I Dig Sports
MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Meijer is partnering with Front Row Motorsports to serve as primary sponsor for the No. 36 Ford Mustang in this weekend’s Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan Int’l Speedway.
Meijer will also serve as an associate sponsor for Matt Tifft next month at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Midwest grocery retailer will now feature a line of Surface Sunscreen products hitting shelves just in time for race day.
Surface Sunscreen, maker of purpose-built sun care products designed with athletes and action sports in mind, is a season-long partner of Tifft and Front Row Motorsports.
Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., Meijer operates more than 245 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.
“It can sometimes be a hassle to shop for everything you need at the track,” said Tifft. “Meijer is the ultimate source for getting everything on your list, which should always include sun protection. I’m excited to debut this paint scheme at Michigan and to have Meijer on the car again in Indy.”
ELDON, Mo. – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series’ return on Oct. 19 to Lake Ozark Speedway will see close to a $10,000 increase to the overall purse for the Jason Johnson Classic.
FK Rod Ends is adding a $410 bonus to every position in the feature – bringing the winner’s purse to $10,410 and making it a $1,210-to-start race.
That makes the overall purse of the race more than $57,000.
The event honors 2016 Knoxville Nationals champion Jason Johnson, who was killed in a racing accident last year at Wisconsin’s Beaver Dam Raceway.
Johnson and his wife, Bobbi, located Jason Johnson Racing in Rocky Mount, Mo. – just 15 minutes away from Lake Ozark Speedway.
“I am really excited to have a race in Jason’s name at the Lake,” Bobbi Johnson said. “Anyone who knew him recognized his love for Sprint Car racing, his family, the fans and he absolutely loved living near the lake here at Lake of the Ozark. To host the race at Lake Ozark Speedway brings all the things he loved together at one place again for the Jason Johnson Classic while we honor his passion and commitment for the sport and the area we called home together.
“Jaxx and I, along with Jason’s parents Craig and Debra, miss him deeply every day, but we are very excited for everyone to make plans to come out to the lake to honor our beloved hero at the Jason Johnson Classic at Lake Ozark Speedway.”
The stars of the World of Outlaws put on a spectacular show at the third-mile track in April, showing why the series is nicknamed The Greatest Show on Dirt.
Brad Sweet dueled with Jason Johnson Racing driver David Gravel in the late stages of the race. Gravel hunted Sweet down and passed him for the lead, but with four laps to go Sweet snuck underneath Gravel in turn one and charged back by him for the top spot.
On the final lap exiting turn four, Sweet slid up the track and allowed Gravel to close back to him, but it wasn’t enough. Sweet claimed the win with Gravel second and 10-time series champion Donny Schatz in third close behind him.
The win was Sweet’s second of the year at the time. Now, he’s collected 12 wins so far and holds the points lead over Schatz in second-place and Gravel in third.
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HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing announced Wednesday that Jack Hawksworth will make his NASCAR debut this weekend in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the organization.
Hawksworth will pilot the No. 18 iK9 Toyota Supra at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
“I’m excited to be joining the Joe Gibbs Racing team and driving the No. 18 iK9 Toyota Supra this weekend at Mid-Ohio,” said Hawksworth. “It’s a fantastic opportunity in a completely different series, against completely different competition and in a different type of racing. From a personal perspective, I’m very excited to experience something new and to be challenged in a new way. It’s going to be very different, I’m sure it’s going to be difficult and there’s going to be a bit of a learning curve with it, but I’m going into it with a championship-winning organization so that gives me a lot of confidence.
“I look to get out there and do a good job and looking forward to getting out on the track.”
While this weekend will mark his first race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the Xfinity Series, the 28-year-old Bradford, England native is no stranger to the 2.4-mile course.
Most recently, Hawksworth competed at the track in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD class, where he and teammate Richard Heistand piloted their Lexus RC F GT3 to the win in May.
The duo also captured a win this season at Raceway at Belle Isle Park in June and are currently tied for the lead in the IMSA GTD Sprint Cup Championship team standings, while also sitting fourth in the overall GTD points standings.
Since moving to the United States in 2011, Hawksworth has competed in multiple racing series. He first made his mark in the U.S. competing in the Star Mazda Series in 2012, where he won the championship and broke the series record for most wins, poles and fastest lap in a season. He then moved to the Indy Lights Series for 2013 where he earned three race wins, six podium finishes and two pole positions.
For the next three seasons, Hawksworth competed in the NTT IndyCar Series, finishing a career-best finish of third in 2014 in Houston, Texas and earning the Indy Car Tony Renna Rising Star Award during his rookie season. He also won the 2014 Brickyard Grand Prix in the IMSA Prototype Challenge class at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Hawksworth moved to the RC F GT3 in 2017, where he has competed the last two seasons.
