The Des Moines Register du lieu suivant : Des Moines, Iowa • Page 28

The Des Moines Register ST Page 2C Saturday, June 21, 2003 SWFET TOOTH AND SWEET EVERYTHING ELSE British soccer star David Beckham, who signed a $41.3 million transfer to Real Madrid earlier this week, was presented with a 10-foot chocolate statue ot himself on a publicity tour of Japan. AWARDED DES MOINES' GREATEST HONOR Drake's new basketball coaches Tom Davis and Amy Stephens will be presented with the keys to the city of Des Moines on Monday at the start of the Des Moines city council meeting. 0 Racing Weekend LAST WEEK'S QUESTION DodgeSaveMart 350 WHEN: 2:30 Sunday (KDSM) Which player with Iowa ties will be the highest pick in the NBA draft this month? More than 2,300 votes. Nick Colllson 56 Iowa Falls native was Kansas ail-American. Mllilll An eh 1 Jl a a i in i inif imiirrrTiTei lit Mm Kirk Hlnrlch 32.4 Sioux City native was Kansas all-American.

Chris Alexander 4.5 Ex Iowa State and Indian Hills 7-footer. Kyle Korver 3.8 Pella native was Creighton all-American. Chauncey Leslie 3.3 Led Mawkeyes in scoring Nick Collison average last season. THIS WEEK'S QUESTION Which driver will win the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup points championship? SITE: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif Driver (No.) Car 1. Boris Said (01) Pontiac 2.

Robby Gordon (31) Chevy 3. Ron Fellows (1) Chevy 4. Matt Kenseth (17) Ford 5. Kurt Busch (97) Ford 6. Kevin Harvick (29) Chevy 7.

Rusty Wallace (2) Dodge 8. Jeff Gordon (24) Chevy 9. Ricky Rudd (21) Ford 10. Tony Stewart (20) Chevy 11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

(8) Chevy 12. Bill Elliott (9) Dodge 13. Ryan Newman (12) Dodge 14. Bobby Labonte (18) Chevy 15. Dave Blaney (77) Ford 16.

Jeff Burton (99) Ford 17. Mark Martin (6) Ford 18. Scott Pruett (09) Dodge 19. Ward Burton (22) Dodge 20. Michael Waltrip (15) Chevy 21.

Joe Nemechek (25) Chevy 22. Todd Bodine (54) Ford 23. Terry Labonte (5) Chevy 24. Elliott Sadler (38) Ford 25. Johnny Benson (10) Pontiac 26.

Jamie McMurray (42) Dodge 27. Sterling Marlin (40) Dodge 28. Jack Sprague (0) Pontiac 29. Dale Jarrett (88) Ford 30. Kenny Wallace (23) Dodge 31 Jeremy Mayfield (1 9) Dodge 32.

Greg Biffle (16) Ford 33. Casey Mears (41 Dodge 34. Tony Raines (74) Chevy 35. Kyle Petty (45) Pontiac 36. Johnny Miller (4) Pontiac 37.

Jimmie Johnson (48) Chevy 38. Ricky Craven (32) Pontiac 39. Jimmy Spencer (7) Dodge 40. Steve Park (30) Chevy 41. Christian Fittipaldi (43) Dodge 42.

Ken Schrader (49) Dodge 43. Hideo Fukuyama (66) Ford Tony Stewart, defending champion Matt Kenseth, current leader Dale Earnhardt current runner-up Jeff Gordon, currently in third place RICHARD DREWASSOCIATED PRESS Cast your vole at DesMolnesReglster.comsporti Vroomm I mean rrring: Jeff Gordon, center.and Dale Earnhardt right, listen to Nextel CEO Tim Donahue talk about one of his company's mobile phones painted to resemble the NASCAR vehicle of Gordoa Officials say it's a good story the NASGAR-Nextel hookup meant the stars had lined up. Now well find out if it lasts forever. Draft Three former Des Moines players hope to get calls from NHL teams 6) Preview The futures of three former Des Moines Buccaneers may take shape today in the 2003 National Hockey League Entry By DAVID POOLE THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Draft. What they're saying ew York, N.Y.

