Sports shorts
Auto Racing Roaring Knob finale
York Haven’s Jason Covert won the 2006 Ed Nicholson & Sons & Henry Auto Sales “King of the Knob 50” Saturday at Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex.
Covert started 17th in the 41-car field moved into second on lap 20 and quickly moved past Jim Bernheisel for the lead. It was all Covert from there, winning in his first attempt on the Markleysburg track.
Gary Dalton finished second and Jeremy Miller placed third.
Doug Glessner (E-Modifieds), Shawn Nicholson (V8 Chargers) and Bob Nelson (Street Stocks) also took the checkered flag.
PPMS results
Lou Bradich won his eighth feature race of the season, taking the checkered flag in the 25-lap Late Models feature Saturday at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway.
Nick Jones won the 20-lap Crate Late Models with Eric Goldberg finishing first in the 12-lap Amateur Stock Special. Daryl Charlier (E-Modifieds), Dusty Curry (Young Guns) and Jake Simmons (Pure Stocks) were also winners.
Golf
Aber wins Open
John Aber shot a 3-under-par 68 Monday to win the Seven Springs Open at the Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion. Jim Cichra was three shots behind in second place.
Cycling
Landis attorney wants doping charges dropped
The attorney for Floyd Landis asked Monday that doping charges be dismissed, hinting for the first time at the Tour de France winner’s official defense: that his positive testosterone tests were flawed and did not meet World Anti-Doping Agency standards.
In a letter sent to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, attorney Howard Jacobs disputed the accuracy of the carbon isotope ratio tests performed on Landis’ urine sample at a lab in France.
Jacobs also argued the analysis of a different test, the testosterone-epitestosterone analysis, “is replete with fundamental, gross errors,” including mismatched sample code numbers. Jacobs said the positive finding on the backup ‘B’ sample came from a sample number not assigned to Landis.
Both Landis and USADA had representatives at the testing of the ‘B’ sample.
USADA general counsel Travis Tygart said the doping agency couldn’t comment on specific cases but noted it is not unusual for athletes and their attorneys to seek dismissal of cases.
“Our standard process allows all athletes to make a submission to the USADA review board, and those submissions are seriously considered prior to any case going forward,” Tygart said.
A review board is expected to issue a recommendation on Landis’ case sometime in the next week. That process could be delayed if USADA responds directly to Jacobs’ letter.
If the review board recommends sanctions against Landis, he is expected to appeal and ask for an arbitration hearing.
Jacobs has said he would seek a public hearing, and USADA has said it would agree to that.
Landis issued a statement reasserting his innocence.
“I did not take testosterone or any other performance-enhancing substance, and I’m very happy that the science is confirming my innocence,” he said. “I was relieved, but not surprised, when I learned that scientific experts found problems with the test.”
Jacobs, who did not immediately return messages left at his office by The Associated Press, did not reveal in his news release the identity of the experts who found problems with the test.