Cardiff Blues have signed Wales-qualified number eight Sam Moore from Sale Sharks with immediate effect.

The ex-England Under-20s back-rower is the son of former Swansea and Cardiff lock Steve, who played three times for Wales in 1997.

Moore, 21, was part of England's 2018 Six Nations squad as an apprentice, but returns to Wales after signing a long-term deal in the capital.

"I view myself as a Welshman," said Moore.

Moore, who was born in Cardiff but brought up in England, attended Sedburgh School in Cumbria and represented England at under-16s, 18s and 20s level.

His opportunities at Sale Sharks were limited because of injuries and back-row resources at the English club.

Born in Cardiff

Moore is currently sidelined through injury, but is expected to be fit within a few weeks as he seeks to emulate his father and uncle Andy who also played second-row for Wales.

"I am convinced this is the best place for me to progress my career," said Moore

"I am grateful to Sale, who gave me my first opportunity. I have been in their system since I was 14 and have a huge amount of friends there.

"But I was born in Cardiff and my dad played here in the 1990s so it is a place that is close to my heart and I cannot wait to get started at the Arms Park.

"While I grew up in England and came through the system there it would be great to reach the same heights as my dad and uncle.

"I am well aware that it all starts with the Blues and that is my sole focus."

Cardiff Blues head coach John Mulvihill has been looking for a ball-carrying number eight.

"Sam is a player with enormous potential and it is great to get him here straight away," said Mulvihill.

Pivac's welcome

"The fact England named him in their 2018 Six Nations squad is testament to that potential and we are confident he can realise it at Cardiff Blues.

"Number eight is a position we needed to strengthen and Sam will bring a physical and athletic presence.

"He has all of the attributes necessary and has a huge appetite to succeed."

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac welcomed Moore's arrival in regional rugby.

"It's great to see another Welsh player joining one of the Welsh regions," said Pivac.

"Sam is a big, athletic man with a big future in the game."

Former Saracens wing Chris Ashton says he did not understand that the club was breaching the salary cap when owner Nigel Wray invested in a property with him.

The 32-year-old was named in a leaked report into relegated Sarries' misdemeanours on Thursday.

Ashton, a presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live's Rugby Union Weekly podcast, has spoken to a lawyer about the leak.

"[The investment] was completely separate to the rugby for me," he said.

"Nigel was never involved in any negotiations of contracts or anything like that so I saw Nigel as a businessman outside of rugby that I went to see to get a loan, like I would from the bank.

"It was completely separate to my contract. Nigel likes property, he invests in property. He came along to the house to see it with me, we had a look round and he gave some thoughts on what we could do.

"I can completely understand why people are annoyed about it because it is a benefit that you don't get at other clubs. Now I do understand. I do see it. At the time, I didn't."

'Frustrating' lack of confidentiality

Ashton joined Saracens in 2012 and stayed for five years, moving to French side Toulon in 2017 before signing for Premiership team Sale in 2018.

The wing says he has now paid Wray back, but that at one time the former Saracens chairman owned 20% of his house.

Although confidential information was redacted in the version of the Saracens report published by Premiership Rugby, the identities of some players were in the public domain after the full report was leaked.

"My name got brought up with the Saracens leaks, which I'm not too happy about at all," Ashton added on Rugby Union Weekly.

"Whoever I spoke to about it told me it was going to be completely confidential so I was pretty upset that that was broken. It's pretty frustrating.

"I've spoken to a lawyer who works with us all through the Rugby Players' Association to see how we go about this.

"We did have confidentiality agreements and that has been thrown out the window. We'll see if there is anything in it."

'I asked Nigel if he would help me buy a family home'

Ashton says he was two years into a four-year contract at Saracens when he entered into the co-investment with Wray.

His wife Melissa was pregnant and they "wanted to find a place to stay in forever and make a family home".

"I knew Nigel had done it previously with some players and staff - he invests in a lot of property in and around London," explained Ashton.

"I went along to ask him. We'd found a house we liked that needed some work doing to it. I went along to ask Nigel if he would help me buy it and help do the house up.

"So we'd invest in it together. We'd both put the same deposit in. I got the mortgage and we lived in it, did the house up and I still have it.

