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SPARTA, Ky. -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. 22 Ford can win no matter whos driving. Blaney earned his first Nationwide Series victory and another win for the teams Mustang, holding off Austin Dillon and surviving several late cautions to win Saturday nights 300-mile race at Kentucky Speedway. Blaney, who drives for Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski in the Camping World Truck Series, used his second start in the No. 22 to claim the cars 10th victory of 2013 and a season sweep at Kentucky. Keselowski drove the car to victory in June. Blaneys win included tense moments over the final 40 laps, from beating Dillon off pit road with a two-tire stop on lap 166 to reclaiming the lead from Dillon after losing it on the restart. More tests followed, including a near-brush with teammate Sam Hornish Jr.s loose Ford and one final restart. "We just had an awesome, awesome Mustang," Blaney said. "The team just kept getting the car better and better and as the race went on. Those restarts were tough. Luckily, I had a good enough car to hold them off." Matt Crafton was third, Hornish fourth and rookie Alex Bowman fifth in a Toyota. Dillon shaved two points off Hornishs series lead and trails by just 15 with six races remaining. Getting closer to Blaney was out of the question for Dillon and just about anyone in contention. Hornish gave it a shot late in the race before that late wiggle left him settling for his 21st top-five finish of the season. Dillon had hope on several restarts, only to let the son of NASCAR veteran Dave Blaney quickly snatch it away on several late restarts. The final one typified the futility: Blaney blasted out on lap 191 to open up a three car-length lead and didnt look back. "He did everything right," Dillon said of Blaneys restarts. "He did everything he could to hold me off and the car was better once he got out front for sure. I felt like if we couldve got out front we could hold him off for eight laps, but disappointed that we couldnt quite clear him." Hornish led 65 laps after starting on the pole, while Dillon led 32. Beating the No. 22 has been tough for everybody this season. Three other drivers have reached victory lane in it this season, including Keselowski, whos racing in this weekends Cup series race in Loudon, N.H. Blaney, who won a Trucks race in Iowa last year, became the fourth in just his 15th start. Crew chief Jeremy Bullins kept him calm and focused over the radio, and the only direction he ever really needed was to victory lane after taking the checkered flag. The points race meanwhile saw little change. Hornish entered Saturday looking to widen his edge on Dillon, who came into the series final stand-alone race seeking his third Nationwide victory in four Kentucky starts. He helped his prospects Saturday afternoon by clocking 179.235 mph to claim his third pole this season and leading Penskes front-row sweep with Blaney (178.159) taking the outside spot. Dillon was close by in the third spot with a run of 178.042 mph in his Chevy. With Cup regulars racing this weekend in New Hampshire, 41 drivers had the track to themselves, and Nationwide contenders did their best to exploit the freedom. Hornish and Dillon in particular looked forward to racing all-out here, with the points leader especially eager to follow up Junes ninth-place run. After the start was delayed briefly to allow track dryers to blow away some weepers, Hornish went about proving how good his Mustang was. He led the first 65 laps before his teammate won the race off pit road during the third caution and led on the restart. Dillon was second and needed only a lap to move in front -- on lap 68 -- and add another chapter to his impressive Kentucky resume. He led the next 32 laps before Blaney took the first of two leads to establish himself as the best driver in the best car. "Im a pretty lucky guy and privileged to have the drivers we have," Bullins said. "I dont think we have any slouches, so I dont have any complaints about my driver lineup. Ive got it pretty good. Tonight was another example of that. "We brought a good car, and we got somebody driving that knows what to do with it and was able to get the job done." Mario Balotelli Jersey . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Jack Dunn Liverpool Jersey . White came in fourth place in the event. He was the two-time defending gold medallist. The gold medal went to Swiss snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov. http://www.soccerauthentic.com/manchester-city-fc-...ov-jers ey/ . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. Mamadou Sakho Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Jack Dunn Jersey . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human.All Geroy Simon wanted was the chance to play. The native of Johnstown, Pa., knew little about the CFL in 1999 when he joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as a rookie free agent. Fourteen years later, Simon is close to leaving his mark as the most prolific receiver in league history. Simon, 38, already the CFLs all-time receiving yards later, needs just six catches to eclipse Ben Cahoons career mark of 1,017. And the Saskatchewan Roughriders veteran slotback can break the record Sunday night against his former team, the B.C. Lions. "I didnt know much about the CFL when I came up here, I had bounced around the NFL and felt like I wasnt getting a fair shot," Simon said Wednesday during a conference call. "I just wanted to go somewhere where I was going to have an opportunity to play and I know if I got a true opportunity that I would do well. "Obviously I didnt think Id be No. 1 in the history of a league thats over 100 years old . . . when I first got here and looked at the record book and saw Allen Pitts (at 14,891 career yards) I just hoped to have just one 1000-yard season. I just wanted to play football no matter if it was north or south of the border, I just wanted a true opportunity to be a professional and show I can do it and at a high level." The six-foot-two, 198-pound Simon is just one of three players in league history to accumulate over 1,000 career catches -- Cahoon and Terry Vaughn are the others -- and has amassed 16,128 yards and 103 TDs over his illustrious 15-year CFL career. "Ben and I have been friends for a long time," Simon said. "He was a great player in this league and Im honoured to have an opportunity to break a record of such a legendary player." And if Simon scores a touchdown against B.C., hell strike his traditional Superman pose. "Of course," he said. "I feel fans expect that and its something Ive done throughout my career. "It wont change since Im playing B.C." Simon spent his first two CFL seasons with Winnipeg before signing with B.C. as a free agent following the 2000 campaign. Simons career took off with the Lions with six league all-star nominations and two Grey Cup titles (2006, 11). Simon also captured the CFLs outstanding player honour in 06 after registering 105 catches for 1,856 yards and 15 TDs, all career highs. Simon was a model of consistency with B.C., registering nine straight 1,000-yard seasons. But he missed five games with hamstring injuries last year and was limited to 54 catches for 700 yards and two TDs. Once the 2012 campaign ended, Simon was open to restructuring his contract with B.C. but had said if the club didnt want him back hed look at playing elsewhere. Lions GM Wally Buono gave Simon and his camp permission to gauge interest in a potential trade, and on Jan. 24 the veteran was dealt to Saskatchewan for receiver Justin Harper and a 2014 third-round draft pick. An upper body injury forced Simon to miss Saskatchewans first three regular-season games. But when he joined the starting lineup, Simons role was to mentor and complement young guns Chris Getzlaf, Weston Dressler and Taj Smith while providing a veteran presence and leadership. "I think I bring a presence in the locker-room and on the sideline," Simon said. "I think I have a voice a lot of people will listen to because of the success Ive had in the past . . . a lot of younger players come to me for my leadership. "I give my opinion when needed and I think its been working out pretty well because I do it in subtle way at times that maybe people dont understand but the message gets through." Simon has registered just one 100-yard game this season, recording five catches for 125 yards and a TD in a 32-20 road win over Hamilton on July 27. Three times Simon has finished with five receptions in a contest, but has had two or less in the other five. On Saturday, Simon faces his former B.C. teammates for the first time since the trade. Simon, who turned 38 last week, had five catches for 69 yards in last weekends 31-29 loss to Toronto and has 23 receptions for 341 yards and three TDs this season. But Simon has nothing to prove against the Lions. "Im excited for the week, I get to see some guys Ive not seen in a long time," he said. "As cliche as it sounds, I have to treat this as any other game once it gets going. "Ill be excited and ready to go just because Ill be playing against guys I practised against the last 10-to-12 years and have the opportunity to play against and try to get a win." Theres certainly plenty on the line as Saskatchewan (8-3) and B.C. (7-4) chase front-running Calgary (9-2) in the West Division. Its also the first of three head-to-head meetings between the Riders -- whove lost two straight -- and Lions with that being the tie-breaker should they end the season tied in the standings. "Any time you play a divisional opponent its huge," Simon said. "I know B.C. gets stronger during the year and thats one thing were trying to do. "This is going to be a huge game and Im really looking forward to it. It happens to be against my old team. Im not worried about who the opponent is, I just want to go out and win.