LAS VEGAS – Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is riding a near-three-year winless streak, but he looked as racy as anyone during a pair of Friday practices at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Johnson posted the fastest lap of the day at the 1.5-mile oval, heading Happy Hour in Sin City with a best time of 30.095 seconds (179.432 mph) in the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet.

The El Cajon, Calif., native is the only four-time Cup Series winner in Las Vegas history and the all-time lap leader at the track with 595 tours out in front of the field.

Though he hasn’t been to victory lane since Dover Int’l Speedway on June 4, 2017, Johnson felt as optimistic as anyone after final practice that he may be able to end that losing streak on Sunday.

“I hope this is indicative of the rest of the weekend,” Johnson said with a smile. “This Ally Chevy put up a great lap time in practice. We worked through some stuff in the first practice, got it driving a lot better and had speed in the second practice. That’s a good thing, because usually those two things don’t come together.

“I’m very optimistic and just very thankful for everyone at Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and all the hard work that’s gone into this new Camaro,” Johnson added. “We’re in the early days with it, but I think we’re in a lot better spot (than last year) and there’s a lot of smiles around this No. 48 car.”

Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Clint Bowyer (30.122/179.271) and Aric Almirola (30.139/179.170) followed Johnson on the speed charts, holding down second and third in the overall order.

Almirola was the quickest man during the first 50-minute practice session earlier in the evening, while Bowyer was second-quick in that round before also being the runner-up in final practice.

A third Stewart-Haas Ford Mustang – the No. 4 of Kevin Harvick – was fourth on speed for the day, with Matt DiBenedetto completing the top five in the iconic No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Ford for the Wood Brothers.

Impressing in a substitute role for the injured Ryan Newman, Ross Chastain was sixth-quickest for the day in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang, just a tenth and change off Johnson’s leading lap.

Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, John Hunter Nemechek and Alex Bowman completed the top 10 on the combined practice charts.

Martin Truex Jr., 11th in Happy Hour, was 13th overall on the day and the fastest of the Toyota contingent.

Qualifying for the Pennzoil 400 is slated for 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, live on FOX Sports 1, the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

CHANDLER, Ariz. – Matt Hagan continued his domination of Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park on Friday, capturing the provisional No. 1 qualifier spot at the 36th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals.

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) also claimed provisional No. 1 qualifier spots in their respective categories.

Hagan took the provisional No. 1 spot during the second qualifying session with a pass of 3.859 seconds at 331.61 mph in his Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car. Hagan is looking to continue his momentum from the season opener in Pomona after seeding himself in the No. 1 spot at the Winternationals two weeks ago. Hagan is the reigning event winner and is looking to take home his 34th career win, three of which have come at the NHRA Arizona Nationals.

“We have a really great race car,” said Hagan. “We qualified No. 1 in Pomona and then rolling here into Phoenix, the provisional No. 1. The car is just really working. We have to make some better decisions on race day, but race day is race day. You never know what is going to happen and what you will get thrown at you and how the track will be. But all-in-all conditions are great out here right now. The car is good, the track is good and just all around a really good pass.”

Sixteen-time Funny Car champion John Force is close on the heels of Hagan, currently sitting in the No. 2 spot after a pass of 3.861 seconds at 331.94 mph. Force’s teammate Robert Hight currently sits in the third spot with a 3.867-second pass at 330.55 mph.

Reigning Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence, making his return to NHRA competition after skipping the opener in Pomona while his team appealed a penalty against him that was issued following the 2019 season finale, grabbed the provisional No. 1 spot with a 3.671-second pass at 326.48 mph in his CAPCO Contractors Top Fuel dragster.

If it holds, Torrence will claim his 25th career No. 1 qualifier.

The ladies of Top Fuel are looking to take the No. 1 spot from Torrence, with Brittany Force in second with a 3.680-second run at 331.12 mph and Leah Pruett close behind in third with a 3.680-second pass at 328.06 mph.

