I Dig Sports
Red Sox's Campbell: 'Couldn't pass up' $60M deal
BOSTON -- Kristian Campbell had just finished his news conference Saturday afternoon when he was getting ready to join a group photo with his parents and Boston Red Sox ownership.
He was standing between his mom and dad when his mother, Tonya, reached forward and adjusted the 22-year-old rookie's sport jacket before the group looked at the photographer.
His bigger life-altering moment came earlier this week.
On Wednesday, he agreed to a $60 million, eight-year contract, less than a week after his major league debut.
"It was a life-changing opportunity for me and my family," Campbell said before the team's scheduled game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park on Saturday. "It was something I couldn't pass up."
It was Boston's second Fenway news conference on a signing in as many days, after the club held one for Garrett Crochet, who agreed to a $170 million, six-year contract. They acquired him in an offseason trade from the Chicago White Sox.
"We'll keep doing this every day as long as people want to keep extending," team CEO and president Sam Kennedy said.
"The word to describe your son around camp, from where I sit anyway, is humility," Kennedy said, looking at Campbell's mother and father, Kenneth, seated in the front row to his right. "That's probably life's greatest achievement, so congratulations."
An infielder and outfielder, Campbell made his big league debut March 27 as Boston's youngest Opening Day starter at second since Reggie Smith. He's slated to start in center on Saturday, and was taking caroms off the Green Monster two hours before game time.
"Here we are today, sharing what I would call a massively significant moment for this organization because Kristian was not drafted in the first round, he was not a top prospect entering the organization," chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said. "What he was is a good player who made himself a great player because of his work ethic."
Entering Saturday, Campbell was hitting .423 with two homers and five RBIs in eight games.
So, why did the club come to the decision to sign him to an extension so quickly?
"From a baseball sense, teams are getting better and better of forecasting what players are able to accomplish," Breslow said.
For a player who was drafted in the fourth round two years ago from Georgia Tech, it was a rapid rise to the majors.
"They made the process really easy for me," Campbell said. "They developed me from Day 1. As soon as I got drafted, made me who I am today."
Duke's Flagg 4th freshman to win Wooden Award
Duke's Cooper Flagg is the winner of the 2025 Wooden Award, becoming just the fourth freshman in the award's history to earn the award.
The Wooden Award, given annually to the best college basketball in the country, was announced Saturday on ESPN's College GameDay. Flagg edged out Auburn's Johni Broome, while Florida's Walter Clayton Jr., Alabama's Mark Sears and Purdue's Braden Smith were the other finalists.
Flagg has been considered the favorite for the award during the second half of the season, when he emerged as the most consistently dominant player in the sport in leading Duke to the ACC regular-season and conference tournament championships and the program's first Final Four appearance since Mike Krzyzewski retired. He won both ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year and is the clear-cut leader to be selected No. 1 in June's NBA draft.
He's averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists heading into Saturday's national semifinal showdown against Houston.
Flagg's statement performance came against Notre Dame in January, when he set the ACC freshman record for points in a game after going for 42 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists in a win over the Fighting Irish. That outing highlighted one of the best statistical months we've seen in recent years, as Flagg averaged 25.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists in the month of January, while shooting 57.9% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range.
@DukeMBB freshman Cooper Flagg has been named the 2025 John R. Wooden Award winner, presented by @Principal
The live "John R. Wooden Awards Show presented by Principal" will stream on ESPN+ on Friday, April 11 at 8 p.m. EDT / 5 p.m. PDT.@Cooper_Flagg pic.twitter.com/XjRFY0EEgZ
John R. Wooden Award (@WoodenAward) April 5, 2025
After suffering an ankle injury in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament, Flagg missed the semifinal and championship games -- but has regained his top form in the NCAA tournament. He had a terrific performance against Arizona in the Sweet 16, finishing with 30 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists in a win over the Wildcats.
