Fathers of five MLB All-Stars -- Mike Trout, Kris Bryant, Max Scherzer, Nolan Arenado and Justin Upton -- reveal the moments they realized their sons had what it takes to make it as pro ballplayers.

Jeff Trout, father of Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike:

When Mike was 7 years old, he was playing tee ball. The kids all run toward the ball at that age. It's a mess. Mike was playing shortstop, and a big kid came to the plate. The kid hit a sharp line drive like you'd see hit off of a tee, and Mike moved two or three steps to his left and dove for it. He was actually parallel to the ground as he caught the ball. It was the kind of play that Andrelton Simmons, the shortstop for the Angels, would make now. I looked at my wife, and she said, "Did anyone get that on video?" Nobody did, but after the game, I just told Mike, "Hey, nice catch, pal." It was incredible, but I didn't make a big deal out of it.

I'd been around enough players and kids and sports in my day to know that even at that age, Mike was a cut above his peers athletically. He was a little faster, a little more agile, had better hand-eye coordination and great instincts. But I also knew that there's already so much built-in pressure to the game itself. You don't need parents basing their day on how well their kid played in Little League.

Mike was dunking a basketball when he was 5-foot-9 in ninth grade. At such an early age, he was doing things athletically that kind of made me think, "He may be a special kind of kid."

Even though Mike was talented, he was exposed to all types of things and never pigeon-holed growing up, and I think it has made him a better person and a better player. He's the youngest of our three kids. My daughter is a Realtor. My other son is an attorney and owns his own consulting business. Mike is the baby. Three successful kids in their own right.

I was not one of these parents who said, "Hey, keep working on going to the big leagues." It was always about college and education -- that was our focus. I think that took a lot of pressure off of Mike. My wife and I just wanted him to play and enjoy the game. And then we thought that maybe one day, it will help pay for a college education. We're both teachers, so we focused on that.

Our mentality was, let's go fishing or go get an ice cream after the game. People are so astonished by that because you see how talented and refined Mike is as an athlete, and you'd think he spent 90 percent of his days playing baseball. But not even close. He played all sports, he did art classes, he golfed, he hunted. Too many parents these days push, push, push their kids into sports.

We gave him the opportunities and tools to be the best that he could as an athlete, as a player. Any time he wanted to hit or play catch, I did it. But I didn't go to him. I didn't wake him up to go hit. And if he wanted to go fishing that day instead, we went fishing. -- As told to Anna Katherine Clemmons

Mike Bryant, father of Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris:

When Kris was 5 years old, he wanted to hit after one of my older boy's practices. We were playing coach-pitch. So I took all the younger siblings onto the field so I could throw some pitches to them.

Everybody is doing their thing -- not squaring up, hitting weak ground balls. Then Kris comes up. He's like 45 pounds. He's got this huge, 31-ounce bat in his hands. The first pitch I throw to him, boom! He launches it 140 feet into the outfield. He just drops the bat head behind him and, instead of chopping down, he elevates it. I look back to see where the ball landed and think: Holy Christ, my kid can hit.

Then he rips a half-dozen more high fly balls into the outfield. They look like major league popups. By the time he's 7, he's launching balls into the outfield during games. By 8, he's knocking them over the fence.

At 12, he hit 23 home runs in 67 at-bats. He had 20 walks. At this point, I could tell he was pretty good. I told him, "Don't tell anybody. I won't either. Just keep doing this." So then Kris started dreaming about what could happen. My son became good enough to dream. -- As told to Robert Sanchez

Brad Scherzer, father of Washington Nationals pitcher Max:

When he was little, Max said, "I want to be a major league baseball player." But at one point he also wanted to be a firefighter or a police officer. In high school, he never was about being a pro ballplayer. There was never that one instant when I knew this would work out for him. Baseball is full of potholes. Some bad things can happen. I always preached to him about taking things one step at a time.

Sure, I saw something in Max's eyes -- his enthusiasm for sports, especially baseball. When he was 2, I'd come home from work and find him already downstairs in the basement, waiting for me so we could play.

