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VP Vance fumbles Buckeyes' championship trophy
WASHINGTON -- Vice President JD Vance ended the Ohio State football team's visit to the White House on Monday by fumbling the team's national championship trophy.
After laudatory speeches by President Donald Trump, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day and Vance on the South Lawn, the vice president -- an Ohio State graduate -- tried to hoist aloft the trophy.
He didn't count on the trophy's golden top being designed to separate from its black base. After some struggling, the vice president lost his grip on the two pieces. OSU running back TreVeyon Henderson, standing behind Vance, grabbed the football-shaped top of the trophy. But the base fell to the ground, forcing Vance to grasp around as it rolled a short distance.
Some of the players around the vice president winced. The United States Marine Corps Band, which performs at presidential events, had to compete with audible gasps from the players and crowd as it played "We Are the Champions."
Henderson and Day helped Vance reassemble the trophy, and the vice president later held just the top, cradling it in his arms while the players around him chuckled.
As pictures and videos of Vance's fumble rocketed across the internet, the vice president tried to explain away the gaffe with self-deprecation: "I didn't want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it," he wrote on X.
Trump credited the Ohio State team with winning the 2024 college football championship despite "adversity," including the team's upset loss to unranked Michigan at home in November.
Trump said he hesitated to mention OSU's fourth consecutive defeat to "the team up north -- we won't talk about it."
Before fumbling the trophy, Vance also used part of his speech to mention the Buckeyes' biggest rival -- singling out an audience member in a Michigan hat.
"I don't know who let the guy over in the corner here, in a Michigan hat, into this celebration," Vance said. "But I'm about to tell the Secret Service, 'You've got a dangerous weapon, sir.'"
Former NFL TE Hasselbeck, father of QBs, dies
Former NFL tight end Don Hasselbeck, who won a Super Bowl in his nine-year career and was the father of two NFL quarterbacks, died Monday. He was 70.
Hasselbeck's son, Matt, said his father died after going into cardiac arrest at his home.
"He was a great husband, father, grandfather, friend, coach, player, coworker, artist, mentor, and storyteller," Matt Hasselbeck wrote on social media. "Despite being an All-American at Colorado and a Super Bowl Champion with the Raiders, what we are most proud of is the leader he was for our family."
The elder Hasselbeck was drafted in the second round by New England in 1977 after a standout college career at Colorado. He spent six seasons with the Patriots and led the team in catches in 1981 with 46, along with 808 yards receiving and six touchdowns.
He was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders early in the 1983 season and helped the team win the Super Bowl. He had two TD catches in the regular season for the Raiders and the 6-foot-7 Hasselbeck blocked an extra point attempt in a 38-9 win in the Super Bowl against Washington.
Hasselbeck then spent the following season with the New York Giants and had a TD catch in a playoff win over San Francisco and finished his career with Minnesota in 1985.
Hasselbeck had 107 catches for 1,542 yards and 18 touchdowns in 123 career regular-season games.
Two of Hasselbeck's sons went on to play quarterback in the NFL, with Matt making three Pro Bowls and starting in a Super Bowl for Seattle following the 2005 season and Tim, now an analyst for ESPN, playing mostly as a backup.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From A-plus Wings to C-minus Valkyries, grading every team's WNBA draft performance
Having the top pick in Monday's WNBA draft virtually guaranteed the Dallas Wings an "A" in ESPN's draft grades. And then the Wings did even better.
As expected, they selected UConn guard Paige Bueckers at No. 1. Dallas then went guard-heavy on three of its four other picks, and at least a couple have a solid chance to make the Wings' roster.
Two teams in rebuild mode -- the Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun -- also had strong drafts. The league's newest team, the expansion Golden State Valkyries, didn't grade as well (their expansion draft also raised eyebrows). But there's always a chance for teams to prove these grades wrong -- sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.
The Phoenix Mercury had no picks Monday and the defending champion New York Liberty had just one -- the final selection -- so there's no grade for either franchise. But here are our initial impressions of the 2025 draft for the other 11 franchises.
