• Jimmie Johnson wins third NASCAR • Auburn third in BCS; USC Trojans in top slot • Miami, Florida State tumble in AP poll Jimmie Johnson wins third NASCAR HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Jimmie Johnson won his third straight NASCAR
• Jimmie Johnson wins third NASCAR
• Auburn third in BCS; USC Trojans in top slot
• Miami, Florida State tumble in AP poll
Jimmie Johnson wins third NASCAR
HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Jimmie Johnson won his third straight NASCAR Nextel Cup series race on Sunday, holding off Mark Martin at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Johnson’s victory helped ease some of the pain from the tragedy that struck Hendrick Motorsports last weekend. A team plane crashed while heading to a race at Martinsville, Va., killing all 10 people aboard. Among the victims were the son and brother of owner Rick Hendrick, along with the team’s general manager and chief engine builder.
Martin had the best car in the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500, his Ford leading 227 of the 325 laps. But a late yellow flag cost him the top spot, and he couldn’t chase down Johnson at the end.
Johnson jumped two places to second in the season standings, just 59 points behind Kurt Busch.
Auburn third in BCS; USC Trojans in top slot
Auburn moved into third place in the Bowl Championship Series on Monday while Southern California and Oklahoma held firmly to the top two spots.
The Tigers had been in fourth place in the first two BCS standings, but they took advantage of Miami’s upset loss on Saturday to creep closer to the front-runners.
California moved up four spots to fourth, and is followed by Wisconsin and Utah.
Miami and Florida State, which was also upset on the road Saturday, fell out of the BCS top five for the first time this season.
The top two teams in the BCS standings after the regular season will meet in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 4.
USC has a grade of .9895. The Trojans are No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. They are also tied with Oklahoma for the best computer ranking this week.
The Sooners, No. 2 in both polls all season, have a grade of .9648. Auburn’s grade is .9238, placing third in each poll and the computer rankings.
Miami, Florida State tumble in AP poll
Miami and Florida State tumbled in The Associated Press poll on Sunday, falling out of the top 10 after being upset on the road.
The Hurricanes’ first loss of the season, a 31-28 defeat at North Carolina, dropped them seven spots to No. 11 in the media poll. They were one of five ranked teams to lose on the road to unranked opponents Saturday. The Seminoles lost 20-17 at Maryland to snap a six-game winning streak. They fell eight spots to No. 13.
Southern California is No. 1 and Oklahoma is No. 2 for the 10th straight poll. Texas-El Paso is No. 25 as coach Mike Price has the Miners in the rankings for the first time in their history.
