INDIANAPOLIS – Arrow McLaren SP and Vuse have agreed to a new multi-year agreement that will see Vuse expand its relationship with the team to include enhanced activation and assets and a new Vuse-titled livery on the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet in the NTT IndyCar Series.

Coming on the heels of last year’s partnership, which drove innovation for both brands despite the year’s challenges, Vuse and Arrow McLaren SP’s new multi-year agreement is turning up their collaboration with enhanced branding on the No. 5 and No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolets and two annual custom-designed livery paint schemes throughout the season.

“This commitment by Vuse to Arrow McLaren SP is great news for the team and the sport, as we seek to grow the IndyCar adult fanbase for the future. We are working on several engaging collaborations together that we can’t wait for the fans to be part of this year,” said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. “Bringing a major consumer brand into the team and into the series is positive for everyone.”

“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Arrow McLaren SP in the 2021 racing season and beyond,” said Jorge Araya, Chief Marketing Officer for Reynolds. “AMSP and Vuse share a passion for technology and innovation, which are both integral to our overall goal of creating shared value for consumers, society, employees and stakeholders.”

Arrow McLaren SP and Vuse are also united in their commitment to supporting those in need. Vuse is excited to continue giving back to Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and Conquer Paralysis Now (CPN), founded by AMSP co-owner Sam Schmidt. The brand announced multi-year partnerships with both organizations in 2020 and continues to be inspired by their missions.

“The entire Arrow McLaren SP team is thrilled to be expanding our relationship with Vuse for the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series season and beyond,” said Schmidt. “Vuse has been incredibly generous not only to support Arrow McLaren SP but in joining us to support DAV and CPN, who are bettering the lives of disabled veterans and people with paralysis. Those are both causes that are especially close to our hearts.”

The Vuse brand integration is part of a broader enhanced partnership deal between BAT, RJRVC’s ultimate parent group, and McLaren Racing, as a continuation of the global partnership with the McLaren Formula One team, of which BAT is a Principal Partner.

The partnership is rooted in a shared passion for excellence in technology, innovation, design and quality. Arrow McLaren SP and RJRVC also have best practice processes and respective industry expertise in common.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — S&S Cycle will increase its involvement with Progressive American Flat Track, serving as both the presenting sponsor of its AFT’s two-wheeled drit track class and as the official exhaust for the Progressive AFT.

The premier class of the series will be officially known as the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle this season. The announcement only solidifies S&S’s central role in the sport, having also recently played a vital part in the revolutionary rise of Indian Motorcycle and Royal Enfield inside the paddock.

“Progressive American Flat Track welcomes S&S’s renewed commitment to the sport,” said Michael Lock, CEO of Progressive AFT. “They have become a key partner during recent years and both their commercial investment and their impact as a competitor and support resource in the race paddock has become an integral part of the show.”

Founded in 1958 by AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer George J. Smith, S&S Cycle has been developing high-performance products and winning championships for over six decades. In 2016, S&S added flat track to its arsenal with the development of the FTR750 and has since put it on the podium every event.

The 2021 Progressive AFT season kicks off with a Volusia Half-Mile doubleheader event at Volusia Speedway Park March 12-13.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – 8-Ball Premium Chocolate Whiskey has signed on to sponsor driver Quin Houff and StarCom Racing in 11 NASCAR Cup Series events this season.

8-Ball will make its debut on the No. 00 StarCom Racing Chevrolet this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“I’m excited to become part of the 8-Ball Chocolate whiskey family,” said Houff. “Paul and his team are a great group, and I can’t wait to get their brand on the track this season starting in Miami! It’s great to see a new and fast-growing company come to our sport and believe in what we are doing. Oh, and the whiskey is delicious, too.”

Established in May of 2017 by Paul Thomas, the founder of Julian Hard Cider which is now distributed nationwide, 8-Ball whiskey launched the first chocolate-infused bourbon whiskey in America. Blended with the world’s most popular flavor, Thomas’ 8-Ball Chocolate Whiskey was crafted using only the finest all-natural ingredients sourced from Madagascar, Indonesia and Mexico, and combined with premium bourbon, then aged in charred American Oak barrels resulting in its unique spicy and smooth finish.

Aside from his successful spirits, Thomas is a Navy Veteran Corpsman Medic who gives back to the community through his work as a Julian/Cuyamaca firefighter, founder and member of HERO Racing (which supports wounded veterans and orphanages in Baja) and contributes to various charities. A percentage of every bottle sold is donated to support the Tragedy Assistance Program (TAPS) for grieving military families and also Tuesdays Children who supports families of 9/11 victims.

“8-Ball Premium Chocolate Whiskey could not be more excited than to join the incredible StarCom Racing 00 Quin Houff team,” said Thomas. “We are 100 percent committed to do whatever we can to support everyone’s dreams and aspirations. Quin is a winner.”

8-Ball Premium Chocolate Whiskey will also sponsor the No. 00 Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 7), Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 21 and July 11), Talladega Superspeedway (April 25), Kansas Speedway (May 2), Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 30), Sonoma Raceway (June 6), Texas Motor Speedway (June 13 and Oct. 17) and Road America (July 4).

It’s time for a new edition of the SPEED SPORT Power Rankings! Were there any major changes this week as racing season gets underway? Click below to find out!

MOBILE, Ala. — Grant Thompson has secured a ride with Casey Johnson and Alverson Motorsports for the Tundra Super Late Model Series season in Wisconsin.

Thompson, 14, will contest the six-race schedule behind the wheel of one of Johnson’s potent entries, with Texas businessman John Alverson providing sponsorship through his Baja Industries brand.

The Alabama teenager will debut in the Tundra Series at Wisconsin Int’l Raceway in Kaukauna, Wis., on May 15.

“John has been one of my dad’s buddies for a while and he came down to the (Snowball) Derby to sponsor Kaden Honeycutt back in December. We talked for a little bit and he saw what I did in the Snowflake (100 pro late model race), and he told my dad if we needed any help with anything in the future to let him know,” Thompson recalled. “We needed a ride for this year and John knew Casey had really good stuff and that we were going to be in the best equipment we could to run up in Wisconsin. And it all came together from there.

“I talked to Casey a couple months ago, and asked him how he felt about it, and he said he was excited to try a little bit of something different,” Thompson added. “He’s usually behind the wheel of that car, but he’s had other (drivers) before and he’s excited to see what comes of this, just like I am.”

Thompson raced a pro late model in select events for Augie Grill last season — including the Snowflake 100, where he finished 12th after running inside the top 10 for part of the night — but this season’s Tundra effort will mark his first foray into super late model racing.

“I didn’t really think that we were going to be in a super (late model) this year because I haven’t had a ton of time in the pro (late model) just yet, but (West Coast car owner) Mike Naake said after we ran that junior (late model) race out in Arizona … he called my dad one day and said, ‘You need to get Grant in a super. He needs to get the feel for that kind of horsepower and the feel for that car because it drives a whole lot different than the junior car or even a pro late model.’

“It’ll definitely be a big jump for me, but it’s one that I’m excited to take on,” Thompson added. “It’s just the horsepower difference that I feel like will be the big thing, but I’m excited to get my feet wet this year and, hopefully, maybe next year we do even more (super late model racing).”

As a longtime veteran of the Northern Midwest super late model scene, Johnson is looking forward to the opportunity to oversee Thompson’s jump into the division and believes he’ll find his footing quickly in the Tundra Series.

“John was the one that connected the dots between Grant and I, and I’m glad he did because I’m looking forward to this deal,” Johnson noted. “John’s helped me out through my racing and he’s also helped Grant for a little while. When we were all talking down at the Snowball Derby, I suggested Grant running the Tundra Series to get his feet wet because it’s a competitive series that we’ve had success in over the last few years. I think he’ll be a good fit for it. It hits a broad range of tracks that I think will all be good for his development.

“Starting out at Kaukauna, a fast half mile with a lot of grip, will let him get a feel for the car before we go to a few tracks where it’s a lot lower grip, slower speeds, places where you really have to use your feet and work the wheel,” Johnson continued. “Those are the types of places where it’s not about raw speed and gripped-up race cars; you really get a feel for your race car that I think is valuable to have. And the group of guys who run the Tundra Series, they’re real respectful guys who don’t tear up race cars but still race really hard … and I think that’s important for a younger driver like Grant to learn from.”

