I Dig Sports
Yanks send AL ROY Gil for MRI on tight shoulder
TAMPA, Fla. -- Yankees right-hander Luis Gil will have an MRI after the AL Rookie of the Year experienced shoulder tightness during a bullpen session Friday, manager Aaron Boone told reporters.
Boone also said right-hander JT Brubaker suffered three broken ribs when hit by a comebacker off the bat of Tampa Bay's Kameron Misner on Feb. 21.
Gil, 26, cut short his bullpen session early, Boone said. He was 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 29 starts last year, striking out 171 and walking a major league-high 77 in 151 2/3 innings.
"Feels like it's going to cost us some time," Boone told reporters.
He is projected to be part of a rotation that includes Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt.
Marcus Stroman would be likely to enter the rotation if an opening develops.
The 31-year-old Brubaker missed the last two big league seasons because of Tommy John surgery and an oblique injury. He made eight rehab appearances in the Yankees organization last year, and had a 2.70 ERA in 16 2/3 innings.
Gloucester-Hartpury 'know how to win' semi-finals
Gloucester-Hartpury know the challenge they are up against when they face West Country rivals Bristol Bears on Sunday for a place in the Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) final.
The Bears were the last team to beat the two-time league champions, in a match that also took place on their own turf at Kingsholm in November - rebranded to Queensholm for this weekend's semi-final.
Since that 19-14 defeat Gloucester-Hartpury have not looked back, winning their past nine games to storm into the league play-offs.
"Everybody talks about what you learn from your losses and we learned a lot from our loss that day," head of women's rugby Sean Lynn told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
"Everything seems to be going in the right steps [since]. Friday night against Harlequins was really positive. Sport's all about momentum and, hopefully, we can take that momentum from Friday into Sunday."
Gloucester-Hartpury are aiming to become the first team to win the PWR title three times consecutively.
They finished the regular season at the top of the table for a third straight campaign, with the loss to the Bears before Christmas only their sixth defeat in 54 league matches since the start of 2022-23 season.
The hunger for a third title is what has been driving the team, according to prop Maud Muir.
"We've experienced it, we know how to win, especially when our backs are against the wall, so I think having those two previous years is so important," the England international said.
"We know how to win and that's so important and that's what you need to do in knockout rugby, is win."
Maher is the most followed rugby union player in the world on social media, with more than 8m followers on Instagram and TikTok.
Since claiming Olympic bronze at the Paris Games last summer, her profile skyrocketed further after appearing on Dancing with the Stars and the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Demand was so high for tickets for the 28-year-old's first game for Bristol on 5 January - coincidentally also against Gloucester-Hartpury - that the club moved the game to Ashton Gate, where 9,240 fans set a new league attendance record.
Records have continued to fall. Harlequins and Trailfinders have also seen record attendances since Maher's arrival.
The PWR has seen a 68.5% increase in its social media followers, its YouTube subscribers have doubled and 11m accounts have been reached across its Instagram and TikTok pages.
"From a commercial point of view there's no doubt she's brought her superstar reach and power and influence with her, and she's not just brought it to Bristol or to PWR, I think she's brought it to the whole game," said Genevieve Shore, executive chair of the PWR.
"It's great to see her appearing on The One Show, or appearing on the podcasts, in the press, the rugby media want to write about her and that lifts the whole women's game and men's game."
Maher built a superstar-size online profile branded on empowering women and body positivity, and it is a message Bristol head coach Dave Ward believes she has spread to others in the team.
"I think it's brought a real good energy to the group, they're excited - she's loud and proud and I think again it just brings other people's personalities out and they can see if she's not afraid to be herself, then they don't have to be afraid to be themselves," Ward said.
"I think the more that people get to know the girls and the amazing women we've got in the programme the better it's going to be for the sport."
Maher's following has brought new fans to the league that will hopefully stay beyond the games she plays in.
"Hopefully the fans that have joined because of her [Maher] love what we do and they come back next year and we keep inspiring the next generation through our actions," Reed said.
'Ireland won't rely on retirement emotion against France'
Paul O'Connell says Ireland will not need to use the emotion of upcoming retirements as motivation when they face Six Nations title rivals France next weekend.
The highly anticipated Aviva Stadium encounter will double as a top-two showdown and Dublin farewell for Ireland greats Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Cian Healy, who will retire from Test rugby at the end of the tournament.
But victory over Les Bleus on 8 March (14:15 GMT) will put Ireland in the driving seat with one game left and O'Connell says the squad can be trusted to focus on the job at hand.
