WEST HAVEN, Vt. – The 12th Annual Northeast Crate Nationals, the biggest event for the sportsman modifieds, at Devil’s Bowl Speedway will now take place on Memorial Day weekend. The traditional fall race will take place on May 29-30.

The Northeast Crate Nationals first planted its roots in the fall of 2008 as a showcase event for sportsman modified cars using the economical General Motors “602 crate” engine. After bouncing around at three tracks in New York’s Capital District with varying lap distances, the event moved to at Devil’s Bowl last year, and was won by eventual track champion Demetrios Drellos.

“The Sportsman Modified division deserves to have major events like the Northeast Crate Nationals,” Devil’s Bowl media director Justin St. Louis said. “Devil’s Bowl has the biggest races and the best payouts for the 602 crate cars, and it will be a treat to see someone earn $5,000 on Memorial Day weekend. That event is building history, and it has a great home here. This year’s race will only elevate the prestige of the Nationals, and it we think it will be a perfect complement to our Vermont 200 in September.”

The new spring date brings with it an all-new, two-day qualifying format, a return to the more traditional 100-lap distance for the main event, and a new record purse paying $5,000 to the winner. The potential for sponsorship opportunities and possible lap leader bonuses will only increase the payout through the 32-car field.

Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s weekly Limited Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Stock, and 500cc Mini Sprint divisions will qualify on Saturday with feature races on Sunday. The Sprint Cars of New England tour will open its season on Sunday with qualifying and a 25-lap feature.

Tim Hartman Jr. holds the record with three career victories in the Northeast Crate Nationals, winning in 2014, 2016, and 2019. Rocky Warner has won the race twice, and the balance of the win list includes Brian Calabrese, Tim Sears Jr., Ray Zemken, Chad Edwards, defending winner Drellos, and inaugural winner Jack Swinton. Hartman’s second win was worth $2,500, but that payout record is guaranteed to be smashed in 2021.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The big freeze is in and that has prevented Red Bull and sister team AlphaTauri from possibly pulling out of Formula One.

Would they really have quit? They certainly were threatening to do so and it would have been a big blow to the sport and business of F-1 if there would have been eight instead of 10 teams — a reduction of 20 percent.

This all started in October when Honda stunned the racing world by announcing it would withdraw from F-1 at the end of 2021.

“In Formula One we have reached our goal of scoring victories, and achieved certain results,” Honda President Takahiro Hachigo said. “Now we will put our strength into innovation in the new field of power units, carbon-free energy and achieving carbon neutrality. This could be a challenge as difficult as Formula One.”

This created a quandary for the two Red Bull teams, which would need power units for 2022 and beyond. Mercedes is already supplying four teams this year, including itself, and Ferrari three.

A distasteful option was Renault/Alpine, which is flying solo this year and, by the regulations, would have to lease power units to the two teams. But that would have been awkward given the bitter divorce between Renault and Red Bull at the end of 2018.

So Red Bull and Honda explored the option of Red Bull taking over Honda’s Formula One project. It would be an expensive option and only doable if Red Bull did not have to pay to operate the power units and also develop them. There would be no way Red Bull could keep pace financially and technically with Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault.

That’s why Red Bull and AlphaTauri successfully lobbied the FIA, Formula One and the other teams to agree to a development freeze on power units from 2022 through 2024. There will be completely new power unit regulations in 2025.

No freeze, Red Bull threatened, and we will take our toys — and our cars — and go home.

The Red Bull/Honda agreement covers the duration of the development freeze, enabling the use of Honda power unit technology until the next generation of engines is introduced in 2025.

In order to run the project, a new company named Red Bull Powertrains Limited was formed. This new division will be housed and operated from Red Bull Racing’s U.K. base on the Red Bull Technology Campus in Milton Keynes.

There was another possible threat, and that was — and still is — the possibility of star driver Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull before his current contract expires at the end of 2023.

Like many drivers, there are performance clauses in Verstappen’s contract on both the team and driver’s side. If either does not perform up to a certain standard, the contract can be nullified.

“Of course, as there has always been, there is an element of performance related to Max’s contract,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. “I’m confident that we won’t need to refer to any contractual clauses. It will ultimately be down to us to deliver a competitive car. That’s what he wants and that’s what we want.”

All this is just a temporary three-year fix for Red Bull and AlphaTauri because they will have to find a completely new power unit for 2025. Those regulations have yet to be finalized, but the goal is to reduce costs and reach carbon neutrality.

Other key objectives for 2025 include environmental sustainability and social and automotive relevance; fully sustainable fuel; creating a powerful and emotive power unit; significant cost reduction; and attractiveness to new power unit manufacturers.

Horner has not ruled out Red Bull becoming an actual power unit manufacturer from 2025 onward.

“You’ve both got a short-term scenario of the existing regulations,” he said, “and then, of course, whatever the new regulations are. We need to be in a position to take that on as well. We will have a facility capable of designing and operating the next generation of engines.”

But, however impressive the facilities at Red Bull Powertrains Limited, the company would still have to go up against full-bore automotive manufacturers. One option would be for Red Bull to link up with another manufacturer.

As for Verstappen, he can just sit back, see how things develop and then choose what option is best for him.

QUEENSBURY, N.Y.  — Demetrios Drellos has a firmly stated goal for 2021 — to win the Super DIRTcar Series championship.

After claiming the $10,000 prize and his first victory at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in 2019 – his hometown track – “Double D” will try to rekindle that success at the start of this season by trying to start off strong with a win at New York’s Can-Am Speedway and Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in April.

“We are on target for chasing the Super DIRTcar Series championship in 2021,” Drellos said. “We’ve got some new ideas and I am hoping that comes with better finishes. We are operating at 110% going into the season.”

The Super DIRTcar Series season kicks off at Can-Am Speedway on April 10.

Drellos, from Queensbury, NY, has proven himself to be a podium contender at every track his No. 111 Drellos Motorsports team enters. However, in two series races at Can-Am Speedway, Drellos hasn’t broken the top 15, yet. He finished 17th in 2019 but picked up the hard charger award at 2020’s OktoberFAST event after starting 28th and finishing 19th.

“You have to approach the first race at Can-Am a little different,” Drellos noted. “It’s so early in the season, and that means the track is hard and slick from the cold and sun or it’s a little bit muddy. We are going to show up with our best guess as to what the weather is like that day. That’s all you can prepare for. It could be a slick track or completely opposite. You roll the dice.”

Many long hours of wrenching are spent in the family-owned Drellos Motorsports shop. The walls are now decorated with checks from some of his recent victories, and he plans to add more this season.

“Ninety percent of setting up a car for a race happens at the shop,” Drellos said. “For most places you want a baseline for what that track is going to be like. You can still do a 180 at the track with the way springs are now, but you definitely prepare more in the shop than at the race track for your setup.”

After the season opener, all eyes will be locked on the World of Outlaws Bristol Throwdown at Bristol Motor Speedway, April 22-24, for a pair of $10,000-to-win Super DIRTcar Series Features – which are also NAPA Super DIRT Week Qualifiers.

“I feel very fortunate that I get to go to Bristol Motor Speedway,” Drellos said. “It feels great to be able to go to a NASCAR facility with my own race car. That right there is pretty cool. From what I have seen in the videos is that it’s going to be awesome. There’s no cons. It’s only good for us.”

Drivers are working hard to determine the best way to prepare for Bristol. Some are thinking along the lines of New York State Fairgrounds one-mile clay oval. The speeds were tremendous and cars were reinforced to handle the demanding nature of the unique race track. Others are comparing Bristol to contemporary tracks they’ve raced on like Lebanon Valley Speedway or Ohio’s Eldora Speedway to come up with a game plan.

“I raced at The Mile once in a 358. They misspelled my name terribly, but I was there,” Drellos said laughing. “I am thinking of other tracks compared to it though. It has the same clay as Port Royal (Penn.) and The Dirt Track at Charlotte (Concord, N.C.) with a long straightaway of Port Royal and the banking of Charlotte. With the red clay, you’ll have a lot of grip. With the banking, you’ll have a lot of grip, and the straightaways are going to give you a lot of speed so it’s going to be pretty fast. With that comes excitement for most people.”

PULASKI, Pa. – The Pace Performance RUSH Late Model Series, together with Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, has released the tour’s schedule of events for this year.

The richest season in series history will include 23 events at 15 different speedways in six states boasting a record $43,000 point fund presented by new marketing partners Flynn’s Tire and Born2Run Lubricants. Jeremy Wonderling enters the season in search of his unprecedented fourth straight championship.

The series point fund has more than doubled from the pre-pandemic point fund to a whopping $43,000 in potential payoff for the top 20 point earners. The series champion will receive $12,000, the highest of any Chevrolet Performance Crate Engine Series in the country with $1,200 going to 10th place. While the top-10 positions are guaranteed, RUSH has also extended potential payoffs to an additional 10 racers. RUSH will pay $1,000 to tour members in positions 11-15 in points that compete in 75 percent of the total tour events, and $500 to tour members in positions 16-20 in points that compete in 75 percent of the total tour events.

Highlighting the schedule is the $10,000 to-win Bill Emig Memorial, which returns to Lernerville in conjunction with the renowned Firecracker 100 weekend with the World of Outlaws Late Models for the third straight year. Also featured in the schedule are the Battle of the Bay Speedweek, along with the Jook George Steel City Classic and Bill Hendren Memorial events at Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway.

“After coming off our richest touring slate which resulted in our highest average car count in history in 2019 we were all geared up for 2020 when the pandemic hit,” said Emig. “In 2019, the schedule of events went to a different level and that translated into an average of more than 38 cars for our events, often exceeding 40 plus cars and over 50 on three different occasions. Despite a reduced schedule of events in 2020, the average car count was still 38+.

“With that said we felt it was time to substantially increase our point fund,” continued Emig. “We look forward to our 2021 champion earning a record $12,000 as we have to thank Flynn’s Tire and Born2Run for coming on board to help increase the point fund to $43,000. Our slate of substantial paying Tour events combined with our richest ever Tour point fund is definitely going to create an awesome situation for both RUSH fans and Crate Late Model racers throughout the region.”

2021 RUSH Late Model Touring Series Schedule

April 14 – Delaware Int’l Speedway – Delmar, Del.
April 15 – Georgetown Speedway – Georgetown, Del.
April 16 – Potomac Speedway – Mechanicsville, Md.
April 17 – Winchester Speedway – Winchester, Va.
April 25 – McKean County Raceway – East Smethport, Pa.
May 15 – Stateline Speedway – Busti, N.Y.
May 16 – Eriez Speedway – Eria, Pa.
May 28 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, N.Y.
May 29 – Genesee Speedway – Batavia, N.Y.
May 30 – Bradford Speedway – Bradford, Pa.
June 24-26 – Lernerville Speedway – Sarver, Pa.
July 2 – Dog Hollow Speedway – Northern Cambria, Pa.
July 3 – Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway – Imperial, Pa.
July 17 – Sharon Speedway – Hartford, Ohio
Aug. 7 – Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway – Imperial, Pa.
Aug. 15 – Eriez Speedway – Erie, Pa.
Sept. 10-11 – Sharon Speedway – Hartford, Ohio
Sept. 24-25 – Genesee Speedway – Batavia, N.Y.
Oct. 1-2 – Pittsburgh PA Motor Speedway – Imperial, Pa.
Oct. 8 – Latrobe Speedway – Latrobe, Pa.
Oct. 15-16 – Lernerville Speedway – Sarver, Pa.

The NHL board of governors has approved new rules for the NHL draft lottery that will help last-place teams but restrict perpetual losers from winning multiple lotteries, a source confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.

The rules will be implemented beginning with the 2022 lottery. TSN was first to report the approval.

The biggest change to the current system is that the lottery will only determine the first two picks in the draft, rather than having three different lotteries for the first three picks.

This change was influenced by the 2020 lottery, in which the Detroit Red Wings -- who had the worst record in the league (17-49-5) and the best odds for the first overall pick (18.5%) -- ended up picking fourth overall as the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and Ottawa Senators won the lotteries for the first three picks.

"There are some clubs who think it's important that the teams that are struggling most get the most help. There are other teams that think there's nothing wrong with the present system at all," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said recently. "Our competitive balance is so extraordinary that some clubs feel that the difference between a team that misses the playoffs and a team that really misses the playoffs really isn't all that great. In order to try and reconcile those competing views, we thought maybe a little bit of a tweak [was necessary]."

Another change to the draft lottery is that teams can only move up a maximum of 10 sports by winning one of the two lotteries. Hence, only 11 of the 16 teams that miss the playoffs will be eligible for the first overall pick.

Finally, the NHL ruled that a franchise can win the lottery no more than twice in a five-year span. That isn't exclusive to the first overall pick: It means a team can't advance by reason of lottery win more than twice in a five-year span.

The Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils have been the poster franchises for this rule tweak, having each won the lottery three times since 2010.

"I don't believe there's tanking in the game. I think our players and our organizations, our coaches are too professional. But there's always speculation," Bettman said recently.

NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League has fined San Jose Sharks forward Kurtis Gabriel and coach Bob Boughner after a pregame altercation with the Los Angeles Kings.

Gabriel was fined about $3,000 and Boughner $5,000 on Tuesday. The Sharks were also assessed a conditional fine of $25,000, which will be collected if there is any similar inappropriate behavior in the next year.

Gabriel cross-checked Los Angeles defenseman Kurtis MacDermid in the back near center ice during pregame warm-ups. The two then fought in the first period.

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said he wants his players to play hard but to do it "within the context of the game and whistle to whistle." Wilson said that he agrees with the punishment and that the team has addressed it internally.

The Sharks will play host to the Kings on Wednesday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sabres goalie Carter Hutton has been sent home for further testing on a lower-body injury, leaving the slumping team with no experienced presence in net during a season that's gone from bad to worse for Buffalo.

Interim coach Don Granato on Tuesday said Dustin Tokarski will make his first NHL start in more than five years Wednesday, when Buffalo opens a two-game series at the Pittsburgh Penguins. Minor league journeyman Michael Houser, who was only signed on Friday, will serve as the backup.

And as if the last-place Sabres haven't endured enough bad news, Granato said the team -- already minus captain Jack Eichel, out indefinitely with an upper-body injury -- could be missing two more forwards.

Granato said Tobias Rieder could miss a second consecutive game with an undisclosed injury, and Kyle Okposo isn't expected to be available until after Buffalo completes its four-game road trip at Boston on Sunday. Okposo has already missed one game and didn't travel with the team because of an upper-body injury.

Buffalo is 0-12-2 in its past 14 games, matching the longest streak in franchise history set midway through the 2014-15 season, when the Sabres went 0-14. The 14-game skids represent the longest in the NHL since the Phoenix Coyotes went 0-8-4 with three ties from Feb. 21 to March 21, 2004.

Hutton's absence is the most concerning after he was hurt in the opening minutes of a 5-3 loss at the New York Rangers on Monday night. Hutton made two saves before he was injured when New York's Julien Gauthier slid hard into him while being pushed by Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Hutton needed assistance walking once he left the ice.

Buffalo is already minus starting goalie Linus Ullmark, who missed his 13th game since sustaining a lower-body injury. Ullmark practiced with the team Tuesday for the first time since being injured, but there is no clear timetable for his return.

"Certainly, we want him back as soon as we can, and I think Linus wants to be back as soon as we can, but the information's not there yet to know the date on that," Granato said.

Ullmark said he felt all right, and added he'll have a better idea regarding his return after another practice.

Tokarski finished the game at New York making 33 saves in his first NHL appearance since Oct. 28, 2016, when he was with Anaheim. His last start came on Dec. 21, 2015, when he was with Montreal.

The 28-year-old Houser has yet to play at the NHL level since turning pro in 2012-13.

The Sabres' lack of goaltending depth was further depleted Saturday when Buffalo acquired a sixth-round 2021 draft pick in trading Jonas Johansson to Colorado.

With Ullmark not available, Buffalo is expected to bring up a goalie from the minors to fill Houser's spot on the taxi squad. NHL rules require teams to have three goalies available this season.

The Sabres, at 6-20-4, sit last in the overall league standings and are in jeopardy of extending their playoff drought to an NHL record-matching 10th season. Granato took over last week after coach Ralph Krueger was fired. Buffalo's season was also paused for two weeks in early February after nine players and Krueger were placed in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol.

AUSTIN, Texas – Jon Rahm’s wife, Kelley, is due with the couple’s first child the second week of April, and the Spaniard left no room for ambiguity when asked Tuesday how that could impact his plans for next month’s Masters.

“If anybody's thinking of betting on me on the Masters, maybe think about it twice because there's a chance I have to just turn around and leave that week,” Rahm said at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Rahm had previously said he would leave any tournament to be with his wife for the birth, and he doubled down on that notion. The Masters is set for April 8-11, with the baby's due date beginning that weekend.

“I'm just hoping everything goes well,” Rahm said. “I've said it before; if I have to leave any event, I'll leave. If I have to leave this week, hopefully it doesn't come when I'm in the final and I just have to leave after nine holes. I mean, that would be unfortunate for the winner, but it is what it is.

“Being a father is much more important than any golf event would ever be, so that's my head right now.”

In four starts at the Masters, Rahm has three top-10 finishes, including his tie for seventh last fall and a fourth-place finish in 2018.

AUSTIN, Texas – Last fall, Matthew Fitzpatrick was one of the first players to criticize Bryson DeChambeau’s transformation into one of the PGA Tour’s longest hitters.

At the time the Englishman told reporters, “It’s not a skill to hit the ball a long way in my opinion. I could put on 40 pounds. I could go and see a biomechanist, and I could gain 40 yards; that’s actually a fact. I could put another two inches on my driver. I could gain that. But the skill in my opinion is to hit the ball straight." He added that DeChambeau was "making a mockery" of the game, arguing, "Some of the places he hit it, and he’s cutting corners — when he’s on, there’s no point. ... It doesn’t matter if I play my best."

Fitzpatrick said he and DeChambeau have spoken since his comments last fall, and on Monday he tweeted a picture of the two playing in the same group at the Seminole Pro-Member with the caption, “Getting some tips.”

Asked Tuesday at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play about the photo, Fitzpatrick joked, “We hate each other. It's a really nasty thing between us.”

Fitzpatrick explained that his comments in October were taken out of context and that he is intrigued by much of what DeChambeau has accomplished, although he stopped short of saying he would add 30-40 pounds to his frame to pick up swing speed.

“I was just asking him about his clubs and his speed training and stuff, and I've been doing something similar and looking into it anyways before my comments that I made last year,” Fitzpatrick said. “It's nothing too new to me, it's just quite interesting just to hear his thoughts and how he's going about things to improve his swing speed and get longer. “

AUSTIN, Texas – Rory McIlroy confirmed to Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis that he is working with swing coach Pete Cowen.

The Daily Telegraph first reported that the Northern Irishman had made the move, and Tuesday at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, McIlroy explained that he and Cowen have altered his focus to the downswing instead of the backswing.

McIlroy said he and his longtime coach Michael Bannon have worked on getting his backswing correct and that would allow everything else to fall into place, but that hasn’t been the case in recent months. Instead, he said he is now working on his downswing and the position of his right arm.

McIlroy was spotted working with Cowen at The Players Championship earlier this month and his camp confirmed to Golf Channel that he will also continue to work with Bannon.

McIlroy plays Ian Poulter on Day 1 at the WGC-Match Play.