BRISTOL, Ind. – The Reveal The Hammer Outlaw Super Late Model Series will make its debut this year at tracks in Michigan and Indiana.

The series will contest a seven-race schedule hosted by five Upper Midwest facilities located in the heart of Outlaw Super Late Model country.

Throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, Outlaw Super Late Model racing has a large following. In the past, the area has supported a traveling series as well as several weekly programs. The concept of the Reveal The Hammer series is the brainchild from a group of well-respected individuals, Donny Klotz, Rich Mersereau and Jeff Vochaska, all with deep roots in the motorsports world.

“For over a year we have worked hard to create a series that will welcome both the traveling teams as well as those that support their local race track,” said Mersereau. “I believe we have a formula that will maximize the number of entries at every event on the schedule.”

The events will feature practice and qualifying that will set the field each night with either a 75 or 100-lap feature. The rulebook will be very similar to what previous series have used with Jeff Vochaska serving as tech director at each event. The purses will be designed to reward not only those at the top, but those that run and complete the feature each night out.

The series is not just about holding races. Reveal The Hammer looks to work with the tracks and its participants to create an online community that will attract racers and fans as well as sponsors. The use of social media combined with livestreaming each event will be key elements to the group’s marketing plans.

Several established teams have committed to participate in the series, including the Roahrigs, the Bozells, Steve Needles, Brandon Short and Adam Terry to name just a few. Look for weekly series regulars to be part of the seven race series as well.

Even though the Upper Midwest is currently in the middle of a polar vortex, the racing scene will be much hotter this year with the addition of the Reveal The Hammer Outlaw Super Late Model Series.

2021 Reveal The Hammer Outlaw Super Late Model Series Schedule

May 8 – New Paris Speedway – New Paris, Ind.
May 15 – Anderson Speedway – Anderson, Ind.
June 9 – Berlin Raceway & Entertainment Center – Marne, Mich.
June 11 – Birch Run Speedway & Event Center – Birch Run, Mich.
Aug. 7 – Berlin Raceway & Entertainment Center – Marne, Mich.
Aug. 28 – Auto City Speedway – Clio, Mich.
Sept. 11 – Birch Run Speedway & Event Center – Birch Run, Mich.

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – In his switch from UMP Modifieds to late models, performance is the key to the path Kyle Strickler takes.

With two consecutive World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series wins and the current points lead, that path couldn’t have been more clear.

Strickler, 37, from Mooresville, N.C., has signed up to run the full World of Outlaws tour this year behind the wheel of his No. 8 Longhorn Chassis for PPC Motorsports.

Initially, he and the team were going to run a Rocket Chassis on the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model tour, but the performance wasn’t there. Strickler was uncomfortable in the Rocket, proven by his best finish of 21st in the first nine races with Lucas – three of which he didn’t transfer to the feature.

The idea of a change came during the World of Outlaws Late Models’ Sunshine Nationals season opener at Volusia Speedway Park in January. Strickler, behind the wheel of his familiar Longhorn Chassis, finished third in the first race and then won the second – his first series win in his 11th start. He also left the Sunshine Nationals as the series points leader.

Before the start of the 50th DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia, Strickler and the team decided to make the switch. They traded their Rocket Chassis for Longhorns and signed on the dotted line to try and run the entire World of Outlaws Late Model tour.

“It’s a performance-based industry,” Strickler said. “So yeah, we signed up for the deal… We leave this week running top-five in points or leading points, we’d be stupid not to follow the whole tour. The Outlaws have been absolutely awesome to us and have treated us great. It’s a performance-based deal. It’s a business decision. Craig (Sims, owner of PPC Motorsports) and I will talk it over, but yeah, we’re hopefully going to stick on this deal and see how things go.”

The Pennsylvania-born driver backed up his decision Wednesday night during the World of Outlaws’ first DIRTcar Nationals race of the week. Strickler fell from fourth to eighth on the initial start but fought his way back up through the field to claim his second consecutive win and extend his points lead. He’s currently 34 points ahead of 2019 Rookie of the Year winner Ricky Weiss.

