In brief: Franchitti wins IndyCar title

Auto racing: Dario Franchitti signed a contract to return to IndyCar on a napkin.

He’s spent the last two years etching his legacy in stone.

Franchitti captured his third IndyCar title on Saturday night at Homestead, Fla., dominating when he had to then expertly avoiding trouble after points leader Will Power faltered, eventually finishing eighth behind Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon to edge Power by five points.

The two-time Indy 500 winner gave Ganassi his fourth championship in the last eight years.

A year ago, he used some savvy pit strategy to leapfrog Dixon and Ryan Briscoe for the title and cap his comeback from an ill-fated trip to NASCAR.

Power had led the points race virtually the entire season behind the strength of five road course victories.

But he scraped the wall on lap 135 and spent five long minutes in the pits while his Team Penske crew furiously worked to repair the damage.

By the time Power returned to the track, the points lead he’d held for four months was long gone.

Associated Press

Contador wants samples frozen

Cycling: Three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador challenged cycling authorities to freeze his urine and blood samples until technology can show he rode clean in this year’s race and disprove his positive test for clenbuterol.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Contador stuck to his story that contaminated meat is the cause of his positive test on July 21 for the fat-burning and muscle-building drug.

“If it is necessary to freeze either my urine or my blood samples so that five years from now, when the (drug-testing) system has been further perfected, it can be analyzed, I authorize this,” Contador said.

Associated Press