Flagg is the first freshman to win the Wooden Award since Duke's Zion Williamson in 2019. The other freshmen to win the award are Kentucky's Anthony Davis in 2012 and Texas' Kevin Durant in 2007.
The men's John R. Wooden Award has been given out every year since 1977, starting with UCLA star Marques Johnson. Purdue's Zach Edey won it in each of the past two years, becoming only the second men's player to win the award twice, joining Ralph Sampson, who won it in 1982 and 1983.
Melo, Howard in '25 Naismith Hall of Fame class
Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are going into the Basketball Hall of Fame later this year, not once but twice. LeBron James and Chris Paul are part of the group that's headed to the Hall as well, even before their playing careers end.
Anthony and Howard were announced Saturday as members of the Class of 2025, as was the 2008 U.S. Olympic men's basketball team they played on -- dubbed the "Redeem Team" -- that captured gold at the Beijing Games and started a run of five consecutive Olympic titles and counting for USA Basketball's men's program.
Also selected for enshrinement: WNBA greats Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles; Chicago Bulls coach and two-time NCAA champion Billy Donovan; Miami Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and longtime NBA referee Danny Crawford.
"I made it to the real basketball heaven," Howard said. "It's crazy."
Enshrinement weekend is Sept. 5-6 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, and the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
"When the call comes and, in my case, I saw Springfield on the phone," Anthony said on the televised announcement, "You know what time it is [when] Springfield is on the phone. You know who it is. You get the phone call, and you hear, 'You're in.' And I think for me, it was a burden off of my shoulders."
Donovan won back-to-back titles as a college coach with Florida. Arison oversaw Miami's path to NBA titles in 2006, 2012 and 2013. Crawford worked NBA games for 32 seasons and was picked to work the NBA Finals in 23 of those years.
"For some, this is an individual honor," Arison said. "But for me, this speaks to what our entire Heat family -- players, coaches, staff and fans -- have built together."
Combined, the five players selected as individuals -- Bird, Moore, Fowles, Howard and Anthony -- were part of 11 WNBA or NBA championship teams, won 15 Olympic gold medals, made 37 All-NBA or All-WNBA appearances and were named as All-Stars 45 times in their careers.
"Surreal," Bird said of her selection. "I don't think there's any way to really wrap your head around it."
Fowles added: "I don't think [any] one of us go into this thinking that we're going to be Hall of Famers. You just do your job ... and when it's all said and done, the job is complete and here we are."
The Redeem Team's selection means that Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant -- already enshrined as Hall of Famers -- essentially now go in for a second time. James and Paul, who are obviously both locks to get into the Hall after they retire, also played for that Olympic team, as did Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams and Tayshaun Prince.
That team's managing director was Jerry Colangelo, who now chairs the Hall of Fame.
"We developed a set of standards where all the guys lived by those standards," said former Duke coach and 2001 Hall of Fame inductee Mike Krzyzewski, who coached that 2008 Olympic team. "They were the best group of guys. I wish like crazy that Kobe was here. He was really the key guy, I think. As many great players as we had at that point, he was the greatest and everyone looked up to him."
Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a 2020 helicopter crash. Bryant was enshrined posthumously into the Hall later that year.
The Redeem Team had that moniker because it was the team tasked with restoring USA Basketball's place atop the world stage, after the 2004 Olympic team only managed a bronze medal at the Athens Games. The Redeem Team went 8-0 in Beijing, winning those games by an average of 27.9 points.
"USA Basketball is thrilled to see the 2008 U.S. Men's Olympic Team elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame," USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said. "The Redeem Team's celebrated run in Beijing marks a pivotal moment in U.S. men's Olympic basketball history and has propelled us to five straight gold medals.
"Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, members of that team and individual inductees, are two of the many legends in this Class who have contributed to our organization's success over the last 20-plus years, including Sue Bird, Billy Donovan, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles," Tooley added.
UConn's women's program already had coach Geno Auriemma, Swin Cash (enshrined as a player) and Rebecca Lobo (enshrined as a contributor) in the Hall of Fame, and Bird and Moore going in together will obviously add to what is always a huge weekend in New England.