It's about a $750 million deal, and it began with a cold call. 1 Thomas Morrow and Jamie Hoffmann are ranked in the top 100 North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting cat Going Around "I think the drivers are going to have to start practicing calling it the Nextel Cup. I think having a company like Nextel speaks volumes about how much NASCAR has grown." Johnny Benson Hoffmann JUAN PABLO M0NT0YA, on the differences between Formula One racing and NASCAR. WHEN: Today and Sunday WHERE: Nashville, Tenn. TIME: Today, noon (ESPN2); Sunday, 9 a.m.

WHO PICKS FIRST: Florida TOP PROSPECTS: Eric Staal, at 6-3 and 182 pounds has speed and size. Posted a 12-game scoring streak with Peterborough of the OHL. Marc-Andre Fieury, led Canada to silver medal and was named best goattender at 2003 World Junior Championship. Nathan Horton, scored 64 goals and notched 71 assists the last two seasons with Oshawa of the OHL. Defenseman Ryan Suter is 6-1 and 183, and has good passing skills and the ability to run the power play.

Dustin Brown, right wing, is the top-rated U.S.-born player. Has a sharp wrist shot and Is always an offensive threat. "I cant see anybody not getting excited about such a large step forward. This solidifies for a lot of the young drivers the future. It shows we haven't reached our peak yet.

It's not even in sight." Dale Earnhardt Jr. very good folks, very smart men and women and very down-to-earth people. At the end of the day, it's the people side of the business that makes the difference." That Donahue was fired up about racing from his trip to Daytona fueled Nextel's side. "I was probably the most passionate and enthusiastic person inside the company when it came to NASCAR," he said. Nextel came back to NASCAR with a proposal, and after a series of meetings and discussions, the key players from both sides attended a dinner in Reston, Va.

Donahue, Schweitzer and chief operating officer Tom Kelly, who is from South Carolina, graduated from Woff ord and went with his uncle to the Southern 500 at Darlington as a boy, were there for Nextel. NASCAR President Mike Helton joined George Pyne, NASCAR's chief operating officer, and Brian France on that side. "I will never forget Tim said, 'I want this, I like this, this will be good for our Pyne said. "When you hear that from the CEO of the company in a short amount of time, it gets your attention." Pyne said officials from both sides had been in New York since July 12, meeting all day through the weekend, hammering out details of the deal that include agreements with NASCAR and the tracks where the NASCAR Nextel Cup series will be run. It's a 10-year deal, and Donahue said he hopes that's just the beginning.

"A 10-year agreement is terrific," he said. "But my view is I hope this is a lifetime arrangement with Nextel and NASCAR." Service. A.J. Bucchino is Included in the top 30 North -American goaltenders. The first three rounds of the draft take place today at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville.

The nine-round draft will conclude Sunday. Morrow, a 6-foot 6-inch, 210-pound defenseman, Is ranked No. 82 among North American skaters. "He's intriguing to professional people because of his size," Buccaneers coach Bob Ferguson said. Hoffmann, the Buccaneers' third-leading scorer last season, is ranked No.

96. Bucchino, who had a .909 save percentage, holds the No. 27 North American goalie spot. "He may not be the best fundamentals goalie, but he makes up for it with athletic ability," Ferguson said. "He has that drive inside of him.

He'll do whatever it takes to be a professional goalie." Central Scouting separates prospects into skaters and goaltenders, and divides them If the way the deal between NASCAR and Nextel came together is any indication, this is going to be a happy marriage. "The stars sort of lined up," said Brian France, NASCAR executive vice president, of a process that developed from a phone call to a 10-year deal sources said is worth about $75 million a year. When J. Reynolds Tobacco told NASCAR early this year it would work well if a new title sponsor for the Winston Cup series could be found, NASCAR began looking at companies that might be interested. The obvious candidates Coca-Cola and McDonald's drew immediate speculation, and some others had appeal, especially Visa.

