The four-wide parade lap prior to the start of Friday's World of Outlaws Late Model Series feature at Independence Motor Speedway. (Mike Ruefer photo)
Chad Simpson (25) battles Dennis Erb Jr. during Friday's World of Outlaws Late Model Series feature at Independence Motor Speedway. (Mike Ruefer photo)
Brandon Sheppard passes Brent Larson (B1) during Friday's World of Outlaws Late Model Series feature at Independence Motor Speedway. (Mike Ruefer photo)
Shane Clanton (25) races against Jonathan Brauns during Friday's World of Outlaws Late Model Series feature at Independence Motor Speedway. (Mike Ruefer photo)
Brandon Sheppard (1) and Chris Simpson race for the lead during Friday's World of Outlaws Late Model Series feature at Independence Motor Speedway. (Mike Ruefer photo)
Tyler Bruening (16) battles Ricky Weiss during Friday's World of Outlaws Late Model Series feature at Independence Motor Speedway. (Mike Ruefer photo)
Brandon Sheppard takes the checkered flag to win Friday's World of Outlaws Late Model Series feature at Independence Motor Speedway. (Mike Ruefer photo)
Brandon Sheppard celebrates in victory lane after winning Friday's World of Outlaws Late Model Series feature at Independence Motor Speedway. (Mike Ruefer photo)
PONTA VEDRE, Fla. – E3 Spark Plugs has expanded partnership with the National Hot Rod Ass’n.
Supporting NHRA racing across all platforms, E3 continues the company’s longstanding partnership as the NHRA’s official spark plug and official ignition products through 2024.
Since their initial sponsorship, E3 has grown into not just one of the major marketing forces behind NHRA, but has brought an entirely new line of racing ignition products to the sport.
E3’s patented DiamondFIRE Technology was introduced to NHRA racing in 2016 in the form of a new line of racing spark plugs that has gained a solid following and contributed to numerous national championships in the last three years. Following that success, E3 brought to market a complete line of Racing Distributors, Extreme Performance Spark Plug Wires and Coil Packs that work together to ensure optimum performance and wins at the track.
“NHRA has been a win-win for E3 and for the racers that participate in our NHRA contingency program,” said E3 Vice President of Motorsports Rob Fisher. “This extension of another three years to 2024 was an easy decision. Our goal is to support the NHRA racers, crews and fans by having a strong presence at events that fuel their passion for drag racing at its finest. We like the direction NHRA is heading with the evolution of programs like NHRA TV, Pro Mod drag racing, and Factory Stock just to name a few. Consequently, extending our contract underscores our commitment to the racers and fans.”
Padraig Harrington may have some reservations about whether Tiger Woods is serious about winning The Open, but the 43-year-old looks pretty locked in.
While he may not be preparing with tournament golf, he is doing 1 a.m. ET wake-up calls to prepare for the five-hour time difference at Royal Portrush, according to a video posted to Nike's Instagram story on Monday.
Woods is a notorious early riser, and he explains why that is in the video.
"If you want to succeed, if you want to get better, if you want to win, if you want to accomplish your goals, it all starts with getting up early in the morning." he advises, before adding, "Have a great day."
With 15 major championships on his résumé, it's hard to argue with those results.
Woods finished in a tie for 21st in his latest start, the U.S. Open, but looked stiff at times, sporting kinesiology tape on his neck and admitting "I feel every shot I hit."
“I think I'm going to take a little bit of time off and enjoy some family time,” he said. “I'm looking forward to getting up there and taking a look at the golf course and trying to figure it out. I hope that my practice rounds are such that we get different winds, especially on a golf course that I've never played, and to get a different feel how it could play for the week.”
A schedule filled with midweek games stretched the resources of teams across Major League Soccer this round, leading to silly mistakes that really shouldn't happen.
We here at MLS Power Rankings wouldn't know anything about that. Thanks to a very nap-heavy daily calendar, we're always in tiptop shape. The Power Rankings don't make mistakes. The Power Rankings are prefect.
LAFC were back on their ... good stuff. After a strange loss in Colorado, Bob Bradley's team only put in 11 goals in two games this week against Western Conference opponents. The words "historically dominant" are starting to resolve into view, and there's no reason yet to doubt LAFC will march to a title.
Next MLS match: July 14 at New York Red Bulls (6:30 p.m. ET)
No one beats NYCFC at home. Well, almost no one. The Sounders didn't do it on Wednesday, but Portland somehow managed to hand Dome Torrent's club just its second loss of the season overall and its first loss in the Bronx in a scrappy game at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
Knock knock. (You say "Who's there?"). Orange. (Now you say "Orange who?").
....orange you glad the Union aren't playing Orlando City anymore? Back-to-back games separated by four days between the same teams just feels weird. Let's not do that anymore.
Not only did Zlatan Ibrahimovic score twice and lead the Galaxy to a needed win against a weakened Toronto team but he did it wearing a shirt with his name spelled wrong. Maybe LA should consider leaving "Irbahimovic" on the Swede's jersey just in case it's good luck?
FC Dallas continue to hang around just behind the top tier of teams in the Western Conference, thanks to the young talent in the roster and the contributions of veterans such as Santiago Mosquera. Mosquera's early tally was the game winner in an Independence Day win over D.C.
Five Stripes, one point from a double-game week. Wednesday's humbling in Chicago certainly leaked into Sunday's tilt against the Red Bulls -- not just because of fatigue but because Atlanta was missing Leandro Gonzalez Pirez via suspension. United thought they had a win against New York, only to have it snatched away by poor defending.
The Quakes watched a six-game unbeaten run -- four of them wins -- end in a midweek trip to Minnesota. It took an added-time goal from Danny Hoesen to get back to winning ways at home against RSL on Saturday. Does San Jose have the staying power to go on another strong run of form?
The Red Bulls get the Shrug of the Week Award after they took a 4-0 thumping in Houston on Wednesday, then executed a late comeback to earn a draw after they were forced to play the same day they arrived in Atlanta on Sunday thanks to travel issues. And next week is the Hudson River Derby!
It was a Texas-sized nightmare for the Black and Red in Frisco on Thursday. There's some relief that Wayne Rooney's red card was downgraded to a yellow, but the chances seem good that Luciano Acosta might miss more than a game after his stamp on Paxton Pomykal in the loss.
The end of the Casey bump means the Rapids remain in last place in the West and fall below .500 at home. The danger is that a disappointing home loss damages the confidence of a team just starting to believe in itself. This is when Casey's real work -- and his audition for the full-time job -- really begins.
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Bunbury scores 50th MLS goal in Revs win over Rapids
Three separate rain delays still couldn't stop the New England Revolution as they prevailed 2-1 past Colorado Rapids.
The Bruce-clamation project (these are definitely getting better) continued in Colorado on the Fourth of July. Commerce City is never an easy place to win, even when the Rapids are bad -- and the Revs now have a chance to jump into a playoff spot next week with a win against a scuffling D.C. United team.
The Loons took six points from two games this week and have a three-game winning run going. The U.S. Open Cup tilt in midweek makes things a little more complicated for Adrian Heath, but the Loons have climbed all the way to fourth in the West and are starting to look like ... if you can believe it ... the real deal.
It couldn't have started any better for the Impact versus Minnesota United thanks to Anthony Jackson-Hamel's goal 27 seconds in. That start didn't lead to a win, though, and the Impact will be kicking themselves for losing to a Loons team minus several starters. Next up, a rivalry clash with a TFC team that will have its big names back.
The Portland creep up the table continued this weekend after a road win in the Bronx over NYCFC. It was a momentous win for several reasons: One, NYCFC hadn't lost at home in 2019. Two, NYCFC has only two losses on the year in total. Three, the last time NYCFC lost a game it was the first week of spring.
A swing east for two games this week delivered a loss in New York City and a win in Columbus for the Sounders. The biggest difference between the two games was Nicolas Lodeiro, who returned from Copa America duty and a penalty and late winner at the death to secure the win in Ohio.
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Lodeiro stuns Crew with stoppage time winner
Columbus Crew are winless in their last five matches in all competitions following Nico Lodeiro's brace for Seattle Sounders.
In a span of six days, the Dynamo will have played against the league's worst team, FC Cincinnati, and the league's best team, LAFC. Houston suffered the shame of being the first team to lose to FCC since May 11. That doesn't bode well for next Friday's tilt against the Black and Gold.
The Lions just finished a weird week in which they faced the Union in back-to-back games separated by four days and got a single point for the effort. Dom Dwyer scored in the weekend draw, which is a good sign that the forward can reclaim his form after paternity leave.
RSL nearly played their way to a busy, unbeaten week, but a late concession in San Jose ruined a chance to extend a three-game unbeaten run. There's some extra sting on the loss because it vaulted the Quakes back over Real Salt Lake and into the playoff places. Will this one matter by the end of the year?
The most notable thing about the Whitecaps this week is that they were LAFC's latest victim. Conceding six goals is not good, but neither is anyone surprised.
If Sporting is going to get back to its accustomed level, getting out of last place is the first step. A win from two matches this week was enough to do just that, though the progress from the win over Chicago will need to ramp up significantly. Strange stat: Daniel Salloi, the man who led Sporting in goals last year, has yet to score in 2019.
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Paunovic & Chicago Fire under pressure after another defeat
Chicago Fire have yet to win away from home this season as pressure continues to pile on Veljko Paunovic following a 1-0 defeat to Sporting KC.
The Reds interregnum is finally over with the Gold Cup done. How quickly Greg Vanney can reintroduce Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore is critical to getting the season back on track. Despite last year's struggle, seventh place is not good enough for a team that aims to win championships every year.
The Fire are our "Whiplash Team of the Week" after beating the defending champs 5-1 on Wednesday(!) and falling to Sporting Kansas City 1-0 on Saturday. The short rest and the trip to Kansas City make it tough to be tough on Chicago, but that's a big difference.
The Gold Cup is over. Wil Trapp and Gyasi Zardes will be back with the team, presumably for the trip to Orlando next week. That's the best possible news for the Crew, who are tied with [checks notes] an expansion team for the most losses in Major League Soccer this season.
FC Cincinnati got themselves a big win over Houston on Saturday, the kind of win that lets everyone breathe again. Not a season-saving win, but a "hey, we can actually win, what a feeling" kind of win. The kind of win that maybe could turn into a winning streak kind of w... OK, maybe that's a step too far.
LOS ANGELES -- Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton says sexual assault allegations against him are not backed up by facts and are designed to attract media attention.
Walton made his comments in a court brief filed Wednesday in response to a lawsuit by sportscaster Kelli Tennant. The lawsuit is filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, and the Kings and the NBA are jointly investigating the accusations.
Walton's court filing claims Tennant filed a lawsuit nearly five years after the alleged assault, which the brief calls a "pleasant encounter,'' after she quit two jobs and needed money.
Tennant has said Walton attacked her in 2014 when he was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, but she was too afraid to file charges, though she did confide in others at the time.
"I was scared,'' she said. "I felt coming forward would jeopardize every aspect of my life.''
Tennant calls Walton a former longtime friend and mentor who wrote the foreword to a book she had written. When the coach was on a Warriors road trip to Los Angeles, she met him in the lobby of his Santa Monica hotel and he invited her to his room, she said. They discussed the book, and Walton allegedly grabbed her.
"Out of nowhere, he got on top of me and pinned me down to the bed and held my arms down with all of his weight while he kissed my neck and my face and my chest,'' Tennant said at an April news conference, adding that when she asked him to get off, "he laughed at me.''
Tennant's attorney, Garo Mardirossian, has said it's unlikely police would be able to put together a criminal case. Walton's lawyer, Mark Baute, has called Tennant "an opportunist, not a victim.''
The court filing last week says encounter was "very short, entirely pleasant and consensual," and did not include raised voices or groping. In the filing, Walton said he did not write a forward for Tennant's book and does not consider himself a mentor to her. They briefly worked at Spectrum Sports at the same time.
The court filing characterizes the meeting as "platonic in nature'' where Tennant was "entirely pleasant during the encounter.'' The filing also states Tennant waited beyond the statute of limitations to come forward and has no basis to seek economic relief from Walton because she quit her job at Spectrum Sports for reasons unrelated to him.
Walton is seeking for the lawsuit to be dismissed and Tennant to pay his costs and attorneys' fees.
Attorneys for Tennant and Walton could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.
CLEVELAND -- American League All-Star Game starter Justin Verlander told ESPN on Monday that the balls used in Major League Baseball games this season are "a f---ing joke" and that he believes "100%" the league has implemented them to increase offense.
The 36-year-old Verlander, an eight-time All-Star who is starting his second All-Star Game on Tuesday, has allowed a major league-high 26 home runs this season. Players hit 3,691 home runs in the season's first half and are on pace to hit 6,668 home runs, which would obliterate the record 6,105 hit in 2017.
Conversations about a juiced ball have percolated since after the All-Star break in 2015, after which home runs spiked. They are up nearly 60 percent from the 2014 season, and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred commissioned a study to investigate whether the balls were contributing to the home run spike. It concluded the balls were performing differently but didn't attribute a reason. In June 2018, one month after the study was released, MLB bought Rawlings, the supplier of the official major league ball.