"Boys don't rely on emotion massively," said the forwards coach, who played with the trio for Ireland as well as O'Mahony and Murray at Munster.
"It's the icing on the cake rather than the whole cake these days. I don't think we'll be using it for emotion or to help us win the game. It's more about marking their contribution.
"It hasn't always been easy for them. They've had to keep coming back and keep fighting for their place. Pete has been in and out in the last few years, same with Conor Murray, Cian has had to reinvent himself and figure out a way to stay part of the group."
O'Connell, who won the 2014 and 2015 Six Nations titles alongside the retiring trio, added: "As I said, how much they enjoy it adds to the whole enjoyment for all the players and coaches.
"They've had to work really hard so it's about marking their contribution rather than using it as any motivation for us.
"I just don't think we need it for this weekend, we're good when we know how important it is and how serious the occasion is, but we're good when we're nice and clear as well and calm under pressure."
Former Ireland and British and Irish Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll was also unimpressed.
"I just don't get it, I don't know why there isn't a cohesion," he told ITV Sport., external
"It is stodgy, it is kick tennis, it is quite negative and it is fine to eke out one-point victories, but when those games go against you - which they will at times - you are going to get huge negative feedback."
Scotland were ahead of England in a raft of attacking stats, such as metres made and line breaks, while France, who also lost by a point at Allianz Stadium in the previous round, butchered several try-scoring chances.
However, Genge insists England should be judged by results that leave them in touch with the top of the table with two games to play.
"It's like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't," he added.
"In the last 18 months, every time we've lost by a point we've been slandered, and on the weekend we win by a point and it's the same old story.
"Do you want to be part of a team that wins every single game by one point?
"Or would you rather be part of a team that loses every single week, 40 points to 39?
"I know what type of team I want to be."
England take on Italy next on Sunday, 9 March. They have beaten the Azzurri in all 31 of the teams' previous meetings, but the visitors were only three points better in Rome last year.
Genge says he and his team-mates are preparing for another tough encounter, despite Italy conceding 11 tries in a 73-24 defeat by France last time out.
"They beat Wales in Wales, they took a few scalps, so I don't think they're a team that people think is a guaranteed win anymore," said the Bristol prop.
AUSTIN, Texas The NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas brings a new day on a new track.
For Trackhouse Racing driver Shane van Gisbergen, it brings a new and welcome opportunity.
After less than satisfying finishes in drafting track races at Daytona and Atlanta (33rd and 23rd, respectively), the road course ace from New Zealand comes to COTA as the betting favorite for Sundays EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.
The Cup Series will race on a shorter National circuit this season, with the section from Turn 7 through the Turn 11 hairpin eliminated. That reduces the course from 3.41 miles to 2.40 miles.
Accordingly, the race will feature 95 laps instead of 68, meaning more trips past the main grandstand and more adventures in treacherous Turn 1.
Van Gisbergen surprised most of the other Cup competitors when he triumphed in his series debut in the 2023 Chicago Street Race. Now the three-time Australian Supercars champion is a known quantity.
I miss thatgoing there and no one knows who I am; I could kind of fly under the radar and do my own thing, van Gisbergen said. Obviously, there are expectations now, but Im pretty good at keeping that under control myself and focusing on my own thing.
SVG understands the reasoning behind shortening the course and shouldnt have difficulty adapting to the new circuit.
I did like the long track, but I see why they shortened it, he said. More time past the stands and more action. And the cut-through thats done (from Turn 6), we dont lose any passing spots. That extra bit (Turns 7 through 11), theres only one real passing spot, and theyre kept one with the cut-through.
More laps, too. I think its probably a good thing, a shorter track.
William Byron and Christopher Bell, who won at Daytona and Atlanta, respectively, to start the 2025 season, finished 1-2 at COTA last year.
Byron also will run the Xfinity Series race on Saturday in Hendrick Motorsports No. 17 Chevrolet.
Im more than ready to get to COTA, said Byron, who escaped a last-lap crash to win the Daytona 500 on Feb. 16. Weve always been fast there, and last year really showed what this team is capable of.
The course will be shorter this time, but thats where the extra laps in the Xfinity car should help. After the last two weekends of drafting, Im happy to be going to a road course that takes such technique.
Changes Propel Kahne Into Second High Limit Campaign
MOORESVILLE, N.C. Things will look quite different for Kasey Kahne as he returns full-time with Kubota High Limit Racing this season.
After winning six-straight national championships with Brad Sweet on the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49, renowned crew chief Eric Prutzman will move one trailer over to wrench on the Kahne Screen Print, HendrickCars.com No. 9 while also assuming the Team Manager role to oversee all of Kasey Kahne Racing.