Max was the cliché. From an early age, he was coachable. He was curious. He liked to learn. You could offer a suggestion, and you could see him thinking, 'Gee whiz, that's a good formula.' Back in the Little League days, you'd see those parents who were overinflated with their kids' accomplishments. They had short-term goals. I'd point that out to Max. I'd say, "These parents are so worried about how their kid is going to do in sixth grade and how they're going to fit in high school." Max saw it too. They had the wrong priorities.

Succeeding at this sport is so much about the right spot and the right training, and Max understood that. You have to say, "What are the steps I need to follow? What kind of training? What do I need to learn?" Max never worried about an entire season. He was concerned with the game right in front of him.

Even when he'd have success, I never got ahead of myself. Neither did Max. He was always looking at the next step. I'm sure there eventually was a realistic goal about becoming a major league baseball player, but that was never a discussion we had back then. He knew getting there meant going through innumerable steps first. Have lofty goals but be realistic about the steps it will take to achieve them. You don't go from sixth-grade star directly to the majors.

Max had a sore shoulder at one point during his junior year of high school. I was never worried because he had a strong academic background too. When he was growing up, we told him that school helps sports and sports helps school. Even after the St. Louis Cardinals drafted him out of high school, Max was set on going to college. He needed an education first. Even back then, he was creating a life where baseball would be one of his alternatives, not his only alternative. That took a lot of pressure off of him. -- Sanchez

Fernando Arenado, father of Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan:

I knew Nolan had it his junior year of high school. His team won a [state] championship. His travel team was playing all over California. He got to go to the Area Code Games. He got to go to Georgia and to Florida, and his team won a big wood-bat tournament. You could see everything coming together.

People thought he was chubby back then, so he wanted show he was prepared to play at a high level. He showed he could compete every day. He could hit and throw, but it was his hitting that got attention. He was finally getting noticed. Good things were happening. His mom and I started hearing rumors that Nolan could get drafted. It was humbling and exciting, but Nolan realized he couldn't get ahead of himself. He never did.

That whole year, he kept showing up and proving he could play against anyone. He was never overwhelmed. The added pressure of having people watching him was no problem. I knew he had certain skills that other kids didn't have, even if they might have been getting more attention. He didn't brag about it. But I knew in my heart that Nolan had something special. -- Sanchez

Manny Upton, father of Angels left fielder Justin:

I saw it in Justin when he was 14. He had just finished his freshman year in high school. We were heading out to Long Beach, California, for the Area Code Games with Justin's brother, B.J., who had been drafted [No. 2 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays]. I was scouting with the Chicago White Sox, so I asked the White Sox guys if they could let Justin play for their team, maybe give him a little time. [Teams are named for major league franchises, with each representing an area of the country.]

Traditionally, the players in the Area Code Games are the ones who will get drafted the following year. But the White Sox team put Justin at shortstop. He was 14, playing short with that kind of talent around him.

Justin wasn't intimidated at all. He was holding his own. He would take whatever opportunity he was given; he just loved to play. You have to remember that he'd already been working out with his brother and David Wright for several years. He tagged along with them back home in Virginia. Ever since Justin was in the seventh grade, he'd been hitting with them every morning before school. He'd seen those guys come through -- along with Mike Cuddyer -- so Justin had maturity most kids his age didn't have. He wasn't overwhelmed when he got to the Area Codes because he was already practicing at a high level.

He ended up playing with two teams. The Area Code team from Virginia hadn't invited Justin to its tryout earlier because he was just 14. The Red Sox were running that team, and I guess the guy saw Justin and said he should be playing for them. To keep everyone happy, Justin played on both teams. He was playing two games a day. By the end of the week, he was worn out.

I never wanted to put pressure on either of my boys to play pro ball. I didn't put my scouting hat on with them. I had my dad hat on. So when we were in California, I told Justin, "Just go out and play and have fun."

I know quite a few guys who were either scouting directors or assistant directors. Duane Shaffer was the scouting director for the White Sox, and Danny Montgomery of the Colorado Rockies was also there. I knew both of them well, so I told them they needed to be honest with me: Did they see something with Justin? I'll never forget their responses. They both said that Justin had a legitimate chance at making it. They said he was one of the best players there, and I was like, "OK. Here I am, and my scouting buddies are saying Justin could get drafted."

I was just as excited with Justin as I was when I heard that about B.J. [who now goes by his given name, Melvin]. I can tell you, it doesn't get old. Very few kids get drafted, and here I had the No. 2 pick in 2002 and then the No. 1 in 2005 [when Justin was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks]. That's a blessing. How can you not get excited about that? -- Sanchez

There's a wave of talent on the rise into the major leagues, one made up of players who have something in common: Their dads all got there first. And with that in mind on Father's Day, we spoke to some of them about the impact of having a big league dad and how it helped them get to where they are today.

Some of the names should already be familiar, from this year's box scores as well as prospect rankings:

The Toronto Blue Jays take pride of place with their trio of "Juniors": Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio, sons of Hall of Famers Vladimir Guerrero and Craig Biggio who made their big league debuts this spring, as well as Bo Bichette, the son of slugger Dante Bichette who is still on his way up from the minor leagues. The San Diego Padres surprised many by adding MLB's No. 1 prospect on Keith Law's top prospect list, Fernando Tatis Jr., to their Opening Day roster; his dad had an 11-year career split between five different teams. And not far from the majors, the Pittsburgh Pirates have Ke'Bryan Hayes, son of longtime big league third baseman Charlie Hayes, and the Detroit Tigers have Daz Cameron, son of Mike Cameron, a 17-year major leaguer and longtime center fielder.

We spoke with all six to get their thoughts about the benefits and challenges of following in the footsteps of their fathers.

How has having a former MLB player for a dad helped you be the player you are today?

Cameron: It's definitely an advantage, because you know how the atmosphere of the clubhouse works. You know how to be a big leaguer every day. You know how to go about the day, the routine, because growing up you see it. You see these guys going through it and they're getting their work in. They're doing different things, whether it be looking at swings. Just being themselves around the clubhouse. You know the vibe that goes around.

Guerrero: It was an advantage for me because it taught me early on how to be a professional and how to behave in a major league clubhouse. I learned by watching, by being around it. I already knew what to do. It also taught me about how much hard work you have to put in the offseason. You have to work very hard to prepare for when the regular season comes.

Hayes: It definitely benefited me. Just how much knowledge my dad was able to give to me from the time I started playing [on] my first travel ball team, just how much ahead I was because of stuff he taught me when I first started playing.

Tatis: I have always said that I am here today because of my father. Look where I am now, at such an early age, and it's because of my dad. I had the advantage of being on the field since I was young, since I was a little kid. I grew up around baseball and got to see what it's all about, how things worked. It has always been an advantage for me to grow up in the game of baseball, and it led me to where I am today.

What's the best lesson you've gotten from you father?

Biggio: I think the overall thing has been to respect the game. That can expand to so many different things, like being humble, running out a ground ball, running out a lazy fly ball. He taught me that at a very young age. and I think I've run everything out my whole life except one ball in high school -- he yelled at me. I deserved it, for sure.

Cameron: You got to keep it simple in this game. When it all comes down to it, it's all mental. This game is hard. You got a little round ball and a solid barrel. It's a hard sport. Just going out there and being in the moment, going out there and being able to execute in the moment. It's hard. It's tough. It's all mental. And also, that you don't take any moment on the field for granted. Take everything in and make the best of it. Enjoy the ride. My dad always told me enjoy the ride, good or bad. Enjoy the ride.

Guerrero: To stay humble and respect everything and everyone; it's all about humility and hard work. Respect the game. Respect your teammates. Respect everyone. Because my father, being Vladimir Guerrero, I saw that the way he behaved, and he was exactly the same guy with everyone. And that taught me humility. I learned to be humble from my family, not just from my dad, from my entire family.

Tatis: My dad has helped me in so many ways, on the day-to-day stuff, all the adjustments, so many little things. But one thing he told me, after I was going to make my major league debut at 20, was that, 'Now you are here because of how you have handled yourself and how you have played.' And he also told me to always keep being the same person and not change. And to shine with my own light.

