LEBANON, Ind. — Spencer Bayston and crew chief Andy Potter have departed Pete Grove’s Premier Motorsports team in the wake of a rough Ohio Speedweek outing at Wayne County Speedway on Wednesday night.

Bayston, who linked up with Grove late in the offseason and was chasing the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions title, confirmed the news on social media Thursday afternoon before speaking with SPEED SPORT in an exclusive interview.

RELATED: Reutzel Rules Wayne County All Star Go

Wednesday night’s Wayne County showing saw Bayston endure losing a wheel during qualifying, forcing him to switch to a backup car and take a provisional to start the feature. The night got worse when he flipped wildly down the backstretch during the main event.

While the 20-year-old Hoosier noted that Wayne County wasn’t the sole catalyst behind his decision to leave Grove’s operation, he called it “the final straw” after a lot of other factors built up in the spring.

“I wouldn’t say this first half of the year has been all disappointment, and I don’t regret running the No. 70x car at all,” Bayston said. “I’ve learned a lot this year working with Andy and I feel like here recently … the last few races we’ve been running, we were probably one of the most consistent cars on track and had started making some headway in the points battle, as well.

“There’s just been a lot of things that have happened over the year that have accumulated and led to this decision,” Bayston added. “Andy and I have been on the same page; we’ve both had the same thoughts about the whole situation, and we knew it wasn’t exactly what we wanted. I’m not going to sit here and bad-mouth anybody or talk bad about anyone. I just felt like we needed to make a change and I needed a fresh start.

“After last night, I felt like that needed to be it — that sent us both over the edge.”

Bayston left Wayne County in a tie for third in All Star points, 64 behind leader Aaron Reutzel and even with Cory Eliason among rookie-of-the-year challengers, on the strength of two top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 10 All Star starts.

Bayston admitted that he’s not sure whether his full-time points chase will continue for this year, though he did note that he has “a handful of races” lined up with an undisclosed team.

“I don’t really have too much planned at this point, going forward,” Bayston explained. “I’ve actually been working on figuring out what’s next and been looking at my options already. With me announcing this, my phone’s been going a little crazy. I’m trying to weigh everything; I don’t want to jump in a car that I don’t feel like I want to be in. After everything that’s happened, I don’t want to force an issue.

“I want everything to be right in my next situation and if I don’t feel like something will be that way, then I won’t take it,” he continued. “If that means sitting out for a little bit, then that’s what I have to do, but I want to approach this a little bit differently now. This deal was a bit last-minute, kind of rushed into and maybe not done completely correctly, but we’ve learned from our mistakes and I’ll carry that on to my next ride, wherever that ends up being.”

Despite the setback to his first full season of winged sprint car racing, Bayston has been pleased with his transition from midget racing.

Now, he just needs a new place to call home.

“I feel like my transition has honestly gone pretty well,” noted Bayston. “We struggled a little bit in the beginning of the year, just with moving to a different chassis and learning the communication I needed to with having a different crew chief, so it’s been a learning experience. Every single time we were on the track, though, I felt like we got better. I felt like we were constantly learning and had gotten to be right on the edge of winning a few races.

“We were starting to fine-tune, finally, which is why I hate to make a decision like this in the middle of the year,” he added. “Things just needed to be different. … I just couldn’t see it going any further.”

MANSFIELD, Ohio – Mother Nature has struck again, forcing the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 to cancel Thursday’s Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek stop at Mansfield Motor Speedway.

Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Indy Metal Finishing will resume on Friday evening at Limaland Motorsports Park in Lima, Ohio. In the event that Limaland is unable to host Speedweek competition due to wet weather, the Speedweek path will be diverted to Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe, Ohio.

More updates pertaining to this scenario will be posted if necessary.

The 37th edition of Ohio Sprint Speedweek will come to a close on Saturday evening, June 22, back at Wayne County Speedway. The Speedweek finale will award a $10,000 top prize.

