Off the wire

MOTOR SPORTS Mechanical issue caused crash

New Jersey state police say a mechanical problem is to blame for the dirt-track racing crash that killed NASCAR driver Jason Leffler last week. The state police released some findings Friday from its notyet-complete report on the June 12 crash at Bridgeport Speedway in Logan Township. The report finds that Leffler was not able to turn as he came out of the fourth turn and spun out, slamming into the concrete wall along the side of the track. The report did not say how fast Leffler was going but said cars in the race were averaging 135 mph and hitting 150 mph on straightaways. Blunt-force neck injuries are cited as his cause of death. Leffler, 37, was a two-time winner on the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Motor sport’s governing body has reprimanded Mercedes and Pirelli for in-season tire testing that rival Formula One teams claimed was unfair. The disciplinary tribunal of the International Automobile Federation also barred the German team from joining other teams at a planned three-day test session for young drivers in July. That was the punishment a Mercedes’ lawyer had suggested to the tribunal at its hearing in Paris on Thursday. The tribunal ruling Friday eliminated concerns that Mercedes could be barred from races or docked points for taking part in the tire tests in May with Pirelli.

TRACK AND FIELD Gay wins 100 title

Tyson Gay (Arkansas Razorbacks) overcame a slow start to win the 100 meters on Friday night at the U.S. Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, surging past Justin Gatlin halfway through the race. Gay proved once and for all his surgically repaired hip is just fine as he finished in a time of 9.75 seconds, the fastest in the world this season. Gatlin wound up second but there was a momentary delay to decide third place. Charles Silmon ended up holding off Michael Rodgers by two-thousandths of a second. Oregon star and NCAA champion English Gardner, who just recently turned pro, captured the women’s 100, breezing past the field in 10.85. Arkansas State’s Sharika Nelvis finished 26th in thewomen’s 100 hurdles preliminaries with a time of 13.79. She needed to finish in the top 16 to qualify for today’s final.

BASKETBALL

Backpacks nixed for parade

The Miami Heat will have their championship parade Monday, and city officials say fans will not be allowed to carry backpacks. An estimated 400,000 fans packed the same route last season after the Heat won the 2012 title. The parade will be followed by an event at the team’s home arena for season-ticket holders. Several major events have not allowed fans to carry backpacks or bags of a certain size after the Boston Marathon bombings earlier this year, including the Penn Relays andhorse racing’s Triple Crown races. Earlier this month, the NFL said it would also not allow backpacks in its stadiums this coming season. Miami won its third NBA championship Thursday night, topping the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 in Game 7 of this year’s finals.

SOCCER Cup will be played

Soccer’s governing body has no plans to cancel the Confederations Cup in Brazil despite the violent anti-government protests spreading across the country. An estimated 1 million protesters took to the streets in more than 80 cities Thursday night in the biggest show of anger yet against the government, which is being accused of corruption, highprices and a lack of investment in public services. “At no stage, I repeat at no stage, has FIFA, the Local Organizing Committee, nor the federal government discussed or considered canceling the Confederations Cup,” said FIFA spokesman Pekka Odriozola. He told a news briefing the eight teams involved in the tournament were being kept updated about the security situation in Brazil. Local organizing committee spokesman Saint-Clair Milesi said an empty bus carrying FIFA logos had been one of several parked vehicles attacked with stones during protests in the coastal city of Salvador on Thursday. Brazil is scheduled to play Italy there today, and Japan will play Mexico in Belo Horizonte. Both cities have seen violent protests in recent days.

BASEBALL Dykstra released

Former All-Star outfielder Lenny Dykstra has been released from a California prison after serving time for bankruptcy fraud. Dykstra, 50, who had a 12-year career with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, was freed, according to federal Bureau of Prisons records, but no other details were available. A message left for his attorney Christopher Dybwad was not immediately returned Friday. Dykstra was sentenced in December to 6 ½ months in prison for hiding baseball gloves and other heirlooms from his playing days that were supposed to be part of his bankruptcy filing. He already had served seven months in custody awaiting sentencing.The prison term ran concurrently with a three-year sentence for pleading no contest to grand theft auto and providing a false financial statement. Dykstra, who bought a mansion once owned by hockey star Wayne Gretzky, filed for bankruptcy four years ago, claiming he owed more than $31 million and had only $50,000 in assets. After the filing, Dykstra hid, sold or destroyed at least $200,000 worth of items without the permission of a bankruptcy trustee, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty last summer to one count each of bankruptcy fraud, concealment of assets and money laundering. Dykstra is on three years’ probation and must complete 500 hours of community service, participate in a substance abuse treatment program and pay $200,000 in restitution.

HOCKEY Ex-Canucks coach signs on with Rangers

Alain Vigneault wasn’t out of work for long.

Just more than four weeks after he was fired by the Vancouver Canucks, Vigneault took over as coach of the New York Rangers on Friday, replacing the blustery John Tortorella three weeks after his dismissal.

Vigneault, 52, edged out former Rangers captain Mark Messier, longtime former Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff and others in landing the job as New York’s new bench boss. He was given a fiveyear deal.

“I was thinking about the opportunity to coach the New York Rangers, one of the Original Six teams,” Vigneault said. “There is not a chance I could pass that up. Honored and privileged I feel at this moment.”

In 11 seasons as an NHL head coach with Montreal and Vancouver, Vigneault is 422-288-35-61 in 806 games.

Vigneault was interviewed last week during the Rangers’ organizational meetings in California and then met with team owner James Dolan in New York. Messier also had an interview during the club meetings out West.

“We had a list of 13 candidates and I narrowed it down to nine,” said Glen Sather, Rangers president and general manager. “I interviewed two in person and four over the phone. It wasn’t just between A.V. and Mark.”

It is unknown if Messier will remain with the Rangers. He is currently a special assistant to Sather. Messier, a Hockey Hall of Fame player, lacks the coaching experience that Vigneault is loaded with.

Tortorella was fired after 4½ seasons with New York on May 29 - four days after the Rangers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by Boston in five games. A year ago, the Rangers reached the Eastern Conference finals before bowing out against New Jersey.

Vigneault posted impressive credentials with the Canucks, ranking first on the franchise list in coaching victories, earning the Presidents’ Trophy twice for having the most points in the NHL, winning six Northwest Division titles, and getting within one victory of capturing the Stanley Cup in 2011.

In seven seasons as Vancouver’s coach, Vigneault was 313-170-57 in the regular season but only 33-32 in the playoffs. His final two seasons ended in disappointment as Vancouver was knocked out in the first round in both years - including a sweep by San Jose last month.