"We had a solicitors drawn-up contract to say that Nigel owned his percentage of the house and when the house was sold he would receive all his money back. I've paid that back."

BROWNSBURG, Ind. – Don Schumacher Racing has announced that IMPACT Racing has extended its agreement with the team through the 2021 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

As the official safety supplier of DSR, IMPACT outfits the Brownsburg, Ind.-based team with firesuits, helmets, gloves, shoes, boots, belts, and parachutes, among other safety-related products.

“Our partnership with IMPACT extends back three owners,” said DSR team owner Don Schumacher, who is heralded as a pioneer in the safety of drag racing. “We started with founder Bill Simpson about 16 years ago, and have grown with the company as it has evolved into the highly-recognized brand that is seen around the dragstrip in both the Sportsman and pro pits today.”

Although Schumacher focuses on winning races and championships, safety has always been his highest priority. When he was driving, he contributed cutting-edge safety innovations for Funny Cars, including a roof-mounted escape hatch that allowed drivers to quickly exit when fires occurred. He was also the first to mount the lever to activate a fire suppression system on his Funny Car’s brake handle so the driver could apply both while keeping one hand on the butterfly steering wheel.

“Safety is of the utmost concern and is the driving force behind several modifications that we’ve made to our cars at DSR over the years, most notably, the Top Fuel canopy,” said Schumacher, referring to the 2011 project he funded and spearheaded to develop a protective, enclosed canopy for Top Fuel dragsters. “Choosing safety equipment for our teams is no different. We’re very selective with who we choose to outfit our drivers. We only want the very best, which is why we’ve trusted IMPACT for so many years.”

“IMPACT is proud to continue the ongoing relationship with DSR,” said Lorenzo Cucia, IMPACT Managing Director. “With Don and everyone at DSR having the trust that we will provide their drivers with the best is a huge honor for everyone at IMPACT. DSR has been a valuable asset. Our priorities are safety and providing drivers with the best-innovated products.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Young’s Motorsports has signed Tate Fogleman to drive the team’s No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado for the upcoming NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series season.

The Durham, N.C., native – is a third-generation racer and the son of super late model and former NASCAR Xfinity Series driver, Jay Fogleman. La Grange, N.C., based Solid Rock Carriers has partnered with Fogleman as the primary sponsor of the No. 02.

Fogleman first climbed behind the wheel of a stock car when he was 7 years old and hasn’t looked back. At 15 years old he became the youngest Pro All-Star Series South super late model champion. The High Point University sophomore has previously made three Truck Series starts, his best finish being 15th at Michigan Int’l Speedway in 2018 and has continued to compete in both PASS and CARS Super Late Model Tour events.

“I am looking forward to getting back to work with the Young’s Motorsports guys,” said Fogleman. “I think we will be able to accomplish a lot this year. Chad (Kendrick), my crew chief, knows how driven I am to race and we are ready to tackle this season head-on. Huge thanks to my longtime sponsor Solid Rock Carriers for coming on board the truck this season. They have been supporting me since I started pro late model racing when I was 12, and I’m truly honored to have them on the truck. I am really grateful to Tyler Young and the Young family for their support and this opportunity.”

Entering his fourth season with the organization, Truck Series veteran Chad Kendrick will serve as crew chief.

“We are looking forward to this year, another great opportunity for Young’s Motorsports and myself to team up with one of the up and coming young talents in racing. Tate has driven a few races for us and shown tremendous potential. We are setting realistic, but high goals for the 2020 season. Gateway (World Wide Technology Raceway, St. Louis, M.O.) being one of the most challenging tracks we race was his first time in a truck – he picked it up very quickly and was very competitive so I am excited to build on that. Tate is a talented super late model racer and seems eager and willing to do what it takes to run well at one of the highest levels of racing. It’s not often you get paired with a driver that shares your energy and drive to compete, I can’t wait to get the season kicked off with him.”

Kendrick has six Truck Series victories to his credit and has previously manned the helm for Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, Tyler Dippel, Austin Hill, Daniel Hemric, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano.

“Our organization is thrilled to get Tate back into one of our trucks,” said team principal Tyler Young. “2019 was a huge year for us and we are excited to have such an accomplished young racer behind the wheel of the (No.) 02 truck this season.”

