starter last week and neither Henry Owens nor Roenis Elias were pitching well enough in Triple-A to merit co

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- IndyCar racing returned to Watkins Glen International on Friday after a six-year hiatus, and New Yorks Thunder Road didnt disappoint as the teams practiced in earnest for the first time.Its great to be back, great to be going around here, Helio Castroneves said. This is the DNA of open-wheel racing, and the history behind this place -- it suits perfectly the series.Most of the teams were permitted to test earlier for this weekends race, which replaced a street event in Boston that was canceled. WGI was repaved after last season, and it created a smooth-as-silk surface with gobs of grip that opened a lot of eyes in Fridays two practices on a sunny day.In morning practice around the 3.37-mile, 11-turn layout, all 22 drivers eclipsed Ryan Briscoes track record of 1 minute, 28.1322 seconds at 137.657 mph set in 2009 in a Honda V-8. Scott Dixon, a three-time winner at The Glen, topped the charts in the No. 9 Target Chevrolet in both sessions: He turned a fast lap of 1:23.8921 seconds at 144.614 mph in the morning session and 1:22.8740 at 146.391 mph in the two-hour afternoon session to edge Castroneves and Will Power of Team Penske.Theres no other track where you commit like here, said Power, second in the standings, 28 points behind teammate Simon Pagenaud with two races left in the season. Its so different. Theres no comparison. Its so much faster.Pagenauds first extended time on the track in his career ended on a sour note. He was 11th fastest in the afternoon but crashed into a tire barrier in the waning moments.Watkins Glen was the birthplace of road racing in America after World War II. A 6.6-mile course using mostly paved roads with a short dirt and gravel stretch served as the layout for the first race at Watkins Glen in 1948.In 1961, Formula One came to The Glen and the race became a fall tradition, remaining through 1980. Financial difficulties helped lead to The Glens departure from the Formula One calendar after Alan Jones won the 1980 race. The last open-wheel race of that era was the Watkins Glen 200, a CART event in 1981 -- Mario Andretti started on the pole and Rick Mears won the race.For the next two years, the track was not well maintained. Then, in 1983, Corning Enterprises, a subsidiary of Corning Glass, partnered with International Speedway Corp. to buy the track and rename it Watkins Glen International.NASCAR has raced each year at Watkins Glen since 1986, and IndyCar began a five-year run in September 2005 before the track parted ways with the series when the finances didnt add up.The departure of open-wheel racing didnt sit well with track president Michael Printup, a devotee of Formula One, and when Boston organizers pulled out of their deal in May, IndyCar and WGI worked out a deal to move the race to upstate New Yorks Finger Lakes region. That turned into a three-year commitment when a two-year contract extension was agreed to last week, ahead of original plans to talk after Sundays 60-lap, 202.2- mile race.The short time to promote Sunday afternoons race means attendance wont turn any heads. Its a start, though, at the very least.Were not going to hit a home run. You cant plan a birthday party in 90 days, Printup said. We sold just under 10,000 tickets in corporate in 2010. We have 200 this race. Its too hard to call a company in June and say, `Hey, our race is the first week of September. Budgets are done. Even family budgets are done.The track sold all of its grandstand seats for the last two Sprint Cup races as sizable crowds streamed through the gates in spectacular weather conditions. Attendance figures are not released, but those two NASCAR crowds were estimated at around 100,000.Printup estimated the track would end up with 40,000 to 50,000 fans for IndyCars race weekend, an average of around 15,000 or more per day. He said next years race would be held the same weekend, but a 2018 date had not yet been agreed upon.It might be the best weekend for TV, Printup said. College football on Saturday, no NFL on Sunday. You want TV for all your sponsors, but you want your on-track attendance. I think if we give people a year to plan, this could be their family vacation next year.Just the thought of that left Printup wearing a big smile.This is awesome. This is the place for those cars, he said. They belong here. They need to stay here. Cheap NFL Blank Jerseys . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. Cheap Blank Jerseys . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. http://www.wholesaleblankjerseys.com/ . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. Wholesale Blank Jerseys China . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. BOSTON -- Cross off one item from the Boston Red Soxs lengthy trade-deadline shopping list.Seeking a right-handed bat for their lefty-leaning bench and greater infield depth, the Red Sox acquired veteran Aaron Hill on Thursday from the Milwaukee Brewers for Triple-A right-hander Aaron Wilkerson and Double-A infielder Wendell Rijo. The Brewers will also help subsidize some of the approximately $6 million left on the final year of Hills contract, half of which was already being paid by the Arizona Diamondbacks.Weve been looking for a right-handed hitter infielder that could play third base for a while, said Dave Dombrowski, the Red Sox president of baseball operations. Were in a position where were trying to win this thing. We think [Hill] makes us better.Hill, 34, has played primarily third base for the Brewers this season. Dombrowski stopped short of saying Hill will platoon with lefty-hitting third baseman Travis Shaw, but considering Shaw is batting .211 with a .620 OPS against lefties, it seems likely Hill will take some of those at-bats.Shaw also bruised his left foot in Wednesday nights 11-6 victory over the Texas Rangers. But Dombrowski said the Red Sox were talking to the Brewers about Hill long before Shaw suffered the injury, which is not considered serious after X-rays taken Thursday were negative.Dombrowski can now concentrate exclusively on strengthening the pitching staff, both the rotation and the bullpen. Red Sox starters have combined for a 4.82 ERA, 10th in the American League entering Thursday night. And setup man Carson Smiths season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery has left Boston in need of another late-inning reliever to ease the burden on 41-year-old Koji Uehara.That fourth and fifth [starter] spot, weve been searching, Dombrowski said. We have had more conversations over pitching. Im not sure that means were any closer tto making a deal or not.ddddddddddddIn acquiring Hill, the Red Sox seemingly traded from their limited pitching depth. Although Wilkerson is having a strong season -- 2.14 ERA in 16 starts between Double-A and Triple-A -- Dombrowski said the former independent league pitcher was never a serious candidate to get called up because of his lack of major league experience.Indeed, when the Red Sox needed a starter last week and neither Henry Owens nor Roenis Elias were pitching well enough in Triple-A to merit consideration, they bypassed Wilkerson for Sean OSullivan, whose 5.99 career ERA was outweighed by his 55 starts in the big leagues.I dont think we could count on Aaron being a guy stepping forward in this situation, Dombrowski said. Being [he has] never pitched in the big leagues, to be a key factor in this race.Hill batted .283 with eight homers, 29 RBIs and a .780 OPS in 254 at-bats for the out-of-contention Brewers. Although Hill has been an everyday player for most of his career, the Red Sox expect he will be productive off the bench.Dombrowski said the Red Sox got good reports on Hill from third-base coach Brian Butterfield, who coached Hill with the Toronto Blue Jays. Hill also played briefly for manager John Farrell in Toronto and is close friends with Red Sox scout Jaymie Bane.Its a situation that we did check with everybody and got real good reports on his makeup and what he brings to the ballclub, Dombrowski said. Hes got a nice swing. Hes a veteran player who knows how to keep himself in shape and ready to go.To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, outfielder Ryan LaMarre has been designated for assignment. LaMarre was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts after getting called up from Triple-A Pawtucket last month. ' ' '