If weather becomes a factor on Saturday, the Ohio Sprint Speedweek finale will be pushed to Sunday.

TORONTO -- Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews will be on the cover of the EA Sports video game "NHL 20."

The 21-year-old forward was named as the featured player Wednesday night at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas.

Says Matthews: "If you look at the long list of guys who have been on the cover, it's pretty special company."

The previous two covers featured Nashville's P.K. Subban and Edmonton's Connor McDavid. Other cover athletes include Claude Giroux, Martin Brodeur, Eric Lindros and Mario Lemieux.

Auston Matthews takes the cover of #NHL20 @AM34 https://t.co/Ob0fSsRhrX pic.twitter.com/GBkMZMosaM

— #NHL20 (@EASPORTSNHL) June 20, 2019

This year's game introduces a "Signature Shots" feature replicating the most recognizable shot styles of some NHL stars. Matthews calls it a "pretty cool feature."

"NHL 20" is available Sept. 13 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

The Vancouver Canucks have signed defenseman Alexander Edler to a two-year, $12 million contract, general manager Jim Benning announced Thursday.

Edler, 33, could have become an unrestricted free agent next month. He has been a consistent presence on the blue line in Vancouver for his entire 13-year career.

"I've said from the beginning that if a deal was there with Vancouver, that was my number one priority," he said during a conference call. "You never know what's out there in free agency so I didn't think too much about that."

He is coming off a solid season with 10 goals and 24 assists. His season was limited to 56 games due to a February concussion that cost him over three weeks and coincided with the Canucks falling out of playoff contention.

"Alex is important to our team and has played as the cornerstone of our defence throughout his career," Benning said in a statement. "He's a leader with tremendous experience, plays important minutes and contributes to every part of our team game."

The Swede is coming off a six-year, $30 million contract with the Canucks. He has been a vital part of the team from the run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010-11 to the current rebuild.

Asked if he would consider taking games off to preserve his health, Edler said: "I come into training camp in great shape every year and I certainly think my body can take 82 games," he said.

Still, Edler understands his role with the Canucks may evolve as younger defensemen like Quinn Hughes grow into stronger NHL players.

"I'm always going to try to be the best out there every game, the best that I can," he said. "If guys are better than me, they should play more. That's just how it works."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Stan Fischler said he has never seen anything like the Jack Hughes vs. Kaapo Kakko spectacle: two elite prospects, who will be taken first and second in the 2019 NHL draft by the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, two storied geographic rivals.

"This is a first for me. And I've been watching the game since 1939," said Fischler, 87, a renowned hockey historian and a fixture on the New York puck scene since the 1950s.

This has never happened before in the NHL draft, tracking all the way back to 1963. There has never been a scenario in which neighboring blood rivals were both so bad at the same time as to earn the top two picks overall. Yes, there have been some rivals that have picked one and two, but not ones located in the same metropolitan area. And not ones that have the history of the Devils and Rangers, which spans from the gruesome battles in the Patrick Division to their playoff glories in the 1990s to Sean Avery waving his stick in Martin Brodeur's face while insulting his physique in the 2000s.

As both teams struggled for consistency in recent years, the rivalry cooled, even if the barbs from fans on social media remained as vicious as ever. Hughes and Kakko are expected to reignite it.

"This is a fantastic moment in time for the Trans-Hudson rivalry. Especially for New Jersey, since [general manager] Ray Shero picks first, and thereby sets the scenario all by himself," Fischler said.

In their decades-long feud, both the Devils and Rangers would either both be competitive -- see the Rangers' 1994 Eastern Conference finals win over New Jersey en route to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years, or the Devils' 2012 Eastern Conference finals win against the Rangers -- or one would be up while the other was down. But not last season, when both teams were terrible. The Devils had 72 points, tumbling down the standings after a playoff berth in the previous season. The Rangers had 78 points, in the midst of a calculated rebuild.

At the NHL draft lottery in April, Shero nervously watched NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly flip the placards revealing NHL logos. When Chicago jumped into the top three, he thought "that's not good for us." He figured the Devils would be sixth. But Daly flipped over the Detroit Red Wings' logo in the No. 6 spot. Then fifth, but that was the Los Angeles Kings. Then fourth, but that was the Colorado Avalanche by way of the Ottawa Senators, who were the NHL's worst team. The Devils were in the final three picks, which their pre-draft lottery odds (11.5%) had predicted. But so were the Rangers, who had the sixth-best chance (7.5%).

"At that point, you're not even really thinking. It happens so quickly. You're not even thinking that the other guy left is in your division or anything. You're just thinking, 'S---, that would be great.' You're there, and you might as well try to win," said Shero, whose team won the lottery for the second time in three years.

"I know Jeff [Gorton, Rangers GM] pretty well. He's a great guy. There are a lot worse positions than to be up there. I can't really worry about what other team is still standing. Just that it's Jersey that won."

Devils fans, of course, will worry about what the other team does. As Fischler noted, whatever player they don't chose defaults to the Rangers. Shero is essentially selecting New York's next franchise player in the process of selecting his own.

"I was amused as much as anything. But sure, given the fact the Rangers are a rival, I'm annoyed they're likely going to get a good player as well," said Hasan Allahverdi, a 41-year-old Devils season-ticket holder who blogs at Battle of New York, a site that covers the rivalry involving the Rangers, Devils and Islanders.

"Obviously, the Hughes-Kakko dynamic adds a new element to the Devils-Rangers rivalry that's seldom been seen before, with draft peers both expected to be impact players for rebuilding teams. Their different backgrounds and attributes as hockey players will only amplify the comparisons with each other that much more. It'll alternately be fun and tense -- especially if both live up to projections and help lead their teams back to relevance, hopefully with some Crosby-Ovi type playoff matchups to boot."

He's not the only one thinking about the Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin rivalry that rekindled the animosity between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals beginning in 2005 -- and, in the process, giving the NHL its marquee rivalry for the next 14 years. Shero was Crosby's general manager in Pittsburgh, and saw it firsthand.

"Hughes vs. Kakko is not Crosby vs. Ovechkin. But if Crosby had been taken by Pittsburgh and Ovechkin by Dallas or something like that, then that Washington vs. Pittsburgh rivalry, which is fantastic, wouldn't have been reignited," Shero said. "These things are really good for hockey. Hopefully we play more than the four or five times we do in the regular season and both teams make the playoffs. This is good. It'll make the rivalry stronger."

There is, of course, another component, which is the personal one.

"It'll be really competitive for a lot of years," Hughes told ESPN during the Stanley Cup Final. "Whether it's the Devils or the Rangers, we're going to be linked for a long time, with us going to places that are so close to each other."

It was projected for more than a year that the winner of the 2019 NHL draft lottery would select the U.S.-born center at No. 1, to the point where tanking efforts were labeled "Lose For Hughes." But Kakko's electrifying performance at the IIHF World Championships for champion Finland, with six goals and an assist in 10 games, closed the gap with Hughes in the eyes of many observers, especially since Hughes sputtered to three assists in seven games.

Suddenly, the top pick was being debated a bit more vigorously.

"I think that he had a great tournament. But I think that [scouts] have seen us play about 25 times this year," Hughes said. "They've done a lot of scouting, a lot of research for sure. Both teams will make a good pick and get a good player out of it."

As for the personal rivalry, could that be an added motivation for Hughes?

"I don't need any extra motivation. You're in the NHL. You're playing unbelievable players, every night. I just think it would be fun to be linked with that for a lot of years," he said.

Fischler says he thinks it'll be fun, too. What he likes about the rivalry is that it's a study in contrasts, much like the Crosby vs. Ovechkin dynamic was.

