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Lowe Returns with BigR Racing for AFT Singles Campaign
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. BigR Racing announced Tuesday it will field Jared Lowe aboard a Honda CRF450R for a second consecutive year in the AFT Singles presented by KICKER class for the upcoming Progressive American Flat Track season.
Last years debut with the team saw Lowe elevate his game to a new level. Last year, he earned his first career top-10 championship ranking (ninth), nearly doubling his previous best points tally despite two fewer races on the schedule.
The Jet lived up to his moniker on a regular basis throughout the standout campaign. He racked up eight top-tens in 2024, highlighted by a maiden top five at the Texas Half-Mile. His ascension mirrored that of Kansas-based BigR racing outfit, which increased its all-time top-ten haul from seven to 15 with the signing of Lowe in 2024.
Lowe will continue to be backed by Sam Lowe as Crew Chief and Ryan Sangals as Lead Mechanic. With another year of experience under his belt and the aforementioned continuity of support, Lowe is positioned for even greater success in the season ahead.
The goal is continued improvement, said BigR Team Owner Ron Belt. The entire team is thrilled to continue to work with Jared after his impressive performance a year ago. His talent and determination make me confident there are even better results to come, and it certainly doesnt hurt that hes got Sam Lowe and Ryan Sangals in his corner theyre what makes our pit area run.
Im excited to return to BigR Racing this season and carry our momentum into the new season, Lowe said. Im proud of what we accomplished last season, but weve got bigger goals in mind for 2025.
The deaths of five people, including Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, in a helicopter crash at the King Power Stadium were accidental, according to an inquest jury on Tuesday.
Vichai, the Thai tycoon who pumped millions of pounds into the clubthat famously won the Premier League title in 2015-16, was killed along with four others when his helicopter crashed in the club's car park and exploded after a match on Oct. 27, 2018.
The Leonardo AW169 helicopter had cleared the top of the stadium before starting to spin, and plummeted to the ground before bursting into flames.
The crash also killed pilot Eric Swaffer, his partner Izabela Lechowicz, and Vichai's staff members Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punparev. The inquest lasted two-and-a-half weeks.
Philip Shepherd, the Vichai family's legal representative, said Swaffer was a "highly competent and very experienced pilot who did everything in his power" to control the helicopter when the tail rotor failed shortly after takeoff.
Vichai's family are actively continuing their legal action against Italian defence company Leonardo, the manufacturer of the helicopter.
They are seeking compensation for loss of earnings and other damages, valued at 2.15 billion ($2.67bn) -- the largest fatal accident claim in English legal history.
According to Forbes magazine, Vichai was the fifth-richest person in Thailand at the time of his death with an estimated net worth of $4.9bn.
Leonardo was not immediately available for comment but said this month that it would defend itself against the High Court claim.
It expressed its deepest sympathy for the victims of the crash, saying their deaths were "an unquestionable tragedy".
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) ruled in 2023 that it was not possible for the pilot to recover from the tail rotor failure.
The pilot had managed to land softly enough for four of the five people on board to survive the impact, according to post-mortem examinations, only for them to be killed by fire.
Investigators found that problems with the bearing in the tail rotor of the helicopter began a sequence of failures leading to the crash.
Thomas Rew turns the screw as England U19s chisel out vital lead
England U19s 299 (Farhan 90, Home 63, Mokoena 5-61, Daniels 4-49) and 275 for 8 (Rew 71*, Vaughan 44, Fonseka 43, Mason 4-97) lead South Africa U19s 319 (Rowles 90, Bulbulia 88, Farhan 4-78) by 255 runs
Mason was the mainstay of the home attack today and after he made the initial breakthrough of Ben Dawkins (33), well caught by Muhammad Bulbulia at first slip, he also got the key wicket of Rew who had counter-attacked to reach his half-century from 54 balls.
WNBA free agency and trade tracker: Latest deals and news
Ever since the buzzer sounded on October's thrilling WNBA Finals, anticipation has been building about what 2025 might have in store. On Sunday, a blockbuster three-team trade started the wheels spinning.
For the first time in WNBA history, a trade involving multiple No. 1 draft picks is sending Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces and Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks. The Seattle Storm received multiple draft picks as well as forward Li Yueru from the Sparks.
It's the first of what is expected to be many moves this offseason.
From Jan. 11-20, teams were allowed to extend reserved, restricted and core qualifying offers to players. Some notable stars -- Plum, the New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart, Indiana Fever's Kelsey Mitchell, Connecticut Sun's Alyssa Thomas, Dallas Wings' Satou Sabally and Seattle Storm's Gabby Williams -- received a core qualifying offer, what is often referred to as "being cored."
Negotiations officially opened last Tuesday, and players can sign contracts starting Feb. 1. With a new CBA featuring massive salary bumps expected to come into effect in 2026, expect to see players sign only one-year deals.
Loyd isn't a free agent but requested a trade from the Storm. And earlier this month Sabally announced she had played her last game for the Wings and is working to find a new home. Because she has been cored, that would have to come via trade.
Other big-name free agents to watch include Sun teammates DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones, who are both unrestricted free agents, as are the Storm's Nneka Ogwumike, Phoenix Mercury's Brittney Griner and the Liberty's Courtney Vandersloot. And questions still surround the future of WNBA legend Diana Taurasi, who indicated toward the end of the 2024 season that it could be her last in the league. There's also uncertainty surrounding the future of Elena Delle Donne, who is technically an unrestricted free agent yet hasn't appeared in the league since 2023.
Keep it here all offseason long for the latest buzz, news and reports surrounding the WNBA. The 2025 season -- the league's 29th -- will tip off May 16.
Trade grades | Top free agents | Predictions | Core designation | Offseason guides
Jan. 26 update
8:21 p.m. ET: In the first trade in league history involving multiple former No. 1 draft picks, the Las Vegas Aces acquired Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd while sending Aces guard Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania, Alexa Philippou, Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews.
In the three-team trade, the Storm are also acquiring the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft and forward Li Yueru from the Sparks, as well as Las Vegas' 2026 first-round pick, sources told ESPN. Los Angeles receives the 2025 No. 9 pick and a 2026 second-round pick from Seattle. The Aces receive the 2025 No. 13 pick from the Sparks.
The deal will be made official Feb. 1, sources said.
Blockbuster WNBA deal: The Seattle Storm are trading six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces in a multi-team move that sends three-time All-Star Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, sources tell me, @ramonashelburne, @alexaphilippou, @kendra__andrews. pic.twitter.com/OlRb37RKIA
Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 27, 2025
Jan. 20 update
Brittney Griner, who has spent 11 seasons in Phoenix since the Mercury drafted her No. 1 in 2013, is testing the free agent market for the first time in her career, according to The Associated Press. The center is meeting with multiple teams while in Miami competing for Unrivaled, according to Griner's agent.
Jan. 17 update
The Connecticut Sun extended a core qualifying offer to Alyssa Thomas.
Jan. 16 update
The Indiana Fever extended a core qualifying offer to Kelsey Mitchell.
Jan. 14 update
The Seattle Storm designated Gabby Williams as their core player, meaning she will not become an unrestricted free agent, ESPN's Kevin Pelton reported.
Williams joins Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces), Satou Sabally (Dallas Wings) and Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty) as players with the core designation, which allows them to sign the one-year qualifying offer at the WNBA's highest possible salary ($249,244) but prevents them from signing with another team as a free agent.
Jan. 9 update
Unrestricted free agent Satou Sabally will be moving on from the Dallas Wings after spending the first five years of her career there, she told reporters Thursday from Miami.
"I'm working with (the Wings) and finding a next home for me," Sabally said. "I've already played my last game in Dallas."
What is the WNBA's core system?
The WNBA's core player designation is akin to the NFL franchise tag. A team can "core" a player to prevent them from becoming an unrestricted free agent by retaining their exclusive rights.
A core qualifying offer is a guaranteed one-year contract at the supermax, but the team and player can negotiate different terms to a deal. Each team can core only one player, and the 2020 CBA reduced the number of times players can be cored in their career gradually from four to three and, as of 2022, to two, a major change that opened up free agency movement throughout the league.
Six players -- Sabally, Plum, Stewart, Mitchell, Thomas and Williams -- have been cored so far in 2025, the most in one offseason under this current CBA. But that doesn't mean those players will return to the teams that cored them. Sabally has already said she's moving on from Dallas. With the Wings coring her -- which they likely did to ensure they'd get some return for Sabally leaving -- the only way for her to change teams is via trade.
According to tracking via Across the Timeline, the last time multiple players were cored and traded in one offseason was 2020 (Tina Charles and Skylar Diggins-Smith), but expect other big names to join Sabally in departing their franchises this free agency via that mechanism. And that doesn't even include a trade that's suspected to come when Seattle parts with Loyd, as the star requested out in December. -- Alexa Philippou
Britain's Patten targets number one doubles ranking
The match against Bolelli and Vavasorri lasted more than three hours and did not finish until 01.42 local time.
"I think it's probably the longest doubles match I've ever played. I had to go and ask my coach for a shot of espresso after the first set, which we lost in a really close tie-break, and that kind of set the tone for the rest of the match - it was a war of attrition," said Patten.
The left-handed Englishman from Manningtree in Essex first played tennis at the age of five, and in 2022 won 10 titles on the ATP Challenger tour with fellow Briton Julian Cash.
He teamed up with Heliovaara nine months ago and they have not looked back since winning their first tournament as a pair in Marrakech.
"It's amazing that it's happened so quickly - it feels like just the blink of an eye," said 28-year-old Patten, who served an ace to clinch victory in Melbourne.
"It's still a bit surreal. I don't know if that's the jetlag or just [that I] never imagined this would all happen."
It was their second Grand Slam title, having also won at Wimbledon last summer, and he and Heliovaara will have a chance to add another at the French Open, which begins on 25 May.
"Next week we'll be in Dallas, playing on the ATP tour, then I'll have another week off, and then it's Doha, Dubai and straight back over to the States, so it's non-stop," Patten added.
Tom Willis, who appeared in a warm-up match against Wales in 2023, is primed to win only his second cap off the bench after a stellar season with club side Saracens.
The 26-year-old, whose older brother Jack is outside of England eligibility at French side Toulouse, has topped the Premiership stats for defenders beaten and gain-line carries, while also appearing in the league-wide top 10 for turnovers, tackles and metres made.
"As a squad Saracens have said to us to bring the enjoyment back into things," he told Rugby Union Weekly.
"We've done really well as a forward pack and that has helped free me up to do what I do."
He says he would not over-complicate his approach to the Test game.
"I try and get through as much work and battles as possible," he added.
"I will try and get the team on the front foot and just go from there."
AUBURN, Calif. The Northern Auto Racing Club has experienced a busy offseason in preparation for the highly anticipated 29-event NARC 410 Sprint Car Series campaign.
This involved enacting various rule modifications and updates, with a significant focus on enhancing driver safety and well-being in sprint car racing.
Many of the rule modifications align with those of the High Limit and World of Outlaw series, ensuring consistency across the racing series. A summary is outlined in the accompanying notes.
In addition, the NARC Advisory Board agreed to implement a new CAP (Competitive Advantage Program) Insurance policy for all drivers competing on this seasons tour. This $500,000 excess accident medical insurance policy activates after other insurance options are exhausted. The driver membership fees will increase to include the cost of the policy, with a discount for memberships processed before March 1.
Medical insurance and costs reached viral status in 2024 with major accidents and injuries involving NARC-member drivers Chase Johnson, Angelique Bell, Dominic Scelzi and Justyn Cox. Johnson and Cox were injured at non-NARC events. This policy covers all sprint car events a driver decides to compete in in the United States, not just NARC shows.
Similar mandatory type policies are already in effect with several other sanctioning bodies and tracks.
Most drivers dont realize that track medical insurance provides marginal coverage at best, stated series board member Brent Kaeding. Depending on the track, its between $15,000 and $50,000 total, which barely covers an ambulance ride and one night in an ICU (Intensive Care Unit.) Its enough to bankrupt about any household.
Injured driver Chase Johnson also spoke in favor of the policy.
This is a good thing for all of the NARC drivers, said Johnson, who suffered a back injury at a High Limit event at Chico in August. Im proof that you cant have enough insurance in a bad situation.
In other series news, NARC announced that Andrew Kunas will be the official NARC announcer for the 2025 season. With 16 years of experience announcing for the ASCS Frontier Region and various tracks in the Pacific Northwest, the veteran is a valuable addition to the NARC staff.
RULE SUMMARY
FIRE SUPPRESSION:
The Lifeline Fire Suppression system (and others) must be recertified every two years. This requires inspection of O-Rings, piston, bottle, bladder, and a tank refill. The cost is $230 at Kaeding Performance.
CAR:
A removable wicker bill, maximum height of 1 1/2 inches (1.5), may be mounted on the rear edge of the top wing center foil. Wicker bill must be 90 degrees to the top of the center foil. Built-in wicker bills or gurney lips will not be permitted.
One (1) in-car shock adjuster is permitted in the cockpit.
Any header that is not straight out the back of the car with or without a muffler must be welded when the bend connects to the header and to the muffler.
An In-axle tire inflation system that is attached to a bleeder is legal. No remote/data changing is allowed.
SEATS:
The Northern Auto Racing Club highly recommends the use of a seat insert to increase the safety of the driver.
The seat should be mounted in four places to the chassis with minimum 3/8 steel bolt and nut. It is highly recommended that mounting bolts do not exceed 3.5 in total length. Grade 8 steel bolts are highly recommended. Mounting holes in seat must have a 1.5 diameter mounting plate with a minimum thickness of .060.
OTHER:
Cars are not allowed to break traction at any time during a caution period unless directly authorized by the Director of Competition over the radio. Any cars that do so may be moved to the back of the starting grid.
Cars involved in a race stoppage during the semi or main event that go to the work area will be given two minutes to make repairs once they reach the work area. This rule no longer applies once the semi or main reach the halfway point, or curfew issues come into play. There is no allotted repair time provided during the heat races.
If a car goes to their pit area instead of the designated work area during the semi or main, there is no two-minute time clock because we have no way to check your status. The car can return to competition at an appropriate time. There is no courtesy time.
NORMAN PARK, Ga. Persistent rain throughout the day at Needmore Speedway, combined with a forecast for continued precipitation into the evening, has forced the cancellation of the opening night of the South Georgia Showdown for the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series.
Mondays program will not be rescheduled, however, Tuesdays show remains on as planned featuring a $10,000-to-win feature for HTF Series Super Late Models and a $2,000-to-win feature for the IMCA STARS Mod Lites Series.
Additionally, a non-qualifiers race for the STARS Mod Lites Series has been added to Tuesdays program that will pay $200 to win and $100 to each starter.
Catch all the action on SPEED SPORT affiliate Huntthefront.tv.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. Youngs Motorsports confirmed rookie Nathan Byrd will return to the organization and is slated to compete in a minimum of 15 NASCAR Craftsmajn Truck Series races beginning with the season opener at Daytona (Fla.) Intl Speedway.
Byrd returns to the controls of the No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado RST after competing in three Truck Series races last season for the Mooresville, N.C.-based team.
Byrd, 25, is touted as a promising talent in the world of motorsports for his fierce competitive spirit and remarkable skill behind the wheel. Honing his craft through various racing series, Byrds experience and talent were evident, even at a young age.
The decision to reunite forces with Youngs Motorsports perfectly aligns with his career ambitions. The team is recognized for its commitment to developing emerging talent in the sport. Together, they aim to build a strong competitive presence throughout the 2025 season.
Byrd is scheduled to drive the teams flagship truck in the first nine Truck Series races of the season through Kansas Speedway in May before returning at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in late May.
Getting the opportunity to run a much bigger NASCAR Truck schedule in 2025 with Youngs Motorsports is a true blessing, said Byrd.
Theyre a great team of hard-working men and women, and Im confident that as I get more comfortable and experienced in the truck, we can make significant progress together. None of this is possible without the hard work and dedication of many. Im looking forward to Daytona in a couple of weeks.