Pro Stock’s Coughlin continued his successful start to the season, claiming the provisional No. 1 spot with a 6.536-second pass at 208.46 mph. Coughlin has swept the season so far, having grabbed the No. 1 qualifying spot and the event win at the season opener in Pomona.

Coughlin is on the hunt for his sixth Pro Stock world championship, hoping to end his career on top, after announcing his retirement at the conclusion of the season.

Erica Enders, Coughlin’s teammate, sits in a close second with a 6.565-second run at 209.82 mph, followed by Aaron Stanfield, who ran a 6.567-second pass at 207.69 mph.

John Tonelli's No. 27 has been raised to the rafters at Nassau Coliseum, joining the numbers of some of his former teammates from the New York Islanders' Stanley Cup dynasty.

Tonelli, known as a gritty player who worked to get the puck in the corners, became the seventh player to have his number retired by the team when he was honored before Friday night's game against the Detroit Red Wings.

"Tonight is not about me," Tonelli said. "It's all about giving thanks to my extended family, each and every one of you here and at home tonight. All of you have played a starring role in the journey that has brought this extremely honored and humbled man before you. Tonight is about my teammates, some of whom are standing with me. ... I feel incredibly honored to have skated alongside each of you and to be part of the success that we achieved as a team."

Tonelli is the first Islander to have his number retired since Bryan Trottier (19) in 2001. Denis Potvin (5), Clark Gillies (9), Mike Bossy (22), Bobby Nystrom (23) and Billy Smith (31) had their numbers retired previously. They were all part of the teams that won four straight Stanley Cup championships from 1980 to 1983.

Five of the six were in attendance for Tonelli's big night. Bossy was unable to make it, but a congratulatory video message from him was played in the arena.

The 62-year-old Tonelli also was joined by his wife, Lauren, sons Jordan and Zack, and his mother, Joy. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly was in attendance as well.

Tonelli, who had 206 goals and 338 assists in 594 games over eight seasons with the Islanders, was shown a bronze plaque that will be displayed in the team's hall of fame. Islanders owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin presented him with a framed No. 27 jersey and painted portrait by Tony Capparelli among other gifts.

In a speech that lasted about 15 minutes, Tonelli thanked coaches from his WHA and juniors days, as well as former teammates for sharing in his success. He also praised Al Arbour, the late longtime coach of the Islanders, who has a banner with 1,500 -- the number of games he coached the team -- also hanging in the rafters.

"Thank you Al for believing in all of us," Tonelli said. "Thank you for making us all feel important, to be proud of our roles, for knocking us down when were too cocky and for picking us up when we were down."

Tonelli referenced the goal in overtime of Game 7 against the Philadelphia Flyers that gave the Islanders their first championship, when he sent a pass through two defenders to a streaking Nystrom for the win.

"Bob, that magical moment on May 24, 1980, will live with me forever," he said.

He also spoke glowingly about Butch Goring, who will have his No. 91 retired on Feb. 29 before the Islanders' game against Boston.

"Prior to his arrival, we were a pretty good hockey team but we were missing something," Tonelli said. "Butch, you were an inspiration to play with and I'm truly looking forward to standing at ice level next Saturday and watching this tremendous honor bestowed upon you."

Tonelli had a frosty relationship with the Islanders after he was traded to Calgary on March 11, 1986. It began to thaw the past few years after Malkin and Ledecky took over control as majority owners and began actively honoring former players. It's part of the buildup to the team's planned move to a new arena at Belmont Park for the 2021-22 season.

"Jon and Scott, thanks for bringing me back home," Tonelli said. "This barn is the place where I came prepared to play the game with the responsibility to play it hard for my family, my teammates, my coaches, the training staff and most of all my extended family -- all of you, the fans."

Tonelli said he had "trust" in general manager Lou Lamoriello and coach Barry Trotz, and thanked the current Islanders -- all of whom watched the ceremony wearing No. 27 Tonelli jerseys on the bench -- for "the pride you bring to us alumni."