"They're Hall of Famers for me, they're Hall of Famers for their family, they're Hall of Famers for everybody -- they're even Hall of Famers for UConn haters," Auriemma said. "That's one thing they can all agree on."
Skenes: Pirates' 2-6 start on players, not brass
PITTSBURGH -- Paul Skenes isn't exactly sure what the Pittsburgh Pirates' record is, only that it's not good.
Pittsburgh's young ace and reigning National League Rookie of the Year understands the frustrations that resulted in boos and chants of "sell the team" directed at increasingly popular targets manager Derek Shelton and owner Bob Nutting during a 9-4 loss to the New York Yankees on Friday.
Skenes believes the angst should be directed elsewhere.
"Mr. Nutting and Shelty aren't the ones playing," Skenes said on Saturday. "We're the ones playing. If we were 8-0 through however many games we've played right now, the fans aren't booing. We've got to play better."
With the Pirates at 2-6, the 22-year-old Skenes has been one of the few bright spots during a dismal opening 10 days ago. The right-hander has been brilliant during his two starts, allowing two earned runs on six hits with 13 strikeouts in 12 innings.
But it's telling of how things have gone that Pittsburgh dropped its opener when the bullpen imploded after his exit and needed a late dash of offense -- a rarity so far -- to shake free of Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
On Friday, the typically celebratory atmosphere of Pittsburgh's home opener was tinged with audible and visible signs of fan unrest. A plane circled PNC Park towing a banner urging Nutting to put the club up for sale. Shelton, now in his sixth season, was booed when he was introduced. And chants of "sell the team" popped up a handful of times as the Yankees quickly pulled away.
Everyone in the organization, from Nutting to Shelton to Skenes, has stressed it's time for the Pirates to contend. They haven't looked the part so far, though it's important to note they've played 5% of their 162-game schedule.
Most teams go through a rocky stretch at some point. Skenes is optimistic Pittsburgh's just happened to come in April.
"It's a long season," he said. "I want to believe that it all evens out. But we aren't getting these games back. We will go on a stretch where we will go ... 7-2 or wherever we are right now in an opposite way."
Shelton, in Friday's postgame media availability, was asked about the fans and their reactions during the game, and he acknowledged their feelings, adding that "their frustration is that they want to win. I want to win, and our players want to win. We have to keep focusing on that."
Pittsburgh has been flushed with mistakes, particularly on the basepaths and in the outfield, where it's often been an adventure for centerfielder Oneil Cruz and whoever ends up flanking him.
"I think pretty much everything has room to improve," Skenes said. "We can play a lot better."
Skenes added he sees the work that goes on behind closed doors, so he's not going to panic. Asked to elaborate on what that work might entail, he smiled and said, "There are reasons it's behind closed doors sometimes. We've got to keep doing things right."
The rotation order prevented Skenes from facing Aaron Judge and the torpedo-bat-wielding Yankees this weekend. He's not that concerned, pointing out he'll likely get a start against Judge later in the season.
"We're going to get our chances to face off," Skenes said, before casually adding that he will "probably see him in the All-Star Game this year again. It is what it is. We're going to be around for a little bit."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CHICAGO -- Ian Happ played in his 1,000th major league game on Saturday - all with the Chicago Cubs.
It's that last part that makes it special for the outfielder.
"I think the one thing that means a lot about it is is doing it all here," Happ said. "I think that's the thing that means a ton."
It's a rare accomplishment, too.
Happ became the eighth active player with 1,000 games with one team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, joining a group that includes Aaron Judge, Mike Trout and José Ramírez. He is the 21st player to appear in at least his first 1,000 games with Chicago, according to the team.
Happ, Mark Grace and Shawon Dunston are the only players drafted by the Cubs to play in 1,000 games with the franchise.
