Cuts » lsen said he struggled in those games against Koevermans. "

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Scott Dixon was the man to beat at Watkins Glen International when the IndyCar Series began racing again at the historic road course just over a decade ago. He still is.Fastest in all three practices, Dixon topped the Fast Six on Saturday with a track-record-smashing time of 1 minute, 22.5259 seconds at 147.008 mph to win the pole for the Grand Prix at The Glen. It was Dixons second pole of the season and 25th of his career, tying him with Paul Tracy for 11th all time, as he eclipsed Ryan Briscoes track record by more than five seconds in a penalty-filled affair.It was hairy, man, Dixon said. There was definitely a lot of chaos during qualifying with people getting pulled back out of the group that they had transferred into.Will Power, second in points to Team Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud, will start second, followed by Sebastien Bourdais, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan and Max Chilton.Pagenaud failed to make the final six for the first time this season and will start seventh. He leads Power by 28 points with two races left in the season.A year ago, Dixon captured his fourth IndyCar championship in stunning fashion. He won the season finale at Sonoma to snatch the title from Juan Pablo Montoya, overcoming a daunting 47-point deficit. That hes really not in the hunt this time -- Dixon is sixth in the standings, 132 points behind Pagenaud -- isnt so much fun.We had to have a lot of things go our way at Sonoma last year. You dont often see it transpire like that, Dixon said. They [Pagenaud and Power] are a lot closer. Wills starting five spots ahead of Simon, and Wills been a lot quicker all weekend. Its definitely going to go down to the wire. For us, its going to feel real strange.Other things to know about IndyCar qualifying at Watkins Glen International:Penalties, penaltiesGraham Rahal, the winner last week at Texas, was sitting comfortably inside the top six in the first of three rounds of qualifying but was penalized for impeding Jack Hawksworths time and did not advance. He pleaded his case with IndyCar officials on pit road, to no avail.Im very disappointed with the ruling, said Rahal, who will start 20th. We obviously have a fast race car, but were going to have to put our heads down and try to come from behind. There is a lot of work to be done. We will give it all we can to try to come up with good strategy to help us make our way to the front.Russian?Mikhail Aleshin?suffered a similar fate. Comfortably in the final six, he was penalized for impeding Montoya and had his two fastest laps taken away, too, giving Power the break he needed to advance.I did all I could in that situation. I knew he was behind me, Aleshin said. I moved to the right side and then they give me the penalty. Whats going on? They took [the] two fastest laps, which were identical. I think thats not very fair, is it?James Hinchcliffe also was a victim. He initially advanced but lost his fastest lap because he spun and affected the progress of Power during the first session, allowing Aleshin to go on to the next round.Red or blackTeams struggled to find the right balance with both the red and black tires on the newly paved surface at The Glen. The red compound is softer, grippier and usually faster, but on this day the harder compound in the blacks proved the better choice.Bourdais proved it with his top qualifying result of the season, but fellow Frenchman Pagenaud did not.I dont know what happened, Pagenaud said. Im trying to understand how we can go faster. We just missed it. It happens. Weve been struggling with speed. Its a new track and youve got to get used to it. Theres a very, very high commitment. Im pretty happy with where we are now. I think we can go racing.Friendly reminderPower starts alongside Dixon on the front row, with Pagenaud three rows back, and starts at Watkins Glen can be disastrous as drivers get aggressive trying to make passes when the green flag waves. Jeff Gordon won the pole here in 2003 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race, was wrecked on the first turn of the race by Greg Biffle and finished 33rd.Dixon said hed remind Power about whats at stake.Ill definitely remind Will before the race that hes got a lot more to lose than I have, Dixon said with a smile. You know, I think you can see that Will has evolved a lot, I think, as a driver, especially this championship.It was funny -- we chatted at Road America about the runaway championship that Simon was having, and I was like, You wait, man, its going to flip. One of us will be in the chase again to try and hunt him down. Sonny Jackson Jersey . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. Max Fried Jersey . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. https://www.cheapbraves.com/633o-austin-riley-jersey-braves.html . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Billy Hamilton Jersey . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Atlanta Braves Shirts . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football.TORONTO -- The camera caught Danny Koevermans face when he stood on the sideline, waiting to enter a game for the first time in nearly a year. It was unmistakable joy. "Goosebumps," Koevermans said of that moment. "Just a great feeling. The standing ovation from the fans. What Id been working for, and I was just so happy to finally be coming back on the pitch." The big Dutch striker made his season debut for Toronto FC on June 1, subbing into the game against visiting Philadelphia in the 86th minute in his first action since tearing his ACL last July. The 6-3 striker hasnt played since, sitting out Torontos 2-1 win over D.C. United last weekend that ended the teams 11-game winless streak. "Hopefully Ill get some more minutes in the coming weeks," Koevermans said at practice Friday. "Well see. Tomorrow in Houston maybe. You dont know." Toronto is in Houston on Saturday looking to put together back-to-back victories for the first time in nearly a year. Houston will be aiming to end their five game winless streak. Fans would love to see Koevermans back at full strength. The hard-charging forward was lethal in the air last season, and scored nine goals in 16 games before his injury dealt a huge blow to the team. TFC coach Ryan Nelsen said any player of Koevermans class "you want to get him on the field as much as you can." But its easier said than done to find minutes for Koevermans when Robert Earnshaw -- the teams leading scorer with six goals -- and Luis Silva have been playing well together. "And its just about getting the timing," Nelsen said. "An ACL injury, hes been away for close to a year now, so its not just going to fall into place just like that. Danny wants to get on the field but sometimes. . . the more he trains the more he gets used to it, the more he gets knocks, the better it is for him." Koevermans has made his home in Toronto since he was acquired in June of 2011 and did his rehab here. The 34-year-old said he never once doubted hed back playing at full strength. "The moment it happened, you just switch off, and switch on again to be back nine or 10 months later," Koeevermans said of his mindset.dddddddddddd Nelsen, who played his last game for Englands Queens Park Rangers in January before joining Toronto as coach, stayed late after practice to play small-sided games with Koevermans during the last few weeks of his recovery. "That was the best part of it, because youre back on the pitch. I love playing those games like theyre doing right now," Koevermans said, glancing over at a small-sided game Friday, featuring coaching staff and players who werent travelling to Houston. "I wish I was in there, because Ive missed a lot of months. The frustrating part is just to start, but when everything gets stronger, and gets better, thats the fun part, because you get to touch the ball again, run again, get some goals again. Thats the best part of it, and its only waiting for the comeback. "Maybe we could just sign (Nelsen), I think hes still fit," Koevermans added, laughing. Nelsen said he struggled in those games against Koevermans. "I was blowing a gasket even when I was marking (retired defender) Jimmy Brennan, let alone a player of Danny Koevermans class," Nelsen joked. Toronto -- 2-7-5 and ninth in the Eastern Conference -- faces a tough test at Houston. The Dynamo is 6-5-4 and fourth in the East and until a loss last month against Kansas City had gone a whopping 36 straight games at home without a loss. Toronto may be better prepared for the weather Saturday. Last year in Houston, Toronto let a 3-1 halftime lead disappear as they wilted in the 29 C heat that with the humidity felt closer to 39 C. The game ended 3-3. Saturdays temperature is expected to be about 34 C. The team practised in the hot sun at their training base in Downsview on Friday afternoon, with the temperature reaching about 26 C. "Guys like the heat. The hotter the better. More fun," Nelsen said -- but added Houston could still have an advantage. "I think (the Dynamo) are just used to it, so whether its freezing cold or boiling hot, you get used to the climate in those conditions, used to how the ball bounces, run of the green and all that fun stuff. Any homefield advantage is an advantage." ' ' '