
I Dig Sports

TULSA, Okla. Ken Schrader is still racing and winning over a half century since he carried a 1964 Impala to his first victory at Missouris Lake Hill Speedway.
From the first days of his career, he displayed a willingness to race nearly any type of car at any venue ranging from the smallest bullring to superspeedways.
In 2024, he proclaims to have raced nearly 100 times. Although he will turn 70 years old this May, he has concluded, I guess you just have to die out of this thing.
Already active in the 2025 season, Schrader made a quick trip to Tulsa, Okla., where he was inducted into the National Midget Racing Hall of Fame. While now a member of that esteemed group, oddly enough, he confessed that at one point he had little interest in driving a midget. That soon changed.
His first ride came with multi-time St Louis Auto Racing Assn champion Bud Hoppe, but he eventually found a steady ride with L. Gene Hamilton. In 1980 he flew into Chicago and took a cab to Indianas Illiana Speedway.
Not realizing how long the trip would be he was forced to borrow money from USAC registrar M. A. Todd to pay his fare. Luckily enough he claimed his first USAC win that evening. All told he would nab 21 USAC National midget wins. He also excelled on the big stage. He took the Copper World Classic at Phoenix Raceway three times; he was the best at the 1981 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway, and in 1983 he was victorious at the Night Before the 500 at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Schrader won the USAC Sprint and Silver Crown championship, and in 1982 his four wins help owner Nick Gojmeric claim the USAC National midget entrants title.
Given his total body of work, his versatility, and personality, by 1985 he was a steady presence on the NASCAR scene. All told he has started nearly 1,000 races across NASCARs three major touring series. Yet, in 1990 Schrader had the itch to go midget racing, and in particular he wanted to give the Chili Bowl Nationals a whirl.
For him it was an easy decision. I mean, its the second week of January and youre racing, he says, what could be better than that? It was so cool and so much fun.
In 1990, he raced for owner Terry Caves with Steve Kinser as a teammate. A solid fifth-place run in his preliminary night translated into a ninth place finish on Saturday. Kinser had better luck on Saturday night finishing second to John Heydenreich in a tight battle. Schrader was back with Caves in 1991, but did not fare as well.
In 1992 and 1993 he returned to the Chili Bowl, this time with Ralph, Greg and Chris Wilke. The car was approaching eight years old and by current standards was down on power. The story that circulated was that the piece had essentially been in storage.
Greg Wilke lightly debunks the notion, Well not exactly. It just wasnt as competitive outdoors because by now the Pontiac was available. Our Cosworth was only 120 inches.
Nonetheless, Wilke felt he had one key advantage.
We brought it out because we understood that Kenny with his skills and abilities could make up the difference. The track generally got slick by the end of the night, so it was smooth and fast.
True to from Schrader was spectacular in his preliminary night. On this night, the bottom groove was the way to go. Schrader started from the outside of the fourth row and immediately marched forward. Lealand McSpadden, and Page Jones pounded the cushion early, while Schrader waited for the race to come to him.
Lined up next to Sammy Swindell on the front row for the finale the action was hot from the drop of the green flag.
Recalling the night well, Schrader says, We started on the front row together and he wanted more space than I was willing to give him. The contact that ensued sent Ken to the rear where he immediately put on a show for fans. He eventually climbed back to seventh place and was named the Rich Vogler Hard Charger.
After the race Schrader instructed the Wilkes to take that car home and pickle it. That is exactly what they did.
In his 1993 preliminary night, Schrader led Danny Lasoski and Brent Kaeding to the checkered flag and earned a spot alongside Dave Blaney in the big show. The start of the 50-lap feature saw Blaney and Schrader locked into a terrific duel. Schrader was out front after 21 laps were down, but a broken fuel pump belt ended his night. To this day you can hear the frustration in Greg Wilkes voice. We had the fastest car, he said, I thought we had it. It doesnt take long for Ken to recall the moment either.
The team stayed intact for 1994 but could only muster a mid-pack finish on Saturday. They couldnt help reflecting on what could have been. For Greg Wilke, memories of working with Schrader provoke nothing but positive feelings.
