QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. — The inaugural Schaeffer’s Oil Wild Wing Shootout at FK Rod Ends Arizona Speedway on Jan. 22-24 will be presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts.

The Missouri-based company has been the presenting sponsor of the track’s sister event, the Keyser Manufacturing Wild West Shootout, since 2018.

“What can you say about O’Reilly Auto Parts, other than you can’t put a price tag on the value of their support and loyalty to our events. They’ve been staunch supporters of our Wild West Shootout since 2018, and when we presented the concept for the brand-new Wild Wing Shootout, they were immediately all-in to be the presenting sponsor,” commented event promoter, Chris Kearns.

“Starting a new event is both an exciting and daunting task. To have O’Reilly Auto Parts behind us 110 percent as a great marketing partner is a definitive shot in the arm as our staff works diligently to prepare for the inaugural Wild Wing Shootout.”

Headquartered in Springfield, Mo., O’Reilly Auto Parts serves both professional and do-it-yourself- customers in providing automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories. The company has more than 5,000 locations across the country.

The event is a co-promotion between Keyser Manufacturing Wild West Shootout promoter Chris Kearns and FK Rod Ends Arizona Speedway promoter Jonah Trussel.

“What better way to kick the new sprint car season into gear than with great racing at a great track with great Arizona weather,” Kearns noted. “Throw in the possibility of picking up three big wins, while simultaneously escaping the clutches of winter, and this becomes the ultimate racing vacation.”

IMCA Modifieds will join the action on all three programs. Additionally, an open practice is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 21.

Tommie Estes and Doug Lockwood will oversee the 410 winged sprint car and IMCA Modified action.

“Over the past several years we’ve assembled a great staff at the Wild West Shootout, and many of those same faces will be involved with the Wild Wing Shootout,” Kearns continued.” Additionally, we are excited to have Tommie (Estes) and Doug (Lockwood) leading race operations for the new event. Both are well-respected and bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table.”

CONCORD, N.C. – Alex Bowman will drive the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE of Hendrick Motorsports with full-season primary sponsorship from Ally beginning in 2021.

Bowman, who signed a contract extension to remain with Hendrick Motorsports earlier this year, will continue to be paired with crew chief Greg Ives, who won five Cup Series championships while serving as the No. 48 team’s engineer from 2006-2012.

“We have tremendous faith in this team,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “Every season, Alex gets better. Not only do we see it in the statistics, but his confidence and leadership have truly blossomed. Today he’s a proven winner and playoff contender, and his best years are ahead. Greg has won championships and races, and he brings the No. 48 pedigree that’s invaluable. When you add in the amazing enthusiasm and support from Ally, it’s quite a combination. Their partnership makes it all possible, and we look forward to celebrating many successes together in the future.”

For the last two years, Ally has been the sole primary sponsor of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team. In 2020, the company is heavily supporting the celebration of its current driver, seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, who next month will complete his final full-time season. In October 2019, Ally and Hendrick Motorsports extended their relationship through 2023.

Johnson is a supporter of Bowman’s move to the No. 48 team.

“Alex is absolutely the right driver to carry on the legacy of the No. 48 – and he deserves a sponsor as committed as he is,” said Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer for Ally. “He’s young, hungry to win and ready to give it all he has. We’re eager to make the most of his energy and dedication to build more momentum for racing, find new ways to disrupt the sport and help broaden NASCAR’s reach even further.”

Bowman and Ives remain in the hunt for the NASCAR Cup Series championship after advancing to the playoffs Round of 12. Following the season, which concludes Nov. 8, the duo will transition to the No. 48 team from the No. 88 entry they have campaigned together since 2018.

Hendrick Motorsports will announce plans for that team at a later date.

“I’ve worked my entire life to be in a situation like this,” Bowman said. “The opportunity to drive a legendary car like the 48 with incredible support from Ally, it truly can’t get any better. I’m excited to build on my relationship with Greg, who is a championship-caliber crew chief and knows first-hand what the No. 48 is all about. The pieces are in place, and I’m grateful to Mr. Hendrick and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports and Ally. We’re ready to do it right.

“I can’t put my respect for Jimmie into words. To me, the No. 48 team’s legacy is about winning, but also how you go about your business. It’s leadership, confidence, work ethic, being a professional and holding yourself to a higher standard. No one will ever be Jimmie, and he’s given us a championship blueprint to follow.”

The NHL's trade season is already underway, as teams begin to shape their rosters ahead of the 2020-21 regular season -- start date TBD -- and, of course, the looming threat of the expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken, which will take place next offseason.

We'll assess the GMs on both sides for all of the big moves here, with the most recent trades listed first.

Note: Advanced statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey. Cap and contract figures courtesy of CapFriendly.

Domi, Anderson swap sides in trade of pending RFAs

Columbus Blue Jackets get: F Max Domi, 2020 third-round pick (No. 78 overall)
Montreal Canadiens get: F Josh Anderson

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship was originally slated for June 25-28, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, was rescheduled to this week.

Here’s what you oughta know ahead of the women’s third major of the season:

DEFENDING CHAMP:

Hannah Green became the third Australian to win a major championship (Jan Stephenson, Karrie Webb) by defeating then-defending champion Sung Hyun Park by one stroke. Green led by one entering the final round at Hazeltine National, building a four-shot lead through 10 holes, before bogeys at Nos. 9, 11 and 12. A successful up-and-down for par on the 72^nd hole, however, secure a wire-to-wire win, her first LPGA title.

HOW TO WATCH (click here for tee times):

Thursday: 1-5 p.m. ET (Golf Channel; click for live stream)

Friday: 1-5 p.m. ET (Golf Channel; click for live stream)

Saturday: 11 a.m.-noon (Golf Channel; live stream); noon-3 p.m. ET (NBC; live stream)

Sunday: 10 a.m.-noon (Golf Channel; live stream); noon-2 p.m. ET (NBC; live stream)

PURSE AND PAYOUT:

The ladies will be playing for $4.3 million this week, with the winner receiving $645,000. That’s a bump from last year’s purse of $3.85 million ($577,500 to champion Green).

Here’s where it stacks up against other big purses on the 2020 LPGA schedule

• U.S. Women’s Open: $5,500,000 (Dec. 10-13)
• CME Group Tour Championship: $5,000,000 (Dec. 17-20)
• AIG Women’s British Open: $4,500,000 (winner, Sophia Popov, $675,000)
• The Evian Championship: $4,100,000 (canceled for 2020)
• ANA Inspiration: $3.1 million (winner, Mirim Lee, $465,000)

(Editor’s note: Golf Channel research contributed to these statistics.)

Northern's dominance in the tournament shows no signs of ending, with Shadab Khan's side beating Balochistan by seven wickets; they have now beaten all five opponents in as many games. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, meanwhile, are hot on their heels, edging out Sindh to claim their fourth win in five.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Central Punjab by 29 runs

Fakhar Zaman's form in the tournament continued, the Pakistan left-hander's second 60-plus score in 24 hours powering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to a 29-run win over Central Punjab. He struck five sixes and three boundaries to help Khyber surge to 178.In the second innings, the bowlers bowled out Central Punjab for 149 to register their fourth successive win in the tournament so far, and inflict a fourth straight loss on their opponents in the process.

Shoaib Malik gave Zaman support with a breezy 27 off 24 even though the red-hot Mohammad Hafeez could only manage 17. Asked to bowl first, Central's bowlers remained accurate without getting enough wickets to put too much pressure on Khyber. Ahmed Bashir was the pick of Central Punjab's bowlers with three wickets, while Zafar Gohar, Ehsan Adil, and Usman Qadir shared a wicket each.

While chasing, Central had a shaky start losing a wicket in the opening over, and managing just 34 in the first five. A 92-run partnership between Kamran Akmal and Abdullah Shafiq put them on top, but once Shoaib Malik coaxed a false shot off Akmal, Central Punjab began to wobble. They never got a partnership together again, losing their last nine wickets for 50 runs, while Asif Afridi, Arshad Iqbal, Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan snared two wickets apiece to secure the win.