"It's a f---ing joke," Verlander said. "Major League Baseball's turning this game into a joke. They own Rawlings, and you've got Manfred up here saying it might be the way they center the pill. They own the f---ing company. If any other $40 billion company bought out a $400 million company and the product changed dramatically, it's not a guess as to what happened. We all know what happened. Manfred the first time he came in, what'd he say? He said we want more offense. All of a sudden he comes in, the balls are juiced? It's not coincidence. We're not idiots."
Asked if he believed the balls were intentionally juiced by the league, Verlander said: "Yes. 100%. They've been using juiced balls in the Home Run Derby forever. They know how to do it. It's not coincidence. I find it really hard to believe that Major League Baseball owns Rawlings and just coincidentally the balls become juiced."
Manfred, who became commissioner in 2015, acknowledged Monday on ESPN's Golic and Wingo the difference in the balls. He has denied any involvement from the league in changing the composition of the ball.
"We think what's been going on this year is attributable to the baseball," Manfred told Golic and Wingo. "Our scientists that have been now studying the baseball more regularly have told us that this year the baseball has a little less drag. It doesn't need to change very much in order to produce meaningful change in terms of the way the game is played on the field. We are trying to understand exactly why that happened and build out a manufacturing process that gives us a little more control over what's going on. But you have to remember that our baseball is a handmade product and there's gonna be variation year to year."
Pitchers in particular have been outspoken this season about changes in the ball, talking about the seams, the leather, the ball's size and how it feels harder. Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of the ball this weekend: "You could just have stamped Titleist on the sides of these things."
"I hate the way I feel out there," Verlander told ESPN. "No matter who's the batter, I feel like I'm constantly walking a tightrope, because any batter can go opposite field. Any batter can leave with any pitch that's anywhere in the zone. You can't miss barrels anymore. You have to miss bats. There's been multiple times this year where five years ago I'd probably just throw a fastball away. I can't do that. Because you're the 8-, 9-hole hitter and you still can hit an opposite-field homer."
Fellow AL All-Star J.D. Martinez believes a change in hitters' approaches is to credit for the home-run surge. As fastball velocity from pitchers grew, he said, their control over pitches waned, and the explosion in knowledge from hitters tilted the game in their favor.
"It's a power-arm league," Martinez said. "It's either a walk or a strikeout -- stuff over command. I think you see a lot more mistakes over the plate. The velocity, the guys trying to hit the ball in the air -- I think it's a recipe for home runs."
The juiced-ball debate within the games is often bifurcated between the pitchers lamenting the home-run rise and the hitters benefitting from it. Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman did not want to say explicitly the ball is different but made it clear he echoed the sentiment of his pitching peers.
"I agree with some of JV's takes, CC Sabathia's," Stroman said. "I'll agree with those guys, retweet whatever they decide to put out.
"It's clear," Stroman continued. "I just come to terms with it. It is what it is. You can't control it. So why even think about it?"
For Verlander, it's a matter not only of how all-or-nothing baseball has affected him personally -- he showed off a blister on his thumb that he said only happened in 2017 and 2019, the two seasons in which the balls were in question -- but what it means for baseball writ large.
"I don't know if it's bad or good for the game," he said. "That's for them to decide. I don't think it's great -- that the true outcomes of strikeouts, homers and walks is best for the game. That's for somebody else to decide. I talk about time a lot -- how do you stack up in history? If you're going to change something so dramatically, I think you need to make people aware."
In another unexpected result, Karolina Muchova beat third seed Karolina Pliskova 4-6 7-5 13-11.
The all-Czech encounter was a game away from becoming the first Wimbledon match decided by the new rule which sees a tie-break played if it reaches 12-12 in the final set.
But world number 68 Muchova, who has never reached a Grand Slam quarter-final before, hit a forehand winner to break at 12-11 up and claim victory after three hours and 17 minutes.
The 22-year-old will face Ukrainian eighth seed Elina Svitolina next, who moved into the last eight with a 6-4 6-2 win against Petra Martic.
Williams is also in the second round of the mixed doubles with Britain's Andy Murray and said she was happy to have more playing time at the All England Club.
"I have more matches this week than in the past five months, but it is good," she explained.
"I know I can play and now that I feel better physically I almost feel a relief. I still want it or I wouldn't be here."
Williams took control from the outset, breaking Suarez Navarro's serve in the first game then breaking again to go 5-2 up.
But shortly before that Williams, who played in her first Grand Slam in 1998, had to be reminded of the rules by the umpire as she reached over the net to hit a volley.
The 23-time major winner told the umpire "I thought it was allowed" after the point was overruled, but was ultimately undisturbed as she claimed the first set in 31 minutes.
Williams made an equally commanding start to the second set as she broke Suarez Navarro in her first two service games, but the four-time Olympic champion then dipped momentarily as she lost her serve to love.
Suarez Navarro has never won more than three games in a set against the American though, and Williams ensured that record continued as she broke for a third time then held serve to close out the match in one hour and four minutes.
Elsewhere, Belgian 24th seed Elise Mertens served for the match against the Czech Republic's Barbora Strycova but was eventually beaten 4-6 7-5 6-2.
The world number 54 will play Britain's Johanna Konta or Petra Kvitova next.
China's Zhang Shuai held off Ukrainian 19-year-old Dayana Yastremska 6-4 1-6 6-2 and will now play Simona Halep, who ended 15-year-old Coco Gauff's run with a 6-3 6-3 victory.
Analysis
American former world number six Chanda Rubin on BBC TV
This was just a classic Serena Williams performance. Everything was firing and on point.
Carla Suarez Navarro is an opponent she has never really had trouble with. Williams broke her in the first game and she never looked back.
She did not have enough against Williams' power, serving and movement.
"I couldn't begin to say what it means to me. To have overcome the matches the way I have is what I'm most excited about," said Riske, 29.
"Getting to the quarter-finals is amazing but what's most exciting for me is the way I've been fighting.
"The grass definitely brings out the best in me. Hopefully it will rub off and happen in other places too. I think my game is just well suited to it."
"I love being at Wimbledon. Today I told my fiance, 'I don't want Wimbledon to end'."
Barty is at least guaranteed to hold onto top spot in the rankings after Karolina Pliskova also lost in the fourth round.
The Australian set the early tone as she took the opening game with four successive aces, before a delightful sliced backhand set up break points as the Australian raced into a 4-1 lead.
Unshaken, Riske - who won the pair's only previous meeting in 2016 - brought the set back on serve, only for the world number one to take the final two games and pocket the opener in 32 minutes.
The American rallied in the second set, breaking Barty's faltering serve twice more as the momentum was swiftly stolen away from the Australian.
And, despite losing just 12 games in her opening three matches, Barty was unable to prevent a resurgent Riske continuing her best Wimbledon run as the American made a crucial break at 4-3 in the deciding set.
All four of Riske's matches have gone the distance, with other notable victories coming against 13th seed Belinda Bencic and 22nd seed Donna Vekic during her impressive run.
Barty said: "I think I started well. I was sticking to how I wanted to play. Then in the second set, I think my serve let me down. I let Alison get back into the match too many times, having looks at second serves.
"Overall I didn't play a poor match. When I needed to, when the big moments were there, Alison played better today. It's a tough one to swallow but I lost to a better player."
Coco Gauff's remarkable fairytale run at Wimbledon came to an end with a straight-set defeat by former world number one Simona Halep.
Seventh seed Halep, 27, beat the 15-year-old American qualifier 6-3 6-3 to advance to the quarter-finals, where she will play China's Zhang Shuai.
Gauff had beaten Venus Williams, Magdalena Rybarikova and Polona Hercog on her way to the last 16.
But she appeared out of sorts on court, calling on a doctor in the second set.
Gauff had been bidding to become the youngest Wimbledon quarter-finalist since fellow 15-year-old American Jennifer Capriati in 1991.
"I wasn't feeling very well but I still played my best. I'm not sure what it was but I still had fun even though I was losing," she said.
"I learned a lot about how to play in front of a big crowd and how to play under pressure. I am really grateful for the experience."
Gauff's meeting with 2014 Wimbledon semi-finalist Halep was the match everyone wanted to watch on Manic Monday, with Vogue editor Anna Wintour forced to watch from a staircase because of the bumper crowd.
But the magnitude of the occasion appeared to get to Gauff, who showed signs of early nerves by having her serve broken in the very first game.
She broke back immediately, and later in the first set almost went another break up when Halep double-faulted twice in succession, but scuppered two break points as Halep held serve.
Yet unlike her cool and calm approach in previous matches, Gauff looked despondent after every game she lost, throwing her racquet to the ground and clapping her hands together in frustration as Halep broke her serve to go 3-2 up.
Gauff was broken once more as Halep took the set before the second set started in exactly the same fashion, Halep breaking her young opponent's serve at the first chance.
Yet again Gauff immediately broke back, but she lost on serve again to gift her opponent a 4-2 lead, and Halep went on to hold match point on a break but Gauff rallied back.
