I Dig Sports
Five talking points from round three of Six Nations
In January, it was announced that this year's Six Nations will use 20-minute red cards for the first time.
Lawmakers say the 20-minute red card trial is designed to "punish the player and not the team", with sides able to replace a dismissed player after 20 minutes instead of playing the rest of the game with 14.
Ireland centre Garry Ringrose got his timing wrong on a big first-half hit on Wales' Ben Thomas and his high tackle was later upgraded to red.
With Ireland down to 14, Wales had their best period of the match and scored a superb try in the corner through Tom Rogers.
Once the 20 minutes passed, Bundee Aki replaced Ringrose and played a key role in seeing the game home for Ireland.
"Ringrose is an exceptional player and defends so physically but in my opinion those collisions need to be out of the game," Barclay said.
"That is a player who has made a decision to fly in. In my view, and a lot of other people, that should be a straight red card."
Warburton says players' behaviours have not changed enough since he retired in 2018.
"There needs to be a much firmer punishment on individuals off the field," he said. "If Ringrose gets a one or two-week ban then he is going to do that again.
"A four-week ban and he probably doesn't do that tackle again. We need to punish the player individually much more harshly off the field."
Scotland's Russell bottom of Six Nations kicking stats
Finn Russell's wayward form off the tee has cost more points than any other front-line kicker in this year's Six Nations, according to Opta stats.
Russell, who missed only one of 24 kicks in last season's tournament, has landed just three from eight in Scotland's three matches so far this campaign.
Opta's 'expected points' model - which predicts a cumulative points return based on where kicks are taken from, a kicker's previous success rate and even venue-specific factors such as altitude - says Russell has landed 5.3 fewer points than expected in this edition of the Six Nations.
The expected return from Russell's three conversions attempts against England on Saturday was 3.7 points.
Instead the 32-year-old, who was so influential in Scotland's dynamic first half, missed all three - including a potential last-minute match-winner - as his side lost 16-15 at Twickenham.
Russell's final kick was from a tough angle, out on the left touchline, but could potentially have been slightly easier.
Wing Duhan van der Merwe went in out wide when, despite cover from England's Tommy Freeman, it appeared he could have crossed closer to the posts to improve Russell's chances.
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. Showtime Speedway Sprints and the BG Products Southern Sprint Car Shootout announced a winged challenge race between the two series is scheduled for March 8 at Showtime Speedway on Monday afternoon.
The event will be a full points night for both series. In addition, the event will be run on both Hoosier Racing Tires and American Racer Tire. Showtime Sprints utilize Hoosiers while the SSSS uses American Racer. To accommodate both series, teams will be able to pick one or the other as well as mix and match.
Showtime Speedway was once a mainstay on the SSSS schedule from 2016 through 2023. When the SSSS switched to the American Racers last season, Showtime Speedway elected to continue doing its own sprint car series utilizing Hoosier Tires.
A full field of cars is expected. Combining both series on the same night should create a field larger than normal. The event will pit the best from both series with bragging rights on the line. American Racer will also go head-to-head in a pavement sprint car event on the same night with Hoosier Racing Tire for the first time in many years.
Talks about the possibility of a co-sanctioned event between Showtime Speedway promoter Robert Yoho and SSSS President Rick Day began almost immediately after a successful Dave Steele World Sprint Car Championship Weekend this past weekend.
Additional details including event purse and format will be announced in the coming days.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. Tony Stewart will race in the Right Trailers Top Fuel All-Star Callout for the first time in his NHRA career, as the motorsports legend and reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year is officially part of the eight-car bonus race that takes on March 8 as part of the season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at legendary Gainesville Raceway.
Stewart will move into the eighth spot as Tony Schumacher will not be racing in Gainesville. The eight-time Top Fuel world champion and 88-time event winner is expected to announce his racing plans for 2025 in the coming weeks.
The big-money specialty race takes place with a unique callout format, offering an opportunity for eight Top Fuel stars the chance for a major double-up weekend to kick off the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season in Gainesville.