The new pairing has seven nights of racing under their belts between the World Finals at Charlotte and DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia with the highlight coming in a top-five finish against the World of Outlaws.
As the Kubota High Limit Racing campaign comes around the corner, its all about getting familiar with this new dynamic for the No. 9 camp.
Adding Eric has been great because he prepares such a nice car and builds a team for the whole year, Kahne said. Thats something that weve lacked for a few years, having both cars fully prepared when the new season starts. As far as working together at the track through the night, I think itll be a learning process for both of us. I know that the success he and Brad achieved will help in the long-term, but I also know that Brad and I are very different drivers. I think it can work well, but it will be a unique combination that well have to adjust to.
For the better part of the last decade, Prutzman has been revered as one of the top crew chiefs in all of sprint car racing.
Before moving to Kasey Kahne Racing in 2017, he honed his craft under the tutelage of legends like Ricky Warner and Jimmy Carr when he was part of four World of Outlaws championships on the Tony Stewart Racing No. 15 driven by Donny Schatz.
Over seven seasons with Sweet, Prutzman enjoyed the glory of 74 World of Outlaws wins, 10 High Limit wins, a Knoxville Nationals title, a Kings Royal crown, and of course those six-straight titles with Outlaw rings from 2019-23 then High Limit bling in 2024.
For Kahne, who has been on the verge of his elusive first win with a national sprint car series for years, he hopes Prutzmans knowledge will elevate the No. 9 program to new heights.
I think we have the potential to become way more consistent, he noted. I know that its not as easy I would hope it will be and it will take some time, but I think our results, our consistency as a whole, our qualifying performance, it can all improve from where it has been in the past.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Rising Progressive AFT standout Bradon Pfanders is primed for a riveting 2025 campaign.
Returning to the AFT Singles presented by KICKER class with a bold new No. 83, the Bethlehem, Pa., native is poised to bounce back in dramatic fashion after a 2024 rookie season cut short by injuries in Texas.
Its a fresh start for me, said Pfanders. Last seasons injuries lit a fire underneath me. The team at Hannums Harley-Davidson has given me an incredible opportunity, and Im ready to put in the work and get back into the fight.
A 12-time Amateur National Champion and three-year Team Dunlop Elite Program participant, Pfanders brings a wealth of proven talent to the grid.
Armed with an upgraded machine and a lineup of dedicated sponsors, the young racer looks to leave his mark on the upcoming Progressive American Flat Track seasonbeginning this weekend at Daytona Flat Track in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Its time for our weekly Friday morning tour around the racing world. From hot laps to the main event, heres whats on our mind this week.
Hot Laps: Happy Birthday
Happy 85th birthday to Mario Andretti.
Qualifications: New Generation
Carter McMurray, the 14-year-old son of 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray, will make his SMART modified debut this weekend at South Carolinas Florence Motor Speedway.
First Heat: Lincoln Vs. Mother Nature
Pennsylvanias Lincoln Speedway has canceled its sprint car racing program scheduled for Saturday (March 1) due to unfavorable weather conditions. Lincoln opened its season Feb. 23 with Chase Dietz winning after the previous days event was scrapped. That makes it Mother Nature 2, Lincoln 1.
Second Heat: Trophy Time
One of the best trophies in motorsports is scheduled to be handed out Saturday night at Clarksville (Tenn.) Speedway.
The winner of the 21st annual Tuckasee Toilet Bowl Classic for dirt late models receives a customized toilet trophy and a $7,500 winners check.
Third Heat: Dirt Track Visitors
NHRA Funny Car champions J.R. Todd and Austin Prock are no strangers to open-wheel racing, and both will make visits to this weekends World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series events at Floridas Volusia Speedway Park.
Todd will be on hand Sunday, with Prock, who started his career racing midgets, stopping by to meet fans on Monday. The visit comes one week ahead of the NHRAs annual Gatornationals at nearby Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway.
Fourth Heat: IndyCar Debut
A new television network (FOX), the first full season for hybrids are among whats new as the NTT IndyCar Series season kicks off this weekend at St. Petersburg, but on the race track has anything changed?
Will Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske again be the class of the field or can Arrow McLaren, Andretti Global challenge for the championship?
Twenty-seven cars are expected to run the full season.
Fifth Heat: Bike Week
Bike week kicks off in the Daytona Beach, Fla., area this weekend and there will be plenty of racing over the next 10 days.