He also singled out team captain Anders Lee, who currently wears the number that was retired for Tonelli.

"I am so proud and so honored you will continue to wear our No. 27," Tonelli said. "I also look forward to the day we can share it all the way to the top of the rafters."

There are lucky bounces, and then there are lucky bounces like the one Sungjae Im got Friday at the WGC-Mexico Championship.

After catching his tee shot at the 223-yard, par-3 seventh hole a little heavy, Im looked destined for a trip to the drop zone. But Im's ball hit the water guarding the front of the green hard, took a big bounce and splashed to some 23 feet.

Im two-putted for par and later finished with a 1-over 72.

We all know balls can skip on water, but Im's ball was coming in hot at much more downward trajectory. (Maybe Bryson DeChambeau will be able to explain those physics on Saturday.)

Even without the scientific explanation, Im's bounce was, as they say in Mexico, "increible!"

February 22: T20 World Cup - New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Perth

Our XI: Suzie Bates, Katey Martin, Sophie Devine, Chamari Atapattu, Dilani Manodara, Shashikala Siriwardene, Leigh Kasperek, Lea Tahuhu, Amelia Kerr, Udeshika Prabodhani, Jess Kerr

Captain: Sophie Devine

The New Zealand skipper as captain is a good choice as she offers a lot with both bat and ball. Among all New Zealand women to have played over ten games in the format, Devine has the highest strike rate (128.02) with the bat, and in her last four T20Is, has scored a mind-boggling 297 runs and also picked up four wickets.

Vice-captain: Chamari Atapattu

You cannot leave Atapattu out of an XI for a game involving Sri Lanka for sure. Easily the country's best batters, she will be the key to Sri Lanka's progress. We saw a glimpse of what she is capable of with bat and ball against England in the warm-up game - 3 for 21 and a 50-ball 78* in the same game signals form, and intent.

Hot Picks

Suzie Bates: Bates, the highest run-getter in the format (3195), is another automatic choice. Since 2017, Bates averages 44.5 and strikes at 123.46, both significantly higher than her career stats, and she scored a 47-ball 78 in the warm-up against Thailand just the other day.

Leigh Kasperek: The offspinner has an astonishing strike rate of 12.8 in the format, which means she picks up a wicket every two overs or so. Kasperek is also her team's most successful spinner in T20Is (60 wickets) and you do not want to leave her out against a team with a wobbly middle-order.

Lea Tahuhu: The bowling spearhead of the New Zealand side, Tahuhu might not have picked up as many wickets as she would have liked in the last few games but her ability to strike early makes her a must-have.

Value Picks

Udeshika Prabodhani: The left-arm medium pacer swings the ball early on and uses her cutters well later in the game. She has an economy of 5.26 in T20Is, thanks to the tricks up her sleeve.

Amelia Kerr: Legspinners are always an asset, and the more experienced Kerr has been a successful one for a while now. For a wristspinner, she has an outstanding economy of 5.85 and is definitely a wicket-taker as well. She also proved her mettle with the bat against Thailand in the warm-up fixture, scoring a 40-ball 54.

Point to note

• The average first-innings score in the last four T20s at the WACA is 148 and the team batting first has won on three of those occasions [Stats from before the game between Thailand and West Indies].

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- Paul George and Patrick Beverley practiced in full for the LA Clippers on Thursday and Friday but will not play on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings.

George injured his left hamstring for a third time this season last Thursday in the first half of a loss at Boston, and afterward head coach Doc Rivers said the injury was a cause for concern. The hamstring injury has kept George out of 10 games already this season, including nine straight in January. Beverley, who did participate in the All-Star Weekend skills challenge, will miss his fifth straight game with a groin injury.

Despite both guards being ruled out for Saturday, George and Beverley surprisingly practiced for two straight days, including a full, lengthy practice on Friday.

Rivers said entering the break that the Clippers had to get healthy and remain at full strength for a period to establish some chemistry before entering the postseason. However, Rivers has made it clear his priority is to have his team healthy in the postseason.

