1. SPORTS SECTION
B
NEWS-JOURNAL
MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015
MAKING WAVES
Brian Baldwin wins the 250
class during the Daytona Grand
Prix of the Sea. PAGE 5B
By HANK KURZ JR.
Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. — Kurt Busch has
spent time this year in a Delaware
courtroom, then on NASCAR’s
sideline as he served a three-race
suspension for an alleged domestic
assault on a former girlfriend.
Now, he has made a trip to Victory
Lane, where Busch hoped his vic-
tory Sunday at Richmond Interna-
tional Raceway will help him close
one of the messiest chapters of his
volatile career.
“Standing on the truth the whole
time, that gave me the feeling of
when I do get back to the car, it’s
going to be easy to focus, and I think
I’ve shown that,” said Busch, who
still has a no-contact order against
him that was issued in February by
a Delaware Family Court judge. The
judge ruled Busch likely assaulted
ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll in
September.
The 2004 series champion dom-
inated the rain-delayed NASCAR
Sprint Cup race that originally was
scheduled for Saturday night under
the lights.
The Stewart-Haas Racing driver
led a career-best 291 of the 400 laps
on the 0.75-mile oval, outrunning
teammate Kevin Harvick in the final
dozen laps to end a 35-race winless
streak.
Earlier in his return, he said he
was trying too hard.
“I think I might have been driving
too hard, too much of a chip on my
shoulder so to speak,” he said, add-
ing he realized last weekend there is
danger in driving along the line that
separates effectively aggressive and
overly aggressive.
One week later, he’s already likely
secured a spot in NASCAR’s 10-race
Chase for the Sprint Cup champion-
ship playoff.
“We’re winners in April. It feels
good,” he said. “Plenty of time to
do fun things to build the team up,
get stronger, learn from all these
races coming up and continue to go
forward.
“Like (team owner) Gene Haas
said, ‘One win is great. I want four
or five more.’ ”
Harvick, meanwhile, finished in
the top two for the seventh time in
nine races but said he had to rally
after his car struggled on one set of
tires and drifted back into the pack.
The race looked much like the
Xfinity Series event Friday night
in which Denny Hamlin led 248
of 250 laps and only lost the lead
during green flag pits stops. This
time, there were actual green flag
lead changes, but only two — when
Busch passed Joey Logano after
94 laps to take the lead, and when
Jamie McMurray passed Busch after
262 laps.
Busch regained the lead under
caution and never relinquished it,
beating Harvick to the finish by
0.754 seconds. The victory was the
26th of Busch’s career and second at
Richmond.
Jimmie Johnson rallied from start-
ing in 36th to grab third. McMurray
was fourth and polesitter Logano,
who led the first 94 laps, was fifth.
Rookie Chase Elliott, making his
second start in NASCAR’s premier
series, finished 16th.
SPRINT CUP
REDEMPTIONAfter tumultuous few months, Kurt Busch wins at Richmond
Associated Press/STEVE HELBER
After battling domestic assault allegations and serving a suspension imposed by NASCAR, Kurt Busch
celebrates breaking a 35-race winless streak Sunday at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.
By BARRY WILNER
Associated Press
NEW YORK — The NFL draft heads
to Chicago this year, with the top
overall choice in our mock draft not
planning to be on hand. No matter:
Tampa Bay already will have let its
selection know when the crowd in
the Windy City gets, uh, wind of the
pick.
Barring trades, a mock look at
Thursday night’s first round:
1. Tampa Bay (2-14)
Player character and behavior should
be even more of a deciding issue in
this year’s draft. The Buccaneers,
desperate for a quarterback, say they
are convinced the guy they choose is
not a bad apple and is a great prospect
overall.
The Pick: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida
State
2. Tennessee (2-14)
Do the Titans also go QB, or pull the
trigger on a trade with someone eager
to move up to get one? Hard to believe
they see sixth-rounder Zach Metten-
berger as the real deal, but they also
love this crop’s top defensive player,
Leonard Williams. Barring a deal ...
The pick: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
3. Jacksonville (3-13)
The Jaguars are going defense here
NFL DRAFT
Mocking up this year’s class, minus trades
PREP FOOTBALL
News-Journal file/PETER BAUER
Evan Hinson, a Miami commit, and
the Wolves enter the spring with
high expectations.
By BRIAN LINDER
brian.linder@news-jrnl.com
Today marks the first day Florida
prep football teams can break out
the pigskin and get spring practice
started.
In the Volusia/Flagler area, there
will be plenty to keep an eye on.
From top prospects, to new
coaches, to rebuilding projects
and teams potentially on the cusp
of greatness, here is a look at the
top storyline facing each team as
practice begins:
Atlantic
Last season: 4-6
Buzz: This will be the first spring as
head coach for former Mainland, Flori-
da State and NFL player Buster Davis.
He will be joined by defensive coordi-
nator, former Seabreeze and Georgia
Tech standout, Kenny Scott. Can they
help this team take another step up?
DeLand
Last season: 7-4
Buzz: The Bulldogs lost some key
players, such as QB Hunter Nordman,
S Tomas Ward and OL/DL Jonathon
Maccollister, who transferred to
Stories to
keep an
eye on
There’ll be plenty
to watch this spring
JAMEIS
WINSTON
could be
drafted No. 1 in
Thursday’s NFL
draft by Tampa
Bay, barring
any moves.
By DANNY KLEIN
danny.klein@news-jrnl.com
With spring practice beginning
today, it’s time to look ahead to an-
other exciting high school football
season in the Volusia/Flagler area.
Reclassified districts will create
some fresh rivalries, and some
old staples (think Mainland vs.
Seabreeze on Oct. 30) will continue
to highlight everyone’s calendar.
Regardless of which team you
cheer for on Friday nights, here are
three must-see matchups that will
be worth the price of admission.
All games listed are at 7 p.m.
Sept. 11: Apopka at DeLand
The Bulldogs welcome a true jugger-
naut to Spec Martin Memorial Stadium
early. The Blue Darters have won two
state titles in the past three seasons,
including last year’s Class 8A champi-
onship against Miami Columbus,
A look at
the area’s
top games
SEE STORIES, PAGE 6B
SEE GAMES, PAGE 6B
Up Next
What: Geico 500
Where: Talladega (Alabama)
Superspeedway
When: 1 p.m. May 3
TV/Radio: Fox/1150 AM
Inside
Motorsports roundup, race results
from late Saturday and Sunday,
PAGE 3B
NFL Draft
Where: Chicago
When: Thursday-Saturday
TV: ESPN, NFL Network
SEE DRAFT, PAGE 2B
SEE BUSCH, PAGE 3B
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