“This is probably one of the most favorite wins of my career right now,” Strickler said in victory lane.

While he picked up the win, that race also reminded him that the transition from modifieds – which he’s raced for the past several years and won numerous races in – to late models still holds a challenge. He spent all of last week behind the wheel of a DIRTcar UMP Modified. It wasn’t until Tuesday that he climbed back behind the wheel of a late model.

“It’s tough,” he said about the transition. “I wish I would’ve ran that first day (with the DIRTcar Late Models on Monday) because I would’ve been able to transition into it. But then our stuff was still fresh yesterday and ready to go for the first Outlaw race. It’s really tough. You drive them completely different. I got in this thing the first day and drove down into the corner and tried to slow up and keep traction in it and guys went by me on both sides. I went from second to fifth in the first Heat. I wasn’t going to do that again.”

Running for a championship is another new transition for him, too. He’d never done it before. Now, he’ll have to learn how to points race and practice consistency each week if he’s to keep his points lead.

“I’ve come a long way as far as my mindset going into the night,” Strickler said. “Podiums, wins, win you championships and gives you good points finishes. We’ve got to make sure we’re there at the end. And we’re not a little Modified team. We’ve got a great owner that can provide us everything we need for going down the road. We’re going to need all the spares and parts it takes to do this. The tours are a lot of long races. You’ve got to be prepared to do it.”

Along with running for the championship, Strickler will also run for the Rookie of the Year title against an already stacked rookie class. He joins Ross Bailes, Ryan Gustin, Tony Jackson Jr., Parker Martin and Ryan Scott in the battle. Currently, Gustin is his closest competition, sitting eighth in points.

There are three more chances this week for Strickler to keep his winning streak going and further his points lead. Then, when the DIRTcar Nationals concludes, he’ll run the final three Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series events at the end of February. He currently sits second in points in that series – 17 points behind Chris Madden. Soon after, the World of Outlaws season will continue on March 5 at Duck River Raceway Park.

So far, two wins and the points lead with the World of Outlaws have made him happy with his decision.

“That definitely makes it good,” he said. “Makes it really good.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Charlie Kimball will make another attempt at the Indianapolis 500 as the NTT IndyCar Series race winning driver returns to A.J. Foyt’s team in May.

Kimball, who drove to victory in the 2013 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio for Chip Ganassi Racing, will compete in two races for A.J. Foyt Racing. He will also compete in the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on May 15 and the 104th Indianapolis 500 on May 30.

Kimball will drive the No. 11 Tresiba Chevrolet and will partner with longtime sponsor, Novo Nordisk, for the 13th consecutive season.

“I am excited to once again represent Novo Nordisk and the diabetes community and to join A.J. Foyt Racing for the month of May,” Kimball said. “I have never run at Indianapolis without Novo Nordisk and to be able to return this year with the support of the legendary A.J. Foyt, Larry Foyt, and everyone at A.J. Foyt Racing, will certainly be special.”

For the month of May, Kimball will be part of a three-car effort from the Texas-based team, partnering with Sebastien Bourdais in the No. 14 Chevrolet and Dalton Kellett in the No. 4 Chevrolet. Kimball ran the full 2020 season with Foyt and closed it out by finishing eighth in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“It’s awesome to have Charlie and Novo Nordisk back for the month of May,” said Larry Foyt, president of A.J. Foyt Racing. “They were both great to work with throughout the challenges of 2020, and I’m glad we can continue the program. Charlie is focused on producing great results, and we are working hard to put the best group together for success.”

In 155 races, Kimball has posted six podium finishes, and an additional eight top-fives. He has finished in the top-10 45 times and has led 163 laps.

“Over the last 13 years, Charlie Kimball and Race with Insulin have become an important part of Novo Nordisk,” said Chip Amrein, lifecycle management and connected care lead. “We are pleased to join A.J. Foyt Racing for both the Indianapolis Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 this year and to continue supporting Charlie as an ambassador and inspiration within the diabetes community.”

INDIANAPOLIS — Are you still being held hostage by your cable or satellite company?

This isn’t a commercial, as I don’t really have anything to sell (except maybe a racing book or two, but that’s a subject for another column). But as the broadcasting landscape for racing continues to change, it has required motorsports viewers to change with it.

We continue to hear from race fans who apparently don’t realize that they now have more options than ever when it comes to watching motorsports on TV.

Networks such as MAVTV continue to reach millions of Americans through traditional television carriers such as cable and satellite providers. However, a vast amount of racing programming is being produced and distributed today through internet streaming, which is a different technology than traditional television.

Full disclosure: I serve as a pit reporter on a number of racing events produced by Lucas Oil Studios in association with MAVTV.

A great many race fans are already enjoying this new technology and are streaming live races nearly every night of the week via streaming services such as SPEED SPORT.TV, MAVTV Plus and DIRTVision. However, many race fans are apparently struggling to figure out how to access this new programming.

Many longtime race fans continue to lament that they can’t watch networks such as MAVTV because it isn’t offered through their cable or satellite provider. They’re upset because DISH, or Comcast, or whomever doesn’t carry MAVTV.

Frankly, it’s time to quit complaining and do something about it.

Does your home have access to high-speed internet? If the answer is yes, you can get MAVTV Plus (a streaming service offered by MAVTV) and a host of other streaming services. (If your home does not have access to high-speed Internet, you’re probably still a prisoner of traditional cable and satellite, unfortunately.)

Next, you’ll need a device to bring the programming into your home. Some newer Smart TVs have apps built in; otherwise you’ll need a ROKU, Amazon Fire Stick or similar streaming device. These devices range in cost from $25 to $80; hook that baby up to your TV, connect it with the internet and you are in business.

Yes, the various streaming services charge subscription fees. But the days of free, over-the-air sports programming are rapidly coming to an end, particularly in short-track racing.

If all of this seems confusing, here’s a suggestion: Enlist the help of a teenaged neighbor or grandkid, and they will probably have you set up and ready to go in a matter of minutes.

The point is this: You have to take action to make this happen. Carriers such as DISH and Comcast will never carry the wide range of motorsports content found today on streaming services. It’s just not going to happen.

It isn’t necessary to ditch your existing cable or satellite service. You simply need to add the components that will allow you to access streaming services such as SPEED SPORT.TV or MAVTV Plus.

Don’t be intimidated by this new technology. It isn’t nearly as complex as it might sound. Frankly, many of my old-school friends have figured out how to subscribe and they are loving the concept of streaming.

Is streaming just as good as attending a race live? In my opinion, no. There is nothing that can duplicate the joy of sitting with your friends at the race track and sharing the experience. But the next best thing is tuning in to your favorite track or series, via your streaming subscription.

A subscription to SPEEDSPORT.TV costs $14.99 a month or $134.99 for a year and gives you access to thousands of short-track races, including late models, modifieds and sprint cars on both asphalt and dirt. SPEED SPORT affiliates produced more than 1,300 live streaming races last year.

We’ve reached a new day in terms of watching racing on TV and in many ways it’s a golden era. Don’t let your cable or satellite provider cause you to miss out on all the fun.

CHICAGO -- The Columbus Blue Jackets activated goaltender Elvis Merzlikins off injured reserve Thursday.

Merzlikins, 26, had been sidelined by an upper-body injury since he got hurt during practice on Feb. 3. He is 2-2-1 with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in six games this season.

Columbus also recalled defenseman Andrew Peeke from its taxi squad ahead of Thursday night's game at Chicago.

Peeke, who turns 23 on March 17, was selected by the Blue Jackets in the second round of the 2016 draft. He made his NHL debut last season, finishing with a goal and two assists in 22 games.

The worst thing about the sports GOAT debate is that it's redefined one of my favorite terms in sports, which is "the goat."

It used to indicate the counterpoint to the "hero." It was the catalyst for defeat, the one who wears horns of shame and gnaws on cud while the champions drink champagne. I loved the goat. I miss that goat.

RIP "the goat." Long live "the GOAT."

