INDIANAPOLIS — He had been everywhere and won everything, so upon hanging up his helmet he had a right to stop and smell the flowers. Or, in his case, to grow them.

But what none of us ever expected was that Merv Treichler, after 20 years in the spotlight, would vanish upon retirement.

But here’s the thing about heroes: You can search out the reluctant ones. Which is what sent me up U.S. 62 out of Buffalo, N.Y., toward rural Sanborn and one of the finest racers I’ve ever known.

He led me toward a small office in a huge greenhouse, one of many at H.A. Treichler & Sons. The family business has been around since 1854, first as a major supplier of potatoes and later as, well, a flower power. Merv and his brother, Gary, ran it for decades; now Gary’s son, Terry, is in charge.

“But I’m here 350 days a year,” said Merv.

We sat down, each of us older — he is 75 — and probably grayer than we’d guessed. For a moment, Treichler just grinned.

“What’s it been, 30 years?” he asked.

That was in the ballpark. We hadn’t spent time together since 1987, when he called time on one incredible career.

In 1970, at Pennsylvania’s Langhorne Speedway, Treichler won the Race of Champions, the premier event on the asphalt modified calendar. In 1981 and ’82, at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, he topped the Schaefer 200, America’s marquee race for big-block dirt modifieds.

That versatility was his hallmark. It went back to the two local half-miles where he’d honed his craft: Ransomville Speedway, dirt, and Lancaster Speedway, paved. Well into the ’70s, long after technology confined most modified teams to one surface or the other, Treichler had a dirt car and a blacktop car, and won track championships with both.

And anytime he hit the road — north to Canada, east to New England, south to wherever — a track’s composition never factored into his travel plans.

“Wherever they paid the most,” he said, “that’s where we went.”

On dirt, he squared off weekly against Will Cagle, Davey Moore and Alan Johnson; when he roamed, he’d tussle with Jack Johnson, Dick Tobias and Kenny Brightbill. His regular asphalt foes included Richie Evans, Maynard Troyer and his own fast cousin, Roger Treichler; at distant NASCAR gatherings, he faced Ray Hendrick, Bugs Stevens and Fred DeSarro. He beat them all.

Someone nicknamed him “Marvelous Merv,” and it fit.

In February 1975, he entered a road-course modified race at Daytona Int’l Speedway with a homebuilt Monza. He outran Bobby Allison and 38 others to grab the pole, then dominated the Permatex 200. That September, he and the Monza led every lap of Watkins Glen’s first modified race. Add road racing to the list of things that didn’t trouble Merv Treichler.

By the end of the ’70s, his focus shifted almost entirely to dirt. Actually, to DIRT, which sanctioned several tracks and, importantly, Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds. Treichler loved the spooky mile, but its autumn classic eluded him until trucking executive John Jackson furnished a Troyer Mud Buss in 1981. For two straight Octobers, Treichler ruled the Schaefer 200.

He loved the big spring and fall specials, the revelry common to places like Syracuse and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. “We partied quite a bit,” he chuckled. But once the checkers fell, he’d be out the gate, bound for Sanborn.

“We were expanding. We went away from farming potatoes and got more into the greenhouses and we were just so busy,” Treichler explained

He and Jackson hit upon an idea: What about a limited schedule with the NASCAR Busch Series? It was a new challenge and with a set number of dates, this faraway fling might paradoxically allow Treichler more work time. Today, you get the sense that nine Busch Series races in 1985 and 11 in ’86 reminded Treichler that he’d won too much to be happy flirting with a top-10 finish.

Three races into 1987, on a flight home after breaking a crankshaft at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he had a clear thought: “I said, ‘That’s enough.’ The next day, I told John I was done.”

Any second thoughts? “No. None.”

He disappeared into his work and H.A. Treichler & Sons rolled on. The old potato fields, 227 acres, are rented to farmers who grow wheat, corn and soybeans. Meanwhile, the greenhouses annually yield 250,000 potted plants — a quarter of a million — in addition to 30,000 trays of flowers and 55,000 mums.