"Not too many people can say their dads played in the major leagues -- I embrace that. I am thankful for it because it made my life a lot easier growing up." Ke'Bryan Hayes

Do you feel the weight of expectations, or that there was a target on your back, because you're following in your dad's footsteps?

Bichette: Not at all. Everything that my dad has brought into my life like having his name has been positive for me. I wouldn't have the opportunities that I have. I wouldn't have had the start that I had in my career, like knowing things that people learn in their third year of pro ball. The way that he pushed me too, I wouldn't be the player I am right now. Obviously, there was a target on my back growing up, but I think that the positive outweighs the negative by a lot.

Biggio: When I was growing up, guys just wanted to get out Craig Biggio's son or beat the team that he was on. But I don't see it as a target anymore. Even growing up in Houston, my dad playing and playing travel ball, I think that was the biggest time where I felt I had a target in my back. Once I got into high school, kind of finding my own way, I took the target off. Now I've made it to the big leagues and people see me as my own ballplayer.

Hayes: At times I forget that my dad played; I just called him Dad. I kind of embraced it. I loved playing against the best competition. I just always wanted to play against the best teams, and anytime we were playing someone, they would be throwing their best pitcher and they were going to be playing their hardest. Not too many people can say their dads played in the major leagues -- I embrace that. I am thankful for it because it made my life a lot easier growing up. He was fortunate to have money for me to go to showcases and get exposure and things like that. I would be the first one to tell you I was spoiled the way I grew up. I always had clean sneakers. Always had food on the table. So I am very thankful for that. Every time we have the national anthem, I think about that type of stuff, growing up.

Cameron: I think when your dad is a major leaguer and plays in the league for as long as he did, of course you're going to have that target right away because of that name. For me, the pressure is going to be there because of that name. But to just go out there and be myself has been an escape for me. When I first got to pro ball, it was tough because I am trying to do something I am not -- trying to do too much, be a superhero. You're not going to be perfect. I just go out there trying to be the best in the world -- and doing that for yourself.

Guerrero: No, why? Why should I feel pressure for any expectations? I am just here to work hard. If things go well, they turn out well. If they go wrong, they go wrong. If you put pressure on yourself, you will never accomplish what you want to accomplish. The only reason I am up here is to work hard. I can't focus on the results or the expectations. I am focused on doing my job.

Tatis: Yes, yes, yes, that did happen. [That is, having a target painted on his back.] The competition was always good, because "there is Fernando Tatis' son." That was great in the Dominican Republic, where I grew up playing ball; it made for really good competition. But I have never felt pressure. I have always been grateful to God for the father he gave me, for the family he gave me. I always say to my dad, I am perfectly happy under your wing. I follow in his footsteps, I have his same discipline. But I have never relied on saying that my dad did this, that my dad did that. I have had to work very hard to earn the things I have earned so far.

How are you different or similar to your dad as a player, and what would your dad have to say about it?

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has suggested that he could be open to a move away from the Premier League side, telling reporters in Tokyo on Sunday that now "could be a good time to have a new challenge somewhere else."

Pogba, 26, has been linked in the British media with a move to Real Madrid to work with coach Zinedine Zidane, or with a return to his former club Juventus. Sources told ESPN back in May that he would force an exit this summer even if United were not open to a sale.

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The Frenchman's time at Manchester United has coincided with some insipid performances on the pitch and organisational turmoil at the club.

"Like you said, there is a lot of talking and a lot of thinking as well," Pogba told reporters in Tokyo. "For me I have been for three years in Manchester and have been doing great; some good moments and some bad moments, like everybody. Like everywhere else.

"After this season and everything that happened this season, with my season being my best season as well... I think for me it could be a good time to have a new challenge somewhere else. I am thinking of this: to have a new challenge somewhere else."

The Frenchman was in Tokyo to play in a four-a-side tournament pic.twitter.com/K8Tu0a5u73

— Jack Tarrant (@TarrantJack) June 16, 2019

Pogba, who moved to Old Trafford from Juventus for a then-world record transfer fee of £89.3m ($112.43m) in August 2016, has seen Jose Mourinho replaced as coach by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during his time at the club.