"The big significance for me is 1,000 games with the same team," said Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who played in 1,624 games for five teams during his 16 years in the majors. "That's, to me, what makes it rare and definitely worth talking about. That, in this era of baseball, is not happening. It's just not happening.
"That speaks a lot about kind of how Ian's gone about it, I think."
The Cubs paid tribute to Happ as he walked to the plate in the first inning against San Diego. Happ took off his batting helmet and patted his chest to acknowledge the cheering crowd at Wrigley Field.
The 30-year-old switch hitter drove a leadoff double off the wall in center, but he was stranded at second base. He also walked in the second and finished the day 1-for-4 as the Cubs won, 7-1.
Happ was selected by Chicago with the No. 9 pick in the 2015 amateur draft out of the University of Cincinnati. He made his big league debut in 2017, batting .253 with 24 homers and 68 RBI for a Cubs team that won the NL Central and made it to the NL Championship Series.
But Happ's future was uncertain after he was optioned to Triple-A Iowa before the start of the 2019 season. The stay in the minors gave him time to work on his approach at the plate - away from the glare of the big leagues - and he returned to the Cubs that July.
Happ made the NL All-Star team and won the first of his three consecutive Gold Gloves in left field in 2022. He has appeared in 480 of Chicago's last 497 games.
"The work that it takes to be healthy and be out there and be available, you know, everything that goes into it, whether that's pregame for a day like today or whether it's in the offseason, there's a lot of work that goes into being available that much," Happ said before the matchup with the Padres. "That part of it is kind of what I think about."
There also was some question about Happ's future in Chicago before he agreed to a $61 million, three-year contract in April 2023 that runs through the 2026 season and includes a full no-trade provision.
When Kyle Hendricks left and signed with the Los Angeles Angels in November, Happ became the longest tenured major leaguer with the Cubs.
"Ian's strength is kind of in a consistent approach," Counsell said. "Just like daily, just super consistent, and that kind of leads to just a good process for him every day."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
PHILADELPHIA -- Shohei Ohtani threw a 26-pitch bullpen session Saturday before the Los Angeles Dodgers' game against the Philadelphia Phillies, another step toward his mound return.
Recovering from right elbow surgery on Sept. 19, 2023, the two-way star threw his second bullpen session since resuming his pitching ramp up. He paused after his mound session on Feb. 25 to prepare for opening day as a hitter, then threw a bullpen on March 29.
He incorporated splitters on Saturday, a session that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts labeled as "positive."
"It's a week, but then there's also the one in between, where he touches the mound on a Thursday," Roberts said. "And I think it's just more trying to keep him on a similar seven-day program, and what the schedule would look (like) going out, and build from there."
When Ohtani is ready for game pitching, the Dodgers plan to use a six-man rotation.
A three-time MVP and four-time All-Star, Ohtani is 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in 481 2/3 innings as a pitcher.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Glasgow Warriors: Rowe; Dobie, McDowall, Jordan, Steyn (capt); Hastings, Horne; McBeth, Matthews, Z Fagerson, Brown, Du Preez, M Fagerson, Vailanu, Venter.
Replacements: Stewart, Bhatti, Talakai, Samuel, Ferrie, Darge, Afshar, Cancelliere.
Leicester Tigers: Steward; Radwan, Kelly, Kata, Hassell-Collins; Pollard, Van Poortvliet; Smith, Theobald-Thomas, Cole, Henderson, Wells, Liebenberg (capt), Ilione, Cracknell.
Replacements: Clare, Van der Flier, Hurd, Manz, Carnduff, Youngs, Shillcock, Woodward.
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
GASTONIA, N.C. Jadan Bowling went wire-to-wire to win night one of the Jeff McCall Memorial Weekend on Friday night at Carolina Speedway for the United Sprint Car Series Presented By Hoosier Racing Tire.
Bowling held off a late-race charge from NASCAR Cup Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to take the win.
Stenhouse returned to his sprint car racing roots to finish second and Ryan Turner started 19th and finished third
USCS point leader Dale Howard took the fourth spot and Trey Meredith was fifth.
When the green flag came out to start the 25-lap Feature Race, Bowling took the lead from the pole position, followed by Moss, Howard, Clem, and Smith.
By lap seven, it was Bowling, Howard, Clem, Stenhouse, and Smith. Bowling held a 1.189 second lead over Howard by the halfway mark, and five laps later, he had stretched it out to 2.333 seconds.
Smith fell off the pace on lap 19 and out of the top five. That brought out a caution flag to bunch the field up for a four-lap dash to the finish.
Bowling led the field down for the restart followed by Howard, Stenhouse, Clem and Meredith, Stenhouse passed Howard for second on lap 21, and Turner came from sixth on the restart to move up to third on the last lap.
Bowling took a 1.365 second margin of victory over Stenhouse under the checkered flag.
The finish:
Feature (23 Laps): 1. 01 Jadan Bowling, Holden Beach, NC (1); 2. 47jr Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Olive Branch, MS (7); 3. 15 Ryan Turner, Dunnville, ON CAN (19); 4. 47 Dale Howard, Byhalia, MS (2); 5. 11 Trey Meredith, Dade City, FL (6); 6. 6s Tyler Clem, St. Petersburg, FL (3); 7. 71h Max Stambaugh, Lima, OH (12); 8. 77e Ashton VanEvery, Ohsweken, ON CAN (9); 9. 13 Van Gurley Jr., Valparaiso, IN (17); 10. 48 Coen McDaniel, Gaffney, SC (13); 11. 47r Eric Riggins Jr., Charlotte, NC (8); 12. 4 Danny Smith, Chillicothe, OH (5); 13. 66 Chase Dunham, Leipsic, OH (18); 14. 00 P.J. Reutimann, Zephyrhills, FL (10); 15. 201 Kelsey Ivy, Fremont, OH (16); 16. 67m Jake McLain, Hembry Bridge, NC (15); 17. B5 Brianna Lawson, Jackson Springs, NC (22); 18. 10 Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN (11); 19. 28 Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS (14); 20. 5r Steven Renn, Gastonia, NC (25); 21. 75x Brian Tyler, Parma, MI (24); 22. 19w Jackson Wellman, Belmont, NC (21); 23. 23 Lance Moss, Cherryville, NC (4); 24. 75 Robert Tyler, Mount Pleasant, NC (20); 25. G6 Brandon Grubaugh, Ocala, FL (23) DNS.
BENSON, N.C. Melanie Salemi, who kicked off the Summit Racing Equipment PDRA East Coast Nationals presented by FuelTech as the provisional No. 1 qualifier in Pro Boost on Thursday night, held on to the top spot Friday as qualifying wrapped up at GALOT Motorsports Park.
Salemi recorded a 3.615-second pass at 206.29 mph in the screw-blown Purple Reign 68 Firebird to top the list of 28 WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive entries at the first of eight races on the 2025 Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series schedule.
PRO BOOST
Melanie Salemi, a two-time winner of the East Coast Nationals, made it known that shes chasing a third win at the season opener when she jumped to the No. 1 spot in Pro Boost on Thursday night. Though 27 other drivers attempted to pass her in Fridays two sessions and Salemi herself tried to improve no one went quicker than Salemis 3.615 at 206.29 behind the wheel of Eddie Whelans screw-blown Al-Lee Installations Purple Reign 68 Firebird tuned by husband Jon Salemi and brother-in-law Jim Salemi with power from Mike Stawicki Racing.
It never, ever fails you qualify No. 1, you have to work your butt off to win a race. You qualify No. 16, you have to work your butt off to win a race, Salemi said. It doesnt really matter where you qualify, especially in a field of all these extraordinary cars. We have a lot of competition in PDRA and thats what drives us to come here. To be able to win a race, you kind of have to throw all your testing and qualifying aside and take each run as youre given because track conditions change and atmospheric conditions change. Well continue to adapt and hopefully that will bring us to another win here at GALOT.
Two-time and reigning Pro Boost world champion Jason Harris, one of the home track heroes competing in the East Coast Nationals, qualified No. 2 with a 3.623 at 206.80 in his ProCharged Southern Diamond Company Party Time 69 Camaro. Another Brandon Stroud-tuned, ProCharged 69 Camaro the Hells Bells entry driven by Johnny Camp qualified third with a 3.631 at 205.44.
PRO NITROUS
Former Elite Top Sportsman standout Tim Paap is accustomed to going fast in his nitrous-assisted Paap Auto Body 16 Corvette, but he had modest expectations for his Pro Nitrous debut. Teamed up with Killin Time Racing and tuner Jeffrey Barker, Paap converted his Elite Top Sportsman entry to Pro Nitrous trim over the offseason to step up to the heads-up, nitrous-only category. Paap went to the provisional No. 1 spot in Thursdays lone qualifying session, then improved in the second session on Friday. His 3.676 at 204.45 held up as the No. 1 spot through the third session, where multiple drivers stepped up in attempts to unseat Paap.
The father-daughter duo of Tommy Franklin and Amber Denton qualified No. 2 and 3, respectively. Franklin, driving a brand-new, Musi-powered Jungle Rat 3.0 69 Camaro, came just thousandths of a second from taking the top spot with his 3.679 at 204.54 in the final session. Denton, the two-time and reigning Pro 632 world champion whos making her Pro Nitrous debut, also improved in the final session with a 3.686 at 205.34 in her Musi-powered OG Jungle Rat 69 Camaro.
PRO STREET
Pro Street is the only class that saw a new No. 1 qualifier step up after Thursdays first session, as Blake Denton jumped up to the top spot in the final session. Wheeling the nitrous-fed Bonnie 69 Camaro formerly driven by the late Lizzy Musi in Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings competition, Denton lit up the scoreboard with a 3.976 at 201.61 to take the top spot from Tim Dutton based on speed. It marked the first time a nitrous car qualified No. 1 in the PDRA Pro Street division.
Along with the No. 1 qualifier bonus check, Denton earned a custom baseball bat trophy from Victus Sports and Kasper Performance Edge.
Dutton, whos making his PDRA debut in both Pro Street and Pro Boost, qualified No. 2 with a matching 3.976, though he went 190.14 in his ProCharged Azul 19 Corvette. Reigning world champion Ethan Steding qualified third in his roots-blown P2 Contracting College Fund 24 Camaro with a 4.01 at 190.65.
EXTREME PRO STOCK
Two-time and reigning Extreme Pro Stock world champion Chris Powers charged to the No. 1 spot on Thursday evening and kept the position through two more sessions on Friday. Improving on a 4.101 on Thursday and a 4.100 in Fridays second session, Powers drove his Chuck Samuel-tuned Sonnys Racing Engines/ATI Performance 21 Camaro to a 4.099 at 176.26 in the final session to lock in the No. 1 qualifier position. Powers won the East Coast Nationals three times, including his first win in the class.
North Carolinas own Jeremy Huffman, who qualified No. 1 at DragWars at GALOT last October, qualified second in his 3V Performance-powered 10 Cobalt with a 4.100 at 175.37. Returning past world champion Alan Drinkwater recorded a 4.103 at 175.75 in his Kaase-powered 08 Mustang to end up No. 3 on the qualifying order.
PRO 632
Lexi Tanner has won multiple times in Pro 632, including at last years season finale, but she entered uncharted territory Friday when she locked in her first No. 1 qualifier award. The past Top Jr. Dragster world champion drove her Musi-powered Thunder 16 Camaro to a 4.201 at 168.58 in Thursdays first qualifying session. When the third session concluded Friday evening, Tanners performance was still the quickest in the class.
Perennial contender Walter Lannigan claimed the No. 2 spot after running a 4.204 at 167.63 in Chris Holdorfs Nelson-powered 10 GTO. Multi-time Pro Nitrous winner Chris Rini, pulling double duty this weekend, posted a 4.209 at 167.49 to qualify third in the new Musi-powered ATI Performance 69 Camaro that stepson Carson Hoyle will drive later this season.
SUPER STREET
The No. 1 qualifying mark Austin Vincent set in the first Super Street qualifying session on Thursday evening couldnt be topped on Friday. Vincent in his nitrous-fed Vincent Performance 88 Mustang was the only driver to dip into the 4.50s with his 4.583 at 152.30 to lead two other nitrous cars in the top three. It was Vincents first No. 1 qualifier award.
Connor McGee, who won two times in 2024, ripped off a 4.611 at 149.73 in his Fulton-powered Brians Heating & Cooling 90 Mustang to qualify second. Matt Schalow, whos pursuing his first victory in the class this season, qualified third in his Knieriem-powered 00 Camaro with a 4.653 at 157.26.
TOP SPORTSMAN
In Elite Top Sportsman, reigning world champion Glenn Butcher held on to the No. 1 spot that he established in Thursdays first qualifying session. He stepped up by almost a tenth of a second to a 3.742 at 198.90 in his nitrous-fed, Albert-powered Butcher & Son Demolition 69 Camaro to hold off Bryan LaFlam and Randy Perkinson. LaFlam in his supercharged Big Stuff Total Power Management 67 Mustang posted a 3.773 at 194.18 to lock in the No. 2 spot. Perkinson, the defending event winner, qualified third with a 3.824 at 189.63 in the ProCharged 67 Mustang that he debuted with a win last year.
Vonnie Mills came close to qualifying for the 16-car Elite field, but she instead qualified No. 1 in Top Sportsman 48, posting a 4.052 at 179.02 in her nitrous-fed Show-N-Tell 13 Camaro.
TOP DRAGSTER
Jody Stroud laid down a pass in Thursdays single qualifying session that proved impossible to top for the rest of the Elite Top Dragster field in Fridays two sessions. Strouds 3.691 at 199.14 in his supercharged Zombie 07 Spitzer dragster held up for the No. 1 spot.
Numerous drivers stepped up on Friday, though, with Josh Duggins and Russ Whitlock being the quickest of those drivers. Duggins recorded a 3.73 at 200.29 in his ProCharged Maddox dragster to qualify second, and Whitlock ran a 3.769 at 192.28 in his ProCharged 08 Race Tech dragster to round out the top three.
Danielle Gonzalez in her Connecticut-based, ProCharged 23 American dragster used a 3.889 at 191.24 to take the No. 1 spot in Top Dragster 48, just missing out on the 16-car Elite field.
EASTABOGA, Ala. Dale McDowell played the role of crafty veteran Friday night at the Talladega Short Track.
McDowell, who started third, snagged the lead from Zack Mitchell racing to the white flag and led the final two laps to win the opening night of the Bama Bash, which was sanctioned by the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series.
McDowell banked $8,000 for the victory.
Mitchell came home second, with Garrett Alberson, Chris Ferguson and Ashton Winger rounding out the top five.
Alberson was the fast qualifier for the 50-car field with a lap of 13.328 seconds.
Saturday nights $12,000-to-win Bama Bash finale will be broadcast by SPEED SPORT affiliate Huntthefront.tv.
The finish:
Dale McDowell, Zack Mitchell, Garrett Alberson, Chris Ferguson, Ashton Winger, Ryan Gustin, Sam Seawright, Cory Hedgecock, Joseph Joiner, Cody Overton, Dalton Cook, Ricky Weiss, Payton Freeman, Tyler Erb, Spencer Hughes, Josh Putnam, Jadon Frame, Tyler Millwood, Ross Bailes, Brandon Overton, Jimmy Owens, Cameron Tribble, Oakley Johns, Luke Morey, Ethan Dotson, Jackson Hise, Trey Mills, Dillard Hatchett.
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
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