Sep 27, 2019 4 min read

All-Hendrick front row at Charlotte

William Byron and Alex Bowman led Hendrick Motorsports to a sweep of the front row in qualifying Friday for the first elimination race of the NASCAR playoffs.

Byron went 103.198 mph around the hybrid road course/oval track at Charlotte Motor Speedway that was reconfigured last season to spice up the playoff stop at one of NASCAR’s premier race tracks. It’s the fifth pole of Byron’s career and second this season at the home track for the Charlotte native.

Byron has started on the front row of all three road courses this season (he started second at both Sonoma and Watkins Glen). He is in the 12th and final spot to advance to the second round of the playoffs but has only a two-point edge over Bowman headed into Sunday’s race.

The bottom four in the standings are Bowman, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch and Erik Jones, who dropped to last in the 16-driver field when his car failed post-race inspection last weekend at Richmond.

Reigning series champion Joey Logano qualified third, followed by Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson, who is not in the playoffs for the first time in his career.

Bowyer qualified fifth and was followed by Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick. Martin Truex Jr., winner of the first two playoff races, qualified eighth and was followed by Ryan Blaney and Paul Menard.

Busch qualified 23rd while Jones, who likely must win to advance, was 15th.

Jets re-sign Laine

Restricted free-agent forward Patrik Laine and the Winnipeg Jets agreed to a two-year, $13.5-million contract Friday.

The 21-year-old Finn has 110 goals and 184 points in 237 regular-season games with the Jets. He scored 36 goals as a rookie in 2016-17, added 44 in 2017-18, but dipped a bit last season with 30.

In golf

Bryson DeChambeau hasn’t had much chance to get familiar with his wedge after changing to a graphite shaft this week. The Northern California native certainly looked comfortable enough Friday as he attacked pin after pin to surge up the leaderboard at the Safeway Open.

DeChambeau shot a bogey-free 8-under 64 on Friday to take a two-shot lead in the Safeway Open.

DeChambeau had a 12-under 132 total at Silverado Country Club. The 26-year-old matched two others for the best round of the day and was in line to extend his lead, but left a 20-foot eagle putt short on No. 18.

“It’s always fun to come out and play to the potential you know you can,” DeChambeau said. “The greens got a little bumpy this afternoon but they’re still rolling nice enough to make some putts. I was able to control my line, control my speed and have a couple of them drop in.”

DeChambeau missed the cut at the season-opening event at The Greenbrier, didn’t play in last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship and got off to a slow start this week with an opening-round 68 that left him four shots back.

Nick Watney was second after a 65. Watney needed just 22 putts to complete his round and stay within range of DeChambeau.

Tony Romo, the former NFL quarterback and current CBS analyst, also missed the cut, following an opening 70 with a 78. If he had made the cut, he planned to skip Sunday’s NFL broadcast in Chicago between the Bears and Minnesota Vikings.

Rachel Rohanna of Waynesburg shot 2-under 69 in the first round of the Symetra Tour’s IOA Championship in Longwood, Fla. Rohanna’s round included five birdies, which enabled her to overcome a double bogey. She trails the leaders by five strokes.