Northern beat Balochistan by seven wickets

In the evening contest, a flawless Northern thumped Balochistan to register their fifth straight win, cementing their position at the top of the table before the tournament moves to Rawalpindi. Losing the toss and forced to chase, they eased to their target of 157 with seven wickets and 13 balls in hand. At the midway point, Northern have beaten each team once.

Chasing for the first time in the tournament, Northern lost opener Ali Imran early but Rohail Nazir (42 off 27) and Umar Amin (30 off 25) put on a 56 runs for second wicket to put them back in control. Yasir Shah, who took three wickets yesterday in a successful defence, removed both at crucial moments but couldn't stop both Asif Ali - whose unbeaten 30-ball 41 sealed the game - and Hammad Azam from taking their side home.

Earlier in the evening, after opting to bat first to bat first, Balochistan got off to a sluggish start losing the top three inside five overs. Awais Zia's brisk eight-ball 14 looked to get them going but when he and Bismillah Khan fell cheaply, Balochistan were forced to regroup again. Mohammad Amir and Sohail Tanvir were both economical and incisive, their eight overs combined for just 58 runs and four wickets. Haris Sohail (51 off 41) and Akbar-ur-Rehman (38 off 32) got together for an 83-run partnership to put a respectable total on the board, one not too distant from the 168 they had managed to defend 24 hours earlier. But Northern are a different prospect, and one for whom a target of 157 wasn't nearly challenging enough.

Milwaukee Bucks lead assistant Darvin Ham is set to interview for the vacant LA Clippers head-coaching job this week, a league source told ESPN.

Ham, who is also a finalist for the Indiana Pacers coaching gig, will interview with the Pacers brass in Indiana this week. The previous meetings with the Pacers had been remote.

Clippers assistant coach Ty Lue remains a top choice for the LA job, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. League sources have told Wojnarowski that Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown also had an interview with the Clippers recently.

Ham, who is Black, has been on Mike Budenholzer's staff in Milwaukee for the past two seasons. He had previously worked for five seasons with Budenholzer in Atlanta. The Bucks finished a regular-season-best 56 wins, but had a disappointing second round loss to the Miami Heat in the playoffs.

Three Black head coaches -- Doc Rivers, Nate McMillan and Alvin Gentry -- have been fired since July. Now, there are five Black head coaches in the league, after Rivers was subsequently hired by the Philadelphia 76ers.

During a Sept. 30 news conference in the NBA bubble in Orlando, commissioner Adam Silver said that he knows the league "can do better" in hiring diverse candidates. At the time, there were six vacant head-coaching jobs.

"We're in discussions with all of those teams about making sure there's a diverse slate of candidates," Silver said.

Miami Heat star center Bam Adebayo plans to return for Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Adebayo is officially listed as questionable for Tuesday's contest because of a neck strain that forced the All-Star center to miss Games 2 and 3.

Adebayo said Monday that he was "trying to get back as quickly as possible," but noted that the Heat are "trying to make sure I'm safe and I'm ready to play.

Adebayo also has been dealing with a shoulder injury that flared during the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics.

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians expect manager Terry Francona to return for the 2021 season after he missed 48 games in 2020 due to health reasons.

President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti said Tuesday that the 61-year Francona is back home in Arizona resting and recovering. Francona was hospitalized during the season after undergoing surgery for a gastrointestinal issue and then dealing with blood clotting complications.

Antonetti has been in daily contact with Francona, Cleveland's manager for the past eight seasons. The Indians have made the playoffs eight times since he came to the club in 2013.

"He's starting to feel better and he's really confident he'll be able to manage right from the start next season," Antonetti said Tuesday on a Zoom call.

Francona is expected to speak with the media on Wednesday. He's missed time over the past three seasons for a variety of medical reasons.

First-base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. managed the Indians while Francona was out.