NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith told NFL player agents Thursday that they should work together during the upcoming free-agency period to ensure that teams aren't taking advantage of the reduced 2021 salary cap to limit player salaries, a source who was on the videoconference told ESPN.

Speaking on the videoconference, which replaced the annual all-agent seminar the NFLPA holds each year at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, Smith told the agents that the union expects this year's cap to be pretty close to the $180 million "floor" negotiated by the NFL and the NFLPA, and that the 2022 and 2023 caps could be affected as well by the pandemic-related revenue losses that resulted in this year's cap reduction, the source said.

Because of that, Smith said, agents this year should push back on teams trying to cut players for cap reasons and should consult with one another and with the NFLPA's cap department on the offers they're receiving from teams for free-agent players. The source relayed Smith's message to ESPN and said Smith told the agents it was OK for them to "collude" in free agency in order to ensure the best possible deals for players.

Collusion, of course, is an illegal corporate practice in which the league's teams are prohibited from engaging. But there are no laws or rules against workers (in this case players) exchanging information about who's offering how much. And that kind of information can only help agents know more about what's out there in terms of potential destinations and deals.

Smith began his remarks by telling the agents that things would look much grimmer right now had the players not ratified the new collective bargaining agreement one year ago, the source said. Without a CBA in place, he said, the league would be looking at a cessation of operations in a couple of weeks, when the league year ends, and the owners would have little motivation to negotiate a new deal, much less mitigate the 2021 revenue losses by artificially raising the salary-cap floor.

With the CBA in place last year, the union was in a position to negotiate the terms of the COVID-influenced 2020 season. As part of that negotiation, the league and the union agreed that this year's salary cap would be no lower than $175 million per team, even if the revenue projections on which the cap is annually based indicated that it should be lower. Last week, the league and the union agreed to raise that cap floor from $175 million to $180 million, with the final figure still to come. Smith said the final figure likely depends on the outcome of the new TV contracts the league is negotiating, but based on the information the NFLPA has, he expects the final figure to be significantly lower than last year's $198.2 million.

Future caps will be affected because the league and the union have agreed to "borrow" from those caps to offset this year's reduction. Since the 2021 cap won't have dropped as much as it organically would have without the negotiated "floor," the difference between what the 2021 cap is and what it could have been will need to be applied to future caps. The league and the union have already agreed to negotiate the difference out of the 2022 salary cap, and the 2023 cap could be affected as well, since the union is pushing to spread the losses out over as many years as possible instead of dealing with them all at once.

Smith also told the agents that the 2021 offseason program will have to be collectively bargained between the league and the union, as the 2020 offseason program was, because of the ongoing threat of COVID-19, the source said. Last year, all OTA and minicamps were held virtually, and training camp, though it started on time, was structured with significant COVID-inspired changes. It's unclear how similar the 2021 offseason will be to the 2020 offseason, but Smith told the agents Thursday that all aspects of the offseason except for the draft would be subject to collective bargaining.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has not demanded a trade, his agent Mark Rodgers told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday.

Rodgers said Wilson has told the Seahawks that he wants to play in Seattle, but if a trade were considered, the only teams he would go to are the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears.

Wilson, 32, expressed frustration after the season over all the hits he has taken and stated his desire for more say in the team's personnel decisions. Those frank comments were out of the norm for Wilson, who had never publicly aired any grievances over his first nine seasons in the NFL.

Sources involved have maintained to ESPN that Seattle has not approached Wilson with a potential deal in place and a trade is unlikely. But other teams are noticing tension that has brewed for years, which The Athletic outlined in a report on Thursday. Multiple league execs believe Wilson will be made available at the right price either this offseason or next due to that tension.

Wilson's contract has a no-trade clause that he would have to waive in order to be dealt.

The Seahawks, according to ESPN, made it clear to suitors earlier this month that Wilson would not be dealt. Trading him before June 1 of this year would trigger $39 million in dead-money charges against Seattle's 2021 salary cap. Wilson has three years left on the four-year, $140 million extension he signed in April 2019. That includes base salaries of $19 million, $19 million and $21 million.