He was just so easy going, he said. I remember one night we were pushing him out at the Chili Bowl, and I could see his knee was tight against the power steering. I said Kenny, is that alright? And he looks down and says, well it is against it so I cant hit it very hard. That was his demeanor. It was great that we were able to race with him.
As Ken Schrader talks about his days at the Chili Bowl one can detect a glint in his eye. That may have prompted Ken to reach out to another open-wheel star.
I sent Tony (Stewart) a text that said, dont you wish you were at the Chili Bowl? He wrote back, Hell yes, but then he sent me a picture of himself playing with his baby.

WAYNESVILLE, Ga. With the forecast for rain continuing through the evening hours, Saturdays Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing event at Golden Isles Speedway has been canceled.
Sundays program is still on as scheduled.
A complete program for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing is on tap, featuring a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win A-Main. The 604 Late Models, Crown Vics, and Mini Late Models are also on the racing card.
The pit gates will open at 2 p.m. and general admission gates at 3 p.m. The on-track action is slated for 5:30 p.m. with hot laps.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Two of the three IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge winners to kick off the season dominated at Daytona Intl Speedway. The third, however, captured a surprising victory on the last lap of the 45-minute race.
Valentino Catalano won overall with an authoritative drive in the Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3) class after a race-long battle with teammate Markus Pommer.
Adam Adelson, in the first of his three races at Daytona this month hell also compete in the Rolex 24 At Daytona with Wright Motorsports started things off strongly with a flag-to-flag victory in the debut of the new Grand Touring Daytona X (GTDX) class, GT3-specification cars now entered in VP Racing Challenge.
Kiko Porto, meanwhile, dominated the weekend pace-wise in Grand Sport X but only captured the race win on the last lap when his closest rival, Steven Clemons, slowed unexpectedly from the lead.
Catalano Emerges on Top from Gebhardt Battle
Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports made its podium debut to cap off the 2024 season at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with drivers Catalano, in the No. 30 Duqueine D08, and Pommer, in the No. 31 Duqueine D08. They backed up that solid debut outing last year in Daytona this weekend.
From pole, Catalano led a majority of the race only briefly losing the lead to his teammate on an exchange for one of the 26 laps and resumed out front to secure the win by 1.071 seconds over Pommer.
Pommer, however, finished second on the road but third in the race results after he was given a 10-second penalty for a false start at the green flag for changing columns.
I thought it was pretty smooth, I would say, Catalano said. I knew it was a long race, so I didnt push that much. I created a bit of a gap and could hold it quite good. At some point, I heard that Markus got a penalty and then I was just managing my tires and I didnt take any risks. I was just driving smooth and slow to get it home. and it worked out, so Im really happy about that.
That promoted Brady Golan to second in his No. 80 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS P320. Golan, too, had a penalty but his was pre-race after missing the pre-grid time which forced him to start from the rear of the P3 class field. Undeterred, the teenager gained four positions on the first lap to an eventual third place, which became second, 5.503 seconds in arrears, once Pommers penalty was applied.
Fourth on the road and the top-rated Bronze driver in class was Mirco Schultis, in the No. 70 Mishumotors Ligier JS P320. IMSA introduced a Bronze Cup podium this race to award trophies to all of the top-three Bronze-rated finishers in each of the three classes.
The debut of the GTDX class within VP Racing Challenge was largely uneventful. After starting from pole, Adelson led all 26 laps in the No. 24 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) with a 30.236-second margin of victory.
I knew where we were going to get our tire temperature up way more quickly than the LMP3 cars on the start, so for me it was about making sure if I was faster than any of them to get by, Adelson said. Thankfully I successfully did so and that really helped me build a gap.
Its absolutely incredible, he added about winning the GTDX class debut. Believe it or not, even just the addition of the torque sensors on the WeatherTech car, makes it so you have to drive it quite differently. Regardless, any track time is good track time. Its the first time GTDX is running with VP Challenge, so its an honor to be here and win that inaugural race.
