MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Kyle Busch Motorsports announced Monday that Parker Chase will make two starts behind the wheel of the organization’s No. 51 Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this year.

The 19-year-old driver will make his Camping World Truck Series debut Feb. 19 at the Daytona Int’l Speedway Road Course. The Texas native will also compete May 22 at Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, Texas, when the series visits the 3.41-mile, 20-turn course for the first time.

Primary sponsorship for the Daytona Road Course event will come from Vertical Bridge, the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure and locations in the United States, while Tige Boats, the world’s leading innovator, designer, and manufacturer of wakesurfing, wakeboarding, and waterskiing boats, will adorn the hood of Chase’s Tundra at COTA. The paint schemes for both races will be based off designs that are featured on current Tige Boats models.

Chase, an up-and-coming sports car driver who is competing full time in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge this season, was a teammate of KBM owner Kyle Busch on the AIM Vassar Sullivan No. 14 entry that finished ninth in the 18-car GTD class in the 2020 Rolex 24. He earned a top-10 finish in his ARCA Menards Series debut on the Daytona Road Course in 2020 and earned top-10 finishes in both of his late model stock car races at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway last year. In 2018, Chase and co-driver Ryan Dalziel, captured the Pirelli World Challenge GT SprintX Pro/Am Championship.

“I’m really looking forward to making my NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Debut at the Daytona Road Course this week,” Chase said. “KBM is a race winning organization and I am hoping to put my experience at Daytona to good use in their equipment. I have been able to spend some time working with the guys in the shop in preparation for these events and we are ready to get started. Vertical Bridge and Tige Boats have come on board to support the effort and I am ready to represent them at Daytona and Circuit of the Americas.”

“Not being able to get any actual practice time prior to making his first Camping World Truck Series start isn’t an ideal situation for Parker, but he put the effort in to come to North Carolina a few weeks ago. We were able to get him some time on the Toyota Racing Simulator, and he was also able to do some live pit stop practice,” said Mardy Lindley, crew chief of the No. 51 Tundra team. “He’s got some experience on the Daytona Road Course the last few years, the ARCA Menards race last year where he ran inside the top five for a lot of the race before finishing 10th. We’re confident that he can have a solid run and be right in the mix for us on Friday, and then we will build on that at COTA when there will be practice and qualifying before that race.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The first race for Spire Motorsports as a two-car operation saw the team place two cars in the top 10 at the finish of Sunday’s 63rd running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

The No. 77 Chevrolet wheeled by 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray and the No. 7 driven by Corey LaJoie finished eighth and ninth, respectively.

“Great way to start the year with our Spire Motorsports Chevy team,” LaJoie said after his fourth career top-10 finish. “You always want to be in position to contend for a win, but to finish ninth in my first race with the team is exactly what we set out to do. Good start in points and we’ll continue to get stronger over the course of the year.”

McMurray’s top-10 finish was unexpected after he was involved in a multi-car crash on lap 14. His No. 77 Chevrolet sustained major damage but following a lengthy red flag period for a storm that drenched the track, the Spire Motorsports team repaired his car and get him back out on track two laps down.

McMurray, who was making his first Cup Series start since 2019, was able to get both of his laps back thanks to a caution for a crash on lap 39 and the caution at the end of stage one on lap 67. After getting back on the lead lap, McMurray was involved in another accident on lap 113, but managed to avoid any major damage and continued on.

Prior to the Daytona 500, Spire Motorsports had only earned one top-10 finish in the team’s history, which was the rain-shortened victory earned by the team and driver Justin Haley in 2019 during the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

• While Bubba Wallace failed to put his No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota in victory lane on Sunday, he still made a bit of history.

By leading the 129th lap, Wallace became the first African American competitor to lead a lap during the Daytona 500. Wallace was taken out of contention when he was forced to make a late pit stop for a loose wheel, dropping him a lap down to the rest of the leaders.

