Olympic medallist and European 400m champion answers your questions and talks sunglasses, dream teams and more!

Martyn Rooney, Britain’s Olympic 4x400m bronze medallist, European 400m champion and multiple world 4x400m medallist, is the latest guest on our new Ask The Athlete series.

Rooney answers your questions about his dream 4x400m team and race, why sunglasses are so important, the best piece of advice he’s ever received in athletics and so much more.

Have a read of some of his answers below and then enjoy the full 30-minute episode.

You’ve competed at so many championships and international events, which has been your favourite meet/venue and why? 

“This is really tough as I have been doing it since I was 18. I’ve competed at a lot of stadiums at a lot of championships but I think my favourite is the Bird’s Nest in Beijing. For me it’s perfect. I think there are quicker tracks out there but I though the whole environment, the architecture, the way it looked made me exited and pumped up to walk in there.

“Just the way you feel like you’re in a cauldron and you keep looking up and up and the people are on top of you. London you just feel it goes out and out but Beijing you just felt like you’re in with the crowd. I also love competing at Brussels so that and Beijing are my two favourites.”

Why do you wear sunglasses? 

“For me as a kid I was never, and it might be hard to believe, cocky! I was quite shy, a bit of an introvert, and I learnt to be this athlete who was a bit arrogant and when I saw other people wear sunglasses I was like, that’s a cocky person over there. It just really started by accident where I raced in Beijing at the world juniors and I couldn’t see in the heats so my sponsor gave me some sunglasses and I was like, ‘this is amazing’.

“It just gave me a whole new mentality from being this nervous kid to being confident, block everyone out and I’ve stuck with it ever since. In the final I didn’t wear them and I didn’t run that well so I’m also a bit superstitious about it. When I raced indoors for the one and only time last year I feel I might’ve run a bit better if I had the glasses on! So it’s definitely just a superstitious thing for me now.”

You toyed with the idea of stepping up to the 800m a few years ago, why did you ultimately not make that change? 

“As a kid I was an 800m, 1500m and cross country runner who just dropped into pole vault or long jump or whatever for my club. I really just stumbled into the 400m and kind of got stuck in it. I had goals, that I wanted to break the European record and win medals at an international level and I thought I had the best opportunity to do that in the 400m.

“Why didn’t I step up to the 800m? Probably because I was just so focused on my goals in the 400m. For a couple of years the 800m wasn’t the strongest event and people were satisfied with 1.45s and 1.46s but you look at the talent there now like Daniel Rowden, Guy Learmonth and Jake Wightman, Kyle Langford and the rest and to be a British middle-distance runner is exciting right now so I’m just going to enjoy it from the outside.”

If you could choose an ultimate 400m race to compete in, who would be in the other seven lanes? 

“Iwan Thomas would be one, I never had the opportunity to race against him. Wayde van Niekerk 100%, he’s an unbelievable athlete, likewise Steven Gardiner. Kirani James is in and you can’t help but love the guy. He’s beaten you by a second or half a second and he comes over and is like, ‘thanks, it was an honour to race against you’ and you’re dying inside! Wayde is exactly the same and I really enjoy being around those guys.

“Myself, that’s four. Andrew Steele is sneaking in and I’d chuck Karsten Warholm in as well. I love him, just a fan. Finally, I’d say Fred Kerley. I’m lucky enough to have raced against all of them apart from Iwan but he’s been brilliant for me in my career. Anyway, I diverse.”

Your dream team 4x400m, limited to guys you’ve been in relay teams with. Doesn’t have to be the fastest guys on paper, just three guys you want out there in the mix. 

“I’d always put Rabah Yousif first. I think in 2015 he did an amazing job and I’d love to have that Rabah on first leg. Second leg is quite a tough one between Delano Williams and Dwayne Cowan. Delano in Rio ran 44 flat and the way he did it was like if he was a pro and had been doing it for years. He just schooled people like Chris Brown and Jonathan Borlée, and with Dwayne we wouldn’t have won a medal in London without him. I’m going to go for Delano as the guys he took out was incredible.

“Third leg is Tim Benjamin. Every day of the week. He really gave me the right advice in the right way when I went to Helsinki. It wasn’t soft and pansy, he drove me in the right way, kind of a telling off but it was what I needed. He was the British No.1 and he was so focused on a team medal which inspired me. Then I’d go fourth. That would be my strike four!”

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Novak Djokovic started the defence of his Australian Open title by dropping just six games in a dominant win over France's Jeremy Chardy in Melbourne.

Austrian third seed Dominic Thiem, German sixth seed Alexander Zverev and Australia's Nick Kyrgios also won.

But French 10th seed Gael Monfils broke into tears after being on the receiving end of the biggest shock so far.

There appeared little danger of world number one Djokovic suffering an upset on Monday once the draw was made - and so it proved.

Chardy had never won a set against the 17-time Grand Slam champion and it was another chastening experience for the 33-year-old.

Djokovic, who is aiming for a record-extending ninth title at Melbourne Park, hit cleanly and confidently in a one-sided win on Rod Laver Arena.

"There is an ongoing love affair with me and this court. I wanted to start off well," he said.

On what he also describes his favourite court, Kyrgios was at his entertaining best on John Cain Arena as he beat Portuguese qualifier Frederico Ferreira Silva.

The home fans watching on court enjoyed seeing the 25-year-old produce some fun and effective tennis - as well as some audible frustrations directed at his team - in a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win.

An audacious drop-shot winner from between his legs as he approached victory in the third set was a particular highlight and led to a standing ovation from the socially distanced fans.

On the atmosphere, Kyrgios told the crowd: "It was special, I'm super appreciative of you guys coming out and it felt normal. I hope we can continue it.

"I thought my level was pretty average, I've not played a Grand Slam match in over a year.

"I was nervous and knew I wouldn't be able to play anywhere near my best. I'm happy I got through."

Germany's Alexander Zverev overcame some early frustration to fight back and beat American Marcos Giron.

The sixth seed destroyed a racquet after failing to serve out the second set to level, but took the tie-break and won 6-7 (8-10) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-2.

Austrian third seed Dominic Thiem, last year's beaten finalist, started his bid to go a step better with a relatively straightforward win over Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin.

US Open champion Thiem needed a tie-break to clinch the opening set before taking control to win 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 6-3.

'I have zero confidence' - a tearful Monfils reveals struggles

French 10th seed Gael Monfils broke into tears after being on the receiving end of the biggest shock so far.

Monfils, 34, lost in five sets to 21-year-old Emi Ruusuvuori of Finland.

"I lost, I have zero confidence, I played badly," said Monfils, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist.

"I know that I have lost a lot and it hurts me. I would like to wake up and tell myself that this nightmare is over, but I don't know when it will stop."

Swiss 17th seed Stan Wawrinka, who won the title in 2014, made light work of Portugal's Pedro Sousa, winning 6-3 6-2 6-4 in one hour and 36 minutes.

Canadian 14th seed Milos Raonic also raced through his opening match, beating Argentina's Federico Coria in a 6-3 6-3 6-2 victory that was one minute faster than Wawrinka's.

Throngs of excited fans walking along the Yarra River in the summer sun turns into a hubbub of noise and colour inside Melbourne Park on the opening day of the Australian Open. In normal times.

Taking place in a country that has enforced some of the world's toughest restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, months of hard work and negotiations came to fruition when the first Grand Slam of the year started on Monday.

Tournament organisers revealed there were 17,922 visitors on an opening day when star attractions including Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were in action. In comparison, 64,387 passed through the gates last year.

Starting three weeks later than usual to enable players to quarantine, up to 30,000 fans are allowed on to the site each day.

The stands are not tightly packed like usual, though. People are sitting in socially distanced groups, mostly without masks, leaving large numbers of empty blue seats.

Fans are not craning necks and finding unusual vantage points to catch a glimpse of the action, they are instead following strict protocols and using some of the 800 hand sanitiser dispensers.

The outdoor concourses are not bubbling with the usual party atmosphere, either. Instead, it's click and collect for food and drink and QR codes for contact tracing.

Melbourne Park has been split into three zones to enforce social distancing, with a maximum of 10,000 spectators in each zone.

"There is so much space, no queues for the toilets or the bars. You can do all that and there are major seeds playing on the outer courts," said commentator Alison Mitchell, one of those at the venue.

"That has been the crazy thing about day one."

Mitchell told Tennis Breakfast on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra that crowds seemed to have increased for the evening session.

"There is a bit more bustle," she said. "But one of my friends - who had a day ticket for Margaret Court Arena - told me that he received a text saying if you have a day session ticket, you can enter the MCA night session free of charge.

"That tells you on day one they haven't sold out MCA for the night session, which also says all you need to know about Melburnians being nervous about coming in."

There has been a mixed reaction in Melbourne to the decision to go ahead with the Australian Open, with many locals worried about the Covid risks of so many players travelling to the area.

The tournament's delayed start means it is not taking place in the school summer holidays as usual. Mitchell says the fear of being contact traced - and subsequently having to do a 14-day quarantine - is also keeping people away.

"Melburnians are scarred. They've had it tough," she said.

While there might not be the buzz of previous years at the 'Happy Slam', the players are relieved to have any semblance of a crowd to play in front of after a US Open behind closed doors and a French Open limited to crowds of 1,000.

"I felt like there was more interaction than in New York because in New York it was just a generic crowd noise every point. This was more fun," 2019 champion Naomi Osaka said.

Asked about the vibe, Canada's Milos Raonic said: "If you're referring to the Australian Open last year, then it's quite different. If you're referring to the US Open, it's quite different as well.

"It was nice to see people rolling in and be able to come see tennis. I think people will get the confidence [to attend] once they sort of see the first few days go by."

One fan already undaunted was Boris Trbojevic, who travelled 1,700km from Brisbane to watch the tennis for a few days.

"It's a risk, but that's the way it is," the 30-year-old said. "Australia as a country has been doing great. Just one new case overnight, but it's one case out of 25 million people."

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell says Peter O'Mahony and Billy Burns will bounce back stronger after Sunday's Six Nations defeat by Wales.

Ireland were pushing for a decisive score when replacement fly-half Burns missed touch with the last kick of the game as Wales triumphed 21-16.

"Guys don't do these things on purpose," said Farrell.

The Ireland head coach said that O'Mahony was frustrated by his error of judgement and insisted his team still have plenty to play for in the tournament, beginning at home to France next week.

"Obviously he's gutted. It hampers the team and Pete's hurting at this moment in time," Farrell added.

"The players will feel sorry for themselves for a couple of hours then bring the best version of themselves tomorrow.

"Enough of us know about the Six Nations to know it is not won on the first day. We have a very good French side coming over next week and we will back ourselves against anyone in the Aviva."

Despite O'Mahony's red card, Ireland were ahead at the break thanks to 13 unanswered points through Tadhg Beirne's try and the boot of captain Johnny Sexton.

However, Ireland's error count increased after the break which allowed Wales back into the game through George North and Louis Rees-Zammit.

With the clock in the red, Burns attempted to put a penalty into the corner which would have provided the opportunity for Ireland to snatch an unlikely victory. But the Ulster fly-half missed his target and put the ball out of touch in the in-goal area with the last act of the game.

Farrell backed Burns to bounce back from his wayward kick: "I shook his hand, it is not the reason we lost the game, we've all missed touch at some time. The magnitude of it, he'll learn from it."

Farrell's side also suffered some injury issues in the defeat, with James Ryan and fly-half Sexton forced off for head injury assessments. However Farrell insists there is "not too much to be concerned about" for the France game in Dublin on Sunday.

The stadiums were closed to supporters on the opening weekend of the Six Nations - but the most important spectator was watching from the stands.

It is still not certain whether the Lions will be able to travel to South Africa this summer, but there is still hope the tour will go ahead in some form.

So who impressed on the opening weekend?

Steering the ship

Ireland's Johnny Sexton has proudly and admirably worn the number 10 jersey on the last two Lions tours, but the Irish stalwart will be nearing his 36th birthday when the Lions travel to South Africa, and Gatland will be considering alternatives.

The other two leading candidates at this stage went head-to-head at Twickenham on Saturday, and Finn Russell clearly came out on top in his Calcutta Cup battle with Owen Farrell.

Russell was influential as Scotland claimed their first victory at the home of English rugby since 1983, making seven carries and more metres off the boot (460) than any other player on the field. He also scored more than half of his side's points from the tee.

Farrell was surprisingly laboured as he struggled to release the hosts' potent backs, with former England full-back Mike Brown calling for the captain to be replaced by George Ford - who stands flatter to the gain line - in Italy.

Farrell has not played for Saracens this season and it's clear England's second highest points scorer of all time will improve as he regains his match sharpness, but it remains to be seen whether Gatland will favour his tried and tested pragmatic style or Russell's flair.

Meanwhile, Sexton's Ireland were beaten in Cardiff and he struggled to inject much impetus into their backline, albeit they played the majority of the game with 14 men. The experienced fly-half made more handling errors (two) than any other Irish player, while only Keith Earls and Conor Murray made fewer metres (37).

With 12 minutes remaining, and Ireland trailing 21-13, Sexton missed the chance to hand his side momentum by failing to reach touch from a penalty. His replacement Billy Burns suffered a similar fate in the final act, but this was far from vintage Sexton.

Opposite number Dan Biggar also had a quiet game as he missed the most tackles (three) in the Wales side.

The claim for captaincy

Alun Wyn Jones is a Wales colossus and his performance against Ireland was inspiring.

Unfortunately for Hugo Keenan, the veteran lock made three bone-crunching tackles, two of them on the Ireland full-back just minutes apart in the first half.

Playing his first game for two months after recovering from a knee injury, Jones made 25 tackles in total, with only Justin Tipuric completing more. Selection for the class of 2021 would be a fourth tour for the 35-year-old, but he continues to demonstrate his longevity at the highest level after lasting the full 80 minutes in Cardiff.

Scotland's Stuart Hogg will also be in the hat for captaincy after an excellent display from full-back. The visiting skipper made more metres (112) than any other player at Twickenham as he led his side to victory from the front.

He also broke the most tackles (eight) on the opening weekend.

Maro Itoje, yet to captain England but tipped to lead the Lions, was a shining light on a soggy night for England as he showed his commitment by charging down two Ali Price box kicks.

Farrell still remains a more than viable choice, as he played two of the three Tests against New Zealand in 2017 at number 12, so the experienced tourist provides another option even if he is not picked at fly-half.

Midfield contenders

In an ideal world, England's Manu Tuilagi and Wales' Jonathan Davies would pair up in midfield, but with both currently out injured, who could fill the void?

England handed a full debut to Ollie Lawrence at inside centre, but it was his opposite number and fellow debutant Cameron Redpath who impressed.

The former England Under-20 international, who rejected Eddie Jones' advances to choose Scotland, produced a performance that belied his years. Balanced running from 12 saw only Hogg make more metres for the Scots.

He's clearly short of Test match experiences, but former England scrum-half Matt Dawson said Redpath was "on the plane" if he "plays five games like he played on Saturday".

Meanwhile, experienced Wales and Lions wing George North moved inside to number 13 against Ireland. He also marked his 99th Wales cap with an impressive try as he spotted lock Iain Henderson in the green line before throwing the dummy and sprinting clear.

Ireland's Garry Ringrose did not deserve to finish on the losing side. Only team-mate and wing James Lowe made more metres than the outside centre (137) across all six teams, and his incisive lines and neat offloads (five) kept the Welsh defence honest, despite their numerical advantage after Peter O'Mahony was sent off.

The battle of the breakdown

The Scots never looked like losing control as they claimed that elusive win in England, and their tenacious performance was epitomised by lock Jonny Gray and flanker Hamish Watson.

The whole Scottish pack were relentless in their ball-carrying and work at the breakdown, forcing England to concede 15 penalties, but Gray made a team high two turnovers and 12 tackles, as Watson made 11.

Gray also carried the ball the most of any Scot (16), while Watson broke more tackles than any other visiting forward (four).

Billy Vunipola's most recent game was a friendly for Saracens against Ealing Trailfinders last month, and it showed at Twickenham as he failed to impose himself with ball in hand, while Tom Curry did not look quite as effective without his back-row partner Sam Underhill.

Both players have plenty of credit in the bank after playing a crucial role as England won the Six Nations and the Autumn Nations Cup in 2020, but they will be under the spotlight in the coming weeks.

In Cardiff, back row Tipuric was dominant at the breakdown and made an impressive weekend-high 29 tackles as Wales came from behind to beat Ireland.

The blue scrum cap seemed to be everywhere in the second half, and on this evidence, the two-time Lion looks likely to become a tourist again.

One to watch

As well as Redpath, another youngster who shone was Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit.

The 20-year-old produced a finish in the corner with a touch of class as he rode Tadhg Furlong's tackle in mid-air before grounding the ball with an outstretched arm.

The Lions are actually well stacked up with rapid wingers from the last tour, but another couple of tries like that, and Gatland will be forced to take note.

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Two of the biggest names in DIRTcar UMP Modified chassis building were shining bright on Gator Qualifier night.

Nick Hoffman, representing his own Elite Chassis brand, stood tall in Volusia Speedway Park Victory Lane with his 20th career DIRTcar Nationals feature win Sunday night in Gator Qualifier No. 2.

The first Gator Qualifier from the rained-out portion of Saturday night was contested immediately following the Sunday Qualifier and saw the return of a former DIRTcar Nationals champion to victory lane for the first time in 14 years.

Steve Arpin, representing Longhorn Modifieds by Loenbro Motorsports, was presented with his first Gator trophy as a DIRTcar Nationals feature winner after leading flag-to-flag in Gator Qualifier No. 2.

The top-10 finishers from each of the Qualifiers locked into Monday’s $5,000-to-win Gator Championship feature. The top-five will redraw for their starting spots before the feature Monday. Everyone else will be placed into a Last Chance Showdown event to try and get one of eight remaining spots on the grid of the big show.

Gator Qualifier No. 2 (Sunday’s program)

Nearly nine years ago, Hoffman captured his first Gator trophy at Volusia with a feature win, then an up-and-coming UMP Modified driver with no national championships, Summit Modified titles or Big Gators.

Sunday afternoon, he stood in Volusia victory lane after his third victory of the week in the 50th DIRTcar Nationals, now a favorite to win the Big Gator a sixth time.

On the track, it was another giant helping of Elite Chassis dominance, not only by Hoffman who led all 20 laps nearly unchallenged, but by many of Hoffman’s Elite customers. Four of the top-five drivers in the official finishing order are Elite pilots, including Hoffman himself, Garret Stewart, Matt Crafton and Justin Allgaier.

Hoffman now has a shot for the pole on Monday as he’ll be one of ten drivers in the redraw before the $5,000-to-win Gator Championship feature. Sunday’s Qualifier redraw could be a sign of things to come for the five-time and defending event champion.

“Tonight, I was on my game on the redraw to draw the one, and I think that was crucial just to get out and set the pace and control the race myself,” Hoffman said. “My stuff’s just really good when it cleans up like that.”

Regardless of where he starts, there’s plenty of time in the 30-lap feature to get it done from almost anywhere on the grid. He’s got the car, confidence in the seat and success in the history books on his side as he chases another coveted trophy that he comes to Florida every year in search of.

“[The Big Gator] is one of the most prestigious trophies in all of motorsports, and I’m lucky enough to have a bunch of them,” Hoffman said.

Gator Qualifier No. 1 (Saturday’s program)

The last time Arpin was in Volusia Speedway Park victory lane, he was a 23-year-old Modified ace who had just claimed his first DIRTcar Nationals championship on the back of five-consecutive feature wins. On Sunday night, he made a big trip down memory lane with a dominant victory in the second of two Gator Qualifiers.

“Honestly, I have never in my life had such a proud moment in my racing career,” Arpin said after the race.

Arpin, the Rallycross racer and Longhorn by Loenbro pilot, started on the pole after a heat race win and cleaned-up in the feature, leading all 20 laps for his first Gator trophy and first Volusia win since his event championship year in 2007.

Three of the top-six drivers in the feature finishing order were Longhorn by Loenbro cars, including Nick Allen and Mike McKinney who have been fast all week.

“To have these Longhorn by Loenbro cars just so consistently fast for our first time out, honestly, the only thing I’m more excited about than standing here is coming back next year,” Arpin said.

McKinney did try and swipe the lead from Arpin on one corner after a restart, attempting a big slide job as they dove into turn one. He was unsuccessful and later faded back to sixth, one spot out of the redraw.

The Longhorn by Loenbro bunch has been fast all week, notching several podiums, top-fives and top-10s. Arpin has been taking notice and expressed his gratitude for each of their new customers on the property.

“I remember when my dad was out here watching me in 2007, and I could just see it in his eyes how proud he was of me,” Arpin said. “I feel like that now watching Tyler Nicely, Brandon Green, all these guys coming out here.”

The finishes:

Gator Qualifier No. 2 (Sunday Program): 1. 2-Nick Hoffman [1]; 2. 25-Tyler Nicely [2]; 3. 67-Garret Stewart [11]; 4. 88-Matt Crafton [5]; 5. 7-Justin Allgaier [4]; 6. 11H-Spencer Hughes [3]; 7. 25W-Allen Weisser [13]; 8. 12H-Jason Hughes [8]; 9. 17X-Richard Michael [27]; 10. 6A-Ryan Ayers [9]; 11. 9-Ken Schrader [15]; 12. 8S-Kyle Strickler [12]; 13. OOD-David Reutimann [24]; 14. 51-Brandon Green [6]; 15. 21D-Danny Schwartz [29]; 16. 4T-Zeke McKenzie [20]; 17. 7D-Brad DeYoung [22]; 18. OO-Buzzie Reutimann [25]; 19. 77-Ray Bollinger [7]; 20. 11J-Justin Haley [10]; 21. 49-Brian Ruhlman [21]; 22. 22T-Tony Anderson [28]; 23. 2A-Matt Altiers [30]; 24. 6-Ryan Fowler [26]; 25. 24-Travis Dickson [17]; 26. T9-Ryan Thomas [16]; 27. 47-Collin Thirlby [23]; 28. 8A-Austin Holcombe [14]; 29. 80-Rich Dawson [19]; 30. 99-Hunt Gossum [18]

Gator Qualifier No. 1 (Saturday Program): 1. OOEH-Steve Arpin [1]; 2. 95-Michael Altobelli [7]; 3. 21A-Nick Allen [3]; 4. 45H-Kyle Hammer [8]; 5. 12L-Lucas Lee [5]; 6. 96M-Mike McKinney [2]; 7. 44-KC Burdette [18]; 8. 18L-Michael Long [10]; 9. 3L-Jeff Leka [24]; 10. K19-Will Krup [14]; 11. 45-Johnny Broking [30]; 12. O5-Dave Wietholder [6]; 13. 36-Kenny Wallace [13]; 14. 17T-Tyler Evans [21]; 15. 15B-Dave Baker [26]; 16. 15L-Joey Logano [20]; 17. 11N-Gene Nicholas [11]; 18. 5S-Curt Spalding [4]; 19. 6B-Dave Baldwin [28]; 20. 463-Daniel Sanchez [17]; 21. 97-Mitch Thomas [15]; 22. 12-John McClure [25]; 23. 88B-Chris Bolyard [19]; 24. 32-Chad Roush [22]; 25. 22K-Dale Kelley [16]; 26. 60-Shannon Fisk [29]; 27. 7T-Drake Troutman [9]; 28. 72-Todd Neiheiser [12]; 29. M41-Steve Maisel [34]; 30. 21J-Clay Harris [32]; 31. 35-David Stremme [23]; 32. O1-Earnie Woodard [27]; 33. O2-Chris Cook [31]; 34. 21-Taylor Cook [33]; 35. 27C-Billy Cevaal [35]

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Two laps was all that stood between Donny Schatz and his 300th career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win on Sunday night at Volusia Speedway Park.

The Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing No. 15 was cruising through traffic, he had led since the drop green flag waved and second was nowhere to be found. Then the unexpected happened.

His Ford Performance engine lost power and slowed to a stop with the white flag waiting for him on the other side. A trip to the work area quickly solved the issue, but it didn’t take away the dramatics of Schatz’s continued pursuit of 300, which will have to continue next week at Georgia’s Dixie Speedway on Feb. 12 and Talladega (Ala.) Short Track on Feb. 13.

“It was just a defective ignition box, that thing was brand new on this engine tonight,” Schatz said afterwards. “I actually thought we cut a fuel line for a minute, because I was getting wet, but it was the MSD. It is what it is.”

Schatz’s misfortune came to the benefit of Logan Schuchart, who inherited the race lead ahead of a green-white-checkered finish. His winning move actually came three laps prior on the 25th circuit, when Schuchart cleared Cory Eliason for the second spot after a torrid race-long battle.

“It took me forever to get by Cory after that long green flag run,” Schuchart said. “I glanced forward to look for Donny once I got to second and I couldn’t see him. He was really fast, but I still felt like we had a car to beat there at the end, especially if we could’ve got some traffic. It’s not something you want to see happen, you want to win the right away. It’s also part of the game, though. For years, they’ve set the bar as far as handling issues, limiting DNF’s, and stuff that saves you championships. It’s something we all strive for nowadays because of them.”

With two laps remaining and the lead thrown in his lap, the Shark Racing No. 1S pilot still had one final challenge to complete. Perfecting his launch off turn four to the SeaFoam Restart Zone, Schuchart instantly gapped the field and drove away to a 1.447-second victory over fellow Pennsylvanian Danny Dietrich.

Schuchart’s victory put the finishing touches on a near impeccable performance by the Drydene Performance Products crew at DIRTcar Nationals. In four events on the daunting Barberville, Fla., half-mile, the 28-year-old recorded runs of first, second, second and first. He secured his first career Big Gator Championship over title contender Brad Sweet.

“We had confidence coming down here, but when it pays off like this it means a lot,” Schuchart mentioned. “When your confidence is high, your team feels good, and you perform better. It definitely feels good doing this against the quality of cars we had here. The Outlaws are so stacked this year and we’ve got a lot of good invaders joining us. My grandfather’s dream is looking awesome. I’m really proud of this Shark Racing team.”

Following Schuchart to the stripe on Sunday night was Danny Dietrich, who set quick time at 13.919 seconds. Cory Eliason rounded out the podium aboard his Rudeen Racing No. 26 after starting on the outside pole.

David Gravel recorded his fourth consecutive fourth-place finish of the week by chasing that trio to the line in his Big Game Motorsports No. 2. Friday’s season opening winner, Sweet, closed out the top five with another consistent run for his Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts No. 49.

For complete results, advance to the next page.

BRACKLEY, England – The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team revealed Monday morning that reigning Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton would remain with the team for the upcoming Formula One season.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

A significant part of the new agreement builds upon the joint commitment to greater diversity and inclusion in motorsport that was made last year by Hamilton and Mercedes. This will take the form of a joint charitable foundation, which will have the mission of supporting greater diversity and inclusion in all its forms in motorsport.

“I am excited to be heading into my ninth season with my Mercedes teammates,” Hamilton said. “Our team has achieved incredible things together and we look forward to building on our success even further, while continuously looking to improve, both on and off the track.

“I’m equally determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue. I’m proud to say we are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport. I am inspired by all that we can build together and can’t wait to get back on the track in March.”

Hamilton has been a part of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team since 2013 and since then has become one of the greatest drivers in Formula One history. He’s captured six of his seven Formula One titles while racing for Mercedes and last year he became the winningest driver in Formula One history with 95 series victories.

“We have always been aligned with Lewis that we would continue, but the very unusual year we had in 2020 meant it took some time to finish the process,” said Toto Wolff, CEO & Team Principal. “Together, we have decided to extend the sporting relationship for another season and to begin a longer-term project to take the next step in our shared commitment to greater diversity within our sport. Lewis’s competitive record stands alongside the best the sports world has ever seen, and he is a valued ambassador for our brand and our partners. The story of Mercedes and Lewis has written itself into the history books of our sport over the past eight seasons, and we are hungry to compete and to add more chapters to it.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Gaunt Brothers Racing will keep Ty Dillon in its No. 96 Toyota Camry for the NASCAR Cup Series’ second race of the season on the Daytona Int’l Speedway road course on Feb. 21.

Dillon is already slated to compete for Gaunt Brothers Racing in an attempt to qualify for the 63rd Daytona 500 on Feb. 14. The 28-year-old from Lewisville, N.C., will attempt to make his 163rd career NASCAR Cup Series start upon qualifying the No. 96 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee Company Toyota Camry for The Great American Race.

The Daytona road-course race will be Dillon’s 11th career NASCAR Cup Series start on a road course.

“I really enjoy the challenge of road-course racing and I’m glad that I’ll be competing at the Daytona road course for Gaunt Brothers Racing,” Dillon said. “Ever since we announced that I’d be driving for them in the Daytona 500, I’ve been immersed with the team and Toyota. To be able to extend this relationship another week allows us to continue to feed off one another and apply all that we’re learning into on-track performance.”

Gaunt Brothers Racing plans to enter each road-course race this season, and the 14-turn, 3.61-mile layout at Daytona marks the first of seven road-course races on the schedule.

“It’s important for us to get a good start to the season and one of the ways we aim to achieve that is with consistency. Having Ty with us for back-to-back races gives us the opportunity to build on our learnings from one week to the next and apply them at the road course,” said Marty Gaunt, president, Gaunt Brothers Racing. “It’s obviously different disciplines going from a superspeedway to a road course, but the communication is the same. Ty brings youthful experience to our team and we want to maximize our time with him.”

On Feb. 28, Maddie Rooney will play at Madison Square Garden as part of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association Dream Gap Tour.

For the 23-year-old goalie, it's "an incredible opportunity" to play in New York City at the world's most famous arena. Unfortunately, her preparation for the game hasn't exactly been ideal. Since the pandemic wreaked havoc on our daily routines in March 2020, competitive action has been scarce. "To be exact," Rooney says, "since March 2020, I have played exactly seven periods of hockey. Those were at PWHPA scrimmages against local boys teams, high school teams and junior teams. Then at [national team] camp we played six games, but as a goalie I had to split that."

Compare that to the season prior when, as a senior at Minnesota-Duluth, Rooney was typically playing two games per weekend. The women's hockey landscape presents an exaggerated case, but lack of proper ramp-up time for goalies is a theme we're seeing across hockey, including the NHL in the 2021 season.

It's one of the reasons that explains why through the first month of the season, the leaguewide save percentage has been hovering around .900; excluding the lockout-shortened seasons in 1995 and 2013, the last time a save percentage was below .900 for the month of October (typically the season's first month) was 2005-06, when it was .894 while coming out of a season-long lockout.

A couple of stats help explain the slow goalie starts. Penalty kills are struggling (tracking for a league-wide worst first month total since 1985-86), and according to Evolving Hockey, shooting percentages are abnormally high (at around 8.5% at even strength, we're trending for the highest-single season rate since 2007-08). All of this comes after a significantly truncated training camp and the cancellation of all preseason games.

"The usual smoothness of getting into the game, just from my perspective watching the league, has been a little slower," says Jim Corsi, the longtime NHL goaltending coach who now oversees goaltending development for the Columbus Blue Jackets organization.

It's important to understand why live action is so critical to goalies as part of their training. "Game timing is a very different thing than practice or shinny hockey," says Ryan Miller, the veteran Anaheim Ducks goaltender. "In shinny hockey, guys are trying goofy plays, holding on to it, making extra passes. An NHL game tends to be more direct, more congested. Obviously there's great playmaking, but as a goaltender you have to stay inside of play, where you can reach some of those plays, make it challenging on a guy. You can't commit to the first situation so hard and give them something else."

Corsi said the hardest part of the game to adjust to after long layoff periods are "non-puck play."

"In a penalty kill for example, you're supposed to take a certain position if you're in the bottom of the circle and cut off a certain access portion of the net," Corsi says. "If you're just 6 inches off, guys will put that in."

In explaining why New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin was uncharacteristically struggling to begin the season, longtime NHL goalie and current NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes found some flaws in his positioning. "One thing that is different right now is he's allowing goals through his body," Weekes says. "Like [opponents are] finding holes, which most goalies in the NHL don't do -- unless you're going through a rough patch. But everyday NHL goalies don't allow them very often. For that reason, he looks smaller in the net, even though he's not a small guy. I think it's a confidence thing.

"I know from putting myself in the spot in terms of positioning, and you know you're in the right spot, and somehow the puck can find a hole. If that happens once, you shrug it off. If it happens two, three times, you start second-guessing yourself, and the next thing you know you're misplaying pucks that would hit you routinely in your body."

To compensate for the lack of proper preparations, goalies have been scrambling for extra practice time through the pandemic, which proved difficult amid sweeping lockdowns. "Some goalies can't find shooters because they are only allowed two people on the ice," Corsi says. "If you get one goalie, one shooter, after 15 minutes, the shooter is drained. And I have to stay on the bench, because there's only two people allowed on the ice."

Corsi has recommended some of his players to try to find outdoor ice. Recently, Corsi sent one of his pupils, a 17-year-old goalie, and his dad, to a local rink to practice. The police came by and shut them down. In that jurisdiction, wearing hockey equipment on the ice was banned, as a measure to prevent games.

Rooney lives in Minnesota where rinks were closed for a while during the pandemic; during the second half of the summer, fellow Team USA goalie Nicole Hensley flew out, and the two were able to split on-ice sessions with a goalie coach.

Because the Ducks were one of seven teams that didn't participate in the bubble, Miller last played an NHL game in March -- meaning his first game action this season came after a nearly 10 and a half-month layoff. The 40-year-old says he has tried "to find game simulation in practice" the best he can. "We have such a limited amount of practice, so you're just trying to find situations and take advantage of," Miller says. "Get on the ice early, be on the ice late. If the penalty killer or power play is doing something that would typically be kind of tedious, I stay around and take the reps."

Corsi saw the pandemic as an opportunity for goalies to embrace more visualization work. This is something he has believed in for a while, and something he thinks "should be a bigger part of what we've been doing."

In the Blue Jackets organization, they have challenged goaltenders to watch their own video of making a good or bad play and questioning, "Can you do something better?"

"A big part of it is to visualize, with imagery, and seeing yourself doing something; that can be really helpful," Corsi says. " Psychologists have shown you can go through this visualization and see yourself succeed; that's really valuable. That can get you less body stress and more mentally prepared so when the situation occurs on the ice, your head has already seen it, so your body will react without having to process it."

That's something Rooney has begun to embrace, too. In 2018, she helped Team USA to its first Olympic gold medal in 20 years. It was disappointing that last year's Women's World Championships were canceled, and the women are hoping the event will be staged again in March 2021. However, as Rooney enters her prime athletic years, she is doing her best to continue her growth, fighting off having the pandemic halt all her momentum.

She follows a lot of goalie schools on Instagram, where she finds new speed and agility drills. Although Minnesota gyms have been closed for long stretches during the pandemic, Rooney's boyfriend owns a gym, so she's been able to get in a decent amount of strength, flexibility and rehab training.

"I also incorporate three hand-eye coordination drills, with three racquet balls, and I got through a set of drills that I acquired from other goalies over the years -- through what they've posted on social media," Rooney says. "But a really big thing has been Vizual Edge, which is vision training. You wear these red and blue glasses, which mess up your typical vision, and it helps your tracking and overall vision."

Rooney has spent more time doing vision training than ever before. "COVID definitely allowed me to branch out to resources available to me that I wouldn't have necessarily put time toward in the past," Rooney says. "I'm interested to see if it will help with actual performance."

In this month's game at MSG -- which will pit Rooney's Minnesota PWHPA chapter against New Hampshire -- she knows it will take an adjustment to the game intensity. She's traveling to Florida before arriving in New York, where the PWHPA has arranged scrimmages against local boys teams (although Rooney is one of four PWHPA goalies in Florida for five scheduled games, so "who knows how much game action I will actually get," she says.)

"The U.S. team, and the PWHPA rely on a lot of behind-the-net play from goalies, and playing the puck," Rooney says. "I haven't been in those pressure situations with forecheckers on me in a long time. So making those quick decisions, that could be an area that might be challenging at first."

She's hoping the lag time won't be too bad.

"Honestly," she says. "I'm really excited just to play in a competitive game again. It's going to feel so good to be out there."

Jump ahead:
Three stars of the week
What we liked this week
What we didn't like
Best games on tap
Social post of the week

Emptying the notebook

1. Miller, whose contract with the Ducks expired this past summer, wasn't sure what his future held when the 2019-20 season was paused in March, 2020. He decided to treat that pause as a recovery. "I tracked down a bike," he said. "I rode along the trails and boardwalks in the area; I tried to stay active, but I also really tried to do minimal stuff. I had gone through so many years of little things popping up, I wanted to see how I would recover. I stayed away from the ice for about five months, which is the longest I've gone since I learned how to skate."

2. Miller ended up returning to the Ducks on a one-year, $1 million deal. I asked him if he had considered retirement. "For sure," Miller said. "The nature of what the league is like now, and that abrupt ending with no clear path forward, I didn't know how it would work out. I was trying to think about what else could happen. But after spending some time and reflecting, I wanted to give myself an opportunity to keep going if I could, and it worked out."

3. The 2020-21 Ducks season is all about transitioning to the youth. And so fans are getting a little impatient that 2019 first-round pick Trevor Zegras, a hero for the gold-medal-winning U.S. at this winter's World Juniors Championships, hasn't gotten an NHL opportunity yet. The 19-year-old Zegras shined in his AHL debut this week, scoring a goal and two assists.

Get Trevor Zegras into the NHL yesterday pic.twitter.com/sJjAhK0KrV

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) February 6, 2021

Miller said Zegras came to Anaheim early this summer, and the two skated together for a few months. I asked Miller for his impression of the prized Ducks prospect. "Talented player; easy-going demeanor where he wants to try anything, and he's not afraid to try anything," Miller said. "I think early on, he was trying to size me up, try to figure out how to score at a different level. He was definitely creative, he did a few things that were unexpected. But it was also fun to show him some of the things that came a little easy are not easy."

4. Auston Matthews has entered the MVP conversation. It's been a blazing hot start for the 23-year-old American, who has a league-high 10 goals in 11 games.

A couple of interesting notes on Matthews entering this season. First, it really feels like he's on the cusp of superstardom (which probably would have been achieved in the U.S. by now, if he were playing on an American team). This year, Forbes has Matthews topping the list of highest-earning hockey players, with a salary of roughly $13 millions and endorsements of $3 million. I asked around to a couple of people in the know, and folks found this list generally accurate, with some slight inflation or estimations here or there. There's plenty of room for Matthews to grow; Alex Ovechkin leads all hockey players, per Forbes, with $5 million in endorsements, a number which still pales to athletes in the NBA and NFL. The key for Matthews in 2022 will be how much he wants to put himself out there, because the marketing potential is there.

Another thing on Matthews: People keep discussing how quick he looks on the ice. This offseason, Matthews began working with Chicago-based trainer Ian Mack, whose workouts are body-movement based and focus on muscle elasticity and getting the body to move in concert. Patrick Kane began working with Mack ahead of the 2018-19 season -- and went on to score a career-high 110 points. That was Kane's age-30 season, and he also averaged a career high in ice time per game (22:29).

"I'm playing a lot more, but I feel pretty fresh every night," Kane told me in 2019, about his work with Mack. "I honestly think I feel better now than I did in my 20s. I really do."

Three stars of the week

David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins

Pastrnak surprised many by tying Alex Ovechkin for the goal-scoring lead last season. But after hip surgery this offseason, some people were suggesting the 24-year-old was a prime candidate for regression in 2021. It doesn't look that way, after he scored five goals (including a hat trick against Philly) in just three games this week.

Jeff Petry, D, Montreal Canadiens

He's been an underrated breakout star of the Canadiens' sizzling hot start. Petry has six goals in 12 games this season -- including four goals in four games this week -- which is tied for the most by any defenseman through 12 games over the last 20 seasons. That's all the more impressive considering Petry didn't score his sixth goal until Game 41 of the 2019-20 campaign.