While Adelson enjoyed a simple drive, the battle behind him was intense among three Ferrari 296 GT3 cars and a single BMW M4 GT3.
Like Golan in P3, AJ Muss in GTDX had a mission to complete from a pre-race penalty. The driver of the No. 66 Af Corse Ferrari qualified fastest but had all his times disallowed for exiting the car during qualifying, which dropped him to the rear of the eight-car GTDX grid.
From there, the snowboarder-turned-driver was on a charge and rose to second ahead of teammate Matias Perez Companc in the No. 50 Af Corse Ferrari.
Those two ended just ahead of the top-rated Bronze driver in GTDX, Dave Musial (the father of the father-son Musial pairing) in the No. 99 Conquest Racing Ferrari. His margin over fellow series debutante Samantha Tan, in the No. 38 ST Racing BMW, was just 0.241 of a second.
A race-long battle between a pair of Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 cars, Porto in the No. 8 RAFA Racing entry and Steven Clemons in the No. 76 BSI Racing entry, ended when Clemons car slowed entering NASCAR Turns 3 and 4 of the Daytona International Speedway oval, and Porto flew past.
We started strong at the beginning but then started losing so much pace, Porto explained. The other Toyota was faster; he was going to pass me anyway and I was just trying to survive.
Then when I saw it, they were just slowing down in the last corner and I was like, I dont know what happened. I dont know if they had a mechanical or if they risk too much in the field, I dont know. But I was like, okay, Im not lifting anymore and things gotta happen.
Gregory Liefooghe was second in the No. 43 Stephen Cameron Racing Ford Mustang GT4, 11.015 seconds behind Porto but only 0.059 of a second ahead of Patrick Wilmot, in the No. 12 Swish Motorsports BMW M4 GT4. Wilmot concluded a late deal to drive with Swish owner Michael Daytons team for Daytona after a small fundraising effort and said he hopes to continue into the second event of the year at Circuit of The Americas.
Bronze Cup also had a late change in this class. Ian Porter (No. 68 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO1) was out front for most before stopping off course. Rob Walker (No. 53 Kingpin Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2) emerged as top Bronze in GSX, fifth in class.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. So far, the annual Roar Before the Rolex 24 practice sessions have featured BMW dominating the speed charts during the opening two days of action at Daytona Intl Speedways 3.56-mile road course.
The German brand set fast time in both of Saturdays early Rolex 24 At Daytona practice sessions with the two BMW M Team RLL sister cars ultimately sweeping the first two positions on the speed charts.
While 25-year-old Sheldon van der Linde who claimed the days overall fast lap of 1:36.196 in the No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 on Saturday afternoon was clearly pleased with the teams effort and what that may mean for next weekends iconic Rolex 24 race, the South African cautioned that some competitors had been careful not to show their hand yet.
He was encouraged, however, by the obvious progress his manufacturer and team have made in the last two years competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Its obviously positive to see that all the hard work weve done over the winter this year and through the WEC season last year, weve learned a lot, and were trying to translate that into America obviously, said van der Linde, an FIA World Endurance Championship veteran who will drive full-time in IMSAs Grand Touring Prototype class for the first time this season.
Its only the Roar and we know a lot of people are sandbagging quite a lot, he said. Its quite clear in the GTD class as well, but for sure, a good way to start the weekend and the car feels good so thats positive.
Its hard to say what we expected because we didnt really know where wed be coming into the Roar. Like I said, everyone is doing something different with their program. So, in the end, its very hard to know where we are, but we expected to be a lot stronger than last year and I think that alone really, really shows this year.
Overall Saturday, it was smooth running on track temperatures in the low 70s under mostly cloudy skies with only a single incident in the two practice sessions the No. 22 United Autosports USA LMP2 contacted the tire barrier outside the chicane on the backstretch during the afternoon session.
Although there were no instances for accidents during the morning one hour, 45-minute practice, it was slowed twice a quick yellow for a debris on track and an 11-minute pause to allow the field to practice the new split category restarts for the upcoming race. This season, before restarts, all four classes will be divided on track by category, including a new-for-2025 class split of the GTD PRO and GTD cars.