Although inconsistent, the World Cup winner has scored 24 goals in 92 appearances for United and was named in last season's PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

Mino Raiola, the agent who represents players including Pogba and Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt, has had his worldwide ban lifted by FIFA, making the possibility of a transfer easier.

Should Pogba force a move, sources have told ESPN FC United have identified Tottenham's Christian Eriksen and Leicester's James Maddison as possible replacements.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham are also interested in 22-year-old Maddison, who impressed in his first season in the Premier League following his move to the King Power Stadium from Norwich last summer.

Eriksen is open to a move away from Tottenham after helping Mauricio Pochettino's side reach the Champions League final. The Denmark international, who has been at the club for six years, is also on Real Madrid's radar.

Solskjaer is already targeting at least one new midfielder this summer after Ander Herrera left on a free transfer. The Spaniard is expected to join Paris Saint-Germain.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

WHEATLAND, Mo. – Cody Frazon had been knocking on the door of his first Lucas Oil Speedway feature win, with three top-five finishes this year alone.

Finally, he knocked down that door Saturday night.

Frazon made a late pass of Toby Ott and went on to capture the O’Reilly Auto Parts Street Stocks 25-lap main event, the headliner on Midseason Championship night.

Also picking up feature wins in the program presented by the Bolivar Herald-Free Press and NMI-VMG Marketing were Joe Duvall (Pitts Homes USRA Modifieds), Kris Jackson (Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods) and Todd Shute (Warsaw Auto Marine & RV ULMA Late Models).

Jackson also celebrated a Midseason Championship with his third straight win. Other midseason champs were Paden Phillips (USRA Modifieds), Toby Ott (Street Stocks) and Kaeden Cornell (ULMA Late Models).

Each midseason champion received a $500 bonus. Victory Lane Track Action Race Review contributed $1,000 toward the bonus and Lucas Oil Speedway management matched the contribution with another $1,000.

The total of $2,000 was split among the points leaders in the four divisions.

In the evening’s featured division, Frazon went around Ott with two laps remaining and held on to prevail by .721 seconds.

“I had no idea tonight would be the night,” Frazon said of his breakthrough win. “What better night than $750 to win?”

Frazon started third, but had a poor start and fell out of the top five in the early going. But he rallied for a memorable win.

“I had a really terrible start,” Frazon said. “I couldn’t figure it out to be honest. I just started hitting some marks that were working for me.”

Ott and Bob Barnett spent the first 15 laps running side by side, trading the lead four times as Barnett used the top groove and Ott the inside line.

The race was caution-free until Daniel Deason and James Flood, in a battle for third, came together and spun going into turn three.

On the restart, Ott got a good start and Barnett lost the runner-up spot to Frazon. It was a sign of things to come.

“That wreck obviously closed the gap for me and I could see Toby was losing a little bit where he was running,” Frazon said. “I knew if I kept running underneath him, kept trying and kept trying, I would get it.”

From there, Frazon reeled in Ott, with Johnny Coats finishing third and Marc Carter fourth.

“I want to congratulate that guy,” Ott said, pointing toward Frazon. “He pulled off one heck of a race. I knew it was coming for him.

“I feel fortunate to be up here,” Ott added of his midseason title. “There are some good cars here, like (Frazon) and others who are tough.”

Duvall roared from his 14th-starting position and into the lead before the midpoint en route to the Pitts Homes USRA Modified feature win.

Duvall, a frequent United States Modified Touring Series competitor, was dominant in finishing ahead of second-place Robbie Reed, Phillips and Jason Pursley.

Phillips’ run was good enough to vault him past Jon Sheets for the midseason championship.

The points race was thrown into a jumble on lap two when Sheets – who led by six points at the start of the night – spun and hit the wall in turn three. He was unable to continue.

Reed started fourth and passed pole-starting Pursley for the lead on lap two. Meanwhile, Duvall scooted from 14th and into third by lap five as the race’s third caution came out.

Duvall slid past Reed in turn four to finish lap nine to take the lead and pulled away from there.