Early in the process, however, NASCAR officials decided a telecommunications company might be a good fit. That offered the potential for growth in a market where the sport was not as strong as it was in other areas. What NASCAR didn't know was Nextel was looking at it, too. Tim Donahue, the company's chief executive officer, had attended the Busch Series race at Daytona in February as a spectator. When he returned to Nextel's headquarters in Reston, he was hooked.

"I went and I was just blown away by the crowds, the enthusiasm and by the merchandising that was going on," Donahue said "I came back and told our folks, 'Look, we're talking to a lot of different people about getting involved in NASCAR. Let me tell you, we've got to do this. This is great France said NASCAR, meanwhile, had decided Nextel, which has focused on small- and medium-sized business clients, might be worth calling. Brian Corcoran, director for corporate marketing in NASCAR's New York office, called Mark Schweitzer, senior vice president of marketing for Nextel. Corcoran later sent an e-mail telling Schweitzer that key NASCAR officials were going to the Washington area and it might be a good time to meet.

The first meeting took place March 26 at Nextel's headquarters just outside Washington. There was, Donahue said, an immediate chemistry. "When I met the NASCAR people, I knew we had a fit," he said. "They're into North American and 1 European lists. All will be mixed together during the draft.

Ethan Philpott is the highest drafted player In Buccaneers' history. He was taken with the No. 64 pick overall in the third round of the 1993 'draft. ESPN2 will televise the draft from noon-3 p.m. today.

LisaColonno "NASCARisrunin a small area (the South) with what they call with all due respect A fan has the same car their favorite driver has. Here, it is about technology and a leading edge. It's a totally CalendarTVRadio Afferent Wallace to help design Newton racetrack NEWTON, from PageIC The proposed complex, which gained unanimous approval from the Newton City Council in April, is slated to have 25,000 permanent seats and would accommodate races and other flagship events such as concerts. "Here we have a Midwesterner coming back, working with Midwest-erners to try to create a premier project," Schlaack said. "It's just terrific." According to US.

MotorSport, the city of Newton will provide a $1.3 million economic development grant for purchasing 226 acres of land and more than $7 million for public improvements. The city's support is contingent on the company's ability to attract private investors. "We certainly like to talk to people who are interested," Schlaack said. "At the same time, you cant talk to them about detail until you have the detail the way it actually lays out." Procuring Wallace's involvement lends the project credibility, Schlaack said. Wallace hopes his work behind the scenes can match his success behind the wheel.

"When my peers get out of their cars and claim this track to be the best they've ever experienced, that will be my satisfaction," Wallace said. "I want to hear them say, 'Man, that was the most exciting track I've ever run HOCKEY Noon NHL Draft (ESPN2) HORSE RACING 4:00 Dallas Turl Cup: Ogden Phipps Handicap; Ohio Derby (KCCI, KGAN, KIMT, KMEG, KMTV, WHBF) SOCCER: MLS 3:00 Los Angeles at New YorkNew Jersey (ESPN2) 7:00 Chicago at Kansas City (Fox Sports Chicago) SOCCER: WUSA 3:00 New York at San Diego (KFPX) Radio MLB 11:40 a.m. Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs, KR NT-AM (1590) Noon Boston at Philadelphia, KLRX-FM (96.1), KJJC-FM (107.1) 6:30 Kansas City at St. Louis, KPSZ-AM (940), KLRX-FM (96.1), KJJC-FM (107.1) 7:00 Kansas City at St. Louis, KCOB-AM (1280), KCOB-FM (95.9) PCL BASEBALL 6:40 Oklahoma at Iowa, KXNO-AM (1460) Calendar PCL BASEBALL 7:05 Oklahoma at Iowa PREP BASEBALL Noon Mason City at Waterloo East (2) Newton Invitational Iowa City High at Ames Hoover at Indianola Invitational Johnston at Cedar Rapids Kennedy Invitational Ankeny, East at Winterset Invitational Soccer SOCCER 7:30 Sioux Falls at Des Moines Softball HIGH SCHOOL Mason City Mohawk Invitational JACK NORTH-GARY PAGE CLASSIC At East 12:30 East vs.