Most of that goes to wholesalers, but there’s a retail store on the property.

I asked if the return shoppers know about his racing life.

“Some do,” said Treichler, “and some don’t.”

And the employees?

“A lot of them know, but I don’t talk about it and they know not to bring it up.”

He paused. “Honestly, I don’t look back and I don’t have anything from those days.”

I said, “Not even the trophies?”

“I’ve only got a few,” Treichler said. “I kept the Langhorne trophy; it’s one of those nice silver cups. I’ve got the Daytona trophy and the one from Watkins Glen.”

Imagine that? If those three pieces are all that’s left, his trophy collection would still be the envy of just about anyone he ever raced against. Marvelous, right?

Outside the customers came and went and the greenhouse workers loaded flower trays. Merv Treichler sat there, smiling. Life goes on. His sure did.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — SPEED SPORT and WISSOTA Auto Racing have announced the 34th running of the Speedway Motors WISSOTA 100 will air to a national television audience on Thanksgiving night (Nov. 28) in a two-hour special of SPEED SPORT Presented by Hendrick Automotive Group on MAVTV.

The long-running dirt-track event will be run Sept. 10-14 at I-94 Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minn. This is the second consecutive year the three-eighths-mile track has hosted the premier five-day event, which typically rotates among various WISSOTA-sanctioned venues. It is also the second consecutive year SPEED SPORT will broadcast the event to a national television audience.

Eight WISSOTA classes will be showcased during the five days of racing — Late Models, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Street Stocks, Mod Fours, Pure Stocks, and Hornets.

“We are very excited to showcase the 34th annual Speedway Motors WISSOTA 100 on SPEED SPORT,” said WISSOTA Auto Racing Executive Director Carson Gramm. “This partnership with SPEED SPORT has given us the opportunity to grow as an organization and we expect to continue this great working relationship for years to come. Our drivers display great professionalism, both on and off the track, and we want the entire world to see these great competitors. The staff at I-94 Speedway has created a great facility and while we work closely with our local and corporate sponsors, we will bring fans an experience they won’t want to miss.”

“After introducing our SPEED SPORT television audience to WISSOTA’s extremely competitive and entertaining form of short-track racing last season, we couldn’t wait to come back and do again this year as part of our 85th anniversary celebration,” said SPEED SPORT President Ralph Sheheen. “Showcasing the famed WISSOTA 100 in a two-hour special format on Thanksgiving night is a great way for us shine an even brighter light on the event, as well introduce our new partner, WorkAtHendrick.com, to the series.”

The broadcast will be anchored by Sheheen and veteran short-track racer and commentator, Derek Pernesiglio.

For fans wanting to attend this year’s Speedway Motors WISSOTA 100, please visit WISSOTA.org for additional information. Racing begins at 5 p.m. local time each night. LIVE streaming will be available at RacinDirt.com.

CLERMONT, Ind. — Doug Kalitta had tried 22 times to take home a Wally from the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, but every year luck didn’t go his way.

Finally, on Monday at Lucas Oil Raceway, luck was on the 55-year-old veteran’s side.

Despite it being a relatively mediocre run, Kalitta’s 4.144-second pass at 212.43 mph was enough for him to defeat Billy Torrence in the final round of Monday’s Top Fuel eliminations to take home his first U.S. Nationals trophy.

“I’m a real persistent guy, so I never give up,” Kalitta said after the 46th NHRA national event victory.

Kalitta’s run to the final was no cakewalk. First, he had to get past the always-fast Clay Millican, which he did via holeshot. He then had to dispatch No. 1 qualifier and track record holder Brittany Force in round two before facing off with Force’s rookie teammate, Austin Prock, in the semifinals.

“When we got by Clay, I was thinking this is going to be a good opportunity,” Kalitta said. “We try not to worry about who’s in the other lane, but Brittany’s car has been on a rail. She qualified first, so we knew we had a tough run there and it was a close race.