“As we head in to the second road course of the season, we’re fortunate to have a veteran like Jack Hawksworth be able to come out of the Lexus program to help out the Toyota family and our team in the No. 18 iK9 Supra this weekend,” said Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development for Joe Gibbs Racing. “He will bring a great deal of experience and a history of success to JGR this weekend. I think he’ll be a great asset to our team and be someone that both Brandon (Jones) and Christopher (Bell) can look to for advice on how to get around Mid-Ohio.
“Jack’s proven he can win at the track, and there’s no reason not to continue that this weekend with the (No.) 18 team.”
Hawksworth replaces Jeffrey Earnhardt behind the wheel of the No. 18 Toyota Supra.
Earnhardt was scheduled to drive the car this weekend at Mid-Ohio, but revealed on social media Wednesday that he has “parted ways” with sponsor iK9.
Just wanted to let ya’ll know that iK9 and I have parted ways and wanted to thank them for the opportunity to race with @JoeGibbsRacing & @ToyotaRacing . Wish them the best in their future.
— Jeffrey Earnhardt (@JEarnhardt1) August 7, 2019
Earnhardt was scheduled to race the No. 81 Xtreme Concepts Toyota Supra for XCI Racing at Daytona Int’l Speedway in July, but the team withdrew their entry before the race.
A fourth-generation driver, Earnhardt earned a career-best finish of third at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway earlier this season in Xfinity Series action, one of seven starts he’s made this year.
INDIANAPOLIS – The entry list for the Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink at the Dirt Track at IMS has neared 40 entries as of Wednesday afternoon.
Among the latest stars to commit to the second running of the race, scheduled for Sept. 4-5, are the point leading and winningest team in the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series this season, an international racing star, an electrifying talent, a Western States Midget champion and a car owned by the winningest driver in series history.
Clauson/Marshall Racing has entered their core group of four full-time USAC competitors for the event, including Tyler Courtney, Chris Windom, Zeb Wise and Andrew Layser.
Defending AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series champion Courtney leads all drivers with six USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget feature wins this year and has led the standings since the start of the season.
His CMR teammate, Chris Windom, runs second in the standings behind him after a strong showing during Pennsylvania Midget Week.
Windom, the 2016 Silver Crown and 2017 National Sprint Car titlist, has won his first two National Midget races over the past two months.
Wise runs fourth in the standings with two recent victories to his credit during Pennsylvania Midget Week. He was victorious in last year’s Stoops Pursuit race at the BC39.
Andrew Layser is in his first year for CMR and tops the series’ rookie points by a commanding margin. He seeks to make his first BC39 feature start.
Michael Pickens, the winningest driver from New Zealand in the history of the USAC National Midget Series with four wins, will roll with the RMS LLC team at the BC39 alongside teammate Thomas Meseraull.
David Prickett, the 2012 USAC Western States Dirt Midget champ, will drive for Neverlift Motorsports in his second BC39 appearance. Meanwhile, Trey Osborne – a veteran of Kenyon Midget racing and the Little 500 at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway – will drive the famed yellow No. 61 for Mel Kenyon, a 111-time USAC national midget victor.
Those drivers join a talented list of entries which also includes 2017 USAC National Midget champion Spencer Bayston; 2018 Jason Leffler Memorial winner Tyler Thomas; USAC National Sprint Car feature winners Brent Beauchamp and Matt Westfall; and past USAC Western States Midget champion Shannon McQueen, among others.
Driven2SaveLives BC39 Entry List (as of Aug. 7)
McIlroy's pace-of-play fix: 'Warning and then a shot'
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Slow play has again become a headline issue in recent months thanks to Brooks Koepka’s outspoken take on the subject, but the world No. 1 is hardly the only player who believes it’s time to end slow play.
On Wednesday at The Northern Trust, Rory McIlroy agreed with Koepka’s assessment of the pace of play on Tour and said it’s a problem that flows from the top down.
“It starts at our level because people try to emulate us,” McIlroy said. “I've heard stories of college events and how long they take. There's no reason why it should take that long. It has to be addressed some way.”
McIlroy explained that slow play on Tour is the byproduct of a poorly conceived pace-of-play policy and he added that the fix is extremely straightforward.
“The guys that are slow are the guys that they get too many chances before they are penalized,” he said. “It should be a warning and then a [penalty] shot. It should be you're put on the clock and that is your warning, and then if you get a bad time while on the clock, it's a shot. That will stamp it out right away.”
McIlroy is confident that Tour pros can adjust to a more strict enforcement of pace of play.
“We are not children that need to be told five or six times what to do,” he said. “OK, you're on the clock. OK, I know if I play slowly here, I'm going to get penalized and I think that's the way forward.”