The annual Monster Energy AMA Supercross event at Daytona Intl Speedway on Saturday night.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series visits Volusia Speedway Park for two nights of four-wheel competition Sunday and Monday, while the American Flat Track motorcycle series opens its campaign March 6-7 at the Daytona Flat Track on the grounds of Daytona Intl Speedway.
It all wraps up with the 83rd running of the Daytona 200 Feb. 8 at the Daytona Intl Speedway road course.
Dash: Tweet-tastic
Saw the following social media post this morning from the JEGs Performance account: So, I googled my symptoms and it says I need more horsepower.
C Main: A Different World
Media is very different today than it was when this reporter got his start under the tutelage of Chris Economaki in 1991. Digital and social media rule and the NHRA has made a big step to cater to Content Creators.
The NHRA has created the Cornwell Tools Burnout Box Content Creator Zone and is inviting social media influencers with 25,000 or more followers on any platform to experience this VIP opportunity, helping NHRA reach new audiences.
Thinking of the folks who may visit the Creator Zone, reminds us of one of Economakis favorite sayings He/she doesnt know which way the cars run.
B Main: Yellow Flag Endings
Through most of my time following NASCAR racing, it was common for races to end under yellow flags with leaders often allowed to race to the yellow flag. But some years ago, NASCAR initiated Overtime and the green-white-checkered finish of which it seems that every other race ends in that fashion.
But it created a standard whereby more often than not if a crash happened, the yellow flag appeared and the leaders did not race back to the yellow flag. It was understood.
But through two weekends this year, NASCARs officiating in these situations has been far from consistent with nearly identical situations handled in different ways.
Its led to justified criticism from NASCAR fans and confusion among competitors.
During a time when, Major League Baseball is experimenting with digital umpires calling balls and strikes and the NFL is preparing to digitally measure down and distance, is there technology out there to make NASCARs officiating more consistent in these cases?
One would think that drivers in major racing series know how to contact one another, but as Austin Cindric revealed this week, thats not usually the case.
Cindric was in conflict with Kyle Larson following a late-race crash Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway and left his business card to Hendrick Motorsports Vice President of Competition Jeff Andrews in the garage area following the race and asked to have Kyle call him.
I saw Jeff Andrews and Chad Knaus standing over by the 24 hauler, so I figured that was a good way of ensuring that I would get my conversation and that would be a lot healthier than just showing up at the race track, Cindric said. Sometimes guys will reach out to you and sometimes guys wont. I dont have a super close relationship with Kyle by any means, so its not like hes got my number. I guess that was my way of saying, Hey, we really need to talk about this, in a way that was gonna be not emotional for me because at the time I was pretty frustrated.
Cindric confirmed he had with Larson on Monday with the two discussing Sundays incident and moving on from it.
Editors Note: This is the final installment in SPEED SPORTs preview of each NTT IndyCar Series team. To read other teams previews, click here.
The NTT IndyCar Series 11th team on the grid this year is Prema Racing. The Italian team has a rich history in various Formula series, where its excelled with some of Formula 1s premier talents Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon.
As the team enters its maiden season with the American open-wheel series, it has tasked two drivers to full-time duty.
IndyCar veteran Callum Ilott is the teams experienced driver while it will also welcome 2019 Formula 3 champion Robert Shwartzman to the team.
Ahead of this weekends season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg (Fla.), heres a look at each driver:
Key Additions: Callum Ilott (FIA WEC), Robert Shwartzman (FIA WEC)
No. 83 Robert Shwartzman
Robert Shwartzman will embark on his rookie season in IndyCar when the green flag waves this weekend. While there are plenty of unknowns as to how hell adapt to Indy car racing, his track record is nothing short of impressive.
Alongside his F-3 title, Shwartzman also boasts six wins across two seasons in F-2 while driving for Prema.
Last year, the 25-year-old competed in the Le Mans Hypercar category with AF Corse in WEC, notching two victories in eight starts.
While its too early to tell how a new team and new driver to the series will fair, Shwartzmans progress will be a topic to watch as the season progresses.
No. 90 Callum Ilott
Callum Ilott had two starts in the IndyCar Series last season in relief for David Malukas at Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team. He earned two strong 11th-place results, including at the Indianapolis 500.
Aside from his open-wheel action, Ilott enjoyed a successful season with Hertz Team Jota (WEC) in the LM Hypercar division. He earned a win at the 6 Hours of Spa along with two second-place finishes during the season.
While its been a full season since his last full-time action in IndyCar, Ilott showed plenty of promise while competing with Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2023 with three top-10 finishes and a result of 16th in the standings.
Ilott will be a key component in the teams rise to success within the series.
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