The second-worst thing about the GOAT debate is that it's apparently now over, at least in the minds of many fans and pundits after Tom Brady won Super Bowl LV (thanks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense). Some are calling him the greatest athlete in sports, which is frankly an impossibility due to the existence of Serena Williams.

There is a difference between the GOAT of team sports and what Muhammad Ali, Serena, Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps and others have accomplished in their respective sports. It's not to say one feat is more impressive than the other. It's just to note the difference between the singular icon and the focal point of a collective.

Many are instead saying that Brady is the GOAT of team sports, which also doesn't work, because Wayne Gretzky is the GOAT of team sports, full stop.

Regular readers of this space know that I'm not some huge Great One fan. I think Mario Lemieux is the greatest hockey force ever unleashed on this planet. But if the task is to match Brady stat-for-stat and accolade-for-accolade, then we need Gretzky in this fight.

The great Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated spoke with Gretzky about Brady recently, and asked him point-blank: Would you say he's the greatest athlete in any team sport?

"Well, listen, what makes sports so great, is we all sit and debate who the greatest teams were or who the greatest player was or who is the best quarterback is or who is the greatest athlete. I don't know a lot about football, I never played it, but it'd be hard-pressed for somebody to tell me that somebody else was better than he was," said Gretzky.

Paraphrased translation: 'Yes, he is the greatest ... at football, I guess.'

When you lay out the case, Brady is the football GOAT, but Wayne Gretzky is the GOAT of team sports. Here's a breakdown of Gretzky vs. Brady.

MLS expansion side Austin FC has signed midfielder Tomas Pochettino as a designated player, the club announced on Thursday.

Pochettino, 25, joins forward Cecilio Dominguez as the team's DP signings. Dominguez, a Paraguay international, moved to the club in August of 2020.

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"Tomas is a player we've monitored for almost a year now, and we're excited to have landed him," Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff said in a team statement.

Wolff added that Pochettino has "very good qualities to the way that we want to play, he's an attack-minded midfielder, has very good dynamics in and around the penalty box to combine and to shoot from distance."

Pochettino came up through the Boca Juniors academy before making his debut for the Buenos Aires giants in 2015. He spent the past three seasons as a standout for Argentine top-division side Talleres.

"He's very intelligent, in finding spaces in the final third, and in passing. His runs off the ball are very smart. He's a team player, he's very responsible as well on the defensive side, and with him being positioned in the middle of the field, that's important," Austin FC sporting director Claudio Reyna said.

After alleged racist abuse led to a Champions League game being stopped, UEFA opened disciplinary cases against two Romanian match officials on lesser charges on Thursday.

Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir refused to continue playing on Dec. 8 because they believed fourth official Sebastian Coltescu had racially insulted the Turkish club's assistant coach, Pierre Webo, who is Black. Television footage showed Coltescu in a conversation with the other Romanian match officials saying "negru," the Romanian word for black, to identify Webo.

The game was completed 24 hours later with a different set of match officials brought in from the Netherlands. Romanian media reported on Thursday that UEFA concluded Coltescu did not use the word in a racist or discriminatory way. UEFA later said proceedings were opened against Coltescu and second official Octavian Sovre for "a potential violation of Article 11 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations."

That relates to "general principles of conduct," including action that is "insulting or otherwise violates the basic rules of decent conduct." Racism is dealt with under a different section of the rules and UEFA gave no date for a hearing.

The match between the two sides was suspended until the following day after players from both sides walked off the pitch following the incident. The match resumed at 12.55 p.m. ET (6:55 p.m. Paris time) with a new set of officials the next day, and PSG won 5-1.

After the match was halted, PSG tweeted: "Any form of racism goes against the values conveyed by Paris Saint-Germain, its president, its staff and its players."

French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu supported the players' decision to walk off the pitch.

"Tonight, athletes took a historic decision in the face of an attitude they deemed unacceptable," she wrote on Twitter at the time. "An expression of ordinary racism."

Following the incident, Webo told BBC Sport: "We are now going to have the day before Dec. 8 and the day after. It will be remembered.

"It was a tough day, very tough. It's very stressful, I saw the doctor to give me some pills to sleep.

"I don't want people to focus on me... it will be a shame if I'm remembered for this. I'm ashamed of it, to be truthful. These two or three days have been the most difficult of my career."

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar has been ruled out for four weeks due to a hip injury and will miss the Champions League round-of-16 first leg clash with Barcelona at Camp Nou on Feb. 16.

The Brazil international came off injured during PSG's 1-0 victory over Caen on Wednesday and test results the following day showed the extent of the damage.

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"Neymar suffered an injury to the left abductor on Wednesday evening," a PSG statement read. "On analysis of the clinical examination and imaging examinations, he will be unavailable for approximately four weeks depending on the course."

Exactly four weeks from the night he suffered the injury would bring Neymar to March 10, which is when the return leg between PSG and Barcelona and Parc des Princes takes place.

Neymar left Barca for PSG in the summer of 2017 in a world record €222 million transfer and this would have been his first return since then.

He was instrumental in the last meeting between the two sides in the Champions League, when Barca recovered from a 4-0 first-leg deficit to win the return 6-1. Neymar, then at Barca, scored two and provided the assist for Sergi Roberto's stoppage time goal which sealed a memorable comeback.

He was also instrumental in the last meeting between these two sides in the Champions League with Barca recovered from a 4-0 first leg defeat to win the return 6-1 with Neymar scoring two and providing the assist for Sergi Roberto's stoppage time goal which sealed the famous win.

PSG, who were beaten finalists in last season's Champions League, will already be without the injured Angel Di Maria for the Barca game, who injured his thigh last Sunday against Marseille.

Neymar will also miss league matches against Nice, AS Monaco, Dijon and Bordeaux. PSG are third in Ligue 1, three points behind leaders Lille

Bangladesh's 2020-21 domestic season hinges on the BCB's Covid-19 vaccination programme, with officials hopeful that they can get at least the main tournaments underway. According to Akram Khan, the head of the board's cricket operations, cricketers bound for the white-ball tour of New Zealand later this month could be vaccinated before they depart, while the rest of the domestic players will follow thereafter.

Having purchased 30 million doses, the Bangladesh government started its nationwide vaccination programme on February 7. The government had listed "national players" among the first groups to be vaccinated, but the BCB said last month that they themselves plan to buy vaccines for everyone involved in domestic cricket, including male and female cricketers, coaches, and umpires. Akram was hopeful that as soon as the BCB can roll out their programme, the domestic season will just take care of itself.

"We have held two tournaments successfully during this tough time, but club cricket is going to be more difficult," Khan said. "A lot of matches will be held in a number of venues. The BCB president had earlier said that we would try to acquire the vaccine as soon as possible. We don't want to be at risk. Maybe we will vaccinate the national team players who will go [to New Zealand], and follow it up with the others and start domestic cricket as soon as we can."

The main domestic competitions in Bangladesh are the National Cricket League (first-class) and the Dhaka Club Cricket system that has the Premier, First, Second and Third Division leagues. The top priority at the moment is the incomplete 2019-20 Dhaka Premier League.

"We will try our level best to hold the important tournaments during this season. [The length of the 2019-20 DPL] will depend on the vaccination. If we get [the vaccine doses], we will have the whole league," Khan said.

But there is another problem. With the top players being involved in Bangladesh's tour of New Zealand from February 24 to April 1, followed by the Test series in Sri Lanka that must be held within April to make the World Test Championship cut-off date, it is uncertain how many of them will even be available to play the DPL.

As it stands, the 2020-21 Dhaka league competitions cannot be held without the completion of DPL 2019-20 due to promotion and relegation of clubs.

Khan, however, said that they are mindful of the financial difficulties of most professional cricketers in the country, which is why they are looking at all options.

"We are not only thinking about the Bangladesh team. Our board president is aware that many of our cricketers are in financial problems. We are trying to organise all the tournaments, and since we have Tests coming up, we must look at longer-version cricket too."