SAPULPA, Okla. — Frank Flud topped two divisions and Jade Avedisian posted her third consecutive series win on Thursday evening during the second round of Mo State Construction Sooner 600 Week presented by Hi-Plains Building Division.

Flud picked up victories in the Stock Non-Wing and Winged ‘A’ Class divisions while Avedisian was the Restricted ‘A’ Class feature winner to highlight the three premier Lucas Oil National Open Wheel 600 Series presented by Hi-Plains Building Division classes competing at Creek County Speedway.

Flud maneuvered from fifth to record his fifth series Stock Non-Wing win of the season. Hank Davis was the runner up with Austin Stone finishing third, Kenton Brewer fourth and points leader Bradley Fezard fifth.

Flud pocketed his seventh Winged ‘A’ Class victory of the year with the series. Avedisian, who is the series points leader, garnered a second-place finish. Ryan Timms, Wiedeman and Brent Crews rounded out the top five, respectively.

Avedisian extended her lead in the Restricted ‘A’ Class championship standings after advancing from fourth to win. Garrett Benson placed second with Dominic Carter third, Justis Sokol fourth and Ethan Ayars fifth.

NEW RICHMOND, Wis. — What many would call a dream season so far is considered an up-and-down start when you’re the three-time and defending champion of the Summit USMTS National Championship fueled by Casey’s, but Rodney Sanders was on the upside Thursday with a decisive victory on opening night of the 21st Annual Masters at the Cedar Lake Speedway.

“It’s been pretty good,” Sanders said of his familiar orange and blue Hatfield-powered No. 20 MB Customs USMTS Modified. “I’ve felt like I screwed it up the last few races but it was good at Tri-State and we were good tonight.”
Thursday night’s effort by the 30-year-old from Happy, Texas, was worth $3,000 and was career win number 101. His 100th USMTS triumph happened June 6 at the Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla., in the last event leading up to the Masters.

“We started off good and we just got kind of got a slump there and I think we got off on what we’re doing so just had to regroup and we’ve been going good lately.”
Shooting for his fourth Masters trophy, Sanders started the 30-lap main event from the second row behind his chassis builder, Jimmy Mars, and Dustin Sorensen-last year’s Thursday night feature winner.

Sorensen got the jump on Mars to take the initial lead and Sanders snuck past to take second with five laps in the books. Five laps later, Sanders disposed of Sorensen and that was as close as anybody would get the rest of the way in the caution-free nightcap.

“I knew it was going to be tough,” Sanders added. “Dustin’s been really good and Jimmy’s always good. I didn’t know really where to be but we were good around the bottom. I saw a little bit of a lead there and I was just trying to ride-on the board I saw I had like a four-second lead.”

Indeed, Sanders crossed the finish line with 4.68 seconds to spare ahead of Sorensen. Mars held off Michael Truscott for third and four-time USMTS national champion Jason Hughes rounded out the top five.

The finish:

Rodney Sanders, Dustin Sorensen, Jimmy Mars, Michael Truscott, Jason Hughes, Calvin Iverson, Lucas Schott, Clayton Wagamon, Zack VanderBeek, A.J. Diemel, Jake Smith, Dave Cain, Shane Sabraski, Tyler Peterson, Brandon Davis, Tyler Kaeter, Brandon Dolman, Dereck Ramirez, Terry Phillips, Hunter Marriott, Robby Bunkelman, Adam Kates, Tyler Davis, Zach Johnson, Casey Skyberg, Jake Timm, Alex Williamson, Darrell Nelson

TUSCUMBIA, Ala. — Mark Smith rolled to his 10^th USCS Outlaw Thunder sprint car victory of the season as USCS Speedweek resumed Thursday night at North Alabama Speedway.

It was the 12^th overall victory of the season for Smith, who started on the pole, and beat many-time USCS champion Terry Gray to the checkered flag.

The finish:

Jordon Mallett finished third with Morgan Turpen and Marshall Skinner rounding out the top five.

