Fast Break
Auto racing
Gordon has pole thanks to rain
Jeff Gordon (above) will start from the pole position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway after steady rain washed out qualifying.
Gordon, who also earned the prime pit stall on Friday because he is the points leader, will be seeking his third victory from the top starting spot on Martinsville’s tricky 0.526-mile oval on Sunday.
Gordon has won seven times at Martinsville overall, tops among active drivers, and will be starting first for the eighth time in his career at the track. The four-time series championship will also be trying to end a 46-race winless streak dating to 2007.
Kurt Busch will start second, followed by Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards.
High school football
Prosser coach steps down
Tom Moore has found a way to blend the two things he covets most – family and football. But to do so means Prosser must find a new head coach for the first time in 23 years.
In a move to spend more time watching his sons play at Boise State University, Moore, one of the most successful coaches in state history, resigned from his Mustangs’ position on Thursday.
“I love coaching here and I don’t want to retire, but I’m a dad before I’m a coach,” Moore said. “I still want to coach – I’m addicted to it. But the right thing for me to do now is step down as head coach.”
Moore will continue teaching physical education at Prosser High School.
Quarterback Kellen Moore guided the Broncos to a 12-1 season. Kirby Moore, a wide receiver, joins his brother at BSU this season.
Skiing
Cliff jump kills extreme skier
Extreme skier Shane McConkey was killed jumping off a cliff with a parachute while filming a movie in Italy. He was 39.
His sponsor Red Bull confirmed his death Thursday.
McConkey was in Corvara, Italy, on a ski-BASE jump when he had a midair malfunction, Red Bull said in a statement. Italian emergency responders arrived within minutes and pronounced him dead at the scene, according to the sponsor.
McConkey founded the International Free Skiing Association and had grown popular in recent years for his BASE jumping competitions and big-mountain film exploits.
During his career he won the IFSA world tour of freeskiing in 1996 and 1998, and finished second in the 1999 Winter X Games Skier X competition. In 2001, Skiing Mag listed him as the top skier in North America, and Powder magazine readers voted him skier of the year three times.
McConkey lived and trained at Squaw Valley’s Olympic Village south of Truckee, Calif. He is survived by his wife, Sherry, and 3-year-old daughter, Ayla.