From the sponsorship side, Alverson was glad to be able to see Thompson and Johnson link up and believes the potential for success is sizable for both sides.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on Grant’s progress for a while and supported him recently as he’s started to move into late models, and I feel like it’s a great opportunity for he and Casey to be able to work together in the Tundra Series this year,” Alverson said. “Casey has had a lot of success over the last few years with his team and he’ll be a veteran presence for Grant to lean on as he starts to learn the ins and outs of the super late models. I’m looking forward to seeing how the two of them work together and excited to see Grant contend for some solid finishes against the Tundra Series this summer.”

In Thompson’s eyes, the six races he’ll run this year with Johnson and Alverson could be a springboard to greater things, but he’s focused on learning and adapting to a new division first before focusing on chasing trophies.

“I mainly want to get some seat time with the (Tundra) guys and earn their respect as a driver,” tipped Thompson. “Hopefully, we can get some top-10 or top-five finishes; I’m not necessarily looking for a win right off the bat, but if we can get some pretty stout finishes and get the experience to run up front with those guys, I think that’d be a pretty good go of things.

“That’s mainly what I’m looking for right now and we’ll just take it one step at a time.”

Ellen White scored a hat-trick as England routed Northern Ireland 6-0 in their friendly at St George's Park on Tuesday.

White scored England's first two goals before Lucy Bronze made it three before the half-hour mark.

- Stream LIVE games and replays on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

Manchester City forward White's third on 49 minutes was set up by Jill Scott, on loan at Everton from City, who was making her 150th appearance for her country.

Rachel Daly added a fifth on 67 minutes before an Ella Toone penalty completed the scoring with 15 minutes left to play.

Scott was given the captain's armband for the occasion and thanked usual skipper Steph Houghton for the honour.

"Massive thanks to Steph [Houghton] for letting me have the captain's armband today," Scott told BBC Sport after the match. "She's made so much effort to make sure it was a special day for me."

Before the game. Houghton had called said Scott, 34 is a "legend" of the game.

"She is a legend in my eyes," Houghton said. "I would have her in any team I play in.

"She has been one of the best midfielders in the world and has shown that consistent level of performance so I'm full of admiration for her."

Ten Australia Women internationals have confirmed their availability for the inaugural season of the Hundred, with the ECB "hopeful" that they will be joined in the competition by a handful of India players.

Nineteen of the 24 overseas slots in the women's Hundred have now been filled, after eight new players were announced on Tuesday: Alyssa Healy, Nicola Carey (Northern Superchargers), Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning, Jess Jonassen (Welsh Fire), Sophie Molineux, Annabel Sutherland (Trent Rockets), and Rachael Haynes (Oval Invincibles).

Eleven Australia, New Zealand, West Indies and South Africa players had previously been confirmed: Elyse Villani (Trent Rockets), Sophie Devine, Ashleigh Gardner (Birmingham Phoenix), Deandra Dottin, Chloe Tryon (London Spirit), Mignon du Preez, Lizelle Lee (Manchester Originals), Dane van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp (Oval Invincibles), Amelia Kerr and Stafanie Taylor (Southern Brave).

While recruitment for the men's Hundred involved a retention stage and a player draft, the women's competition is running on an open-market system, with players and teams allowed to negotiate contracts directly.

The ECB remain optimistic that some Indian players will be involved in the competition. While the BCCI does not grant No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for active men's players to appear in overseas leagues, India's leading female players have previously appeared in the Kia Super League (KSL) - which has now been discontinued to make way for the Hundred - and the Women's Big Bash League.

ESPNcricinfo understands that Indian players are keen to be involved in the competition, but that they are waiting on approval from the BCCI. Four India internationals - Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma - were involved in the KSL between 2017 and 2019.

"We're in conversations with the BCCI," Beth Barrett-Wild, the head of the women's Hundred, told ESPNcricinfo. "We're hopeful that we'll have some of the Indian women's players playing in the Hundred this summer. We've had some very positive conversations with them. Our relationship with the BCCI is important and I'm hopeful that we'll get those deals over the line."

Barrett-Wild said that the competition's organisers saw the involvement of several leading Australian players as "a big vote of confidence".

"Obviously there's a level of uncertainty with the Covid situation, but we've got a brilliant team hooked into government who are making sure we're on top of what's happening," she said. "It's really difficult to know where we'll be in July but those overseas players have all signed their contracts, so fingers crossed they will be over here in the summer.

"It shows that these players want to play in the Hundred and see it as a big opportunity, both from a playing perspective and in terms of their personal visibility. We talk about world-class quality and the Hundred being a world-class competition, and I can categorically say that we've got the best players in the world coming."

Teams have also confirmed the signings of several English players. Deals for Sophie Ecclestone (Manchester Originals), Bryony Smith (Welsh Fire), Alice Davidson-Richards (Northern Superchargers), Sarah Glenn (Trent Rockets), Sophia Dunkley (Southern Brave), Mady Villiers (Oval Invincibles), Georgia Elwiss (Birmingham Phoenix) and Tammy Beaumont (London Spirit) were all announced on Tuesday.

Additional reporting by Annesha Ghosh

Mustafizur Rahman has said that he will be available for Bangladesh's two-match Test series against Sri Lanka in April, if selected. Rahman had been picked up by the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2021 auction for his base price of INR 1 crore, and the tournament is expected to clash with the Sri Lanka series.

Both Tests that the two teams are scheduled to play are part of the World Test Championship, and they will also play an ODI Super League series in May.

With the Bangladesh Cricket Board having allowed Shakib Al Hasan to miss the Tests against Sri Lanka after he had requested to be allowed to do so, there was speculation about whether Rahman, too, would follow suit. However, Rahman said he was putting his Bangladesh commitments ahead of his IPL ones.

"Country comes first for me. I will play Tests if the team management selects me," Rahman told reporters on Tuesday, shortly before Bangladesh were to depart for New Zealand for a white-ball tour.

"If I am not selected, I will take BCB's advice. I spoke to the BCB president, who has left the decision to me. If they let me play the IPL I will, otherwise I am choosing to play for the country."

Shakib's decision also led to the BCB saying they would add clauses in central contracts where players would have to specify their availability.

Rahman was part of the XI for the first Test of Bangladesh's recent series against West Indies and not the second. He has played only 14 Tests in all since making his debut in mid-2015 - less than half of the 30 Tests Bangladesh have played in the same period. Consequently, his selection for the Test squad is not a given, unlike Shakib's.

However, the BCB hadn't given Rahman an NOC for last year's IPL. Two years before that, he was reprimanded by the board for not reporting an injury he picked up in IPL 2018, while playing for Mumbai Indians.

"There's no pressure to play in the IPL or for Bangladesh," Rahman said. "It is not new for me. I have forgone IPL in the past to play for the country. I am thinking along similar lines this time too.".

In his last IPL stint, Rahman played for Mumbai in 2018, taking seven wickets in seven matches at an average of 32.85 and an economy rate of 8.36. He had much more success with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous two seasons, although he featured in just one game in 2017. In 17 matches for Sunrisers overall, he collected 17 wickets at 26.16 and an economy rate of 7.14 - his figures somewhat spoiled by his solitary outing in 2017 in which he bowled 2.4 overs for 34 runs without picking up a wicket.

Lateral flow tests and vaccination certificates could be used to accelerate the return of spectators to cricket, according to Lancashire chief executive, Daniel Gidney.

While Gidney celebrates the recent roadmap out of lockdown as "the best news" he's had "in a very, very long time", he hopes the game can find a way to work with government to facilitate a return of crowds ahead of current guidelines.

For example, under the plans outlined by Boris Johnson on Monday, full houses will not be permitted before June 21 and there will be, in theory, no crowds at all before May 17.

But with the County Championship season starting on April 8, it is possible for six rounds of action to have taken place before a spectator is admitted to the ground. And with the T20 Blast campaign, which is so vital to cashflow in the domestic game, starting on June 9, counties could be missing out on some lucrative fixtures due to restrictions which will see a maximum of 25 percent capacity allowed to attend before June 21.

As a result, Gidney - and some of his fellow chief executives - are looking at ways to demonstrate to government that hosting spectators in cricket grounds is every bit as safe as allowing customers into non-essential shops or beer gardens, both of which are scheduled to be permitted from April 12.

To that end, it is likely there will be a request for the government to accept early-season matches as 'pilot' events, during which counties will attempt to demonstrate they can safely deal with the return of spectators. The MCC and Warwickshire, who host the Tests against New Zealand at the start of June, may well ask for similar dispensations. At present, both venues are likely to be limited to 25 percent capacity.

"There is a group of CEOs, including me, who are on a return-to-crowds group coming up with practical low-risk solutions," Gidney said. "If you have 500 people going into a store - or 500 in a massive beer garden - how is that different to 500 watching in a cricket ground?

"Also, if we have 500 members coming in, we can do lateral flow testing in the car park with a 30-minute turn round for the results and you only come in with a negative test. Coupled with the fact that demographic [county members, who are typically older people] are likely to have been vaccinated, I will be asking 'what is wrong with that approach?'.

"I want to be able to get members back watching County Championship cricket in April. Not in huge numbers, but we need lots of pilots, so we don't rush in blind on May 17."

Gidney's desire to see spectators return is understandable. Lancashire's turnover dropped from around £34 million in 2019 to around £16 million in 2020. As well as all employees - including players - accepting a 20 percent pay cut, the club was also obliged to make seven compulsory redundancies.

And while he says he has been "blown away by the love and support" of the county's members - many of whom donated their 2020 fees to the club rather than requesting a refund or a rollover of their membership - Gidney is aware their patience will be tested if they are forced to sit out another six rounds of Championship cricket.

In one way, at least, the relative age of most county members might be advantageous with all over-50s in England likely to have been offered a first vaccine, at least, by mid-April. Gidney hopes that proof of vaccine might be utilised by county clubs as a condition of safe entry.

"In terms of vaccine passports, the messaging from the ECB, which came from government, is that this is a no-no," Gidney says. "It's seen as politically unacceptable.

"But the travel industry is already moving in this direction. SAGA holidays, for example, have announced that you can't go on cruises unless you demonstrate that you'd have a vaccine. And Emirates airline were one of the first to insist on a negative PCR test within 72 hours of take-off. There you have private companies which have set out a policy for booking.

"So ultimately this won't be the domain of national governments. The travel industry has really been leading in this area."

While the T20 Blast will start before full-house attendances are allowed - at Emirates Old Trafford, capacity will be around 21,500 in 2021 - Gidney is not currently in favour of any changes to the domestic fixture schedule. While some county CEOs are keen to explore the possibility of swapping County Championship fixtures in July with T20 Blast fixtures in June, Gidney believes it could create as many issues as it resolves. ESPNcricinfo understands there will, however, be meetings held throughout this week to explore the issue.

"I'm very excited," Gidney said. "People are desperate to get out and watch cricket and desperate to experience live events. People talk about the Roaring Twenties after the First World War; I genuinely believe we're going to have the same again.

"There's something like £250 billion of savings in households, because people just haven't been spending any money. We've got to find a way as the events and sports industry to give them a way they can spend some money to watch live events and live sport.

"We showed last year we can get people playing cricket safely. That was our K2 to climb, now we've got our Everest. After speaking to a number of other CEOs, we're really up to this challenge and we want to find a way of doing this safely and as quickly as we can."

The India women's team are set to play their first game in a year since the Women's T20 World Cup final on March 8, 2020. They will face South Africa women in a series of five ODIs and three T20Is in Lucknow, beginning on March 7.

The series was originally supposed to be held in Thiruvananthapuram, but the Kerala Cricket Association informed the BCCI about its inability to host the games as the ground has been "made available to the Indian military for a recruitment drive, without the KCA's prior knowledge", and it doesn't have a venue with "appropriate broadcast facilities".

The Karnataka Cricket Association was touted to then host the games in Bengaluru, but the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association confirmed in a press release on Tuesday that all eight games would take place at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

India's and South Africa's squads for the ODIs and T20Is haven't been announced yet.

Both the teams will arrive in the city on Thursday (February 25), and are expected to go into a bio-secure bubble. The five ODIs will take place first, on March 7, 9, 12, 14 and 17. Both sides will undergo three Covid-19 tests before the series, and two additional ones thereafter. The fourth round of testing is scheduled for March 10 after the second ODI, while the final round will take place on March 16, the eve of the final ODI.

The three T20Is will then be held on March 20, 21 and 24.

ESPNcricinfo understands that the Indian players have been told by the management to do their first round of Covid-19 testing.

The only competitive cricket that the Indian players took part in during this period was the Women's T20 Challenge held in the final week of IPL 2020, in Sharjah in November 2020. In the past year, a tour of England scheduled in July 2020 was cancelled, while a tour of Australia scheduled for January 2021 was deferred.