The general feeling was that the split went better than expected, happening quickly and without incident even with a full 37-car count among the GTD entries (15 GTD PRO and 22 GTD).
That worked fine, said IndyCars Scott McLaughlin, who is teaming with NASCAR stars Shane Van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch and former Rolex winner Ben Keating in the No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport GTD PRO class Corvette Z06 GT3.R for the Rolex 24.
It was quick, more just getting the pack up. It was pretty solid. I dont think theres much of a difference.
Franck Perera, who set fast time (1:48.036) in the GTD class Saturday morning driving the No. 78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, was among the drivers who cautioned with the changing weather conditions both expected for Sunday (rain) and next weeks race (cooler temperatures).
For sure it is positive when it is going the way you want, said Perera, a past Rolex 24 class winner. He noted each session is a test and theres still practice, and I think the weather will be tricky the next couple days.
Felipe Fraga took fast time in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class with a lap of 1:40.108 in the No. 74 Riley ORECA LMP2 07. Andrea Caldarelli was quickest in both sessions in the GTD PRO Class with a fast lap of 1:48.049 in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 during the afternoon practice.
One sub, no winner: Arteta envy at Liverpool depth

Mikel Arteta admitted his envy at Liverpool's greater strength in depth after Arsenal lost ground in the Premier League title race with a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa.
Hours after Liverpool struck twice in stoppage-time to beat Brentford 2-0, Arsenal surrendered a two-goal advantage at Emirates Stadium to fall six points behind the leaders who have a game-in-hand.
Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz had put Arsenal on track for a vital win before two goals in eight minutes from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins earned Villa a point.
While Liverpool boss Arne Slot was able to call on 85 million ($103m) striker Darwin Núñez -- who scored two stoppage-time goals -- Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones among others to help beat Brentford, injuries left Arteta only willing to make one substitution when chasing the game as Raheem Sterling, on loan from Chelsea, played the final eight minutes.
"There are moments [in the title race], obviously," he said. "[Liverpool] managed to do that, they made the subs and the subs made the impact and managed to change the game. In our side, it was the opposite even though after conceding the two goals very close to each other, the danger was because I knew how the team was, that we could go downhill because we were physically drained.
"Suddenly the team found another gear to go again and put Aston Villa in their box and go and go again and trying to find the goal that we haven't been able to score in the end."
Arsenal are attempting to add at least one player before the transfer window closes in just over a fortnight and asked whether the gap widening in the title race put extra pressure on the club to act, Arteta replied: "When you look at the performances -- I don't know how many teams are playing at this level in the league.
"But when you look at the bench, probably you say we are very short."
Frank: Liverpool best side in world, not just Prem

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank has labelled Liverpool "the best team in the world" and believes they are "huge favourites" to win the Premier League title following their late win over his side.
Substitute Darwin Núñez scored twice in stoppage time to hand Arne Slot's men their first league victory of 2025 after Brentford had defended valiantly for 90 minutes at the Gtech Community Stadium.
While Liverpool's form has taken a slight dip since the turn of the year --- with back-to-back draws against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest preceding their clash with Brentford -- Frank was full of praise for Slot's side and has backed them to beat Arsenal to the trophy.
"We just played City and Arsenal and now Liverpool, in a short amount of time," the Brentford boss told the BBC after the game. "For me they're a level above the two teams. They're complete.
"Their work ethic, the way they track back, are good indicators. They're so good all over the pitch. Such a threat going forward. These are really, really good. It's the best team in the Premier League and the world. They're huge favourites to win it [the title]."
Reflecting on his own team's performance on Saturday afternoon, Frank added: "I thought we played a really good game against the best team in the world right now. We did a lot of things right. We defended very well. We gave the opportunities away but not too big.
"We probably lacked the final cutting edge. We had some good chances and opportunities that never became opportunities because of the last pass or touch. Their centre-backs were exceptionally good."

Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher has been voted the 2024 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, capping off a year that saw her win an Olympic gold medal and retire from international soccer.
Naeher received 40.8% of the weighted vote, beating out last year's winner, San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma, who received 32.2%.
Votes for U.S. Soccer Female Player were collected from respective national team coaches, national team players who earned a cap in 2024, members of the U.S. Soccer board of directors, U.S. Soccer Athletes' Council, National Women's Soccer League head coaches, and select media members and administrators. Fans also vote for the award, with their votes weighted at 15% of the total.
Naeher, 36, is only the second goalkeeper to win the award since its inception in 1985. Another United States women's national team goalkeeping legend, Hope Solo, won the award in 2009. Abby Wambach won it six times, the most of any player. Mia Hamm won it five times.
The award was one of several Naeher received for her exploits in 2024. She was also voted The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper of the Year for 2024 and was selected for The Best FIFA Best Women's 11. She is the 21st different player to win the U.S. Soccer award.
"This is an incredible honor, to cap off what has been a very special year with this team," Naeher said.
"This team is made up of a special group of players, coaches and staff and all year you could feel that energy and that we had the opportunity to achieve something great. I was inspired all year long by my incredible teammates; the work we put in, the commitment to the team and our goals, and all of their love and support."
Naeher was a vital piece of the USWNT's Olympic triumph, playing every minute of the tournament, and delivering several crucial saves, including a stellar kick-save in overtime of the semifinal against Germany. She allowed just two goals during the Olympics, and with her shutout of Brazil in the gold medal game, she became the first goalkeeper in women's soccer history to keep clean sheets in a World Cup final and an Olympic final.
She ended 2024 with 18 starts, 1,170 minutes played, a 13W-1L-3D record and a 0.50 GAA while allowing just 11 goals.
Naeher announced her retirement last November and finished her career with 115 caps and a record of 89-15-6 (W-L-D). In 2024, she became just the third U.S. goalkeeper to hit 100 caps and
Naeher will continue her professional club career with Chicago during this upcoming NWSL season.
Balde alleges racist abuse from fans in Barça game

Barcelona defender Alejandro Balde said he was racially abused by Getafe supporters during Saturday's 1-1 draw at the Coliseum.
Balde, who is Black, revealed the incidents took place during the first half of the LaLiga fixture and that he advised the referee Pablo González Fuertes.
"I received several racists insults from the fans here," the left-back said in a post-match interview with Movistar.
"It's lamentable and something that should not keep happening. I advised the referee what had happened in the first half.
"He activated the league's protocol in the second half, but I don't know exactly how it works from there."
LaLiga's protocol allows a referee to stop a match if they observe racist behaviour or are alerted to the occurrence of a racist incident by a player.
An announcement is then broadcast over the stadium PA system, explaining why the game has been halted and adding that if the incidents continue the players will be taken off the pitch.
If, once they return, the behaviour does not desist, the fixture will be abandoned.
Barça coach Hansi Flick condemned the actions of those who insulted Balde.
"There is no space for this in football or in life," Flick told a news conference.
"This is unbelievable. It's totally wrong. They have to stay at home, not go to matches. We have to fight against them.
"Also, the people around them, they can also do something. At the end, it's not the respect we want to live together."
It was the second incident of racism reported in Spain on Saturday, with second division side Elche also saying defender Bambo Diaby suffered abuse during a 1-1 draw away at Sporting Gijón.
Elche said one alleged perpetrator had already been identified by local police in Gijón, while LaLiga also released a statement denouncing what had happened and saying they would file a case with the public prosecutor for hate crimes.
There have been multiple cases of racist insults against players in Spanish football in recent years, with Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior repeatedly targeted.
LaLiga and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have worked to combat racism in the game.
Last June, three Valencia fans were jailed for eight months for racially abusing Vinícius during a LaLiga game in May 2023, the first verdict of its kind in the country.
In September, a court then handed a 12-month suspended sentence to a Mallorca supporter that used racists insults against Vinícius and Villarreal's Samuel Chukwueze in February 2023.
A month later, Spain's national police arrested four people responsible for a hate campaign against Vinícius.