Multiple sources confirmed to ESPN that Wilson stormed out of a meeting with Seahawks coaches last season out of frustration that his suggestions for fixing the team's sputtering offense were dismissed, as reported in The Athletic. A source told ESPN that was a "dark day," with frustrations riding high after an ugly 44-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills, but the issue was resolved quickly.

The incident occurred the week of Seattle's Thursday night game against the Arizona Cardinals in November. The Seahawks had lost two straight games and three of four, coinciding with the worst turnover stretch of Wilson's career.

Wilson had privately lobbied before the season for the Seahawks to throw earlier and more often and had publicly endorsed the "Let Russ Cook" movement that encouraged more of Seattle's offense to go through its $35 million-per-year quarterback. For the first 10 weeks of the season, the Seahawks dropped back to pass more than any team in the NFL at 69.2%, according to ESPN charting.

But their 28-21 win over Arizona in Week 11 marked a reversion back toward the run-heavy approach that coach Pete Carroll had long favored. Seattle was 16th in dropback rate over the final seven weeks of the regular season, at 62.4%. Carroll signaled publicly that the shift was coming.

Sources have told ESPN that Wilson's frustrations with the organization go beyond pass protection and his perceived lack of say in personnel decisions relative to other top quarterbacks -- the two issues he recently cited in public interviews. Wilson also wants more of Seattle's offense to go through him, as reported in The Athletic.

The four teams Rodgers told Schefter that the quarterback would play for -- Dallas, New Orleans, Las Vegas and Chicago -- are all led by offensive-minded head coaches.

Wilson has been sacked 394 times in 144 regular-season games, including 47 in 2020. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, that's the most in a player's first nine seasons since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. But the Seahawks are eighth in ESPN's pass block win rate since 2017, which is indicative that some of Wilson's sacks are a function of his propensity to extend plays, as he has acknowledged.

Multiple sources told ESPN that Wilson's camp asked Seattle after the season about the team's plans for its offense -- particularly the offensive line -- as The Athletic reported. The team relayed general thoughts but not specifics on personnel plans, and Wilson then went public with his frustrations.

One source told ESPN that the Seahawks believe new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron will help alleviate the issue of Wilson's pass protection by increasing the emphasis on short and intermediate throws. Carroll openly lamented how, under previous OC Brian Schottenheimer, the Seahawks failed to adjust to how defenses began taking away the their deep passing game late last season, a factor in their offensive nosedive after Wilson began the season as the MVP frontrunner.

Wilson made it clear publicly and to the team that he wanted Carroll to involve him in the search for Schottenheimer's replacement. Multiple sources have told ESPN that Wilson was involved and that Waldron was a candidate he endorsed.

The burden of fame never faded, but Tiger Woods showed a softer side, a more appreciative outlook in the past few years. Never was that more than the case than in December, where the joy of a father playing golf with his son could not have been more apparent.

The PNC Challenge with Tiger and 11-year-old Charlie playing golf before a national TV audience will have to do for the foreseeable future. It was like witnessing a mini-Tiger for a couple of days, dressed the same as his dad, mimicking the walk, the mannerisms, the swing and even the fist pumps. Tiger glowed when Charlie made an eagle on his own ball on the first day of the event. He looked that way, too, as they wrapped up the tournament, the memory of a lifetime.

What happened Tuesday brought that all into focus as the details of significant injuries, especially to his right leg, came to light after hours of surgery following a car crash in which Woods' vehicle rolled multiple times.

That Tiger emerged from it and was reported by his team to be alert is significant given the images we all saw of his car; the result could have been so much worse. Any talk of him returning to competitive action is simply venturing into dark territory, a place with no clear path. It is impossible to know now what is ahead for him, both in the coming days and weeks, as well as into the future.

"I think the only thing that really matters now is his well-being, his recovery, his family, the level of support that we provide to him,'' PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said at The Concession, site of this week's World Golf Championship event. "Listen, when Tiger wants to talk about golf, we'll talk about golf, but I think right now the entirety of our efforts needs to be around the support.''

By Thursday afternoon, shock and dismay at the WGC Workday Championship had turned to reality and relief. There was still disbelief, followed by the realization that Woods was in bad shape. There, too, was the important truth that he is alive.

Of course, he won't be out here among the players anytime soon, and the knowledge that the game's biggest star will be missing from action is a stark reminder of what he brings to the sport.

"He means a lot to the players,'' said Brooks Koepka, who was in a memorable duel down the stretch with Woods in the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive. "He means a lot for the tour. He's the one who brings the fans. He's the whole reason probably 90% of us are out here playing. The only reason the sponsors are here is because of him.

"The tour -- everything they've done is basically because of Tiger. Without him our game is a long way behind. So, everything we do is because of him.''

It comes at a time when it was clear Woods was reaching a different stage of his golf life. He enjoyed the banter among other competitors, something he shunned with a passion in his prime. He loved giving players a hard time, making jokes, and taking it in return.

Several years ago, before all of Woods' injury woes, I had the rare opportunity to speak with him at length during the pro-am for a European Tour event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. There was but a smattering of spectators following, and the subject of the players Woods had consulted for advice in his younger days was one he had embraced.

In his first visits to Augusta National in 1995 and 1996, and again the year he won it for the first time as a pro, Woods sought out the legends of the game. He played with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman. He sought chipping advice from Raymond Floyd and Jose Maria Olazabal. He soaked it all in.

And then he asked: "How come I never get questions from the young guys?''

My response: "Because they are afraid to ask.''

The wall Woods built up around him was often impenetrable. There was little conversation. Only the closest of the close got to know him.

That ice eventually began to melt after he returned from the spinal fusion surgery to play a full schedule in 2018. Woods knew that procedure was no guarantee. In fact, at one point, he admitted, "I thought I was done.'' He embraced this opportunity to play again. He was buoyed by the young guys in his South Florida neighborhood -- Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler -- who were suddenly bugging him to play and picking his brain.

For those who got to play with him for the first time, they got an experience they'd never forget.

Austin Cook, then in just his second year on tour, played with Woods in August at the Northern Trust and sensed by the scores after three rounds he might be playing with Tiger.

"When I saw the message come through that I was paired with him, I had to take a deep breath,'' he said. "I knew I'd be nervous. I was going to be teeing off in front of the guy I had always looked up to, my idol on the golf course. I will always remember that.

"He was a really nice guy. He answered my questions, started some conversations, never big-dogged me. For a guy in his position, I understand. It was pretty cool.''

Woods was self-deprecating about all the attention, saying then "it just means that I'm old.''

But he clearly understood what it meant to them, posing for photos after rounds, signing autographs for the guys he just played against.

That summer, Woods was bitterly disappointed when he was unable to hold onto the lead at Carnoustie, where he led The Open into the back nine but eventually tied for sixth. His daughter, Sam, was there, as was Charlie. They were old enough to understand what their dad did for living.

"I know that they know how much this championship means to me and how much it feels good to be back playing again,'' he said.

And he won again, grabbing the 2018 Tour Championship for his 80th career victory. Then, of course, came the epic victory at Augusta National in 2019, his fifth Masters win and 15th major title.

"I don't think people to this day realize the struggle and the things he had to deal with to get to that point to win Augusta in 2019,'' said Rory McIlroy, who recalled a 2017 lunch with Woods following the fusion surgery in which Tiger could barely get up to walk. "Look, I don't want to take anything away from what Ben Hogan did after his car crash or any of the other comebacks that athletes have had in other sports, but right now I can't think of any greater comeback in sports than the journey that he made from that lunch we had in 2017 to winning the Masters a couple years later.''

Woods was back, and Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler and some of the others he played with in South Florida enjoyed getting to know their idol. They sought his counsel, and unlike those times earlier in his career, Woods was willing to share his knowledge.

The fact that he opened up to the masses more, not just fellow players but also fans and media, gave a clear indication he was grateful for a chance that he once thought impossible.

Things went a bit sour in 2020. After an incredible end to 2019 with an 82nd PGA Tour victory and starring role at the Presidents Cup, Woods fell off. His back began to bother him more frequently. The pandemic interrupted the season. He never got comfortable playing without fans. Eventually, another back procedure was required.

?Charlie Woods fist pump ?

The low uppercut. A Woods special. pic.twitter.com/KhJPSC1Sw4

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 20, 2020

Before that microdiscectomy, however, he played in the PNC Championship with Charlie, who has since turned 12. Tiger was hurting. His son became the star of the show. It was revealing to see Tiger share a rare personal side. Uncomfortable talking about it, Woods nonetheless beamed with pride.

The hope was that the improvement in Charlie's game -- they had played often together during the pandemic -- would push Dad to make sure his own game remained sharp.

Now, though, we are left with those pleasant images of Team Woods in red, with the beaming smile and fist bumps and good times. And we are left with a long time to wait and wonder if we will ever see Tiger Woods play golf again.

Zander Fagerson could still play a part in Scotland's Six Nations campaign after an appeals committee decreed club games would count in his four-week ban.

Initially, his ban ruled him out of the games with France, Ireland and Italy.

But with the former postponed and two Glasgow Warriors matches now taken into account, Fagerson could face Italy.

After sitting for three days, the appeals committee decided the disciplinary committee had not "given appropriate weight" to which matches the forward's four-week ban covered.

They also decided that Glasgow's Pro14 games with Ulster on 19 February and Zebre on 6 March should also count towards the suspension.

Scotland face Italy at Murrayfield on 20 March.

BROWNSBURG, Ind. – Attica Raceway Park’s annual Core & Main Spring Nationals have shifted forward to April 2-3, replacing the previously-set dates of April 9-10.

The news means that the All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 points season will begin one week sooner than originally scheduled.

The Core & Main Spring Nationals will feature back-to-back programs, awarding $5,000 and $6,000, respectively.

If weather becomes a factor and forces the cancellation of both events on April 2-3, the original dates of April 9-10 will be utilized as rain dates.

In addition, the recently revamped I-70 Motorsports Park in Odessa, Mo., has been added to the All Star schedule and will host the series on Tuesday, July 27, padding a seven-race, nine-day swing through Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa.

Led by track manager Tommy Estes Jr., I-70 will award a $7,000 payday during the track’s weekday showcase, joining an already established slate of Midwest stops including Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo., on July 23-24; Humboldt (Kan.) Speedway on July 25; Missouri State Fair Speedway on July 29; and an Iowa doubleheader at 34 Raceway in West Burlington and Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway on July 30-31, respectively.

Five non-point events sanctioned by the All Stars were held in Georgia and Florida between Jan. 29 and Feb. 4, comprising the Sugarlands Shine Southern Tour, with a sixth race scheduled that was ultimately rained out.

Ten-time World of Outlaws sprint car champion Donny Schatz collected a pair of victories during the Southern Tour, with Aaron Reutzel, Logan Schuchart and Carson Macedo each notching single wins during the swing through the south.

GAFFNEY, S.C. – JD Motorsports with Gary Keller announced Thursday that KSDT CPA will serve as Ryan Vargas’ primary sponsor for Saturday’s Contender Boats 250 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

On Monday, the Miami-based accounting firm announced that it would return as the official CPA of JDM, in addition to a multi-race deal with Jeffrey Earnhardt.

Heading into the race weekend at their home track, they have stepped up the partnership to also include Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Vargas, in addition to Earnhardt.

KSDT CPA is one of South Florida’s largest, and one the country’s fastest growing, accounting firms. The company has experienced double-digit growth for 12 out of the past 15 years, with an average of 22 percent over the past five years.

The firm has also been recognized as a Gulf Coast Regional Leader by Accounting Today and also recognized by Forbes as one of the ‘Top Tax and Accounting Firms’ for this year.

Vargas is the newest driver for KSDT CPA, as the firm has been a loyal partner with the team, spanning five seasons with multiple drivers. The La Mirada, Calif., driver looks forward to the opportunity to represent a well-known partner for the first time Saturday.

