PELETIER, N.C. – Brian Sullivan has been a contender each time he has competed in the INEX Legends division at Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway.

Now, he’s hoping his first win can come on Saturday afternoon in the Spring Thaw presented by Moore’s Old-Tyme Barbeque Chicken & Seafood and Battlefield Tire.

Sullivan, 37, returned to Legends competition last year after not competing in the cars in over a decade and found speed right away. The Holly Springs, N.C. native went on to finish second twice in 2018 and began this season with a third-place finish on March 30.

“I’m really excited about how fast I was able to get back up to speed in Legends,” Sullivan said. “After 15 years of not driving a Legend Car and nine years of not driving any race cars, I was a little concerned I would not be able to keep up. Thankfully, Dustin Tyson at Riverside Auto Group had purchased a car and needed a driver so I was kind of in the right place at the right time.

“I really can’t say enough about those guys. They’ve given me great equipment to work with.”

Sullivan has been a contender each time he’s raced at Carteret County Speedway. He has led laps and come close to winning races but has had some tough luck – including a blown motor while leading a race last summer.

Sullivan, however, does not believe in luck.

“I’m not real sure I believe in luck,” Sullivan stated. “I believe that, by putting the best prepared car on the track, the wins will happen. I just need to keep working hard and learn what it is going to take to get the car to stay fast for all 35 laps.

“Once that first win comes, then I believe we are going to be hard to beat.”

Sullivan was involved in a thrilling four-way battle for the win on March 30 with eventual winner Brenton Irving, runner-up Zack Brown and fourth place finisher Emily Day.

Irving won the race, while Brown and Sullivan were able to pass Day on a late-race restart.

“Last race, we had a bad restart and fell back,” Sullivan explained. “I basically overdrove the car to get back in the lead but the right rear tire got too hot and we fell all the way back to fifth. I had to take it easy for a few laps and get back in a rhythm. Had a little trouble getting past fourth-place finish cleanly and then we had a caution coming to a green-white-checkered. I felt like I still had a shot.”

Sullivan and Brown frantically battled for the runner-up spot on the final two laps of the race, which resulted in both drivers spinning on the frontstretch coming to the checkered flag.

“Coming to the green, [Irving] and [Day] were rubbing tires down the backstretch and then [Day] and [Brown] got together getting into turn one. Coming to the white flag, I was in third behind Zack and I knew he was a little loose,” Sullivan said. “I had a really good run down the backstretch and felt like I could possibly set him up coming out of turn four to the checkered. I managed to get a good run through the center again and, as I turned down off of turn four, I saw him get loose again. I lifted to stay off of him and it looked as if he would save it, then he snapped hard left.

“Luckily, when we made contact, we were sliding across the line and my bumper hit right in the side of his nerf bars and neither car took substantial damage and we both stayed on the podium.”

After a strong start to the season, Sullivan is now setting his sights on victory lane at Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway.

The INEX Legends division will be in action for 30 laps in Saturday afternoon’s Spring Thaw.

When Danny Smith won the United Sprint Car Series season opener at Florida’s Hendry County Motorsports Park in late January, he took one goal off his plate almost before the season began.

Smith has now won at least one feature for 44 consecutive seasons, a record few can match. And while it might not have been an outlaw-quality field, the fact Northeast power Davie Franek and Tony Stewart rounded out the podium, showed Smith still has game.

Following the win, Smith ran 410 and 360 shows all over Florida, waiting for the weather up north to improve so he could go to his usual Midwest haunts.

“I keep going because it’s my passion,” Smith said. “I’ve never had a real job and I can’t see starting one soon. My wife, who’s a nurse, told me that if I kept the race car going, she’d keep the house going. I’m 62 now, so I take it a year at a time, but if I stay healthy who knows how long I’ll keep racing.”

Hall of Famer Jack Hewitt says he could have predicted Smith’s long career before he even started.

The New Jersey Devils won the 2019 NHL draft lottery after entering Tuesday night's event in Toronto with the third-best odds.

It's the second lottery win in three years for the Devils. They won it in 2017 and selected center Nico Hischier.

"I said the No. 1 thing we needed was [more] talent, and this is a huge part of getting more talent. It's a huge day for the Devils," GM Ray Shero said after the draw.

The 15 teams that did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs were all eligible to win the lottery. The NHL uses three separate drawings to select the teams for the top three picks in the draft, in an effort to discourage tanking.

The Devils had a 11.5 percent chance of winning the lottery. The New York Rangers, who had just a 7.5 percent chance, jumped up from No. 6 to snag the second overall pick. The Chicago Blackhawks made an even more dramatic move, going from No. 12 all the way to the third pick in the draft. They had just a 2.5 percent chance of winning the lottery. The Colorado Avalanche, via a pick acquired from the last-place Ottawa Senators in a 2017 trade involving center Matt Duchene, entered the lottery with the best odds at 18.5 percent. The Los Angeles Kings (13.5 percent), Devils (11.5 percent), Detroit Red Wings (9.5 percent) and Buffalo Sabres (8.5 percent) rounded out the top five teams in draft probabilities.

American center Jack Hughes is projected as the first overall pick.

"I skate with [Devils star] Taylor Hall in the summers. He's been a really good guy to me, really nice. It's the NHL. I'd be honored to play for New Jersey one day. It's a great spot," Hughes said.

The Devils' lottery win continues a bizarre run of luck for Hall in the draft lottery. When he was in Edmonton, the Oilers picked first overall three times. After the Oilers traded him to New Jersey, the Devils won the lottery twice.

This has been some kind of heater folks. This is like when you've hit the blackjack tables and made 10x the money you came with. For one final bet, you toss on half your winnings and hope for the best. Either way, you've gotten lucky and came out ahead. Here goes https://t.co/sbrRmx770V

— Taylor Hall (@hallsy09) April 9, 2019

Here's the full draft board:

1. New Jersey Devils

2. New York Rangers

3. Chicago Blackhawks

4. Colorado Avalanche (from Ottawa)

5. Los Angeles Kings

6. Detroit Red Wings

7. Buffalo Sabres

8. Edmonton Oilers

9. Anaheim Ducks

10. Vancouver Canucks

11. Philadelphia Flyers

12. Minnesota Wild

13. Florida Panthers

14. Arizona Coyotes

15. Montreal Canadiens

This year's lottery was a painful one for Ottawa fans to watch. The Senators finished the regular season with the NHL's worst record but did not own their first-round pick, which was traded to Colorado in the Duchene trade. They had the option to give Colorado their first-rounder in the 2018 NHL draft, but instead opted to select center Brady Tkachuk with the fourth overall pick. That gave Colorado the Senators' 2019 pick and the best lottery odds. To add insult to injury, the Senators traded Duchene to the Columbus Blue Jackets in February after 118 games in Ottawa.

The prize of the 2019 NHL entry draft is Hughes, a special talent who skates at an elite level and can make plays at high speed.

The 17-year-old center's footwork is unique among most players in that he skates deceptively well on top of having higher-end puck skills. Hughes also has elite vision, which combined with his shiftiness, allows him to exploit open ice and find teammates with ease. There are somewhat limited concerns about his size and physical strength, but they have done little to dissuade most that he belongs at No. 1.

Hughes rewrote the record books at USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, blowing past the likes of Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel and Auston Matthews while putting up 202 points over his past two seasons to shatter the previous career scoring mark of 189. He is averaging 2.10 points per game this season with the U.S. national under-18 team amid a mixed schedule of USHL, college and international opponents. Hughes also represented the U.S. at the World Junior Championship this year where he helped Team USA earn a silver medal alongside his older brother and last year's No. 7 overall draft pick by the Vancouver Canucks, Quinn Hughes.

There is really only one significant challenger who could unseat Hughes as the No. 1 pick. That would be 17-year-old Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko, who brings size and strength to a high-end offensive skill set. Kakko scored 22 goals for TPS Turku this season, which made him the highest-scoring under-18 player in Liiga history as he surpassed Aleksander Barkov for the record.

After Hughes and Kakko there are several players who could challenge for the next few spots, including Russian winger Vasili Podkolzin, Western Hockey League centers Kirby Dach and Dylan Cozens, WHL defenseman Bowen Byram and some of Hughes' own under-18 teammates -- Alex Turcotte, Trevor Zegras and Matthew Boldy.

The 2019 NHL draft will take place at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The first round will be held Friday, June 21. Rounds 2-7 will take place Saturday, June 22.

ESPN's Chris Peters contributed to this report.

The 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs are set to begin on Wednesday, April 10. Our writers, analysts and editors weigh in with their predictions for each first-round series, along with way-too-early picks for the Stanley Cup Final and Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs.

ESPN Experts panel: Sean Allen, NHL fantasy columnist; Ben Arledge, associate editor; Pierre Becquey, deputy editor; John Buccigross, SportsCenter anchor, "In the Crease" host; Matthew Coller, NHL writer; Sachin Chandan, hockey researcher for ESPN the Magazine; Aimee Crawford, senior editor; Dimitri Filipovic, NHL writer; Emily Kaplan, national NHL reporter; Tim Kavanagh, general editor; Don La Greca, ESPN Radio host; Steve Levy, SportsCenter anchor; Vince Masi, Sports & Information research specialist; Victoria Matiash, NHL fantasy columnist; Barry Melrose, NHL analyst; Chris Peters, NHL prospects writer; Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer.

Four sleeps without hockey was too many, if you ask us. The NHL returns tonight with five games opening the slate of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. Here's what to watch for in today's edition of ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily:

About last night...

There was some NHL action last night. The draft lottery was held in Toronto, and for the second time in three years, the Devils will be picking No. 1. Yes, New Jersey won the Jack Hughes sweepstakes. The New York Rangers got second, and the Chicago Blackhawks bucked their 8.2 percent odds to finish in the top three. The Colorado Avalanche, with Ottawa's pick, ended up at No. 4 -- a rare moment of reprieve for Senators fans.

The big picture? Hughes is the next big American hockey star -- and he'll likely play for an American team (unlike Auston Matthews, Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser -- all stashed above the border on Canadian teams). That's a boon for fans in the U.S.

On the schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Lightning, Game 1, 7 p.m. ET

The Lightning open as the big Cup favorites, at 2-1. Don't discount the John Tortorella-coached Blue Jackets in putting up a fight, though. Several Columbus players -- notably star winger Artemi Panarin and two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky -- are playing for new contracts this summer.

• Series preview

Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders, Game 1, 7:30 p.m. ET

A 2019 playoff game at Nassau Coliseum? Yeah, we didn't see this one coming, either. The Islanders have been plucky underdogs all season and now take on a Sidney Crosby-led team that's peaking at the right time.

• Series preview

St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets, Game 1, 8 p.m. ET

Everyone expected Winnipeg to be a wagon this season, but they haven't looked quite right. The Blues, meanwhile, didn't look right at all when they were the league's worst team on Jan. 2, but since then, they have been among the league's hottest. Bring on a classic Western Conference slugfest.

• Series preview

Dallas Stars at Nashville Predators, Game 1, 9:30 p.m. ET

Just after Christmas, Stars CEO Jim Lites went on an epic rant, calling out the play of his two star players as "f---ing horses---." Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin can get the last laugh if they pull an upset over the Central Division champs in Round 1.

• Series preview

Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks, Game 1, 10:30 p.m. ET

The misfits are back -- and brought reinforcements, like Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone and Paul Stastny. They'll look to spoil it for the Sharks yet again. San Jose would like to win one for Jumbo Joe Thornton before the 39-year-old (possibly) hangs them up this summer.

• Series preview

Social post of the day

They talk about Gretzky's 92 goals or Sittler's 10 pts in one game as records that may never be broken. But winning 5 draft lotteries in your first 9 years in the league? In 2 different draft lottery eras, no less. That is a record that will stand forever.

— Taylor Hall (@hallsy09) April 10, 2019

We didn't see much of Taylor Hall for the second half of the season as he nursed a knee injury; the reigning MVP came in hot on Twitter this week, though.

Quotable

"I want to straighten it out: If you've had one shot, it's like you've had a million." -- New Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville, appearing on the ESPN on Ice podcast, discussing his viral moment during his unemployment period, when he ripped shotskis with Chicago Bears fans while tailgating at Soldier Field.

I suppose if you had to pick one man in the entire world who doesn't need any reminder of the value and impact of late goals, it'd probably be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer -- particularly a couple of days after he revisited the Camp Nou for the first time since his historic Treble-winning goal there in 1999.

For Manchester United fans, it was their all-time miracle moment, but for us neutrals in the stadium it was no less incredible.

I was working in the Camp Nou, sat a couple of rows behind Charlie Sheringham and Kasper Schmeichel, as they anxiously watched their fathers team up in the Bayern Munich penalty area after the clock had already ticked past 90 minutes. When United's talismanic Norwegian stuck out his right boot so that the ball rose steeply upward into the roof of Oliver Kahn's net, the noise, the sensation of disbelief, the professional need to steel oneself and rewrite copious newspaper copy at the speed of light -- all these emotions hit a scale somewhere between euphoria and a paralysis of incomprehension.

So while Solskjaer watched Barcelona's late show against Atletico Madrid on Saturday, I wondered whether it not only sparked fragments of memories of his own glorious past, but also a nagging worry about one of the Blaugrana's least-praised tendencies?

There's no escaping the fact that Solskjaer's United are Champions League quarterfinalists because of the added-time penalty that Marcus Rashford crashed past Gianluigi Buffon in Paris a couple of weeks ago. Like coach, like striker: much better late than never. But in Barcelona they are facing the absolute masters in this art of delayed gratification.

Let me explain. Goals scored between the 80th minute and the final whistle are a demonstration of resilience, mental and physical fortitude, are very hard to fight back against and are the touch of ruthless masters. So digest this data: In this season's Champions League, Barcelona have scored six times after the 80th minute. In fact, they haven't faced a single team in Europe this term against whom they've failed to score one of these late goals.

However, that's not all. Not by a long chalk.

When Solsjkaer -- with Mike Phelan beside him in the presidential box and Michael Carrick in an overspill area of the Camp Nou main stand -- witnessed Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi hit the net in the 85th and the 86th minutes, respectively, against Atletico he was witnessing a trend, not flukes.

Spain's champions-elect have scored in the final 10 minutes during well more than half their Liga matches since August. In some cases, like against Diego Simeone's Atleti, they have been goals that seal all three points. Occasionally, for example their midweek 4-4 draw at Villarreal, when Messi burst the net with seconds of normal time left and Suarez rammed home the equaliser moments before the final whistle blew, these late phenomena are important but don't secure the jackpot of victory. Occasionally the late show merely decorates a big scoreline.

However only once, in the 4-3 home defeat to Real Betis, has one of Barcelona's jack-in-the-box last-10-minute strikes failed to register a draw or a win. Late goals are worth their weight in gold. It's clear. And it means Ernesto Valverde's squad is very special. Across all competitions in 2018-19, they've hit the net 35 times after minute 80.

Now hold on a minute, I hear you. I hear your dismissive tone. "It's only Messi and Suarez, right? It's only the two predators hitting opponents when they're tired?"

Wrong. Of these 35 ultra-late goals, Messi has scored 11. Not a bad haul. But what I find remarkable, and important for United to plan against, is the fact that a total of 12 Barcelona players -- Messi, Suarez, Gerard Pique, Ousmane Dembele, Ivan Rakitic, Jordi Alba, Carles Alena, Clement Lenglet, Philippe Coutinho, Munir El Haddadi, Malcom and Arturo Vidal -- have carved their initials on this signature Barcelona trick.

And there's more. When considering these hard-to-bounce-back-from late strikes, we can tighten the microscope even more. The huge majority, 26 out of those 35, have been scored from the 85th minute onward into added time.

Barcelona, whether they are on top, whether they are at bay but struggling to sneak a win, or whether they are clinging on and apparently having an off night, just keep saving and saving their knockout punch. But the punch still puts rivals on the canvas.

Nor, just so that we are clear, does it only happen against lesser sides or uniquely at the Camp Nou. Finding the net late when opponents have drooped happened at Wembley against Tottenham, in Milan against Inter, at the Metropolitano for 1-1 in the 90th minute, at Sevilla, at Betis. The list goes on.

If you are a student of Barcelona, then you might be musing to yourself, "But they've been doing this for years." True. From the beginning of the Johan Cruyff era -- the 1989 UEFA Cup-Winners' Cup semifinal won thanks to Guillermo Amor's 81st-minute strike, a 2-0 goal against Real Madrid in the 1990 Copa del Rey final coming in the 90th minute, Ronald Koeman's 112th-minute Champions League winner at Wembley in 1992 -- this has been happening.

Under Frank Rijkaard in 2006: Samuel Eto'o's 89th-minute winner in the Champions League quarterfinal against Benfica, Juliano Belletti's epic final-clinching goal in Paris against Arsenal in the 80th minute. Pep Guardiola? Who will ever forget what's known here only as the "Iniestazo!" at Stamford Bridge in 2009 with a mere sliver of added time left and Chelsea on the verge of reaching their second consecutive final? Messi's 87th-minute semifinal goal at the Bernabeu in 2011?

The reason for mentioning this tendency is that while Barcelona's playing style and ideology have changed -- markedly -- from the Cruyff-Rijkaard-Guardiola days, the tendency remains.

Whenever Barcelona have been fully engaged with the Cruyff philosophy of maintaining possession, dragging opponents about, making their rivals chase after the ball, spreading the pitch positionally, it has, almost inevitably, left teams being sucker-punched late on in contests when they are mentally jaded, physically exhausted, or both. It's easy to understand: Make your enemy run, exhaust him, then strike when mind, legs and lungs are fading.

But this team doesn't play that style. Sure, they still love to take the ball and pass the ball, as Guardiola once phrased it. But they no longer have that associative style that was so based on the elite-level Xavi, the prime of Andres Iniesta and the apex of Sergio Busquets' career. This Barca team needs to run much more, play with lightning bursts forward and often has a significantly lower share of possession. Valverde's team should, in theory, be nearly as tired as their rival, if not more so, by the time the final 10 minutes are approaching. Yet, regularly, they prove that they are not.

It's a triumph of squad, changes made at the right time and impactful footballers joining a broken game. It's the product of fabulously honed technique, such that even when Valverde's players are jaded or flagging, they are slightly less likely than their opponents to actually wilt. It is, above anything else, the result of elite mentalities.

This team, which is founded on the titanium-tough will to win of Pique, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Suarez and Messi, simply keeps going, keeps probing, keeps believing that there's something in the match for them whether they're winning, losing, drawing, playing brilliantly or having a stinker of a night.

And the best-placed person at Old Trafford on Wednesday to recognise that wonderful resilience and confidence is -- you guessed it -- Solskjaer. Teaching his team how to prevent Barcelona from doing an Ole Gunnar to them would be a massive step toward wrecking the Camp Nou club's firm progress to their third Treble since Solskjaer, Sir Alex Ferguson, Teddy Sheringham & Co. achieved theirs nearly 20 years ago in Barcelona's stadium.