A heavily-rotated United States men's national team earned a 3-1 victory over Venezuela in the first of its two international friendlies this month.
Saturday's U.S. squad was made up almost entirely of players from Major League Soccer due to the game falling outside of a FIFA international window.
Jack McGlynn and Patrick Agyemang scored about two minutes apart late in the first half and Matko Miljevic, whose third-minute penalty kick was saved, struck in the 64th minute.
McGlynn connected on a left-footed strike from about 30 yards in the 37th minute, Agyemang deflected a shot off goalkeeper Wuilker Faríñez not long afterward and the Americans were off and running. Milijevic scored on a counter, joining Agyemang to raise the total to 61 players who scored in their U.S. debuts.
The result means manager Mauricio Pochettino has now won four of his five games since he took charge in September -- his lone defeat came in a friendly against Mexico in October.
The USMNT will be in action again when it faces Costa Rica on Wednesday.
Carl Kafka/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF
DaMarcus Beasley, Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, DeAndre Yedlin and Landon Donovan are among the players whose national team careers were boosted by January camps.
The U.S. controlled much of the match and had a chance to grab the lead after Daniel Pereira's foul in the penalty area. Miljevic, a Miami-born forward, didn't have much on the spot kick he tried pushing past Faríñez's left side.
Six U.S. starters made debuts before a crowd of 18,008: left back Max Arfsten, central defender George Campbell, wingers Brian Gutierrez and Carden Clark, along with Miljevic and Agyemang at forward. Emeka Eneli and Indiana Vassilev made debuts in the second half.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Smaran, Shrijith, Manohar power Karnataka to Vijay Hazare title

Karnataka 348 for 6 (Smaran 101, Manohar 79, Shrijith 78, Nalkande 2-67) beat Vidarbha 312 (Shorey 110, H Dubey 63, Koushik 3-47, Shetty 3-58) by 36 runs
Dubey built on Shorey's third successive century, by hitting a 25-ball half-century lower down the order, to bring the equation down to 37 off 12 balls. In the end, Dubey ran out of partners and was the last man dismissed when he heaved left-arm seamer Abhilash Shetty to deep midwicket as Karnataka sealed victory to break a five-year trophy drought.
The game was fought on an even keel for most parts. Karnataka, who were put in to bat, lost the in-form Devdutt Padikkal in the sixth over, before KV Aneesh and Mayank Agarwal steadied the innings.
Shrijith's dismissal in the 38th over brought Manohar out to the middle, and he enhanced his reputation of being a finisher with some pristine hitting, not once giving the impression that he was slogging. On 24 off 25 at the end of the 44th over, Manohar began the surge by hitting Bhute for a sequence of 4, 4, 6 to begin the 45th.
When Bhute bowled length into the pitch, Manohar used the angle to pick a boundary behind point. When Bhute bowled a wide yorker, he scythed it to the deep-cover fence, and when he missed a yorker, Manohar stayed deep inside the crease and shovelled it to clear long-off.
Thakur bore the brunt of Manohar's fury in the following over when he was picked away for two fours in the 46th, and three back-to-back fours in the 48th, as the wheels started to come off Vidarbha's attack. The last seven overs fetched Karnataka 83 as they got the perfect finish.
Vidarbha started the chase briskly but lost the centurion of the previous game, Yash Rathod, for 22 when he got a leading edge to Padikkal at slip. Nair and Shorey were then involved in a half-century stand to lift Vidarbha's hopes.
Nair was particularly sparkling in his short stay, punching and pulling Prasidh Krishna through covers and midwicket, and then going after legspinner Shreyas Gopal at the first sign of spin being introduced. But he fell for 27 off 31 balls when he failed to cover the line of a Prasidh inducker that kept slightly low.
Vidarbha then chugged along with Jitesh Sharma giving Shorey company in a half-century stand before holing out to long-on. That wicket not only galvanised Karnataka but also freed up Vidarbha to go for broke, like Dubey did. With some support, he may have yet been able to pull off a heist, but it wasn't to be.
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo