I Dig Sports
HATTIESBURG, Miss. Mark Smith took his second United Sprint Car Series Presented By Hoosier Racing Tire win of the season in the 30-lap Hub City Sprint Car Shootout, Round 8 of the Winter Heat Series, on Saturday night at Hattiesburg Speedway.
Smith took the lead from Jason Martin on lap 16 and pulled away for the victory.
Martin had to settle for the second spot and USCS points leader Dale Howard finished third. Davie Franek drove to a fourth-place finish and Hall of Famer Terry McCarl was fifth.
The feature got off to a wild start before completing the first lap when Lane Whittington flipped in turn three, collecting Friday nights winner Matt Covington and Corbin Gurley.
Whittington and Covington were done for the evening. For Covington, it was the penthouse to the outhouse, as he was credited with a 24th and last-place finish after winning Friday nights prelim. On the complete restart, Jason Martin took the lead from the pole position, followed by McCarl, Smith, Moss and Howard.
Smith got by McCarl on lap three for second, and Howard passed Moss for fourth. Howard drove up to the third spot, passing McCarl on lap seven, as Jason Martin caught the cars on the tail end of the lead lap. Bowden moved up to the top five on lap ten by getting around Moss for fifth.
Smith was able to chase down the leader in lapped traffic, and set up for a slide job pass on Jason Martin to challenge for the lead in turns one and two. Smith dove to the inside of Martin in turn one, and slide up in front of him coming off turn two to take the lead on lap 16.
Its fun when you can race like that when the track slicks over and is racey, Smith said. I just had to time the pass right in lapped traffic to make sure I had plenty of room to clear Jason coming off the second turn.
The caution flag came out on lap 21 when Harli White of Lindsay, OK spun in turn four. Smith gave up a two second lead over Jason Martin for the restart with Howard, McCarl, and Bowden in third through fifth respectively. Franek got busy when the green flag came out as he raced his way into the top five after restarting in sixth.
Franek drove by Bowden for the fifth position on lap 22 and then passed McCarl for fourth on lap 25. Smith took a 2.138-second margin of victory over Jason Martin at the checkered flag in a race that featured 24 drivers from 14 different states and took 20 minutes and 23.205 seconds to complete.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 43 Mark Smith, Sunbury, PA (4); 2. 36 Jason Martin, Liberal, KS (1); 3. 47 Dale Howard, Byhalia, MS (5); 4. 28f Davie Franek, Wantage, NJ (10); 5. 24 Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA (2); 6. 8x Brad Bowden, Hernando, MS (6); 7. 23 Lance Moss, Cherryville, NC (3); 8. 51b Joe B. Miller, Millersville, MO (11); 9. 16g Austyn Gossel, Fort Collins, CO (7); 10. 10 Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN (13); 11. 4 Danny Smith, Chillicothe, OH (16); 12. 13 Van Gurley Jr., Valparaiso, IN (17); 13. 01 Shane Morgan, Gulfport, MS (8); 14. 67 Hayden Martin, Olive Branch, MS (24); 15. 12 Corbin Gurley, Hebron, IN (15); 16. 13x Jake Brashier, Denham Springs, LA (14); 17. 122 Lane Warner, Bloomfield, MO (19); 18. 21 Butch David, Geismar, LA (20); 19. 83 Blake Carrier, Amite, LA (23); 20. 94 Parker Davis, Mobile, AL (22); 21 5h Harli White, Lindsay, OK (18); 22. 28 Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS (21); 23. 9 Lane Whittington, Denham Springs, LA (9); 24. 95 Matt Covington, Glenpool, OK (12).
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. Saturdays CARS PLM Tour opener at New River All American Speedway saw Jade Avedisian cement herself into the series record books, albeit in an unorthodox manner.
T.J. DeCaires infraction in post-race inspection allowed Avedisian to inherit the victory, making her the first woman to win a CARS Tour-sanctioned event. The moment carried plenty of emotions for Avedisian, who was primarily satisfied to see her hard work with Donnie Wilson Motorsports pay off with a checkered flag.
I wanted to cross the finish line first, but a win is a win, and well take it, Avedisian said. Well keep our head down, keep going and see how many more we can get.
The past few years have seen Avedisian develop a reputation as a standout dirt track racing prospect. Among her achievements include qualifying for the Chili Bowl Nationals in her first attempt, ultimately finishing 18th in the A-Main.
Avedisians transition from dirt tracks to pavement has been seamless. In only her second Pro Late Model appearance, Avedisian found her way to victory lane at Hickory Motor Speedway, which provided her some momentum as she focused on a busy 2025 that included starts in the PLM Tour.
Running a Pro Late Model in the World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna Speedway provided Avedisian a preview of what to expect on Saturday evening. Even though it only took her one race to become a PLM Tour winner, Avedisian wants to keep learning so she can be prepared to contend for more victories throughout the year.
We logged our laps [at New Smyrna], now its time to deliver, Avedisian said. Im still learning, but I feel like I have a great group of guys behind me and great partners with everyone at Toyota believing in me. I just want to win, but Im going to stay hungry and do the best I can.
PERRIS, Calif. Regaining the lead from Charles Davis Jr. on lap 18, Ricky Lewis led the rest of the way to earn Saturday nights Avanti Windows & Doors USAC CRA sprint car victory at Californias Perris Auto Speedway.
Racing his No. 41 Coyote Candle Company / Mesilla Valley Transportation DRC, Lewis shook free from late race challenges by Jake Swanson and KTJ Kevin Thomas Jr. to earn the fifth win of his USAC CRA career.
Swanson, Thomas, Cory Williams and Davis rounded out the top five.
Swanson began the night by posting the 23rd Woodland Auto Display / WC Friend Company Fast Qualifying award of his career. The pilot of the Tom and Christy Dunkel No. 17x DRC recorded a time of 16.271 seconds over the 25-car roster.
The finish:
Feature (30 laps): 1. Ricky Lewis (2), 2. Jake Swanson (6), 3. Kevin Thomas Jr. (5), 4. Cody Williams (7), 5. Charles Davis Jr. (4), 6. Austin Williams (10), 7. Brody Roa (13), 8. Tommy Malcolm (1), 9. Logan Williams (14), 10. Cole Wakim (11), 11. A.J. Bender (9), 12. R.J. Johnson (8), 13. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (3), 14. Blake Bower (16), 15. Connor Lundy (18), 16. Connor Speir (20), 17. Shane Sexton (21), 18. Blake Hendricks (19), 19. Verne Sweeney (17), 20. Gary Marshall Jr. (22), 21. Elexa Herrera (23), 22. Logan Calderwood (12), 23. Jeff Dyer (15).
King Crowned $150,000-to-Win World Series Of Pro Mod Champ
BRADENTON, Fla. Fans at Bradenton Motorsports Park were treated to a modern-day David vs. Goliath battle Saturday night, with the self-proclaimed underdog Steve King outrunning two-time NHRA Pro Mod world champion Stevie Fast Jackson.
King took home the $150,000 winner-take-all payday at the sixth Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod, the third and final event of the DI Winter Series presented by J&A Service. Kings 3.629 seconds at 204.82 mph run defeated Jacksons 3.653-second pass at 203.55.
Its tough when you come down here with 83 of the baddest cars on the planet, said King. We know were bringing a good car, but you gotta have a little luck along the way. Weve done really well in the Winter Series, but just had no luck. But today was our day.
Meanwhile, Ken Quartuccio secured the inaugural DI Winter Series points championship with his second-round victory over Australian John Ricca. The win, along with early exits from the rest of the top five in points Kye Kelley, Mark Micke, Kurt Steding and Melanie Salemi gave Quartuccio the $25,000 awarded to the series champion.
For 30 years of racing, Ive tried to treat everyone as best as I can, Quartuccio said. To do this with my wife, Denise, and my daughters Kelsey and Kaitlinthis (championship) is important, but the friendships and families Ive made, its unstoppable. Its because of Scott Tidwell, Dustin Nesloney, Steve Petty, Brandon Stroud, you can go down the list. People dont realize how hard this series is to race, and how much heart and soul every team out here puts into it.
The World Series of Pro Mod also included the third annual Mountain Motor Pro Stock Invitational and the second annual Pro 10.5 Challenge, which both paid $25,000 to win. Two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock champion Johnny Pluchino earned the Mountain Motor Pro Stock win, while reigning PDRA Pro Street champion Ethan Steding was victorious in Pro 10.5. Brazilian Roderjan Busato won the Chicago-Style Pro Mod Second-Chance Shootout, which paid $10,000 to win.
A pair of $50,000 paydays went to the winners in the second annual Intercontinental Top Sportsman Championship and the second annual Intercontinental Top Dragster Championship. Ronnie Proctor (Top Sportsman) and Hailey Hawkins (Top Dragster) collected those big checks. Tom Gunner, better known as Jimmy Dale, won the $30,000 Lil Gangstas class, while David Braskett took home the win in the $5,000 Super Pro Shootout.
PRO MOD
In an incredible final round Saturday night, King continued the time-honored WSOPM tradition of winning the event as an underdog. Two years after Spencer Hyde was victorious from the No. 32 spot, King ran through the 32-car field from the 30th position in the Gene Pilot-owned screw-blown Savage 18 Corvette to take home the massive $150,000 payday.
While he may not have had the quickest car on the property all weekend, King used a consistent string of passes in the 3.60s to reach the final round, where he faced off against two-time NHRA Pro Mod world champion, and fan favorite, Stevie Fast Jackson. Jackson was first off the line with a .029 reaction time to Kings .052, but Kings 3.629 at 204.82 was enough to drive around Jacksons 3.653 at 203.55 mph at the stripe a miniscule .001 margin of victory in the closest final round in WSOPM history.
I dont even know where to start, King admitted. We didnt have the fastest car all day long, but we had a consistent car. We came here knowing we had a good car. But when youre racing against guys like Stevie Fast and Jason Harris, all these guys here are badass. Weve been flying underneath the radar, but this weekend, we capitalized and came out hereI mean, its unbelievable to beat 80 of the baddest guys on the planet.
In the first round of eliminations, King was paired up with Cameron Hensley in the ProCharger-powered Coast Packing 69 Camaro. Both drivers were nearly identical on E.T., but Kings slightly better reaction time .088 to .099 and 3.649-second pass at 204.85 mph was enough to get by Hensleys 3.650 at 200.98. King faced Jeff Rudolf and his Ghetto Sleigh 69 Camaro in the second pair of round two. While Rudolf slowed to a 4.826 at only 116.05, King ran a 3.681 at 203.98 for the victory. The win was his slowest pass of eliminations, a testament to how consistent he was all day long.
Were always the underdog, said King. Im sure at every chip draw, guys were going, I want him, because we were the slowest of the round. But they cant say that anymore. We just go A-to-B every run. My guys worked their asses off with engines, transmissionsevery round we had stuff tore apart. Theyre gonna be tired tonight, but they really put the work in.
From there, King faced a gauntlet of multi-time world champions from a multitude of classes. In the quarterfinals, King took out six-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders with a 3.654 at 203.34 to Enders 3.836 at 184.47. He would then meet his longtime friendly rival, and reigning back-to-back PDRA Pro Boost world champion, Jason Harris, in the semifinals. Harris suffered parts breakage, while King stayed in the .60s with a 3.638 at 203.80, setting up a final-round matchup with Jackson.
I dont think theres been a tougher (path through eliminations), King said. I didnt have lane choice one time on race day. When you look over and see Erica Enders in the other lane, that right there is unbelievable. Then the next round you got Jason Harris, and then the next round you got Stevie Fast, who can draw that up? You cant draw that type of script up. Today was just our day.
Jackson defeated Pro Mod veteran Stan Shelton in the opening round, and Ty Tutterow in round two. Jackson then essentially benefitted from a bye run in the quarterfinals against No Prep Kings star Scott Taylor, who broke immediately as his car launched. Jackson, meanwhile, went 3.625 at 206.67. In the semifinals, Jackson won a close side-by-side race with 2017 WSOPM champion Mike Bowman.
After being doused with champagne and beer in the winners circle party after the race, King was quick to credit the entire crew that he was busy celebrating with.
Jeff Millers been with me for 25 years, said King. The G-Force [Race Cars] guys, Jon and Evan Salemi, Eddie Whalenall those guys helping us put engines in, pistons, transmissions as soon as somethings broke, here they come. That means a lot not only to me, but to Gene Pilot. He preaches a team atmosphere, and thats what we have. This is all for Gene. He didnt make it this weekend. I dont know what hes doing in New Jersey tonight, but I guarantee its pretty loud.
Despite having just claimed the biggest win of his career before the regular season even starts, King said he and his team have no plans of slowing down in 2025.
Were gonna go run PDRA this year, King said. Gene wants to win a championship, and weve got the right guys in place to do it, if I can drive the car halfway decent. Thats where were headed.
It was a brother act as the MotoGP season opened Sunday with Marc and Alex Marquez taking center stage during the Grand Prix of Thailand.
Six-time world champion Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) rallied past his younger brother Alex (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) during the closing laps to secure the victory.
Marc Marquez started from the pole and led early, but lost the lead to his brother on lap seven. Alex Marquez led the way until Marc Marquez pounced on lap 23 and raced away for the victory.
I realized the front tire pressure was dropping, Marc Marquez said. I was behind Alex [Márquez] with three laps to go, and I saw the pressure was right, so I attacked. I had a bit more today, which allowed me to manage the situation. Yesterday, I was happy, but today I am ecstatic. This is a dream. To start like this with Ducati in Thailand, where I won my last championship, and with my brother on the podium, is incredible.
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) finished third, with Franco Morbidelli and Trackhouse Racings Ai Ogura completed the top five.
Pep Guardiola has said not even winning the FA Cup can save Manchester City's season.
City booked their place in the quarterfinals with a hard-fought 3-1 win over Plymouth Argyle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Guardiola's team have reached the last eight of the competition for the seventh year in a row. But he admits not even lifting the trophy will make up for relinquishing the Premier League title and their early exit from the Champions League.
"It's better to win the treble or quadruple, come on," said Guardiola.
"This season, especially in two competitions, we've not been good. And that's the reality.
"We didn't qualify for the first time [for the last-16] of the Champions League since we are here, and in the Premier League with 13, 14, 15 games left we have no chance of winning [the title]. It's never happened. The season has not been good."
City had to fight back from a goal down against Plymouth, conquerors of Liverpool in the last round, after Maksym Talovierov gave the Championship side the lead.
Nico O'Reilly, playing as a makeshift left-back, equalised just before half-time and added a second after the break. Kevin De Bruyne wrapped up the result with a third goal in the final minute.
O'Reilly, 19, was the subject of interest from Chelsea in the January transfer window before City decided to rebuff a late bid.
"Sometimes you take a good decision, otherwise he would not score two goals today," said Guardiola.
"He's not a typical academy player. He's a physical presence, a number 10, I would say. He can play in a few positions. He's a threat from set pieces because he's strong. I'm really pleased for him because he helped us a lot."
San Diego FC coach Mikey Varas and sporting director Tyler Heaps expressed disappointment and anger after their club's inaugural home match was marred in the second half by three occurrences of the homophobic chant frequently heard at the Mexican national team's soccer matches.
The club uniformly decried the notorious one-word Spanish chant both during and after San Diego finished a scoreless draw with St. Louis City SC on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium, which was packed with 34,506 fans celebrating the arrival of Major League Soccer's 30th team.
Varas opened his postmatch news conference by condemning the fans who made the chant despite repeated warnings against it on the scoreboard and over the public address system. Varas delivered his statement in both Spanish and English.
"The chant that was heard tonight is unacceptable," Varas said. "It's outside of our value system. It doesn't represent the players, myself or the club, and it certainly doesn't represent San Diego or Baja California. It's not a reflection of who we are. We're a community full of love, of support, and we believe in the power of diversity."
Varas emphasized that the chant wasn't made by San Diego FC's main supporter section, the group known as La Frontera.
"This came from more the general population in the seats, and it wasn't everybody," Varas said. "I understand that, but it was enough people, and I just want to make very clear that it has no place here. If they're going to continue to come to the game and make that chant, it's better that they don't come here."
The one-word slur is typically made by fans while an opposing goalkeeper takes a goal kick, and it regularly occurs in both club soccer and national team soccer in Mexico. It's also become a regrettable staple in the Mexican national team's matches in the U.S.
The Mexican national team has been fined repeatedly by FIFA for its fans' behavior regarding the chant, which has forced both stoppages in play and the shortening of a match between El Tri and the U.S. national team in recent years. The chant nevertheless persists, and it seems likely to be an issue at North America's 2026 World Cup, which will feature 13 matches in Mexico.
"It's totally against our values as a club, but also who we are as people," Heaps said.
"One of our core values is to be a good person, and I think that's what we'll continue to stand behind. It's totally unacceptable, and obviously us as a club, we'll make sure it does not continue into the future."
Cheatle's deflection secures New South Wales WNCL title
New South Wales 215 (Learoyd 80, Parsons 3-29, Hamilton 3-57) beat Queensland 194 (Redmayne 97) by 21 runs
New South Wales snared their 21st WNCL title after defeating Queensland by 21 runs, and it was largely thanks to a freakish run-out.
Queensland's tail didn't last much longer, with NSW players celebrating wildly when Queensland were bowled out for 194 in the 47th over.
It marks the first time NSW have lifted the Ruth Preddy Cup since 2018-19.
Cheatle, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Sam Bates and captain Georgia Adams all played important roles with the ball for NSW. Queensland were left kicking themselves after slumping from 135 for 2 in the 30th over.
Redmayne was in fine form, but Sianna Ginger (36) and Charli Knott (14) were the only other batters to make it to double figures for Queensland.
NSW veteran Sarah Coyte now has 10 WNCL titles across three different states. The 33-year-old won six competitions with NSW between 2010 and 2015, one with South Australia after that, then a further two with Tasmania.
Her latest triumph is extra special, given the long wait between drinks for a NSW organisation accustomed to success.
Nair, Malewar and bowlers lead Vidarbha to third Ranji Trophy title
Vidarbha 379 (Malewar 153, Nair 86, Nidheesh 3-61) and 375 for 9 dec (Nair 135, Malewar 73, Sarwate 4-96) drew with Kerala 342 (Baby 98, Sarwate 79, Nalkande 3-52)
There were several such moments Kerala could look back on. All told, they would be richer with the experience of playing in their first final. That their coach Amay Khurasiya walked all the way to the center and took a fistful of a crumbly top surface of the Jamtha deck for posterity told you how much it meant to him.
This feeling got even more stronger when Wadkar was bowled by one that scooted low. Sarwate, who had celebrated many special moments with Wadkar by his side in the Vidarbha dressing room, celebrated wildly now at having dismissed him. Sarwate had three wickets suddenly, and all of Kerala's prayers behind him.
At 2.20pm, with tea looming, the stumps were drawn on an exhilarating season as Vidarbha were officially crowned champions. Having got to the semi-final on the back of the joint-most wins - alongside Mumbai - by a team in a season, they finished it off in typically khadoos style. It was a stonewalling effort led by Nair, whose fourth hundred of the season - and ninth overall, across formats led the way. There was also a half-century from the industrious Malewar, their 21-year-old batting hope.
They had more than made up for the first-innings lapse, when Nair was run-out after a mix-up with Malewar. That moment had the potential to be game-changing. For Vidarbha, it wasn't. Because theirs was an effort beyond just Nair's or Malewar's.
Warriorz, Giants seek consistency as WPL arrives in Lucknow
Who's playing
UP Warriorz vs Gujarat GiantsEkana Stadium, Lucknow, 7.30pm IST
What to expect: Little room for error
Warriorz are playing their last three league games of this season at the Ekana Stadium and will be keen to maximise the home advantage. Their last match against Mumbai Indians saw Warriorz rejig their batting line-up with Grace Harris opening with Kiran Navgire and Vrinda Dinesh moving down to No.3. The move seemed to work with both Harris and Dinesh chipping in with crucial 46 and 33 respectively. However, they have struggled to capitalise on the starts with the bat and have either left it too late for some lower-order hitting from Chinelle Henry and Sophie Ecclestone or ended up with below-par totals. The middle overs is the phase where they are most vulnerable and Giants might look to exploit that. Warriorz have lost the most wickets (24) in the middle overs (7 to 16) in this WPL so far and have been the slowest (6.72) in that phase too.
For Giants, while the bowling department looks largely sorted in terms of role clarity, there are still question marks over their top order. They have used three different opening pairs in five games with only Beth Mooney remaining the only constant at the top. D Hemalatha batted at No.3 in the first three matches in Vadodara was dropped after low scored before being promoted to open against RCB. Harleen Deol started this season in the middle order and then opened with Mooney before she was asked to bat at No. 3 in their previous game. Giants, however, have strengthened their middle order by having left-hander Phoebe Litchfield along with two star allrounders Ash Gardner and Deandra Dottin. Litchfield also played at No.3 for one game before moving down to No. 5 against MI where she looked at ease, scoring an unbeaten 30.
UP Warriorz LWL (last three matches, most recent first) Gujarat Giants WLL
The Lucknow surface is generally known to assist slower bowlers. Warriorz might be tempted to play an extra spinner in Alana King and drop Tahlia McGrath, who has been struggling with both bat and ball this season.
UP Warriorz (likely XI): 1 Kiran Navgire, 2 Grace Harris, 3 Vrinda Dinesh, 4 Deepti Sharma (capt), 5 Shweta Sehrawat, 6 Uma Chetry (wk), 7 Chinelle Henry, 8 Saima Thakor, 9 Alana King, 10 Sophie Ecclestone, 11 Kranti Goud
Giants might also bring back the left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad in place of fast bowler Meghna Singh.
Gujarat Giants (likely XI): 1 Beth Mooney (wk), 2 D Hemalatha, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Ash Gardner (capt), 5 Phoebe Litchfield,6 Deandra Dottin, 7 Kashvee Gautam, 8 Bharti Fulmali, 9 Tanuja Kanwar, 10 Meghna Singh/Rajeshwari Gayakwad, 11 Priya Mishra
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