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Allgaier Carries Point Lead To Track Too Tough To Tame
DARLINGTON, S.C. If theres ever a venue poised to bring its A-game action following last weeks Martinsville (Va.) Speedway thriller, the NASCAR Xfinity Series should be in good shape with Saturdays Sports Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway.
The venerable 1.366-mile track has a fantastic history of high-drama and important races.
Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Justin Allgaier shows up at Darlington with the championship lead by 41 points over Haas Factory Team driver Sam Mayer in second and 47 points over Richard Childress Racings Austin Hill in third, who collected his second win of the season last Saturday and joins Allgaier as the only multiple winners this season.
Sixth in the championship is 18-year-old Connor Zilisch, driver of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, who announced Thursday he will make his second NASCAR Cup Series start for Trackhouse Racing at Charlottes Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend.
The last five Darlington Xfinity Series races have been won by five different drivers. Allgaier is the defending spring race winner and his three trophies at The Track to Tough Tame is most among full-timers. He is on an eight-race streak of top-10 finishes at Darlington one away from matching NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martins record.
Joe Gibbs Racings Brandon Jones (2020) is the only other fulltime series driver with a Darlington victory. Last year, Allgaier beat Hill to the checkered by a full 3.4-seconds. And Mayer was fourth. RCR has never won an Xfinity Series race at Darlington, but has five runner-up finishes two from Hill.
Of note, the Stage 1 winner has gone on to win four of the last five races at the track.
The series is coming off an emotionally-charged short track event at Martinsville, where Hill led only the last lap to claim the win surging forward after aggressive contact between race leaders Joe Gibbs Racings Taylor Gray and JR Motorsports Sammy Smith derailed their days.
Both Gray and Smith were subsequently penalized this week for actions at Martinsville after the race (Gray) and for contact during the race (Smith).
A handful of NASCAR Cup Series drivers will be on the Xfinity Series grid this week, including Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain and Christopher Bell, who won the Fall Darlington NASCAR Xfinity Series race from the pole position.
Thanks to a steady workload this week, our Friday Morning tour around the racing world was delayed by a few hours. From hot laps to the main event, heres whats on our mind.
Hot Laps: Pass The Bar
Want to make a fortune in racing but you dont have the skill to drive a car or an active bank account to buy a team, get a law degree. It may be the most lucrative job in all of motorsports with contracts to be negotiated and seemingly another lawsuit filed every week.
Qualifying: Milestone Number
Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway will host its 260th USAC-CRA Sprint Car Series race on Saturday night.
First Heat: 50 Years
The 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is next weekend in the streets of Long Beach, Calif.
When Formula 1 left the event after the 1983 running of the event, many felt like that would be the end of it. Instead, Indy car racing has been the anchor race for what has become one of the most popular sporting events in the Golden State and the longest-running street race in the United States.
Second Heat: Dance With The Lady
Along with all the rubbish that populates social media, we find an occasional gem. Ryan Blaney produced one with his post promoting Sundays NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway and an accompanying graphic.
Our dance card only has one name on it, and she doesnt follow in anyones footsteps. Watch us this Sunday at 3PM ET on @fs1 as we take to the stage at Darlington Raceway.
Third Heat: Nicely Done
Winning sprint car driver Jacob Allen walked away from driving this week. Allen is the son of Hall of Fame sprint car racer and Shark Racing team owner Bobby Allen.
More people from all walks of life should have the courage to make significant changes in their daily routines that will benefit themselves and their families in the long run. We congratulate Jacob on a career that included five World of Outlaws victories and wish him well.
Fourth Heat: Weekend For Eddie
Country artist Eddie Rabbitt had a hit record in 1980 with song, I Love the Rainy Night.
Rabbitts classic should have been the theme song for this weekend of racing as tracks and racing series throughout the country canceled or postponed events because of rain or flooding that was the result of rain.
Among them were World of Outlaws sprint cars and late models, High Limit, USAC, NARC and POWRi sprint cars.
Dash: More Storms
Unfortunately, those storms also brought tragedy through the Midwest and the South and impacted not only the racers on the road but those at home. Multiple racing businesses, including John Force Racing received damage to their facilities when a Tornado swept through their Brownsburg, Ind., industrial park.
B Main: Sponsor Talk
Could there be a better sponsor for NASCAR racing than Bare Knuckle Boxing, which will support Layne Riggs Front Row Motorsports Craftsman Truck Series entry for five races this season?
While Bare Knuckle should probably be the entitlement sponsor for the Xfinity Series, image the possibilities the Bare Knuckle Move of the Race, the Bare Knuckle Post-Race Interview, Whos Mad At Who presented by Bare Knuckle. I could go on and on.
Feature: The Hot Topic
Last weekends NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway was a huge topic of discussion this past week as NASCAR Cup Series veterans, legends of the sport, media and fans weighed in on the carnage that resulted from over-aggressive driving at the .526-mile short track.
The most discussed incident was the last-lap parking that Sammy Smith provided to Taylor Gray, ramming into the back of Grays Toyota with his JR Motorsports Chevrolet. The contact ruined the race for both and triggered a multi-car accident as Austin Hill scooted past both to win the race.
While many called for NASCAR to issue suspensions in these situations, it instead docked Smith 50 points (more than could be earned in a single race) and fined him $25,000.
Many talked about the disrespect that young drivers race with today and the reasons why they race in that manner whether it be a blatant disregard for others (such as the crews and team owners who work on these cars) like Smith showed at Martinsville or the fact they are fully sponsored drivers who have yet to learn the consequences of their actions.
It may be NASCAR but the acronym NFL still applies. The majority of drivers who make the climb to the top level of the sport quickly learn respect for their equipment and competitors. If they, dont sponsors are going to stop footing the bills and theyll be NASCAR drivers Not For Long.
Despite (and maybe because of) the aggressive driving and controversy, Xfinity Series races have achieved stellar ratings on the CW Network this season.
LAS VEGAS As the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series marches on, racers are gearing up for back-to-back four-wide competition in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenges, kicking off at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals on April 11-13 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and followed by the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway on April 25-27.
Since 2010 at zMAX Dragway, four-wide drag races have wowed NHRA fans with 48,000-horsepower nitro machines, providing one of the most incredible spectacles in motorsports. When The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway doubled its track to four lanes, Las Vegas fans were treated to twice the thrills.
The popular Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge adds an extra layer of competition every Saturday during the regular season, bringing competitive racing and an added dose of intensity to qualifying. Semifinalists from the previous weeks race are again pitted against each other for a rematch. However, at both four-wide races, its the quarterfinalists from the previous race who will take part in the Mission Challenge.
When the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series arrives to Las Vegas next week, quarterfinalists from the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in Pomona will meet up in two quads for the first round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge. Two cars in each quad will advance to the final round, all with bonus points and a bonus purse on the line as part of a thrilling Saturday in Las Vegas.
In the Top Fuel division, Pomona winner Clay Millican will take on a Brittany Force, Jasmine Salinas and Scott Palmer. The other quad will be led by Pomona runner-up Tony Stewart who will see Pomona and Phoenix Mission Challenge winner and points leader Shawn Langdon, former champ Doug Kalitta and Josh Hart.
The Funny Car ranks saw Jack Beckman winning over Daniel Wilkerson in Pomona. Beckman will be aiming for his second consecutive Mission Challenge win and will be up against Gainesville winner Chad Green, former champion Matt Hagan and Blake Alexander. Wilkerson will take on Phoenix race winner Paul Lee, former champion Cruz Pedregon and Funny Car newcomer Spencer Hyde, who made his first career semifinal appearance in Pomona.
Finally in Pro Stock, reigning world champion Greg Anderson secured his 108th career win in Pomona over his teammate Dallas Glenn. Anderson will face off with five-time champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., Brandon Foster and Cory Reed, while Glenn will square off with Matt Hartford, Deric Kramer and Pro Stock newcomer Matt Latino.
The 2024 NHRA 4-Wide Nationals winners in Las Vegas were Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock), while Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car) and Coughlin each claimed Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge wins a year ago.
This season, Top Fuel driver Shawn Langdon has picked up both Mission Challenge wins in Phoenix and Pomona. Former champ Ron Capps won in Phoenix and it was Jack Beckman winning in Pomona to go alongside his Winternationals win. Pro Stocks Coughlin Jr. won in Phoenix and Matt Hartford claimed the Challenge win in Pomona.
DARLINGTON, S.C. The Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway has become one of the most popular races on the NASCAR schedule for teams, competitors and fans with its Throwback Weekend theme at the venerable 1.366-mile one-of-a-kind track where cars and stars celebrate the sports previous eras.
A handful of drivers could certainly get into the spirit by reviving their current championship situation. And past Darlington race winners such as Brad Keselowski, Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano and Erik Jones would love to hoist their first trophy of the 2025 season thats the kind of throwback they want.
Keselowski is a two-time and the defending Spring race winner at Darlington earning his first (and only) victory so far as a team owner, driving the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford last April. Briscoes win last Fall was also significant perhaps the most clutch performance of his NASCAR Cup Series career when he took the win in the regular season finale to earn a Playoff position.
Coming into the weekend, the 2012 series champion Keselowski is ranked an uncharacteristic 30th in the championship standings without a single top-10 nor lap led. However, he holds the highest average finish (6.4) in the last five Darlington races. And it is the first of three straight venues (also Bristol, Tenn. and Talladega, Ala.) where he is a multiple race winner.
Briscoe claimed the Daytona 500 pole position in his first outing driving the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He is ranked 12th in the driver standings with three top-10s, but looking to land his first trip to Victory Lane with the new organization. A win this weekend would mark the first time a driver has won consecutive Darlington races since the tracks Honorary Pace Car Driver Greg Biffle did it in 2005-06.
Coming into the weekend, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers are ranked among the top-five in the championship led by Daytona 500 winner William Byron, who holds a 16-point lead on Homestead-Miami race winner Kyle Larson. Chase Elliott, the 2020 series champion, is third, 32 points behind Byron and Alex Bowman is ranked fifth, only 35 off Byrons pace.
Byron and Larson swept the 2023 races at Darlington and Larson holds the highest driver rating (108.1) at the track. The 2021 series champ Larson has seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes and will be driving a throwback No. 5 paint scheme this week honoring another former Hendrick champion, NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte.
Last weeks Martinsville (Va.) Speedway winner, JGRs Denny Hamlin is also expected to be a major player at Darlington, where his wins (four), runner-up finishes (four), top-fives (13), top-10s (18) and average finish (8.2) are all top-marks in the series among active drivers.
A victory for Hamlins JGR teammate, Christopher Bell whos earned three trophies already this season would make him the first driver since NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon in 1997 to win four of the first eight races. And Bell is coming off his career best work at Darlington third in last Falls race.
Add to the mix, reigning series champion, Joey Logano. He has led 260 laps (second this season only to Hamlins 298) but still hasnt recorded a top-five finish. The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford won at Darlington in 2022.
The last nine Darlington races have been won by nine different drivers and the record for that mark is 11 (2006-16). Interestingly, the driver who led the most laps has finished 25th or worse in four of the last five races.
I think over-aggression is kind of over-blown at Darlington, especially with this car, you can be pretty aggressive, Byron said. Youve got to be aggressive at Darlington now to get clean air and stay up towards the front. Youve got to be good on the long run, so however you manage that, whether set-up or driver input. You cant afford to just kind of ride around in this car at Darlington anymore. Its going to be a lot like Homestead where youve got to be able to ride the fence and be good in all the lanes.
ARLINGTON, Va. -- Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson is expected to miss at least a couple of games because of injury, coach Spencer Carbery said Friday.
"I won't call him day-to-day," Carbery said.
Thompson left the Capitals' game at Carolina on Wednesday night after the first period with what the team called an upper-body injury. It was not exactly clear when he got hurt, but Thompson took a puck off the mask that knocked it off his head during his 20 minutes of action in the middle of allowing three goals on 12 shots.
Charlie Lindgren is expected to shoulder the load in the absence of Thompson, who is having arguably the best season of his NHL career with a 31-6-6 record, 2.49 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. The 28-year-old signed a six-year, $35.1 million contract extension in late January.
Lindgren, 31, who carried Washington into the playoffs last year, alternated starts with Thompson for the first half of this season before effectively becoming the backup. He has started 33 games, going 17-12-3 with a 2.66 GAA and an .899 save percentage.
Although the Capitals recalled goalie Hunter Shepard from Hershey of the American Hockey League to backup, Lindgren figures to start not only Friday night against Chicago but Sunday at the New York Islanders, as well.
"I think it's a great opportunity for Chucky," Carbery said. "An opportunity like this to come up, he can now take the reins for a bit. ... It's a good chance for him to string some starts together and play well."
Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov will miss the team's four-game road trip with an undisclosed injury.
Head coach Rod Brind'Amour said Friday that Svechnikov's absence is for precautionary reasons.
Svechnikov, 25, missed seven games last month with an upper-body injury.
He ranks fourth on the team with 45 points (19 goals, 26 assists) in 66 games this season.
The Hurricanes (46-24-4, 96 points) already have clinched a playoff berth entering the road trip that begins Friday night in Detroit before heading to Boston, Buffalo and Washington.
Svechnikov's earliest return would be an April 12 home game against the New York Rangers. The regular season ends on April 17 for the Hurricanes.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Ryan Warsofsky will coach the United States at the upcoming IIHF men's world hockey championship.
USA Hockey announced Friday that the San Jose Sharks coach will run the team at worlds for the first time in his career. Warsofsky was an assistant on David Quinn's staff in 2023 and worked under him for two seasons with the Sharks before succeeding him as head coach.
"Ryan is an exceptional young coach," U.S. men's national team general manager Jeff Kealty said. "He connects well with players and is a great fit to lead our team in the world championship as we strive to bring home the gold medal."
Warsofsky, 37, is the youngest coach currently in the NHL and could potentially have players older than him at the tournament taking place May 9-25 in Herning, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden. The U.S. is set to play its preliminary-round games in Herning.
The U.S. has not won gold at the tournament since 1960, more than 27 years before Warsofsky was born.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti does not believe the decision to allow Barcelona's Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor to continue playing for the club will taint any competition, with his team potentially facing Barça for three trophies.
Spain's sports ministry (CSD) ruled on Thursday that Olmo and Víctor can continue to play for Barcelona for the remainder of the season despite opposition from both LaLiga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Madrid are three points behind leaders Barcelona in LaLiga, and will also face the Catalan outfit in the Copa del Rey final on April 26.
The two teams are also still alive in the Champions League.
Asked in Friday's news conference if the CSD's decision adulterates the competitions, Ancelotti said: "No, I don't believe so. We are happy to play in a great [Copa del Rey] final and be closer to another aim. We have a lot of respect for Barcelona just as they have for us. Barcelona are playing well, they are in a good dynamic."
Madrid drew 4-4 against Real Sociedad in extra time on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win to reach the Copa del Rey final.
Despite Madrid having a busy calendar with four games in the space of 11 days, Ancelotti is confident.
Los Blancos play at Valencia in LaLiga on Saturday before facing Arsenal in next week's Champions League quarterfinal fist leg.
"We have to be optimistic," Ancelotti said. "The team is fighting, we are alive in every competition. We are very close. We have confidence also because the experience we've had in the past. We are motivated. It's an important time of the season.
"I think we have improved and are playing better as a team."
Ancelotti, meanwhile, played down reports that Madrid are having a goalkeeping crisis and expects Thibaut Courtois to be fit to face Arsenal..
Courtois has missed Madrid's last two games having returned from international duty with Belgium with a muscular problem while Andriy Lunin, who started for Madrid in midweek, picked up a muscular problem.
"We are not worried at all," Ancelotti said. "Courtois is a lot better. We believe he can be available for Tuesday's game. Lunin is going to have a test later today having picked up a minor problem and if he can't play, we have plenty of faith in [third-choice goalkeeper] Fran [González]. He is young [aged 19]. We are all convinced he has a great future ahead."
Also on Friday, Antonio Rüdiger and Kylian Mbappé were cleared by UEFA to play against Arsenal.
UEFA had launched an investigation last week into the behaviour of Rüdiger and his teammates Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Dani Ceballos during their team's Champions League penalty shootout win at Atlético Madrid on March 12.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- United States women's national team coach Emma Hayes said she feels confident in her team's defensive personnel ahead of an Olympic gold medal-game rematch against Brazil, despite the "extremely unfortunate" injury to center-back Tierna Davidson.
Davidson tore her ACL last week and will miss the remainder of 2025. The USWNT was already without fellow starting center-back Naomi Girma, who is dealing with a calf injury, heading into Saturday's game at SoFi Stadium.
"Without Naomi Girma, without Tierna Davidson, this is the right time to develop individuals first," Hayes said at a news conference Friday. "I've been really clear that this camp, the next two camps, there is going to be experimentation, and that means that the connections on the field might not be as strong, but we get a chance to see where the individual development is in that."
Defenders Crystal Dunn and Emily Sonnett are the most senior defenders on the current roster. They are joined by some young and less experienced players like center-back Tara McKeown, who earned her first caps in February, and fullback Avery Patterson, who is in her first camp with the USWNT.
Hayes said on Friday that she would "drip-feed" young players into games alongside veterans to make sure that less experienced players are set up for success.
"What I have noticed in this camp is the gap closing across the board within the team, and that's our first starting point," Hayes said.
The USWNT will also play Brazil on Tuesday in San Jose, California. The Americans won the 2024 Olympic final 1-0 in August to capture a fifth Olympic gold medal for the program.
The USWNT is without nearly half their starters from that game. Forward Sophia Wilson (nee Smith) is on maternity leave, forward Mallory Swanson is on personal leave, and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher recently retired from international duty. In addition to injuries to Girma and Davidson, Rose Lavelle -- a longtime mainstay in midfield -- is also sidelined.
Forward Trinity Rodman has returned to the squad, however, for the first time since the Olympics after dealing with chronic back problems. The 22-year-old said recently that she might not ever be 100% healthy.
"I think the back's very difficult because you can't avoid using it at every moment in a game, every moment of your day-to-day life," Rodman said on Friday. "For me, it is about management and training my back to be in certain positions so I'm not overworking other muscles to overcompensate for it.
"It's been an interesting and hard journey, but it's been good getting back."
Hayes said she will manage Rodman to make sure she doesn't push her too hard too soon. Rodman made her first start of the NWSL season for the Washington Spirit last weekend.
Forward Catarina Macario is expected to play a significant role for the USWNT over the next two games against Brazil, which is her birth country. Macario was born in Brazil and moved to the U.S. with her family in 2012. She acquired U.S. citizenship in 2020 and received her first call-up to the USWNT on the same day.
"I haven't thought about it too much," she said Friday about playing Brazil. "But will obviously be very special -- kind of like a full-circle moment."
Hayes expects Brazil to bring high pressure defensively, which will force her team to make quick decisions. On Friday, she cited the famous Mike Tyson quote about how everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.
"Let's see what we're like when we've been punched in the game," Hayes said. "That's something that I think we're set up to do in the work that we're doing both on the pitch and in the classroom."
Transfer George wants to return Cuse to tourney
Naithan George, the top available point guard in the NCAA transfer portal, has committed to Syracuse, he told ESPN on Friday.
"They told me I'm the main target, the only target," George said. "They were the main ones calling me every day, the head coach, assistants, players. I love Syracuse, the history they have. It's a winning program. We're going to bring them back to the NCAA tournament and go on a run there."
George, who led the ACC in assists at Georgia Tech this season, says he picked the Orange from a long list of schools that included North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Stanford. He averaged 12.3 points, 6.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore.
Born and raised in Toronto, the 6-foot-3 point guard said the proximity to home played a role in his decision, as his family will be able to drive to watch him play.
The Orange have a significant need at his position, with starting point guard Jaquan Carlos graduating.
"They need someone to come in and run the show," George said. "They are returning some great pieces and bringing in new ones. We're going to have shooters everywhere."
This is the third portal commitment coach Red Autry has reeled in this cycle, along with UCLA center William Kyle and Oregon State wing Nate Kingz. Autry also retained his top two scorers in wing J.J. Starling and power forward Donnie Freeman.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.
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