MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Team Penske announced Wednesday that Autotrader has reached a multi-year extension of its agreement with the team.

The partnership renewal includes an increase in races where the Autotrader brand will serve as primary sponsor for the Ford Mustangs driven by both 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski and 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano.

Keselowski and Logano will compete in the Autotrader orange and blue colors for a total of six races this season, starting this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Keselowski will race the No. 2 Autotrader Ford.

Autotrader and its parent company, Cox Automotive, began their relationship with Team Penske in 2014 and together celebrate their eighth year of partnership this season.

“Following a strong 2020 season, we look forward to continuing our longstanding sponsorship with Team Penske,” said Steve Rowley, president of Cox Automotive. “Our relationships with Brad, Joey and everyone at Team Penske are so valuable to our business. This partnership allows us to elevate our brands by aligning with a world-class sport, racing team and drivers – not to mention, the ability to connect with some of the most passionate fans in sports. We share their enthusiasm for NASCAR, and these connections help us to build awareness for Autotrader’s efforts to make car buying easier.”

In addition to this weekend’s race in Atlanta, Keselowski will compete in the Autotrader Ford Mustang at Martinsville Speedway (April 10) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (September 26) this season.

Keselowski has enjoyed considerable success with Autotrader as a primary partner, with the No. 2 carrying the brand to victory lane three times dating back to 2017.

“It’s great to have Autotrader back on board for 2021,” said Keselowski. “They’ve been a great partner with us for several years and do a lot to activate with our fans, which is really cool.  I think it’s so important to have partners in our sport that aren’t just on the side of the car, but actually have active programs and platforms to engage the fans.”

Logano will have Autotrader as the primary sponsor on the No. 22 Ford Mustang at three races in 2021: Talladega Superspeedway (April 25), Sonoma Raceway (June 6) and New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 18).

Autotrader will also be featured as an associate sponsor on both cars throughout the Cup Series season.

“As a driver, you always enjoy when a consumer facing brand is on the side of your car, because you instantly know that the fans know who you are representing,” said Logano. “As a huge fan of cars, and someone who likes to buy and sell, it’s great to be associated with Autotrader. I’ve been fortunate enough to represent them for the last several years – now I just need to get them to victory lane.”

INDIANAPOLIS – Mission Foods, a key partner of Arrow McLaren SP, will join Juan Pablo Montoya as an official partner for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 30.

“We are proud to have Mission Foods as an important partner of the team in IndyCar. The Indianapolis 500 is the biggest event of the year and it’s only fitting that they be an even bigger part of it by joining Juan Pablo for the race,” said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. “I look forward to seeing them at Indianapolis and at the track all season long.”

The Mission brand will be represented on Montoya’s car and race suit as he pilots the third Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet for this year’s running of the historic race.

“I have long admired Juan Pablo Montoya as a champion and his passion for racing in multiple formats,” said Juan Gonzalez, Mission Foods President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are very excited to partner with Juan Pablo and Arrow McLaren SP for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 and I strongly believe that our partnership will create unforgettable moments for all race fans”.

Mission is the No. 1 tortilla company in the U.S. and has a presence in 112 countries, manufacturing a wide portfolio of authentic Mexican products.

The company joined Arrow McLaren SP at the beginning of last season, and will continue to support the team’s full time entries of Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist for the upcoming NTT IndyCar Series campaign, along with backing Montoya in May at Indianapolis.

“I am incredibly honored to have the support of Mission Foods as I return to Indianapolis to compete for my third Indianapolis 500 win,” said Montoya. “My family has been buying Mission tortillas, wraps and chips at the store for years. It’s always great when you can have a partner whose products you truly enjoy.”

Montoya is no stranger to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, having won the Indianapolis 500 twice, despite only running it five times; once in his first attempt in 2000 and again 15 years later in 2015.

“The entire team is excited to have Mission Foods extend their partnership of the team at the Indianapolis 500,” said Arrow McLaren SP co-owner Sam Schmidt. “We have three incredibly talented and diverse drivers competing in the race, with Pato, Felix and Juan Pablo. Mission Foods are showing their support for all three.”

In the late summer of 1813, U.S. Naval hero Oliver Hazard Perry put the wind at his back and sailed forth with his squadron of light brigs from the tiny port at Put-In-Bay, Ohio, after the War of 1812 had spilled across the Great Lakes.

Despite losing his flagship to carronade fire, Perry regrouped and unleashed broadsides that battered the Royal Navy’s vessels into submission. The Battle of Lake Erie wrested control of the lakes from the Crown permanently. The next time that the British invaded the Ohio shore, the outcome was considerably less painful.

It was an unlikely locale, a village of less than 200 souls on an island in the shallows of Lake Erie, but Put-In-Bay became a place where sports cars engaged in spirited racing starting in the 1950s, as Americans’ fascination with imported cars swelled.

The offshore Ohio hamlet never achieved the prominence of bigger venues such as Sebring, Torrey Pines or Watkins Glen, but for the time they lasted, the Put-In-Bay meets were heartily anticipated gatherings of the Midwest faithful. Not only that, but the races also stood as a source of civic pride that still endures today.

Most of the competitors were weekend enthusiasts, pure amateurs, but some well-known people also carved corners in the middle of Lake Erie. Put-In-Bay today stands as a vital link to America’s early road racing heritage.

Beyond any dispute, it’s also one of the United States’ most aesthetically pleasurable motorsports venues. Put-In-Bay is located on South Bass Island partway between Sandusky and Toledo in Ottawa County, Ohio.

The island, and its natural harbor, was discovered in 1679 by the French explorer and trader Robert La Salle, who named it Isle de Fleurs after its plentiful wildflowers. The nearest Ohio town of any size is Port Clinton. Put-In-Bay has never had many residents — just 138 as of 2010 — but tourism has defined its existence in recent history, the island served by ferries and commercial aviation.

And despite is remoteness from the mainland, Put-In-Bay has always been a car town. According to Manley Ford, event coordinator and historian of the Put-In-Bay Road Race Heritage Society, more than 200 registered vintage automobiles exist on the island today, even though its land area is less than half a square mile.

That automotive connection persuaded the village elders to overlook the fact that around 1950, the handful of residents who owned early sports cars enjoyed squirting around the island’s narrow, crowned blacktop roads in them. The idea for holding organized competition is credited to Dick Henn who along with his wife, Betty, were founding members of the Cleveland Sport Car Club, a very early enthusiast group in northern Ohio.

Henn assessed what existed of the village road network and sketched out a 3.2-mile, six-corner circuit around Put-In-Bay, including significant elevation changes and a blast through the downtown on each lap in early Watkins Glen style.

Interestingly, at no point did the course venture next to the water, although race lore has it that at least one competitor took an unscheduled dip in Lake Erie after apparently losing his brakes on an escape road. The circuit was unforgiving and very rough, more than capable of ripping parts away from race cars.

The initial Put-In-Bay race was scheduled for June 1952 and drew a field of the 30 entries. The competitors took the green flag and went snarling around the course, but rain halted the race after four laps and it was declared complete.

The following June, a bigger group of competitors took the ferry for a race program that consisted of three events — 10 laps for factory-stock MGs, 12 laps for sports cars up to 1,350cc and a 15-lapper for open sports cars with displacements up to 1,950cc.

John Whitlock, of Pontiac, Mich., won the first official Put-In-Bay race, the event for stock MGs. Finishing second from last in the final race was Dr. Sam Sheppard, of Cleveland, who drove a 1,250cc MG and shortly entered history for a different reason: Convicted of murdering his wife in 1954, Sheppard was acquitted in the spectacular case following a retrial. The case inspired the TV drama “The Fugitive.”

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MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Kyle Larson, a winner in all three of NASCAR’s top series, will return to NASCAR Camping World Truck Series action March 27 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Larson, who is no stranger to racing on dirt, won at Eldora Speedway in the Truck Series in 2016. The Elk Grove, Calif. native will pilot the No. 44 Rich Mar Florist/CircleBDiecast.com Chevrolet Silverado.

“I really appreciate the opportunity given by Niece Motorsports,” said Larson. “I’m excited to get back into a truck at one of my favorite race tracks.”

The 28-year-old driver has built an extensive and impressive racing resume with more than 250 career race wins. Larson has won in every racing circuit he has competed in. Most notably, Larson has earned seven victories in the premier NASCAR Cup Series and won the prestigious Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in 2020 and ’21.

He also won the 2011 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway, winning in three types of USAC cars in a single night, only the second driver in history to accomplish the feat.

Larson won 46 races in four different types of dirt racing cars last season before returning to the NASCAR Cup Series with Hendrick Motorsports this season.

“Kyle is obviously one of the best drivers out there today,” said Niece Motorsports General Manager Cody Efaw. “His résumé on dirt speaks for itself. We are looking forward to him joining the organization at Bristol and contending for a win.”

The No. 44 Chevrolet will carry the Rich Mar Florist and CircleBDiecast.com colors under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Larson will be in action during this weekend’s Bristol Dirt Nationals, driving a dirt late model.

LOS ANGELES – Opening night of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series season at Irwindale Speedway was Saturday, March 13.

It was a doubleheader with competitors only present for afternoon and evening events because of pandemic restrictions.

Fans at home were able to watch both the 2020 season awards ceremony from 3:30 to 4:15 in the main grandstand and on track racing from 5:00 to 8:40 p.m. Pacific time.

The usual sit-down track championship awards dinner in the main ballroom of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Monrovia was not possible due to COVID-19 restrictions on indoor dining and on social distancing imposed by Los Angeles County officials.

Tim Huddleston, co-promoter and track president, used a portable microphone on the walkway in front of the main grandstand and emceed the awards ceremony. He awarded plaques to the top five drivers in eight classes from last season.

More than 100 competitors present for NASCAR points racing came from the pits and watched awards presentations. The top five drivers in points for each division received NASCAR point fund checks during December.

The division champions from 2020 receiving plaques and Lucas Oil product bags were Robert Rice (Enduros, Stock Class); Bobby Ozman (Enduros, Sport Class); Tyler Hicks (Legend Cars); Robby Harryman (Super Stocks); Andrew Porter (Race Trucks); Jake Drew (Spec Late Models); Dean Thompson (Late Models) and Trevor Huddleston, who took the Pro Late Model Interstate Series title split between Arizona and California.

Drew, 20, also received rookie-of-the-year honors in addition to his spec late model title.

A special Michael Atkinson “Humble Hero” award honored long-time Irwindale racing director Mike Atkinson, who passed away suddenly last month at age 63.

The initial presentation went to his two daughters, Sarah and Jannie, who worked for years with Mike in the race control booth at each event. On Saturday, they assumed their new official roles at the speedway.

Co-promoters Huddleston and Bob Bruncati named Sarah as the new Irwindale racing director, becoming the first female to occupy that NASCAR position.

She sat in the front row race control seat formerly occupied by her hard working, highly respected, versatile father. Jannie, also in her 20s, assumed Sarah’s former job as Chief of Timing and Scoring and handled electronic timing and scoring duties from the top row.

Mike A, as he was known, followed in the footsteps of his father Art, who promoted two Southern California short tracks – Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino and Speedway 605 in Irwindale – in the 1950s and ’60s.

He passed on his love of short-track racing and trained both daughters, who became third generation racing officials. Racing ran smoothly Saturday as expected.

Irwindale’s NASCAR opening night had 64 vehicles in action. The top five finishers in each race received cash for the first time, since pandemic regulations did not allow paying spectators to attend.

Fastest qualifier Huddleston won both 35-lap late model mains on the half-mile. He started from pole position in the opener and from eighth in the closer based on an eight car inverted lineup. All 10 starters finished on the lead lap in the second, caution-free race.

Runners-up Ryan Schartau and Dean Thompson trailed Huddleston by half a second in the two races. Huddleston now has 63 feature victories at Irwindale and trails all-time leading winner Rip Michels by only four victories.

The combined race trucks and spec late model 40-lap main on the half-mile had six trucks and six cars racing two and three wide in a caution-free event.

Winners in both series received 50 points. They were overall winner Andrew Porter (truck) and runner-up Andy Partridge (car), who trailed by 1.592 seconds.

Street stocks raced 35-laps on the third-mile. Fastest qualifier Craig Rayburn started seventh in a 13-car field and led the final 30 laps in his Camaro. Jay Henson (Camaro) trailed by three seconds.

The INEX Legend Car class saw seven drivers race 35 laps on the third-mile. Reigning champion Tyler Hicks led the final 31 laps and barely held off pressing past champion Chad Schug by .179 seconds. The race had three first time starters at Irwindale.

Enduro four-cylinder sedans used a six-turn course that used parts of both ovals and the infield for a pair of 30-lap races.

Twenty-two cars in two classes — 11 sport (with OHC) and 11 stock — competed for separate points. All faster sport sedans started behind stock class cars. Ian Rotundo (Honda Prelude) and Bory Mnolina (Toyota Celica) won the 50-point hauls.

John Beard (Honda Accord) won both stock class mains and collected 100-points for the night. He finished sixth and third overall in the two races.

The next scheduled Irwindale race on April 10 will be a Spears Series tripleheader. Spears sanctioned super late models, modifieds and the tour’s new pro late model series will compete for series points during the 10-race series at four tracks for each class.

Huddleston announced that spectators will be admitted to the grandstand for races after April 1 just as they will be at major league baseball stadiums in California because of improving COVID-19 conditions. LA County restrictions moved from the purple to red tier.

However, only 20 percent of capacity will be allowed into the 6,500 seat grandstand.

Huddleston said admission tickets to the popular Spears series event on April 10 may only be purchased online.

New York Islanders forward Anders Lee will undergo surgery this week and miss the rest of the season, general manager Lou Lamoriello said Wednesday.

The GM said Lee has a torn ACL, but his rehab will not be as arduous since he does not have other damage in the joint.

The team captain was placed on long-term injured reserve Sunday after sustaining the injury last week. New York can now exceed the salary cap by Lee's $7 million salary minus how much they are currently under the cap. That could prove useful with the April 12 trade deadline approaching.

The Isles now have to find a way to replace Lee's scoring. The former 40-goal scorer is tied with Jean-Gabriel Pageau for the team lead in goals with 12.

The Islanders had their nine-game winning streak snapped Tuesday night after their 3-1 loss to the Capitals. They are tied with Washington for first place in the East with 42 points.

The Buffalo Sabres finally fired head coach Ralph Krueger on Wednesday, having gone 6-18-4 in this cursed season for them. That included a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, who snapped an 11-game home losing streak (0-10-1) while pushing Buffalo's losing streak to 12 games (0-10-2).

Krueger finally exited the bench with the Sabres down to a league-worst .286 points percentage. It was a change that was overdue, coming at a time where there's little hope to salvage another lost season. That it still happened should speak volumes about how bad things had gotten.

Krueger joins Claude Julien (Montreal) and Geoff Ward (Calgary) as coaches fired during this truncated NHL season. In total, 11 coaches have been fired from 2019-21.

As the Sabres continue their plummet to the bottom, what's the thinking for firing Krueger? And could more big changes be coming soon to Buffalo?

Reddit co-founder and Angel City FC lead investor Alexis Ohanian said that women's soccer is a better investment than Major League Soccer.

The new club is set to debut in the National Women's Soccer League in 2022, and features a long list of celebrity investors, including Ohanian's wife, tennis star, Serena Williams.

"The value of being associated with these women, I think, is a greater brand value than being associated with their male counterparts," he said in an interview with ESPN Deportes' Fernando Palomo. "And that's no disrespect to the MLS. I think they're doing amazing work. But I just think the amount that the women are undervalued is preposterous.

"American fans are realizing there are amazing talents all over the world playing the sport and importantly, the very best women in the world are all Americans and you just can't say that about footballers on the men's side."

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Ohanian, 37, who is also involved a soccer-related startup called Gloria, added that when he digs into the support surrounding women's soccer, he feels "the leverage that it has, is just more valuable than so many others."

The serial entrepreneur admitted that he was "late to the party" when it came to being a fan of soccer. But a friend invited him to attend the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup quarterfinal between the USWNT and France, and the game not only made him a fan of the sport, but led to the realization that the women's side of the game was under-capitalized.

Ohanian said, "I watched this world class performance and I looked at my buddy, and I was like: 'Dude, how is it possible that I don't know more about this sport?'... There are players on this team that have transcended the sport, who are a part of the popular culture. How is it possible that this is not a more valuable asset?"

The NWSL isn't the first women's soccer league in the U.S. to boast the best players in the world. The WUSA and WPS both made the same case, and yet both endeavors folded after their third season. But Ohanian feels that the NWSL -- which is now entering its ninth campaign -- is the beneficiary of good timing in terms of the demographics of the sport's fans and the advent of social media.

"I think if you look across the board, all of the major sports leagues tend to have pretty old [demographics]," he said. "The average fans are in their 50s or 60s, which is lucrative. But it also means that you're just naturally going to have blind spots for the new generation, especially because that new generation is digital native, and that is the big advantage."

As for social media's role, Ohanian said he feels soccer has benefited from such platforms "because it has allowed fans all over the world to ignore time zones, to ignore TV blackouts, to be able to follow the teams they love and the players they love, wherever they are in the world...on their terms."

Ohanian also pointed out that there is "boundless opportunity" for growth in women's team sports given the relative lack of competition in that area.

"You have the WNBA, which is a very strong, obviously great professional league, but that's about it," he said. "And so for professional team sports in the United States, there's a huge whitespace for women. And what I think we've seen happen pretty clearly now in just the last year that Angel City FC has been around, is the business case is looking stronger than ever, because we're seeing brands come to us wanting to make very serious commitments."

Angel City is owned by a mix of celebrities, including actors Natalie Portman, Jennifer Garner and Eva Longoria, and retired soccer stars, including Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach.

The club will share Banc of California Stadium, south of downtown Los Angeles, with LAFC of Major League Soccer.