TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — It just doesn’t seem to matter what track or who the competition is, Brandon Sheppard and the Rocket1 Racing team are dominant.

Even when pitted up against the most seasoned drivers of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals on Friday night at the Terre Haute Action Track, Sheppard doesn’t flinch.

For the ninth time this season on the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series tour, Sheppard earned the win and extended his lead in the overall championship. Sheppard blasted to the lead in the series’ second visit to historic half-mile and methodically paced the field over a hard-charging Bobby Pierce and Darrell Lanigan, who garnered his 10th top-10 finish of the season.

Setting fast time in his qualifying group, winning his Drydene Heat race and redrawing the pole, Sheppard took off like a Rocket and, at one point, opened up a near-four-second advantage over his competition.

Leading all 30 caution-free laps for $10,000, Sheppard made it look easy. He entered several waves of lapped traffic but disposed of each one with ease, giving him the separation he needed to build a cushion around his large lead.

This victory also gave Sheppard his second Summer Nationals win of the year — the other coming just 10 days ago at Jacksonville Speedway in his family-owned #B5 machine.

“It’s a dream season,” Sheppard said. “I hope we can keep it rolling.”

Pierce put on quite the show once he cracked the top-five with 13 laps remaining. Riding the cushion, right where he’s so often found, the three-time Summer Nationals Champion turned some of his fastest laps of the race in the final 10 circuits while in hot pursuit of the leader.

“The motor was running hot, and if it wasn’t, I really would have pushed the issue even harder than I was to catch Brandon,” Pierce said. “The oil temperature and the water temperature gauges were blinking at me for about the last 15 laps, so I didn’t want to I didn’t want to push it too hard.”

Coming from the eighth starting spot, “The Smooth Operator” chipped away at the cars in front of him and made steady progress towards the front, eventually reaching the rear bumper of Lanigan on lap 24.

Pierce drove it hard into turn three underneath Lanigan and appeared to have the spot secured coming out of turn four, but Lanigan made an excellent crossover maneuver to take the spot back at the start/finish line.

Once again, Pierce threw it in hard on the top groove heading into turn one and, this time, made it stick as he swiped third away and cracked the whip to reach his next target, Billy Moyer. It didn’t take nearly as long for Pierce to get around Moyer, disposing of him in just two corners. Now, with just five circuits remaining, Pierce was running out of time in his pursuit of Sheppard.

“By the time I got past Lanigan, I was looking for Brandon,” Pierce said. “Finally, I spotted him, he was so far gone without having a caution during the race. One side of me was wanting to go for it and dig hard to catch him, but the other side of me was thinking, ‘Well, this is a good points night, second’s not too bad.’”

The finish:

Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard [1]; 2. 32-Bobby Pierce [8]; 3. 29-Darrell Lanigan [2]; 4. 21-Billy Moyer [5]; 5. 18-Shannon Babb [15]; 6. 3S-Brian Shirley [7]; 7. 157-Mike Marlar [11]; 8. 7W-Ricky Weiss [3]; 9. 99JR-Frank Heckenast, Jr. [9]; 10. 25-Shane Clanton [6]; 11. B1-Brent Larson [13]; 12. 97-Cade Dillard [14]; 13. 28-Dennis Erb, Jr. [4]; 14. 99B-Boom Briggs [10]; 15. CJ1-Rusty Schlenk [21]; 16. 25F-Jason Feger [19]; 17. 18J-Chase Junghans [20]; 18. 6-Blake Spencer [17]; 19. 14S-Steve Godsey [16]; 20. 31AUS-Paul Stubber [18]; 21. 25H-Chuck Hummer [22]; 22. 10-Paul Parker [12]; KSE Hard Charger Award: 18-Shannon Babb[+10].

MALTA, N.Y. — Matt DeLorenzo, one of the hottest drivers at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway last season, has been consistent but not fast enough to win in 2019.

Friday night he finally broke loose, handily winning the 35-lap DIRTcar modified feature, taking the lead in the tight points battle as well.