"You have a kid born in Orlando, Florida, of all places, vs. Turko, Finland. Then there's the smaller American against the bigger, more experienced Finn. Plus, the hype," Fischler said. "Few Americans ever have obtained the kind of build-up Jack is getting. Then there's the Hughes family angle against the Finn's lower-key approach to the game. Contrast that with Hughes' disappointing performance in the Worlds while his rival hit the heights with highlight performances.

"What we're seeing is a five-act play that's one of a kind."

The final act will be the Battle of the Hudson. The closest thing the Devils and Rangers have had to this level of competitive rivalry between elite players was Martin Brodeur vs. Henrik Lundqvist in goal. But Brodeur was 34 when Lundqvist was a rookie, with the former having already won three Stanley Cups, two Vezina Trophies and Olympic gold. Hughes and Kakko will both have their skates on the starting line, beginning their careers at the same time.

May the best franchise player win.

Said Shero: "It's great for the Devils. It's great for the Rangers. They're both good players."

Perhaps you were caught up in the St. Louis Blues' run to a Stanley Cup championship and haven't had a chance to study up on the 2019 NHL draft class. Or maybe you've been right here all along, scouring all of the prospect breakdowns and mock drafts. Either way, we have you covered as the New Jersey Devils go on the clock with the first pick.

Our NHL team -- Chris Peters, Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan -- answers 25 of the biggest final questions. And be sure to check out the rest of our pre-draft content to be as prepared as the 31 NHL teams when the draft begins on Friday night (8 p.m. ET).

Mock draft | Top 100 rankings
Top goalies | Late-rounders
Best by skill | Scouttakes | Draft order

What defines this draft class?

Chris Peters, NHL draft and prospects writer: The lack of consensus after No. 2 is really a standout feature. Anything can happen after Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko are drafted with those first two picks. That's going to lead to disparate draft boards, picks that could look like surprises in the first round and a general lack of predictability. It's just so wide open after the second pick.

Is there any chance the New Jersey Devils take Kakko over Hughes at No. 1 overall?

Peters: There's always a chance, but it seems wildly unlikely. Hughes is a better fit for where the NHL is going than Kakko, with his speed in transition and ability to create off the rush. Kakko might be the safest pick in the draft, though. He has already proved he's ready for a bigger challenge. I expect him to be a better rookie than Hughes, but Hughes has the higher ceiling. The Devils will take that super high ceiling of Hughes, while the Rangers get a dynamic player who is already ready to make an NHL impact.

How can Hughes help the Devils rebound?

Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer: Hughes and Nico Hischier up the gut for the next decade is a really nice start when attempting to build a winner. Winning the Hughes lottery also gave the Devils a puncher's chance of retaining Taylor Hall, who becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer, because they now have some semblance of a direction.

What will Kakko do for the New York Rangers' rebuild?

Emily Kaplan, national NHL reporter: Kakko can have a Patrik Laine-esque impact right away. He'd be my preseason pick for the Calder Trophy. The Rangers' rebuild has gone even better than planned and is the template a lot of aging teams should follow.

How many prospects have a chance to make an NHL roster right away?

Peters: The only two players I feel could comfortably jump into an NHL lineup next season are Hughes and Kakko. But I could also see Bowen Byram, Kirby Dach and Dylan Cozens among the players who at least give teams something to think about in training camp. Byram will be the first defenseman off the board, potentially at No. 3 to the Blackhawks, and likely no later than No. 6 to Detroit. A lot of what happens with him this fall depends on where he ends up. Brett Leason, a third-year eligible player, is a dark-horse candidate to make the immediate NHL jump, too.

So what do the Chicago Blackhawks do at No. 3?

Kaplan: A lot of the first round hinges on what Chicago does at No. 3. Despite having a surplus of defensive prospects, Byram might be too talented to pass up. But might a team that lucked into a top-three pick take a risk here? Probably not, but wouldn't it be fun to watch Cole Caufield -- who scored 72 goals this season -- and Alex DeBrincat in the Hawks' top six?