“I am very excited to have KSDT CPA on our No. 6 Chevy Camaro this weekend at Homestead,” said Vargas. “KSDT CPA has been a great partner of the entire JD Motorsports organization over the past several years, so I’m proud to carry them for the first time at a race taking center stage in their backyard.”

Vargas looks to rebound from a part failure in last weekend’s race at the Daytona (Fla.) Road Course, where he finished 37th.

The rookie will make his first career start at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- - Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is putting behind the frightening two-week bout he had with COVID-19 by focusing his energy on getting back into game shape.

"The way I think about it, it's just a bump in the road, and it's going to make me tougher and better," Ristolainen said during a video conference call Thursday in his first comments since sharing his experience with the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat last week. "Right now, I feel really good. Energy level has been getting better every day."

The 26-year-old Ristolainen joined forward Taylor Hall as the first of eventually nine Sabres players placed on the NHL's COVID-19 list starting on Feb. 2, immediately following a two-game series against the New Jersey Devils. He spent 14 days on the list, becoming one of Buffalo's last players cleared during the team's outbreak, which included coach Ralph Krueger also testing positive.

There is no timetable for Ristolainen's return. After hosting the Devils on Thursday night, the Sabres have a two-game weekend series against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Ristolainen experienced several waves of varying symptoms.

"It was kind of hard because how I kind of felt like you didn't know what to expect the next day," he said. "It went better for a few days, so I was kind of feeling, `Hey, maybe it's over now.′ But then after a few good days, it came again with some new weird symptoms."

Ristolainen went into further detail with the Finnish newspaper, saying he experienced such severe chest pains that "it felt like my heart was cracking as I walked up the stairs." He also said there were times he would go to bed not sure if he would wake up the next morning.

On Thursday, Ristolainen said he's been symptom free for the past week.

"I'm not there, but right now I feel I'm really close, and I feel really good," he said.

Ristolainen has been the Sabres' defensive workhorse in averaging a team-high 22-plus minutes of ice time over each of his last six seasons. Buffalo's blue line has been depleted by injuries with Jake McCabe (right knee) and Will Borgen (broken right forearm) both sidelined for extensive stretches.

Was the Ahmedabad pitch poor?

Virat Kohli rates it 'very good'; Alastair Cook calls it 'so hard'; Sunil Gavaskar says "challenging"; Andrew Strauss says balance "too much in favour" of spinners

The first Test at the new Narendra Modi stadium will be remembered as the shortest one ever played in India. This day-night Test, the first first-class match played at the ground since 2013, will also be remembered as the shortest completed Test globally since 1935. It had no place for the fast bowlers, who took only two of the 30 wickets to fall. The match finished 98 minutes before end of play on day two, forcing Indian captain Kohli to term it as the most "bizzare" Test he had played in his career.

But what about the performance of the biggest protagonist of this two-day drama: the pitch? While purists labelled it as definitely poor, Kohli called it "very good", and, instead blamed the batsmen on both teams for coming up with an "under par" performance against good spin bowling.

"[It was] a very good pitch to bat on - especially in the first innings - and it felt like the ball was coming on nicely with the odd-ball turning," Kohli said. Axar Patel and R Ashwin hounded England for a second successive day, to help India take a pivotal 2-1 series lead in the four-Test series. The defeat eliminated England from the race for the second finalist spot in the World Test Championship, to be played in June.

What confounded Kohli was the fact that nearly 21 out of the 30 wickets fell to the straighter delivery from the spinners. "It was just, I would say, below-par batting from both teams. Our bowlers were much more effective and that's why we got the result," he said.

Not everyone agreed with Kohli though. Among those who differed included two former England captains - Strauss and Cook, who felt Kohli was being protective of the groundsmen. Both Strauss and Cook are experts for Channel 4, the series broadcaster in the UK.

According to Cook, who led England to a 2-1 series victory on the 2012-13 tour in India, the degree of turn on offer for the spinners was too much and came into play way too early. "We saw a stat that says this pitch has spun more than any other pitch in India," Cook said. "There's been so many other balls that have gone straight on as well. So that means when it is turning, it is turning miles. When you see the highlights and the ball skidding on you, we don't see the build-up: when the exact same ball is spinning miles."

Cook said the pitch was the main cause behind the batsmen's struggles. "Virat Kohli's come out and defended the wicket almost as if it's a BCCI thing - it cannot possibly be the wicket. Yet it was so hard to bat on that today. So hard.

"Take the wicket out and blame the batsmen? We've got Virat Kohli, Joe Root, we have some great players of spin. Yes, we've got some people who have got to learn to play spin better, but we have got great players of spin also struggling. To me It'd be great to have that game with the red ball to see the difference when the ball is skidding on. Today trying to play properly, it was nigh-on impossible."

Strauss echoed his former opening partner's remarks and used England captain Root as an example. "Look at Joe Root for a moment. We know he is a great player of spin," Strauss said. "He is in great form as well. What did he get - 19 today? Might have been out two or three times en route to getting that score. And by the way, that's day two of a Test match. To say the pitch has no fault to play, I totally agree with Cooky. Kohli's looking after the groundsmen there to a certain degree."

Strauss felt the "balance between bat and ball on this pitch" was skewed "just too much in the favour" of the spinners. And he posed the same question for former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar, who spoke to Channel 4 during the dinner break on Thursday.

Agarkar did not disagree with Strauss and said he understood the debate surrounding the pitches including the surface for the second Test, which was played in Chennai last week. "The thing is how quickly it happened, so I've got to agree with you that perhaps not a second-day pitch," Agarkar said. "Chennai (second Test) was a little bit different. It [Ahmedabad] was dry, there is no two ways about it. Whether it is a fair contest or not? I mean, look, it is a different sort of a challenge, isn't it? Again, it is not easy. It is difficult to bat on this patch. But is it a 112 and 145 pitch? Not in my opinion."

For former India captain Gavaskar, who is a commentator for the host broadcaster in India, the Ahmedabad pitch was "challenging" but not insurmountable as Rohit Sharma, the highest scorer in the match, had shown. "It was a challenging pitch, no question about it because the odd ball was turning, the other ones were coming straight," Gavaskar told Star Sports after India's victory. "So how to keep your mind strong about hoping the variation was the key. India showed, particularly in the second innings, and even when Rohit Sharma batted in the first innings, that they could do it. On a pitch like this not every batsman is going to be successful, but even if two are successful, and, in India's case both times it was Rohit Sharma, who really was the difference between the two teams."

Poor pitch will not cost India WTC points

In case the Ahmedabad pitch is rated poor by the ICC, it will lead to the ground being given three demerit points but India won't be docked any points on the World Test Championship table.

India are in a race for the second finalist spot in the WTC final along with Australia. In 2019 the ICC had cautioned member boards from doctoring pitches to the home team's advantage in the WTC, saying points could be at stake.

However ESPNcricinfo has confirmed that India would not be docked any points even if the Ahmedabad pitch were to be rated poor. Only if the pitch or the outfield is rated unfit does the host team get penalised as per the WTC playing conditions, which state: "If a match is abandoned and the pitch and/or outfield is ultimately rated as 'Unfit' under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, points for that match shall be distributed on the basis that the visiting team won the match and the home team lost the match. Any abandoned match will be classified as a drawn match for statistical purposes."

CONCORD, N.C. – Speedway Motorsports Inc. has announced EchoPark Automotive, Pit Boss Grills and FEVO as the entitlement partners for NASCAR’s inaugural May 21-23 race events at Circuit of The Americas.

“The first-ever NASCAR at COTA race week is one of the most anticipated events on the revolutionary 2021 NASCAR schedule,” said Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith. “We are proud to announce new partnerships with EchoPark Automotive, Pit Boss® Grills and FEVO. These innovative, dynamic companies join us as entitlement partners to introduce NASCAR fans around the world to Circuit of The Americas.

“From fans to drivers to business partners, we’ve seen a surge of excitement around COTA since the race week was first announced last fall,” added Smith. “EchoPark, Pit Boss and FEVO are best-in-class brands that will help us create an experience like no other when stock car racing stampedes to Austin in May.”

Headlining the can’t-miss weekend, EchoPark Automotive will be the title sponsor for the first NASCAR Cup Series race contested on the world-renowned road course. The EchoPark Texas Grand Prix will be the grand finale of a weekend full of racing.

EchoPark Automotive specializes in pre-owned vehicle sales providing below-market pricing, high quality vehicles and an unmatched guest experience. EchoPark now operates 19 locations across 10 states, including six retail centers in Texas.

Through the partnership, EchoPark receives naming rights to the inaugural event, as well as entitlement for the NASCAR on FOX FS1 broadcast. The pre-owned vehicle retailer will also receive signature signage at the circuit, VIP dignitary roles and premium hospitality to entertain select customers and business partners. EchoPark will also execute a national in-store campaign to promote NASCAR’s first trip to Austin, Texas.

“Bringing NASCAR to Circuit of The Americas is a ground-breaking move by Speedway Motorsports,” said Sonic Automotive and EchoPark Automotive President Jeff Dyke. “Like our high-speed growth and revolutionary approach to pre-owned vehicle sales through EchoPark, this race will be history-in-the-making and we are proud to put our name on it.”

“Just like the committed fanbase of NASCAR racing, EchoPark is building a strong foundation of loyal guests across the United States, many of whom return for a second or third vehicle,” added Dyke.

“The EchoPark Texas Grand Prix will put a national spotlight on EchoPark and the race. It will be a sports experience like no other, similar to the unparalleled guest experience at our retail stores and at EchoPark.com.”

Pit Boss Grills has secured entitlement rights to the Pit Boss 250 scheduled for Saturday, May 22. The NASCAR Xfinity Series showdown will feature NASCAR’s rising stars battling for the first time on the 3.41-mile long, 20-turn circuit.

The Dansons Inc. subsidiary will also receive premium suite-level hospitality for entertaining guests and signature display and promotional opportunities on property throughout the race weekend.

Through the agreement, Pit Boss Grills also becomes the official grill of Speedway Motorsports with exclusive promotional rights plus display opportunities at all SM sports entertainment venues.

“Pit Boss is blessed to partner with Speedway Motorsports and Circuit of The Americas for the Pit Boss 250 this May,” said Dansons President Jeff Thiessen. “Race fans love barbecue and wood pellet grilling. As the official grill of NASCAR and now Speedway Motorsports, we are proud to bring these audiences together. Not only is Austin one of the barbecue capitals of the world, but it is also a community where Pit Boss® already has a distinct and established relationship. Also, like Dansons, both NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports are proud family-owned businesses, making this partnership a natural fit.”

“Speedway Motorsports owns and operates tracks in key markets for our company, including Georgia, North Carolina, Texas and Tennessee, as well as, in emerging regions for our brand in California and Nevada,” Thiessen added. “Our company is truly blessed to be aligned with a family-owned business of this caliber and we believe this partnership is a win-win for both parties. We cannot wait to see what 2021 has in store for our companies.”

Speedway Motorsports also announced that the weekend will kick off with FEVO Friday. Fans will be treated to a full day of on-track action as drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series turn their first laps on the winding COTA course.

In addition, FEVO Friday will also feature two practice sessions for the IMSA-sanctioned Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Series. FEVO Friday is part of a larger partnership that establishes FEVO as the exclusive group ticketing platform for Speedway Motorsports across its nationwide group of speedways.

“FEVO is thrilled to welcome Speedway Motorsports to our community and we’re looking forward to bringing in countless groups of fans to attend events for years to come,” said Ari Daie, President and CEO for FEVO. “Not only has Speedway Motorsports proven to consistently set the standard when it comes to owning and operating sports entertainment venues, but their vision for the future of motorsports is admirable and we’re happy to be an integral part of it.”