INDIANAPOLIS – A significant page in the 110-year history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was written Wednesday, as Matt DiBenedetto turned the first-ever laps by a NASCAR stock car on the IMS road course.

The test is in preparation for the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series road-course race at IMS, sponsored by Pennzoil, on Saturday, July 4 during the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard powered by Florida Georgia Line event weekend.

The race is part of a revamped schedule for the annual NASCAR event on July 3-5, this year being held during Fourth of July weekend.

“I’d consider this one of the big things (to happen in my life),” DiBenedetto said. “Opportunities like this are things I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. I’ll be able to say forever, ‘Hey, I got asked by Mr. Penske himself, that whole team, by NASCAR, folks at IMS, everyone, to come and be the first ever to run the road course and test it out for the NASCAR Xfinity gang.”

DiBenedetto spent the day testing two different road-course configurations to see which will produce the most exciting racing, with both featuring the cars going clockwise, the opposite direction of the oval.

One version was a high-speed, 12-turn road course that features the cars driving through the entire turn one of the oval and down the frontstretch into the infield for the first turn of the road course, which features a heavy braking zone. This layout was nearly identical to the layout used by Formula One for the United States Grand Prix from 2000-2007 at IMS.

The other course was a more technical, 14-turn layout that uses the three-turn chicane inside turn one of the oval before the drivers make their way onto the frontstretch, then stand hard on the brakes to enter the infield for turn one of the road course. It’s the same complex of turns used by the NTT IndyCar Series during the GMR Grand Prix in May.

DiBenedetto said after running both layouts there is no wrong answer as to which circuit will best fit the NASCAR Xfinity Series, as both have features that will create several passing opportunities and offer great racing for fans.

“The cool thing is, what we love as road racers is heavy braking zones, and clearly, the end of the front straightaway here, you have a very heavy braking zone,” DiBenedetto said. “There’s high-speed stuff. There’s low-speed stuff. So, it’s pretty much everything we could ask for from a competitor’s standpoint for raceability.”

Wayne Auton, the managing director for the NASCAR Xfinity Series, said the decision on which road course layout to use will be decided with fans in mind.

“We want to put on the best show that we can for the fans, we want to put on the best show for NBC, which this race will be on, and definitely we want to make sure that the NASCAR Xfinity Series shines here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” Auton said.

Auton said NASCAR will take engine and tire data, plus input from DiBenedetto and Team Penske, to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, N.C., to evaluate which course layout and race distance will best suit the Xfinity Series at IMS.

That decision will come in the near future, Auton said.

No matter the course layout, DiBenedetto said he is certain fans will see one of the most unique weekends of racing on July 3-5, including an exciting road course event full of passing, beating and banging, and high speeds Saturday, July 4.

The facility will then be quickly converted to oval configuration for NASCAR Cup Series practice later that afternoon and Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard qualifying and race Sunday, July 5.

“This is a big, cool change for a really neat weekend,” DiBenedetto said. “We’re going to have Xfinity cars running on the road course here, then it’s Brickyard 400 weekend, and it’s the Fourth of July, and you got the fireworks show, Florida Georgia Line concert. It’s a weekend I would definitely want to come to as a spectator. They’re going to get a lot of show in one weekend.”

Police in Philadelphia are investigating a complaint that Gritty, the Flyers' mascot, punched a 13-year-old following a photo shoot at a November event for season-ticket holders, a police spokesperson told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Chris Greenwell told the Inquirer that his son, Brandon, playfully patted Gritty on the head after the photo was taken and walked away. Greenwell said Gritty left his chair, "took a running start" and "punched my son as hard as he could."

A police spokesperson described the incident as an alleged "physical assault" during a photo shoot, adding that the investigation is "active and ongoing," according to the Inquirer.

The Flyers have denied any wrongdoing by their mascot.

"We took Mr. Greenwell's allegations seriously and conducted a thorough investigation that found nothing to support this claim," the team said in a statement.

Greenwell provided the Inquirer with documents from a chiropractor saying Brandon was diagnosed with a back bruise.

Greenwell said he reached out to the team to request an apology and ask that the team do something special for his son. In an email Greenwell shared with the Inquirer, a Comcast Spectacor official told Greenwell it found no proof that Gritty hit his son, though the official offered to make up for the "bad experience."

After a disagreement over what was said in a follow-up phone call, Greenwell, who said he hasn't hired a lawyer, filed a complaint with police on Dec. 21.

The Flyers unveiled the orange mascot with bulbous eyes to mixed reviews in 2018, but Gritty quickly became a fan favorite and was described as "the toast of the sports world" by ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose.

Tiger Woods is making his 2020 PGA Tour debut at the Farmers Insurance Open. He's won eight times professionally at Torrey Pines, but what should we expect this week?

In this Golf Central Podcast, GolfChannel.com writers Ryan Lavner and Will Gray give their thoughts, as well as if there is a reason to be as optimistic about Phil Mickelson as he seems to be himself.

Check out the listen below:

SAN DIEGO – Tiger Woods continued to tinker with his driver during Wednesday’s pro-am at Torrey Pines but it remains to be seen if the new model finds its way into the bag for Round 1.

Woods explained Tuesday that he’s been experimenting with TaylorMade’s new SIM driver and he spent the majority of Wednesday’s tune-up testing the model, which he said has produced more clubhead speed.

“I know what my [regular] driver can do. It's a driver where I can hit a draw anytime I want, and then when I do hit a cut, it doesn't really go very far but I know I can turn it at any given time,” said Woods, who added he wants to have a similar feeling with any potential new driver.

Also in the bag for Woods this week is the new TaylorMade SIM Max fairway wood and the new Bridgestone Tour BXS golf ball.

It’s the second consecutive year Woods has arrived at Torrey Pines for his debut with new equipment in the bag. Last year he had both a new driver and irons in play at the Farmers Insurance Open.

SAN DIEGO – When Rory McIlroy missed the cut last July at The Open it was easily the emotional low of his season and about as far as he could imagine from his professional goals.

“[The world’s top ranking] wasn't on the radar when I was flying back from Northern Ireland in July,” McIlroy said Wednesday at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Although he was ranked third in the world at that time it might as well have been 30^th considering the lead (1.97 average ranking points) Brooks Koepka had over the Northern Irishman. But that landscape has changed dramatically since Royal Portrush, and McIlroy begins this week’s event with a chance to overtake Koepka atop the ranking with victory at Torrey Pines.

Although McIlroy said he looks forward to the chance to retake the top spot in the ranking, he explained it hasn’t been something he’s focused on in recent years.

“I guess my thing is when I set myself goals, I set myself goals like I want to be plus-one strokes gained: approach play, it's all about the process, it's all about the game, it's all about trying to make improvements,” McIlroy said. “If I do that and I achieve those goals, then hopefully inevitably I get to that position.”

McIlroy last held the top spot in the ranking in September 2015, but he’s remained close to the top having spent just six weeks since then ranked outside top 10. He’s also been ranked second for the last 23 weeks.

Clubs: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 Wedges

What’s new: The Progressive Center of Gravity design, introduced in the SM6, has been improved yet again. The center of gravity is moved forward to a position that hovers in front of the wedge face, which makes the clubface want to stay square. This improves distance and trajectory control, as well as feel and stability.

What Bob Vokey says: “When Kevin Tassistro (Director of Wedge R&D) brings me new prototypes, he knows I won’t have feedback until I’ve watched tour players hit them. The proof is in their results and their reactions. That’s been my validation process from Day 1. The first time I had guys hit SM8 was on the range at Riviera. I always listen to the sound they’re making at impact, and it was phenomenal. ‘Solid but soft’ was how they described it. They loved it. That means they’re getting the proper feedback that you need to execute every type of wedge shot, whether you’re in the fairway, in a bunker or around the green. They also talked a lot about the flight. It’s in a better window, it’s more consistent, and they have more control of it. Overall, guys just kept telling me how easy it was to hit every type of shot they wanted to hit. They just felt like they were getting more of out of the wedge – and that’s because Kevin and his team were able to push that CG forward out in front of the face, to a place we never would have imagined 20 years ago.”

Price and specs: $159; available in four finishes – Tour Chrome, Brushed Steel, Jet Black and Raw (custom order only).

Availability: The wedges debuted on the PGA Tour at the RSM Classic last November and the European Tour last week in Abu Dhabi. As for the public, pre-orders begin Feb. 11 on vokey.com and clubs will begin arriving in pro shops March 6.

Jared Wolfe shot a final-round 69 to cruise to a four-shot victory at the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at Baha Mar, earning his first career Korn Ferry Tour title in the process.

Wolfe started the final round with a one-shot lead, and things were still undecided when he dropped his lone shot of the day on No. 14. But the 31-year-old bounced back in style, closing with three birdies over his final four holes to claim the trophy.

"I had a chance for it to go the other way, and I just made a lot of 3-4 foot putts which were not easy out here. If those don't go in, it's a different story," Wolfe said. "But I'm just beyond happy with how I fought and I'm very thankful for the blessing and the opportunity just to be in this position today."

Wolfe joins Tommy Gainey as an early winner on the developmental circuit, with both men now within reach of a PGA Tour card for the 2020-21 season. Wolfe has played most of the last three years on PGA Tour LatinoAmerica, winning three times, and he started this season equipped with conditional status and only a handful of Korn Ferry starts. But after his breakthrough win he's well on his way to another promotion.