What is your favorite prospect-to-player comp in the class?

Peters: Caufield to DeBrincat really does fit. Caufield is essentially the same size DeBrincat was in his draft year and is a ridiculous goal scorer. I actually think Caufield may be a little better than DeBrincat was at the same age, but they both have an elite sense of timing and shooting ability.

OK, what about the best prospect-to-team fit?

Peters: I think the one that probably lines up best is Alex Turcotte with Chicago. He's a local kid who competes and plays the game fast. Chicago has a ton of good options, and no one is quite sure what it is going to do, but Turcotte seems like a natural fit as a strong two-way center with excellent speed and versatility.

Which team needs to ace the draft?

Wyshynski: The Los Angeles Kings need to get younger, faster and better as they take a little step back from contention. That starts with their 10 picks in this draft, including the No. 5 and No. 22 overall picks. It could be argued that the Kings haven't had a hit since Adrian Kempe at No. 29 in 2014. If Kirby Dach is available at No. 5, that's one logical play. If he's not, then the Kings can't screw this one up. Director of Amateur Scouting Mark Yannetti and general manager Rob Blake need to nail this one.

Kaplan: The Edmonton Oilers have a new GM in Ken Holland, and this draft will set the tone for their new era. While it won't single-handedly change their trajectory, getting an impact player at No. 8 and hitting on a few late-round picks would do wonders.

What are the hottest names in the class right now?

Peters: Turcotte and Caufield seem to be getting a lot more attention. Moritz Seider, the big German defenseman, is another surefire first-round pick who raised his stock toward the end of the season. And I've also heard from teams that view Cam York as the prototype for what modern defensemen look like: Average-sized, but smart and excellent offensively. He could go higher than many expect.

Who will be overdrafted based on what you've seen?

Peters: Samuel Poulin has a lot of the tools that teams crave in a first-round talent, including a good solid frame and some enticing puck skills. My concern is with his hockey sense and consistency. I believe he will go in the first round, but there are quite a few players likely to go after him who would afford teams more value than what I think Poulin ultimately will bring.

Which prospect will fall farther than he should?

Peters: He's a little more under the radar, but Patrik Puistola has some first-round abilities. I just don't know if that was showcased enough for NHL teams to take a chance on him. If he drops out of the first round, a team would be getting big-time value in the second.

Is there a team you think might trade up or down in Round 1?

Kaplan: Since the consensus is you can get a great player from No. 3 through No. 12, perhaps someone right on the outside (Montreal Canadiens at No. 15) sneaks in. The Dallas Stars don't have second- or third-round picks in each of the next two years, which makes them a trade-down candidate for me.

Wyshynski: The Philadelphia Flyers hold the No. 11 pick, which could net them a nice prospect like defenseman Philip Broberg or center Peyton Krebs. But with GM Chuck Fletcher being aggressive in words and actions, I wonder if that'll continue with the Flyers' pick being in play.

Which Day 1 prospect has the biggest range of where he could be picked?

Peters: I could see Arthur Kaliyev going in the top 15, and I could just as well see him tumbling into the second round. NHL teams must decide how to balance an elite scoring ability (51 goals this season) with a perceived lack of work ethic and defensive effort. His skating is also suspect. I've seen good and bad games for Kaliyev, so I understand the concern. But there just aren't many players in this, or any, draft who have that goal-scoring talent, size and legitimate puck skills. Kaliyev is going to need a team that's patient but also holds him accountable in his development.

Vasily Podkolzin also seems to be all over the place on draft boards. Why?

Peters: His contract with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, along with the fact that it's with a top club, puts him at least two years away from coming to North America. He also had underwhelming production both in club play back home in Russia and at the U18 World Championships. But he has high-end skill and plays with power. When he's at his best, there aren't many players in the class better.

What is one player-specific skill that will make that player very valuable in today's NHL?