Im looking forward to competing in the Top Fuel Callout at Gainesville, Stewart said. The field is stacked with talent and we wont know who we are up against until we get there, so that adds an exciting element to the event. Hopefully were able to bring home the trophy and some extra bonus money for the team for all of their hard work.
Four-time world champ Steve Torrence secured the top spot in the one-day specialty event for a second straight year, while the official eight-car field looks like this:
Final Top Fuel All-Star Callout Field
1. Steve Torrence
2. Doug Kalitta
3. Shawn Langdon
4. Justin Ashley
5. Antron Brown
6. Brittany Force
7. Clay Millican
8. Tony Stewart
With the unique callout aspect of the bonus race, Torrence will get the first opportunity to select his first-round opponent. If he doesnt select Kalitta, the 2023 champ will get the second pick, moving down the line until all first-round matchups are set. The driver who makes the quickest winning run in the first round will then select their semifinal opponent, locking in the other matchup.
Stewart, who advanced to a pair of final rounds during his first Top Fuel season, will have his first opportunity to take part in the Right Trailers Top Fuel All-Star Callout, and being in the eighth spot, he will get called out by a driver in the opening round.
Those first-round selections take place at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, March 7 in the Top Eliminator Club, with the opening round of racing slated for 12:15 p.m. on Saturday. The semifinals follow at 2:20 p.m. and the final round takes place at 3:30 p.m.
Torrence won the inaugural Right Trailers Top Fuel All-Star Callout in 2022, with the Texan capturing the victory after weather pushed the completion of the bonus race to Indy. Local native Josh Hart provided a feel-good story in 2023 by earning the victory from the No. 8 position, while Browns championship run started with his memorable specialty race victory a year ago.
Brown defeated Brittany Force in the final under the lights in Gainesville in 2024, setting the stage for a run at his fourth world championship. This year is a loaded field in the bonus race, as Torrence, Kalitta, Langdon, Brown and Force have won world titles. With a big purse, a special Callout trophy and plenty of bragging rights on the line, it can also provide the perfect boost to open the season at one of the most historic races on the NHRA schedule.
In 2024, Langdon (Top Fuel), J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won the Gatornationals to open the year. It marked the first double-up victory for Kalitta Motorsports, while six-time world champ Enders won the historic race for the first time.
Honest Abe Roofing Partners with World Racing Group
CONCORD, N.C. Honest Abe Roofing, a national leader in premium roofing solutions, has partnered with World Racing Group to support and strengthen its top open-wheel divisions.
The collaboration will see Honest Abe Roofing provide special awards and programs for the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour, Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota and the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.
This partnership brings together two forces defined by speed, strength and reliability whether its Sprint Cars or Midgets doing the unthinkable around the track or Honest Abe Roofing delivering industry-leading roofing solutions with unmatched efficiency.
Were honored to partner with World Racing Group and support these incredible racing series, said Kevin Newton, president of Honest Abe Roofing. Just like the drivers pushing the limits on dirt tracks, we push the limits in roofing by providing the fastest response times, the highest-quality craftsmanship, and the most reliable service in the industry. This partnership reflects everything we stand for performance, durability, and results.
As part of the collaboration, Honest Abe Roofing has a special program set up to enhance each series.
Honest Abe Roofing will be the sponsor of the Redraw and Dash for every ASCS National Tour event and will be the sponsor of every World of Outlaws Sprint Car Qualifying session.
The companys generosity continues with contingency programs for the ASCS National Tour and Xtreme Outlaw Midgets, providing a bonus to the drivers that finish 16th in each feature for both series.
And the support doesnt stop there. Off the track, Honest Abe Roofing will be the title sponsor of the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series Pinewood Derby at Jacksonville Speedway, Oct. 3-4. With their support, the winner of the Derby will get $300, while second gets $150 and third gets $50.
Additionally, race fans will have access to exclusive discounts on roofing services, making it easier than ever to upgrade their homes with the strength and durability that Honest Abe Roofing is known for.
Just as Winged Sprint Car drivers and Midget racers push limits on the track, Honest Abe Roofing franchisees push limits in business, Newton added. Were excited to offer race fans the opportunity to join our mission and bring top-tier roofing solutions to communities nationwide.
West Coast Stock Car HOF Salutes Pioneers of Speed
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame will memorialize its second class of its Pioneers of Speed during this years Induction Gala, presented by World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, on March 13, at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The Pioneers of Speed category recognizes those whose accomplishments created the foundation of the racing we know today. This years inductees recognize many stars of the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s.
These are the pillars of racing that I grew up learning about, following and in many cases, watching them perform and getting to know them on a personal basis, said Ken Clapp, Chairman and CEO of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame. Although each of them has passed, it will be an honor to memorialize them, for their children and grandchildren.
The 2025 Pioneers of Speed are:
Michael (Blackie) Gejeian
- Michael (Blackie) Gejeian, born in 1926, was a preeminent promoter of auto races and car shows in Californias Central Valley.
- Returning from World War II in which he served in the U.S. Navy, the Easton, Calif. native built a roadster which he wrecked in its first race. He rebuilt it as a shiny black show car, which he accompanied clad in all black leathers deriving the nickname Blackie by which most knew him.
- Gejeian won five racing championships and promoted NASCAR weekly races at Clovis and Madera speedways as well as the Fresno Dragway, which he operated for 18 years.
- Gejeians Fresno Autorama was known as one Americas largest car shows and ran for 51 years beginning in 1958. Gejeian died Sept. 2, 2016, at age 90.
Ted Halibrand
- Ted Halibrand was a pioneer in many facets of racing, first as the designer of magnesium wheels and disc brakes. Working behind the scenes, Halibrand was tireless in revolutionizing numerous safety aspects throughout the sport.
- A Paterson, New Jersey native, and later a resident of Southern California, Halibrand long served as the Chairman of USACs safety committee where he introduced many regulations in terms of car design and racetrack construction that remain in use to this day and have been adopted by racing organizations throughout the world. His ideas were ultimately illustrated in a series of Halibrand Engineering manuals.
- In 1951, Lee Wallard won the Indianapolis 500 with Halibrand mag wheels, and his disc brakes were aboard Bill Vukovichs 1953 winner. In fact, Halibrand quick-change rear-end assemblies, steering gears and suspension components were on every Indianapolis 500 winner from 1951 until 1965.
- With the advent of the rear-engine car, Halibrand had begun building complete chassis, named the Shrike, which were outfitted with an innovative fuel cell. He is a member of multiple halls of fame including United States Auto Club and Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
Ed Iskenderian
- Ed Iskenderian was born in 1921 in Tulare County, California and, with his family, moved to Los Angeles. While attending Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles, Iskendarians pet project was building a Model T Ford roadster, on which he learned the fundamentals of mechanics.
- After graduation, he obtained mechanical experience working as an apprentice tool and die maker. His career was interrupted by World War 2, enlisting in the Air Transport Command. After his war-time absence, Ed lost no time in getting back to his hot rod and getting it ready for Californias dry lake meets.
- When rebuilding his V-8, he wanted to obtain a special camshaft, however, the boom had hit hot rodding and there was a great deal of business for the few racing camshaft manufacturers on the west coast. Ed decided to enter the cam grinding business, buying a used conventional cylindrical grinder.
- Drawing on his tool making and mechanical experience, he converted it to a universal cam grinding machine. The cams were the first to produce one horsepower per cubic inch on gasoline in postwar overhead valve V-8 Dodge Hemis and 1.3 horsepower per cubic inch on gasoline in postwar overhead valve 283 Chevy V-8s. Later he created the first hard- face overlay camshafts in the industry and became the first to employ computers in camshaft design.
- With the computer, Iskenderian created the most advanced cam-profiles of the late 1950s and early 60s, along with the very first hydraulic racing camshafts in the industry. Iskenderian developed the first high-density chilled-Iron lifters for the ever-growing fuel burning supercharged dragster class (now known as Top Fuel Dragsters); the first drop-in self-locking roller tappets; and the first anti-pump-up hydraulic lifters enabling hydraulic camshafts to produce higher RPMs.
- New cams and components were not the only thing he brought to the evolving drag racing scene. Iskenderian and a young racer from Florida named Don Garlits entered the first corporate sponsorship of a race operation. During this time Ed was given the nickname of Esky the Camfather. Iskenderian is 103 years old.
Jack London
- Nobody has had a more important impact on Northern California Midget racing than Jack London, who started racing Midget Cars in 1936 at the old Neptune Beach Speedway in Oakland, California.
- By 1948 London concentrated on being a car owner and engine builder, buying his first Offy. His ability to get every ounce of power out of the potent 110 cubic inch engine brought the finest Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) and USAC drivers to his door.
- No one had more success than London as car owner in BCRA and the West during his era. His list of drivers is impressive, led by his favorite, A.J. Foyt, who won two of three straight USAC Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ascot Park (Billy Cantrell won the other) driving for London.
- Just as important, London was the BCRA (second oldest midget group in the country) business manager off and on for 29 years, guiding the organization through some rough times. It was said he ruled with an iron fist, which under the circumstances at the time was a good thing. The organization prospered under his leadership.
- London is a member the National Midget Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame and the BCRA Hall of Fame.
Wally Parks
- Wally Parks was born in Oklahoma in 1913 and took pride in his humble roots, always referring to himself as an Okie. He was eight years old when his family moved west, and he remained in Southern California for the rest of his life.
- Parks helped found the Southern California Timing Association in 1937 to organize dry lakes racing. Then, like most of the racers, he went into the military during WWII. Parks returned home in 1946 and was elected president of the SCTA.
- In 1951, Parks, Ak Miller and Marvin Lee signed the incorporation papers that founded the National Hot Rod Association. Naturally, Parks was its president. The NHRAs original goals were very close to todays: adopt and maintain the strictest safety standards in motorsports, establish rules governing the sport and educate the public about drag racing; nobody had ever done anything like it before.
- The NHRA took what had existed illegally across the country and molded it into something safe and presentable without removing any of the elements that made it fun. The task was equal parts public relations and organization.
- Parks, who died Sept. 28, 2024, at age 94, received countless awards in the motorsports world and played a pivotal role in the establishment of an entire industry devoted to speed and automotive aftermarket parts and accessories that today is a multibillion-dollar business. He has been inducted into multiple halls of fame including the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
The Class of 2025 inductees are A.J. Allmendinger, Los Gatos, Calif., NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series veteran; Chuck Gurney, Oakland, Calif., United States Auto Club Silver Crown and supermodified champion; Davey Hamilton, Nampa, Idaho, Canadian-American Modified Association champion, Indianapolis 500 veteran and race promoter; Jeff Jefferson, Naches, Wash., three-time NASCAR Northwest Series driver champion and former NASCAR ARCA Menards Series West owner; Justin Marks, Menlo Park, Calif., founder and team owner of Trackhouse Entertainment Group and Trackhouse Racing; Boris Said, Carlsbad, Calif., Sports Car Club of America Trans-Am and GRAND-AM GT champion; Rick Ware, Los Angeles, Calif., owner of teams competing in NASCAR Cup Series, the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the NTT IndyCar Series, Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup, and FIM World Supercross and AMA American Flat Track motorcycles.
The 2025 Heritage Class is comprised of the racing Unser family, nine-time Indianapolis 500 winners Al Unser, Al Unser Jr. and Bobby Unser; three generations of the Hunt family Joe, Tommy and Tony; California supermodified champion Mike Sargent; and two-time United States Auto Club national midget champion Sleepy Tripp.
Team Penske was the class of the field for the second straight week to open the NASCAR Cup Series season. However, the championship-winning organization doesnt have a trophy or checkered flag to put on the mantle from either race.
In the 67th Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) Intl Speedway, its three-car driver lineup led a combined 125 of the 200 laps. Defending champion Joey Logano rebounded from earlier issues but got involved in a late accident and he finished 35th.
Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric also ran into trouble but finished seventh and eighth, respectively.
At Atlanta Motor Speedway, another drafting track, and Ford had the field covered in qualifying. Nine of the top 10 starters piloted Fords, including polesitter Blaney.
Once again, Penske and the Ford brigade dominated throughout the 260-lap event as the teams drivers combined to lead 131 laps.
While Team Penske looked to be near untouchable at times at the front of the field, a spin by Blaney and run-in between Kyle Larson and Cindric was the nail in the coffin for the teams chances.
Blaney was able to claw his way back to fourth by races end with Logano finishing outside the top 10 in 12th after leading a race-high 83 laps.
It was just challenging all day, Logano said. We had a really fast car and when we were up front we could control it really well. When we had a couple Fords up front it was domination and then when I got in the back I didnt handle well enough.
It just cost us too much back there and I couldnt move my way back up. Every time I got a gap it just wasnt good enough to get back up there handling-wise, so the car was fast but we just needed more steering.
Cindrics displeasure with Larson bled into his post-race interview as he believed he had the fastest race car up until the wreck.
It was unfortunate. As a team, as Fords, we had the best cars here this weekend, Cindric said. We put ourselves into position to win the race and got used up and into the fence and didnt win the race.
Its a shame. Two weeks in a row I feel like we have had the car to beat and havent done it. One way or another it is disappointing.
Now with the series heading to non-drafting tracks over the next couple weeks, work continues for Team Penske as it looks to breakthrough and translate speed over to other types of tracks.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has reduced the suspension of Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman from 10 games to eight games in a ruling published Monday.
This is the first time Bettman has reduced a suspension from the Department of Player Safety since he dropped Toronto Maple Leafs forward Jason Spezza's ban for kneeing Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk in December 2021 from six games to four.
"Although I conclude that an escalation from Mr. Hartman's prior three (3) game suspension to ten (10) games is not proportional here, I find that an eight (8) game suspension is both appropriate and supported by clear and convincing evidence," Bettman wrote.
The NHLPA appealed the suspension on behalf of Hartman, who has already served four games of the ban that was handed down Feb. 3 for "using his forearm to violently slam the head of Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stützle into the ice," as the Department of Player Safety said in its ruling. Specifically, the NHLPA wanted the suspension reduced to eight games.
On Feb. 1, with 16 seconds left in the second period and Ottawa leading 3-0, Hartman and Stützle took a faceoff. Hartman locked up Stützle's stick with his leg, placed his right forearm on the back of Stützle's neck and drove the Ottawa player's head into the ice. Stützle's helmet came off on impact, and he skated to the Senators' bench with a cut bleeding over his left eye that required five stitches.
Hartman was given a match penalty. Stützle returned in the third period and assisted on two Ottawa goals as the Senators prevailed 6-0 at home.
The length of Hartman's suspension was determined in part by his disciplinary history. In 663 NHL regular-season and playoff games, Hartman had been fined seven times and suspended four times -- by the NHL's count, Hartman has been disciplined once every 60 games of his career. Hartman has been considered a repeat offender in each of his past three suspensions.
This was also Hartman's fourth suspension since April 2023. That includes a three-game ban last April for throwing his stick in the direction of a referee following an overtime loss to Vegas Golden Knights. He was given a misconduct penalty for "abusive language" in that game.
Bettman upheld the suspension for Hartman based on that disciplinary history and because he disputed Hartman's claim that the incident with Stützle was accidental. "I believe -- as did DPS and the on-ice officials -- that Mr. Hartman intended to drive Mr. Stützle face first to the ice and he succeeded in that intent," Bettman wrote.
But the reduction in suspension from 10 games to eight games was the result of two factors: that Hartman's play was not "predatory" in nature and that there was no prior suspension by player safety that served as a precedent for this escalation in games.