"We're all on the same journey, it just takes different time to get there," Wolfe said. "Being in position to win multiple times down there has really calmed me down. I obviously felt nervous today, but I felt a pretty good calmness pretty much all day, and I attest that to the experience down there."

Veteran Brandon Harkins finished alone in second place while Curtis Thompson was among a tie for third. Thompson's sister, Lexi, is an LPGA Tour star while his brother, Nicholas, has previously played multiple seasons on the PGA Tour.

This year's event was moved to Baha Mar because of the damage sustained on Great Abaco Island when Hurricane Dorian made landfall in September.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the opening goal as a rampant Juventus beat Roma 3-1 in their Coppa Italia quarterfinal clash at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday.

Juve, who won the competition four years in a row before being knocked out by Atalanta at this stage last season, appeared determined to claim the trophy back as manager Maurizio Sarri fielded a strong line-up.

- Watch live Serie A football on ESPN+

And, while Roma started well, they were behind on 26 minutes as Ronaldo raced past right-back Alessandro Florenzi before rifling the ball across goalkeeper Pau Lopez and into the bottom corner.

Juve doubled their lead on 38 minutes as Rodrigo Bentancur squeezed the ball home before Leonardo Bonucci headed home a third at back post in first-half stoppage time.

Roma came out with more determination in the second half and threatened to make a game of it when Cengiz Under's stunning effort hit the bar and went in via a deflection off Gianluigi Buffon on 50 minutes.

But Juventus held on for the victory as Buffon pulled off two impressive saves to make it through to the semifinals as they look to extend their record of 13 trophy wins.

Antoine Griezmann scored a second-half stoppage time goal for Barcelona as the narrowly beat third-tier minnows Ibiza 2-1 in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night.

The goal was Griezmann's second of the night as Barca avoided what would have been a humiliating defeat after trailing at half-time.

Barcelona's new boss Quique Setien rested some of his top players like Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets and found his rotated side trailing before 10 minutes when Pep Caballe finished off a nice team move by the minnows from the Spanish archipelago.

- WATCH! Copa del Rey Replay: Barcelona narrowly beat Ibiza

Barcelona failed to get a shot on target in the first 35 minutes, while Ibiza narrowly missed out on going two up just before the break when Rai Nascimento hit the post and Angel Rodado forced a save from Neto from the rebound as the hosts took their shock lead into the dressing room.

Griezmann said it was the switch to a 3-4-3 system that led to the slow start: "We didn't have a single shot in the first half, it was a new system and we had to get used to it.

"We have to build confidence with the ball, move more in attack, understand the coach's tactics. We did a good job, especially in the second half, and I have to thank my teammates for the passes that let me score. I had two chances and they went in."

The visitors ratcheted up the pressure as the second half began, but were still trailing as the game approached the hour mark and Setien brought on Jordi Alba for Carles Perez to help get Barcelona on the scoreboard.

Barca finally drew level in the 72nd minute thanks to Griezmann, who finished neatly from a Frenkie de Jong assist to make it 1-1 and set up a tense finish to the second half.

And with the match looking like it was headed to extra time, Griezmann popped up again to finish a quick-hitting counter-attack to send Barca through to the round of 16.

This year marks the first edition of the annual Spanish cup competition since it switched to a single-match format (stream all matches live on ESPN+).

The agent of Manchester United target Bruno Fernandes has said he is not sure whether the Portugal international will move to Old Trafford this January.

Sources had told ESPN that United agreed personal terms with Fernandes over a move in this transfer window. However, failure to agree a fee with Sporting could lead United to walk away from a deal, according to ESPN sources.

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And agent Jorge Mendes said that, while his client will leave Sporting, he cannot say for certain whether that will be now or at the end of the season.

"I don't know what will happen with Bruno Fernandes," he told Sky Sports. "If he doesn't leave now, for sure he will leave in summer."

Meanwhile, Paul Pogba's agent Mino Raiola would not be drawn on the France international's future, as he recovers from ankle surgery.

"For now he needs to be getting fit and then it's my job to try to get both parties [player and club], if possible, happy," Raiola told Sky Sports. "He [Pogba] went back to United when lot of people didn't think he would.

"People forget that. He chose Manchester United. Let's address the elephant in the room -- everyone knows the ambitions of the club have not been met in the last few years, let's be honest."

Asked about his relationship with United having told La Repubblica in December he would stop doing business with the club, Raiola added: "It's good. It's a professional, honest, relationship.

"I've never spoken to Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer], but my relationship with Ed [Woodward] is transparent."