Peters: Trevor Zegras' overall creativity, especially when it comes to gaining the zone and being able to make plays on the rush, is hugely valuable. He's one of the best playmakers in this draft.

Which lottery team will be most improved in 2019?

Wyshynski: The New York Rangers aren't stopping with Kakko. I think they start cycling back up after two years of rebuilding. They made a savvy move for Jacob Trouba and could still add Artemi Panarin. They have more than $19 million in cap space.

Kaplan: The Florida Panthers should have been a playoff team this season. They hired a legendary coach in Joel Quenneville, and they have the cap space (and audacity) to spend this summer. They're favorites to land Sergei Bobrovsky and/or Panarin. How will they not be better?

How do the Colorado Avalanche, with their two first-rounders, walk away happy on Friday night?

Wyshynski: The No. 4 pick is still the No. 4 pick. That's where Seth Jones and Alex Pietrangelo were taken in 2013 and 2008, respectively, and that's why someone like Byram could be more than just a consolation prize for the Avs. Besides, let's face it, they are playing with found money with that Senators pick anyway, and they will be able to add a potential future contributor in the middle of the first to complement that top-four selection.

What are the chances a goaltender goes on opening night of the draft?

Peters: I think it's pretty much a lock at this point. Spencer Knight is the consensus No. 1 goalie by a wide margin, and many teams I've talked to expect him to be picked in the first round. The only question is how early. This is a fairly deep year for goaltenders in particular, and it could be a position for teams to find options on Day 2, as well.

An NHL player you're watching to potentially be dealt on draft day?

Kaplan: Since it appears Phil Kessel may remain in Pittsburgh after all, I'll go with the guy he was supposed to be traded for: Minnesota's Jason Zucker. The winger has now been involved in advanced talks for two separate trades that fell through -- the other being with Calgary at the trade deadline -- so I have a hard time imagining him in Minnesota for much longer.

Which prospect team will dominate the draft?

Peters: The U.S. national team development program is often a big supplier to the draft, but this year is going to be exceptional even by its standards. That team could have as many as seven players go in the top 15 of the draft and as many as eight first-rounders, including Knight. Nineteen players from that team were ranked by NHL Central Scouting, and I have 15 in my top 100.

Which team lacking a first-rounder will miss it the most?

Kaplan: The Columbus Blue Jackets. They have only two picks in total, in the third and seventh rounds. GM Jarmo Kekalainen can have a nice weekend in Vancouver lounging on a patio.

Wyshynski: The San Jose Sharks. The window is still open for them to compete for the Stanley Cup, but stockpiling some future assets wouldn't hurt at this point, especially considering next season's first-rounder already belongs to Ottawa.

Any interesting teams regarding how they approach this year's draft?

Wyshynski: The Vegas Golden Knights have nine (!) picks in the first five rounds and an owner with an insatiable lust for the Stanley Cup. It's hard to believe that they won't be aggressive. The Anaheim Ducks also need to make some smart picks, including their pair of first-rounders. They have eight players on their current roster who are 27 years old or older.

Who is your favorite Day 2 sleeper?

Peters: This is probably a deep sleeper, but I'm a big fan of the way Spokane Chiefs center Luke Toporowski plays. He's a max-effort-at-all-times player. There's physicality, grit and work ethic all packed into an average-sized frame. I think he could be had especially late in this draft, too, maximizing his value.

To close, how about a bold prediction for the 2019 draft?

Peters: This is one I'd rather not see come true, but I have a feeling Caufield slips to the late stages of the lottery, or perhaps even to the second half of the first round. I still believe he's a top-10 caliber talent and one of the best natural goal scorers I've seen, but I wonder if the NHL overcorrects after the Blues won a Stanley Cup with a premium on size.

Wyshynski: The Panthers acquire at least one player Joel Quenneville has previously coached in Chicago, perhaps even from the current Blackhawks roster.

Kaplan: Despite the buzz and hoopla, there aren't any big NHL names traded on draft weekend. It was all a tease!