Injuries to several players including Kawhi Leonard, who is not playing in both games of back-to-back sets due to a knee issue, have forced the Clippers to adjust all season. Rivers has had a full roster available for only four games this season as the Clippers, along with Detroit and Golden State, used an NBA-high 27 different starting lineups entering the All-Star break.

The Clippers also have to incorporate recent additions Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson into the mix. Jackson is slated to make his Clippers debut on Saturday after being bought out of his contract with Detroit.

"Listen, I'd take one [game] right now," Rivers said of having his entire roster healthy and available. "Really. It's game to game, but even if we can't have healthy games, let's have healthy practices. I talked to about four or five coaches over the break. That was their big thing.

"People make a big deal about load management -- what they're missing is the load management of practice. It's one thing that they can't play in a game, but when you can't play in a game or practice, that hurts. That was our first half of the year. ... I'm just hoping ... like today, everybody practiced. If tomorrow everyone doesn't play, not the best. But at least we got a practice in."

LAS VEGAS – Johnny Sauter earned his eighth career Cometic Gasket Pole Award during NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series qualifying Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Sauter topped the 35 trucks that turned laps in time trials with a clip of 30.365 seconds (177.836 mph) in the No. 13 Tenda Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing.

The 2016 Truck Series champion’s last pole before Friday evening was at Texas Motor Speedway in November of 2018, 27 races ago.

“Another pole for me, I can’t even remember the last time I had a pole. I think Ben Herr was still racing,” Sauter quipped. “I’m proud of everybody at ThorSport on our Tenda Ford. This thing ripped. It was super fast right off the truck this morning and you just know (when it’s that good). I think our long-run speed was really, really good too.That’s what everyone’s telling me, at least. I didn’t really investigate it myself too much.

“We’ve just got good stuff this year. I feel really comfortable where we’re at as far as the 13 team and ThorSport as an organization,” Sauter added. “I think if we do everything right tonight, we’ve got a good shot at it.”

Sheldon Creed will join Sauter on the front row for Friday night’s Strat 200, with a time of 30.398 seconds (177.643 mph) in the No. 2 Chevy.com/Trench Shoring Chevrolet Silverado for GMS Racing.

It’s the second front-row start of Creed’s Truck Series career.

“We’ve had speed from the beginning of practice. It just wasn’t driving really well, so I was kind of hard on the guys,” Creed noted. “During practice, we made changes and pretty much ran two laps at a time and just try to get it to drive good. I feel like we’re pretty trimmed out, so we’re fast by ourselves. It has to handle good. That’s the name of the game in traffic.

“We’ll just get through our stages and be at the front at the end.”

All-time Truck Series wins leader Kyle Busch and his teenaged protege, Christian Eckes, will share the second row of the grid. Ty Majeski filled out the top five for Niece Motorsports.

Defending Las Vegas Truck Series winner Austin Hill, Tyler Ankrum, rookie Raphael Lessard, Daytona winner Grant Enfinger and 2018 series champion Brett Moffitt completed the top 10.

With 35 trucks on the grounds for 32 starting spots, Bayley Currey, Jennifer Jo Cobb and Korbin Forrister failed to qualify.

The Strat 200 is scheduled for a 9 p.m. ET start time, live on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

To view the full starting lineup, advance to the next page.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Cody Eakin is going home to Winnipeg.

The Jets acquired the Winnipeg-born center from the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2021.

If Winnipeg qualifies for the playoffs this year or re-signs Eakin to a new contract by July 5, the Jets instead will transfer their 2021 third-round pick to the Golden Knights. Eakin is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The 28-year-old Eakin had four goals and six assists in 41 games with Vegas this season. He has 102 goals and 130 assists in 578 career NHL games with Washington, Dallas and Vegas.

The Jets also assigned forward Andrei Chibisov to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

After weeks of speculation, the Premier Golf League has begun to lift the veil.

On the same day that the PGL’s verified Twitter account surfaced online, an hour-and-a-half interview with the league’s CEO, London financier Andrew Gardiner, was released by the Rick Shiels Golf Show Podcast.

“A true test of the best,” said Gardiner, the current director of Barclays Capital, who's vision sees the PGL one day sitting at the top of the golf-competition pyramid.

Gardiner offered many details of the world-tour concept, some of which have already been reported. The league, which is aimed to launch in January 2022, will feature 48 players competing among 12 four-person teams (similar to the Formula One racing circuit) in 18 no-cut, 54-hole tournaments with purses of $10 million each. The events will be played in four continents: 10 in the U.S., four in Asia (including one in the Middle East), three in Europe and one in Australia.

The season will run from January to August and will not conflict with the four major championships. As for how the PGL would coexist with longstanding tours such as the PGA Tour and European Tour, Gardiner hopes to “achieve collaboration.”

“We want as many people to watch this sport as possible because we believe that there is a connection between the number of people who will watch [golf] and the number of people who will actually play it. … This is in the best interest of the game,” Gardiner said.

Gardiner added that the PGL, which he noted “has a lot [of financial backing],” has built relationships with many people in the game, from funders to broadcasters to players. But he declined to talk about specific conversations, including talks with Tiger Woods and other stars deemed vital to the league’s existence.

“This only happens if everybody wants it to happen, and that includes the best players in the world,” Gardiner said.

Since news of the upstart circuit first broke last month, many players have spoken out about the PGL. Phil Mickelson, who played with Gardiner in a pro-am at the Saudi International, said he was “intrigued” by the idea and added recently, “I’m going to guess by The Players I’m going to have a pretty good opinion.”

Woods last week confirmed that he had likewise been approached, but he failed to elaborate, adding, “We're looking into it.”

Other players have been more direct. Charley Hoffman said that while as an independent contractor he’d have to think about it, especially with high stakes involved, he didn't know if he "would like to be owned by some Saudi money over there.” (Gardiner said the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is involved.)

Bubba Watson took a firmer stance: “It doesn't matter to me, I'm playing on the PGA Tour.”

But the real perceived gut punch to the PGL's hopes came from the mouth of world No. 1 Rory McIlroy.

“The more I've thought about it, the more I don't like it,” Rory McIlroy said this week in Mexico City. “The one thing as a professional golfer in my position that I value is the fact that I have autonomy and freedom over everything that I do. If you go and play this other golf league, you're not going to have that choice.”

Gardiner called McIlroy’s comments “very interesting,” but didn’t appear overly concerned despite stressing the PGL’s need for support from the best players in the world.

“It brought to mind the Mark Twain quote, ‘Rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated,’ as if this were some fatal wound,” he told Golf Digest in another interview.

In addition to player involvement, there are other unknowns surrounding the PGL. Gardiner wouldn't disclose potential host venues, though he did bring up the possibility for bids while adding that he prefers some consistency with the tour stops. He also couldn't confirm whether or not PGL events would receive world-ranking points – he reasoned they would – or if women's events would be added, though Gardiner said he'd be "delighted" to have that as part of future plans.

Gardiner did, however, offer up these further details: shotgun starts for each of the first two rounds; no dress codes sans for potential team uniforms and colors; a draft system, transfer window and promotion and relegation similar to professional soccer; and a “team principal” concept where team captains, playing or non-playing, would select two individuals from their team to count each day, similar to how college golf coaches select lineups.

And then there’s the playoff concept. After 17 events, an individual champion will be crowned and the teams will be seeded for the 18th and final event. Top seeds would get byes and get to choose their second-round opponents. Gardiner didn’t fully explain, but it’s reasonable to expect some sort of bracket, head-to-head format that leads to one world team champion.

Indeed, the curtain has started to rise. As for what else lies behind it, that remains to be seen.

“This could be forgotten in a few weeks' time,” Gardiner said, “or this 30 years from now could be looked back upon as the change that was good from the game and made it stronger.”