“We raced another JFR car in the semifinals. They’ve got quite an arsenal over there. Austin’s doing an awesome job and I think all of us are trying to keep up with how hard he’s hitting that tree. He left on me by a little bit, fortunately we were able to get by him.”

Force and Prock both fell to Kalitta’s Mac Tools dragster, leaving just Torrence to face him in the final round.

“We came out of the semifinals and had to stop to do a quick interview with FOX and I got back just in time to warm up my car,” Kalitta recalled. “I was glad I was able to be the one to warm up my car because I didn’t want to change up anything the way our day was going.”

The final against Torrence was, in Kalitta’s own words, “kind of ugly.” Both cars had issues on the run to the finish line, with Kalitta getting their first to collect his first U.S. Nationals Wally.

“At 800 feet, it seemed like my car was just coasting with no power,” Kalitta said. “It just started spinning the tires and I’m not sure if it threw the belt off or what happened. It pretty much died out there.

“I thought it was over, but the win light came on.”

The victory lined up perfectly with the 25th anniversary of his team owner and uncle Connie Kalitta’s U.S. Nationals triumph in 1994. A U.S. Nationals victory is special, but for the Kalitta family, that made this U.S. Nationals mean just a little bit more.

“I just can’t say enough about everyone that’s been working on my Mac Tools Toyota,” the U.S. Nationals Top Fuel winner said. “They were busting their butts — and Connie (Kalitta) was right there with them. Having him in our corner is awesome. What a day. It feels great to win a big race that Connie won.”

DETROIT -- Niklas Kronwall is retiring after 15 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.

The hard-hitting defenseman announced his retirement in a video Tuesday on the team's Twitter account, saying he would be taking a new role within the organization. Kronwall played 953 games in his NHL career and was part of the Detroit team that won the Stanley Cup in 2008.

Kronwall had three goals and 24 assists in 79 games last season.

The rebuilding Red Wings are in their first offseason since the return of Steve Yzerman as general manager. They've missed the postseason three straight years.

Kronwall's future was uncertain when 2018-19 ended, but he'd shown over the past couple seasons that he could stay healthy. The Swede said in his retirement video that it was an honor to wear the Red Wings' jersey, and that Detroit has become home for him and his family.

Alexis Sanchez has said he has no regrets over his decision to join Manchester United last year.

The Chile international signed for Inter Milan on a season-long loan after 18 months at Old Trafford where he managed only five goals in 45 appearances.

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The forward has joined up with Romelu Lukaku at Inter after the Belgium international also joined the Nerazzurri this summer.

"I'm very happy I went to Manchester United," he told BBC Sport. "It's the club that's won the most in England.

"When I went to Arsenal it was fantastic -- I was happy there -- but United were growing at the time, they were buying players to win something.

"I wanted to join them and win everything. I don't regret going there."

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said Sanchez could feature for the club after his loan spell in Serie A but the forward said he needs regular minutes on the pitch to feel happy.

"I think that I'm happy when I play for my national team," he added. "I was happy at Manchester United too, but I've always said to my friends I want to play.

"If they would let me play I'll do my best. Sometimes I'd play 60 minutes then I wouldn't play the next game -- and I didn't know why."

Meanwhile, Inter have confirmed Sanchez will wear the No. 7 shirt at the club this season.

The search for a weakness in Ben Stokes' considerable armour is keeping Tim Paine awake at night. Such an admission is rare in cricket's often sanitised press conferences in which captains talk of focussing on their processes, execution of plans and whatever other bland sportspeak is in vogue. So it was intriguing to hear Paine, asked if he could be another Australian captain who floundered on an England allrounder, concede that, while his own position is of no concern, the question of how to deal with Stokes is causing considerable insomnia.

"Nah I haven't lost a hell of a lot of sleep thinking about my captaincy," Paine said on the eve of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford. "But I have lost a bit of sleep thinking how we're going to get him out, that's for sure. He's a class player and he's really confident at the moment. He's going well."