CONCORD, N.C. — UniFirst Corp., a North American leader in providing customized work uniform programs, corporate attire, and facility service products, will serve as a primary sponsor on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE driven by Chase Elliott this year.

UniFirst will be a three-race primary sponsor with its updated green corporate logo adorning the No. 9 Chevrolet on March 8 at Phoenix Raceway, May 16 at the All-Star Race and Sept. 27 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In addition, UniFirst will be a full-season associate sponsor of the No. 9 team.

UniFirst will continue to serve as the official workwear provider of Hendrick Motorsports, supplying work clothing and uniforms to the team and sister company Hendrick Automotive Group, the largest privately held retail automotive organization in the United States.

“As a Hendrick Motorsports partner, all of us at UniFirst have been closely following Chase throughout his career and we’re incredibly impressed with his long list of accomplishments,” said Adam Soreff, director of marketing and communications for UniFirst. “Most notably, his performance last season having won three races, four poles, and the most popular driver accolades for the second year in a row! To say we’re thrilled to have him as our driver is an understatement.

“Millions of NASCAR fans are anticipating an exciting 2020 NASCAR season with Chase behind the wheel and all of us at UniFirst can’t wait to see our dynamic new race car paint scheme that is sure to impress on the track.”

UniFirst has been a sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports since 2016, when they backed Kasey Kahne in two races. The company sponsored William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet in select events for the last two seasons.

MT. PLEASANT, Mich. – Brendan Gaughan will put a cap on his 23-year NASCAR driving career with a four-race NASCAR Cup Series program, starting with the 62nd annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 16 at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway.

The 44-year-old racer from Las Vegas will compete for Beard Motorsports, driving the No. 62 Beard Oil Distributing/South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro.

Gaughan’s City Lights Shine, a whiskey moonshine produced by his 17A Stillery – the first legal distillery in the history of Las Vegas – will serve as an associate sponsor.

After Daytona, Gaughan will return to the seat April 24-26 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Aug. 27-29 at Daytona and Oct. 2-4 at Talladega for what will be his final NASCAR Cup Series start.

Gaughan has made 12 NASCAR Cup Series starts with Beard Motorsports, all coming at Daytona and Talladega.

“I love racing, and competing with Beard Motorsports these last few years have made for some of my most enjoyable moments in NASCAR,” said Gaughan, who currently has 62 NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to his rookie season in 2004. “We do a lot with a little, so when we run up front and lead laps, it’s very satisfying because you know all the work that went into it.

“I wouldn’t want my last races as a NASCAR driver to be with any other team. Mark Beard Sr., and his entire family are passionate about racing, and NASCAR in particular. We’re all competitive and want to perform, but we’re going to have fun doing it,” Gaughan continued. “That’s how we all got started in the sport – because it was fun. And as I wrap up my career, I’m going to make sure it stays fun.”

Beard Motorsports has proven to be the little team that could, a modern-day David competing against the Goliaths of the NASCAR Cup Series.

Owned by Mark Beard Sr., president of Beard Motorsports and various family businesses, Beard Motorsports has taken a strategic approach to its racing endeavors, forming a technical partnership with Richard Childress Racing and running only the superspeedway races at Daytona and Talladega.

With cars constructed by RCR and powered by ECR-built engines, Beard Motorsports has scored two top-10 finishes, the most recent being an eighth-place drive last April at Talladega, where Gaughan led five laps.

“Brendan brings a lot of experience to our race team and that has allowed us to be competitive despite not having all the resources of the bigger teams that compete week in and week out,” Beard said. “We have a lot of respect for what those teams do, and it’s an honor to be able to park in the NASCAR Cup Series garage, unload our racecar and see where we stack up. We take a lot of pride in the effort we put forth, and the effort our partners put into Beard Motorsports.

“Richard Childress and the staff at RCR provide us with top-notch equipment. We’ve worked with them since 2017 and it’s easy to understand why they’ve been in the sport for 50 years,” Beard added. “We’re proud to continue our technical partnership with RCR and we look forward to making Brendan’s last races as a NASCAR driver memorable.”

Beard Motorsports is part passion project and part corporate initiative, with the race team serving to market Beard Oil Distributing and TTS Logistics.

Beard Oil Distributing is a third-generation, family-owned company that services the nation’s pipeline construction industry. TTS Logistics is an international freight company delivering an assortment of goods via ground, air and sea.

TALLADEGA, Ala. – John Ray, one of Talladega Superspeedway’s treasured family members whose diesel big rig sporting a giant American flag became iconic during the track’s national anthem performances, has died.

The former NASCAR driver was 82 years old.

Since 2001, few sights in sports have been more patriotic than that of Ray’s gold, brown and chrome Peterbilt truck, adorned with the red, white and blue whipping in the wind, making its way down the Talladega frontstretch prior to the start of races.

Over the years, a tremendous chorus has exploded into cheers by hundreds of thousands of fans during each pass by, creating a tradition that has left many emotional and full of American pride – but none more so than the man who started it all.

“National anthems at Talladega Superspeedway are the most iconic, and it’s because of our great friend John Ray,” said Speedway President Brian Crichton. “What he brought to our fans can’t be duplicated. He was an incredible, passionate man who supported the track and all of motorsports with everything he had. His spirit will live here forever. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ray family.”

Ray’s story at the superspeedway started in the form of volunteering as he always loved to give back. For more than 40 years, he was a member of the White Flag Club, a dedicated service group of local businessmen from surrounding communities that assist during race weekends.

In 2001, however, he really stepped up.

That year, after the horrific terror attacks of 9/11 and the tragic passing of his longtime friend Dale Earnhardt Sr., Ray – along with then-track chairman Grant Lynch, looked to see what they could do to boost the morale of a country and a fan base that had gone through tough times.

They looked at Ray’s love for 18-wheelers and patriotism and found the answer.

“It was 2001, we just had the 9/11 attacks and Dale had also passed away earlier that year,” said Ray, who lived down the street from the track in Eastaboga, three years ago. “I had a crazy idea to run my rig out on the track with an American flag attached to the back. It started off as a tribute to the country and to Dale.

“I never thought it would become the heart-felt moment that it has over the past some-odd years, but I’m glad it has become a tradition that means so much to the fans and the Talladega family. It represents such a sense of pride that we all share together as a nation and as a community. It is my honor and privilege to do it,” added Ray, who eventually gave up the driving duties of his big rig and handed them off to his late friend Roger Haynes, and last year to his son Johnny.

The laps he drove around the high banks of Talladega that October day in ’01 weren’t his first at the 2.66-mile track.

Ray, who owned “John Ray Trucking Company” since the early 70’s, actually set the world speed record for a semi-truck and trailer around the mammoth track at 92.083 mph in 1975 – in a powerful Kenworth diesel that hissed and hummed through the tri-oval at a break-neck speed one fall afternoon.

“We were testing brakes for a company out at the track,” Ray said. “One thing led to another – and there I was … truck, trailer, and all – making my way around the track, trying to set a speed record. It was something else.”

But, Ray at that time was not just a trucker – he was a racer. He actually drove in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1974-1976. He competed in eight races, four at Talladega (his best career finish was 22nd at ’Dega in 1974), but an accident at Daytona in ’76 ended his driving career.

He continued on as a car owner and essentially gave one of the sport’s greatest legends one of his first opportunities: 10-time Talladega winner Earnhardt. It would be Earnhardt’s third career start.

Behind the wheel of Ray’s No. 77 Chevy with crew chief Buddy Parrott that November afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Earnhardt totaled the car.

However, the Intimidator and Ray would stay friends their entire lives. They would go fishing and hunting together, sometimes with another friend and driver, the late Neil Bonnett, who was more than happy to belong to the group.

Often, Earnhardt would stay at Ray’s home during his trips to Talladega.

Ray graced motorsports and Talladega Superspeedway with such pride and dignity that no one will ever quite compare.

A man who was defined by an 18-wheeler and a small town demeanor – will inevitably be remembered not necessarily as a racer, but as a trucker – and one of the all-time members of the Talladega racing family.

He will always, like his pre-race lap, be iconic to Talladega Superspeedway.