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INDIANAPOLIS -- Ryan Hunter-Reay peeked around Helio Castroneves, then reversed course and dipped inside for a daredevil pass and the lead in the Indianapolis 500. Castroneves charged back to the front, winning a drag race down the frontstretch at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And then, in a stirring wheel-to-wheel battle between a pair of bright yellow cars, Hunter-Reay seized the lead once more Sunday as the drivers hurtled across the Yard of Bricks with a single, 2.5-mile lap remaining. With nobody in front of him, Hunter-Reay used the entire track to keep Castroneves in his rearview mirror. He nipped him at the line by less than half a car length, denying his Brazilian rival a chance at history Sunday and becoming the first American in eight years to win the Indy 500. "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" had lived up to its nickname. "This race was ridiculously close and competitive," Hunter-Reay said. "Just glad I picked the right time to go." The finish was well worth the wait -- to the fans who watched 150 laps of caution-free racing, to the drivers who bided their time unsure of when they should charge to the front and to Hunter-Reay, who finally got to drink the celebratory milk in his seventh try. He beat Castroneves by just 0.060 seconds -- only the 1992 race had a closer finish when Al Unser Jr. beat Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds. "Im a proud American boy, thats for sure," Hunter-Reay said in Victory Lane before he was joined by his wife and son. "Ive watched this race since I was sitting in diapers on the floor in front of the TV. My son did it today. He watched me here. Im thrilled. This is American history, this race. This is American tradition." He was serenaded by chants of "USA! USA!" as he made his way around the post-race celebrations. He was joined by son Ryden, born shortly after Hunter-Reays 2012 IndyCar championship and wearing a miniature version of his fathers firesuit as his parents kissed the bricks. Castroneves, trying to become the fourth driver to win a fourth Indianapolis 500, settled for second. He needed several moments to compose himself, slumped in his car, head down and helmet on. The Brazilian said a caution with 10 laps to go broke his rhythm as red flag came out so track workers could clean debris and repair a track wall. "It was a great fight," he smiled. "I tell you what, I was having a great time. Unfortunately, second. Its good, but second sucks, you know what I mean?" Marco Andretti finished third and Carlos Munoz was fourth as Andretti Autosport had three cars in the top four, as well as the winner. Kurt Busch, also in a Honda for Andretti, finished sixth in his first race of the day. He left immediately for a flight after the race and arrived about an hour later in North Carolina for Sunday nights Coca-Cola 600, where his attempt to become the second driver to complete 1,100 miles in both races on the same day ended when his car blew an engine late. Busch ended up completing about 907 miles. "All in all, Im very pleased. I cannot believe the execution of this team," Busch said before hustling away for a helicopter ride to his waiting plane. "I tried to enjoy it. My throats real dry because I was smiling the whole time and the fresh air was coming in my mouth." Marco Andretti appeared to have a shot at the win, but after the final restart he never could mix it up with Hunter-Reay and Castroneves as the two leaders swapped position four times in the final five laps. So certain his son would be a contender for the victory Sunday, Michael Andretti was just as thrilled with Hunter-Reays win. "Ryans just been a huge part of our team, a great guy, a friend," said Michael Andretti, who won for the third time as a team owner. "He deserves it. He deserves to have his face on that trophy. If it couldnt be Marco, hes the next guy I wanted." A year ago, Hunter-Reay was passed for the lead with three laps remaining and went on to finish third as the race finished under caution. He was leading Sunday and had control of the race until Townsend Bells crash brought out the red flag. Hunter-Reay figured he was a sitting duck as the leader, his chances over. "I cant get a break," he lamented on his team radio. But after swapping the lead with Castroneves three times, including a dramatic inside move in Turn 3, Hunter-Reay made the final and decisive pass as the two cars took the white flag. "At the end of the day theres stupid and bravery, and I think we were right there on the edge, both of us," Castroneves said. "Im glad we both come out in a good way. Im sad it did not come out the way I wanted." Alex Tagliani of Lachenaie, Que., placed 13th while Jacques Villeneuve of Iberville, Que., was right behind him in 14th. The race went a record 150 laps without a caution as the pace zipped along and Busch at one point had no worries at all about getting to North Carolina in time for NASCARs longest event of the year. Then a Charlie Kimball spin brought out the first yellow, a crash by Scott Dixon led to a second caution and a risky three-wide move on the next restart caused pole-sitter Ed Carpenter and Canadian James Hinchcliffe to wreck. Carpenter was livid, calling out Hinchcliffe for an "amateur" move. "The moment when Hinch decided to make it three-wide was more than any of us could handle," Carpenter said. "I told him if he didnt have a concussion last week I would have punched him in the face." Hinchcliffe, of Oakville, Ont., cleared to drive last weekend after suffering a concussion two weeks ago in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, accepted responsibility. "I was the last guy on the scene," he said. "I have to take the blame, for sure. I feel really bad for (Carpenter) because he had a great month and was doing a great job." The race resumed and Hunter-Reay was in control until the fourth and final caution, which led IndyCar to throw a rare red flag to allow the drivers a chance to race to the finish. "It went green the whole way and I love that," Hunter-Reay said. "Winning it under green like that with just a fantastic finish -- I hope the fans loved it because I was on the edge of my seat." Burch Smith Jersey . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Brian Flynn Jersey . Striker Dario Mandzukic scored the opener in the 22nd minute but was given a red card nine minutes later for a reckless tackle and left Croatia with 10 men for the remainder of the match. http://www.royalsteamproshop.com/Royals-...on-Kids-Jersey/. The 18-year-old centre was the Senators first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The six-foot 196-pound native of Salmon Arm, B. Abraham Almonte Jersey . Jimmy Howard made 44 saves and Henrik Zetterberg scored two goals, leading the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. Melky Cabrera Jersey . Then he got back at the team that released him five days before the start of last season, hitting a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning of the first game at Fenway Park since Boston won the World Series last October.NEW ORLEANS -- When Pelicans 7-footer Jason Smith stepped outside for the type of mid-range jumper he hits routinely, Oklahoma Citys Serge Ibaka sprang out to the perimeter and blocked the shot. While the Thunder can usually rely on plenty of scoring from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, it was a concerted defensive effort in the second half that helped them build and keep a comfortable lead down the stretch in a 109-95 victory over New Orleans on Friday night. "Everybody did a great job helping each other on defence and there was more communication," said Ibaka, who had 17 points, 13 rebounds and three of the Thunders 11 blocks. "Our focus was to contest every shot and make them make tough shots. Some nights they will make them but I think tonight we did a great job and that was the key." Durant scored 29 points and Westbrook added 25 as Oklahoma City beat New Orleans for the ninth straight time and 14th in 15 meetings. Most of those games occurred when New Orleans team was called the Hornets. Ryan Anderson scored 18 for the Pelicans, who lost their second straight at home while playing their third full game without power forward Anthony Davis, sidelined by a broken left hand. New Orleans also lost guard Tyreke Evans to a left ankle sprain late in the third quarter, and soon afterward Oklahoma City built a 15-point lead. "I hate to say we didnt play well. We just missed so many shots in the paint," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. "Whether they blocked the shot or distracted us, or we threw it up there and just didnt make it, I thought that messed with us a little." New Orleans raced to an early double-digit lead, only to fall behind 58-52 by halftime after Westbrook pulled up for a quick 3-pointer with 31 seconds left in the quarter and Reggie Jackson hit another with 2.7 seconds left. Westbrook said he was just trying to assure his team two possessions inside the last 38 seconds. "It worked out for us,"t; he said.dddddddddddd. "We got two 3s out of it. They got nothing." Durant, who also had three blocks, opened the second half with a 3 to make it a nine-point game and the Thunder led the entire second half -- rather comfortably throughout the fourth quarter, going up by as many as 20. It was precisely the type of second-half effort the Thunder sought after giving up 35 third-quarter points in a loss at Portland two nights earlier. "We were really disappointed in how we lost last game and wanted to be better," Durant said. "Were a really good team after losses." Jackson scored 15 for Oklahoma City, which shot 50.6 per cent (39 of 77) and rarely allowed its lead to slip below double digits after Thabo Sefoloshas driving dunk made it 74-64 in the middle of the third quarter. Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon each scored 16 for New Orleans, which shot 37.5 per cent (33 of 88) and hurt itself by going 3 of 16 from 3-point range. Evans had 11 before his injury and Anthony Morrow 10. Oklahoma City shot nearly 59 per cent in the opening half, when Durant (19 points) and Westbrook (17) combined for 36 points. New Orleans had the largest lead of the half when Holidays reverse layup made it 22-11 halfway through the opening quarter. But the Thunder chipped away, regaining the lead early in the second. The game was tied at 52 after Gordons fast-break layup. Then came the back-to-back 3s by Westbrook and Jackson in the final half-minute of the second quarter, and the Thunder never trailed again. NOTES: Oklahoma City, which is 9-0 at home, improved to 5-4 on the road. ... New Orleans outrebounded Oklahoma City 49-41. Smith grabbed 12 rebounds for the Pelicans and Al-Farouq Aminu had 10. ... Oklahoma City turned 16 New Orleans turnovers into 24 points and outscored the Pelicans in fast-break points 17-10. ... New Orleans might have lost the game by an even wider margin if not for 19 offensive rebounds and 20 second-chance points. ' ' '