It remains to be seen if Stokes' Headingley heroics become a series-winning contribution in the vein of Ian Botham or Andrew Flintoff, and Joe Root will undoubtedly be spending a similar portion of his waking hours pondering the best way to remove Steven Smith from the crease. But for Paine, at least, there were enough signs in the morning session on day four at Headingley that Nathan Lyon may provide the key to neutralising Stokes.

In the period before the new ball was introduced on the final day in Leeds, it seemed all but certain that Lyon would take Stokes' wicket, so often did he tease the outside edge of the bat with sharp turn and considerable bounce. It was only later, after Jonny Bairstow's arrival at the crease energised the run rate, that Stokes was able to dominate Lyon in brutal fashion.

"We've got some plans for him - but we've just got to execute them a bit better. As I said post [the Headingley] Test match, I think Nathan Lyon has actually bowled really well to him. He's created a number of chances each time he's bowled to him. We think as a fast bowling group, we can tweak things a little bit to him, but the other side of it is we hold our chances when Nathan is bowling to him. If we can do that, I think Gaz [Lyon] can open the game up for us through that middle order. The last two Tests in particular, we've let Nathan down a bit with our fielding."

Lyon's distress - he did miss the run-out that could have sealed it for Australia - at the conclusion of the third Test was painfully clear, as he dropped to the ground and had to be pulled up onto his feet by Paine before walking off, disconsolate, covering his face with his arm. In the aftermath of the match, Paine revealed he had encouraged the spinner to be an example to the other players and not allow the disappointment overwhelm him. At Old Trafford, Paine confirmed that Lyon has risen to the challenge.

"The instant disappointment was there for all of us to see after, on the field. But I think you go off the field for five minutes and sit down and put it all in perspective and realise that we are in the middle of an Ashes and he's a huge asset for us and I think he is ready to go. I would say he is really driven for these last two Test matches. He's found out a bit who his friends are in the last week and he's continued to prove people wrong, like he has his whole career."

A friendship that appears unlikely to form during this series is the one between Paine and Jofra Archer. The captain visibly bristled when Archer's recent comments about Australia panicking towards the end of the third Test were mentioned and the "choker" tag that has appeared in some media.

"No, and I've addressed it previously," said Paine, when asked if Australia had panicked or choked. "Jofra's entitled to his opinion, he's had plenty of those that's for sure. But we made some mistakes, it happens, we've addressed it as a team, we've spoken about it honestly. I was certainly one of those people who made mistakes, it happens in cricket, we've moved on and we're here ready for a great Test match."

The brusque manner of Paine's answer was sharp enough to invite further inquiries about whether or not Archer had touched a nerve or taken up residency under his skin.

"Not at all," said Paine. "Just that, as I said, I was told a few things when I was down in Derby - I haven't actually seen the quotes - but, yeah, talk is talk and we are here to play this Test match. What's happened in the past has happened and Jofra is entitled to his opinion. As I said, it doesn't faze us one way or another."

It was a dismissive deflection and one that suggests Paine won't be losing any sleep over Archer's chat, unlike Stokes' elusive wicket.

He probably isn't the player the crowds will be looking forward to watching, he probably isn't the bowler keeping Steve Smith awake at night and he probably isn't likely to feature on the front cover of Wisden, but Craig Overton's selection for this fourth Test makes some sense.

Overton is, in many ways, an archetypal English seamer. He is not especially quick - 85mph may be his peak speed - and doesn't gain the sharp movement of James Anderson. But he will hit a consistent line and length, he will gain more bounce than most, he bowls a decent bouncer and he will not wilt under pressure. He won't let England down.

With England keen to ensure their strike bowlers are not worked into the ground and concerned that Chris Woakes is a little jaded after a tumultuous few months, Overton has been called up to offer reliability and control. They are not the most glamorous of attributes but, in a team blessed with more flamboyance than consistency, more champagne than bread-and-butter, such skills have their place.

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While his selection here may seem to come out of the blue, it doesn't really. He was put on unofficial standby as a concussion substitute earlier in the series and, in the last month, is said to have recovered that bit of nip and bounce that suggests he is at his best. He has claimed 32 wickets at 21.34 this Championship season and while his brother, Jamie (who has claimed 26 at 18.88 this season), is notably sharper, he is also less reliable.

Some, it seems, will never forgive Overton for an incident in 2015 when he was alleged to have abused - perhaps racially - Sussex's Ashar Zaidi. And it is true there were aspects of the case - not least that the comments were reported by two exemplary witnesses, non-striking batsman Michael Yardy and one of the umpires, Alex Wharf - which remain concerning.

Before rushing to condemn him, however, it is worth remembering he was found guilty of a Level One offence - using language that is obscene, offensive or insulting - and not a Level Two or Three offence - which would have encompassed racial abuse. In short, he wasn't found to have committed the more serious charge. As a result, it doesn't seem especially reasonable to continue to hold it against him.

The England management have long admired his tough character. This was demonstrated early in his Test career when he not only top-scored in the first innings of his debut Test in Adelaide - he made 41 from No. 9 - but also bowled the most overs and took the most wickets in Australia's first innings. His maiden wicket was Steve Smith.

Perhaps more persuasively, he shrugged off a cracked rib - sustained when Pat Cummins struck him with a short ball - to bowl 41 overs in Australia's first innings in the following Test in Perth. He was only forced to admit defeat when throwing himself into a diving boundary save. He heard a large crack as he landed - the little crack becoming something more substantial - and was ruled out for the rest of the series. Paul Farbrace used to say, were it up to him, he would include him in every England team.

Overton will have the role of workhorse here. He may be expected to bowl long, tight spells and ensure Jofra Archer, in particular, can be used more sparingly. England hope that his extra height will extract a bit more bounce from a surface that isn't expected to offer the same lateral movement as other tracks in this series. Indeed, in normal circumstances, it looks to be the sort of surface - a little cracked already and with little grass cover - on which two spinners might be played. But with Adil Rashid injured and Moeen Ali out of sorts, Jack Leach will be relied upon to carry that burden. At least one member of England's coaching staff thought it an oddly hospitable pitch which offered no home advantage.

Woakes can probably count himself unfortunate. Having suffered from a knee injury through the winter tours, he was obliged to play several games for Warwickshire in order to prove his fitness ahead of the World Cup. He then played in the series against Pakistan, the whole World Cup and every Test so far this summer. And, while England insist he was fit for selection here, there were times at Leeds, at least, when the miles in the legs started to show. He will hate to miss out on this game, but the break may do him good.

In the longer term, the England management are concerned at his effectiveness on flat surfaces, especially flat surfaces where there is no Duke's ball available to him. They point out he could still play at The Oval in the unlikely event that the pitch is green but his captain's use of him so far this series - lack of use, might be more accurate - does not augur especially well for him.

Sam Curran, too, could be forgiven for wondering why he is with the squad. But while he clearly has talent with bat and ball, he is a bit slower and a bit shorter than Overton. The concern is his batting is not quite strong enough - he hasn't scored a first-class century - to bat in the top six and his bowling not quite strong enough to be relied upon to ensure that Archer and co aren't over-bowled. His best chance of a place may be at No. 7 instead of Jos Buttler.

It is revealing that the only selection change has involved the bowlers. While there has been the odd day in recent years when England's bowlers have struggled for penetration or consistency, this team's primary problem remains their fragile batting. Shuffling that top-order seems unlikely to suddenly unearth a pair of aces. There are two of three batsmen in this side who really need to repay the faith shown in them.

In the longer term, there seems to be a strong temptation to play Zak Crawley and Dominic Sibley in a top three that also includes Rory Burns. But for that, it seems, we will have to wait until they reach New Zealand. There is important business to be conducted first.