Midseason Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mod track champion Jackson continued his roll, picking up his third straight feature win at Lucas Oil Speedway.

He led all 20 laps and finished .608 seconds ahead of runner-up Taylor Moore.

It also was his third feature win of the week. Jackson won in Iowa on Wednesday and at Midway Speedway in his hometown of Lebanon on Friday.

Jackson had nearly a two-second lead wiped out when the race’s lone caution waved with four laps to go. He handled the restart without any issues and opened a comfortable lead when another yellow, as he was taking the white flag, forced him to endure one more restart.

Moore finished second, ahead of third-place JC Morton, who rallied from 11th, and Eric Turner.

Shute led flag-to-flag to claim the Warsaw Auto Marine & RV ULMA Late Model feature, holding off Johnny Fennewald by just under one second.

It was the first feature win of the season in just his second start at Lucas Oil Speedway for Shute.

Cornell passed Larry Ferris for third place with two laps remaining. That was good enough to protect Cornell’s points lead as Aaron Marrant, who began the night six points behind, was 10th.

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Making it a sweep on the weekend in South Dakota with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network, Australia’s Scott Bogucki parked his Sawblade.com No. 28 in victory lane Saturday at Black Hills Speedway.

Taking off with the lead on the start, Bogucki opened his advantage quickly following a caution on lap two.

Finding slower traffic on lap seven with John Carney II and Sam Hafertepe Jr. in pursuit, the race for a second changed hands, with Hafertepe making the pass off the second turn as Carney was held behind a slower car.

Reeling in Bogucki as slower traffic built around the leaders, Hafertepe found the back bumper of the No. 28 on lap 12.

Looking top and bottom for room to pass, Hafertepe found his shot on lap 14 with Bogucki stuck to the bottom entering the first and second turns.

With Ryan Bickett in the mix, Bogucki dove for the slide, but came up short, making contact with Bickett and launching the No. 17b up the track into Hafertepe – who ended up going upside down in the second turn.

Making it into the work area, the team barely made repairs for Hafertepe to rejoin the field.

On the contact, Bogucki noted, “I apologize to those two guys first and foremost. I hadn’t ventured near the bottom the whole race and it was a lot slicker than I thought and things went back. We were fortunate that we didn’t get damaged and were able to stay out front.”

Keeping Carney at bay on the restart, Bogucki again stretched his lead until the caution lights came on again on lap 18 for Jordon Mallett.

Peeling to the bottom of the track on the restart, Carney took his shot at the lead.

Pulling even with Bogucki off the first turn, clean air and momentum again proved the better for the No. 28, despite a scare in slower traffic on the final lap, with Bogucki crossing 1.336 seconds ahead of John Carney II.

“Sometimes that’s the disadvantage of leading and he got a good run on me and luckily I had enough momentum to get back by him where I could cover him and not slip out of the rubber,” said Bogucki on the restart.

Grabbing third was Blake Hahn, with Roger Crockett fourth. Moving up from 12th, Harli White completed the top five.

Matt Covington made up two spots to sixth, while Robbie Price was the night’s hard charger after a run from 17th to seventh. Despite getting upside down and having to secure the top wing in place with a ratchet strap, Hafertepe came back to finish eighth.

Tucker Doughty and Alex Hill filled out the top 10.

The finish:

A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 28-Scott Bogucki [2]; 2. J2-John Carney II [1]; 3. 52-Blake Hahn [4]; 4. 11-Roger Crockett [5]; 5. 17W-Harli White [12]; 6. 95-Matt Covington [8]; 7. 21P-Robbie Price [17]; 8. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [3]; 9. 2X-Tucker Doughty [6]; 10. 77X-Alex Hill [7]; 11. 17B-Ryan Bickett [9]; 12. 86-Donovan Peterson [10]; 13. 88-Travis Reber [18]; 14. 11M-Mindy McCune [21]; 15. 77-Damon McCune [22]; 16. 0J-Jeremy McCune [11]; 17. 14B-Ben Holmberg [16]; 18. 14-Jordon Mallett [14]; 19. 2K-Kevin Ingle [13]; 20. 8X-Randy Dolberg [20]; 21. 2-Shad Petersen [19]; 22. 15-James Sires [15].

