Meyer said he hadnt seen the offensive explosion coming against Nebraska, given that the Buckeyes struggled offensively the past few games. He said it was a matter of pushing and cajoling until the young team started clicking again.Quarterback J.T. Barrett was 26 for 38 for 290 yards, and the offense rolled up 590 yards against Nebraska, then a Top 10 team. Ten players caught passes and Barrett wasnt sacked, although he had a couple narrow escapes.This was a steady climb, Meyer said. We were climbing very good early in the season. We plateaued, and somehow you have to get the climb started again. If I thought there were chemistry issues and give-in, then you implode. It wasnt that at all. Coaches have to do a better job, players have to do a better job, and they did.Left tackle Jamarco Jones, whose low point was the Oct. 22 loss to Penn State in which Barrett was sacked six times, said a few tweaks and hard work got the O-line back on track. All five members graded out as champions Saturday on Meyers in-house evaluation system.It was small things we were doing that were fixable, Jones said.ddddddddddddOhio State (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten, 6th CFP) takes on a Maryland (5-4, 2-4) team that has lost its last two.AUDITIONING PUNT RETURNERSDontre Wilson apparently has lost his job returning punts after he fumbled one away Saturday in the second quarter. He had muffed one against Wisconsin and clearly has run into trouble lately fielding them cleanly.Meyer said hes looking at H-back Curtis Samuel, McCall and wide receiver K.J. Hill.Speaking of Hill, the freshman caught five passes for 66 yards against Nebraska, and Meyer is singing his praises.Hes a really good player, Meyer said. Hes earning more playing time. Very reliable guy, good blocker, always in the right place. Hes got good hands.In fact, Meyer said, he thought the young wide receiver corps had its best game of the year by far. They are, he said, just coming into their own a little bit.USING SAMUELMeyer has faced questions in recent weeks about getting the ball into the hands of Samuel more often. Hes often said that Samuel, a hybrid running back/receiver, is the teams most dynamic playmaker.Those questions will stop. Samuel rolled up 173 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in less than three quarters Saturday, including a 75-yard scoring pass. As a result, he was named co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.He caught eight passes for 137 yards and added 41 yards on the ground on five carries. Hes the only FBS player with at least 500 yards rushing and 500 passing.---More AP college football at www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 .---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacy ' ' '