MOTOR SPORTS
Batesville, I-30 hold special events
Little Rock's I-30 Speedway and Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove will host special events this week.
The Summer Slam Street Stock Sizzler will be held at Batesville tonight and Saturday night. The second event of the Bad Boy Big 4 Series will pay $5,000 to win and $400 to start.
The street stocks will have time trials and qualifying heat races tonight, while last-chance qualifiers and the main event will be held Saturday night. The track's IMCA modified, hobby stock, mini-stock and front-wheel drive divisions also will be on the card tonight, while the hobby stocks will join the street stocks Saturday.
Grandstand gates open at 5:30 p.m. and racing starts at 8 p.m. both nights. Adult grandstand admission is $12 tonight and $15 on Saturday night. Kids aged 14 and under get in free. Pit passes are $30 tonight and $35 Saturday night.
On Saturday night, I-30 Speedway will host the seventh annual Rockabilly 45 for the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series late models, paying $5,000 to win and $500 to start.
Greenbrier's Jack Sullivan, who has won six of the tour's 10 events this season, is the series points leader. Garrett Alberson of Las Cruces, N.M., is second in the standings, 87 points behind Sullivan. Rounding out the top five are Trumann's Kyle Beard, Zach McMillan of Kilgore, Texas, and Shreveport's B.J. Robinson.
The event also will serve as a fundraiser for the Will McGary Foundation. McGary was a Conway police officer who was fatally injured in the line of duty in February 2013. Sullivan's car will carry a special paint scheme for the event, featuring the number 474, which was McGary's badge number.
I-30's IMCA modified, super stock, factory stock, mini-sprint and mod-light divisions will also compete.
Gates open at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 7:30 p.m. Adult grandstand admission is $20 and children aged 6-12 get in for $1. Pit passes are $30.
FOOTBALL
UCA earns 12 All-Southland selections
The University of Central Arkansas earned a conference-high 12 selections to the 2017 Southland Conference preseason All-Conference team, the league announced Thursday.
Defensive backs Tremon Smith, George Odom and Jaylon Lofton were named to the first-team defense along with defensive lineman Cardell Best and punter Patrick Ponder. Offensive linemen Stockton Mallett and John Cook were UCA's first-team offensive selections.
Quarterback Hayden Hildrebrand and running back Carlos Blackman were selected to the second-team offense and were joined by offensive lineman Gilberto Garcia.
Defensive lineman Chris Terrell and punt returner Tremon Smith earned spots on the second-team defense.
Sam Houston State had 11 selections and were followed by McNeese State and Stephen F. Austin, which each had eight.
The Southland preseason coaches and sports information directors polls will be released July 20 at the conference's media day in Houston.
GOLF
Hickingbotham takes early ASGA lead
Little Rock's Hunter Hickingbotham made bold strokes Thursday on state amateur golf's biggest stage.
The 2017 Baptist Prep graduate shot a 65 for the first-round lead in the Arkansas State Golf Association Amateur Championship at DeSoto Golf Club in Hot Springs Village. Conway's Carson Roberts is one stroke back in second, while the group at 68 includes ASGA Hall of Famer and multiple-winner Wes McNulty of White Hall and Jonesboro's Trent Jones.
Texarkana's Chuck Gardner (69) also broke 70 in the first round of the 54-hole event which concludes Saturday.
Two-time defending tournament champion Austin Eoff of Benton jeopardized his chances for a repeat with a 74. A four-time NCAA All-American at Purdue and recently named assistant golf coach at Rutgers, Eoff won the 2015 state amateur in a playoff against Bryon Shumate and Seth Garner at the Country Club of Little Rock. He repeated last year at Hot Springs Country Club with a one-stroke victory over Dardanelle's Kerry Lott and Hope's Garrett May.
-- The Sentinel-Record
Loeb leads AWGA by one
Henderson State University sophomore Taylor Loeb shot a 4-over-par 76 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over University of Arkansas at Little Rock senior Peyton Weaver after the first round of the Arkansas Women's Golf Association Championship at the Country Club of Arkansas in Maumelle.
Loeb leads Henderson State teammate Taylor Reed by two shots and Hannah Bakalekos by four heading into today's final round.
Karen Carter leads the tournament's open flight after shooting a 76. She has a six-stroke lead over Brenda Alexander and Pam Evans.
Lauren Loeb and Sydney Steiner are tied at the top of the junior flight after each shot 88 in the opening round.
Sports on 07/14/2017