Sonstiges » that testimony is likely to be the centerpiece of a trial bei

SONOMA, Calif. Victor Lindelof Jersey . -- Jamie McMurray took the time to help rookie teammate Kyle Larson learn the road course at Sonoma Raceway. The payoff for working together was two Chip Ganassi Racing cars in the top three of the starting field of Sundays race. McMurray won the pole for Sundays race with a track record lap that bumped AJ Allmendinger from the top starting spot, and Larson qualified a surprising third. Allmendinger seemed to have the pole locked down until McMurray turned a lap at 96.350 mph in the final minute of Saturdays qualifying session. It broke the record of 95.262 mph set by Marcos Ambrose in 2012. "Great lap, I am so excited," McMurray said. "I thought our car in race trim was really good, really good on the long runs. Were not going to change a whole lot, I feel really good about it." Its the first pole of the season for McMurray, 10th of his career, and third at Sonoma. McMurray also started from the pole last year but finished 25th. He called the qualifying session stressful under NASCARs new knockout format. McMurray was on the verge of being eliminated in the first of the two rounds, but he went out for one last lap to advance into the top 12. Then he bumped Allmendinger as the clock wound down on the final 10-minute session. "I think everybody in the garage area has been stressed out about trying to get that clean lap in qualifying all weekend long," McMurray said. "This knockout qualifying is just an emotional roller-coaster. Theres a lot of highs and lows with it." Allmendinger wound up second in a race he believes he can win. He was out of the Sprint Cup Series a year ago because of a failed random NASCAR drug test in 2012, so while the series was racing at Sonoma, Allmendinger was in the Nationwide Series race at Road America. He delivered in the Wisconsin race for his first career victory and found his way back into a full-time ride in Cup. He wasnt disappointed after McMurray bumped him from the pole, but it eyeing another win. "We were in position to have (the pole), so it could be a lot worse," Allmendinger said. "It sucks when you are that close, but you know what? Jamie put in a heck of a lap. Weve got a clean view of the track when we go green and were going to have some fun tomorrow. Weve got a pretty good shot to win this thing." In a surprise, McMurrays rookie teammate Kyle Larson was third to give Chip Ganassi Racing two cars in the top three. Larson doesnt have a ton of road course experience, and the rookie is admittedly still learning how to shift. Larson, who replaced road course specialist Juan Pablo Montoya in the Ganassi entry, seemed surprised by his run. "It would be interesting to see what Juan could have done today in my car because I dont feel Im that good on road courses," Larson said. "Ive never raced here before. I really rely on McMurray -- I sat in the lounge with him for 15 or 20 minutes and he just went through every corner with me and tried to give me as much information as I needed. Carl Edwards was fourth and followed by Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman. The rest of the top 12 included Brian Vickers, Paul Menard, Joey Logano, Danica Patrick and Casey Mears. Patrick has now advanced into the final round of qualifying five times this season. "We would have liked it to be better, but well take it," Patrick said. Hendrick Motorsports goes into Sundays race looking to extend its five-race winning streak, but its drivers will have to come from deep in the field to make it six straight. Jeff Gordon, the all-time winner at Sonoma with five victories, was the highest-qualifying Hendrick driver at 15th. "We pride ourselves on being good on the road courses, especially here at Sonoma," Gordon said. "Obviously we will talk to our teammates, and see what they were dealing with as well. Very disappointed to not have any Hendrick cars in the top-12." Jimmie Johnson, winner of three of the last four races, qualified 22nd. Its his lowest starting spot at Sonoma since 2007. Failing to advance in the final group of 12 in qualifying were road course favourites Tony Stewart, the only Stewart-Haas Racing driver not to make it into the final group, as well as Ambrose and defending race winner Martin Truex Jr. David de Gea Jersey . -- Sami Salo joked that as the shootout went on and on, one thing went through his mind: "Youve got to tie up your skates. Marcos Rojo Jersey . Sweeting scored two in the first and three in the second before Strong (4-4) got two back in the fourth. Sweeting then scored three in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh to grab a commanding 9-2 lead. http://www.manunitedfcpro.com/Kids-Phil-Jones-Jersey/ .C. -- Cam Newton wasnt flawless on Sunday.PRETORIA, South Africa -- His voice shaking, Oscar Pistorius