Twistity Sports Exclusive WEEKEND IN REVIEW: STEWART BACK ON TRACK

 
Tony Stewart made his return to the track on Sunday night, racing in the Oral-B 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The three-time NASCAR champion had not taken part in a race since he struck and killed another driver, Kevin Ward Jr., on a dirt track in upstate New York on Aug. 9. He got a warm greeting from the crowd before the race but it was hardly an auspicious evening otherwise.

Stewart hit the wall early in Sunday night’s race following a collision with Kyle Busch, requiring work to the right side of his car. He made the wall’s acquaintance a second time after his right front tire blew out on lap 172, keeping him from finishing. He did not talk to reporters afterward. Kasey Kahne was the winner.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: It was a big opening weekend, but Florida is still waiting to find out what will happen in its first game. The Gators’ game in Gainesville against Idaho was delayed Saturday night for nearly three hours by lightning and rain. Once it finally began, Idaho managed to kick off. Yay. And that was it. Lightning fired up again and about an hour later the field was declared unplayable. No decision had been made as of Sunday night as to when or if the game could be rescheduled. Florida and Idaho both have an open date on Oct. 25. … The top four teams – Florida State, Alabama, Oregon, and Oklahoma all won.

North Dakota State, which plays in the lower Football Championship Subdivision, won its 25^th consecutive game, beating Iowa State. It was the Bison’s fifth consecutive win over a school from the Football Bowl Subdivision (the big schools). … There were the usual opening mismatches and blowouts, including Michigan’s 52-14 pounding of Appalachian State, Michigan State’s 45-7 scrub-a-dub of Jacksonville State and Stanford’s 45-0 blowout of Cal Davis.

NFL CUTS: NFL teams got their rosters down to 53 players, with the season kicking off Thursday night. Many players lost their jobs but much of the focus was on rookie Michael Sam, attempting to become the first openly gay player in the league (and don’t we wish we could stop saying that). The St. Louis Rams kept nine defensive linemen but released Sam, who was a seventh-round pick. He went unclaimed through waivers and was looking for employment elsewhere.

Today’s question: Which team would be the best fit for a smallish defensive end like Sam? Answers in the comment box, please.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .