WATERBURY, Vt. — After a one-year delay, the New England Late Model Challenge Cup is debuting this year — and it will be even bigger than originally planned.

American-Canadian Tour officials confirmed Tuesday that nine tracks have signed up for the first season of the series that will pit weekly Late Model racers from across the region in a summer-long battle for pride, glory, and some serious prize money.

The inaugural Challenge Cup was originally slated for the 2020 season before being pushed back a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The basic format remains the same, with registered drivers taking their 10 best eligible finishes at participating tracks towards the season-long point standings.

However, the scope of the program has grown tremendously during the one-year hiatus. Nine tracks from four New England states have signed up, nearly double the amount that were originally registered for 2020.

The increase in tracks also means an increase in the season-ending awards. A guaranteed minimum point fund of $14,000 has been posted for the Challenge Cup. The $100 registration fee for each driver will also be added to the point fund in full. For example, if 40 drivers sign up for the series, another $4,000 would be added to the point fund for a total of $18,000.

Should registration be on pace with the 2020 pre-pandemic numbers, the total point fund could exceed $20,000. A minimum prize of $3,000 goes to the overall winner. At least the top-10 drivers in the final standings will receive payouts.

Several big contingency and raffle awards have been posted, adding even more value to the program for racer. A Port City Chassis by Crazy Horse Racing will be raffled off at season’s end. To qualify for the chassis raffle, drivers must register by the deadline and attempt to qualify for at least 10 point-counting events.

ARBodies and Five Star Bodies are each awarding a $500 product certificate. Drivers who finish in the overall top-10 and have declared they are running an AR or Five Star body will be eligible for these raffles.

Drivers who register by the early-entry deadline of March 1 will also be entered into a Hoosier Tire raffle. Two randomly chosen entrants each receive two free ACT Late Model tires from Hoosier. ACT will also honor the tire awards of the 2020 pre-pandemic raffle winners if they register for this year’s Challenge Cup.

“This program is a huge step forward for weekly Late Model racing in New England,” ACT managing partner Cris Michaud said. “The Challenge Cup was one of the things we were most excited about in 2020 before the pandemic. Now, with nearly twice as many tracks on board plus some great contingency partners, it’s going to be even bigger for teams and fans.

“Weekly racers are the backbone of the sport, and it’s important to reward them for their efforts,” Michaud went on. “We’ve come up with a program that does so and which we think will boost car counts and action throughout the region.”

Four tracks from the original 2020 slate will return for the 2021 debut: Thunder Road Speedbowl, White Mountain Motorsports Park, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park and Seekonk Speedway.

Five other tracks have joined the Challenge Cup. Connecticut’s New London-Waterford Speedbowl will be the second Connecticut track. Furthermore, four tracks from the New Hampshire Short Track Racing Ass’n have signed up: Monadnock Speedway, Lee USA Speedway, Hudson Speedway and Claremont Speedway.

Any competitor at the four NHSTRA tracks must use the ACT Late Model rules option the organization has introduced for the 2021 season. In other words, cars need to be 100 percent ACT legal for drivers to earn Challenge Cup points.

All weekly Late Model features at participating tracks will be eligible for the Challenge Cup. Registered drivers can earn Challenge Cup points at any of the nine tracks. For example, a Thunder Road Late Model regular can also earn points at White Mountain, and a Thompson Speedway regular can also earn points at New London-Waterford Speedbowl or Monadnock Speedway.

A driver’s 10 best performances across all tracks count towards their NELMCC total.  Points will be awarded based on finishing position, car count, and cars passed. The full system is available at www.acttour.com/NELMCC.

Participating tracks are responsible for reporting results to the ACT offices. ACT Late Model Tour events and open events at these tracks are not eligible for Challenge Cup points.

The Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils played a game on Sunday in Buffalo. By Tuesday, the next week of games for both teams had been postponed, and 16 players were on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol-related absences list.

The Sabres were scheduled to fly to New York for a two-game series against the Islanders. That trip was delayed because of weather on Monday and then delayed on Tuesday because Buffalo did not have adequate time to complete COVID-19 contact tracing and testing protocols.

Later on Tuesday, the league announced that the Sabres' games were postponed through at least Feb. 8, including two games at the Islanders and two games at the Boston Bruins. The decision was made by NHL, NHLPA and team medical personnel, "who determined that more caution was warranted while the League continues to analyze test results in the coming days."

Along with those postponements, the Sabres announced that star winger Taylor Hall and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen had been added to the COVID-19-19 protocol-related absences list. Being on that list can mean anything from a positive test to required quarantine as a high-risk close contact.

A source told ESPN that Buffalo players were frustrated that Sunday's game was played at all, given the Devils' increasing number in the COVID protocols.

When the Devils and Sabres played on Jan. 30, New Jersey had four players on the COVID-19 protocol list. Before Sunday's rematch, winger Kyle Palmieri, who played over 18 minutes in the previous game, was added to the list.

"Sabres players and staff have been closely following and will continue to follow the COVID protocols as outlined by the NHL and the team's medical staff. Our organization will continue to work with the league and our medical team to ensure the health and safety of our players and staff," said the Sabres in a statement.

The Devils previously announced they had postponed games through at least Feb. 6, which included two games at the Pittsburgh Penguins and a Saturday home game against the New York Rangers.

There were 10 Devils players on the COVID-19 protocol-related absences list as of Monday. Despite goalie Mackenzie Blackwood coming off that list on Tuesday, it now stands at 14 players. Joining the list were forwards Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, along with defensemen Damon Severson, Ty Smith and Matt Tennyson.

Forwards Andreas Johnsson, Janne Kuokkanen, Michael McLeod, Kyle Palmieri, Pavel Zacha and Travis Zajac, who were already on the list. Also listed are goalie Aaron Dell (travel quarantine), defenseman Sami Vatanen (travel quarantine) and defenseman Connor Carrick, who left the team to be with his wife, Lexi, for the birth of their first child.

There have been 18 NHL games postponed because of COVID protocols this season, which started on Jan. 13.

Acushnet Company, the parent company for Titleist and Footjoy, responded to Tuesday's latest Distance Insights Project announcement by the USGA and R&A.

In its report, the USGA/R&A proposed changes to equipment manufacturers, including revised standards for how drivers and golf balls are tested for distance. It was the latter that Acushnet Co. CEO David Maher focused on in the company's stated response.

Statement in full:

Acushnet’s position is rooted in the belief that equipment innovation, while conforming to the rules of golf, has been a powerful force in the game and great contributor to its evolution and enjoyment at all levels of play. Equipment evolution, along with the increased athleticism of today’s competitive player, has helped to advance the game’s timeless and aspirational appeal. This was a cornerstone of our response to the governing bodies’ request for stakeholder participation prior to their issuing the Distance Insights Report in 2018.

Our initial response is focused on the proposed change to golf ball testing methodology which would represent a meaningful departure from the current Overall Distance Standard (ODS) which is fixed around a specific set of speed, launch and spin conditions mirroring the launch characteristics of the game’s elite player. Established by the USGA in 1976, the ODS has stood the test of time and has evolved over the years to take advantage of improved testing technologies and reflect updated player launch conditions.

The proposed consideration of a bandwidth approach, with launch angle between 7.5 and 15 degrees and spin ranging from 2200 to 3000 rpm disconnects the process from the elite player and introduces a wide range of complexities as it relates to golf ball design, manufacturing and conformance which we need to further research.

Acushnet looks forward to participating in this process and contributing our perspective which is informed by more than 80 years of experience designing and manufacturing conforming equipment and our daily interaction with thousands of golfers across the globe and wherever the game is played.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said his side showed a long-awaited glimpse of the "magic" they are capable of producing in a 9-0 thrashing of shorthanded Southampton on Thursday.

Anthony Martial scored a brace as seven United players collected goals after Saints midfielder Alexandre Jankewitz was sent off after two minutes.

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The win placed United level on points with Manchester City atop the Premier League table, and Solskjaer was pleased with the display after the match.

United 9-0 victory tied the record for biggest win in Premier League history. It came 15 months after Southampton lost by the same score line at home to Leicester City. The Red Devils were also part of a similar scoring difference when they beat Ipswich Town 9-0 in 1995.

"We shared the goals between the players. When the game starts like it does, it's always if you can get the first goal as we have seen so many examples of 10 men closing up shop and getting a draw," Solskjaer told BT Sport after the match.

"We've been waiting for them to show the magic and it was a night for them to go and enjoy it. We've not had many times where we could just enjoy the second half.

"You get lots of confidence from a performance like this, scoring goals is always good for a team."

Jankewitz -- making his first start for Southampton -- saw red after stamping on the thigh of United midfielder Scott McTominay while both were going for an elevated ball. Jan Bednarek was later sent off in the 86th minute after tripping Martial in the box.

On the first red card, Solskjaer said: "You don't see many of those tackles anymore. I'm glad Scott is well and he's got away with just a couple of bruises."

Marcus Rashford passed Eric Cantona on United's all-time goals list with his side's second of the night. While he was pleased by the number of goals scored, he was most excited about grabbing all three points.

"It's always good to score lots of goals and we're happy, it's three points we have needed, we dropped some points in the last few games and needed to get back to winning ways, which we've done," Rashford said.

"We just needed to be as simple as possible, keep moving, be positive. It's easy to take your foot off the gas but we didn't want to do that. We went out in the second half the same as the first. The first half set the tone for us but it's about keeping a positive attitude and keep scoring goals."

On passing Cantona, he added: "He was a top player who has done so much for this club. So I'm pleased, but for me, I just want to score more goals and help the team."

MANCHESTER, England -- It was not just the margin of victory that was a surprise as Manchester United thrashed Southampton 9-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday. As well as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team emphatically ending their problems in front of goal with their biggest win since beating Ipswich by the same scoreline in March 1995, a chaotic 90 minutes also featured a red card for 19-year-old Southampton midfielder Alexandre Jankewitz after just 77 seconds of his first Premier League start and Aaron Wan-Bissaka popping up with a rare goal to give United the lead and spark the rout.

Two from substitute Anthony Martial, a Bruno Fernandes penalty and goals from Marcus Rashford, Edinson Cavani, Scott McTominay and Daniel James also contributed to a nightmare night for the Saints, who ended the game with nine men following Jan Bednarek's late dismissal. Bednarek summed up his team's misfortune having already scored an own goal and conceded a penalty. Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl at least knows his players are capable of recovering from such a severe result after losing 9-0 to Leicester just 15 months ago.

Solskjaer's men took advantage of the visitors' reduced numbers to record their biggest win in nearly 26 years, and among a host of positives as United moved level on points at the top of the Premier League table with Manchester City, Wan-Bissaka's contribution provided a glimpse of the team the Norwegian hopes they are becoming.

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"Definitely the right side has traditionally been a challenge for us going forward," Solskjaer said afterwards. "We haven't found a right-back to fill the [Antonio] Valencia void but Aaron is getting better. I can't remember one full-back crossing for another to score."

That's exactly what Luke Shaw did for Wan-Bissaka, who had raced almost the length of the pitch to get into the box.

There is no doubting Wan-Bissaka's defensive ability, especially in one-on-one situations, but he has work to do to earn a place among the best full-backs in the world, primarily because he is still learning how to make goals as well as stop them. The very best players in his position can do both, and at £50 million -- making him one of the 10 most expensive defenders in the world -- he will be expected to get there eventually.

It says everything about the type of right-back Wan-Bissaka is that before the game kicked off, he had recorded more tackles than any other player in the Premier League this season but had the same number of assists at Victor Lindelof. He has another now after picking out Martial with a perfect cross, and could have had one more if Cavani had made more of a good chance before the Uruguayan was replaced at half-time.

It was Wan-Bissaka's defensive attributes that first attracted Solskjaer -- particularly two outstanding performances against Manchester City's Leroy Sane while playing for Crystal Palace -- but there is an acceptance that his attacking output can improve. It's something Solskjaer and his staff are working on. They are prepared to be patient given he is still only 23 and because of an understanding that racing forward out of defence is not as important at Selhurst Park as it is at Old Trafford.

"When you play at Man United as a full-back you do have to provide assists," said Solskjaer last season. "We always knew that he was going to be hard to beat. He's one of the best one-versus-one defenders I've ever seen, but he used to be a winger when he was younger, so he's got it in him.

"We rely on the full-backs to go forward in the way we want to play. He's getting better on the ball, he doesn't give the ball away a lot. He's not been asked to venture forward much earlier in his career."

Wan-Bissaka -- one of a number of outstanding performers against Southampton -- only needs to look at United's other flank for inspiration. Shaw has benefitted from the added competition created by the arrival of Alex Telles in the summer and is enjoying his best run of form since moving from Southampton as a teenager. Against his former club he created five chances and made goals for Wan-Bissaka and Cavani, despite playing for only 45 minutes.

Sources have told ESPN that United are exploring the possibility of signing another right-back in the hope it might do for Wan-Bissaka what the signing of Telles has done for Shaw. England Under-21 international Max Aarons, currently at Norwich City, is one of the names in the frame ahead of the summer.

Before then, United are still well positioned to mount a first genuine title challenge since 2013.

"You know what I liked about the performance was the hunger and attitude to do the right things," said Solskjaer. "That's the only way to get better. You can see loads of things we are working on. We want to be a bit unpredictable and the players did that excellently, with freedom and imagination.

"I thought they played the game properly. They were ruthless and they wanted it more and more. When you play football you have to make most of it and they played like it could have been their last game so very pleased with everyone."

Right-hander Chris Archer and the Tampa Bay Rays are in agreement on a one-year, $6.5 million deal, pending a physical, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Tuesday.

With the move, Archer is returning to the organization with which he debuted in 2012 and found his greatest success.

Archer, 32, had been a disappointment since being traded from the Rays, with whom he was a two-time All-Star selection, to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows and Shane Baz in 2018. Archer, who signed a six-year, $25.5 million deal in 2014, went 6-12 with a 4.92 ERA in 33 starts for the Pirates, including a 3-9 mark with a 5.19 ERA in 2019.

Glasnow and Meadows, meanwhile, helped the Rays reach the World Series this past season for the first time since 2008.

Archer did not pitch for the Pirates in 2020, undergoing season-ending surgery on June 2 to relieve symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome after experiencing discomfort in the neck/shoulder area on his right side.

The Pirates declined an $11 million option for the 2021 season, instead giving Archer a buyout of $250,000. His prorated pay for the pandemic-shortened season was reduced to $3.33 million.

Archer is 60-80 with a 3.86 ERA in 210 career starts and two relief appearances. His average fastball velocity dropped from 95.75 mph in 2017 to 93.30 mph in 2019.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – CARS Tour officials have announced the CARS Late Model Stock Lucas Oil Touring 12 class for the upcoming season.

The program, which is entering its fourth season, will reward the 12 drivers selected throughout the season for competing full-time on the tour.

The 2021 class features six returning drivers to the program and six newcomers. For the second consecutive season, Lucas Oil will be the entitlement sponsor of the loyalty program.

Defending CARS Late Model Stock Tour champion Jared Fryar headlines the list of returnees. He’ll be joined by 2018 and ’19 champion Bobby McCarty, Layne Riggs, Brandon Pierce, Justin Johnson and Mini Tyrrell as returning Touring 12 drivers.

Among the new drivers joining the program are new JR Motorsports driver William Cox III, multi-time Myrtle Beach Speedway champion Sam Yarbrough and CARS Late Model Stock Tour Most Popular Driver Award winner Jessica Cann.

Jonathan Findley, a race winner with the series last year, Lee Pulliam Performance driver Jonathan Shafer and Mason Diaz round out the Touring 12 class.

The CARS Late Model Stock Tour season begins on March 6 at Dillon (S.C.) Motor Speedway.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Juventus came from behind to beat Inter Milan 2-1 at the San Siro in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semifinal on Tuesday.

Inter started off the better team and took the lead after Lautaro Martinez powered past Gianluigi Buffon -- making his 1,100th career appearance -- in the Juve goal following a Nicolo Barella assist.

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The Nerazzurri had comfortably won 2-0 when the two sides met recently in Serie A and this looked like going the same way until Juve started to come back into the game.

Juve had the chance to go level on 25 minutes when Inter's Ashley Young pulled back Juan Cuadrado in the box and, following a look at the VAR monitor, Gianpaolo Calvarese awarded a penalty which Ronaldo smashed right down the middle.

And Juve made their dominance tell when Ronaldo capitalised on a mix-up between Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic and defender Alessandro Bastoni to roll into an empty net on 35 minutes.

Inter stepped it up in the second half with Alexis Sanchez and Christian Eriksen missing good chances, while Juve's 43-year-old goalkeeper Buffon pulled off an impressive save to deny Matteo Darmian as Juve held on.

However, Juve comfortably saw the game off as they look to win the trophy for the first time in three seasons, having been beaten finalists to Napoli last term.

Ronaldo looked less than happy when manager Andrea Pirlo denied him any potential hat-trick by substituting Juve's No. 7 on 77 minutes but, speaking after the match, the Bianconeri manager said: "He [Ronaldo] knows he is our point of reference. But even he needs a breather to stay at the top."

The two sides meet for the second leg at the Allianz Stadium on Feb. 9 with Juve bringing an away lead back to Turin.

Pep Guardiola says defender Ruben Dias has made himself "undroppable" for Manchester City.

Dias has only been at the club for four months following his £61 million move from Benfica, but in helping City to the Premier League's best defensive record has cemented his place as one of Guardiola's key players.

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"Every step he does, at home, on or off the pitch, eating, sleeping, recovering time, preparation time, everything is to be perfect during this 95-minute football game," Guardiola told a news conference on Tuesday. "It depends on him to maintain and hopefully we can help him to grow. We are more than satisfied.

"He's not just a player who plays good, he's a player who makes the other guys play good too. It's 90 minutes talking, 90 minutes communicating, 90 minutes saying what they have to do in every single action. When that happens, it's difficult for me and undroppable."

Dias, 23, has formed a formidable partnership at the back with John Stones, who looked to be on his way out at the Etihad Stadium in the summer.

He was linked with moves to Arsenal and Everton, but has re-established himself as a first-team regular and looks set to earn an England recall.

"What I want from my players -- all of them, not just John -- is to be happy and he struggled to be happy here, especially with injuries, some personal problems, for many reasons, a lack of minutes," said Guardiola, who takes his team to play Burnley on Wednesday.

"I didn't see him like he is right now. In the past he was not like he is now, with the stability, the mentality, happiness, commitment focusing and everything.

"He overcame this situation himself. He could have fallen down and go even more down, but it was completely the opposite. He said 'no, I'm here, I know how good I am.' He didn't need my confidence, he didn't need the words.

"Players who need confidence to play, it's a big mistake, he cannot be here. John overcame this situation himself. That's why he deserves all my respect and he deserves a big compliment."

Manchester United dismantled a shorthanded Southampton side 9-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday night to go level on points with Man City at the top of the Premier League.

The visitors were forced to play almost the entire game with 10 men after Southampton's Alexandre Jankewitz -- making his first Premier League start -- was shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge on Scott McTominay just 82 seconds into the match.

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Aaron Wan-Bissaka put Man United in front shortly past the quarter-hour, racing on to a Luke Shaw cross and meeting it at the back post to poke home for an early lead.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team doubled their lead soon after when Marcus Rashford redirected a Mason Greenwood assist past Saints keeper Alex McCarthy to make it 2-0.

Man United's third came courtesy of a Southampton own goal, with Jan Bednarek inadvertently poking a whipped-in Rashford cross into his own net in the 34th minute as the hosts continued to dominate proceedings.

Edinson Cavani added another goal before half-time to send United into the dressing room with a 4-0 lead.

Substitute Anthony Martial scored from close range as the second half played out and McTominay added United's sixth goal of the night shortly after the Frenchman's strike as the rout was well and truly on.

Bednarek's night got worse as full-time approached when the defender tripped Martial in the area, earning himself a sending off and gifting United a spot kick that Bruno Fernandes converted.

Martial added his second of the night and Daniel James scored in second-half stoppage time to reach the final scoreline.

The result, which ties the largest win in Premier League history, puts Man United level on 44 points with Man City at the top of the table, but Pep Guardiola's leaders are ahead on goal difference and also have two games in hand over their city rivals.

Ralph Hasenhuttl's Southampton side remain in 11th place in the standings with 29 points from 21 games.