NASCAR

Jimmie Johnson started near the back of the pack, but he finished first.

Johnson pulled away after the final restart with 13 laps to go Sunday, winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Johnson, a six-time Cup champion, finished 1.803 seconds in front of Kevin Harvick for his 71^st career victory and his fourth at the trioval track in Hampton, Georgia.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished third and Joey Logano took fourth.

BASEBALL

Minnie Minoso, the first black to play major league baseball in Chicago, died at 92. His 17-year career spanned five decades and he was a nine-time All-Star. The Cuban-born Minoso began his career in Cleveland in 1949 and he was traded to the White Sox in 1951.

He played 12 seasons in Chicago and the club retired his number in 1983.  “Minnie may have been passed over by the Baseball Hall of Fame during his lifetime, but for me and for generations of black and Latino young people, Minnie’s quintessentially American story embodies far more than a plaque ever could,” President Barack Obama said in a statement.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No. 1 Kentucky ran its record to 29-0 with an 84-67 win over Arkansas. … No. 2 Virginia beat Virginia Tech 69-57. … No. 3 Gonzaga fell 73-70 to Brigham Young, ending its school-record 22-game winning streak.

NFL

The Dallas Cowboys said they would use their franchise tag on wide receiver Dez Bryant, keeping him off the free-agent market. The one-year contract would be worth $12.8 million. The Cowboys also said they would let running back DeMarco Murray, who led the NFL in rushing, test the free-agent market.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .