Former Wales hooker Emyr Phillips has joined the Scarlets as a development skills coach.

Injury forced Phillips to retire from playing in 2018 after more than 150 Scarlets appearances across 10 seasons and winning three caps for Wales.

Phillips will continue in his role as head coach of Welsh Premiership side Carmarthen Quins.

He replaces Dai Flanagan, who has been promoted to the Scarlets' senior set-up.

Editor’s Note: This story was provided courtesy of Robin Miller and was originally published by Racer.com.

Auto racing cultivates a lot of feel-good stories and unlikely successes, but none may be more inspiring than Jeff Dickerson’s.

The Indianapolis native has gone from changing gears on Tyce Carlson’s midget to spotting for Jeff Gordon to representing Kyle Busch to working for Chip Ganassi… to victory lane last Sunday at Daytona as a winning NASCAR car owner.

Rookie Justin Haley was declared the winner of the Coke Zero 400 when rain brought out the red flag, and decided the outcome with Haley out in front in Dickerson’s Spire Motorsports Chevy.

“It’s a great story, and I’m happy for Jeff,” said Ganassi, who has had a working relationship for years with Dickerson involving drivers and sponsors. “I’m disappointed we didn’t win, but I’m glad he did, so he kept it in the family, so to speak.”

As a 17-year-old at North Central High School back in 1993, Dickerson was infatuated with racing but had no connections. So he started writing letters to Carlson, a North Central grad six years older who was running USAC midgets and sprints at the time.

“So I invited him to go to Salem with us,” recalls Carlson, a two-time Indy 500 starter who runs a real estate business today. “We came home, I dropped him off and two hours later he called and asked if he could come stay with me for a while. His dad had died when he was real young, and his mom had basically kicked him out of his house because he wanted to be a racer.

“I was 23 and living with my wife-to-be (Christy) at the time in an apartment, but I said, sure come on up. He showed up with two pillowcases full of clothes and stayed for four years.”

During that time, Dickerson learned how to set up a chassis, work on engines and whatever else needed to be done. But he made friends as fast as he picked up the nuances of racing, and after working with ace fabricator Danny Drinan, he went back with Carlson to be the team manager/spotter of Hubbard/Imke in the Indy Racing League.

It was also during this time that Carlson bought his friend a midget and he began racing at the 16th Street Speedway.

But after helping Robbie Buhl’s IRL team, Jeff got a call from Cary Agajanian that changed his career path. Aggie represented a lot of drivers at that time and saw how connected Dickerson was with all the young stars in USAC, so he hired him. When the son of the longtime Indy 500 car owner decided he was done with being an agent, his protégé formed Spire and signed Busch as one of his first clients in 2003.

Since then, Dickerson has represented Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse, Ross Chastain, Landon Cassill and the late Jason Leffler. But despite having no formal training in that area or marketing, he had a gift for putting deals together, and that impressed Ganassi.

“Jeff is a go-getter and a hard-working guy with a good knowledge of this sport from grass roots all the way to the top,” said Ganassi. “He can talk to anybody and knows how things get done.”

Adds Carlson: “Everything he did was self-made and because of his personality and ability to put deals together. People trust him.”

Last year he and partner T.J. Puchyr borrowed $6 million to buy a NASCAR charter with the goal of growing Spire into a full-time Cup Series effort. Dickerson wasn’t at Daytona to celebrate, but Carlson texted him afterward.

“He’s like my little brother and I just knew he was going to go somewhere in racing because of his drive and his smarts,” said Carlson. “This doesn’t surprise me. It’s only the beginning.”

LOUDON, N.H. – Mahindra ROXOR has been named the title sponsor of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race scheduled for July 20 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“We’re pleased to welcome Mahindra ROXOR to our July race weekend,” said David McGrath, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “Just like Mahindra ROXOR vehicles, racing in New England is ‘built for the long haul,’ as the ROXOR 200 will mark the 34th NASCAR Xfinity Series race here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.”

Mahindra has been building vehicles such as tractors, automobiles, airplanes, motorcycles and more for more than 70 years, building 600,000 automotive vehicles annually, all designed to complement many different channels of specialized businesses including construction, community work, ranching, search and rescue and, of course, hardcore recreation.

“We are excited to partner with New Hampshire Motor Speedway as a title sponsor,” stated Richard Ansell, vice president of marketing of Mahindra ROXOR. “The audience aligns well with our marketing strategy for ROXOR and the NHMS program is a perfect extension to our overall racing program.”

Fans can check out the latest ROXOR models in action at The Flat Track during the Friday Night Dirt Duels presented by New England Racing Fuel as they are used to prep the new 0.25-mile dirt track in between racing action. They’ll also be on display in the Fan Zone, located in the S2 lot, throughout race weekend in a 3,000-square-foot ROXOR display.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — International Speedway Corp. issued a preliminary proxy statement in regard to taking the public company private.

They are asking the shareholders to vote on and approve an agreement and plan of merger with NASCAR Holdings, Inc.  This is an important step of the “going-private” transaction.

In November 2018, Jim France presented the Board of Directors a proposal, where-as the France Family Group would acquire the company by purchasing shares they did not already own.

The transaction value was $1.280 billion based on an acquisition price of $45 per share with approximately 28.475 million shares outstanding.

A Special Committee of Directors was formed to review, evaluate and negotiate on behalf of the shareholders with respect to the offer. Legal and financial advisors were retained to assist in the evaluation and due diligence process.

The initial offer to acquire was at $42 per share.  The Special Committee initially responded with a counter-offer of $54 per share. Over the next several months, meetings and presentations were held.  Negotiations went back and forth and both parties adjusted their expectations. In April 2019, they agreed that $45 per share would be in the best interest of shareholders and to pursue toward a definitive merger agreement.

During the early part of the season, the bankruptcy filing of DC Solar had a material impact on the industry. According to filings, NASCAR, International Speedway Corp. and its tracks were owed about $4 million. In addition, Chip Ganassi Racing was on the hold for $4.3 million and shut down its NASCAR Xfinity Series team as a result.

A class action lawsuit contesting the merger was brought by the Fireman’s Retirement System of St. Louis. They alleged that the initial proposal was too low and unfair to minority shareholders. It also noted conflicts of interest and lack of independence between the France Family, NASCAR and ISC.

After the offer price was raised several times, they eventually met with representatives and determined not to challenge the fairness of the transaction price.

Other interesting deal highlights included: NASCAR will purchase the shares of Brian France and potential deal termination fees of $117 million to NASCAR and $78 million to International Speedway Corp.

Financing for the deal was provided by Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and PNC Bank. The credit facility will total $1.650 billion consisting a term loan and revolver.

In late May 2019, the Special Committed determined that the $45 per share offer was fair and reasonable and in the best interest of the company and shareholders. Each shareholder will receive cash for their shares owned.

Several factors were cited in their recommendation, including the ongoing business pressures facing the business and industry, decreasing attendance, uncertainty over the broadcast contract negotiations, sanction agreement renewals and expiration of the motorsports tax provision.

The International Speedway Corp. Board of Directors approved and executed the merger agreement.  The next step was to issue a proxy statement and submit the transaction for approval by the shareholders of the company.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2019 and is subject to the usual customary closing conditions.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Go Fas Racing has revealed the retro scheme that Corey LaJoie will pilot during the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

LaJoie and Go Fas Racing will travel back to the year of 1991 to honor 1999 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett. LaJoie’s GFR Ford will mimic the Nestle Crunch scheme Jarrett drove in the then Busch Grand National Series in 1991.

The 43-time NASCAR national series winner took the blue and white scheme to Victory Lane five times during the sponsor’s tenure with Jarrett, with two of those victories coming at Darlington. The scheme also made appearances in victory lane at Bristol, Charlotte and Rockingham.

In conjunction with his victorious efforts at Darlington in NASCAR’s second-tier series, Jarrett boasts three wins in the Cup Series at Darlington.

It’s also fitting that the 2014 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee wheeled the No. 32 while driving the Crunch scheme just as LaJoie currently races the same number in NASCAR’s premier division. While Jarrett only drove the number in the Xfinity Series, the North Carolina native’s resume also includes a trio of Daytona 500 wins coming in 1993, ’96 and ’00.

LaJoie is proud to honor such a remarkable driver and his outstanding achievements in our sport.

“The car looks great and I’ve always been a fan of Dale, so to carry this scheme around Darlington is awesome. I think we did a great job keeping the scheme as close to the original as possible while incorporating the CorvetteParts.net logos into it. I can’t thank Tom and T.J. Keen enough for allowing us to run this design – it’s one of my favorite schemes. I might even have to shave myself a mustache so I don’t do the car a disservice,” LaJoie joked.

The Crunch-inspired scheme will flaunt longtime GFR partner, Keen Parts/CorvetteParts.net. Whether you’re looking for a complete interior for your vintage ’58 Corvette or a performance accessory for your ’09, they have the Corvette part you need and the expertise you want as Corvettes are their sole focus.

With the 2019 NHL free agency period winding down -- anyone going to sign Jake Gardiner? -- and plenty of trade shuffling putting big-name players in new cities, it's time to grade each teams' offseason additions.

Grades for all 31 teams from Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski evaluate each franchise's free-agent landings, with additional consideration to how each team navigated the trade market. The list starts with a savvy offseason for one Central Division contender and a pair of Metropolitan Division rivals looking to reenter the playoff picture.

Note: Teams listed from best to worst, and those with the same grade are in alphabetical order.

Jump to a team:
ANA | ARI | BOS | BUF | CGY | CAR | CHI
COL | CBJ | DAL | DET | EDM | FLA
LA | MIN | MTL | NSH | NJ | NYI
NYR | OTT | PHI | PIT | SJ | STL
TB | TOR | VAN | VGS | WSH | WPG

Dallas Stars: A

Jim Nill has been a big-game hunter over the past few seasons, including seeking but striking out on John Tavares, Erik Karlsson and others. He finally lured a big name in Joe Pavelski at three years, $7 million annual average value. Pavelski (four 37-plus-goal seasons over his past six) immediately adds a new dimension to Dallas' offense. But don't overlook the Corey Perry signing, either. Many around the league expect Perry, on a bonus-laden veteran deal, to rebound after a rough season following knee surgery, and there's no question he'll be motivated.

The Stars already have perhaps the best goalie tandem in the league and a stud blue line. Now their offense is catching up. -- Kaplan

New Jersey Devils: A

In the Tri-state area these days, it's all about keeping up with the Joneses. The Devils took a pause last season after their surprise 2017-18 success (they knew they would likely regress, so they didn't spend in free agency, then tumbled after Taylor Hall got injured). But once New Jersey won the draft lottery and selected Jack Hughes at No. 1 in the NHL draft, it accelerated its timeline and took a huge leap forward.

P.K. Subban adds star power to the blue line. Wayne Simmonds (only a one-year commitment) adds veteran leadership and grit. The biggest question mark in New Jersey? Goaltending. The Devils might eventually need an upgrade here, especially if Cory Schneider struggles again. -- Kaplan

New York Rangers: A