Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • B6

6B WK3915 www.star-telegram.comS 1 NFL Motorsports Of all the competitive pur- suits of the American sports culture, the Red Bull Air Race World Cham- pionship might require the most derring-do from its participants. Defying gravity in zig- zagging through air-filled pylons that dot tracks in the high-speed and low- altitude sport while fight- ing unimaginable G-forces just for everybody. Kirby Chambliss, a na- tive Texan, and 13 other racers on the Red Bull se- ries will be on hand today and Sunday to confront the specially designed aerial track inside Texas Motor Speedway, trying to com- plete it in the fastest time and incurring as few pe- nalties as possible. Qualifying begins at 3:20 p.m. Saturday, start- ing with the Challenger Class, followed by Cham- bliss and his peers in the Master Class.

On race day, Sunday, the Master Class begins with the round of 14 at 1 p.m., followed by the round of eight and final four. was 21 years Chambliss said, I was flying business jets for La Quinta Motor Inns and a chief pilot told me all his guys get aerobatic training because if it ever winds up upside down with a CEO on board we want you to be able to turn it right side up without killing anyone. said, that makes sense to So we went out in an aerobatic plane, turned it upside down, and I was wow, this is the coolest thing And it kind of changed my pro- fessional life. I was about one thing: The Corpus Christi-born Chambliss, who with Mi- chael Goulian is one of two Americans in the interna- tional field, has become over the last 30 years one of the great aerobatic pilots of his era, having won five U.S. Na- tional Championships in the unlimited level and 13 World Championship medals.

In 2000, he was the Freestyle World Champion. In the Red Bull series, he has won two season titles. He is, he said, about though this year has been a challenge. Chambliss sits 11th overall entering the seventh of the eight-race season. British racer Paul Bonhomme, Aussie Matt Hall and Hannes Arch of Austria sit atop the standings.

been kind of a crummy year for us, to be said Chambliss, coming off a third-place finish in Spielberg, Aus- tria, earlier this month. airplane is flat-out maybe a No. 7. in Texas, I want to win. just going to go out and do the best I can to fly the pants off this thing and hopefully come out on top Chambliss is expecting a modified plane for Texas in hopes of increasing his speed.

He know at the time of this interview whether engineers had succeeded. right, sometimes Even at 55, Chambliss believes he still has the make-up to compete at the highest levels in a sport that would seem better suited to a younger reflexes. Then again, Bon- homme is in his early 50s, Hall and Arch are mid-to- late 40s. Most crucial, Chambliss said, is a body capable of dealing with the G-forces. important to be in good physical condition, but the best exercise for these guys is being in the plane and pull- ing A week out of the plane will cause a change in his body being able to absorb the Chambliss said.

why never out of a plane that long. He now wants to reacquaint himself with winning ef- fort. about Chambliss said. not happy unless winning. For right now, I feel just as good as the guys doing Texan hopes to wing his way back to top at TMS 7nRed Bull Air Race 7 Kirby Chambliss is out to win in his home state.

By John Henry Special to the Star-Telegram Red Bull Air Race World Championship at Texas Motor Speedway qualifying Challenger Class, 3:20 p.m. Master Class, 4 p.m. races Round of 14, 1 p.m. Round of 8, 3 p.m., fol- lowed by the final 4 Moseley The seventh of eight stops on the Red Bull Air Race circuit is this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Carl Edwards will start from the pole in his bid to give Joe Gibbs Racing its fourth consecutive victory.

Edwards continued dominance with a lap of 137.980 mph to win the Sprint Cup pole Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Kevin Harvick was second, the boost he needed after finishing 42nd last week in the Chase open- er at Chicagoland. Kurt Busch, Stewart- Haas teammate, was third. Edwards has found a qualifying groove at New Hampshire, sweeping the top spot for both races this season. got a great start to the Chase and just keeping that Ed- wards said.

JGR has won three con- secutive Cup races and nine of the last 12. Midwest Nationals Larry Dixon took the Top Fuel qualifying lead Friday at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill. Dixon had a 3.756-second run at a track- record 328.06 mph. The three-time season champion has five runner-up finishes this year and is third in the points standings. Jack Beck- man topped the Funny Car field, Greg Anderson was the fastest in Pro Stock, and Jerry Savoie led in Pro Stock Mo- torcycle in the second of six events in the Countdown to the Championship.

Edwards wins Loudon pole for 2nd Chase race 7 Roundup From wire reports Lineups. 9B IRVING Dallas Cow- boys linebacker Sean Lee is back playing football again. not just that Lee is back after missing last season with a torn left an- terior cruciate ligament. that playing as well as he ever has and possibly better. Lee is as healthy, strong and fast as been be- cause the surgically repaired knee is better and more sta- ble.

And moved from middle linebacker to weak- side linebacker. It has him covered from a blocker by a defensive tackle, allowing him to take advantage of his natural linebacker instincts to run free to the ball and make plays. fun when you get to run downhill fast and going to the Lee said. what line- backers dream It all came together Sun- day against the Philadelphia Eagles when Lee broke a Cowboys record for pro- duction points on defense. Lee was credited with a team-high 14 tackles with two tackles for loss and an interception.

He broke up two passes and recovered an onside kick. felt like the ball was coming my way a Lee said. felt like the defen- sive line did an unbeliev- able job penetrating. I was free to the hit a lot of time. So I give them an unbe- lievable amount of credit.

That helped me a Lee was named NFC de- fensive player of the week. a Cow- boys defensive lineman Jeremy Mincey said. understands exactly what is going on. He under- stands where to be and what position to be in when he gets there. The thing that makes him so special is that never content.

always working to be the The Cowboys (2-0) need Lee and the defense at their best at noon Sun- day against the Atlanta Falcons (2-0). return is a big reason the defense has gone from a weakness to the strength of the team through the first two games, despite being without three playmakers in defensive ends Greg Hardy and Randy Gregory and middle linebacker Rolando McClain. Lee leads the Cowboys in tackles (23) and tackles for losses (3). He is tied for the team lead in interceptions (1) and pass deflections (2). know now after these first two ballgames what the injury to Sean Lee owner Jerry Jones said.

talk about our defense without talking about the difference and the impact Lee credits the athletic trainers and doc- tors for getting him back on the field. also about the work Lee has put in on, and off, the field. Coach Jason Garrett said Lee has a knack for making plays, but his commitment and work ethic are second to none, and it showed in his rehab from the knee injury. a great football Garrett said. a long road back for him.

He looked at that adversity, stared it down and some- how, some way got himself ready to play again. He has been outstanding the first two Lee could be en route to his first Pro Bowl. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has com- pared his potential impact and fit at weakside line- backer to Chicago Bears Pro Bowler Lance Briggs and Tampa Bay Bucca- neers Hall of Famer Der- rick Brooks. Lee has no interest in big-picture takes. He has never played a full season with the Cowboys because of injuries.

His focus is game to game and being on the field for all 16. If he does that, the honors will come. Mincey sidelined Defensive end Jermey Mincey was diagnosed with a concussion late this week, putting him out of game. His absence puts the Cowboys down three right ends: Greg Hardy has another two games to sit out in his four-game suspension, and Randy Gregory continues to re- hab the ankle he injured in the season opener. Jack Crawford likely will start at right end.

He played mostly inside for his 28 snaps in the season opener, but with Gregory out against the Eagles, Craw- ford played only one snap inside and the other 36 at end. The Cowboys have only three healthy defen- sive ends in Crawford, DeMarcus Lawrence and Ryan Russell. They also have linebacker Kyle Wil- ber, a former defensive end whom they can use as a pass-rusher. The Cowboys had only three defensive ends on their 46-man game-day roster last week, with Law- rence playing 51 of 62 snaps. Wilber (hamstring) and Russell (groin) are probable.

Russell, a fifth- round pick, was inactive for the first two games. Tight end James Hanna (knee) also is probable. The Cowboys listed left guard Ron Leary (groin) as questionable, and rookie Collins will make his first career start. Executive vice president Stephen Jones made the announce- ment Friday on his weekly radio show on FM. Clarence Hill, 817-390-7760 Twitter: Lee enjoying feel of active duty 7nCowboys 7 Sean Lee is healthy and playing at his best this season.

By Clarence E. Hill Jr. Bouaphanh Sean Lee, who missed last season with a knee injury, has made an impact for the defense since moving to weakside linebacker this season. Falcons (2-0) at Cowboys (2-0) Noon Sunday, Stadium TV: 4 Quarterback Drew Brees will be sidelined for New game at Carolina on Sunday, when the Saints will try to avoid falling to 0-3. Brees, recovering from a bruised rotator cuff in his right (throwing) shoulder, will be replaced in the line- up by 12-year veteran Luke McCown, Saints coach Sean Payton said Friday.

Payton said resting Brees this weekend was not a difficult decision. Payton also declined to forecast whether Brees would return the follow- ing week against Dallas. game will mark the first start Brees has missed because of an injury since joining New Orleans in 2006. McCown has been with the Saints since 2013 but has yet to complete a regular- season pass with the club. injuries It will be at least another week before linebacker Brooks Reed (groin injury) makes his Atlanta debut, coach Dan Quinn said.

Reed was the top acquisition in free agency. The Falcons also will be without starting running back Tevin Coleman and return specialist Devin Hester when they visit Dallas on Sunday. Briefly Redskins: Cornerback DeAngelo Hall is expected to miss at least three to four weeks with a sprained toe on his right foot. Receiver DeSean Jackson, who hurt his left hamstring in a Week 1 loss to Miami, has a chance to be able to play Oct. 4.

Seahawks: Safety Kam Chancellor is expected to play Sunday against the Bears after ending his hol- dout earlier this week. Run- ning back Marshawn Lynch is listed as questionable. Lions: Quarterback Matthew Stafford (injured ribs) is listed as probable for Sunday game against Denver. Bears: Quarterback Jay Cutler and receiver Alshon Jeffery were both ruled out for game at Seat- tle. Cutler and Jeffery are both nursing pulled hamstrings.

NFL: The league is ask- ing the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for an expedited hearing in its appeal of a federal decision to nix New Eng- land Patriots quarterback Tom suspension. Packers: Receiver Da- vante Adams cut and ran close to full speed on his in- jured ankle in practice and may be available for Mon- day game against Kansas City. Running back Eddie Lacy is questionable with an ankle injury. Dolphins: QB Ryan Tannehill is listed as probable with back and right ankle injuries.

Brees ruled out against Panthers 7 NFL notes From wire reports Golf Henrik Stenson overcame a few early mistakes in a Friday drizzle and shot 2- under 68 for a three-shot lead over Jordan Spieth of Dallas going into the weekend of the Tour Championship in Atlanta. It was the sixth straight round under par at East Lake for Stenson. He has never left this course without seeing his name atop the leaderboard. Spieth, the Masters and U.S. Open champion, made two crucial par saves on the front nine and closed with a 20-foot birdie putt for a 66.

It was the best score of the round on a tough day. The aver- age score was 71.6. Flores leads Web.com Former Mansfield stand- out Martin Flores shot a 1- under 70 to take a one- stroke lead at 5 under after the second round of the Web.com Tour event in Columbus, Ohio. The tournament is the third of four events in the series for the top 75 players from the Web.com Tour money list, Nos. 126-200 in the PGA FedEx Cup standings and other non- members.

The top 25 players on Web.com regular-season money list earned PGA Tour cards. The other players are fighting for another 25 cards based on series earnings. Flores, 33, was 156th in the FedEx Cup and has made $2,900 in the series. He needed strong play in the final two weeks to re- gain his PGA Tour card. Sam Saunders, Arnold grandson, was tied for second with Ro- berto Castro, Luke List and Rhein Gibson.

UT Arlington grad Zack Fisher, who is 52nd on the Web.com money list, shot a 4-under 67 and sits two strokes back in a tie for sixth. First Tee Open Jesper Parnevik birdied three of his last four holes to finish with a 5-under 67 at Poppy Hills for a share of the lead with Tom Byrum in the Champions First Tee Open in Pebble Beach, Calif. Stenson keeps hold of Tour Championship lead 7 Roundup From wire reports Results. 9B.