I Dig Sports
No. 22 United Autosports USA Elevated to Maiden LMP2 Rolex 24 Victory
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. United Autosports, via either part of its Anglo-American heritage, has achieved a lot in the endurance sports car racing space. It added its latest achievement more than 24 hours after battling for 24 hours in the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Announced on Wednesday, the No. 22 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07 claimed its maiden Rolex 24 victory in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class following a technical infraction assessed to the No. 8 Tower Motorsports entry discovered during extended post-race technical inspection.
Drivers Daniel Goldburg, Paul Di Resta, Rasmus Lindh and James Allen shared the winning entry. It is Allens second Rolex 24 (LMP2, 2023) and IMSA career wins, and its the first Rolex 24 and IMSA career wins for the other three drivers.
It adds to what has now been a banner almost year-long period for United Autosports, the team co-owned by Zak Brown and Richard Dean, which has now claimed back-to-back LMP2 wins in marquee endurance races. The trio of Oliver Jarvis, Nolan Siegel and Bijoy Garg scored the LMP2 win in a similar No. 22 United Autosports ORECA at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team secured its first major endurance race triumph at the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans, also in LMP2.
We came to Daytona with one very clear goal and we have achieved it, said Dean, United Autosports CEO. To win the Rolex 24 At Daytona any year is pretty special, but to win it only a few months after celebrating victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours makes it an extra special moment. Zak and I would like to thank the entire team for their dedication and commitment. We can all be very proud of what we have achieved.
Its also the teams second IMSA win, and first since Ben Hanley and Ben Keating shared the winning LMP2 entry at last years race at Road America.
In many respects in LMP2, the 2025 Rolex 24 was a race it seemed no team particularly wanted to win. How the race got to where it evolved stood from a consistently tumultuous, rough-and-tumble affair where most of the 12 cars entered rose and fell like the temperatures over the 24-hour endurance classic.
Goldburg qualified the No. 22 ORECA on the Motul Pole Award, continuing his pace from Roar Before the Rolex 24 test sessions, and ending Keatings run of five straight pole awards at the Rolex.
A multi-car accident in the eighth hour eliminated the No. 2 United and No. 73 Pratt Miller Motorsports ORECAs, and the No. 8 Tower car incurred damage but was able to continue.
I was part of the big one, big time, said Sebastien Bourdais, who was part of the Tower lineup. The car over my left fender, a car over my right fender and I dont think I had time to back off because I made contact because I was in the gearbox of the Pratt Miller car and it all came to a stop. It was like Days of Thunder.
By the halfway point, it appeared the No. 22 United car, along with defending class champions Inter Europol Competitions No. 43 car, Af Corses No. 88 car and AO Racings Spike No. 99 car were set to challenge. Penalties took the No. 22 and 43 down the order, a mechanical took the No. 88 Af car out, and heartbreak befell the No. 99 once the final couple hours happened.
AOs No. 99 car, with Christian Rasmussen driving, dropped out of the fight with just over 80 minutes remaining. The car pitted with a low battery warning and the team diagnosed the issue under the rear deck lid, losing several laps and ending Spikes victory charge. This car led a race-high 280 of 765 laps.
Era Motorsport, then, appeared in position to repeat its 2024 win with an adjusted lineup in its No. 18 ORECA, courtesy of a strategic move to take fuel only on its final stop before the last 40 minutes. Those hopes went away when Mathias Beches No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports car hit Paul-Loup Chatins No. 18 Era car into a spin at Turn 1. Beches No. 52 car was assessed a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility.
That promoted the Tower car, which kept enough relative momentum alive to stay in contention, back to the lead. This car led 118 laps and won unofficially by 44.697 seconds.
But a determined effort from the Goldburg, Di Resta, Lindh and Allen quartet kept them on the lead lap and in the race. The No. 22 car, which led 55 laps, ended just 6.716 seconds ahead of the No. 74 Riley ORECA, and ultimately that made the difference in who was elevated to the Rolex 24 class win. The No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA was promoted to third.
The team, the drivers and I all had a similar feeling on Sunday, Goldburg said. We knew we should be pleased with pole and second but we just werent. We had executed the race so well, made no mistakes and then a strange penalty took us out of the fight for the lead right at the end.
It took about 36 hours for me to come to terms with it, and I did ultimately feel pleased. Then I got the call to say weve won it! Wow. Just wow. What a start to the season.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle will be out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a lacerated quadricep muscle, the team announced on Wednesday.
Guhle was released from the hospital on Wednesday, one day after sustaining the injury while getting his legs tangled and falling into the boards during Montreal's 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
"Where are we going to feel 'Guhls?' I think all over," Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said after practice on Wednesday. "He plays a lot of minutes 5-on-5, he kills penalties. I don't think it's one specific (area) but his presence is going to be felt, that he's not here, but it's not one guy that's going to replace him."
Signed to a six-year, $33.3 million contract extension prior to the season, Guhle has recorded 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) and averaged 21:14 of ice time in 44 games.
Guhle, 23, has totaled 54 points (14 goals, 40 assists) in 158 career games since being selected by Montreal with the 16th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Also on Wednesday, defenseman Jayden Struble was recalled from Laval of the American Hockey League. Struble has five points (two goals, three assists) in 26 games with the Canadiens this season.
Blues' Saad to leave team, $5M to be free agent
The St. Louis Blues and Brandon Saad are mutually terminating his contract after he was put on waivers on Wednesday.
Saad will need to go on waivers again before the move can be made official on Thursday.
Saad, 32, will be walking away from $5.425 million in cash owed to him, per PuckPedia. The Blues had tried to trade Saad over the last several months, sources told ESPN, but did not find any partners.
"Obviously the production's not there," GM Doug Armstrong said in a midseason news conference on Tuesday. "Right now the cap is tight, and obviously, statistically, he's not having a great year and he's got another year left. If we could find a match, we would try."
Saad has just 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 43 games this season, along with a 9.3 shooting percentage -- the second worst mark of his 14-year career.
Saad, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks, is under contract through the end of next season with a $4.5 million cap hit. Saad would like to continue playing in the NHL, sources said, but the additional year remaining on his contract and the high cap hit was a roadblock for other teams to claim him on waivers Wednesday or agree to a trade. Saad will now be a free agent and can sign with any other team. The Blues would have been charged a $1.15 million cap hit had Saad played for their AHL affiliate in Springfield; the team will now be cleared of his full contract giving them financial flexibility.
It's already been a season of transition for St. Louis, which fired coach Drew Bannister in November and hired Jim Montgomery after he was let go in Boston.
The Blues are in what Armstrong has called a retool. The team doesn't feel it can afford a full rebuild and is working to transition on the fly around a new core group of players in their early 20s: Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, as well as Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg who were acquired over the summer from offer sheets.
Chloe Kelly makes emotive plea for Man City exit
Manchester City forward Chloe Kelly has released an emotional statement asking to be granted her wish to leave the club in search of first-team football.
Kelly has only played a six times in the Women's Super League for City this season, and with the Euros in the summer, she is desperate to remain in action.
In a statement posted to Instagram, she said she is resigned to leaving City at the end of her contract this summer, but said the situation is having "a huge impact on not only my career but my mental wellbeing."
Kelly's statement comes just a day before transfer deadline day in the WSL. Sources have told ESPN that Manchester United remain keen to sign Kelly on loan, but City are reluctant to let her leave for their rivals and another side in the mix at the top of the table.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has again called out Marcus Rashford, telling reporters that the forward "has to change" if he is to force his way back into the matchday squad.
Amorim has excluded Rashford from the team for 11 games in a row since a 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Dec. 12, starting with the Manchester derby victory against Manchester City.
After United's 1-0 win over Fulham on Sunday, Amorim said he would rather pick 63-year-old goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital than Rashford as a result of continuing concerns over the 27-year-old's standards.
"Our team, you can look at our team and imagine the profile of the players. Now imagine a talent like Rashford," Amorim told a news conference on Wednesday. "Our team should be so much better with Rashford. But this Rashford, he has to change.
"If he changes, we are more than welcome to put a talent like Rashford [in the squad]. And we need it. But in this moment, I think it's really clear that we have to set some standards. We are waiting for Marcus, if he wants [to play] really really bad."
The Portuguese coach went on to deny that there is any personal rift between himself and the player, who said in December that he was "ready for a new challenge" after his omission for the City clash.
"That's the only thing. You tried to make like something personally, I have nothing against Marcus," he said. "I just have to make the same rules for everybody and that for me it's so simple, it's always the same answer."
Rashford continues to be linked with a move away from Old Trafford, with ESPN reporting last week that his representatives held face-to-face talks with Barcelona about a potential move before the transfer deadline.
United play Romania's FCSB on Thursday looking to cement their place in the Europa League round of 16 with a top-eight finish in the league phase.
Aston Villa have rejected a formal offer from Arsenal for Ollie Watkins, sources have told ESPN.
Arsenal want to sign a forward before Monday's transfer deadline and are pursuing alternative options after accepting Benjamin Sesko is unlikely to leave Red Bull Leipzig this month.
Sources have told ESPN that Arsenal have now made a formal move for Watkins but their opening bid was dismissed out of hand by Villa.
They are now weighing whether to return with an improved offer after Villa's Champions League group stage finale on Wednesday evening against Celtic.
Watkins is thought to be open to a move to Emirates Stadium, having previously said in 2020: "That's the dream, to play for Arsenal one day."
However, the England international has three years left on his current deal and Villa are in a strong negotiating position to demand a high fee.
Another factor complicating Arsenal's pursuit of Watkins is interest from Al-Nassr in Villa striker Jhon Durán with the Saudi Pro League transfer window set to close on Friday.
Villa would be highly unlikely to consider selling both Duran and Watkins in this window. Duran is valued in the region of 80million and Al-Nassr are said to be weighing up a big-money move for either the 21-year-old or Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface. Any deal for Duran would make Arsenal's attempt to prise Watkins away in the same window much more difficult.
Sources: IF Kim, Rays agree to 2-year, $29M deal
Infielder Ha-Seong Kim and the Tampa Bay Rays are in agreement on a two-year, $29 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season, sources told ESPN, adding a Gold Glove winner to a Rays team that places significant emphasis on defense.
Kim, 29, who is expected to return from shoulder surgery in May, likely will start at shortstop but also has played second and third base, with his Gold Glove coming in a utility role.
The deal, which will pay Kim $13 million this season, is the most Tampa Bay has guaranteed in free agency for a position player since signing outfielder Greg Vaughn for four years and $34 million in 1999.
Before the partial tear of his right labrum required surgery, Kim was expected to land a free agent deal in the nine-figure range. With his opt-out, he can join a free agent class next year that's thin on infielders, with shortstop Bo Bichette and second baseman Luis Arraez the only players of Kim's caliber.
He arrived from Korea in 2021, signing with the San Diego Padres as a bat-first middle infielder. While the power Kim displayed in Korea didn't show up as frequently as it did with the Kiwoom Heroes, his glove was a revelation, and in four seasons with the Padres, he posted double-digit wins above replacement despite never slugging above .400.
Tampa Bay enters the 2025 season with playoff aspirations but had been relatively quiet over the winter, signing catcher Danny Jansen and trading left-hander Jeffrey Springs to Oakland. The Rays used Jose Caballero and Taylor Walls at shortstop last season and are expected to do the same this year before the return of Kim.
Their infield already was a strength, with first baseman Yandy Diaz, second baseman Brandon Lowe and star-in-the-making Junior Caminero at third, with Christopher Morel, Curtis Mead, Jonathan Aranda and Richie Palacios also capable to playing on the dirt.
Shortstop Wander Franco, who was expected to be the Rays' long-term solution at the position after signing an 11-year deal, remains on the restricted list while facing charges in the Dominican Republic of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking.
Ireland forward Tadhg Beirne believes the England captaincy will be a benefit, not a burden, to Maro Itoje during the Six Nations.
Hooker Jamie George had served as Steve Borthwick's skipper since the 2023 World Cup but the role has been passed on to his Saracens team-mate for this campaign.
Beirne, who was a British and Irish Lions team-mate of the 30-year-old lock in South Africa four years ago, thinks Itoje can be "the reason a team ticks".
"He's a phenomenal player, he's shown that throughout his career," said Beirne.
"He's someone who certainly lives on the edge, and sometimes he probably gets caught on that, but I think his influence on games is often very positive and I think he can be the reason a team ticks and a reason they win games, because of the influence he can have on the game.
"He's that type of player and being in that captain's role for England now, I'm sure it will elevate his performance even more.
"It often does bring out the best in players and he'll probably be no different."
Sports Betting Headed To Sprint Car Racing With WRG
CONCORD, N.C. ALT Sports Data Inc., the San Diego-based leader in trading and consumer data for action, motor, alternative, and emerging sports, and World Racing Group announced a landmark partnership on Wednesday.
This collaboration will enable regulated sports betting on premier dirt track racing properties, including the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, the American Sprint Car Series, and the Super DIRTcar Series.
Through this partnership, ALT Sports Data will leverage official data feeds to deliver pre-race and live betting products to sportsbooks worldwide. ALT Sports Data will utilize the World of Outlaws official data to offer up-to-the-minute odds and an array of traditional wagers and prop bets, designed to enhance fan engagement and expand the global reach of dirt track racing.
This partnership represents a significant step forward in our mission to redefine fan engagement in some of the worlds most iconic and exciting sports, said Todd Ballard, Co-Founder and CMO of ALT Sports Data. World Racing Groups dirt track properties are iconic within the motorsports community, and we are excited to bring innovative betting markets to their passionate fan base. By integrating sports betting, we aim to create deeper connections, attract new audiences, and drive the continued growth of these series.
World Racing Group (WRG) is the preeminent sanctioning body in dirt track racing, overseeing some of the most iconic events in the sport. The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series represent the pinnacle of grassroots racing, showcasing elite drivers and thrilling action at tracks across North America. The Super DIRTcar Series further solidifies WRGs commitment to dirt track excellence, bringing together the top drivers in Big Block Modified racing. Together, these properties attract millions of fans annually, creating an electrifying motorsports experience.
Our goal is to continue to move the needle by providing our fans more ways to be part of our events, World Racing Group Chief Media & Marketing Officer Charlie Mellilo said. Working with ALT Sports Data, we are providing fans another way to be involved. The excitement at the track is incredible, and this provides a way for fans at the track and at home to be even more engaged. It is all about expanding our relationship with the race fan, and the team at ALT Sports Data have proven they can help us do exactly that.
This partnership underscores the growing intersection between motorsports and sports betting, as dirt track racing continues to captivate new audiences. By integrating betting into the fan experience, ALT Sports Data and World Racing Group aim to elevate the profile of these series and foster deeper connections between fans and the sport.
Betting will be available in jurisdictions where approved starting with the first night of World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car action at Volusia Speedway Parks Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. As his second NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off this weekend at Bowman Gray Stadium, Josh Berry finds himself in a new situation.
The former NASCAR Weekly Series national champion, who drove for Stewart-Haas Racing last season, moves to Wood Brothers Racing after SHR closed at the end of last year.
Berry is thankful to be where he is, driving for a team celebrating its 75th anniversary in NASCAR racing. The Wood Brothers operation also has an alliance with Team Penske, which fields cars for Cup Series champions Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, along with a third effort for Austin Cindric.
Im obviously extremely thankful for that. Last year was a challenge, I think, from start to finish with everything going on, Berry said. A lot of emotions over the course of the year and different stages of that, but, all in all, Im proud that I did a good enough job to find myself in this opportunity and to go race for the Wood Brothers with the history theyve had and the tradition, and obviously the alliance with Team Penske. I feel like this is a great opportunity for me.
Theyre a family run organization, Berry continued. I think its a great fit for me and just the path that Ive taken here through the grassroots level and the things that have had to happen to get me here, I feel like Im in a great place and Ive really enjoyed working with them and getting to know everybody there, and fitting into the structure of everything that is the Wood Brothers and Team Penske and being able to rely on a couple Cup champions as teammates is going to be a big help for me as well.
Berry, who spent many years driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr.s late model team, understands the history of the Wood Brothers.
I drove for a lot of great people and to add the Wood Brothers to the list is really special, Berry said. When you look at my career path at Junior Motorsports and then Stewart-Haas, but Ive spent some time filling roles here and there at Hendrick and its really cool the list of guys and teams that Ive gotten to drive for.
Its just a really big honor to get to do this and embark on their 75th season all with Ford Motor Co., and the success theyve had. We want to add to that tradition. Thats the goal. Thats why Im here. We want to come out and we want to run well and hopefully add to the list of 100 wins.
Berry said hes already seen the benefits of the alliance with Team Penske and believes his No. 21 Ford team led by Miles Stanley will benefit from that relationship.
The expectation is to run like their other three race cars and thats the fact of the matter, he said. Im ready to take on that and I think we all are Miles is and everybody on the 21 team is ready to get back up there and run up front and compete for wins and thats what were here to do.
Despite his history as a short-track racer, Berry has never raced at the quarter-mile Bowman Gray Stadium. He expects Sundays Clash to be a chaotic race.
Its gonna be tight quarters racing. The track is narrow. Its shorter than a lot of the race tracks that we go to with the Cup cars, Berry explained. The biggest thing, like anywhere, is youve got to be fast. Thats the biggest thing. You need to have good track position. You need to qualify well and have a good heat race, that way you can get up front.
The race is gonna be chaotic in the middle of the field without a doubt, Berry noted. The best way to avoid that is to be fast enough to stay out of it, and I feel like this is gonna remind me a lot of the Valleystar 300 at Martinsville. There was a lot of those races where we would go and there would be eight-some-odd cars and heat races and thats one of the toughest short track races to win.
I think this kind of format reminds me a little bit of that. I guess with it being closer to home and a more traditional short track, it kind of reminds me of that and the biggest thing that we can do is just go out there and be fast and try to stay in front of the trouble and execute the best race we can. Although it might look different, thats what a lot of these races are and a lot of short track races are across the country.
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