A rookie driver for a brand new team won the pole for the Indianapolis 500 on a strange day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Team Penske was disqualified before the final two rounds of qualifying.

Robert Shwartzman, a 25-year-old with dual nationality in Israel and Russia, became the first Indy 500 rookie to qualify on the pole since 1983. The last rookie to qualify for the pole was Teo Fabi.

Shwartzman initially raced under the Russian flag until the start of the war with Ukraine. He now races under the Israeli flag, which makes the Tel Aviv native the first driver from Israel to make the Indy 500.

His race team, Prema, is the first team making its debut in the Indy 500 to take the pole since Mayer Motor Racing put Tom Sneva there in 1984.

The pole was wide open for the taking first when Team Penske was disqualified from qualifying for an illegal modification on the cars of two-time defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden and Will Power, and Scott McLaughlin destroyed his car in a Sunday morning practice crash.

The three Penske drivers all started on the front row last year, but will be 10th, 11th and 12th in the fourth row together next weekend.

Bell beats Logano in NASCAR All-Star Race

Christopher Bell loves North Wilkesboro Speedway, and Joey Logano hates the “Promoter’s Caution.”

Those were the main takeaways from the top two finishers in an action-packed NASCAR All-Star Race at the 0.625-mile oval in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

In a slam-bang affair that set a record for lead changes, Bell beat Logano by 0.829 seconds to earn his first All-Star Race victory. Bell, who won three consecutive Cup Series races earlier this season but had a previous best All-Star finish of 10th, delivered the third All-Star Race win for Joe Gibbs Racing.

“That right there is absolutely incredible,” Bell said. “North Wilkesboro, best short track on the schedule.”

He also is a fan of Marcus Smith, the president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports that owns North Wilkesboro Speedway. In a new All-Star Race wrinkle, Smith was allowed to choose when to throw a “ Promoter’s Caution ” that would bunch the field for a late restart.

Smith sent two-time Daytona 500 winner and Fox Sports personality Michael Waltrip to the flag stand to display the random yellow flag on Lap 217 with Logano leading by about a half-second over Bell.

Minor League baseball

Saints win finale in Iowa to snap losing streak

Andrew Morris pitched five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and Will Holland homered as the St. Paul Saints beat the Iowa Cubs 3-0 on Sunday to snap a five-game losing streak after winning the first game in Iowa on Tuesday.

Holland’s two-run homer, his third of the season, came in the top of the ninth inning. Richard Lovelady pitched a scoreless inning for his second save.

WNBA

WNBA investigating slurs made toward Reese

The WNBA is investigating racial comments directed toward Angel Reese by fans during the Chicago Sky’s loss to Caitlin Clark and the Fever at Indiana on Saturday, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Sunday on condition of anonymity because the league had not publicly identified the subject of the taunts or who made the allegations.

Reese, who is Black, and Clark, who is white, met for the seventh time in their ongoing — and much-talked-about — rivalry.

MLB

Phillies closer Alvarado suspended 80 games

Philadelphia Phillies closer José Alvarado was suspended for 80 games on Sunday following a positive test for external testosterone under Major League Baseball’s drug-testing program.

Alvarado, among the hardest-throwing relievers, became the second player suspended this year under the big league testing program after Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the positive test was caused by a weight loss drug Alvarado took during the offseason. Dombrowski said Alvarado accepted the suspension and did not appeal.

“It’s not something he did knowingly,” Dombrowski said. “I believe that, the way he talked to me.”

hockey

U.S. routs Kazakhstan to advance at worlds

The United States secured its place in the quarterfinals of the ice hockey world championship with a 6-1 rout of Kazakhstan on Sunday.

The Americans are tied with the Czech Republic with 14 points in Group B, trailing leader Switzerland on 16. The U.S. completes its group stage on Tuesday against the Czechs, who have two more games.

Frank Nazar, Jackson Lacombe, Tage Thompson, Matty Beniers, Michael Kesselring and Zach Werenski scored for the U.S. Jeremy Swayman made 16 saves in goal.

tennis

Alcaraz beats Sinner again to win Italian Open

Carlos Alcaraz defeated the top-ranked Jannik Sinner again, 7-6 (5), 6-1, to win his first Italian Open on Sunday and add another big clay-court title to his resume.

Since the start of last year, Alcaraz is the only player to beat Sinner more than once and now he’s done it four straight times.

Alcaraz’s victory before Sinner’s home fans at the Foro Italico snapped the Italian’s 26-match winning streak, which stretched back to October — when Alcaraz beat him in the China Open final in a third-set tiebreaker. Alcaraz now leads the career series 7-4.

It was Sinner’s first tournament back after a three-month doping ban.

briefly

Soccer >> The Minnesota Aurora beat Kansas City Current II 2-0 on Sunday in the final exhibition match before the season begins Thursday.

Formula 1 >> Max Verstappen ended Oscar Piastri’s three-race win streak and gave his title defense a big boost with victory at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday.

Golf >> Sergio Garcia said right now he would decline an invitation to play for Team Europe if he was chosen by captain Luke Donald.

— From news services