Playmaker Jimmy Gopperth will miss Wasps' remaining two Premiership games after breaking his thumb on his return from a pre-season knee injury.

The 35-year-old, who can play fly-half or inside centre, also dislocated his thumb in Saturday's loss to Saracens.

Gopperth had been out for eight months after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in August.

"Absolutely gutted not to be involved for the rest of the season with the boys," he posted on his Instagram page.

"On a positive note I was so happy with how my knee felt. All the hard work has paid off and now I can keep working hard to hit next season fitter and stronger."

Gopperth was the star of the 2016-17 campaign, winning the players', Premiership and Wasps' player of the year awards.

DINWIDDIE, Va. — The Professional Drag Racers Ass’n is returning home to Virginia Motorsports Park for the first of two races at the series’ home track.

The PDRA Mid-Atlantic Showdown presented by Modern Racing, May 2-4, is the second of eight races on the PDRA Tour.

Known as one of the quickest tracks on the PDRA tour, Virginia Motorsports Park will play host to numerous elapsed-time and speed record attempts this weekend.

“It looks like we’re going to have some warmer conditions during the day, but the nighttime conditions should set teams up to go after those records,” said Tyler Crossnoe, race director, PDRA. “Our new Friday Night Fire show, with its two back-to-back pro qualifying sessions starting at 6 o’clock, will be exciting. That third and final qualifying session could be a home run ball shot for a lot of teams in Moroso Pro Boost and Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous that are looking to lay down a big number and go to the top of the qualifying sheet.”

Another class to watch is Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock. Several of the class’ stars grabbed headlines in recent weeks as they competed in the NHRA’s Mountain Motor Pro Stock exhibition at races in Houston and Charlotte.

John DeFlorian won at Houston, while Chris Powers was victorious at Charlotte Sunday, April 28, just days away from the Mid-Atlantic Showdown and a few hours south of Virginia Motorsports Park.

“We always look forward to seeing the Pro Stock guys,” Crossnoe said. “It was really awesome to see a PDRA regular in Chris Powers go out and get a win at Charlotte. We’re very proud of him and John DeFlorian for getting the win at Houston a few weeks before. It looks like we’re going to see a lot of the guys who were at Charlotte going back into eighth-mile trim and getting ready to go after that 3-second mark at Virginia this weekend.”

The Mid-Atlantic Showdown will also include Schwing America Pro Outlaw 632 presented by Precision Chassis, a class that competes on the PDRA tour at seven races.

The newly redesigned Drag 965 Pro Nitrous Motorcycle class also returns to the PDRA for the first time this season. Formerly Pro Extreme Motorcycle, the PDRA’s lone two-wheeled class transitioned to a nitrous-only format over the winter.

“We’re excited to bring those guys back,” Crossnoe said. “There are a lot of good, hardworking racers who race hard and are very passionate about their spot in the series. You never know what they’re going to do and there’s always excitement on two wheels, that’s for sure.”

BARRE, Vt. — Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl owners Cris Michaud and Pat Malone unveiled plans for a series of facility projects that have recently been undertaken at the historic quarter-mile oval.

It was recently revealed that Thunder Road was in the process of building an outside retaining wall that circles the speedway. The wall extends all the way around the track except for the main pit entrance and exit as well as the “Eddie Carroll Highway” that leads onto the backstretch.

Such a wall had not previously existed in the track’s 60-year history, making its construction a surprise to many teams and fans. But the construction of this wall, which has been completed in time for the season-opening Community Bank N.A. 150 on Sunday, May 5, is just the first part of a larger plan that will have Thunder Road at the forefront of racing in the region for the next 60 years.

One of the most notable changes is to Forsythe Hill. Workers are currently in the process of moving the turn-three viewing area closer to the track so fans will have an even more up-close view of the racing. The hill will also be “terraced” with multi-level seating rows like in the main grandstands.

Due to winter weather delaying the start of construction on the project, Forsythe Hill will be closed for the season opener. However, work on the viewing area will be finished in time for the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic barring unforeseen circumstances.

The next phase of the larger project will add more viewing options and make it easy to access them. A patio area is planned between turns three and four with additional seating and other amenities. This will give fans a whole new perspective to watch Thunder Road racing from.

In addition, a new ticket booth is being built closer to the track. A walkway will be added from the ticket booth that goes around the outside of the wall. When it is completed, fans can go from Forsythe Hill in turn three all the way to the concession stands in turn one without exiting the gates.

A Kid’s Area is also planned for turn three. This will provide a place for young children and their families to hang out before and during the races on Thursday nights. The exact location of the Kid’s Area is to-be-determined, but it will likely be in tur three near Forsythe Hill.

“When Pat (Malone) and I bought Thunder Road, it was with the understanding that we were in this for the long haul,” Michaud said. “It’s about more than just keeping Thunder Road a race track. It’s about making Thunder Road THE race track to come to. Pat has a great vision of how to do just that. The work we’ve done over the past two years, such as the new pavement, new lights, and revamped concession area, was the first phase of his vision. Now we’re entering the next phase that sets up Thunder Road to be a racing and entertainment mainstay for both current and future generations.

“We understand that, for the last week and half, most of the talk from teams and fans has been about the wall,” Michaud continued. “That alone is a big change for many people, and we realize that. However, it’s important to remember the wall is only a small part of the overall picture. None of the things we’re adding over the next year would be possible without a retaining wall that allows people to get closer to the track. We think it’s going to be really exciting to see the finished product.”

Work on these projects will continue in stages throughout the season. Each new area and amenity will be opened as it is ready so fans can start enjoying the facility additions as soon as possible.

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa — Saturday’s Deery Brothers Summer Series event at Independence Motor Speedway has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 19.

As has been the case numerous times this spring, rain and generally cold temperatures get the blame for the postponement of the IMCA Late Model tour program.

Other divisions on the June 19 card are to be announced.

The Sunday Deery race at Dubuque Speedway was another inclement weather casualty. There is no reschedule date for that event.

CONCORD, N.C. — Despite enduring a grueling crash Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Kyle Larson went through a  test like no other Monday at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island.

Larson continued Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Mission 600 – a series of interactive, regional military base visits in conjunction with the Department of Defense – by descending a five-story rappel tower, taking on an assault course and standing at attention at the iconic yellow footsteps amid orders from a drill instructor.

Larson’s day-in-the-life experience came as part of Charlotte’s patriotic preview of its Memorial Day weekend Salute to the Troops prior to the 60th running of the Coca-Cola 600 on May 26.

Joining Larson in his quest to experience Marine Corps recruit training were Philip Foster and Michael Roberts from Larson’s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing crew, as well as FOX NASCAR studio host Shannon Spake and Charlotte Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Greg Walter.

“Everything was very new to me and a really cool experience,” Larson said. “A good friend of mine from high school is a drill instructor in California, so it was neat to see what he gets to do every day. Going down the (rappel) wall was awesome. I tried to do it as quick as I could before I got nervous. The whole experience was cool. Seeing the respect everyone has here for one another – they’re a whole big team, similar to us. I can’t say thanks enough for what they do for Americans as well as for showing us such great hospitality.”

Additionally, Larson and Walter presented Brig. Gen. James Glynn with U.S. Marine Corps and Charlotte Motor Speedway Mission 600 flags following their recruit training experience.

“(Larson) got a little bit of a sense for what these 13 weeks are like, but it’s really the beginning of a four-year or longer journey for our men and women,” Glynn said. “The thing we have in common is being part of a team and being part of a winning team. We appreciate the effort that Charlotte Motor Speedway and NASCAR have put into recognizing our Marines and their families.”

Larson also learned the story of Marine Sgt. Jeanette Winters, who attended Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island for recruit training in 1997. Sgt. Winters perished on Jan. 9, 2002, in a plane crash in Pakistan. She became the first female member of the U.S. military to be killed in the War on Terror. As part of the 600 Miles of Remembrance program, Larson’s car will carry Sgt. Winters’ name on its windshield during the Coca-Cola 600.

“The Coca-Cola 600 is an event that we all look forward to in part because we get to honor our military,” Larson said. “Being able to honor Sgt. Jeanette Winters is going to be really special. After coming here and getting to see what she went through in becoming a Marine, having her name on our car in the 600 will be very special.”

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Carolina Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is out with an upper-body injury.

Coach Rod Brind'Amour also said Monday that forward Saku Maenalanen is expected to miss the rest of the Canes' second-round series with the New York Islanders due to an upper-body injury.

Brind'Amour spoke a day after the Hurricanes' list of injuries grew considerably during a 2-1 victory in New York that gave Carolina a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 3 is Wednesday night.

Mrazek, who has 210 saves on 230 shots faced while going 5-3 in the playoffs, left Sunday's game about six minutes into the second period. He was replaced by Curtis McElhinney, who stopped all 17 shots he saw.

Brind'Amour described Mrazek's status as "actually good news" because it means the injury doesn't appear to be long term. Still, the team recalled goalie Alex Nedeljkovic from its AHL affiliate in Charlotte on an emergency basis.

Van Riemsdyk was hurt about 30 seconds into Sunday's game after taking a hard hit from Cal Clutterbuck. He skated off the ice holding his left shoulder and sat on the bench for several minutes before heading to the dressing room. Maenalanen was injured in the third period.

In all, six Hurricanes are dealing with publicly disclosed injuries, with three of them coming during the first-round series against the Washington Capitals.

Forwards Andrei Svechnikov (concussion protocol) and Micheal Ferland (upper body) have not played since Game 3 of the Washington series and have been characterized as day-to-day by Brind'Amour, who says their availability will be determined after practice Tuesday.

Additionally, forward Jordan Martinook -- who left Game 4 against Washington with a lower-body injury after his heel slammed into the boards while he attempted a hit -- returned two games later. Brind'Amour says having three days between games will benefit Martinook, whose injury has "been nagging him for a long time."