Wallace, who had to start at the rear of the field after his car failed pre-race inspection, finished 17th after being involved in the last-lap crash in turn three as the field raced toward the checkered flag.

• One day after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series opener, Austin Cindric turned even more heads with an impressive display in his first NASCAR Cup Series race.

Cindric was near the front of the field throughout the Daytona 500, even leading two laps near the midway point of the race in the No. 33 Team Penske Ford. He finished 15th after he was involved in the last-lap crash that included Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski.

Sunday’s Daytona 500 is one of approximately five NASCAR Cup Series races Cindric is expected to compete in this year as he prepares for his promotion to NASCAR’s top level in 2022.

• A number of drivers earned their best finishes in the Daytona 500.

In addition to race winner Michael McDowell and runner-up Chase Elliott, other drivers to earn their best Daytona 500 finishes included Ryan Preece (sixth), Ross Chastain (seventh), Cole Custer (11th), Christopher Bell (16th), Joey Gase (20th), Cody Ware (21st) and Quin Houff (29th).

• Thirteen drivers led laps during the Daytona 500. Denny Hamlin led the most laps at 98 while Bell (32), Joey Logano (26), Kevin Harvick (17), Kaz Grala (10), Austin Dillon (seven), Elliott (three), Cindric (two), Kyle Larson (one), Custer (one), Wallace (one) and Alex Bowman (one) also found their way to the front.

Race winner McDowell led only one lap, but it was the most important one. It was the third time in five years the Daytona 500 winner led only the last lap.

• Race winner Michael McDowell’s 358 starts before his first Cup Series victory are the second most in series history. Michael Waltrip won the 2001 Daytona 500 in his 463rd start.

• Sixty-two-year-old Derrike Cope, who made his final Daytona 500 start for Rick Ware Racing, made it only three laps before his race ended in a crash. Cope won the 1991 Daytona 500.

• Seven of the top-10 finishers drove Chevrolets. Race winner Michael McDowell was one of two Ford drivers in the top 10, while Denny Hamlin finished fifth as the only Toyota driver in the top 10 at the checkered flag.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has hit back at rumours suggesting he could walk away from the club and said he is ready for the challenge to turn things around.

Klopp conceded the 2019-20 Premier League champions were out of the title race this season after they suffered a 3-1 defeat at Leicester City on Saturday.

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Liverpool have lost three consecutive league matches and sit 13 points behind leaders Manchester City, who have a game in hand.

There were reports that Klopp could leave the club but he was defiant at his news conference ahead of Liverpool's Champions League clash against RB Leipzig and said his team are prepared to respond to their critics.

"Did I get the sack or did I leave by myself? Neither," he said. "I don't need a break. Privately, we had a tough time, that was a much longer time already and we always deal with it as a family 100%.

"I am 53 -- I have worked in football for a long time and I can switch off. I don't carry things around. Nobody has to worry about me.

"I am full of energy, honestly. I see it as an interesting challenge. We will sort it by playing football, we will sort it by fighting with all we have. That's the plan.

"At the moment, a lot of people are not happy with the results. I get that, but I am responsible for that. It's a massive challenge. I'm ready, the boys are ready, and we will give our absolute everything to sort it."

After the Champions League tie, Liverpool face Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield on Saturday as they seek to remain in the top four places.

Following the defeat at Leicester, Liverpool fans unveiled a banner at the club's stadium giving their support to Klopp and he said he was pleased to receive their backing.

"We do this for the people. I feel the responsibility so much when things don't go well," he added. "We do it for the people.

"The majority of our people are still -- and even more -- so with us. I would prefer to fight this fight with our people in the stadium."

Klopp also confirmed that Naby Keita will miss out on the chance to face his former side on Tuesday due to an injury.

Meanwhile, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson also laughed off suggestions that Klopp could leave and said the players needed to perform better.

"The manager is really good in situations like this," he told a news conference. "In adversity the manager is the one we listen to the most. He is always there for us as players. He tries to protect us as much as possible.

"But deep down we know as players we take full responsibility and it's down to us to go out on the pitch and change this tough period that we are going through.

"I don't think I even need to comment on something like that [Klopp exit talk]. Someone is sitting behind a keyboard making rumours up about the manager and players in the dressing room. It's not true."

Henderson backed teammate Thiago after his tough start to life at the club. The Spain international suffered an injury in October during the Merseyside derby and has failed to score or assist a goal since his move from Bayern Munich.

"He has been brilliant since he has come to the club," he added. "Everybody knows how good he is and he is a world-class player. He leads by example and we learn a lot from it. He knows Leipzig more than anyone so he can help us over the next 24 hours."

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite has said that sweeping Bangladesh at their own turf is an "amazing" achievement, especially having been on the receiving end of such a defeat, back in 2018 when Jason Holder had pulled out due to an injury. This time, it wasn't just Holder who was missing, but a whole host of West Indies top players decided not to tour Bangladesh, which left the reins for Brathwaite.

The young side was no match for Bangladesh in the experience column, but when it mattered, they took control of the Tests in Chattogram, where they won by three wickets after staging a late comeback, and in Dhaka, where they clinched the 17-run win in the fourth day.

"We lost 2-0 the last time we were here so to win 2-0 this time is pretty amazing," Brathwaite said. "Winning away and sweeping the home team is truly amazing. We will never forget it. The future looks bright. We have to stay strong as a team, and keep the same attitude. This series was amazing.

"We knew what we faced with all the Covid stuff that was going around. We stuck to the batting and bowling plans. This was among my top career achievements. I enjoyed every moment just being around this team, and it wasn't easy obviously in a bubble."

Brathwaite said that his biggest source of confidence of winning the series came when they scored 409 in the first innings in Dhaka, as six out of seven teams scoring 400-plus in the first innings in Dhaka have won. Even when West Indies only gave Bangladesh a 230-run target in the fourth innings, that confidence stayed with Brathwaite.

"Traditionally on this pitch, when you bat first and get a good total in Dhaka, you win 99% of the time. I was quite confident after the first-innings total. Obviously Bangladesh posted a good total as well. Pitch was still good.

"Yesterday in the field, we were confident we could defend 230. They made a good start that put us under a bit of pressure. I knew that once we got a breakthrough, I thought the wickets would have tumbled."

Brathwaite said that West Indies' discipline in the field handed them the advantage, particularly their catching, accurate bowling and batting partnerships.

"Bangladesh played well but in some stages we got the better of them which was kudos to our discipline as a team. We were disciplined especially in the second innings of the first Test. (Nkrumah) Bonner and (Kyle) Meyers batted for two sessions, which was quite crucial for us.

"I was confident all along. The key to winning is discipline. We took 17 catches in the Dhaka Test. We bowled to the fields, and from a batting point of view, building partnerships and putting runs on the board, I think we will continue to do well as a team," he said.

Brathwaite praised the newcomers Bonner, Mayers and Joshua Da Silva for showing fight in trying circumstances.

"All three were fantastic in the series. I am not surprised. Before the series started, I had a chat with Meyers and Bonner. They were hungry. Joshua showed fight in his first Test in New Zealand, and I knew he would come out fighting here.

"These guys wanted to represent West Indies, and made their families proud. They were all in the ODI team so their experience served them well. They were very motivated in the Test series to turn the table on Bangladesh."

Among his favourite moments during this series, Brathwaite recalled Shannon Gabriel's third-day spell in which he pounded Mominul Haque, Shadman Islam and Najmul Hossain Shanto with one bouncer after another. Brathwaite also remembered how Jomel Warrican kept saying he can take the last wicket in Dhaka.

"There isn't one favourite moment. Kyle Mayers scoring the double-century, the way Bonner batted, just looked so easy working the spin, Joshua showing the fight and Shannon's spell at the end of day three (in Chattogram). It was very inspiring.

"It was a whole team effort. The final moment, when Warrican took the last wicket. He kept telling me he will do it. That capped it off."

The heightened competition for places in the West Indies team has the potential to make them a stronger unit, says coach Phil Simmons. West Indies completed a remarkable 2-0 series sweep against Bangladesh while missing several first-choice picks, and Simmons said the result showed players couldn't take their places for granted.

West Indies lost the ODI series that preceded the Tests comfortably, but they battled hard to win both Tests, with several debutants and rookies putting in match-winning performances.

"As coaches and selectors, you want people to fight for their positions," Simmons said. "You want people you pick to know that they have to perform because there are people waiting to come in if they don't. That's when your cricket starts moving upward. Let's hope this is the start of the upward movement.

"It puts things in perspective that it is just not one or two players that can play this game. It gives us the opportunity to pick who is doing well. It also puts pressure on people to do well because there are other people who can come in. So it goes both ways. Nobody ever doubted the talent pool in the West Indies. It has always been high. It is just how it is being preserved and developed."

Simmons said that he was pleased with the hard work and attentiveness shown by the West Indies players in Bangladesh. "The work ethic and the ability to absorb information, given by the coaches, and try to put it together. I think the guys were completely open-minded about what we need to do to be good in the series. If you're good in the series, you have a chance of winning it," he said.

Simmons also praised offspinner Rahkeem Cornwall, who topped the wicket-takers' chart in the Test series. "I think he was outstanding. His ability to bowl long spells helped us in this series. His ability to put people under pressure and get wickets.

"It was good to see that he got 14 wickets in the series with so many experienced spinners in the other team."

But while pleased with West Indies' performance overall, Simmons also wanted improvement in all facets.

"I think we need to improve on all areas," he said. "We still need to score 400 runs consistently. We still need to be able to apply pressure when we are bowling. We leaked a lot of boundaries in this Test. We caught 17 catches but we dropped six or seven of them. There's improvement (needed) in every aspect."

Middlesex have announced the signing of Mitchell Marsh as their second overseas player for this summer's T20 Blast.

Marsh had signed for the club ahead of last season, but his deal was cancelled on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. He is their second overseas signing for the Blast, alongside Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

A Middlesex release said that Marsh will be available for the whole of the Blast's group stage, though he could miss some games if selected for Australia's limited-overs tour against West Indies.

In 2019, Middlesex qualified for only their second T20 quarter-final since winning the competition in 2008, though they struggled to cope with the combined absences of Paul Stirling, Dawid Malan, AB de Villiers and Eoin Morgan last summer, winning three games, losing five with one tie and one no-result.

"It will be great to have a player like Mitch in our squad for the T20 Blast this year," Stuart Law, Middlesex's head coach, said.

"On the field, he provides experience, power and aggression, while off the field, [he] will be great in a team environment and will add to the change in the dressing room we are after. We look forward to welcoming Mitch later in the year."

"I'm thrilled to be joining Middlesex again, a club with such rich history," Marsh said. "I can't wait to get over and join my team-mates and hopefully win some silverware for the club."

Wesley Barresi, a staple of the Netherlands batting order throughout the 2010s, has retired from all forms of cricket at the age of 36. Barresi was one of the national team's most unsung heroes for his role in numerous memorable wins over Test nations, and took to social media to formally end his career.

"I've been incredibly privileged to not only participate in three cricket world cups, represent a country and achieve some memorable feats but more importantly I've had the pleasure of doing this for 18 years!" Barresi posted over Twitter on Monday. "The world of cricket doesn't quite understand the sacrifice, dedication and self motivation that goes into being an 'associate cricketer'. I look back at some of those glorious memories and know we did it all on our own."

Born in Johannesburg, Barresi made four first-class appearances for the Easterns in 2004 and 2005 before making his national team debut for Netherlands against Canada in Rotterdam in July 2009. He wound up making 18 first-class appearances in the ICC Intercontinental Cup for them, scoring 608 runs.

Barresi had a much better output in limited-overs cricket. He ended his career as the all-time leading scorer for Netherlands in List A cricket with 2871 runs in 109 matches with two centuries and 19 half-centuries. He made his ODI debut in July 2010 against Scotland at World Cricket League Division One on home soil.

A few weeks later, Barresi played arguably his most significant ODI innings, scoring an unbeaten 64 of 43 balls to clinch Netherlands' first ODI win over a Full Member when they chased down a target of 200 with seven balls to spare to defeat Bangladesh in Glasgow. His lone ODI century came in January 2014, a match more infamous in Dutch circles for the stunning chase completed by Kenya that kept Netherlands out of the knockout stage of the 2014 World Cup Qualifier and ended their ODI status for the next four years.

Ironically, Barresi's only other List A century came in the match that won ODI status back for Netherlands, an eight-wicket win over Namibia in the final round of the 2017 WCL Championship in Dubai.

However, the wicketkeeper-batsman may be best remembered for his pivotal role in a pair of triumphs at the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. In an epic win over Ireland that secured a place for Netherlands in the main draw, Barresi scored 40 not out off 22 balls to chase down 190 in just 14 overs with six wickets in hand. Ten days later, he top-scored with 48 off 45 balls as Netherlands completed an emphatic 45-run win over England, sending a message that their win over the same opponents at Lord's to open the 2009 tournament was no fluke.

Barresi is one of only three Netherlands players - along with Ben Cooper and Stephan Myburgh - to score more than 1000 runs in T20 cricket, racking up 1165 runs in 65 matches. He took a particular liking to British and Irish competition. Aside from his knocks to help defeat England and Ireland in 2014, his four highest scores in T20Is all came against Scotland. That included a career-best 75 not out in November 2013 in Abu Dhabi during an eight-wicket win in the knockout phase of the T20 World Cup Qualifier, a result that kept Netherlands alive before a win over Papua New Guinea secured their place in Bangladesh for a historic run a few months later.

His final appearances for Netherlands came in the summer of 2019 against Zimbabwe. He scored 39 not out to see his team over the line by seven wickets for their first ODI win against Zimbabwe and scored 22 two days later in his final ODI innings in another win over Zimbabwe. He then scored 8 and 4 in the two T20Is that followed, another Netherlands win before a tied match was claimed by Zimbabwe in a Super Over.

Having given up the wicketkeeping role to Scott Edwards a year earlier to play as a specialist batsman, Barresi lost his place in the Netherlands squad altogether following his lean form in the Zimbabwe T20Is. He was dropped for the four-match T20I series against UAE later in the summer of 2019 and was unable to secure a recall into the squad for the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifier in the UAE, where they defeated PNG in the final.

"It's been a tough decision to make and a sad one to accept but I find myself at peace with my decision now," Barresi wrote in his retirement post.

Quinton de Kock will sit out of South Africa's domestic T20 competition, which starts on Friday, on medical advice. De Kock has been given a mental health break and will aim to be ready for the Pakistan white-ball series at home in April.

"On medical advice, Quinton will be on a break for a few weeks. The South African Cricketers Association and Cricket South Africa (CSA) will continue to support him through this process," Andrew Breetzke, SACA CEO told ESPNcricinfo.

This season has been particularly taxing on de Kock, who took on the responsibility of captaining the Test team in a temporary capacity, along with leading the white-ball sides, being the first-choice wicketkeeper in all formats and among the senior-most batsmen. His form took a significant dip and he only scored 74 runs in six innings as captain, after being moved to the No.5 position in the Test line-up, further adding to his burden.

The effects of living in biosecure bubbles also appear to have taken their toll on de Kock. In January, he described the environment as "unsettling," and spoke about the scarcity of time at home over the summer.

Since September last year, de Kock has been involved in several bubbles, from the IPL to South Africa's white-ball series against England (which was interrupted by Covid-19 concerns and ended early) to the festive-season Tests against Sri Lanka and the recently completed trip to Pakistan. South Africa were due to go directly from the bubble in Pakistan to a home series against Australia, but the indefinite postponement of that three-Test series means that de Kock will have some time off.

