Less than two weeks after Jared Goff broke his thumb at Lumen Field, the Los Angeles Rams' quarterback returned to Seattle, came off the bench and led the Rams to a gutsy 30-20 victory over the division-champion Seahawks in Saturday's wild-card game.

The win avenges a Week 16 loss to the Seahawks that kept the Rams from playing for the NFC West title and advances Los Angeles to the next round of the playoffs.

"Two weeks ago you saw them smoking cigars and getting all excited about beating us and winning the division and we're able to come up here and beat them in their own place," Goff said after the game. "It feels good."

The Rams will play next weekend at the top-seeded Green Bay Packers, if the New Orleans Saints beat the visiting Chicago Bears on Sunday. If the Bears prevail, the Rams will play the winner of Saturday's Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Washington Football Team matchup.

The Rams' triumph breaks the Seahawks' string of 10 straight home playoff wins, which was the third-longest such streak in NFL postseason history. No fans were allowed in attendance at Saturday's game because of the coronavirus pandemic.

With Goff continuing to recover from Dec. 28 surgery on his throwing-hand thumb, John Wolford made his second career start. But it ended abruptly with 5:40 to play in the first quarter. Wolford rushed for a 2-yard gain on a designed run, but he suffered a neck injury when he was tackled and was transported to a hospital for precautionary measures.

Wolford was released and celebrated with the team in the locker room after the game, according to Rams coach Sean McVay.

With a small bandage on his surgically repaired thumb, Goff entered the game and completed 9 of 19 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown as the Rams broke a two-game streak without an offensive score.

"For him to be able to throw the football is pretty impressive," McVay said. "There were a couple limitations which led to the decision to go with John. I was real pleased with Jared, and I think it was a real credit to him to be able to handle this week the right way and have himself mentally ready to go."

Though he did not publicly announce a starter before kickoff, McVay told the team Wednesday that Wolford, who led the Rams to an 18-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals in his first NFL start in Week 17, would start in the wild-card playoff.

"It was tough," Goff said about McVay's decision. "It was some long conversations we had, but ultimately I respect his decision. He's the coach. He had to make a decision that he needed to make early in the week to get out in front of some stuff, and I get it, but as a competitor of course I wanted to play."

Goff said his thumb felt fine throughout the game and refused to use it as an excuse for any inefficiencies, though he admitted it was not 100 percent.

"It's in a good place, and I'm very capable with what I got going on right now," Goff said.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Goff's 155 passing yards were the most by any player off the bench in a playoff win since Jay Fielder's 172 passing yards for the Jaguars in their 62-7 win over the Dolphins in the 1999 divisional round, a game best known as Dan Marino's last career game.

As Goff toughed out playing 12 days after surgery, he had plenty of support from the his backfield. Running back Cam Akers rushed for 131 yards -- the most by a Rams rookie in playoff history -- and a touchdown on 28 carries and also caught two passes for 45 yards.

"He was huge," McVay said. "We were able to control the time of possession, able to just eat up yards a little bit at a time."

The Rams controlled the clock, 33:39 to 26:21. And under first-year coordinator Brandon Staley, the Rams' top-ranked defense again stifled Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and frustrated leading wide receiver DK Metcalf.

Rams cornerback Darious Williams read a screen by Wilson, intercepted his pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown to give the Rams a 13-3 lead in the second quarter. Leaguewide, there were 784 screen passes targeting wide receivers this regular season and zero interceptions, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

"That's a play that I knew was going to happen," said Williams, who has picked off Wilson three times this season and has a team-best five interceptions. "I knew they were going to try to feature [Metcalf], get him the ball somehow, let him break tackles, and I just ran and jumped it."

In the second half, the Rams were able to limit Wilson to one touchdown pass despite two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald leaving the game early in the third quarter because of a rib injury. Donald returned to the sideline but did not reenter the game.

McVay did not provide an update on Donald or wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who left the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent leg injury.

As for Metcalf's frustrations, Williams credited cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who lined up across from Metcalf on 22 of 32 routes run. Metcalf had 3 receptions for 33 yards on 7 targets when Ramsey was the nearest defender, per NFL Next Gen Stats data.

"That's all Jalen," Williams said. "I don't blame [Metcalf] for being frustrated."

Wilson was sacked five times and finished 11-of-27 passing for 174 yards and two touchdowns, both to Metcalf, including a 51-yard score.

Washington Football Team rookie defensive end Chase Young said all week, "Tom Brady, I'm coming!" and "I want Tom!" But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, playing in his 42nd postseason game and first with the Bucs at age 43, didn't take the bait from last year's No. 2 overall draft pick, offering only the slightest hint of a smirk.

But instead of taking down the six-time Super Bowl winner, Young finished Saturday night's NFC wild-card game with no sacks and was congratulating Brady after the Bucs' 31-23 win.

Brady led the Bucs to their first playoff appearance since 2007 and first playoff win since they won Super Bowl XXXVII after the 2002 season.

Against Washington's vaunted pass rush, which amassed 47.0 sacks in the regular season, Brady dropped back and took deep shots, completing 22 of 40 passes for 381 Yards and two touchdowns. And he did so without starting running back Ronald Jones, who suffered a quad injury in warmups, and without right guard Alex Cappa, who left the game with an ankle injury.

On his first touchdown, Brady looked off Washington safety Jeremy Reaves and found Antonio Brown on a wheel route for a 36-yard score. He then hit Chris Godwin on a play-action pass where Godwin crossed the middle of the field for a 27-yard touchdown.

It wasn't smooth sailing. Washington backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who stepped in for Alex Smith, was able to get some chunk plays when the Bucs got aggressive but couldn't get home and made this an uncomfortably close game. Bucs coach Bruce Arians suggested that his players might have relaxed too much knowing they were facing a backup.

Washington also came within two points of the Bucs at the end of the third quarter, after rookie Ke'Shawn Vaughn fumbled in the third quarter with 5:53 to go, with Duron Payne punching the ball loose and Jon Bostic recovering it. Heinicke then evaded the rush from Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul for an 8-yard touchdown run.

There were missed opportunities for the Bucs. When the Bucs went with an empty backfield in the red zone, Brady was sacked by Payne, forcing the Bucs to settle for a field goal. Godwin also had an uncharacteristic three drops. A shaky third quarter gave Washington nine unanswered points, and Heinicke added to that with an 11-yard touchdown to Steven Sims in the fourth. But Lavonte David notched a sack on third-and-10 for an 11-yard loss with 2:22 to go.

The Bucs' next opponent won't be decided until Sunday, but it will be a rematch with a team they've already faced this season.

With the LA Rams defeating the Seattle Seahawks Saturday 30-20, the Bucs would host the Rams next week at home if the Chicago Bears can beat the New Orleans Saints. The Bucs lost to the Rams 27-24 in Week 11. If the Bears fall to the Saints, the Bucs would face the Saints on the road. The Bucs were swept by the Saints this season, and are 0-4 against the Saints since Bruce Arians became head coach in 2019.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns returned to the starting lineup for Saturday night's 125-122 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Towns missed the past six games with a left wrist injury suffered in a Dec. 27 win over the Utah Jazz.

The Timberwolves lost those six games without Towns by an average margin of 20 points, sorely lacking his production in the post as well as his rim protection. They also played a sixth straight game without Josh Okogie (strained left hamstring) guarding the perimeter, another factor in their league-worst defensive rating of 118 points allowed per 100 possessions.

Towns wore a grimace as he worked through the lingering discomfort. After easing in early, making a 3-pointer on his only shot attempt of the first quarter, Towns found his groove. He had 12 points in a nine-minute stretch of the third quarter and finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists in 37 minutes.

Minnesota's star big man said after the game he was initially told the timeline for his return was six to eight weeks. "I rushed back at hyper-speed," Towns said.

Towns, 25, is averaging 21 points, 12 rebounds and 4.7 assists across three games this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was inactive for Saturday night's 100-90 victory over Cleveland with back spasms, coach Mike Budenholzer said.

Antetokounmpo, 26, had a scary fall during Friday's loss to Utah. He said he landed on his face and back, although he was able to return in the second half.

"He is very sore, very stiff, so there's not much of a discussion or anything today. ... We are hopeful that it's a short-term thing," Budenholzer said. "... We'll see how he feels. Another 24 to 48 hours could make a big difference and he's a quick healer and everything. When appropriate, we'll always err on the side of caution in keeping him healthy and thinking about the long term with him."

Antetokounmpo said he felt "good" Friday night, but the Bucks won't risk further injury to their back-to-back reigning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. He is averaging 27.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and is shooting 52.7% from the field.

"I feel great, always feel good," Antetokounmpo said after the Utah loss. "It was a bad fall, I was good."

BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics could find themselves extremely short-handed for their game against the Miami Heat at TD Garden on Sunday as a result of the NBA's health and safety protocols.

In the team's latest injury report, released around 5:30 p.m. ET Saturday, nine of the team's 17 players were listed -- seven of them because of either positive COVID-19 tests or contact tracing as a result of them, including stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

The Washington Wizards, meanwhile, were without Bradley Beal for their 128-124 home loss to the Miami Heat on Saturday night due to health and safety protocols. He was placed there as a result of contact tracing with Tatum, a source confirmed a report by The Athletic to ESPN.

The two St. Louis natives -- who are close friends and share the same trainer, Drew Hanlen -- spent much of the game guarding one another and had a conversation on the court afterward.

Washington has already played three teams this week -- the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and the Celtics -- that have had positive tests and multiple players in the protocols.

"Found out maybe about an hour before the game,'' coach Scott Brooks said of Beal's absence Saturday. "On the one hand, it surprised me. On the other hand, this is what we kind of have to expect to happen. You hate for it to happen. You hope for the best, but don't know the next step.''

In addition to the three Celtics who had to sit out Friday's win over Washington -- Robert Williams III, who tested positive, and Grant Williams and Tristan Thompson, who were out due to contact tracing -- another four appeared on Saturday's report: Tatum, who was listed as doubtful; and Brown, Javonte Green and Semi Ojeleye, who were all questionable.

If those seven -- along with Romeo Langford (wrist) and Kemba Walker (knee), who remain out with injuries -- are all deemed unable to play in Sunday's game, Boston would be down to the bare minimum of eight available players to face Miami. Six of those players -- Marcus Smart, Jeff Teague, Payton Pritchard, Carsen Edwards, Tremont Waters and Aaron Nesmith -- are guards, in addition to centers Daniel Theis and Tacko Fall.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- LaMelo Ball isn't wasting any time making an impact in the NBA.

The rookie point guard became the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists on Saturday night, helping the Charlotte Hornets beat the Atlanta Hawks 113-105 for their third straight win.

"A 19-year-old rookie does not look like this,'' Hornets coach James Borrego said. "This is rare what you're seeing."

Ball's history-making performance came just two nights after he missed out on his first triple-double when he finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a win over his brother Lonzo's New Orleans Pelicans.

He said he hasn't begun to process the accomplishment.

"I live my life and I know what I'm capable of, so stuff like this doesn't move me like that," Ball said. "I know that's supposed to happen."

Ball replaced Markelle Fultz as the youngest NBA player to record a triple-double by 177 days.

"He's a tall PG who can pass, can rebound and he's a smart player,'' said Atlanta's Trae Young. "Things are going to become even easier for him in this league as he plays more and more games."

Ball tied his highest scoring night on 9-of-13 shooting from the field as the Hornets handed the struggling Hawks their fourth straight loss. He became only the fifth rookie in NBA history to record a triple-double and the first Hornets player to do it coming off the bench.

Borrego said he loves Ball's spirit and his energy, but what has impressed him the most is his poise and confidence.

"He's not rattled by the moment. It's like he's been doing this for a number of years," Borrego said of Ball, who played overseas before becoming the third pick in the NBA draft.

Ball had several sharp passes, including a perfect behind-the-back strike to set up a 3-pointer by P.J. Washington.

"It's tough because you don't know when it's coming. He might throw it behind his head, behind his back or straight to you," joked Washington, who had 22 points and was on the receiving end of several of Ball's passes. "You have to be active and aware when he has the ball. It's always fun playing with a guy like that."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Munster held on to win 16-10 in a frantic finish in Galway as they dashed Connacht's hopes of building on last week's shock Pro14 win over Leinster.

Jack Carty slotted a Connacht penalty before half-time but JJ Hanrahan's two penalties put Munster 16-3 ahead.

But two late Munster yellow cards saw Peter Sullivan score a Connacht try and the home side almost notched another.

Ultan Dillane was held up just short of the Munster line in the fourth minute of injury-time after Nick McCarthy had joined Rory Scannell in receiving a yellow card.

With Munster conceding a penalty, Connacht opted for a five-metre scrum against the 13 men but a knock on saw the relieved visitors hang on for victory.

Try-scorer Farrell was among 11 internationals who returned for Munster after their second-string side's narrow defeat by Ulster in Belfast.

Prior to the dramatic finale, Connacht had produced four periods of intense pressure in the Munster 22 but they were turned over on each occasion by the visitors' disciplined defence.

In the first half, despite a heavy pitch, Munster were able to produced moments of penetration - most notably Ireland centre Farrell's try as he finished a line-out maul created by the visitors winning a penalty in their own half after turning over Connacht centre Sammy Arnold.

Farrell's try came after home hooker Delahunt had been yellow carded in the ninth minute for pulling down the maul which led to Hanrahan's first successful penalty.

Other frontline players who returned to the Munster included Farrell's fellow Ireland internationals Conor Murray, Keith Earls, Tadhg Beirne, Peter O'Mahony and CJ Stander plus South Africa's World Cup winner Damian de Allende.

The maul was a particularly potent weapon for Munster in the opening half which set the tone for the majority of the contest.

Despite Carty opening Connacht's account before half-time, Munster quickly re-established a 10-point advantage as Hanrahan punished Tom Daly's offside before the fly-half increased the margin to a seemingly safe 13 points in the 62nd minute.

While Connacht continued to battle, the contest seemed to be petering out before suddenly the yellow carding of Munster replacement Scannell on the edge of his own 22 in the 77th minute gave the home side a late lifeline.

With Munster short on numbers, replacement Sullivan barged his way over with Carty slotting a brilliant conversion from the touchline after an earlier inexplicable penalty miss in the first half when the match was scoreless.

After winning possession from the restart, Connacht chased a dramatic victory but despite forcing two penalties as Dillane was held up inches short, they botched a five-metre scrum in the final play as Munster held on.

Munster's win increases their advantage over their Irish rivals at the top of Conference B to 11 points and Johann van Graan's side remain odds on to clinch a place in the Pro14 Final

Connacht: Porch, O'Donnell; Arnold, T Daly; Wootton; Carty, Blade; Bealham, Buckley, Delahunt; Dillane, Roux; O'Brien, Oliver, Masterson.

Replacements: Heffernan, Burke, Robertson-McCoy, Thornbury, Boyle, Marion, Kilgallen, Sullivan.

Munster: Haley; Earls, Farrell, de Allende, Daly; Hanrahan, Murray; Cronin, O'Byrne, Archer; Kleyn, Beirne; Coombes, O'Mahony (c), Stander.

Replacements: N Scannell, J Wycherley, Knox, F Wycherley, Holland, McCarthy, Healy, R Scannell.

Cardiff Blues overcame the spirited resistance of Scarlets' 14 men to win an eventful and refreshingly entertaining Pro14 Welsh derby.

Scarlets' Liam Williams was then sent off shortly before the break for leading with his head into a ruck and making contact with the head of Shane Lewis-Hughes.

The visitors recovered to lead through Sione Kalamafoni's try but Cardiff Blues responded with a Tomos Williams try and two Jarrod Evans penalties to secure a memorable victory.

This was not only a notable win against Wales' strongest region in recent seasons but an admirable display of strength from Cardiff Blues just days after the departure of head coach John Mulvihill.

The game itself, a thrilling spectacle, was also a fillip for Welsh domestic rugby after it had been maligned following a series of ugly derbies, viewers turned off by a lack of attacking ambition and endless, aimless kicking.

Statistics suggested this encounter would serve up more of the same; Cardiff Blues (with 270) and Scarlets (263) had kicked from hand more often than any other Pro14 side during this campaign.

However, those of a more optimistic disposition needed only to glance at the teamsheets to find reason to hope this game might be different.

Of the 14 backs on display, 12 were full internationals and three were British and Irish Lions - though the two without senior caps played starring roles in a bright opening quarter.

Scarlets fly-half Dan Jones was one, his delightful floated pass creating space for Wales and Lions centre Davies, who crashed through for the game's first try.

Not to be outdone, Jones' opposite number Jarrod Evans flummoxed Davies with an extravagant dummied pass before setting Cardiff Blues' sole non-senior international Halaholo - albeit a Wales squad member - on his way to sprint over for a fine score.

The next was even better, Evans again the creator with another dummy and weaving run before passing to Tomos Williams, who fed Lee-Lo to finish superbly in the corner.

That put Cardiff Blues 18-10 up and Scarlets hopes of forcing themselves back into the contest were dealt a severe setback when Liam Williams was sent off three minutes before the interval.

The Lions back had been fizzing with aggression all evening, looking for confrontation wherever he could find it. He went too far, however, when he charged into a ruck with his head and made contact with the head of his Wales team-mate Lewis-Hughes.

Referee Craig Evans consulted with television match official Sean Brickell and was left with little choice but to show Williams a red card.

While Williams was left to consider how long a suspension he now faced, his team-mates were left to pick up the pieces on the night.

Leigh Halfpenny cut their deficit with a penalty early in the second half and, despite being a man down, the away side put their opponents under sustained pressure.

They eventually got their reward as Kalamafoni powered over from the base of a scrum to put the Scarlets back in front, 20-18.

But Cardiff Blues had the final say, James Botham gathering a cross-field kick and showing fancy footwork to keep alive a move which was finished with Tomos Williams darting over in the blindside corner.

Evans missed his conversion but made amends with another two penalties to seal his side's victory in a pulsating encounter.

Cardiff Blues: Matthew Morgan; Josh Adams, Rey Lee-Lo, Willis Halaholo, Hallam Amos; Jarrod Evans, Tomos Williams; Corey Domachowski, Liam Belcher, Dmitri Arhip, James Ratti, Cory Hill (capt), Shane Lewis-Hughes, James Botham, Josh Turnbull.

Replacements: Ethan Lewis, Rhys Carre, Dillon Lewis, Seb Davies, Alun Lawrence, Lloyd Williams, Ben Thomas, Aled Summerhill.

Scarlets: Leigh Halfpenny; Liam Williams, Jonathan Davies (capt), Johnny Williams, Steff Evans; Dan Jones, Gareth Davies; Phil Price, Marc Jones, Pieter Scholtz, Tevita Ratuva, Sam Lousi, Blade Thomson, Josh Macleod, Sione Kalamafoni.

Replacements: Ryan Elias, Kemsley Mathias, Javan Sebastian, Josh Helps, Ed Kennedy, Kieran Hardy, Sam Costelow, Paul Asquith.

Referee: Craig Evans (WRU)

Assistant referees: Ben Whitehouse, Mike English (both WRU)

TMO: Sean Brickell (WRU)

INDIANAPOLIS – Matt Hummel, who wrenched Brady Bacon’s No. 69 Dynamics, Inc. sprint car for Hoffman Auto Racing last season, was named USAC Chief Mechanic of the Year Saturday.

Notably, if there’s one particular moment that fully encapsulated the sense of pride and preparedness that Hummel, Bacon and Dynamics Inc. undertake in their work, it was an early-summer night last June where the team’s fortunes were put to the ultimate test.

At that juncture, Bacon had yet to finish outside the top-ten and was just within earshot of the series point lead.

But a nasty flip by Bacon on the fourth lap of the feature that night seemingly spelled disaster at first glance, with the car being returned to the team’s pit with heavy damage on the hook.

The evening was salvaged when the crew, led by Hummel, thrashed during the red flag period to repair the car, refusing to toss in the towel, and miraculously returned Bacon to the track in mere minutes, just in time for the resumption.

With a caved-in tail tank and all, Bacon blitzed back through the field to finish ninth.

Although it was still relatively early in the campaign, it was one of those moments you made sure to make a mental note of.

If the championship race were to come down to the wire with Bacon involved in the thick of it, that very well could tell the tale of whether they’d become champions or not.

Even more than just the points aspect of the ordeal, it was the mentality. Racing seasons are chock full of obstacles, but none more than 2020, with COVID-19 wreaking havoc on everyone’s initial plans from March onward.

With the normal offseason, the team did its usual prep and arrived at Ocala, Florida’s Bubba Raceway Park with both guns blazing, sweeping both nights of Winter Dirt Games with a pair of feature victories after charging from ninth each night.

Then, the worldwide pandemic hit, forcing teams back into hibernation mode for the time being and allowing them a chance at a second offseason to prepare for the coming busy stretch, with race after race stacked upon each other throughout the racing summer.

Preparedness and being ready for anything, to expect the unexpected, formulated the root of Hummel and the team’s mantra for the campaign, “just make it happen.”

That resulted in Bacon ultimately capturing his third USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car driving title, while Dynamics Inc. extended its record to 12 series entrant championships.

And Hummel, an 11-time USAC National Midget feature starter as a driver himself behind the wheel during the 2000s, was rewarded as USAC’s Chief Mechanic of the Year.

“The year started off great in Florida, then we had such a down period of time,” Hummel recalled. “I think between D.J. (Lebow) and Brady at the shop, they did a lot of stuff to get us fully prepared for the season. Once we got rolling again, it seemed like it got really busy with everything packed together.

“It’s just a testament to the team. Yeah, we had some obstacles, but I think I learned from Brady to just get it taken care of; it’s going to work out, and that’s how it happened.”

Hummel and Bacon raced against each other on-track and formed a bond over the years that dates back more than a decade.

After working together and finding success, separately, Bacon’s driving career was on the rise, as was Hummel’s FK Indy shock business on Gasoline Alley in Indianapolis, Ind.

When the opportunity arose a few years back, Hummel and Bacon rejoined to form a formidable pairing, one that managed to withstand a slew of engine-related issues midsummer to win a season-high six events.

A large part of the equation of the success is Hummel and Bacon’s communication, with Bacon’s feedback allowing Hummel to make the necessary adjustments and also provide him the best shock possible to meet any desired task.

Although Hummel never really thought he would be in this position as a USAC championship-winning crew chief, the reward is more than satisfying.

“I never really looked at being a chief mechanic on a USAC team and winning a championship as a goal of mine,” Hummel admitted. “It’s gratifying that I can be an integral part to the success of the team. We’ve had our struggles in year’s past. I’d get down a little bit, he’d get down a little bit. Then, we’d have discussions, and he’d be like, ‘we’re going to work this out. We’re going to figure it out.’

“I think, this year, we truly did figure it out because we can only count maybe one or two occasions where we showed up at the racetrack and, come feature time, we just missed it. Other than that, we felt like we were a top-five car, at worst, even on tracks that maybe weren’t our forte.

“It just goes to show, yeah, I’m the crew chief, but it’s the team that makes it work.”

With a strong foundation built, built on preparedness that has brought about a high amount of success, Hummel is looking highly forward to what the 2021 season brings.

More than anything, the 40-year-old crew chief is most looking forward to normality.

“I’m excited. I’m glad to see the schedule. It’s a great schedule with a lot of diversity in it,” said Hummel. “That’ll be cool for us to go to some different places and get back to normal and know that we’re going here and it’s not Sunday, ‘hey we might race here, Friday or Saturday, we’ll let you know.'”

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — Kingsport Speedway is looking for some dirt racing fans to make their way over to the track known as the Concrete Jungle in March.

Speedway officials have released the track’s schedule for this year, with the first race slated for Friday, March 26. It’s the same weekend as the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, and the hopes are some Cup Series fans will come check out the NASCAR Advance Auto Weekly Series action at Kingsport’s three-eighths-mile oval.

That event comes after three weeks of testing starting on March 6. The Kingsport Speedway schedule runs through Sept. 10 with ticket prices the same as last season — $12 for adults and kids 12-under free.

Despite the challenges of 2020, Kingsport Speedway was able to have a full season of racing.

“There was so much shut down in 2020 and events that didn’t happen. We were happy to bring everybody in the Tri-Cities some short track racing,” Kingsport Speedway General Manager Karen Tunnell said. “Getting the schedule out, it gives everybody something to look forward to.”

Late model stock cars return as the featured class. Other classes include sportsman, mod 4, pure 4 and pure street. A new racing class is also set to debut.

“We’re in the process of building a V-6 entry level class, really affordable where around $1,500 you can get in a car. We’re working on the rules now,” Tunnell said.

The track is offering other affordable ways to get behind the wheel. Kingsport Speedway is debuting time-trial Tuesday, where you bring your street car and make passes to turn a fast lap. They’re also working on the Kingsport Miniway schedule and will have rental karts to test through the week.

The high-powered karts were purchased from NASCAR driver Blake Jones.

A special event for spectators, the popular Southeast Super Truck Series is scheduled to return June 19.

Kres VanDyke is the defending Late Model Stock track champion. Other 2020 champions were: Kyle Barnes (Sportsman), Kevin Canter (Mod 4), Billy Byington (Pure 4) and Tony Dockery (Pure Street).

Visit kingsportspeedway.com for the full track schedule.