The finish:

Feature (30 Laps): 1. M1-Mark Smith[1]; 2. 10-Terry Gray[2]; 3. 14-Jordon Mallett[5]; 4. 10M-Morgan Turpen[6]; 5. 26-Marshall Skinner[4]; 6. 47-Dale Howard[9]; 7. 22-Connor Leoffler[8]; 8. 49-Mallie Shuster[3]; 9. 10L-Landon Britt[10]; 10. 29O-Jeff Oliver[11]; 11. 10K-Dewayne White[12]; 12. 28-Jeff Willingham[7]; 13. 29A-Kyle Amerson[17]; 14. 20-Jim Shuster[15]; 15. 43-Terry Witherspoon[13]; 16. 72K-Rick Kahler[14]; 17. (DNF) 2-Josh Grimes[16]; 18. (DNS) 17-Alex Lyles

ARDMORE, Okla. — Brock Zearfoss picked up his first Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 victory of the season Thursday as the Cometic Gasket Thunder Through The Plains presented by Hercules Tires tour visited Southern Oklahoma Speedway.

Starting outside the front row, Zearfoss took command for the first time on lap 15 and never looked back, zinging his preferred line around the topside of the speedway for a $5,000 top prize.

A bit of sweet redemption for the Jonestown, Pa.-based race team, Zearfoss was forced to overcome a mechanical malfunction during qualifying time trials at Devil’s Bowl Speedway before finishing eighth during main event action.

Just 24 hours later, Zearfoss was in victory lane.

“This just goes to show how badass my team is. They never stop digging. Even after getting banged up yesterday during qualifying, they had the spare car down before they even towed me off the track,” said the driver of the Brock Zearfoss Racing/Moose’s LZ Bar & Grill/Heavy Equipment, Loaders & Parts Inc./C&D Rigging Inc./BAPS Auto Paints & Supply/No. 3Z sprint car. “A lot of other teams helped us get ready for that heat race. It was nice to salvage the night for an eighth-place finish, but this feels a lot better.”

Before Zearfoss drove his way to the top spot on lap 15, the battle for the lead was perpetual, first held by polesitter and full-time All Star Skylar Gee for the first five circuits.

A caution flag on lap six would spell bad news for the Canadian hotshot, eventually losing command to Fresno, California’s Dominic Scelzi. The lap-six restart would also spell bad news for Zearfoss, who actually slipped back three spots by the time the frontrunners completed the sixth circuit. Zearfoss was racing in the second spot at the time of the caution.

A trio of upcoming caution periods, including a red flag scenario, would give Zearfoss a chance to recover his slip, ultimately battling back to second by lap 11. The ensuing restart after a lap 15 caution is when the ‘Jonestown Jet’ made his winning move, quickly scooting by Scelzi’s No. 41s to lead the circuit.

Despite another four-pack of caution flags, one of which resulting in an open red to allow teams the opportunity to add fuel, and one with just two circuits remaining, Zearfoss held strong and remained untouchable, quickly escaping to a near-straightaway lead as the white flag waved.

“I was pretty mad at myself early on when I lost those three spots. That red flag gave me some time to stew on things a little bit. I knew I was going to have to get up on the wheel,” Zearfoss continued. “I just can’t say enough about my team. Noisey, Tye, and everyone else involved in this deal; they put their heart and soul into this race team. I’m very blessed to be in the position that I’m in. Hopefully we put on a good show for everyone tonight.”

Danny Dietrich powered home second after starting eighth on the grid, followed by Dominic Scelzi, Cory Eliason and 11th-starting Justin Sanders.