On Monday, CSA's director of cricket Graeme Smith confirmed that all nationally contracted players will be obliged to play in the domestic T20 competition and the four-day matches which will follow in March. De Kock and Faf du Plessis are the only exceptions. CSA have yet to make a decision about whether the contracted players have to remain at home for the Pakistan series, or will travel to the IPL for the start of the tournament, expected to be in mid-April. The Pakistan series runs from April 2 to 16.

The voters in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll are lined up with the committee that will select the NCAA Tournament field when it comes to which five teams are the nation's best.

Agreeing on the order beyond that isn't as simple.

Top-ranked Gonzaga and No. 2 Baylor remained atop Monday's latest AP Top 25, where they have been for all 13 polls this season. And after Illinois rose one spot to No. 5, that put the top of the AP poll in sync with the initial rankings of the top 16 seeds released Saturday by the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee.

Among teams that didn't lose last week, AP voters were a bit higher on No. 7 Virginia (seeded ninth), No. 9 Oklahoma (12th), No. 11 Iowa (13th) and No. 12 Texas (15th) following wins that came later Saturday. In addition, Alabama rose three spots to No. 8 in the AP poll to pull closer to the committee's seeding of seventh overall shortly before the Crimson Tide scored 115 points in a win over against Georgia.

Sixth-ranked Houston (seeded eighth) didn't play after the committee released its rankings.

THE TOP TIER

Coach Mark Few’s Bulldogs received 59 of 64 first-place votes in the new AP Top 25, while Scott Drew’s Bears claimed the other five. Next came three straight Big Ten teams, starting with No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Ohio State as the other No. 1 seeds in the selection committee's rankings.

Illinois climbed to the top 5 for the second time this season, the other coming in late November, for the program's highest ranking since reaching No. 1 during the 2004-05 season. The Illini dipped to No. 22 by January but have won five straight, including against Iowa and No. 21 Wisconsin.

RISING

No. 14 Creighton had the week’s biggest climb, jumping five spots after a weekend win over Villanova. The Bluejays have won six of seven since a Jan. 20 loss to Providence.

No. 11 Iowa climbed four spots after a pair of Big Ten wins, first against a ranked Rutgers team at home. Then came Saturday's 30-point win at Michigan State, the worst home loss in coach Tom Izzo's tenure with the Spartans.

In all, 11 teams climbed from last week’s poll.

SLIDING

No. 20 Missouri took the biggest tumble, falling 10 spots after losses at Mississippi and at home to Arkansas in Southeastern Conference play last week. The Tigers had cracked the top 10 last week for the first time since December 2012.

No. 15 Texas Tech fell eight spots after losing at home to No. 13 West Virginia, while No. 10 Villanova fell five spots after its loss to Creighton.

STATUS QUO

Beyond the top four, No. 18 Virginia Tech, No. 21 Wisconsin and No. 22 Loyola Chicago also remained in their positions from last week.

WELCOME

Kansas' streak-breaking absence from the AP Top 25 was a short one.

The Jayhawks fell out of last week’s poll for the first time in 12 years. But they immediately beat a ranked Oklahoma State team to start the week, then added two wins over Iowa State to jump back in at No. 23.

Kansas was one of three new additions to this week’s poll, joined by No. 24 Arkansas and No. 25 San Diego State. It marked the Razorbacks’ first appearance since January 2018, while the Aztecs spent two weeks in the poll in December.

FAREWELL (FOR NOW)

Oklahoma State (No. 23), Purdue (No. 24) and Rutgers (No. 25) fell out of the poll.

CONFERENCE WATCH

The Big 12 led the way with six ranked teams after having a national-best five teams in the NCAA selection committee’s rankings. The Big Ten was next with five ranked teams, while the SEC had four and the Atlantic Coast Conference had three.

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Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap