2009 Indy 500 Qualifications

Written By: Matt "Night" Rider

Note: mph= mile per hour; AGR= Andretti Green Racing

Team Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe battled for the pole position all day, during the first day of qualifications (Saturday, May 10th) for the 2009 Indy 500 on May 24th.


Helio finally took control of the pole, running the fastest lap of the day at 224.864 mph. Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe came up just short, taking the second starting spot, with a lap of 224.083 mph. Target Chip Ganassi driver Dario Franchitti was next to get on the board, running a lap of 224.010 mph, good enough to earn the third starting position for this year's big race.

Defending Indy 500 Champion Scott Dixon came away with the fifth starting spot, running 223.867 mph. AGR racer "TK" Tony Kanaan followed Dixon, grabbing the sixth position with a fast lap of 223.612 mph. Macro Andretti (223.114 mph) took eighth while Danica Patrick finished the first day of qualifying in tenth, with a lap of 222.882 mph. The first day of qualifying saw the first eleven starting positions fill up.

After a wild first day of qualifying, the second day (Sunday, May 11th) of qualifying calmed down, but only a little. Positions 11-22 were up for grabs and there were many drivers that still needed to put their car in the show.

Indy native Ed Carpenter put his car in the show, taking 17th, with a run of 222.780 mph. 2005 Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon put together a run of 222.777 mph, good enough to qualify him 18th in his Panther Racing entry. AJ Foyt IV took 19th, while Indy 500 veteran Scott Sharp put the petal to the metal, racing his way into the 20th starting position. Sarah Fisher followed Sharp, taking the 21st starting spot, with a run of 222.082 mph.

Indy 500 Qualifying will continue this weekend, May 16th-17th. On Saturday, starting spots 23-33 will be filled, making way for an exciting Armed Forces/Bump Day on Sunday.

Forcing Game 7s in the NBA Semis

Written By: Matt "Night" Rider

Game 6: Orlando Magic: 83, Boston Celtics 75
Game 6: Los Angeles Lakers: 80, Houston Rockets 95

Well it wasn't the fairy tale ending for two of the NBA's most historic franchises (Lakers and Celtics). Nope this time, the Houston Rockets and the Orlando Magic put away their distractions and came to play. The result was four teams staring down vital Game 7s, to see who will go on to the NBA Conference Finals.

Coming off an embarrasing 30 points beating, the Rockets held the Lakers to only 80 points in a 95-80 victory in front of the Houston faithful on Thursday night. Houston's stengy defense stepped up and held the Lakers to only 36% shooting for the game. In the loss, the Lakers were led by Kobe Bryant, who had 32 points. Lamar Odom contributed 14 rebounds for the Lakers in the loss.

Everyone wondered how the Magic would respond, after all the rumors surrounding center Dwight Howard's press conference after the disappointing loss in Game 5. Orlando responded with a 83-75 victory, pushing the series to its final chapter, Game 7 on Sunday. Turnovers played a major part in the Game 6 outcome. Boston turned the ball over 22 times versus Orlando's 10 turnovers. Dwight Howard led the way for the Magic, scoring 23 points in the victory. Rashard Lewis chipped in 20 points of his own in the win. Despite the loss, the Celtics were paced by Rajon Rondo who put up 19 points.

After sweeping the Atlanta Hawks 4-0 in the best of 7, the Cleveland Cavaliers wait to see who they will play. The winner of the Celtics-Magic Game 7 on Sunday will answer their question. Coming off their 124-110 win on Wednesday night, the Denver Nuggets also play the waiting game, but not for long. The last battle of Artest vs. Kobe will determine...oh did I say Artest vs. Kobe, no I mean the Rockets-Lakers game on Sunday will reveal the next worthy opponent for the Denver Nuggets.

Hold on to your hats, and get ready to go for a ride. These two Game 7s are going to be slugfests and you my friends, have a front row seat for all the action. Right next to your television remote and favorite game time snack. Check your local listings for game times on Sunday.

NHL Finals Matchups Set

By: Matt "Night" Rider

Note: PPG= Power Play Goal; OT= Overtime

Game 7: Anaheim Ducks: 3, Detroit Red Wings: 4
Game 7: Carolina Hurricanes 3, Boston Bruins 2 (OT)



Conference Finals Matchups:
Western: Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Eastern: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

The NHL Finals matchups are now set after 2 very competitive Game 7s (Ducks vs. Red Wings and Hurricanes vs. Bruins). The Detriot Red Wings will take on the Chicago Blackhawks, to decide the Western Conference Finals, while the Pittsburgh Penguins will face off with the Carolina Hurricanes to determine the Eastern Conference Finals.

Detriot won a 4-3 slug fest over the Anaheim Ducks. The goal that clinched the win, came from Right Winger Dan Cleary with 3:00 to go in the 3rd period. It was back and forth all the way. Other than Cleary's clincher, the Red Wings were helped by goals from Jiri Hudler (15:43, 1st per.), Darren Helm (1:17, 2nd per.), and Mikael Samuelsson (16:23, 2nd per.). The Ducks had goal contributions from Teemu Selanne (14:50, 2nd per.), Corey Perry (PPG 17:12, 2nd per.), and Bobby Ryan (7:37, 3rd per.).

In the other Game 7 of the night, the Carolina Hurricanes knocked the wind outta the Boston faithful, beating the Bruins 3-2 in overtime. The dramatic overtime goal came from Right Winger Scott Walker with 18:46 left to go in overtime. Other Hurricane scorers in the victory included Rod Brind 'Amour (13:59, 1st per.) and former Bruin Sergei Samsonov (7:45, 2nd per.). Boston had two goals: Byron Bitz (7:42, 1st per.) and Milan Lucic (6:19, 3rd per.) in the loss.

The Blackhawks dominated the Vancouver Canucks in a 6 game series (4-2), advancing into the Western Conference Finals. They will face the always dangerous Detriot Red Wings. The Red Wings have the advantage coming into this match-up because they are the defending Stanley Cup Champions and they bring veterans to the table, that have won the Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks are young and have quick scoring abilities. Look for this matchup to be David and Galith fight, all the way to the end.

In the other Finals matchup, both teams (Penguins and Hurricanes) came off tough 7 Games series. This matchup will be won by the team with fresher legs. The Penguins have an edge in that they have Sid "The Kid" Crosby and Malkin, but Malkin has to step up if they are going to win this series. The Canes have talented players that have been and won the Stanley Cup Finals before. Anyone remember who won Lord Stanley's Cup in 2004. If you guess the Hurricanes you are right. Carolina comes into this series as the underdog but this will be a series to remember. I believe it will be back and forth all the way through. These two teams want that trophy bad, but one will advance. It's anyone's guess.

Who do you think will advance to the Stanley Cup Finals? If you want to give your 2 senses, just post a comment. Thank you for reading and look for move coverage of the road to the Stanley Cup Finals. I LOVE HOCKEY!!!!