Gauff showed not a flicker of emotion as Halep eventually served out the set, not even stopping to greet the autograph hunters as she walked to the changing rooms.
'She has all the ingredients' - analysis
Two-time US Open champion Tracy Austin on BBC TV
The fairytale has ended but it's only just beginning for Coco Gauff. She has all the ingredients she needs to be a future Grand Slam champion.
It's been a lot of fun watching her at Wimbledon this year.
Roger Federer reached a record-extending 17th Wimbledon quarter-final as young Italian Matteo Berrettini was overwhelmed on Centre Court.
The Swiss great, bidding for a ninth title, needed just an hour and 14 minutes to seal a 6-1 6-2 6-2 win.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal also continued to breeze through the draw with equally-comfortable last-16 wins.
Defending champion Djokovic knocked out inexperienced Frenchman Ugo Humbert, while Nadal beat Portugal's Joao Sousa.
Serbian top seed Djokovic showed the gulf in class as he won 6-3 6-2 6-3 against world number 66 Humbert, while Nadal - only tested so far by second-round opponent Nick Kyrgios - eased to a 6-2 6-2 6-2 win over Sousa.
Experience shows as Federer and Djokovic glide through
Djokovic's greater pedigree shone through as he outclassed Humbert on the 21-year-old's maiden appearance in the second week of a Grand Slam.
The 15-time Grand Slam champion broke early in the opening two sets to take control, needing a touch longer to earn the break in the third, before swatting away his young opponent in one hour and 42 minutes.
Djokovic, the top seed, only dropped 14 points on serve and took five of nine break points to set up a meeting with Belgium's 21st seed David Goffin in the last eight.
Only Poland's Hubert Hurkacz has managed to take a set off the Serb, who has wrapped up three of his opening four matches in around two hours or less.
"I don't think about trying to conserve energy to be honest, I try to focus on what needs to be done to win the match," said Djokovic, who reached his 11th quarter-final at Wimbledon.
"I was very pleased to execute the job in three sets."
With 32-year-old Djokovic and 33-year-old Nadal safely through, Federer matched them to become the fifth man aged in his thirties to reach the quarter-finals at the All England Club.
Nine over-30s reached the last 16 - the highest tally at a Grand Slam in the Open era - with unseeded American Sam Querrey, 31, and Spain's 23rd seed Roberto Bautista Agut, 31, also advancing to the last eight on Monday.
Querrey, a semi-finalist in 2017, edged out another unseeded American, Tennys Sandgren, in a 6-4 6-7 7-6 7-6 win to set up a meeting against Nadal.
Bautista Agut reached the SW19 quarter-finals for the first time with a 6-3 7-5 6-2 win over France's 28th seed Benoit Paire, while Goffin, 29, beat unseeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in a 7-6 (11-9) 2-6 6-3 6-4 win.
Impressive Nadal sends 'loud and clear message'
Nadal has struggled to go far at Wimbledon in recent years, with fitness issues and the demands of his favoured clay-court season taking their toll on the two-time champion.
A run to the semi-finals last year, where he lost to Djokovic, was the first time he had progressed past the last 16 since reaching the 2011 final.
The Majorcan, whose movement was sharp against Sousa, underlined his credentials as one of the favourites with a clinical victory wrapped up in one hour and 45 minutes.
The quality of Nadal's performance sent a "loud and clear message to the locker room", according to three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker.
No outcome other than a comfortable Nadal win looked likely after he showed his intent by making a lightning start.
He broke twice to race into a 3-0 lead with only 10 minutes on the clock and little over a quarter of an hour later he was serving for the set.
Sousa, who had impressively beaten Croatia's 2017 finalist Marin Cilic and Britain's Dan Evans on his way to reaching the second week, lost half an opportunity when he pushed a forehand wide at 30-30 and was punished by a whipping backhand winner on set point.
More punishment came his way in the second set, Nadal breaking at the first attempt and again for a 5-2 lead, leaving even Sousa applauding.
Nadal broke twice more in the third set, first for a 2-1 lead after scrambling to hit a wonderful cross-court winner which left the Spaniard jumping in delight - and brought many on Centre Court to their feet - then again to leave him serving for the match.
By that point Sousa had little left to offer, Nadal holding to love and clinching victory with an ace out wide.
"It was a good solid match, the second serve didn't work as well as two days ago, but the rest was very positive," Nadal told BBC Sport.
"I am happy to be where I am, the body is holding well and I'm playing some good tennis."
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