took the witness stand Monday for the first time, testifying that he was trying to protect the girlfriend he killed and that he became so tormented by memories of the fatal shooting and panic attacks that he once hid helplessly in a closet. Pistorius also offered an apology to the family of Reeva Steenkamp, who died from multiple wounds after the double-amputee runner shot her through a closed toilet door last year in his home. He said he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder. Prosecutors allege he killed her after an argument. "There hasnt been a moment since this tragedy happened that I havent thought about your family," the athlete said at the murder trial as Steenkamps mother, June, looked impassively at him in the courtroom. "I was simply trying to protect Reeva. I can promise that when she went to bed that night she felt loved," Pistorius said. Pistorius display of anguish and remorse was a marked departure from the testimony of some prosecution witnesses whose accounts painted a picture of the runner as a hothead with a jealous streak, an inflated sense of entitlement and an obsession with guns in the months before he killed Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model. He has yet to be cross-examined about the shooting in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013, and that testimony is likely to be the centerpiece of a trial being broadcast on television and followed around the world. Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. Some analysts think the judge, who will decide the case, will consider a lesser charge such as homicide, which could still send him to prison for years. Pistorius, 27, spoke in a soft, quavering voice at the start of his testimony, forcing Judge Thokozile Masipa to ask him to speak more loudly. He stood at first, stifling sobs as he said he was on antidepressant medication and sometimes woke from nightmares to the "smell of blood." Defence lawyer Barry Roux, who had aggressively challenged prosecution witnesses since the trial began March 3, led Pistorius gently through events in a life that was held up, in the runners heyday, as an inspiring tale. Pistorius was born without fibula bones because of a congenital defect, and his legs were amputated when he was 11 months old. David Beckham Jersey. . He ran on carbon-fiber blades and is a multiple Paralympic medallist . He also competed at the London Olympics but didnt win a medal. Pistorius described the positive role of his mother, Sheila, and his grief when she died when Pistorius was a teenager. He spoke about the sacrifices he had made for his athletic achievements, his work with charity and how religion was important to him. Pistorius said he has been taking antidepressant medication since the week after he killed Steenkamp and has trouble sleeping. He described one night when he went to hide in a closet after waking up in "a panic." "I climbed into a cupboard and I phoned my sister to come and sit by me, which she did for a while," Pistorius said. His voice broke again, and he struggled to speak when he described how Steenkamp was "a blessing" in his life. Yet in cellphone messages revealed by the prosecution, Steenkamp had once said that Pistorius scared her. Pistorius will return Tuesday to continue testifying after the judge granted an early adjournment because she said Pistorius looked "exhausted." Pistorius said he had not slept the night before. "Im just very tired at the moment .... I think its a lot of things going through my mind," he said. "The weight of this is extremely overbearing." Pistorius also described how he felt vulnerable to crime, an attempt to explain his claim that he reacted to what he thought was a dangerous intruder in his bathroom by shooting with his 9 mm pistol. He said his mother slept with a gun under a pillow, and that his family had been hit by house break-ins and carjackings over the years. He said he had sometimes been followed by unidentified people while driving home. Pistorius also referred to an incident in which he was allegedly assaulted at a social function in late 2012 and had to have stitches on the back of his head. Prosecutors have provided a contrasting picture with evidence indicating that he had been reckless with firearms in public, allegedly shooting his gun out of a sunroof on a road and asking a friend to take the blame for him when a gun was fired under a table in a busy restaurant weeks before he killed Steenkamp. Cheap Nuggets Jerseys Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap Blazers Jerseys Cheap Jazz Jerseys Cheap Warriors Jerseys Cheap Clippers Jerseys Cheap Lakers Jerseys Cheap Suns Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Cheap Mavericks Jerseys Cheap Rockets Jerseys Cheap Grizzlies Jerseys Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Cheap Spurs Jerseys ' ' '