Bettman indicated that there were counterarguments as for why Hartman removed his hand from his stick to drive it into the back of Stützle's head. In the appeal hearing, there was discussion about whether Hartman's hand had been knocked off his stick by Stützle. That was "a possibility that may have been enhanced by a thumb injury that Mr. Hartman had previously suffered" in October 2024, according to Bettman.
George Parros, the NHL executive VP of player safety, testified in the appeal hearing that he "did not conclude that Mr. Hartman intentionally removed his right hand off of his stick to deliver the forceful blow that resulted," according to Bettman. In other words, that Hartman was not "targeting" Stützle on the play.
Bettman said that he agreed with Parros, that he would give Hartman "the benefit of the doubt" and that any proof of targeting would have meant a longer suspension.
The Department of Player Safety argued unsuccessfully that a 10-game suspension handed to Alexandre Burrows in 2018 for kneeing Taylor Hall was the comp for this suspension. But Bettman didn't find enough similarity between the incidents to warrant the earlier one's being a benchmark for Hartman's suspension.
The NHLPA argued that other repeat offenders -- such as Nazem Kadri, Evander Kane, Brad Marchand and Tom Wilson -- did not have the same kind of increase in games from their fourth to their fifth suspensions as Hartman did.
"While I do not agree with the NHLPA's formulaic methodology, nor do I agree that the suspension histories of Messrs. Kadri, Kane, Marchand, [Zac] Rinaldo, and Wilson provide particularly helpful comparators, I do find that an increase of seven (7) games from Mr. Hartman's last suspension to this one is excessive in this case and that the quantum of increase should be reduced," Bettman wrote.
In conclusion, Bettman believed that an eight-game ban would still be a sufficient "wake-up call" to a repeat offender like Hartman, "causing him to reevaluate his conduct on the ice and make positive changes of his game."
As his suspension was greater than five games, Hartman still had the option to appeal to a neutral arbitrator after Bettman's ruling. But he is not expected to do so and will be eligible to return for the Wild on March 4 in Seattle Kraken. Hartman will keep roughly $97,600 in salary for having had his suspension reduced.
Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras was suspended three games for interference against Detroit's Michael Rasmussen.
The NHL's Department of Player Safety announced its verdict Monday.
The play in question happened during the second period of Sunday's game between the Ducks and Red Wings. Zegras was shadowing Rasmussen through the neutral zone when Rasmussen made a passing attempt off the glass. After Rasmussen had released the puck, Zegras delivered a hard, high hit to Rasmussen's head.
There was no interference call made by an official on the ice. Rasmussen went down after the hit and eventually left the game because of an upper-body injury. He did not return, and also did not travel with Detroit ahead of its game against Minnesota on Tuesday. Detroit coach Todd McLellan said Rasmussen was day-to-day.
In a video detailing its decision, the Department of Player Safety explained that Zegras approached Rasmussen "outside the window where a check may be legally finished" and that the "late, high hit made significant contact with Rasmussen's head." That, combined with the force of Zegras' delivery, is why he earned a three-game ban.
Zegras -- serving the second suspension of his career -- will be eligible to return for Anaheim on March 4 against Edmonton.
The Anaheim Ducks acquired veteran goaltender Ville Husso from the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations Monday, the club announced.
The Ducks, who saw starter John Gibson leave Saturday's win over the Boston Bruins because of an injury, will first send Husso to the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League.
A popular name on the trade market, largely because of his contract, Husso, 30, is playing out the final days of a three-year deal he signed with Detroit that carries a $4.75 million salary cap hit.
Whether he can be viewed as a No. 1 option, or even a reliable No. 2 down the stretch remains to be seen, though, as his numbers lack that type of identity. He has never played more than 56 games in a season, and that came in 2022-23, when he won 26 for the Red Wings.
Earlier this season, Husso was sent to Detroit's AHL affiliate, as the Red Wings shifted their focus in net to veterans Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon. At the 4 Nations Face-Off break, Husso was just 1-5-2 with a 3.69 goals-against average. But on an expiring deal, he did make several trade boards this month.
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