Sioux City East 5:45 -East vs. HLV (Victor) At Hoover 11:30 Hoover vs. Clear Creek-Amana (Tiffin) 6:30 Hoover vs. Woodward-Granger At Lincoln 10:45 Marshalltown vs. Johnston 2:15 Lincoln vs.

Johnston 5:45 Marshalltown vs. Solon 7:30 Lincoln vs. Mid-Prairie (Wellman) At Urbandale 11:30 Urbandale vs. Wapello 4:45 Urbandale vs. Cardinal (Eldon) Pleasant Valley Invitational 11 a.m.

Newton vs Clinton Carlisle Classic 10 a.m. Ankeny vs Pella Dowling Classic Southeast Polk, Roosevelt, Indianola, Dowling Valley at C.R. Kennedy Tournament COLLEGE TRACK U.S. National Championships (Palo Alto, Calif.) Television MLB Noon Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs (KDSM, KFXA, KFXB, KUB, KPTH, KPTM, KXLT, KYOU) 6:00 Baltimore at Atlanta (TBS) 7:00 Kansas City at St. Louis (KGWB) COLLEGE WORLD SERIES 6:00 World Series, championship (ESPN) GOLF 2:00 PGA Buick Classic (KAAL, KCAU, KCRG, KETV, KTVO, WOI, WQAD) 2:00 Wegmans Rochester LPGA (ESPN) Around The Track TODAY Pearson Bros.

Night 6:45 Knoxville Raceway PointsQuick 16 Races 6:30 Eddyville Raceway Weekly Racing 7:00 Boone Speedway Midseason Championships 6:30 Nordic Speedway, Decorah Motocross; Short Track Racing 5:30 Hawkeye Downs Speedway, Cedar Rapids SUNDAY Weekly Racing 6:00 Stuart Speedway WEDNESDAY Weekly Racing 7:00 Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa THURSDAY NEI Dirt Series, 305 Sprints TBA Cresco Speedway FRIDAY Test and TuneHigh School Race 6:30 Eddyville Raceway Weekly Racing 6:30 Iowa State Fairgrounds 7:00 Marshalltown Speedway Sprints, Trucks, Stocks TBA Hawkeye Downs Speedway, Cedar Rapids Iowa Championship Supercross TBA Cresco Speedway KN0XVILLE RACEWAY: The weekly 360s return after last week's 360 Nationals event. Hot laps are at 6:45 with racing at 8. Des Moines' Josh Migday tries to ride his third place finish in the Nationals' A-main into his second A-feature win of the season. In the 410s, Travis Cram hopes to follow his first A-feature win at the track with another top performance. Cram charged to third in the points standings behind Terry McCarl and Kerry Madsen.

KNOXVILLE IN S.D.? The World of Outlaws visited Huset's Speedway in Brandon, S.D. on Wednesday night, and so did some Knoxville regulars. Four-time defending Knoxville points champ Terry McCarl took ninth in the A-feature after being fourth-quickest in qualifying. Knoxville regulars Brian Brown, Lynton Jeffrey and Calvin Landis finished 1-2-3 in the B-feature, and transferred to the A-feature, which also included Justin Henderson, Blake Feese and Eric Vander Ploeg. KELEADDS BIG NAMES: The World Challenge which runs during Knoxville Nationals, Aug.

13-16 continues to add prominent drivers. The 16-lap event will include such names as Skip Jackson, Joey Saldana and two-time defending Challenge champ Donny Schatz. The deadline for eligible drivers to enter is July 1. NASCAR TRUCKS: Jon Wood won his first career pole Friday for the NASCAR truck series race at Memphis Motorsports Park. The best previous qualifying result for Wood was a fourth-place start last month at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Wood, who does not have a sponsor, is competing on a race-to-race basis. "It's an unfortunate situation we're in," Wood said after locking up the top starting position for Saturday's O'Reilly 200 in a Roush Racing Ford. Wood's fast lap was 117.407 mph. He'll start inside the Dodge of Chad Chaffin (117.223)..