LONG BEACH, Calif. Dario Franchitti came here believing the seaside street circuit in downtown Long Beach owed him a win.

He collected Sunday, winning the first IndyCar Series race at the venue that previously hosted the CART circuit and its now-defunct successor, Champ Car.

In CART Franchitti finished second to Alex Zanardi in 1998 and Juan Pablo Montoya in 1999.

BULVERDE, Texas Felix "Doc" Blanchard, the 1945 Heisman Trophy winner and Army's Mr. Inside in one of college football's most famous backfields, has died. He was 84.Blanchard's daughter, Mary Blanchard, told The Associated Press late Sunday night in a phone interview that her father died of pneumonia at his home in Bulverde, a small town in central Texas, earlier in the day.The bruising fullback, listed at 6 feet, 208 pounds, and Glenn Davis, aka Mr. Outside, helped Army win consecutive national titles in 1944-45.The year after Blanchard became the first junior to win the Heisman Trophy, Davis won it and Army went undefeated again.With Blanchard and Davis, Army went 27-0-1 from 1944-46.

BOSTON Josh Beckett's suspension was reduced from six games to five on Sunday, allowing the Boston Red Sox ace to take his next turn in the rotation.Beckett threw a pitch near the head of the Los Angeles Angels' Bobby Abreu last Sunday, leading to both dugouts and bullpens emptying. The right-hander was suspended on Tuesday and immediately appealed the ruling.

MONACO Rafael Nadal became the first player to win five straight Monte Carlo Masters titles by beating Novak Djokovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 on Sunday.The top-ranked Spaniard, however, lost a set at the clay court tournament for the first time since the 2006 final against Roger Federer.Nadal extended his winning streak at Monte Carlo to 27 matches and got his 21st straight victory on clay since losing to fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round of the Rome Masters in May 2008.

RENO, Nev. A 100-year-old woman from New Jersey has become the oldest competitor in the history of the United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships.Emma Hendrickson of Morris Plains, N.J., was presented Saturday night with a plaque and a medallion to commemorate her 50th consecutive appearance in the tournament. The great-great-grandmother rolled a 115, 97 and 106 for a 318 series during team competition at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno.