Fast Break

Auto racing

‘House’ was in the house

Hugh Laurie, who has the title role in the Fox TV series “House,” chose to be the grand marshal for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Fontana, Calif., on Sunday rather than attend the Oscars in Hollywood that evening.

“It’s wonderful, on the day of the Oscars, to be in a place – suddenly to be out of that city (Los Angeles) – and be with a group of people who have absolutely no interest in entertainment,” he said. “It’s such a relief.”

Laurie, 49, isn’t a foreigner to the world of sports, having been an elite oarsman at Eton and Cambridge, and his father was an Olympic gold medalist in rowing. He’s even taken a few laps on the track.

“I’ve been driven around a track in a McLaren F1 car at about 170 (mph), and that was an interesting experience,” he said. “Myself, the fastest I’ve been has actually been on a motorcycle. That was on a Yamaha FZR 1000. I was getting close to 160. It was a one-off. I just wanted to see what it could do. It was the scariest piece of equipment I’ve ever had anything to do with.”

As far as driving a stock car, he replied, “I would love to do that, but I don’t imagine I would have a hundredth of the talent necessary to do it.”

Basketball

Key games for CCS men, women

The Community Colleges of Spokane teams conclude their regular seasons with games against Yakima Valley CC tonight at Spokane Community College with a lot on the line. The women’s game is at 6 with the men at 8.

The women can reach the NWAACC tournament with a victory, while a loss would leave their prospects uncertain until all the regular-season games are played. The Yakima women are ranked first in the conference and have already clinched the Eastern Division.

The men can tie Yakima for the Eastern title with a victory and also take the No. 1 seed into the conference tournament, which begins March 5.

Yakima upset the 30-1 Sasquatch team last season in the NWAACC tournament championship game. Spokane used a 24-1 run to beat Yakima earlier this season on the road.