The finish:

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [2]; 2. 48-Danny Dietrich [8]; 3. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [3]; 4. 26-Cory Eliason [9]; 5. 16A-Justin Sanders [11]; 6. 70-Justin Peck [6]; 7. 13-Paul McMahan [5]; 8. 11-Zeb Wise [12]; 9. 87-Aaron Reutzel [4]; 10. W20-Greg Wilson [19]; 11. 99-Skylar Gee [1]; 12. 1X-Jake Bubak [21]; 13. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [14]; 14. 9-Kasey Kahne [10]; 15. 9$-Kyle Clark [23]; 16. 17W-Harli White [22]; 17. 23B-Brian Bell [15]; 18. 28-Scott Bogucki [13]; 19. 11X-John Carney [16]; 20. 52-Blake Hahn [17]; 21. 4-Danny Smith [20]; 22. 14-Tony Stewart [18]; 23. 17-Josh Baughman [7]; 24. 21P-Robbie Price [24] Lap Leaders: Skylar Gee (1-5), Dominic Scelzi (6-14), Brock Zearfoss (15-25)

New England Patriots starting running back Sony Michel is recovering from surgery on his foot in May, according to sources. The surgery was viewed as more maintenance-based to help relieve discomfort that Michel had been experiencing.

The Patriots are scheduled to return for training camp in late July, but Michel is already back in Foxborough as part of his rehabilitation. How Michel progresses will ultimately determine whether he starts training camp on the physically unable to perform list.

Michel has been the Patriots' leading rusher each of the past two seasons, finishing last year with 912 yards on 247 carries (3.7 average), with seven touchdowns. In 2018, he totaled 931 yards on 209 carries (4.5 avg.) with six touchdowns, and was instrumental in the team's late-season surge to winning Super Bowl LIII.

Michel has battled multiple knee injuries since the Patriots selected him in the first round of the 2018 draft (31st overall), but has missed only three games.

During training camp of his rookie season, he had fluid drained from his knee, which sidelined him through the first game of the year. Then in the seventh game of that season, he twisted his knee against the Chicago Bears and missed the next two games.

In June 2019, Michel underwent a knee scope. He spent the first two days of training camp on the physically unable to perform list before returning to practice, and played every game of the season.

In addition to Michel, the Patriots have James White, Rex Burkhead, Brandon Bolden, Damien Harris and J.J. Taylor on the running back depth chart.

Harris, a 2019 third-round draft choice from Alabama who played in just two games as a rookie, could provide valuable insurance for Michel. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry on 477 attempts, which set the Alabama career mark for those with at least 400 carries.

White is the team's "passing back" while Burkhead and Bolden have been valuable backups whose contributions on special teams have locked in their spots on the game-day roster. Taylor is an undrafted free agent from Arizona.

With the 2020 MLB draft shortened from 40 rounds to five, there are a whole lot of college and high school players who would have heard their name called in a typical year but instead face a great deal of uncertainty.

Teams will be able to sign an unlimited number of undrafted free agents for $20,000 beginning Sunday, offering a unique opportunity for clubs to add to their farm systems.

Below are some of the best players available, based on the draft prospect rankings of ESPN Insider Kiley McDaniel, although given the $20,000 bonus limit there's a good chance many of them will head to college. In all, 21 of McDaniel's top 100 prospects went undrafted.

Tanner Witt, RHP, Episcopal HS (TX), Texas commit, No. 27 prospect: The son of the Marlins' minor league hitting coach, Witt has taken a big step forward on the mound this spring, throwing into the mid-90s to go with a plus-plus, 3,000 rpm hook.

Carson Montgomery, RHP, West Orange HS (FL), Florida State commit, No. 48 prospect: A big name when he was throwing into the mid-90s a couple of years ago, he took a step forward this spring with a mid-90s heater headlining three above-average pitches and the feel to start.

Tommy Mace, RHP, Florida, No. 49 prospect: Mace was a projection arm in high school who made a jump early in college. Some scouts complained before the season that his heater was too hittable, but he was up to 97 mph against Miami and has an above-average-to-plus slider and the feel to start.

Cayden Wallace, 3B, Greenbrier HS (AR), Arkansas commit, No. 55 prospect: Wallace has five solid tools that are all fringy to slightly above average. The thinking is that he will be heading to school.

Drew Bowser, 3B, Harvard Westlake HS (CA), Stanford commit, No. 56 prospect: Bowser is listed as a 3B/SS but his body projects to 1B. He has an upright swing, but good hands and his power came on late in the summer and fall.

Sterlin Thompson, LF, North Marion HS (FL), Florida commit, No. 57 prospect: A lefty power bat with a beautiful swing. Thompson will be sophomore-eligible in 2022 and was a second-round talent on some clubs' boards.

Kevin Parada, C, Loyola HS (CA), Georgia Tech commit, No. 62 prospect: Parada has an above-average arm and should be able to stick behind the plate, as he's shown some upside with the bat.

Corey Collins, C, North Gwinnett HS (GA), Georgia commit, No. 68 prospect: Collins shows big raw power that he gets to in games to all fields. An improved physique gives him a chance to stick behind the plate.

Enrique Bradfield Jr., CF, American Heritage HS (FL), Vanderbilt commit, No. 74 prospect: Bradfield's best tool is his blazing speed, as he has a bit of a slash-and-dash approach.

Vikram Solanki is to be announced as the new head coach of Surrey.

Solanki, the former England batsman, replaces Michael Di Venuto who was told a few weeks ago his contract would not be renewed at the end of the season. He has remained in Australia.

More to follow...

Wimbledon may be cancelled this year but the BBC will make sure you can still watch plenty of classic action and hear from the top players.

Grab yourself some strawberries and cream while you enjoy matches like the 1992 showpiece between Goran Ivanisevic and Andre Agassi, and the Ann Jones-Billie Jean King final from 1969.

Sue Barker will present a one-hour show, Wimbledon 2020, on BBC Two from 20:00 BST Monday to Friday, where she will be joined in the studio by Tim Henman and Boris Becker to look back on some of the highlights through the years.

Former champions John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova will be there via video link, while current players will reflect on life away from competition during the coronavirus pandemic.

And they won't be doing all the work - viewers can get involved with votes and quizzes on the BBC Sport website. There will even be the chance to send in their attempts at trick shots for review.

From 13:45 on weekdays, there will be a three-hour Wimbledon Rewind on BBC Two, with Clare Balding revisiting classic finals.

On the weekend of 4-5 July, we'll be looking at the career of Britain's three-time Grand Slam singles champion Murray, and the following weekend features a countdown of the best women's and men's Wimbledon finals.

There is also a special documentary - One Day - which will look back on 14 July 2019, when the incredible final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer was being played out at the same time as England's dramatic cricket World Cup triumph.

The various programmes will be available to watch across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and mobile app.

Welcome to ESPN's Insider Notebook, featuring contributions from our reporters across the top leagues around the world.

In this edition, Barcelona blow their rivals out of the water for a 16-year-old. Plus: Manchester United's stance on Ansu Fati.

Jump to: United and £100m Ansu rumours | Werner's release clause may change | Silva favours MLS move | Payet's pay remarks cause anger | Pep's No.2 in curious exit | 'Speed dating' transfer spike | Champions League group stage latest | Spanish clubs' gambling relief | Beefed up Club World Cup

Barcelona beat Madrid to land wonderkid

Barcelona are set to complete the signing of young Rayo Vallecano forward Fabian Luzzi after flexing their financial muscles to beat Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, various sources have confirmed to ESPN.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S.only)

Madrid and Atletico had both been in the race for Luzzi but Madrid pulled out once they saw how much Barca were prepared to offer the Spain youth international. A source with knowledge of the figures involved would not confirm the full details to ESPN but said Real Madrid would never pay that much for an academy player.

Luzzi, 16, has been tracked by several of Europe's top clubs and while he hasn't made his full debut for Rayo, he has been training regularly with the first team.

The teenager has still not signed a deal with Barca, who will only have to pay Rayo a small amount in development rights, but sources say he has committed to joining the Catalan club this summer.

Barca are prepared to pay big to secure young talent. Last year, they accidentally emailed Ilaix Moriba's contract offer to Espanyol, who were left "gobsmacked" at the figures being offered.

Once Luzzi signs he will will join up with Barca's under-19 team with an eye on progressing to the B team, who could be promoted to the second division when they take part in next month's playoffs. -- Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens

Man United expect Ansu to stay at Barcelona

Manchester United have watched Ansu Fati's progression into the Barcelona first team but there is an acceptance he will remain with the Spanish giants despite rumours of a £100m bid, sources have told ESPN.

United and other Premier League clubs who have monitored the forward expect him to agree a contract extension at Camp Nou after breaking into the senior squad this season. Sources have told ESPN that United are also wary about how agents often use their name in the transfer rumour mill when discussing new contracts with their clients and existing clubs, as a way of drumming up interest in them.

- The best players under 21: Where does Fati feature?

Barcelona are hoping to fund any transfer business by selling players surplus to requirements, such as Philippe Coutinho, but Ansu, who has made 24 appearances in all competitions this season, is unlikely to fall into that category.

Ansu, 17, signed a new contract last December which runs until 2022 and includes a €170m release clause. However, once he's officially promoted to the first team -- he's still technically registered with the B team -- the terms will be extended until 2024 and the clause will increase to €400m.

Sources at the Catalan club say the plan is for him to become a full part of the first team next season, but he will remain registered to the B team for now and could feature in the third division playoffs, which will take place in July. -- Rob Dawson and Sam Marsden

Werner's release clause not set yet

Release clauses are supposed to simplify transfers but Chelsea have still had to negotiate with RB Leipzig over their imminent purchase of Timo Werner.

- Ogden: Chelsea, United make moves to challenge Liverpool
- Olley: Pulisic's prospects in the spotlight with Werner, Ziyech arrivals

The two-month delay in Bundesliga matches caused by the coronavirus pandemic has created a curious situation where player contract clauses influenced by league finishing positions are now expiring before the season has actually finished.

Werner's fixed price expires on June 15. However, the exact figure a buying club would have to pay Leipzig depended on whether they won the title, qualified for the Champions League or missed out altogether.

The fee could have been as high as €60m or as small as €50m. With all parties keen to reach an agreement, Chelsea and Leipzig entered into negotiations which essentially constituted a guessing game over his exact value given the outstanding fixtures.

Leipzig are 11 points behind leaders Bayern Munich with four games to play. But they sit in third place, three points ahead of Borussia Monchengladbach in fourth and Bayer Leverkusen in fifth with this season's Champions League quarterfinal to come.

Sources have told ESPN that while Werner quickly agreed personal terms on a five-year deal worth up to £200,000-a-week, the two clubs took considerably longer to finalise the precise fee Chelsea would pay.

They are thought to have settled on €53m, two million less than if Leipzig qualified for the Champions League but three million more than if they missed out altogether.

Now, all that is holding up the deal is the location of Werner's medical. He cannot fly to London due to the Bundesliga's regulations regarding COVID-19 and Chelsea's doctors are reluctant to travel to Germany because they would have to quarantine themselves for 14 days upon returning to the United Kingdom.

The issue is yet to be resolved but all parties expect the deal to be completed. -- James Olley

Silva lining up next move, favours MLS

David Silva is considering a move to Major League Soccer when he leaves Manchester City at the end of this season, sources have told ESPN.

The 34-year-old midfielder has confirmed he will leave the Etihad this summer, 10 years after being signed from Valencia, and is considering offers from the United States, Japan, Qatar and Spain before making a final decision on his future.

But while the World Cup winner has previously made no secret of his desire to play for Las Palmas, the Segunda Division club from Silva's native Canary Islands, sources have told ESPN he is also keen to experience a new culture.

Silva had initially favoured a move to the J-League, where he was the subject of interest from Vissel Kobe, the club which employs former Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta.