Tiger limited by stiff back, concerned about playoff workload
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Tiger Woods put himself on a pitch count Wednesday at The Northern Trust.
Well, it was a pitch count at least based on how the 43-year-old normally prepares for a PGA Tour event.
Woods didn’t hit a tee shot after the seventh hole during his pro-am round at Liberty National and opted to only chip and putt over the final nine holes.
“Just feeling stiff, being smart about it. What I did pre-Augusta, where I chipped and putted for nine holes. Same thing,” explained Woods, who said he began feeling “stiff” early in his round. “This is kind of how it is. Some days I’m stiffer than others.”
The Northern Trust is Woods’ first start since missing the cut at last month’s Open Championship, where he was slowed by the cold and wet conditions. It was a similar story at the PGA Championship in May (missed cut) and the U.S. Open in June (T-21).
Some of Woods’ caution is likely rooted in his possible schedule the next three weeks. He’s currently just inside the top 30 at No. 28 on the FedExCup point list, and if he qualifies for the Tour Championship, which he won last year, that would mean he’d have to play three consecutive weeks for the first time this season.
“There is concern,” he said. “I'm trying to get myself where I'm in contention, where it takes a toll on you, and that's what I want to feel. I want to feel that type of tiredness where I have a chance to win, had a chance to win, had a chance to win. That's a good feeling.”
'Like all of them,' Tiger still trying to earn way onto U.S. Presidents Cup team
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Tiger Woods did some moonlighting this week at the playoff opener, and hosted a group of potential players for this year’s U.S. Presidents Cup team on Tuesday at Liberty National.
“The guys who came [on Tuesday night], it was fantastic to have them there. But understand that this is not the team, not yet,” Woods said. “We're still trying to earn our way on the team. There have only been a few guys who have locked up their spots.”
It was worth nothing that Woods used the phrase “our way” when referring to the list of potential players that currently includes Woods, this year’s U.S. captain.
Woods is currently 12th on the U.S. points list and will need a solid finish at The Northern Trust or next week’s BMW Championship if he’s going to finish inside the top 8 and automatically qualify. Otherwise, he’ll need to be a captain’s pick, which creates a unique situation for Woods.
“I'm like all of them, all the guys in the room. Those guys who are in probably 50th, 60th in points can still win these two events and hop into the top 8, or play well with the nine events that we have and get a pick,” Woods explained.
Woods and International captain Ernie Els don’t need to make their four picks until later this fall (Nov. 4) which gives players who finish outside the automatic qualifiers plenty of time to make a statement and secure a spot on the team.
Lowry on winning Open: Fans aren’t calling me Beef or J.B. anymore, ‘that’s a plus’
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – If various social media accounts are any indication, Shane Lowry made the most of his Open Championship victory with celebrations that seemed to have lasted the better part of two weeks.
“I don't think I did,” Lowry laughed when asked if he had a hard time savoring the moment.
Lowry is making his first start since The Open and his first start in a FedExCup playoff event at The Northern Trust this week, and he admitted Wednesday he spent plenty of time processing his accomplishment, but now it’s time to get back to work.
“Obviously I won The Open and I'm a major champion, but that doesn't give me the God-given right to go out and shoot 65 tomorrow,” he said. “I still have to go out there and do my own thing and play my own game and see where it leaves me.”
Lowry said winning the claret jug hasn’t changed his life as a player but it has changed the way he’s viewed by fans.
“I'm definitely more recognized now, and even coming over here to events, but if anything you like that, it makes you feel more comfortable,” he said. “[The fans] are not calling me ‘Beef’ [Andrew Johnston] or they are not calling me ‘J.B. Holmes’ out there. That's a plus.”
Koepka has won $4.745 million in two weeks, but he’s not keeping track
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – It’s been a lucrative few weeks for Brooks Koepka, not that he’s been keeping track.
Two weeks ago, Koepka won the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational ($1.745 million) followed by the Wyndham Rewards for earning the most FedExCup points this season ($2 million) and the Aon Risk Reward Challenge ($1 million). That’s $4.745 million in two weeks with three FedExCup playoff events and a $15 million bonus for the points leader, who is currently Koepka, looming.
While most would be keenly aware of the financial possibilities of the next few weeks, Koepka explained that he’s never been fixated on that side of his profession.
“I just love the competition,” he said on Wednesday at The Northern Trust. “I think back to when I'm 5 years old, and you wanted to be the best player in the world.
“I always wanted to be Adam Scott and Tiger Woods and all these guys, right. When I thought about that, all I was thinking about was I wanted to be the best player in the world. When I was 10 years old, I never thought about, oh, it's going to come with millions of dollars and all these great things.”
Koepka already has $9.55 million in official earnings this season and can become the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2015 to earn more than $10 million in a single season.
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