Three yellows in the first four laps kept the field closed up but didn’t let the 12^th-starting DeLorenzo build up much momentum around his favored outside groove. Mike Mahaney benefitted most from the early yellows, scooting from 10th to stand third on the lap four restart. But from there he stalled out and DeLorenzo closed rapidly on the lead pack under an extended green.

With Mahaney working second place Don Ronca behind leader Kris Vernold, the fleet DeLorenzo swept around the lead pack, going from third to first in one swoop on lap 13. By halfway, he was long gone, with Vernold, Mahaney, Brian Berger, Ronca and Rocky Warner dueling behind him.

A yellow right after halfway broke DeLorenzo’s momentum momentarily but a return to green saw him drive away again as Warner clawed his way to second just before the lap counter hit 30. By then, hard track specialist Marc Johnson had arrived from the last row to challenge Warner, finally grabbing second with three to go.  Warner followed DeLorenzo and Johnson to the checkers, with Mahaney and 15th-starting Peter Britten rounding out the top five.

Brandon Emigh bested Josh Coonradt and Dan and Darrell Older to claim the Pro Stock feature, while Derek Bornt prevailed in the $1,000-to-win Dean’s Electric Service Sportsman Shootout. He was trailed by Brian Calabrese and a fast closing Tim Hartman Jr.

Manchester United have completed the signing of defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace.

The England under-21 international becomes United's second signing of the summer following the arrival of Dan James from Swansea City.

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The 21-year-old has signed a five-year deal, with the option of another 12 months, worth around £80,000-a-week.

"It's an unbelievable feeling and an honour to call myself a Manchester United player and something I know that only a small number of players have the privilege to say," Wan-Bissaka said.

"I can't wait to get going and integrated into the squad. I will have a short break now after the European Championships but I'm looking forward to starting training with the manager and my new team-mates on the preseason tour."

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made Wan-Bissaka a top priority this summer after right-back Antonio Valencia was released.

The Old Trafford club had an initial bid of £35 million plus add ons rejected and Palace grew frustrated as negotiations dragged on.

But sources told ESPN FC that United made a breakthrough in the talks and will pay an initial £45m with a further £5m in add-ons.

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"Aaron is one of the best upcoming defenders in the Premier League," Solskjaer said. "He has the right work ethic, talent and mentality to play for Manchester United and he fits exactly the type of player that we are looking to bring into the squad to help us improve and push on further.

"Aaron is a young, hungry player and eager to learn and that's important at his age. I am delighted he has signed with us and we look forward to continuing his tremendous development so far."

Wan-Bissaka could play some part on the summer tour of Australia, Singapore, China and Norway and is in line to make his Old Trafford debut when United start their Premier League campaign against Chelsea on Aug. 11.

The surprising thing about Aaron Wan-Bissaka is not that he is reportedly about to become the most expensive right-back in the history of football. It's that only two years ago, the man who Manchester United are rumoured to be spending north of £50 million for, wasn't even a right-back.

In fact, for much of the time the 21-year-old spent in the Crystal Palace youth ranks, he was not even especially highly rated. In those days he was a relatively modest winger, not close to being cut adrift but definitely not pegged as a future star. He was consistent, a seven-out-of-ten player, but not one to catch the eye, despite his remarkable pace and long, snaking legs.

"In his under-20 year, we weren't exactly concerned, but he probably wasn't scoring enough or assisting enough -- not of the level you'd want from a Premier League winger," Gary Issott, Palace's academy director, tells ESPN.

- Transfer Grades: Wan-Bissaka to Man United a B-
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Indeed, in October 2017, only a few months before he made his senior debut (Feb. 2018) and slid into Premier League life like it was a perfectly-tailored suit, Palace were trying to find a League One club to loan him to. That January, he tried to persuade Palace to let him join a club in League Two. The problem was, none of the managers they spoke to were interested.

It was former first-team coach Kevin Keen who first suggested to academy coaches that he might have the ability to play at full-back. And one morning when the first-team squad were playing a practice match at the club's training ground, he got his opportunity. The team were short of someone to play at right-back, so Wan-Bissaka was asked to fill in.

This wasn't just your average practice match, though. Wan-Bissaka's opponent was Wilfried Zaha, destroyer of full-backs and the cause of twisted blood in many experienced defenders. Zaha didn't get a sniff, marked out of the game and was physically and tactically bested by the youngster.

"He was one of the few players who could match Wilfried's pace and power," says Issott. That performance stuck in the minds of everyone at Palace, even though his initial outings at the back for Palace's youth sides were a little rough and he couldn't see a future in the position. After a clutch of injuries left Roy Hodgson short in defence, Wan-Bissaka was called upon.

He wasn't exactly eased in. While most youngsters might expect a couple of substitute appearances or a run-out in the League Cup to get them used to first-team football, Wan-Bissaka's first three senior games were starts against Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea. His fifth saw him face Liverpool.

A look at the team sheets in those games shows the debutant, barely out of his teens, was up against Eden Hazard, Christian Eriksen, Sadio Mane and Marcus Rashford. But rather than breathing slowly into a paper bag, as most callow youths might be forgiven for doing when faced with those opponents, he excelled. The United game is remembered particularly for the moment he chased down and put in a statement of a tackle on the aforementioned Rashford. If you didn't know better, you would have sworn he had been there for years.

All of which bodes well for a potential move to the pressure and chaos of Old Trafford. "He's got a fantastic temperament," says Issott. "I'm sure he does get nervous but he doesn't show it. He reacts very well in high pressure situations." He will need all of that with United, a club with high expectations but currently short of the players to deliver upon them.

The first thing you notice about Wan-Bissaka when you see him live is how natural and easy everything looks. He just seems to be moving quicker than everyone else on the pitch without seeming to strain himself at all. "The best athletes, that's how they look -- effortless," says Issott. "He's as quick as anybody we've ever had."

Next, you notice how clean his tackling is. No defender in the Premier League made more successful challenges than him last season, something that's even more remarkable when you consider most defenders have been learning this art from an early age, whereas he's barely been doing it for two years.

"I have no idea where I get it from," he told the Guardian last season. "I'm just as confused when I see all the stats. I'd never tackle on Walton Green [where he played as a kid in Croydon, South-East London]. I was too busy doing the tricks, and I just didn't like defending." The players he watched and looked to emulate weren't Dani Alves or Philipp Lahm, but rather attackers Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry.

As a late convert to defence, he's had to learn fast, and the good news is he's doing just that. As an example, early last season he was sent off against Liverpool for a misjudged challenge after reeling in Mohamed Salah when clean through on goal. Yet in the following 23 games he was only booked once, and was cautioned only three further times in the campaign. Wan-Bissaka has had to do most of his education at the top level, but he's maturing remarkably quickly.

"It's when talent meets opportunity," says Issott, explaining Wan-Bissaka's rise. You suspect those opportunities will keep on coming for the talented 21-year-old.

"There has never been a better time to be a professional cricketer," according to Daryl Mitchell.

Mitchell, chairman of the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA; the players' union in England and Wales), was speaking after the PCA committee voted unanimously to approve a new five-year (2020-2024) deal with the ECB that ensures all professional players will benefit from the improved broadcast contracts.

The County Partnership Agreement (CPA) will ensure a rise in the salary collar (the minimum amount a county can spend on player salaries) and the salary cap (the maximum amount a county can spend on the salaries of its players), an established minimum wage for full-time professionals and a raft of other improved benefits for players. All concessions were in the face of initial resistance from the ECB.

Although ESPNcricinfo reported many of these improved features in March, the final details have taken some time to agree on and the vote - involving representatives from all 18 first-class counties and the England women's squad - only took place on Friday.

"Today is a big moment for every current and future professional cricketer in this country," Mitchell said. "This has been a long and testing process but ultimately a very rewarding outcome.

"I made a bold statement just over a year ago that we needed to ensure every player benefits from the CPA and after constant dialogue and deliberation between stakeholders and over 70 formal meetings, I am delighted we have achieved this.

"The new retirement pot will bring a country-wide benefit to all players who will be supported through extra funding to help with their transition into a second career. David [Leatherdale, PCA chief executive] has fought particularly hard for the implementation of this and with it now agreed, the PCA committee will decide a distribution model for the estimated £5 million that counties will contribute over the five-year period.

"This deal will not only see players directly rewarded but with future funding for the PCA in place and substantial donations to be made to the Professional Cricketers' Trust for the first time, the welfare of players will be protected."

The deal may also serve as something of a legacy for Leatherdale, who has endured a torrid time, which has included taking an extended break to deal with a stress-related problem following a succession of family tragedies. He has already confirmed he will be standing down in the coming weeks, but this deal will ensure he moves on to the next challenge confident he has made a significant positive contribution for his fellow and future PCA members.

"This historic deal creates a reinvigorated approach to playing cricket professionally which will see players rewarded through their careers like never before," Mitchell said."Young players coming into the game will have the best ever chance to be successful with minimum guarantees while improved policies around welfare issues as well as the rise in salary caps and collars will benefit all.

"We know the first two years after retirement is an incredibly difficult time so the new retirement pot will bridge a gap to help the transition into a second career. One of the most exciting successes is the PCA gaining 100 extra members through the women's game. The players who participate in the eight new 'Hundred' teams will be represented by the PCA as the women's game continues to evolve in the professional era.

"In terms of the England men's and women's deals which have been negotiated alongside the CPA through the Team England Player Partnership and England Women's Player Partnership, these deals are also close to being agreed which will ensure representing your country has never been more rewarding."

Key points in the deal

• Minimum 26.5% of ECB central revenue received by players

• Projected £5,000,000 retirement pot to be distributed to players

• Doubling of salary collar from £750,000 to £1,500,000

• Salary cap rising to £2,500,000

• New, binding minimum wage of £27,500 for full time professionals

• Formal rookie contracts introduced

• Increased accountability with PCA to receive a copy of every county contract

• Doubling of payment made to players when released or retiring from the game

• Injury period before termination of contracts doubled with new and improved insurances

• Increased allowance for personal development time

• Secured freedom of movement for overseas cricket between October and March

• Fairer HR procedures on issues such as grievances, discipline and appraisals

• £8,000,000 going to players through The Hundred

• 12.5% retained by counties to allow release for The Hundred for 12.33% of year

• Increase in revenue for Team England Player Partnership and England Women's Player Partnership - through separate agreements

• 100 new female PCA members due to creation of a new professional structure

• PCA funding uplifted by 23%

• Funding for three new PCA Personal Development Managers

• ECB to make a significant contribution to the Professional Cricketers' Trust

• Salary collar to rise

• Salary cap to grow

• Minimum wage to be set

• Every male and female professional player to benefit

All the live updates and analyses from the Australia v New Zealand game. Refresh the page if it doesn't load immediately for you.

At least two fans have been evicted from the match at Headingley after clashes broke out between the Pakistan and Afghanistan fans in the stands. Actual physical clashes to this degree are unheard of in the stands in modern ICC events. There had been more intense clashes between the fans outside the stadium before the match began, and violence carried on outside after the eviction.

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Around an hour into the match, clashes broke out between the two sets of fans in the Carnegie Pavilion Stand. Security personnel had to intervene, and a few of the fans had to be evicted from the stadium. Clashes outside the stadium were much uglier with steel barricades being used as weapons. As the melee continued outside the stadium, journalists trying to film the scenes were also assaulted.

Few of them were ejected from stadium by security, many invaded the stadium jumping the wall, occupying seats without tickets. Ugly scenes! Anti sportsmanship by Afghan fans. Disappointing. https://t.co/XKftrpLqDh

— Faizan Lakhani (@faizanlakhani) June 29, 2019

In a possibly related incident, before the start of the match, a few fans were seen entering the premises illegally by jumping the boundary wall. It could not be ascertained if illegal entrance - and thus oversubscription for seats in the stands - triggered the clashes. Eyewitnesses from either side blamed verbal provocation from the other set of fans.

Geopolitical tensions have been high between Kabul and Islamabad. The two countries are divided by a porous border, the Durand Line, which was drawn up in 1893 between Afghanistan and British India. Refugees and drugs and terror and American influence moved through this border freely for about 40 years before it was closed temporarily in 2017. Cross-border movements are much more difficult now.

These tensions manifest themselves in cricket all the more because Afghanistan learnt their cricket in Pakistan but are now beholden to India for the BCCI's help in giving their national team an adopted home ground and helping them with infrastructure.

Before the match, Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib was asked if the geopolitical tensions make their way onto the cricket field too. On the contrary, he said he hoped cricket could help build relations. "Yeah, if you look, we learnt a lot of cricket, Pakistan, we also played cricket in Pakistan," Naib said. "And we also are hoping cricket, the sport is one thing so you can keep a good relationship for anyone like in any other country. So I'm hoping that not only with Pakistan, like India, Sri Lanka, the other countries, we want good cricket.

"We want more matches to build our cricket or to build our cricket, and I'm hoping that… Pakistan is our neighbour country, so it's really good for us to play a lot of cricket with them. So Insha'Allah - and also when you play together a lot of cricket it's good for the country relationships. And, Insha'Allah, we're hoping so up coming years we'll play a lot of cricket with them."

BREWERTON, N.Y. – Pat Ward bested Larry Wight to win Friday night’s 35-lap Tracey Road Equipment DIRTcar Modified feature at Brewerton Speedway.

Ward beat Wight to the checkered flag at the third-mile, moderately-banked dirt oval, with Jimmy Phelps, Billy Decker and Ron Davis III completing the top five.

Billy Clark Jr. and Corey Barker split wins in a pair of 25-lap DIRTcar Sportsman features, with Casey Sykes topping the Mod Lite class and Chris Bonoffski winning the 15-lap 4-Cylinder main event.

Logan McNitt came out on top of the 4&6 Cylinder Demolition Derby, and Shawn Aman survived the Small Truck and Mini-Van Demolition Derby.

The finish:

Pat Ward, Larry Wight, Jimmy Phelps, Billy Decker, Ron Davis III, Tim Sears Jr., Joe August, Roy Bresnahan, Tom Sears Jr., Jim Witko, Matt Hulsizer, Rob Bellinger, Tyler Trump, Tim Harris, Katelyn Hile, Jason Occhino, Nick Krause, Chad Phelps, Andrew Ferguson, Chris Hile, Tim Kerr.

LAKE ODESSA, Mich. – The American Ethanol Late Model Tour took on I-96 Speedway for the first time this season during the Battle of Speed 40 presented by Zook Farm Equipment on Friday night.

Coming into the event, seven different drivers had found victory lane, with five of them marking their first ever AELMT victory – and that trend continued again this time out with a win by David Mielke.

A stacked first three rows, including Brandon Thirlby, Logan Arntz and Travis Stemler, were all looking to become the first repeat winner of the season.

Stemler and Mielke led the field to the green flag, with Stemler jumping out to the early race lead. However, the caution flag waved soon after, as Thirlby was bitten by the cushion that lined I-96 Speedway, rolling his nose piece up and under the right front of the car.

He slowed going into turn three, bringing out the first caution of the night.

On the restart, Stemler went back to work, jumping back out front, setting his sights on the chance to become a repeat winner. Those hopes quickly vanished when, on lap 10, Stemler became the next victim of the Speedway, busting up his nose piece, and spinning off the top of turn three.

That handed things over to Logan Arntz for the restart.

Arntz took off with the lead over Mielke, and was looking like the man to beat for the $4,000 pay day as he lead through the halfway point over Mielke and Jeep VanWormer.

All that changed when Arntz slipped up coming off the second corner, allowing Mielke to get to his inside. Mielke charged to the lead just before the caution flew once again for Thirlby.

From there, Mielke held on to collect his first career AELMT feature win, making him the eighth different driver to go to victory lane and the sixth first-time winner of the season.

Mielke bested a hard-charging VanWormer, who came from seventh on the grid, and a determined Chad Finley, who recovered from a near spin with less than 10 laps to go.

Arntz and Ryan VanderVeen rounded out the top five.