&qquot; Simon says hes enjoyed playing in Regina, a football-mad city with no shortage of diehard fans who are rabid in their support of the Riders.dddddddddddd "I wanted to play football in a place where football was king," he said. "At times you cant go anywhere and hide . . . but at the same time people give you your space here. "This is one of the warmest places Ive ever been with people willing to help and just doing things for you. It has been an amazing experience to this point." And it seems Riders fans will see a lot more of Simon. He intends on playing through the 2014 season before sitting down and determining his football future. "Coming into my professional career I was on a 10-year plan and wouldve been happy just to play 10 years," he said. "Once I got to 10, I felt I was just getting going and starting to hit that momentum. "I think Ive got a lot left in the tank and feel I still have a lot I can do in this league." Simon spent his first two CFL seasons with Winnipeg before signing with B.C. as a free agent following the 2000 campaign. Simons career took off with the Lions with six league all-star nominations and two Grey Cup titles (2006, 11). Simon also captured the CFLs outstanding player honour in 06 after registering 105 catches for 1,856 yards and 15 TDs, all career highs. Simon was a model of consistency with B.C., registering nine straight 1,000-yard seasons. But he missed five games with hamstring injuries last year and was limited to 54 catches for 700 yards and two TDs. Once the 2012 campaign ended, Simon was open to restructuring his contract with B.C. but had said if the club didnt want him back hed look at playing elsewhere. Lions GM Wally Buono gave Simon and his camp permission to gauge interest in a potential trade, and on Jan. 24 the veteran was dealt to Saskatchewan for receiver Justin Harper and a 2014 third-round draft pick. An upper body injury forced Simon to miss Saskatchewans first three regular-season games. But when he joined the starting lineup, Simons role was to mentor and complement young guns Chris Getzlaf, Weston Dressler and Taj Smith while providing a veteran presence and leadership. "I think I bring a presence in the locker-room and on the sideline," Simon said. "I think I have a voice a lot of people will listen to because of the success Ive had in the past . . . a lot of younger players come to me for my leadership. "I give my opinion when needed and I think its been working out pretty well because I do it in subtle way at times that maybe people dont understand but the message gets through." Simon has registered just one 100-yard game this season, recording five catches for 125 yards and a TD in a 32-20 road win over Hamilton on July 27. Three times Simon has finished with five receptions in a contest, but has had two or less in the other five. On Saturday, Simon faces his former B.C. teammates for the first time since the trade. Simon, who turned 38 last week, had five catches for 69 yards in last weekends 31-29 loss to Toronto and has 23 receptions for 341 yards and three TDs this season. But Simon has nothing to prove against the Lions. "Im excited for the week, I get to see some guys Ive not seen in a long time," he said. "As cliche as it sounds, I have to treat this as any other game once it gets going. "Ill be excited and ready to go just because Ill be playing against guys I practised against the last 10-to-12 years and have the opportunity to play against and try to get a win." Theres certainly plenty on the line as Saskatchewan (8-3) and B.C. (7-4) chase front-running Calgary (9-2) in the West Division. Its also the first of three head-to-head meetings between the Riders -- whove lost two straight -- and Lions with that being the tie-breaker should they end the season tied in the standings. "Any time you play a divisional opponent its huge," Simon said. "I know B.C. gets stronger during the year and thats one thing were trying to do. "This is going to be a huge game and Im really looking forward to it. It happens to be against my old team. Im not worried about who the opponent is, I just want to go out and win." Simon says hes enjoyed playing in Regina, a football-mad city with no shortage of diehard fans who are rabid in their support of the Riders. "I wanted to play football in a place where football was king," he said. "At times you cant go anywhere and hide . . . but at the same time people give you your space here. "This is one of the warmest places Ive ever been with people willing to help and just doing things for you. It has been an amazing experience to this point." And it seems Riders fans will see a lot more of Simon. He intends on playing through the 2014 season before sitting down and determining his football future. "Coming into my professional career I was on a 10-year plan and wouldve been happy just to play 10 years," he said. "Once I got to 10, I felt I was just getting going and starting to hit that momentum. "I think Ive got a lot left in the tank and feel I still have a lot I can do in this league." 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