Lap Leader(s): Scott Bogucki 1-25

Hard Charger: Robbie Price (+10)

DODGE CITY, Kan. – The Lubbock Wrecker Service DCRP 305 Sprint Car Nationals turned out to be a lucrative venture for Arvada, Colorado’s Jake Bubak and the Dubose/Wells-powered Coyote Candle Company No. 74b Maxim sprint car team.

After topping both the Thursday and Friday preliminary features, Bubak topped the Triple 8 Trucking Dash for Cash to earn the pole position for Saturday night’s 30-lap championship feature atop the Dodge City Raceway Park clay oval.

He then led every lap to run his weekend winnings to $6,300 – including $1,500 in lap money and the $3,000 feature winner’s share.

It wasn’t as easy as it may sound though, as Liberal native and current Nebraska resident Jason Martin kept the pressure on throughout and briefly slid past Bubak on a pair of occasions only to have the latter successfully counter the move.

Martin first slid past Bubak in turn four momentarily after a lao four restart and then repeated the move in traffic on the 17th circuit.

Bubak successfully navigated past a pair of lapped cars and then found open track once again when a final caution waved with a dozen laps remaining.

Bubak reached the tail of the field once again in the final pair of laps, but was able to keep Martin at bay.

“I felt like I wasn’t as good as I needed to be in traffic, but we made it work,” Bubak commented afterward. “Once he showed me the bottom down in turn three and four, I changed my line up some and got a lot better.”

Martin settled for runner-up honors in the Myers-powered Trucks Plus/Midwest Linings No. 5x Eagle and collected an added $850 in lap money after holding down the second position over final 27 rounds.

After winning last year’s DCRP 305 Nationals, Fairview, Oklahoma’s Jake Martens claimed the show position in the Myers-powered Martens Machine Shop No. 48 Eagle, with Tony Bruce Jr., advancing four positions over the final half of the race to capture fourth.

Brian Herbert rounded out the top five ahead of Taylor Velasquez, Zach Blurton, Jeremy Huish, Luke Cranston and Brandon Anderson.

Steven Shebester held down fourth until the lap 18 caution, when he suffered race-ending damage after contact with a spinning lapped car.

In the accompanying 15-lap IMCA Sport Modified feature event, multi-time and defending track champion Jeff Kaup battled into the lead early and went on to snap a winless streak dating back a full calendar year, to last June 16.

A winner of 18 DCRP features since the 2012 season, Kaup’s first win of the season came ahead of Brian May, with Mike Lunow, Bart Baker and Mike Appel rounding out the top five.

The finish:

A-main (30 laps): 1. 74b-Jake Bubak (1) [$4,500], 2. 5x-Jason Martin (4) [$2,850], 3. 48-Jake Martens (3) [$2,330], 4. 11x-Tony Bruce, Jr. (8) [$1,400], 5. 97-Brian Herbert (2) [$1,120], 6. 21x-Taylor Velasquez (13) [$900], 7. 2J-Zach Blurton (9) [$800], 8. 88J-Jeremy Huish (21) [$700], 9. 49x-Luke Cranston (5) [$600], 10. 55b-Brandon Anderson (7) [$500], 11. 0-Steven Richardson (15) [$475], 12. 911-Ty Williams (11) ]$450], 13. 28-Tracey Hill (18) [$425], 14. 45d-David Luckie (12) [$400], 15. 72-Ray Seemann (17) [$400], 16. 78-Tanner Conn (16) [$400], 17. 16s-Steven Shebester (6) [$400], 18. 98-J.D. Johnson (20) [$400], 19. 45-Monty Ferriera (190 [$400], 20. 27-Andy Shouse (14) [$400], 21. 32k-Chris Kelley (10) [$400], 22. 2b-Brett Becker (22) [$400].

Lap Leader(s): Jake Bubak 1-30.

PORT ROYAL, Pa. – For Tyler Courtney, June 15 and Port Royal Speedway mean far more than just another stop on the AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series schedule.