Jump to: ATL | CHI | CON | DAL | GS | IND | LV | LA | MIN | SEA | WAS
Dallas Wings: A+
1: Paige Bueckers, UConn Huskies, PG
12: Aziaha James, NC State Wolfpack, SG
14: Madison Scott, Ole Miss Rebels, SG
27: JJ Quinerly, West Virginia Mountaineers, SG
31: Aaronette Vonleh, Baylor Bears, C
It's a new era for Dallas, which is under new leadership after missing the playoffs last season (the Wings reached the 2023 semifinals). New Wings GM Curt Miller is a longtime WNBA coach and general manager who excelled with defense in his time leading the Sun --and the picks in his first draft with Dallas reflect that.
Admittedly, it will be hard for James, Scott and Quinerly to all make this roster. But they are all good players who will make camp very competitive.
With veteran Arike Ogunbowale, Bueckers and James on the roster, the Wings will be hard to guard. And Dallas' perimeter defense could be outstanding. Expect this team to play very fast and take advantage of all of Bueckers' many talents.
Newly drafted Wings star Paige Bueckers expresses her emotions after being the first pick of the WNBA draft.
Connecticut Sun: A
7: Aneesah Morrow, LSU Tigers, PF
8: Saniya Rivers, NC State Wolfpack, SF
25: Rayah Marshall, USC Trojans, PF
The Sun had to be thrilled that Morrow was still available at No. 7. Like her former LSU teammate Angel Reese -- and last year's No. 7 pick -- was for Chicago, Morrow could be a rebounding star right away.
After the Sun lost longtime face of the franchise Alyssa Thomas -- known as "The Engine" -- to Phoenix through free agency, now Morrow comes in as a new motor.
Rivers is long, quick and versatile, a player who filled up box scores for the Wolfpack. Marshall is strong and dependable as an interior defender and rebounder, with some untapped offensive potential, too.
The Connecticut Sun select Aneesah Morrow from LSU with the seventh pick of the WNBA draft.
Washington Mystics: A-
3: Sonia Citron, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, SG
4: Kiki Iriafen, USC Trojans, PF
6: Georgia Amoore, Kentucky Wildcats, PG
23: Lucy Olsen, Iowa Hawkeyes, SG
32: Zaay Green, Alabama Crimson Tide, PG
The top three here, of course, are the most likely to make an impact for a new-look Mystics franchise. Citron is an excellent defender and dependable scorer who brings Notre Dame's famed "Guard U" prowess to the Mystics. Iriafen turned herself into a lottery pick with her junior and senior seasons. Amoore is small but she is an offensive force and will do whatever is needed of her on defense.
But Connecticut's depth impressed, too: Olsen excited Big Ten fans with her scoring ability in her one season at Iowa, and Green also had a big impact in her one season at Alabama.
The Washington Mystics select Notre Dame star Sonia Citron with the third pick in the WNBA draft.
Indiana Fever: B+
19: Makayla Timpson, Florida State Seminoles, PF
20: Bree Hall, South Carolina Gamecocks, SG
33: Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga Bulldogs, PF
The Fever won the draft the past two years with two No. 1 picks who won Rookie of the Year in Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark. After making the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the Fever didn't have a first-round pick this draft but made the most of what they had.
Timpson just might be the steal of the second round; she has averaged a double-double the last two seasons for the Seminoles and could be another good target for Clark's passes. Hall is a lock-down defender and former teammate of Boston's at South Carolina.
Seattle Storm: B+
2: Dominique Malonga, France, C
26: Serena Sundell, Kansas State Wildcats, PG
29: Madison Conner, TCU Horned Frogs, SG
34: Jordan Hobbs, Michigan Wolverines, PG
We are ready to be wowed by Malonga, who could be one of the next great post players in the WNBA despite still being a teenager. She will have some excellent mentoring from players like veteran All-Star Nneka Ogwumike with Seattle.
Malonga alone would earn a good grade for the Storm, but Sundell, a third-round pick, has a shot to make the team. She loved passing to Ayoka Lee at K-State, and now she could have another 6-foot-6 target in Malonga, along with Ogwumike and 6-foot-4 Ezi Magbegor.
The Seattle Storm select Dominique Malonga from France with the second pick of the WNBA draft.
Chicago Sky: B
10: Ajsa Sivka, Slovenia, PF
11: Hailey Van Lith, TCU Horned Frogs, PG
16: Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, PF
22: Aicha Coulibaly, Texas A&M Aggies, SG
A lot of this grade depends on Sivka, a highly regarded teen who -- like Malonga -- doesn't turn 20 until November. If she adapts well to the WNBA, the Sky could have a very good young post core, with Sivka alongside sophomores Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
Van Lith, who played one season at LSU with Reese, reached the Elite Eight five times as a college player; we will see if she continues that success in the pro game. Westbeld might have a chance to make the roster, too.
New Chicago Sky star Hailey Van Lith tells Holly Rowe how her family has impacted her work ethic.
Los Angeles Sparks: B-
9: Sarah Ashlee Barker, Alabama Crimson Tide, SG
21: Sania Feagin, South Carolina Gamecocks, PF
28: Liatu King, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, SF
Barker wasn't this high on our draft board, but she had her career-best year as a senior, shooting 56% from 2-point range and 37.5% from behind the arc.
Looking back, though, Feagin might be the most impactful player the Sparks get in this draft. She came into her own this season for the Gamecocks and could just be scratching the surface of her ability.
Las Vegas Aces: B-
13: Aaliyah Nye, Alabama Crimson Tide, SG
35: Harmoni Turner, Harvard Crimson, SG
The Aces lost their first-round pick for league disciplinary reasons, but they made the most of these two selections, and at least one could make the roster. Nye could be a good fit for coach Becky Hammon's offense -- she made more than 100 3-pointers each of the last two seasons, shooting 41.7% behind the arc as a junior and 45.5 as a senior. Turner was one of the top scorers in the country (22.5 PPG) this season and led Harvard to the NCAA tournament.
Atlanta Dream: C
18: Te-Hina Paopao, South Carolina Gamecocks, SG
36: Taylor Thierry, Ohio State Buckeyes, SF
With picks this late, there's no guarantee of getting someone who can make the team. But Paopao's shooting ability might give her a chance . She wasn't as sharp from 3-point range for South Carolina this season (37%) as she was in 2023-24 (46.8%). But we know what kind of shooter she can be.
Thierry was one of the Big Ten's best defenders; even if she doesn't make this roster, she could have a future in the WNBA.
New Atlanta Dream star Te-Hina Paopao talks about bringing her Samoan heritage to the WNBA.
Minnesota Lynx: C
15: Anastasiia Kosu, Russia, SF
24: Dalayah Daniels, Washington Huskies, PF
37: Aubrey Griffin, UConn Huskies, SF
A big part of the reason the grade is middling for the Lynx is that they didn't really need anything from this draft. They were an eyelash from winning the WNBA title last year and bring back all those key players. They traded their first-round pick (No. 11) to Chicago.
But the player to watch is Kosu, a promising youngster who could end up at some point making this draft look quite good for Minnesota.
Golden State Valkyries: C-
5: Juste Jocyte, Lithuania, SG
17: Shyanne Sellers, Maryland Terrapins, PG
30: Kaitlyn Chen, UConn Huskies, PG
Part of the difficulty with evaluating the Valkyries' first draft is we really don't know how this team will fit together since they've yet to play a game as a franchise.
Sellers dropped further than we expected; perhaps she makes an impact on this roster. As for their first-round pick, we don't want to underplay Jocyte's potential; she is highly regarded among the young players from overseas. But it seems like the Valkyries are counting on her to make an immediate impact, and it might take longer.
LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw will make his first rehab start of the season Wednesday for Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The 37-year-old left-hander has been on the 60-day injured list while rehabbing from offseason surgeries on his toe and knee. He's eligible to come off the IL in mid-May.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner has been dealing with a variety of health issues in recent years and hasn't thrown more than 132 innings in a season since 2019.
He pitched 30 innings last year after starting 2024 on the IL while recovering from shoulder surgery. His season ended early with the toe and knee injuries that kept him out of the rotation during the Dodgers' run to a World Series championship.
MINNEAPOLIS -- New York Mets outfielder Jose Siri is headed to the injured list with a broken left leg.
Siri fouled a pitch off the leg Saturday against the Athletics and had to be carted off the field. An initial X-ray was negative, but Siri underwent an MRI on Monday that showed a fractured tibia.
"We've got to get more information before we know how long he's going to be out, but he's going to be out for a while," manager Carlos Mendoza said after the Mets beat Minnesota 5-1 on Monday night.
A roster move is expected Tuesday.
Siri was using crutches for the second straight day.
"It's obviously disappointing whenever something like that happens, but we're not going to get too ahead of ourselves, probably get it re-evaluated within the next week," Siri said through an interpreter. "I'm a quick healer so hopefully something good can come out of it."
Acquired from Tampa Bay in a November trade, Siri is 1-for-20 this season and hitless in his last 16 at-bats. But he is a fast runner and plays strong defense. He scored from third Friday on a sacrifice fly to shallow right field.
Tyrone Taylor has started in center field for New York the past two games.
PITTSBURGH -- Paul Skenes bounced back from the worst start of his career and teamed up with catcher Henry Davis to make a little history as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Washington Nationals 10-3 on Monday night.
Skenes and Davis became the first pitcher/catcher battery in major league history, comprising players selected No. 1 in the draft. Skenes (2-1), the top pick in 2023, gave up two runs, one earned, and struck out six in six innings as the Pirates ended a three-game losing streak.
Davis, selected No. 1 in 2021, singled after replacing injured starter Endy Rodriguez in the first inning. Rodriguez lacerated the index finger on his right hand after a Skenes pitch hit James Wood's foot and deflected toward Rodriguez.
It hasn't been as smooth of a ride to the majors for Davis that it was for Skenes, but perhaps this is the year the 25-year-old, who had a standout career at Louisville, sticks with the big club. Just when it seemed he might have the inside track on the starting catcher job last season, the Pirates landed Joey Bart, who took over the club's primary duties behind the plate.
But there might be a window now to gain additional starts at catcher. After the win, Pirates manager Derek Shelton told reporters that Rodriguez needed four stitches for a laceration on his right index finger, and that a trip to the injured list seemed likely.
The 22-year-old Skenes, who gave up a career-worst five runs in a loss to St. Louis last week, had little trouble with the Nationals. The reigning National League Rookie of the Year's only real issue was with Pittsburgh's defense, including his own. Skenes was tagged with a pair of errors for wayward pickoff attempts, the second of which led to an unearned run in the sixth.
By then, however, the Pirates were comfortably ahead, a rarity during an ugly opening two-plus weeks to the season filled with missteps.
Oneil Cruz had two hits and scored twice while batting leadoff. Enmanuel Valdez and Ke'Bryan Hayes both drove in three runs. Bryan Reynolds drove in a pair of runs. Andrew McCutchen added a hit and made a pretty sliding grab in right field, flinging his 38-year-old body to the PNC Park turf to rob Keibert Ruiz of a hit in the sixth.
Nasim Nunez had two of Washington's five hits. Brad Lord (0-1) slogged through 4 innings, giving up four runs, three earned, and six hits with three walks and a strikeout.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
GB's Fearnley claims first ATP main draw win on clay
British number two Jacob Fearnley claimed his first ATP Tour main draw win on clay with victory over Roberto Carballes Baena at the Barcelona Open.
The Scot, into the main draw as a lucky loser, beat the Spaniard 6-1 7-5 to reach the second round.
He will face either Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur or Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry next.
Fearnley was ranked outside the top 600 a year ago, but won four ATP Challenger titles in 2024 to rise inside the top 100.
Currently ranked 74th, Fearnley will gain direct entry to the French Open, which takes place from 25 May-8 June.
Elsewhere, Britain's Billy Harris lost 6-2 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 to David Goffin at the Munich Open.
Englishman Harris also benefited from a lucky loser spot but was edged out by Belgium's Goffin in a tight match lasting two hours and 32 minutes.
Super DIRTcar Notes: Albany-Saratoga Anniversary Is Next
MALTA, N.Y. A celebration of six decades highlights the next stop for the Super DIRTcar Series as it prepares for its first of two visits to Albany-Saratoga Speedway in 2025.
The Friday, April 18, event will be a special 60th Anniversary Celebration, highlighted by a 60-lap feature paying $7,500-to-win. Itll be the second race of the championship season and the series first stop in New York this year.
The speedways DIRTcar Sportsman and DIRTcar Pro Stock divisions will join the Super DIRTcar Series for the tracks highly anticipated opener.
Racing to the Top
With Stewart Friesen competing with the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series on Friday, the Super DIRTcar Series will have a new points leader when it leaves Albany-Saratoga.
Leading the charge of full-time drivers is defending Series champion Mat Williamson, who has the chance to make history this weekend. The St. Catharines, ON driver has won back-to-back Series events at the Great Race Place, a feat only matched by Friesen, Mike Mahaney and Kenny Brightbill. Entering the weekend eight points behind Friesen, a win in the 60th Anniversary Celebration would make him the first driver to earn three consecutive Series victories at the track.
Chasing Money Mat is Anthony Perrego (14 points behind), who has past success at the track. The Montgomery, NY driver won the 2021 Albany-Saratoga track championship and scored his first Series victory during OktoberFAST in 2020. In 11 Super DIRTcar Series starts at the track, the Ant-Man has a win, four top fives, and five top 10s.
Erick Rudolph (17 points behind) is also in striking distance after finishing seventh at New Egypt. In eight starts at Albany-Saratoga, his best finish is 10th twice in 2017 and 2019. The Ransomville, N.Y., driver is searching for his 12th series triumph.
While not officially a full-time member, Alex Yankowski can also take over the points lead on Friday night. The Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals champion is currently second in points, five points behind Friesen. Hes made two series starts at the Malta, N.Y., oval, finishing 13th in 2023 and third last June.
Home Field Advantage
In 2025, six Super DIRTcar Series drivers will call Albany-Saratoga home on Friday nights, led by two-time defending track champion Peter Britten. The Batman has 18 victories at the four-tenths-mile track but hasnt won in Super DIRTcar Series competition. Brittens best Series finish is fourth in 2014 and June of 2023. Hes also added two fifth-place finishes in the last two September stops.
Joining the Aussie is 2020 track champion Mike Mahaney, whos scored two series wins at Albany-Saratoga. The Elizabethtown, NY driver won back-to-back series events in 2021 and 2022 and has 10 feature wins at the track overall.
Jack Lehner is aiming to break through this weekend with his first series win. Lehner, from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., had his best season at Albany-Saratoga in 2024, earning three feature wins and finishing third in the final points standings. His best series finish at the track is ninth in last years Malta Massive Weekend finale.
Felix Roy will join the Albany-Saratoga field in 2025 as a track regular for the first time. The Napierville, Quebec driver earned a second-place finish during Malta Massive Weekend in 2023. He comes into the weekend with momentum after winning the Leon Gonyo Memorial at Airborne Park Speedway in his DIRTcar 358 Modified.
The two Vermont drivers on tour, C.G. Morey and Justin Stone, will also call Albany-Saratoga Speedway home on Fridays. Moreys best series finish at the track is 27th, while Stones is 19th in 2023.
Beware of the Malta Boys
Along with the series drivers, a stout group of regional drivers aims to beat the Super DIRTcar Series stars to victory lane.
Demetrios Drellos will strap into his Big Block Modified for the first time in 2025 on Friday night, looking for his second Super DIRTcar Series triumph. The Queensbury, N.Y., driver dominated the Malta Massive Weekend 100 in 2019 and was in striking distance last September, leading 58 laps before finishing sixth. Drellos is a 10-time winner at the track and the 2023 track champion.
Another former champion aiming for glory on Friday is two-time track champion Marc Johnson. The Guilderland, N.Y., driver finished second to Mahaney in 2022 and has three top fives and eight top 10s in 15 series starts at the track. Johnson is ninth on Albany-Saratogas all-time wins list with 27 feature wins.
Matt Delorenzo is another former champion with recent success in Super DIRTcar Series events, finishing second to Chris Hile at Albany-Saratoga in June 2023. The Cropseyville, N.Y., driver has 21 career Feature wins and won the track championship in 2022.
A Chance to Rebound
Ten-time series champion Matt Sheppard had an uncharacteristic start to his chase for an 11th title, finishing 13th at New Egypt Speedway last month.
Despite success at Albany-Saratoga, with nine top fives and 15 top 10s in 18 series starts, only one of the Waterloo, N.Y., drivers 98 Series victories have come at the track. He scored that triumph during Malta Massive Weekend in 2022.
Super Matt is looking for his second series win of 2025 after opening the season with a win at Volusia Speedway Park.
BRISTOL, Tenn. Ryan Blaney scored his second consecutive fifth-place finish in Sundays Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
But it was a circuitous route Blaney took to the finish line as the team gambled on pit strategy in an effort to steal a victory. Blaney led 48 laps before having to pit with 60 laps remaining at the .533-mile concrete oval.
It was just kind of a learning thing all day. The first run of the race nobody really knew what the tires were going to do and everyone kind of just rode around there a little bit and we finally got going and we went so long, Blaney said. Then it was like, Alright, we can go a little bit harder. The track widened out, which was good. I honestly dont know if I really anticipated that with the track getting wide and really not having tire problems. Im glad thats the way it was. I think it put on a pretty decent race.
There were a lot of comers and goers, except for the lead, I guess, but it was a pretty fun day and a really good finish. We kind of took a chance of running really long there, seeing if wed get a caution and then we finally bailed and had to make all the ground up and got back to fifth. Overall, it was a solid weekend.
Blaney felt the gamble was worth taking as he was able to charge back through the field after pitting and finish fifth on fresher tires.
Yeah, it was worth it. I thought it was a good move just in case someone blew a tire or something, but for a while we had everybody lapped and that was the long shot play to try and win the race, the 2023 Cup Series champion said. I was fifth before that cycle started, so it was nice that we got back up there for how long we ran. I didnt have a ton of laps to make it back up, but, overall, it was a good call by Jonathan. It was the chance to catch a break and it didnt really come, but it was a good weekend.
Blaney is pleased with how his team is performing.
Honestly, our cars have been really good and Im happy to where our speed has been, Blaney said. We had just a few bad weeks of not finishing the race from motor problems and getting caught up in a wreck. The last two weeks of just having good races.
We had a car that could win last week and it just really didnt work out. Today, I might have been able to run third, but I thought about third through sixth or seventh is where I was gonna be and just really proud that we had a couple weeks that were just like a normal race and we finished where we were running, so that part is always good.
LAS VEGAS Tony Stewart knew very well the significance of his first NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series triumph Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, who ran his first drag race two years ago and began competing full time in the Top Fuel class in 2024, added to a jam-packed racing résumé when he defeated Antron Brown, Justin Ashley and Jasmine Salinas in the final round of the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.
Two years ago, I won my first NHRA national event in the Top Alcohol Dragster here at Las Vegas with McPhillips Racing, and now I win my first Top Fuel national event at the Strip, Stewart said. Its pretty damn cool. Ive been a motorsports fan my whole life, and I think we made racing history today with the Top Fuel win. Im not sure if there has ever been a driver to win a NASCAR Cup race, an IndyCar race, the USAC Triple Crown championship and an NHRA Pro event (Top Fuel).
To do it with our team and our family was very emotional. When Leah brought Dom (their newborn son) up on stage in victory lane, my heart stopped. I got so emotional there. That is a feeling I have never had in my life before.
Stewart believes that four-wide drag racing turns the tables in his favor.
The four-wide setup is the equalizer for me. Im used to racing with many cars around me, he said. Its tough for the guys who are not used to four cars racing at once. We cant get to Charlotte fast enough with the next four-wide setup. I love the format.
I think we had a great shot to win this race outright today. We won all three rounds. The track and heat conditions were an equalizer too. The conditions were very tricky. It made it a tuners game and our guys were the difference. I can now say I have won pro events on all four tracks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and it is very satisfying as a racing driver.
It took Stewart 24 races to earn his first Top Fuel triumph.
I havent been around the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series very long, but I realized it takes a lot to win one of these Top Fuel races, he said. In my career, Ive never had to wait over a year to win a race. We always figured it out pretty quickly and we won. I had two holeshot wins in the first two rounds today and my worst reaction time was in the final, but the TSR Rayce Rudeen Foundation crew gave me a great car in the final. Neal Strausbaugh (crew chief) and Mike Domagala (co-crew chief) and the whole crew won that final round for us today. We needed this win.
Its been so stressful for everyone since Leah (Pruett Stewarts wife) nearly won the world Top Fuel championship in 2023 when it came down to the final round of the whole season, Stewart noted. We had a lot of changes for the team because my body weight is different. Car tubing is different, and it just takes time. It was frustrating as we just couldnt get on a path to make consistent gains last year.
Stewart is now second in the standings, 16 points behind leader Shawn Langdon.
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