SPEED SPORT’s Jacob Seelman chats with Jason McDougal, who recaps his Indiana Midget Week to date and tells us why he thinks he is building momentum.

MONTREAL – Sebastian Vettel put an end to the qualifying domination of Mercedes by earning his first pole of the season Saturday at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The Ferrari pilot earned his first pole of the season with his fast lap of 1:10.240 during Q3, which put him .206 of a second over defending race winner and reigning Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes.

Vettel’s Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc qualified third and was followed by an impressive run by the Renault of Daniel Ricciardo in fourth. Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly qualified fifth.

There were a pair of incidents during qualifying, the biggest of which saw Kevin Magnussen crash his Haas after contact with the Wall of Champions. Despite the crash, his fastest lap during Q2 earned Magnussen the 10th starting spot on Sunday.

The resulting red flag period to collect Magnussen’s car cost Max Verstappen a shot at a fast lap and prevented him from advancing to Q3.

The other incident saw Valtteri Bottas spin his Mercedes early in Q3, though he managed not to hit anything. He recovered to qualify sixth ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Magnussen.

BROOKLYN, Mich. – Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick continued his strong season with a victory Saturday afternoon in the LTi Printing 250 at Michigan Int’l Speedway.

Reddick and his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team utilized a fuel mileage gamble to earn their third victory of the season.

The California native was called down pit road for his final pit stop for fuel during the final caution period of the day, which came with 49 laps left after Chase Briscoe spun during a restart.

Christopher Bell and Cole Custer stayed on track during the caution period and the restarted on the front row while Reddick restarted in 10th.

The green flag waved for the final time with 44 laps left and Bell held the lead over Custer. Behind them Reddick was quickly moving his way back up through the field, taking over third with 40 laps left.

Once in third Reddick quickly gapped the cars behind him. Once he had a few seconds on his closest pursuers, he began to slow his lap times down in order to save fuel and guarantee he could make it to the finish if the caution flag didn’t wave again.

At the front of the field Custer dispatched Bell to take the lead with 31 laps remaining, but both drivers were still going to have to pit again for fuel. With no caution to aid them, Bell hit the pits with 11 laps left and Custer followed a lap later.

That gave the lead to Reddick, who continued to save fuel and easily crossed the finish line a little more than a second ahead of Noah Gragson to earn his third victory of the season and sixth of his career.

“I just didn’t want to burn a lot of fuel there,” Reddick admitted. “Our KCMG Chevrolet was really good, I just made some mistakes on pit road and we didn’t get the track position until the end there when Randall (Burnett, crew chief) made the call that he did.

“A great team effort. I didn’t do the thing I needed to do out on the race track, but man it was a great car and we just put ourselves in position to win.”

Gragson’s runner-up result was his best finish of the season in the JR Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet.

Michael Annett finished third, his best finish since winning the season opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway in February. Paul Menard finished fourth after starting from the pole and leading a race-high 47 laps. Justin Allgaier completed the top-five.

Custer and Bell, both of whom pitted late in the race from the top-two positions, finished 12th and 13th respectively.

For complete results, advance to the next page.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – North Carolina teenager Ethan Mitchell put together a career night during Friday’s Indiana Midget Week stop at Bloomington Speedway.

The 17-year-old earned his first Fatheadz Eyewear Fast Time Award during qualifying at the high-banked, quarter-mile clay oval, then backed up that speed with a fifth-place finish during the feature after transferring his way into the field through the B-main.

For a driver who “barely has 20 starts in a midget” under his belt, it was a confidence-building breakthrough during one of the toughest and most grueling weeks in midget car racing.

“I’m kind of speechless over this one, to be honest with you,” Mitchell told SPEED SPORT. “To come out here and get a top five, it’s unreal. These guys are the best in the country and we’re just a small little family team trying to get our feet underneath us with this midget deal. To actually get a result that shows how much effort we’ve been putting in is phenomenal.

“We came here last year and made two laps before the race got rained out, so really, I’d never seen this place besides a glimpse until tonight,” Mitchell continued. “This place was basically brand-new for us, but I feel like we took to it pretty quickly. Things happen fast here, and that’s something that I grew up with racing outlaw karts at Millbridge (Speedway), so I feel like we were able to figure things out quick.”

Mitchell’s team was aided by a veteran member of the USAC pit area, who started his week fielding an entry for Brady Bacon but was able to offer additional support after Bacon moved back over to FMR Racing for the second half of the six-night stretch.

“The Four Piston guys helped us, and it was also a huge boost to have (No. 1st car owner) Daryl Saucier helping us with our program and the setup, since he wasn’t working on his car for the rest of the week,” Mitchell noted. “That was something huge for us all night long, was that Daryl was able to help us stay chasing the track and stay on top of what we needed all the way through the feature.

“I won’t lie, we were so excited after setting quick time that we didn’t change things for the heat race … which set us back a little bit, but we came back and had a good car on the bottom for the semi and transferred into a good spot for the feature,” he added. “Starting seventh helped us out a ton there.”

For Mitchell, whose car houses one of the few Honda motors in national midget racing, Indiana Midget Week began on choppy seas but has steadily progressed forward ever since the first night at Montpelier Motor Speedway.

“We started this week pretty rough, blowing up our first engine at Montpelier, but we got it changed in time for Gas City and found a rhythm that we’ve tuned on the last few nights,” he said. “We came from 17th to seventh in the semi Wednesday night and just missed the main, but tonight I feel like we finally honed in on everything and were better than ever. I’m glad it finally showed to everyone else watching.”

As he maneuvered his way through Friday night’s main event, Mitchell made sure to take a brief moment to soak in the magnitude of his strong run, knowing how tough it is to have those good days.

“It was crazy, sitting there under one of the red flags, and realizing that I’m passing cars and sitting fourth in a USAC midget feature,” Mitchell grinned. “I knew I was good on the bottom. Racing with those guys – Sunshine and Boat and Seavey – is just so much fun. It’s a lot more fun sitting up front than it is slogging around in the back and just trying to get through the night.

“My confidence is higher than it’s ever been now, and I’m looking forward to the last two nights.”

TOPEKA, Kan. – Steve Torrence and J.R. Todd claimed the top spot in their respective categories Saturday afternoon at the 31st annual Menard’s NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by Minities at Heartland Motorsports Park.

Top Fuel points leader Torrence’s second qualifying run of 3.760 seconds at 325.45 mph stood strong through Saturday’s qualifying efforts. He will start from the No. 1 position for the 21st time in his career as he looks for his fifth consecutive victory this season in his Capco Contractors dragster. Torrence will line up against Terry Totten for the first round of eliminations.

“I tell you what, probably all of the odds are against us,” Torrence said. “Richard Hogan (crew chief) and Bobby Lagana (crew chief) and that whole Capco group over there are doing awesome. My dad has come out and done really well. We’ve got a lot of pipeliners back home working really hard to keep us out here and, ‘thank you’ to them. It’s Topeka and I’ve never won here in Top Fuel and I’m hoping that we can get the monkey off our back and do some good here tomorrow.”

Billy Torrence’s pass of 3.765 seconds at 323.58 mph landed him the No. 2 spot in the Capco Contractors dragster and rookie Austin Prock is seeded No. 3.

Todd secured his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and 100th for Kalitta Motorsports with his pass of 3.924 seconds at 318.99 mph Friday evening in his DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car. He is chasing his second win on the season and first victory at Heartland Motorsports Park.

“That’s pretty awesome because I don’t have too many No. 1 qualifiers under my belt,” Todd said regarding clinching the 100th No. 1 for his team. “I’d say most of those came from Dougie (Kalitta, Mac Tools driver) who is the leader over there. That was a good run Friday night which we knew that Q2 was going to be your best round of the weekend. We have a really good car heading into race day tomorrow and no reason that we can’t turn on four win lights. That’s the plan for tomorrow.”

Tim Wilkerson’s run of 3.931 seconds at 318.54 mph locked-in the No. 2 position for Sunday and 16-time world champion John Force is third.

ST. LOUIS -- As the St. Louis Blues are one win away from the first Stanley Cup in franchise history, there's speculation about who will win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP.

One of the names in consideration is winger Vladimir Tarasenko, who has 11 goals in 24 games. But defenseman Colton Parayko offered another interesting candidate: Yana Tarasenko, who gave birth to their son on Friday.

"She's the real MVP," he said, smiling. "We're on the road, and it happens on the day we get back. I think we landed and [Tarasenko] went straight to the [hospital]."

The Blues defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 5 on Thursday night and flew back to St. Louis. On Friday, Yana Tarasenko posted a photo of her husband holding their newborn with the caption "our little boy ... welcome to the world."

Tarasenko didn't participate in practice on Saturday for what was called a "maintenance day."

In their locker room on Saturday, the Blues expressed their joy about the new addition to the Tarasenko family -- they have two other boys, Mark and Sasha -- while praising the clutch timing of the birth.

"Yana did a good job of holding on, making sure Vladimir was there. We're so happy for him. Another boy for them. So happy for the Tarasenkos and their family, and everyone's healthy. It's good to see that," winger Pat Maroon said. "Yana's done a good job. Good communication I guess. It's been good."

Many of the Blues players are fathers, and acknowledged the difficulty in having the birth of a child looming while trying to focus on a potential championship run.

"Yeah, he's gotta be exhausted. I can't imagine, for him, what it's like," O'Reilly said. "But it's amazing. It's one of the greatest things in the world, to be a parent, and especially at this time going through all that, the emotions he must have are amazing. Everyone here is so happy for him."

His coach, Craig Berube, was also impressed with his Russian star's focus.

"Yeah, he's done a great job of it. It's not easy, and he's not the only player who's gone through it. It's hard. Obviously, family is important and first, and you gotta make sure that's all in check. But Vladi's been great. He's been doing a great job of [focusing], and when the game time comes, he's played hard and played well," said Berube of Tarasenko, who also has five assists to go with his 11 goals, including two game-winning goals as well as a playoffs-high 85 shots.

Yana Tarasenko talked about the work/life balance with Vladimir in a piece with St. Louis Magazine last September.

"Vladi is very attentive while at home. During the travel season, we stay in touch via FaceTime. Sasha knows that when Daddy wears a suit, it means he might be absent for several days, and he's OK with that. They both understand that we are a sports family. They're proud of it and try to be just like Dad," she said.

In the next two games, "Dad" will find out if he's a Stanley Cup champion. Then comes the real challenge: Raising three children.

"I had three at once," said Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo, who welcomed triplets last summer. "So they'll be all right. They'll find a way to balance it."

ST. LOUIS -- Zdeno Chara didn't say much to the media Saturday, but that he said anything at all was a good sign.

Five days after blood gushed onto the ice after a puck deflected into his face -- and two days after suiting up, remarkably, for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final -- the Boston Bruins' captain was able to speak in complete sentences, but it appeared he could not open his mouth fully.

Chara, meeting with reporters in a podium setting alongside teammate Tuukka Rask, had a noticeable scab under the right corner of his mouth. Multiple reports suggest his jaw is broken, but when Chara was asked specifically about his injury Saturday, he did not respond.

The Bruins are in must-win mode as they trail the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 is Sunday in St. Louis.

Chara said "there is no limitations" for him playing through the injury, which the team has described only as a facial injury.

"Obviously it was a quick turnaround after the game here," Chara said. "But I felt fine."

With Chara cleared to play, the Bruins suited up seven defensemen in Game 5. Coach Bruce Cassidy said the team wasn't sure how much Chara would "be able to play, how much was it going to affect him, his breathing, et cetera."

Chara, wearing a full shield, played 16 minutes, 42 seconds in the 2-1 loss, mostly alongside his usual defensive partner, Charlie McAvoy. Chara also made four hits, three blocks and took two shots on goal, but he looked uncomfortable at times.

When asked if he could eat food properly, Chara said: "I'm trying to at least eat as much as I can, keep my nutrition up and food up."

Chara is likely to play again in Game 6. The Bruins were also hoping to have regular top-six defenseman Matt Grzelcyk back in the lineup. Grzelcyk has been out since Game 2 with a concussion, and Cassidy said he was still not yet medically cleared Saturday.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Forward Jeff Skinner is both grateful and motivated by the new contract he signed to remain a member of the Buffalo Sabres for the next eight seasons.

He's impressed by the faith the Sabres showed by making him the team's second-highest-paid player behind captain Jack Eichel. And Skinner welcomes the raised expectations that come with his $72 million contract.

"Obviously, I know there's expectations and what my job is, and my job is to produce," Skinner told The Associated Press by phone Saturday in his first interview a day after reaching the deal.

"But I think that any athlete has that pride and wants to work and help the team win," he added. "I'm excited to be there and be a piece of the puzzle."

Skinner will be relied upon to be a major piece after scoring a career-best and team-leading 40 goals in his first season in Buffalo. The 27-year-old spent his first eight seasons in Carolina before being traded to the Sabres last August.

The Hurricanes made the trade believing they weren't going to afford Skinner's asking price once his contract expired after the season.

The rebuilding Sabres have a dire need for proven scorers, and weren't going to pass up an opportunity to secure the four-time 30-goal scorer before he was eligible to become a free agent July 1.

"One of the questions is going to be about giving an eight-year contract to a 27-year-old, but there's always going to be risks," Buffalo general manager Jason Botterill said Saturday.

"Our biggest focus I think heading into free agency was getting Jeff signed, and we've accomplished that," he added. "We want to add to our group and not have to go out there and try to replace what Jeff Skinner can bring."

Skinner became Buffalo's first player to score 40 goals since Thomas Vanek in 2008-09. And Skinner, Eichel and forward Sam Reinhart accounted for 90 of Buffalo's 226 goals last season.

Botterill's focus now is developing the young talent and adding players either through trades or free agency this offseason to provide more secondary scoring.

"We didn't make the playoffs. We have to continue to improve in a lot of different facets," Botterill said. "If we can find a way to add a little bit more depth instead of relying so much on Jeff, Sam and Jack, I think that's certainly one of our goals."

Skinner has for 244 goals, 198 assists and 442 points in 661 career games. Since entering the league, the NHL's 2011 rookie of the year is tied for 13th in total goals scored and ranks fifth with 191 goals scored at even strength.

The Sabres are in the midst of an eight-season playoff drought -- the NHL's longest active streak. And they're coming off a season in which they finished 27th overall and joined the 2016-17 Philadelphia Flyers in becoming the second of 50 NHL teams to miss the playoffs in the same season they won at least 10 consecutive games.

The Sabres followed their 10-game winning streak in November by closing the season winning 16 of their final 57 games.

Skinner put aside missing the playoffs for the ninth time in his career by saying he's impressed by the young talent Buffalo already has assembled.

"I think they're going to be consistently competitive for a long time, and that's probably the No. 1 thing," he said.

Though he enjoyed his season in Buffalo, Skinner had no preconceptions as to whether he would re-sign with the team after the season ended . He spent time consulting with family and friends, and gradually came to the conclusion Buffalo was the best fit.

"You put a positive step after a positive step together and at the end you sort of end up where you are," Skinner said. "And fortunately for me, I'm very happy with how it ended up."

He was also enthused following a lengthy chat by phone with newly hired coach Ralph Krueger, who takes over after Phil Housley was fired in April.

"I think it helped. It was definitely a positive," Skinner said, noting he also spoke to numerous players and coaches who have worked with Krueger. "What stood out was his excitement and enthusiasm to be in Buffalo. ... I think it was really genuine."

The 59-year-old coach is considered an innovator in having coached both in the NHL and internationally, including leading Team Europe to a second-place finish at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

In retrospect, Skinner said he was surprised by how smoothly his transition went after being traded for the first time in his career. What caught him by surprise is how passionate the Sabres fan base is, something Skinner never realized during the Hurricanes' visits to Buffalo.

Though he holds no grudges toward Carolina for trading him, Skinner knows he's now on a team invested in his long-term future.

"I'm very fortunate Buffalo gave me the opportunity it did, and I'm grateful they continue to show the belief in me," Skinner said. "It's a good feeling to play for an organization like that."