Patrick Kane, RW, Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks have been more competitive than expected, and boast three legitimate Calder Trophy candidates. But it's still Kane leading the way. He had a terrific week, scoring three goals and six assists for nine points in three games (while averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time per game). That includes this assist on Sunday's overtime winner:

Patrick Kane feeds Alex DeBrincat, who scores overtime winner. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/pb4GvufuLQ

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 7, 2021

What we liked this week

1. In his age-37 season, Duncan Keith is proving he's still elite in sass. After a two-game stretch this week where he recorded 10 shots (he typically averages only two per game) the defenseman told reporters: "Getting the Corsi up so you guys think I'm good."

2. It's been a strange start to the Pittsburgh Penguins' season, but a bright spot has been rookie defenseman Pierre-Oliver Joseph, who is making the most of a larger opportunity, thanks to a rash of blue-line injuries. Joseph -- whose older brother, Mathieu, is also getting a larger role in Tampa Bay this season -- has the highest plus-minus of any Penguins player this season (plus-5) and scored his first NHL goal on Saturday.

Talk about ripping your first NHL goal.

Congrats to you, Pierre-Olivier Joseph! pic.twitter.com/qenWMaIJ2q

— NHL (@NHL) February 7, 2021

"He's been excellent," teammate Jake Guentzel said. "It's been fun to watch, to be honest with you. His poise and how he handles himself -- how much confidence he has with the puck. That was a goal scorer's shot. ... To be part of a first goal is pretty cool."

3. I honestly did not know Justin Faulk had this in him. The former Hurricanes defenseman is off to a great start in his second season St. Louis, looking more confident now that he has a better defined role.

Justin Faulk embarrassing the Coyotes pic.twitter.com/Riwk3LmWwk

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) February 3, 2021

4. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Senators are shopping veteran Derek Stepan. While he was brought over (as part of a salary dump trade in Arizona) to be a veteran presence for a rebuilding team, I have total respect for management for understanding what is truly in the player's best interest. Hopefully they can work something out.

As I noted on @TSNHockey Thursday, Derek Stepan was excited to get dealt to the #Sens , but the reality of not seeing his family until May 8 make the situation difficult. The couple has three children _ including a newborn _ and a visit would require 14-day quarantine.

— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) February 7, 2021

What we didn't like this week

1. The Buffalo Sabres were forced to temporarily shut down their season due to a cluster of COVID-19 cases and exposures -- including coach Ralph Krueger -- and they were quite upset about it. The issue is mostly with the NHL league office and the New Jersey Devils and surrounds the topic of transparency.

According to Bob McKenzie, Sabres players contacted the NHLPA with concerns ahead of a game against the Devils on Jan. 30, where several New Jersey players had been put on the COVID-restricted list. Kyle Palmieri played on Jan. 30, then was added to the list the next day. It was an inflection point for the league, which has already seen Dallas and Carolina weather early-season outbreaks. Vegas has also had issues, while Minnesota and Colorado were forced to pause this week. The NFL's doctors reported they don't believe the coronavirus "crossed the line of scrimmage" this season, but it's unclear if that's the case in hockey -- which is inherently different because it is played indoors, with less ventilation. Detroit coach Jeff Blashill suggested this week he believes his team was infected by playing Carolina earlier this season.

The NHL will continue to follow the advice of its medical advisors. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly told me this week the league plans to layer in more rapid testing "as we go forward," which will help with the game-day lag we've been seeing in the PCR testing that manifested with the Devils-Sabres fiasco. The NHL and NHLPA have been working on securing more rapid tests -- with the understanding that even though the results are available in 15 minutes, which is great, there is a higher probability for false positives.

I've been told that several teams have had talks with their players to please continue to exercise caution. Even if bars or indoor dining are open in a team's home market, players are being advised to stay away, as well as to continue to limit social interactions. We'll see how this all shakes out.

The league has been committed to being adaptable. As many front office folks have mentioned over the past few days, pay more attention to team's points percentage, as well as teams in the same division completing around the same number of games, with the understanding that maybe not everyone is going to be able to complete the full 56.

2. This is a sad, sad stat:

It's been 464 days since a goaltender other than Jonathan Bernier won a game for the Detroit Red Wings and I'm honestly afraid that it may never happen again

— Prashanth Iyer (@iyer_prashanth) February 3, 2021

3. As Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl go, so do the Oilers. While it's been incredibly fun to see them dominate (McDavid has two or more points in seven straight games) it's concerning how much the Oilers rely upon them. For example, the duo played the final 5:45 of Saturday night's game against Calgary. Yes, there were some stoppages baked in there. But 5:45! That's Alex-Kovalev-five-minute-shift vibes. Just insane.

Top games on tap this week

Note: All times Eastern.

Thursday, Feb. 11: New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)

New Jersey gets back in action following its COVID-induced pause. Philadelphia, meanwhile, welcomes back Sean Couturier, the reigning Selke Trophy winner, back any game now. The No. 1 center had been out since he suffered a costochondral separation on Jan. 15, the second game of the season, but was activated off injured reserve on Sunday.

Saturday, Feb. 13: Carolina Hurricanes at Dallas Stars, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)

The Central Division has been unexpectedly competitive, especially at the top of the standings. In this two-game set, both playoff hopeful teams are jockeying for position in the standings.

Sunday, Feb. 14: Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins, 3 p.m.

It's the nationally televised game of the week. It's fitting this game is on Valentines Day, because there's nothing NBC loves more than playing up the battle between Sidney Crosby versus Alex Ovechkin.

Social media post of the week

This is the type of roast only a veteran coach could pull off. Lindy Ruff is a legend.

ICYMI: our coach is savage.pic.twitter.com/InKKphxlPu

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) February 1, 2021