Port Royal was the half-mile dirt oval where his late mentor, Bryan Clauson, recorded his record sixth and final Eastern Storm win in 2016.

Saturday night also marked what would’ve been Clauson’s 30th birthday.

Courtney, the defending series champion, was bound and determined to make his own personal mark to honor BC on this night during round three of the 13th annual Eastern Storm, and make a mark he did by leading all 30 laps in dominant fashion.

Afterward, Courtney said he felt there was a spirit helping him along the way.

“We’ve kind of struggled all week,” Courtney admitted. “But I think we had somebody looking down on us tonight. This one’s for him. He’s done a lot for my career. He’s done a lot for everybody on this team. Even without him being here, he helped us more than he knows.”

The emotional victory for Courtney aboard his Clauson-Marshall-Newman Racing/NOS Energy Drink Spike-Rider Chevy appeared as smooth as silk for 30 laps with barely any threats posed en route to his second series victory of the year.

His half-mile record with the series in 2019 now includes wins at Eldora and Port Royal to go along with a podium finish at Terre Haute.

Courtney started from the outside of the front row and was seemingly gone, ripping the top, as Chris Windom attempted to keep pace in second.

His lead stretched out to three-quarters of a straightaway over Windom in the first-third of the race, until 2015 Port Royal winner Robert Ballou made contact in turn three, heavily damaging the torsion bar and the left rear wheel to sideline for the rest of the night.

Courtney had been solid as a rock at Port Royal in his previous two campaigns, but Windom, who lined up second on the next restart, was victorious in both of those races.

Windom’s best opportunity to get past was to dive low in one to the inside guardrail to throw the slider on the restart. He did just that when racing resumed on lap 12, but there wasn’t enough mustard on the fastball to surge ahead.

Yellows and restarts were the only things tugging on Courtney’s cape this night, as each time Courtney stood on the throttle, his competition was left in the distant past.

The separation from Courtney to Windom was instantly a half-straightaway while Windom found himself with a 10-car length lead over the fierce battle for third between Kevin Thomas Jr., Chase Stockon and new track record holder C.J. Leary.

At the midway point, Thomas slid by Stockon on the bottom of turn three. Stockon countered to regain third exiting four. Stockon’s grasp on the spot was hanging in the balance and Thomas was able to pick Stockon off in turn two on the 16th lap.

By turn four of the same lap, Leary had slid by Stockon to take ownership of fourth to begin the second half of the 30-lapper.

Meanwhile, Courtney was cruising with nothing but Warren Alston’s double checkers on his mind and in front of him with six laps remaining.

That was until third-running Thomas, who was on the topside of turn three and in the midst of a joust with Leary for third, suffered a blown right rear tire which sent him hard into the outside guardrail with a mighty wallop.

The incident ended Thomas’ night with a disappointing 18th-place finish and placed a huge dent in his Eastern Storm title chances, where he dropped from second to eighth.

Four lapped cars separated race leader Courtney and second-running Windom on the lap-25 restart, negating any reasonable chance for Windom to toss a slider for the lead heading into turn one.

Instead, all Windom could do was stay pat on the topside while the lappers cooperated on the bottom.

Once again, any notion of anyone else having a shot at taking down Courtney was all for naught, as Courtney opened it up to a lead of three seconds, while Leary tried to step up a spot by challenging Windom, to no avail.

Courtney finished off a sterling performance by setting his fastest lap of the race on the 30th and final lap, ultimately taking his second Eastern Storm victory by 3.15 seconds over Windom, Leary, Stockon and Justin Grant.

“I think we just came to the conclusion that we weren’t really having fun,” said Courtney of struggles earlier in the week. “So, we went back to the basics, ‘have some fun.’

“(Port Royal) is a place that suits our style, high speed, and when you get to run it nice and straight up against the wall like that, it’s a lot of fun.”

Courtney’s win was the 19th of his AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Seroes career, moving him to within two of 1967 champion Greg Weld’s 21 victories for 28th on the all-time list.

To view complete race results, advance to the next page.