A fixture in the series garage since 20212, Youngs Motorsports, led by team principal and former Truck Series driver Tyler Young, has carved a niche in the motorsports world for nurturing up-and-coming drivers.
Additionally, the team announced Monday that Stefan Parsons will join Youngs Motorsports second-truck program for the 2025 Truck Series season.
Parsons, 26, returns to the organization on the heels of capturing three top-10s during the 2024 Truck Series season driving for Henderson Motorsports. Parsons made four starts across the Youngs Motorsports team Truck Series platform during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Weve been working hard throughout the offseason on our Truck Series program, said Young. The NASCAR Crafts,am Truck Series has been a staple of our story since our inception, and wed like nothing more to continue to make positive memories and put Nathan (Byrd) and Stefan (Parsons) in a position to contend for wins and strong performances throughout the season.
Hafertepe Commits To Full ASCS National Tour Slate
CONCORD, N.C. History is within Sam Hafertepe Jr.s grasp. A sixth American Sprint Car Series National Tour championship this year would give him the most in series history. Hes committed to the pursuit.
The 39-year-old from Sunnyvale, Texas, has renewed his partnership with Hills Racing to contest the entire 41-race schedule, starting this ThursdaySaturday, Jan. 30Feb. 1, at Volusia Speedway Park on the opening weekend of the 54th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. Hafertepe will again pilot his familiar Townline Variety, Fischer Racing Engines-powered Triple X Chassis No. 15h in his eighth consecutive season as part of the Ontario-based Hills Racing team.
This year, we are committed, and weve found what fits the race team and me personally, said Hafertepe, the 20162020 National Tour champion. I think with that, it gives us a little more clarity going into the year that were all on the same page and were all trying to achieve the same goals. At the end of the day, thats a recipe for success.
Hafertepe is tied with fellow five-time champion Jason Johnson for the most National Tour points titles all-time, and only one feature win away from tying the late Louisianan in wins with 79. Two more feature wins will give Hafertepe sole possession of second place on the all-time National Tour wins list, behind only Gary Wright with 127.
With his veteran status in both the 360 and 410 Sprint Car ranks, Hafertepe has proven his ability to compete with the best around the country. But hes chosen to stay with ASCS in pursuit of history, even as the National Tour begins a new chapter in its own history books with its new direction under World Racing Group.
If theyre all in, Im all in, and Im prepared to be behind them 100 percent, Hafertepe said. I think theyre doing the right things, and I think it could be an improvement from what weve seen before from ASCS. Im all for it as long as we keep trending in the right direction, and we keep growing ASCS. I think itll be good going long-term.
Despite winning a chart-topping 12 feature races on the National Tour in 2024, Hafertepe fell 146 points short of a sixth championship to first-time titlist Seth Bergman. However, when the season began, Hafertepe and Hills Racing were planning on a mixed slate of 410 and 360 Sprint Car races and thus were not planning on racing for a specific championship.
After some consideration, the driver and team settled on returning to the full-time 360 circuit. But in hindsight, Hafertepe admitted it was not the most ideal way to make a run for a championship.
We were kinda in between wanting to do 410 and 360s, and we really werent geared up to go full-time 360 but kinda still went after it, Hafertepe said. I think in June, we decided wed just try and finish out the season.
It just felt like we had the wrong approach to start the year. Ive never really started the year half-assed, as I would say thats kinda how we started it last year.
But 2025 will be different. Hafertepe and Hills have a more direct plan for the season, which will help their organization before hitting the road to Volusia.
I think our preparation for this year will be so much better than we had last year, Hafertepe said. When youre not fully committed to something initially, theres a lot of things that are undone and a lot of things that arent the right direction. Weve buttoned up all those things.
While 12 feature wins was enough to boost Hafertepe to second place in the championships standings last year, a bit of inconsistency at times hurt his points total to Bergman posting nine results of 13th or worse. Consistency is key to winning season-long points titles, and Hafertepe is looking for more of that in 2025.
Coming into this year and having the full commitment and knowing exactly what is on our plate will prepare our race team to get rid of the inconsistencies, get rid of the nights that we had problems and fix those nights, Hafertepe said. We hope that will propel us to being the champions at the end of the year.
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