I Dig Sports
It is a beautiful June Saturday in Knoxville, Iowa. A couple from Oregon steps out of their car and approaches the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum.
They are welcomed at the door. It is their first trip to “The Sprint Car Capital of the World.”
They are shown to the sixth floor of the Bryan Clauson Suite Tower. They step out of the door onto the observation deck and the enormity of Knoxville Raceway takes their breath away. They walk up to the railing and peer over. The tractors are tilling and water trucks are in motion around the big half-mile race track.
It’s finally race day.
The folks from Checkered Flag Concessions are making trips back and forth to the infield concession stand. As the gentle breeze blows a little bit harder 600 feet in the air, down below transporters and trailers — enclosed and open alike — are pulling on the fairgrounds. The public-address system is already belting out tunes and things are abuzz.
The couple has never seen anything like it. A first-time visit to Knoxville Raceway can be awe inspiring. It’s quickly apparent to the couple that Knoxville Raceway is the destination for thousands each Saturday night.
When fans from far and wide think about Knoxville Raceway, the Knoxville Nationals may be foremost in their minds. The event was started by Marion Robinson in 1961, paying $1,000 to win for supermodifieds. The event was a huge success and made Knoxville Raceway a player on the national scene.
In 1954, weekly racing came to the Marion County Fairgrounds for the first time. Modified stock cars eventually found a foothold on Saturday nights. Weekly racing has been the backbone of the community ever since.
Without it, the Knoxville Nationals would never have occurred, and certainly, without the weekly contingent to support it, the Nationals would not be what it is today.
Thousands have moved to the region over the years, bringing new companies, race teams, business, residents and revenue to the community of 7,000. For the majority, it is weekly racing that draws them. Certainly, the Nationals brings a boost to the local economy, but weekly racing from mid-April to the end of August is what sustains it.
The Saturday night weekly scene is something to behold. More than 200 employees assemble to carry out their duties. Race officials, safety personnel, concession workers, the track-prep crew, push-truck drivers, customer service, security, ticket takers, office personnel, the clean-up crew and many more have one thing in mind — running a smooth and entertaining event.
Driver Brian Brown hails from Grain Valley, Mo., and is proud of his Missouri roots, but Knoxville is home for him. His Casey’s General Stores/FVP No. 21 transporter brings flash and style with it and is the first to pull into the infield on this night.
The two-time 410 track champion grew up here on Saturday nights watching his uncle, Danny Lasoski, rack up win after win. It was a family affair that saw Brown run from the stands to be a part of the victory lane photo.
Racing for a living, Brown has solidly put himself in the top 10 in the 410 class nationwide. He has built his own team from the ground up through hard work and sponsorships he takes very seriously. He beat the World of Outlaws at Knoxville in June, and he’s beaten them other places as well. But there is nowhere he’d rather be on a Saturday night.
The pressure that comes from being the nephew of Knoxville Raceway’s top feature winner is real, but not nearly the pressure Brown puts on himself.
The years have taught him to relax a little and take it one week at a time. It has paid off. Still, when he rolls in, everyone knows he’s among those to beat every Saturday night. Through late June, Brown had won four features here this season.
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MOGYOROD, Hungary – While Lewis Hamilton won Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, there was another driver with a famous Formula One last name who wound up stealing the headlines.
Mick Schumacher, the son of all-time F-1 champion and wins leader Michael Schumacher, scored his maiden race win during a Grand Prix weekend with a victory in the Formula 2 sprint race at the Hungaroring.
The 20-year-old, who started from the pole by virtue of an eighth-place finish in the F-2 feature race on Saturday, held off Japan’s Nobuharu Matsushita all the way through the 28-lap distance.
The younger Schumacher made a set of medium-compound Pirelli tires last to the checkered flag, securing the first win for a Schumacher family member on an F-1 event weekend since Michael’s last victory in 2006 at the Chinese Grand Prix.
“I was always trying to keep [Matsushita] a bit behind, especially in the last sector, where mostly going into turn one is the easiest and most probable overtaking opportunity,” Schumacher noted. “I tried to have a good exit out of the last corner every time which worked pretty well. He got pretty close when he had the DRS, but in general I was trying to take care of my tires, especially when those two [Matsushita and Sette Camara] were fighting.
“I tried to push to get away so that I’d stay out of DRS (range), but then also tried to look after the tires so that if Nobuharu came back … then I still had some tire [life] left.”
A member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Schumacher drives for the leading Prema Racing team in the feeder series to F-1.
He tested a Ferrari F-1 car in April, but has struggled during his first F-2 season and sits 11th in points after his first victory. Schumacher’s previous best was fourth in Austria.
While widely expected to move up to F-1 in the future, the son of the sport’s greatest driver isn’t worried about when or how soon such a move might happen.
“Only time can tell,” Schumacher told the BBC. “Having the first victory in F-2 is a great thing. I need to work a lot on myself. Whether I go to F-1 next year … or in two years or maybe three, I don’t know.
“I will do my best and try to learn as much as possible, so that when I do (make) the step, I will be ready and able to feel comfortable.”
Nicholas Latifi won Saturday’s F-2 feature race.
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KNOXVILLE, Iowa – James McFadden’s win in the 29th Annual MyPlace Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank has him leading the Beaver Drill & Tool Jesse Hockett Mr. Sprint Car standings.
Sunday night, the Southern Iowa Sprint Week action shifts to 410 racing during Knoxville Raceway’s Bell Helmets Capitani Classic presented by Great Southern Bank.
While McFadden leads the way in the rankings, his nearest pursuer is breathing down his neck, as Brian Brown sits only two points adrift of the top spot.
Aaron Reutzel and Wayne Johnson are tied for third, with Joey Saldana completing the top five.
Beaver Drill & Tool Company of Kansas City is in their second year as title sponsor of the Beaver Drill & Tool Jesse Hockett Mr. Sprint Car Award.
The Vielhauer family, well-known in the sprint car racing community, are the owners of Beaver Drill & Tool Co.
Current 2019 Jesse Hockett “Mr. Sprint Car” Standings
1. James McFadden, Victoria, Aust., 100 points; 2. Brian Brown, Missouri, 98 points; 3. Aaron Reutzel, Texas, 96; Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma, 96 points; 5. Joey Saldana, Indiana, 94 points; 6. Cory Eliason, California, 91 points; Davey Heskin, Minnesota, 91 points; 8. Thomas Kennedy, Winnipeg, Canada, 89 points; 9. Austin McCarl, Iowa, 86 points; Dusty Zomer, South Dakota, 86 points.
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Z. Johnson to miss playoffs for first time; ‘Didn’t have it this week, or this year’
Published in
Golf
Sunday, 04 August 2019 05:54
GREENSBORO, N.C. – For the first time in the FedExCup era, the playoffs will not include Zach Johnson.
The two-time major winner has largely struggled this season, with no top-15 finishes since November. His season came to an end Sunday at the Wyndham Championship, where a closing 66 left him at 8 under and outside the top 50.
Johnson entered the week at 152nd in the season-long points race, needing at least a top-6 finish at Sedgefield Country Club to make the 125-man field at next week’s Northern Trust.
“Extreme disappointment. That’s about all I’ve got at this point is just extreme disappointment,” Johnson said. “I mean, I didn’t play as much as I typically do in the past, probably 3-5 tournaments less, but that’s just because of the season of life that I’m in. So there’s more opportunity when you play more, but that has nothing to do with my play.”
Once a fixture near the top of the rankings, Johnson has slipped to 126th in the world. He will remain fully exempt next season in the final part of a five-year exemption for winning the 2015 Open, an insurance that the 43-year-old admitted allowed him to play with added “freedom” during a lean year.
“I’m trying to win golf tournaments. I don’t come here to top-25, or top-125 for FedEx,” Johnson said. “If I come here just to sustain, then I’m going to get lapped. I mean, I come here to win. Just didn’t have it this week, or this year.”
When asked to identify the main reason for his struggles this season, Johnson was quick to point to the putter. He was inside the top 25 on Tour in strokes gained: putting in both 2016 and 2017, but slipped to 60th last season and entered this week ranked 117th on the greens.
But Johnson was also the most high-profile player to sign an equipment deal with PXG in 2016, a move that came just months after his victory at St. Andrews when he was ranked 13th in the world. While he has not won since and will now miss the postseason for the first time, he bluntly refuted the notion that his equipment change has had a negative impact on his game.
“That’s false,” Johnson said. “For me, it’s the best stuff. It’s not even a question.”
Johnson’s absence next week leaves only nine players who have made the playoffs every year since 2007: Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson, Charles Howell III, Ryan Moore and Charley Hoffman.
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With many players left feeling disappointed or bad about one situation or another, here are the top quotes of the week:
“Extreme disappointment … Just didn’t have it this week, or this year.” - Zach Johnson said about his PGA Tour season, which ended in him missing the FedExCup playoffs for the first time in his career.
“Overall, just didn’t play well … Man, I don’t know what’s going on.” - Jordan Spieth said after he stumbled to a 77 to miss the 54-hole cut at the Wyndham Championship.
“To put my name on [this trophy], it will never get erased.” - Garret Rank said, a 31-year-old NHL referee who won the Western Amateur title.
“I thought maybe that would be a problem.” - Brendan Steele said after he was assessed a two-shot penalty for use of an alignment stick during the second round of the Wyndham Championship.
“He started abusing some of the passengers and crew and then made a pass at one of the female passengers before taking a leak in the aisle.” - A witness said of Thorbjorn Olesen, who was reportedly arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on a British Airways flight, according to British tabloid The Sun.
“I can’t apologize enough.” - Lexi Thompson said after she delayed practice for many Women’s British Open participants due to a chase for her passport.
“Smashed my back window, like 12 o’clock in the middle of the afternoon. I don’t know if they knew it was me or not, because it was in the box and everything. And I had golf clubs as well, and they didn’t take that. A bit strange.” - Georgia Hall recalled when her AIG Women’s Open trophy was stolen after last year’s win.
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Shibuno (68) wins Women's British with dramatic closing birdie
Published in
Golf
Sunday, 04 August 2019 07:05
With a final-round 68 and a birdie on the 72nd hole, Japan’s Hinako Shibuno won the AIG Women’s British Open on Sunday. Here’s how things played out during a riveting final round at Woburn:
Leaderboard: Shibuno (-18), Lizette Salas (-17), Jin Young Ko (-16), Morgan Pressel (-15), Ashleigh Buhai (-14)
What it means: This is Shibuno’s third worldwide win this year, following a pair of victories on the JLPGA. This week was the 20-year-old’s first professional start outside of Japan. Prior to her arrival, she assumed Woburn was a links. Known as the “Smiling Cinderella,” Shibuno saw her two-shot, 54-hole lead quickly disappear when she four-putted the third hole for double bogey. She fought back with birdies at Nos. 5 and 7, and a bogey at 8 saw her make the turn in 1 over. Then, just as she has all week, she lit the back nine on fire with a bogey-free, 5-under 31. Her clinching birdie putt on the 72nd hole had so much pace on it that it may have made the hole a little bigger. Had it missed, she would have had a lot of work coming back just to tie Salas and force a playoff. Instead, it dropped. It was fitting end for a champion who played Woburn’s back nine in 18 under this week, the same total as her winning score.
Best of the rest: Salas’ Sunday 65 tied for the round of the week. She made eight birdies and a single bogey. Following a gorgeous approach to the final green, her birdie bid to push herself to 18 under par lipped out. Minutes later, with Salas waiting out a potential playoff, Shibuno did what Salas didn’t; she birdied 18.
Honorable mention: Jin Young Ko’s bid for back-to-back majors and three in a single season came up two-shots short. The Rolex No. 1 fired a bogey-free round of 6-under 66 Sunday. Now finished, her major 2019 campaign looked like this: 1st, T-16, T-14, 1st, 3rd.
Captain’s pick? Two days after Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster told Golf Channel’s Randall Mell that Pressel was on her radar, Pressel finished off her best major finish in four years, a solo fourth. In the mix all day, she carded four birdies and an eagle before dropping her only shot of the day at the last for a closing 67.
Shot of the day: Shibuno’s racing birdie putt at the 72nd hole:
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LONDON, England -- Manchester City beat Liverpool on penalties to lift the Community Shield following a 1-1 draw at Wembley.
Gabriel Jesus scored the deciding spot kick after Georginio Wijnaldum had missed Liverpool's second effort to give Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions the edge over the Champions League winners, after an entertaining game that, at times, became far more feisty than the friendly tag suggested.
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Earlier Raheem Sterling had put City in front in the first half before it was cancelled out by Joel Matip's header to send the game to a shoot-out.
Liverpool were without Sadio Mane after a summer spent at the Africa Cup of Nations but Jurgen Klopp was still able to pick nine of the team that started the Champions League final two months ago.
Guardiola handed a competitive debut to £62.8 million record signing Rodri but left Ederson and Sergio Aguero on the bench after their Copa America exertions.
Leroy Sane was picked from the start despite fresh speculation linking him with a move to Bayern Munich but he lasted just nine minutes after falling awkwardly under pressure from Trent Alexander-Arnold. It didn't disrupt City, though, and before Jesus could take his place, they were in front.
From the resulting free kick, David Silva hooked the ball back into the box and Sterling got in front of Jordan Henderson to score from close range. It was Sterling's first goal against the club he left in 2015 and the perfect reply to the boos from Liverpool fans that followed his every touch.
At the other end Mohamed Salah gave Oleksandr Zinchenko a torrid time down City's left without ever finding the finish to go with the build-up.
The second half started with the woodwork rattled at both ends.
First Sterling hit the post after being sent clean through before Virgil van Dijk struck the underside of the crossbar. Salah saw another effort come back of the post and Sterling fluffed his finish after being put through a second time to round off a frantic 15 minutes.
Liverpool had to wait until 12 minutes from time but did finally get the equaliser their second-half performance deserved.
Henderson's free kick reached Van Dijk at the back post and he looped a cross towards Joel Matip -- on as a second-half substitute -- who beat Claudio Bravo with a header from five yards.
Liverpool would have won it in stoppage time but for an acrobatic clearance from Kyle Walker from underneath his own crossbar after chasing down Salah's header, before Wijnaldum's miss and Jesus' successful fifth kick decided the shoot-out to earn City the Community Shield for the second year in a row.
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Maguire will make Man United title contenders - Pep
Published in
Soccer
Sunday, 04 August 2019 12:19
LONDON, England -- Pep Guardiola says he is expecting Harry Maguire's imminent arrival to transform Manchester United into title challengers after watching his Manchester City side strike an early blow over Liverpool in the Community Shield on Sunday.
City won a shoot-out at Wembley after a 1-1 draw to claim the preseason trophy for the second year in a row.
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City and Liverpool finished 25 points clear of their nearest rivals last season during a thrilling Premier League title race that was decided by a single point. But Guardiola believes the pair will not be as dominant this year -- particularly after sources have indicated that United have beaten City to a deal for Maguire.
Asked whether Maguire was good enough to turn United into contenders, Guardiola said: "Yes. He is an excellent, top-class player.
"We were interested but we could not afford it and United can afford it.
"He made an incredible World Cup, strong in the air, good with the ball and drives with the ball so fast. He has all the qualities to work for United. Congratulations to United for the signing.
"I don't know if it'll be like last season with two real contenders to win the Premier League. I think United, with Maguire, and the others have bought -- Arsenal as well and Chelsea and Tottenham. So I think there will be many contenders this time."
City are still searching for a centre-back themselves after Vincent Kompany's departure, while there is also fresh speculation Leroy Sane could move to Bayern Munich.
The German lasted just nine minutes at Wembley after appearing to suffer a twisted knee, but Guardiola is hopeful the damage is not too serious. Sane left Wembley with strapping around his leg but was not limping heavily.
"The first impression was not good but I don't think it's bad," said Guardiola. "I honestly don't know, I haven't spoken to the doctor -- we'll wait and see. I think he will be OK."
City start the defence of their league title with a trip to West Ham on Saturday before facing Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium a week later.
Guardiola has taken his team to China, Hong Kong and Japan during the summer, but he insists he can only start preseason now after missing key members of his squad because of the Copa America and the Africa Cup of Nations.
"Now is good, it's the start of the real preseason," said Guardiola.
"In Asia, we had to survive with the humidity and the jet lag. And you cannot sleep and in the morning -- you are exhausted and go to the training sessions which is humid and it's impossible.
"Now of course we start the competition in the Premier League and we need to try to take points because we tried but we are not fit right now. We knew it, and we know it after this game, but we have long weeks. We don't have a midweek game, and that is a real preseason.
"We have two or three weeks training and concentrating [on] ideas and take it day by day. Sergio [Aguero] came just three or four days ago, Fernandinho came for the first time [on Sunday] and [we] try to avoid injuries and, day by day, to get in a better condition. This month is going to help us get our rhythm and ideas we want to play for the rest of the season."
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Manchester United are ready to end talks over Paulo Dybala's proposed move to Old Trafford, sources have told ESPN FC.
Dybala has been discussed as part of a deal that would have taken Romelu Lukaku to Juventus, but there are concerns about the Argentinian's desire to join United.
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He had stalled on making a decision about whether or not to quit the Italian champions for the Premier League because of a reluctance to swap Champions League football for at least one season in the Europa League. United, according to sources, do not want to meet Dybala's wage demands while complications over the 25-year-old's image rights have made him hard to value.
Juventus, according to sources, have not given up hope of signing Lukaku but their chances have taken a serious hit with United ready to pull the plug on their pursuit of Dybala.
Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic has also been discussed as part of the agreement and there remains a chance he could still end up at Old Trafford. Negotiations are ongoing with Inter Milan, who are also keen to land Lukaku, but there are doubts about whether they can meet the £80 million asking price. Inter have already seen a £54m bid rejected.
Lukaku is desperate to leave the club and while manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said earlier this summer the Belgian would be replaced, sources have told ESPN FC that stance has softened.
United have until Thursday to bring in more players after splashing £65m on winger Daniel James and full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. They are set to announce the arrival of defender Harry Maguire after agreeing an £80m deal with Leicester on Friday.
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LONDON -- Let's be brief when it comes to the "things we learned" from the Community Shield: good luck to the rest of the Premier League.
Liverpool and Manchester City, the winners of the 2019-20 curtain raiser at Wembley, show zero signs of letting up. If anything, they look more determined than ever to shatter records and set new benchmarks, both driven on by the presence of the other to be the very best versions of themselves, even in a friendly. There were 77,565 in attendance at the iconic stadium to witness a 1-1 draw that was settled 5-4 on penalties in favour to City, but the numbers were not as important as the eye-opening effort and application from the main contenders for the crown this season.
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The teams' desire to succeed could be gauged by watching Mohamed Salah, who only returned from his postseason break on Monday and played 45 minutes against Lyon before this tougher test. He was constantly speeding around the attacking third, shrugging off markers and showing fast feet to get 10 shots away -- two hit the post, one was cleared off the line (we'll come to that next) -- which was more than City managed in total.
You could see it in the 93rd minute too, when the Egypt international looked certain to have won the match for Liverpool with a header, only for a scissor kick from Kyle Walker on the goal line to avert danger just before it could go in. Those acrobatics at that stage of the encounter -- a friendly, remember -- underlined City's ruthlessness and refusal to lose a game.
The most intense element of the showdown didn't even happen on the pitch, but in the technical area of the Premier League champions.
Pep Guardiola paced throughout the match in frustration, furiously pointing out spaces his side weren't exploiting to his liking. He put his hands over his head and over his eyes in disbelief at missed chances or misplaced passes, even leaning against the advertising hoardings in annoyance after an indecisive Raheem Sterling dithered, with only Alisson to beat, and failed to make it 2-0. The 48-year-old was so worked up that he even created an imaginary red-card situation when David Silva and Joe Gomez challenged for a high ball and the Liverpool defender got to it first. Guardiola fumed to fourth official Stuart Attwell, suggesting that the England international had gone in on his player dangerously and with force. His continued protestations earned him a yellow card. In a friendly.
Tensions eventually spilled over late in the second half, with City's boss exchanging words with Jurgen Klopp, Jordan Henderson, Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk and just about anyone else in red. At the final whistle, there were a lot kinder exchanges marked by a wealth of respect, with both camps fully aware that another almighty battle will brew between them over the season ahead.
It's been 1,253 days since the last and only time these teams have previously met at Wembley, and the upgrade for both since City won the 2016 League Cup -- also on penalties -- has been staggering. They are now, by quite some distance, the supreme powers of English football.
Back then, however, Klopp had been in the Liverpool job for four months and only two of his starting XI, Henderson and Roberto Firmino, in that final were also in his Community Shield first 11 on Sunday afternoon. Guardiola wasn't in situ at the Etihad yet, with Manuel Pellegrini seeing out a final term that ended with City 15 points adrift of domestic champions Leicester City. Liverpool were 21 below the pace but fast-forwarding to the present day, it is difficult to imagine any side bar Tottenham getting remotely close enough in the league to trouble these two.
"We know which team we will face [as Premier League contenders]," Guardiola said postmatch. "They are the champions of Europe, so I give a lot of credit to the players for the way we played in the first half.
"At this level the difference is nothing: one penalty, one point. It was good to face them to show the guys how well prepared we have to be to win the title."
Klopp echoed this desire after the match. "We will try everything to win more trophies this season, and I thought what the boys showed today, they looked pretty hungry," he said. "Both teams wanted to win it today. My team is not satisfied."
And neither are City. Another epic campaign awaits.
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