But with Inter Miami and New York City -- City's sister club within the City Football Group -- also interested in taking Silva to MLS, sources have told ESPN the player is now favouring a move to the U.S. before potentially seeing out his career with a move to Las Palmas. -- Mark Ogden

Payet refuses pay cut, infuriates fans

As Marseille look to cut costs amid the coronavirus, Dimitri Payet has been reluctant to accept a reduction in his £130,000-a-week wage ... because he says he has bills to pay.

Marseille's president, Jacques-Henri Eyraud, has been trying to get his players to take a pay cut to ease the financial difficulties at the club, who were in a precarious situation before the coronavirus pandemic hit and Ligue 1 was cancelled.

However, the players, represented by Steve Mandada, Florian Thauvin and Payet, have so far rejected all propositions made by Eyraud and his team.

Payet has been the most vocal about it. And the former West Ham star, 33, has justified his decision by saying he could not take a pay cut because "I have a family and I have important bills to pay."

He also said he has to defend his own interests and his family's interests. However, his explanation has been met with anger among fans in Marseille and the rest of France. -- Julien Laurens

Pep's No.2 in curious exit story

Manchester City's appointment of Juanma Lillo as Pep Guardiola's assistant has raised some eyebrows among the club's rivals.

Lillo replaced Mikel Arteta at the Etihad Stadium after his contract with Chinese side Qingdao Huanghai was terminated "by mutual consent." One of the reasons given by Qingdao Huanghai was the ill health of Lillo's mother, only for the 54-year-old to sign a one-year deal at City shortly afterwards.

Sources have told ESPN that Lillo's future at City is linked to Guardiola, who has one year left on his deal and hasn't yet confirmed his future plans. -- Rob Dawson

Crowds appear a certainty at Australian cricket grounds this summer and the case for the T20 World Cup has improved after the federal government's announcement that some venues will be able to host up to 10,000 spectators for sporting events from July.

At the moment the move only applies to grounds with a capacity below 40,000 so excludes the five major Test venues - MCG, SCG, Adelaide Oval, Gabba and Perth Stadium - but would cover some of the smaller grounds used for cricket, including Hobart, the WACA and Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast, and is another positive step as sport continues its comeback in Australia. South Australia and Queensland state governments have also said they plan to reopen their borders in July as domestic travel restrictions are eased.

The move to allow spectators back in reasonably significant numbers raises the likelihood that crowds may be able to attend international cricket and the Big Bash during the summer. It could also boost the chances of the T20 World Cup still taking place in October and November, although Prime Minister Scott Morrison said decisions over the larger grounds would take more time and for the World Cup there remains the logistical challenge of having 15 visiting teams in the country.

ALSO READ: T20 World Cup fate under 'very high risk'- Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts

"This is going to be looked at over the next few weeks. For the larger ones [venues] I would venture that it would be the subject of a discrete approval for each venue that would be worked out with the Chief Health Officer in each state or territory," Morrison said.

"So by the time you get into July there may be that type of opportunity for the rules that apply to those under 40,000 carry over to those above 40,000. These will be practical, commonsense issues, work through by the medical expert panel over the next few weeks and I think they will give a great instruction."

The chance of crowds for big-ticket events during the season, especially the India series, would add another element to Cricket Australia's financial planning which has seen them model for up to a 25-30% reduction in revenue if games were played behind closed doors. It could also increase the challenge for them in getting their budget plans approved by the Australian Cricketers' Association who have already cast doubt on the bleak picture painted by the board.

Cricket Australia recently announced a full fixture list for the 2020-21 season although with the caveats that much could change. As it stands Australia are scheduled to resume with a one-day series against Zimbabwe in August but that remains in significant doubt with the more likely resumption of international cricket being the women's series against New Zealand in late September.

Cricket Australia's decision makers were encouraged by the announcement over crowds, albeit as the start of a long process towards working up plans for bigger venues set to host international and BBL cricket.

Across the Tasman in New Zealand there are even fewer restrictions with full crowds able to attend this weekend's rugby matches.

With inputs from Dan Brettig