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Brian Sullivan Chasing First Carteret Legends Win
Published in
Racing
Wednesday, 10 April 2019 08:01
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.
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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.
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“Pretty soon he was passed out on the table, but he kept waking up and saying, ‘All I want to do is race sprint cars’ before putting his head back down again. Once he got started, he turned into a really hard, successful racer who’s been an ambassador for the sport because fans and sponsors love him.”
Smith recalls his first victory as vividly as his most recent.
“I started racing in ’74 and got my first win at Lawrenceburg in ’75,” he said. “Since then, I’ve got close to 400 counting my Australian wins.
“I started in my dad Mike’s car. He was a racer, then he had a speed shop,” Smith continued. “That was before the Outlaws and before the internet. We didn’t even know about the first Outlaws race at Devil’s Bowl or we’d have gone. In ’78 they raced at Eldora and that’s where I picked it up. I think we ran about half their races that year.”
While most racers struggle to remember certain things after decades of 100-race seasons, Smith has a memory like the proverbial bear trap.
“We made our first trip to California that year, 1978, and we all went together. We raced Devil’s Bowl and Lawton, then went straight to Calistoga in a caravan,” he said. “It was a fun trip. I’d never heard of tow money and I was amazed when Ted (Johnson) gave us money and rooms. I thought we’d finally hit the big time.”
“I remember when Danny started,” said Rick Ferkel, one of the first WoO racers. “He was a really young kid wanting to learn how to race. He was a little rough around the edges, but he had a lot of potential. Pretty soon, he was a competitive Outlaw.”
Competitive indeed. Smith impressed others enough to become a hired gun.
“In 1980, I got in the Gambler car for East Bay,” Smith recalled with a big grin. “C.K. Spurlock had called me looking for somebody to beat Steve Kinser. We won our first Outlaws feature at Big H in Houston and managed to beat Steve a few other times as well.
“It was quite an adventure. Having Kenny Rogers’ name on it attracted a lot of attention, mostly women trying to find Kenny,” Smith added. “He was hot at the time, so local radio stations would sponsor us in different towns. I drove for Spurlock until the middle of ’82, when I got hurt at Sedalia and Jac Haudenschild took over the ride. I sat out until late fall with a broken back. The handwriting was on the wall that Doug Wolfgang was going to take the car over for ’83, so I came back in Johnny Vance’s car at Paragon.
“The next year started out great, as I won an All Star show at Jacksonville and an Outlaws show at East Bay. We planned on running the whole Outlaws tour but all of a sudden, Johnny got divorced and I was walking again.”
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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
12. Minnesota Wild
13. Florida Panthers
14. Arizona Coyotes
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.
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Expert picks for the postseaon: First-round, Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe
Published in
Hockey
Wednesday, 10 April 2019 06:53
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.
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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.
Winners of the 2019 NHL Draft Lottery: 1. New Jersey Devils, obviously, in winning the Jack Hughes Derby and giving star winger (and lottery good luck charm) Taylor Hall a reason not to leave as a UFA next summer. 2. New York Rangers, who moved up from 5th to likely end up with NHL-ready Finnish star Kaapo Kakko, thanks to the Hockey Gods being impressed by their commitment to an actual rebuild. 3. Chicago Blackhawks, who jumped all the way from 12th (as GM Stan Bowman dreamt they would) and will get a dynamic player on an entry level deal. 4. Those fans who caught the image of the lottery winners that Sportsnet accidentally aired about 25 minutes before they were announced (whoops). 5. Ottawa Senators, who kept their 2018 fourth overall pick to select Brady Tkachuk and then saw the Avalanche end up picking fourth with the Sens' 2019 pick, despite having the best odds. And by "win" we of course mean "are slightly less devastated by having traded that pick for Matt Duchene."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Mickelson could see Augusta easing its no-phone policy
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 09 April 2019 10:28
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Depending on who you ask, it’s either the most endearing part of the Masters or its most frustrating aspect.
Anyone that sets foot on the grounds at Augusta National Golf Club this week must leave their cell phones behind, ditching technology to enter what sometimes feels like a time machine. Even the digital cameras and still photography, allowed during the early-week practice rounds, become forbidden once the opening round begins Thursday.
It can pose a burden for those consumed with the digital age who live with their phones glued to one hand or the other, but for several players it’s a welcome change as one potential variable is eliminated when the stakes are at their highest.
“Playing a practice round yesterday, I said to (caddie) Harry (Diamond) out there, ‘How good is it that people aren’t looking at their phones?’” McIlroy said. “Yes, there are people with cameras, but they don’t constantly have their face in the device. It’s refreshing.”
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” added four-time champ Tiger Woods. “This event is so different, and it’s so unique. It’s pure golf. You know, just the player and caddie out there playing. We’re prepping together and there’s no other distractions inside the ropes.”
While Augusta National has held firm on their anti-phone stance for several years, politely asking patrons to leave their devices in the parking lot while offering courtesy phone banks around the course, three-time champ Phil Mickelson could see the rules being relaxed in the not-too-distant future.
“I think when we first went to that rule years ago, allowing cell phones on the course (at PGA Tour events), I was certainly worried. But it increased the fan experience so much that I’ve kind of changed my thought on it,” Mickelson said. “I think at some point, the knowledge base of the fans here will be such where they will be able to have their phones, because they will have it on silent and it won’t affect play at all.”
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Spieth re-watches 2015 Masters win: 'Really cool to relive'
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 09 April 2019 10:52
AUGUSTA, Ga. – If Jordan Spieth needed any extra motivation this week at the Masters as he continues to work his way out of a slump, it came Monday night.
Spieth and a group of family and friends were waiting to watch the NCAA Tournament championship game when his father pointed out the Golf Channel was re-airing the 2015 Masters, which Spieth won.
Spieth said he and his father were playing cards and that the final round was “in the background” but that didn’t stop him from keeping tabs on the action and providing his own version of commentary.
“It was really cool to relive, especially the final [round] and it was fun to relive some of those shots and some of the putts that were holed,” he said. “I was kind of commentating to my team, the people that were around me on some of it, and it was very memorable because it was the highest of highs I've had in this sport.”
What stood out to Spieth, who won by four strokes, was the action going on around him.
“The funniest thing about watching it was like seeing how many putts were holed by like Phil [Mickelson] or a bunker shot or, putts that were holed, like Tiger [Woods] gave a big fist pump on one hole. He makes a big putt and gets to six back,” he laughed. “I'm like, wow, that's way up there. I'm really tearing that place up.”
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AUGUSTA, Ga. – The USGA and R&A continue to tinker with the Rules of Golf, which underwent a dramatic overhaul this year.
The most recent change was announced on Tuesday, with officials offering up Local Rule G-9, allowing players to replace a club that is "broken or significantly damaged."
Under the clarification, committees that use the local rule will allow players to replace clubs that are damaged during a round.
If a club is damaged as a result of “abuse,” it still cannot be replaced. Cracks also serve as an exception to the rule, which notes that "a club face or clubhead is not 'broken or significantly damaged' solely because it is cracked."
Prior to the new local rule, players were allowed to repair but not replace a club.
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Photo: Winners gather for Reed's hearty Masters Champions Dinner
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 09 April 2019 15:15
Patrick Reed promised to “fatten those boys up a little” with his Champions Dinner menu on Tuesday at Augusta National, and from the looks of things, the reigning Masters champ delivered the goods.
Reed, who said he’d been planning his special menu since he was 13 years old, served bone-in cowboy ribeye for the main course along with two salad options and a collection of creamy side dishes, including macaroni and cheese and corn crème brûlée.
The Masters posted a photo on Twitter Tuesday night commemorating the annual event, with Reed featured front and center, surrounded by fellow members of one of the most exclusive clubs in all of sports.
The 2019 Champions Dinner portrait. #themasters pic.twitter.com/oyXtqRbsre
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 10, 2019
The Masters also tweeted out a mouth-watering inside look at the Champions Dinner, and a picture of the menu signed by everyone in the room:
Take an unprecedented look at preparations for the Champions Dinner. #themasters pic.twitter.com/9K8Zxv5wft
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 10, 2019
More than ink on paper, these are names written in Masters history. #themasters pic.twitter.com/LjupQc1hsh
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 10, 2019
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