BRISTOL, Tenn. – He may be the lone Team Penske driver who has yet to visit victory lane this season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but Ryan Blaney isn’t feeling the heat at all.

He’s focused forward and focused on converting his early-season pace into the wins he feels his team deserves.

Blaney said Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway that there’s “no pressure” as far as he’s concerned, even though both Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are locked into the Cup Series playoffs by virtue of their triumphs through the first seven races of the Cup Series season.

“I don’t feel pressure at all,” Blaney told SPEED SPORT. “Yeah, you want to be part of the group, but we have the ability to do it and it’s just a matter of getting it done. Everybody knows that. My whole team knows, all of Penske knows and all of the competition knows that we’ve been one of the best cars all year. Yeah, you still hate to have a zero in that column even though it’s still really early in the year, but, no, it doesn’t bother me at all.

“Honestly, the pressure thing … I used to let get to me a handful of years ago, and then I realized that it doesn’t help you, so you just try to stay pressure free – no matter how good or bad things are or how things look,” Blaney continued. “There’s no pressure just because Brad and Joey have won. You just try to focus on your deal and what you need to do to try to get your team in victory lane and help your teammates and your team the best you can. I’m just trying to overlook all that stuff and focus ahead.”

It’s been feast or famine for Blaney this year. He has three top-five finishes, but he also has four finishes of 22nd or worse, including a crash in the Daytona 500 and an overheating retirement at Texas.

That’s left Blaney frustrated at times, even though he’s tried to put it out of his mind.

“There are moments you get frustrated at it,” Blaney admitted, referencing his bad luck. “You just wish stuff would stop happening. We had that run there of really good finishes, where we finished where we had been running. I wouldn’t say it’s relieving, but it was nice to finally actually not have anything go wrong in those races, and then you look at last week leading the race and a part falls off and we end up blowing up. That part is frustrating.

“I’m (just) tired of being in spots with a chance to win and then dumb luck happens and it just gets taken all away from you,” Blaney added. “That part gets frustrating, but I’m really only frustrated for 10 minutes after the deal happens. After that, you move on and figure out what you can do to prevent stuff from like that happening and then you focus on the next week because there’s nothing you can do about it after something like that happens. You just try to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Despite his goose-egg in the win column to this point, Blaney still firmly believes that Team Penske is seated atop the current pecking order in the Cup Series garage, alongside Joe Gibbs Racing.

“We’re at the top of our game and I think our cars are the fastest ones out there – us and the Gibbs guys seem to be the class of the field right now – but it all goes full circle,” Blaney noted. “You’ll have slumps and you’ll have good times, and you just try to capitalize on the good times.

“I think we’ll be in contention to win all year. Our team certainly is capable of that, but when we have so much speed right now as a whole group, we definitely want to capitalize on it,” he added. “You want to rack them up as much as you can, as quick as you can and when you can. It stinks sometimes when you can’t get them as fast as you want to, but I’d rather have fast cars and things happening when we’re in contention to win races than be running 15th, scratching our heads and wondering where the speed is at. They’re both frustrating, but I’d rather be in this position, with fast cars and running up front.

“You just hope the problems stop and you can figure out a way to pull through at the end of one of these races.”

Blaney qualified third for Sunday’s Food City 500. He dominated the early stages of last season’s spring race at Bristol before a crash collected him from the race lead and bounced him from contention.

The post Though Teammates Have Won, No Pressure For Blaney appeared first on SPEED SPORT.

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BRISTOL, Tenn. – Cole Custer swept through NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying on Saturday morning at Bristol Motor Speedway en route to the pole for the Alsco 300.

Custer led the way in all three knockout rounds, but it was his final-round lap of 15.168 seconds (126.503 mph) with the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang that gave him his seventh-career pole and first of the season.

“I thought our lap on that last run was slower that our first two, but it was actually quicker,” said Custer, who was also the pole winner for last year’s spring race at Bristol. “I feel like our car has been fast all weekend, but you know the track’s going to change, so we’ll keep on top of it and adjust throughout the race. We’re going to have to move around the whole time, though.

“I think we’re going to be running the top (in the race),” Custer added. “It seems like the VHT is wearing out pretty quick.”

Tyler Reddick, driving a special Dolly Parton scheme this weekend in Tennessee, will join Custer on the front row after qualifying second at 15.255 seconds (125.782 mph) in the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro.

“It’s really cool to get Dolly on the front row with us. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get a little bit more,” Reddick said. “I talked to my crew chief though, and when I asked him how much we needed, he said we needed a tenth and I knew we were nowhere close to Cole, so hats off to him and Mike Shiplett.”

Reddick was also highest among the four Dash 4 Cash contenders in qualifying on Saturday morning.

“It’s something that you’ll keep an eye on at times, but the win is equally as important for us,” he added.

The Fords of Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric will share row two, with rookie Harrison Burton qualifying fifth with the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for his first-ever Xfinity Series start.

Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Christopher Bell, Michael Annett, John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Haley and Ross Chastain completed the top dozen and each advanced through all three knockout rounds.

Brandon Jones, who dominated last year’s spring Xfinity Series race at Bristol, was the first driver who failed to advance to the final round of qualifying on Saturday morning.

He’ll start 13th (15.490/123.873) later in the afternoon with the No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra.

“It seemed like the traction compound just gained grip when we went back out for our second run,” Jones noted. “When I was on track in round two, I had a bit more chatter tight than I’d had before. I could tell I was driving harder, and I needed to because I was getting beat in some spots, but I think we just under-adjusted on the car a little bit for what I needed there to be able to make the final round.”

Other notables buried in the field include Zane Smith (16th) and Kyle Weatherman (24th).

Both Stephen Leicht and Jeff Green had their qualifying times disallowed for failing to post a lap during the second round of qualifying. They’ll start 36th and 37th, respectively, in the 300-lap race.

To view complete qualifying results, advance to the next page.

The post Cole Custer Sweeps To Bristol Xfinity Pole appeared first on SPEED SPORT.

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Harrison Burton may be making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, but he sure didn’t look like a rookie during qualifying on Saturday morning.

Burton ripped through all three knockout rounds and posted the fifth-fastest lap (15.276/125.609) during the final round, placing his No. 18 Dex Imaging Toyota Supra fifth on the grid for the Alsco 300.

Asked by SPEED SPORT afterwards if he was sure he hadn’t done this before, Burton flashed a sly grin before laughing and shaking his head.

“No, I’m sure I haven’t,” said Burton. “That was cool, though, wasn’t it? As good as I could have hoped. The lap was solid; we just missed a little bit compared to the guys ahead of us. We’ve got a good race car, though.”

Burton, who grew up running many of the region’s short tracks in his youth, always gets pumped up any time he has the opportunity to compete at The Last Great Coliseum.

The 18-year-old has raced the .533-mile concrete oval in both NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series competition in the past.

“I’m so excited to be back at Bristol,” said Burton. “For me as a driver, I get excited to have the opportunity to race against some of the biggest names in the sport, for my first time (in Xfinity) at one of the coolest race tracks in the sport. It’s awesome.

“I remember as a kid watching my dad race there under the lights and everything. It was so cool and to be a part of that now and to grow in to that role and be an Xfinity driver is really cool,” Burton added. “I couldn’t pick a better place than Bristol to have all this be happening for me.”

Back in 2017, Burton won his first K&N East race at Bristol, leading 68 of 70 laps in a rain-shortened event. He went on to secure the series championship at the end of that season.

Even now, that victory is one that gives Burton confidence as he returns in an Xfinity car this weekend.

“Bristol is one of my favorite tracks to race at, and I feel like it’s also one of my best tracks,” noted Burton. “Getting my first K&N win there was so exciting, and I learned so much about the track in that race as well. I’m hoping I can take my skills, stay out of trouble in this race and compete for a win today.

“I think we’ve got the speed to make some magic happen.”

The post Burton Impresses During Xfinity Qualifying Debut appeared first on SPEED SPORT.

HARRISBURG, N.C. — Auto racing is brimming with great stories that have absolutely nothing to do with the competition side of the sport.

We stumbled upon one of those stories recently while talking with Rockingham (N.C.) Dragway owner Steve Earwood for a feature profile that appears elsewhere in these pages.

Earwood’s interesting tale involves a website domain, a professional wrestler and a substantial payday.

“I had a racer come to me back in the mid-1990s. This was one of our lower, lower tier racers, not even wearing a shirt. He says to me, ‘How come you’re not on the internet?’ Earwood shared. “This is in the dial-up days and I didn’t think it would ever work. My daughter was working for me at the time and I told her if this guy’s on the internet, maybe we need to look at that. Maybe there is something to this.

“Call the address people and let’s get therock.com. I didn’t even know what a domain name was at the time. She checks and there’s a jewelry store in San Francisco that has therock.com. He never started a website but he owned the domain,” Earwood continued. “So I call the guy and say, ‘I’ve got this little drag strip in North Carolina called The Rock and I’m going to try this website thing. I don’t think it’s going to work. I think it’s too tedious, people don’t understand it. You can’t beat a newspaper or radio for your information, but I’m told I need to have a website.’

The post WALTZ: So Many Great Racing Stories appeared first on SPEED SPORT.

Karim Benzema scored two headers to seal a 2-1 comeback win for Real Madrid at home against Eibar in La Liga.

After Wednesday's 2-1 loss at Valencia, a Bernabeu stadium that was only two-thirds full saw Marc Cardona's goal give Eibar, who won the reverse fixture 3-0 back in November, the lead just before half-time.

Benzema levelled for Zinedine Zidane's side just before the hour mark, before completing the fightback in the final 10 minutes.

Madrid coach Zidane left midfielders Toni Kroos and Casemiro on the bench, preferring instead to play Federico Valverde alongside Luka Modric and Isco.

Madrid struggled to find their rhythm as Gareth Bale -- who was regularly booed by the home fans -- and Benzema failed to connect in attack while Eibar looked a regular threat in wide areas, and the visitors took a deserved lead in the run-up to half-time.

Marc Cucurella, on loan from Barcelona, fed Gonzalo Escalante from the left wing. Escalante spotted the gaps in the Madrid defence and threaded a pass across the area for Cardona to lift over the helpless Keylor Navas.

Benzema thought he had scored the equaliser 10 minutes into the second half, when he tapped into the empty net following a mix-up between goalkeeper Marko Dimitrovic and one of his defenders, but the VAR review showed the French striker had been slightly offside when the move began.

However, he did get on the scoresheet a few minutes later, when Marco Asensio's good work on the right wing allowed the Spain international to cross and Benzema finished with a downward header at the far post.

Bale and Modric made way for Lucas Vazquez and Kroos, and the latter contributed to creating the winning goal. The midfielder combined for a short corner routine, and the cross was once again nodded home by Benzema.

The striker was denied a hat trick in the closing stages by Dimitrovic, before missing an open goal moments later, but he had already contributed enough to secure the win.

Ronaldinho's son Joao Mendes de Assis Moreira has signed his first professional contract with Cruzeiro.

The promising forward, who will be playing with the under-14 squad, has signed a deal for several years, sources told ESPN Brasil.

Filho de Ronaldinho assina contrato com Cruzeiro e firma primeiro vínculo profissional da carreirahttps://t.co/dJMNzM8Hye pic.twitter.com/Zhep2qMo3q

— Mundo ESPN (@ESPNagora) April 5, 2019

"[Cruzeiro] were the team that opened the gates for me. I am very fond of the club," he said. "The training sessions are great and the infrastructure is top level. We're talking about Brazil's best club and it's a pleasure to be here."

Cruzeiro were unaware that Joao was the son of former Brazil international Ronaldhino until after he joined the club.

"He's a promising player with an interesting style," Amarildo Ribeiro, who runs Cruzeiro's youth teams, said. "I believe it won't take too long for him to go pro.

"He's really athletic and has great technique. He can play both the striker and center attacking midfielder positions. He's tall, but he can run. He can put it in the back of the net too."

Ronaldinho started his career with Gremio before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2001. After helping Brazil win the World Cup, he joined Barcelona in 2003, where he won the Champions League.

He also played for AC Milan, Flamengo, Atletico Mineiro, Mexico side Queretaro and Fluminense before retiring in 2015.

Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Felipe was disappointed with a number of home fans cheering visiting star Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a 2-0 loss to the LA Galaxy on Friday.

Ibrahimovic produced a match-winning display in what was a third consecutive sellout at Vancouver's BC Place.

However, with the score 0-0 at halftime, Felipe expressed his displeasure that swaths of those in attendance were supporting the former Sweden international and not the home team.

"I think this is kind of sad because this is for him and it should be for us, because we play at home. Doesn't matter who comes here, [they've] got to come to support us and cheer harder for us, and not for the opponent," Felipe said, when asked about the "buzz" in the stadium at the break.

"I think that's the way it should be."

Ibrahimovic scored a goal and provided an assist in the second half to secure the three points and praised the crowd after the match.

"It was a good game, fantastic atmosphere," Ibrahimovic told reporters. "Thanks to all the people who came out, hopefully they enjoyed the game.

"It was a good game for us also, especially the second half."

The Chicago Fire and MLS are in talks with the Village of Bridgeview to exit the team's lease at SeatGeek Stadium, with the intention of returning to Soldier Field for the 2020 season, sources have confirmed to ESPN. The club is also exploring a potential rebranding that could see the team shed the Fire moniker.

Sources confirmed that the deal would involve a significant cash payout towards the debt on the stadium, though no precise numbers were given. Sources also confirmed that the push to get out of the lease has been going on for the better part of a year, with Joe Mansueto, who acquired 49 percent of the club last summer, at the forefront of the efforts.

Some details of the plans began to emerge on social media on Wednesday, courtesy of James Vlahakis, the club's former outside counsel. Vlahakis is currently representing a Chicago Fire fan in a lawsuit against the club relating to an incident last season that allegedly resulted in physical harm at the hands of stadium security personnel.

Vlahakis' tweet indicated that a rebrand that involved changing the name to Chicago City Football Club is in the works, but one source told ESPN FC that such a decision has not yet been made.

The Fire declined to comment on any potential move out of SeatGeek Stadium, and would only state, "We don't comment on social media speculation from individuals outside the organization."

The Fire have played at SeatGeek Stadium, formerly known as Toyota Park, since the 2006 campaign. At the time, the 20,000-seat stadium was hailed as the latest success story for MLS in terms of building right-sized venues.

Financial success for both the team and municipality has proved elusive, however. The Village of Bridgeview owns the venue, and hoped the venue would spark development in the area. But the stadium has proved to be a massive financial drain on the municipality. Bridgeview sold $134.6 million of bonds in 2005 to finance the project. But when development in the area failed to materialize, Bridgeview was forced to take on additional debt. A report from Bloomberg stated that as of February of 2018, Bridgeview had about $260 million of general obligation debt, "much of it tied to the stadium."

That burden saw property taxes for the municipality's residents double between 2009 and 2013. In 2017, Standard & Poor's downgraded Bridgeview's debt rating from investment grade to junk. A recent naming rights deal with SeatGeek, estimated between $2.5 million and $4 million per year, provided a glimmer of good news.

The venue's location, 15 miles southwest of downtown Chicago, has proven to be a weight around the Fire as well. The stadium is not easily accessible from downtown, and the team has little to no visibility in the city, despite the arrival two years ago of German star Bastian Schweinsteiger. Attendance has tended to rise and fall with the team's success. The Fire has made the playoffs just twice in the last nine years. A Schweinsteiger-fueled run to the playoffs in 2017 saw attendance increase to 17,383 from 15,602 the year prior. But a dismal season in 2018 saw attendance fall to 14,806.

Soldier Field, home of the NFL's Chicago Bears, has a capacity of 61,500. The Fire played there from 1998 to 2001 and again from 2003 to 2005.

MANCHESTER, England -- Pep Guardiola has looked at Manchester United's Treble winners to see if he can learn anything that can help Manchester City's quadruple bid.

The City boss has played down their chances of winning four trophies this season, but admitted he has looked at successful sides from the past, including Sir Alex Ferguson's team from 1999 and Bayern Munich when they won the Treble in 2013 immediately before his arrival.

"I'm quite curious about the teams that achieved something good, for the reason why and what they have done," said Guardiola, who won a Treble with Barcelona in the 2008-08 season. "It's clear that winning the Treble is not easy.

"It happened in Germany, I went there the year after Jupp Heynckes got it. I like to know the way they did it. And every time, when I look at these kind of big, big issues, always it's tough.

"There are always moments where you will be lucky, and having personalities in the big moments can help the team to achieve. But I cannot compare us with what United have done. They have done what we haven't."

City have the chance to take a significant step towards another trophy on Saturday by beating Brighton to secure a place in the FA Cup final (live at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+), having already won the Carabao Cup and in the hunt for a Champions League trophy and the Premier League title.

The first team, including fitness doubts Sergio Aguero and Benjamin Mendy, arrived in London on Friday night and will stay five days in London in all with the Champions League first-leg clash with Spurs on Wednesday.

But Guardiola said he won't take any chances with his selection with the potential for another 13 games if they are to get anywhere near the quadruple.

"Sergio is going to play when he's really, really fit," Guardiola added. "The doctors are going to tell me tomorrow if he's a risk of being injured and after that whether it could be three or four weeks out. If that is the case I'm sure he's not going to play.

"It's a semifinal. It's an important game and we'll play with the best side possible."

Guardiola also rejected any suggestions that he felt under any pressure with the possibility that they could finish the season with just the Carabao Cup.

"I feel the pressure in November or December when you are away, saying 'wow, it's five or six months left,' out of one competition or not in the next round of the Champions League," he said.

"Now it is a joy, an incredible moment. We're not relaxed, but if we don't enjoy these moments...we're trying to get to an FA Cup final and then keep running."

Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne said he won't be back to his best before the end of the season, but he doesn't care as long as he can help win more silverware.

The Belgium midfielder has suffered two significant knee injuries this season and picked up a hamstring problem just before the international break.

He started City's last two victories in the Premier League, but he expects to be in and out of the side as they compete for the quadruple.

"I'm probably not [going to be at my best], not compared with last year," he told reporters. "I don't know what my level is going to be but to be fair I don't really care. Now it's the business end I just need to do what I can do to help the team win games. If that means playing five games or 10 games, I'll take it all. It's been that kind of season.

"I don't expect to play every game. You see the amount of changes we made [against Cardiff on Wednesday]. It's going to be important that everybody stays fresh because with the schedule we have and the importance of the games coming up, we will need almost everybody probably."

Despite the hectic schedule coming up, De Bruyne, 27, said the players are excited rather than worrying about tiredness.

"It's like 12 or 13 cup games -- it makes it exciting," he added. "In the end maybe we lose everything but at least we are here at this stage. It's been incredible, so just keep on going, try to win Saturday and hopefully go to another final.

"Everything is important at this stage. To come to the semifinal, we just have to play one game and then you can rest the FA Cup until the end of the season.

"For me personally I've not been there yet, I've not won it. It would be nice to go to the final and compete for a title but we will be sharp on Saturday."