GREENWOOD, La. — The COMP Cams Super Dirt Series presented by Lucas Oil announced details for the inaugural Ronny Adams Memorial, which will open the season on March 6-7 at Boothill Speedway.

Friday’s program is highlighted by a complete $3,000-to-win/ $400-to-start program for the CCSDS competitors. Meanwhile, Saturday night’s event is capped with a complete $7,000-to-win/ $500-to-start event.

“This is a great way for our series to open the 2020 season. It’s an honor to be a part of an event that salutes the memory of such a well-respected and accomplished racer,” CCSDS CEO Chris Sullivan said. “Additionally, these are two great purses for the racers, and the fans get the opportunity to see two great shows.”

Veteran racer Ronny Adams died on Aug. 10, 2019 after a short battle with cancer. During his 51-year career the Texas native raced to 589 career wins, including 14 track championships at Boothill Speedway and nine Louisiana State Championships.

For Boothill Speedway officials, hosting the inaugural Ronny Adams Memorial early in their 48th season of racing is a special opportunity.

“Ronny [Adams] was the kind of guy that everyone liked and respected. He did a lot to support and help racing in our area, and to have his memorial race at our facility is something that we don’t take lightly,” Boothill Speedway promoter Brian Frazier said. “We originally talked about making this a two-day show for a single purse, but then decided it would be more racer and fan friendly to have two separate shows.”
The weekend opens with an Open Practice Session on Thursday, March 5. Factory Stocks and Limited Modifieds will join the program on Friday and Saturday. On Friday both divisions will contest heat races, while Saturday will see each class battling in $1,000-to-win/ $100-to-start finales. Additionally, Pro Mods will run a complete $400-to-win/$50-to-start program on Saturday.

On Friday and Saturday adult grandstand admission is $20 each night. Children (ages 5-and-under) are free in the grandstands. Pit passes are $20 on Thursday, and $35 on both Friday and Saturday.

On Thursday the gates open at 4 p.m. with practice beginning at 6 p.m. On Friday the gates open at 5 p.m. with the draw ending at 7:15 p.m., hot laps at 7:30 p.m. and racing action at 8 p.m. Saturday’s program includes gates opening at 4 p.m. with the draw ending at 6:15 p.m., hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing action at 7:00 p.m.

YORK HAVEN, Pa. — One of the most difficult tasks facing dirt tracks across the country is increasing participation in its weekly divisions.

Tracks depend on drivers to take a step up in class and relocate to a new facility.

The management team at BAPS Motor Speedway is helping with this process. Speedway owner Scott Gobrecht and General Manager Kolten Gouse have introduced the Super Sportsman Rental Program, titled “Laps at BAPS,” which allows drivers to rent a super sportsman for an entire practice night.

“We often hear about drivers wanting to get behind the wheel of a car in another division before they purchase one,” Gouse said. “Unfortunately, there really isn’t something like that out there for drivers looking to move up.

“Not only do we offer practice nights throughout the season at BAPS Motor Speedway, we can now offer drivers a chance to get in an open-wheel car and see if they like it.”

This program is only for Wednesday practice sessions at the speedway. According to Gouse, there are 17 available dates on the 2020 schedule.

A driver interested in renting a super sportsman can do so for $750. He or she will be able to test the car multiple times throughout the three-hour session. There will be an additional $750 crash deposit, but it will be returned at the end of the session if there is no significant damage to the car.

Interested drivers will be given top-notch equipment to test. The car will feature parts from Winters Performance Products, ACP Headers, TQ Fiberglass, and Wilwood Brakes, to name a few. Marysville Motor Cars and Blazer’s Body Shop are helping with sponsorship of the program.

“This wouldn’t be possible without the help of the sponsors involved,” Gouse said. “They saw the potential and vision we have for this program and were eager to come on board to help out.

“Not only does this give us a chance to help build one of our core divisions at the track, it gives us a chance to offer a development program for young drivers. It’s a win-win for everyone involved, and we are anxious to launch this program.”

The first practice session is March 7. There will be three more sessions to kick off the season on March 11, March 14 and March 18.

Other dates include April 8 and April 22, May 6 and May 27, June 24, July 8 and July 22, Aug. 26, and Sept. 2 and Sept. 30. There will be three dates to close out the season on Oct. 7, Oct. 15 and Oct. 21.

“The super sportsman division is one of the most competitive classes in central Pennsylvania,” Gouse said. “We are invested in this division, and this is a way to grow it.

“We want the super sportsman division to be a part of BAPS Motor Speedway for years to come. This is just another step in that process.”

PITTSBURGH -- Captain Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists in his long-awaited return from core muscle surgery, and the Penguins cruised past the Minnesota Wild 7-3 on Tuesday night.

Crosby, who has been participating in full-contact practice with the Penguins since Saturday, took 21 shifts in the victory, logging 17:53 of ice time.

He assisted on both of Evgeni Malkin's goals, including one 7:57 into the game, and scored off an assist from Jared McCann 7:41 into the third.

"I had a lot of energy, I was excited to be out there," Crosby said in his postgame interview on NBC Sports Network. "And the team is playing well. That definitely helped."

It was vintage Crosby, on home ice, as he won 11 faceoffs, and played 4:53 on the power play, showing the mix of speed, power and endurance that has made him an eight-time All-Star.

Crosby missed 28 games while he recovered from Nov. 9 surgery, but the team gave strong indication that he was near a return last week, when he traveled with the Penguins on a three-game trip vs. Western Conference foes. Though he didn't play in any of the games -- all victories -- he took part in morning skates and practices, inching closer to being back.

Pittsburgh went 18-6-4 without Crosby and is in the No. 2 playoff seed in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins have won four in a row, and five of six. Crosby admitted that watching the team succeed without him helped take some of the sting out of his lengthy rehabilitation and promised he "wouldn't get too fancy'' in hopes of maintaining the selfless, diligent identity the Penguins carved out in his absence.

"Our consistency has been there," Crosby said. "We just have to keep it simple."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Minnesota Wild defenseman Greg Pateryn suited up for his team's game in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, ready to help against a returning Sidney Crosby and the Penguins -- until he was removed from the bench by the on-ice officials.

Pateryn was mistakenly listed as a scratch on the lineup card submitted by Wild coach Bruce Boudreau and his staff. The on-ice officials conferred with the Minnesota bench at the start of the game, and Pateryn left the bench, walked down the runway to the dressing room and left the Wild with five defensemen.

"It's all my fault," Boudreau said after Minnesota's 7-3 loss. "I do the lineups first thing in the morning, and the first thing that goes down is the lowest number. I put Donato [No. 6] on and forgot Pateryn [No. 29]. And when I looked and the thing was full, I figured I did it right.

"But it's a dumb mistake. Never done that before. To start the game with five 'D,' I take full blame."

Forward Ryan Donato was scheduled to play in the game based on the lineup card but did not dress. He then suited up and joined the Wild bench in the first period, taking a spin on the ice to loosen up during a TV timeout.

Without the benefit of a warm-up, Donato didn't take a shift until there were 2 minutes, 9 seconds left in the second period.

Tottenham have signed Benfica midfielder Gedson Fernandes on an 18-month loan deal, to become Jose Mourinho's first signing as manager.

A club statement read: "We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement for the 18-month loan of Gedson Fernandes from Benfica with an option to make the transfer permanent.

"The midfielder will wear the number 30 shirt for the remainder of this season."

"I'm very happy to be here today -- I make my dream a reality," Fernandes said.

"For me, it's one big dream to come to this big club. I will try to give my best for the club every day, in every training session and in every game and I will try to help the team wherever I can, working hard every day for this shirt.

"I have no words to say about the stadium. I've never seen anything like this -- it's unbelievable."

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The 21-year-old reportedly chose to join Mourinho at Spurs ahead of London rivals West Ham, while Manchester United and Chelsea were also linked.

Capped twice by Portugal, Fernandes helped Benfica win the Portuguese Primeira Liga last season and leaves with them top this campaign.

?? #BemVindoGedson ?? pic.twitter.com/ZibMjeBCJG

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 15, 2020

He was also part of the Portugal squad that won the European Under-17 Championship in 2016.

Fernandes will offer Tottenham options in midfielder with Moussa Sissoko sidelined until April through injury.

"The Premier League is a different competition -- every player in the world wants to play in the Premier League," Fernandes added.

"For me, it's one more motivation because I always dreamed of playing in this league and now let's make my dream come true. I think we're going to do fantastic things because this is a fantastic club."

With the January transfer window now open and clubs free to buy and sell players, David Amoyal evaluates the hottest rumours from around the world of football.

Thomas Lemar to Wolves: 40%

The France winger is the first name on Atletico Madrid's list of possible departures, as they need to reduce their squad to make new signings, and among the interested clubs is Wolves. The ideal solution for the Spanish side would be to recoup part of the €72m spent in 2018, but they won't close the door to a loan with option to buy. Considering the excellent relationship between Atletico and super-agent Jorge Mendes (who acts as an adviser to Wolves) after the Joao Felix deal, a move to Molineux for Lemar might be more than a remote possibility.

Olivier Giroud to Inter: 65%; Ashley Young to Inter: 40%

Inter's proposed swap of Matteo Politano for Roma's Leonardo Spinazzola would have a domino effect on the Nerazzurri's pursuit of the two Premier League players with expiring contracts. Politano's departure would open a slot in attack for Giroud and make paying Chelsea around €5m more palatable, while Spinazzola's arrival would give Antonio Conte the alternative on the wings that he was looking for by pursuing Man United's Young, who could still be a target anyway because of his versatility.

Krzysztof Piatek to Tottenham: 25%

The injury to Harry Kane and Zlatan Ibrahimovic's return to AC Milan could give the Polish striker a prestigious landing spot following a sub-par first half of the season. Although Milan are open to selling Piatek for the amortised value remaining on his deal (about €30m) Spurs have so far asked for a loan deal or a swap involving either Juan Foyth or Victor Wanyama. At the moment, Aston Villa -- who acquired goalkeeper Pepe Reina from Milan -- are the club closest to meeting the Rossoneri's demands.

Christian Eriksen to Inter in January: 65%

Although the proposed swap for Matias Vecino never took off, Inter are becoming increasingly confident that they can sign the Denmark international in January. They have more urgency now that the coaching change at Barcelona makes Arturo Vidal reuniting with Conte much less likely, and have made good progress on signing Eriksen on free transfer by offering him a four-year contract with an annual salary of more than €9m after tax. Eriksen's agent is expected in Italy later this week to potentially close the deal, and then Inter will work on convincing Tottenham, who have signed Gedson Fernandes, to let Eriksen go in January for less than their €20m asking price.

Xherdan Shaqiri to Roma: 5%

Following the devastating injury to Nicolo Zaniolo, Roma have shifted their priority during the January transfer window to a creative attacking player. The Giallorossi contacted Liverpool about acquiring Shaqiri on loan until the end of the season, but the Reds turned that down immediately. As a result, Roma shifted their attention to Politano, who originally came up through their youth system, and the club are set to close that deal in exchange for Spinazzola.

Serge Aurier to AC Milan: 20%

Although Spurs would be interested in including a player in a deal for Piatek, the Ivory Coast defender would be an odd fit at Milan. They have two starting-calibre players at his position in Davide Calabria and the resurgent Andrea Conti, who has improved significantly this season after battling injuries.

Nelson Semedo to Bayern Munich: 40%

The Portugal right-back seemed to be an untouchable in Barcelona's starting XI at the start of the season. However, in the past few weeks he has been surpassed by Sergi Roberto. Will that change under new coach Quique Setien? In search of a right-back after Joshua Kimmich was moved into central midfield, Bayern added their name to the list of suitors for the 26-year-old Semedo, whom the Blaugrana value at €45m.

Shkodran Mustafi to Galatasaray: 40%

The Arsenal centre-back has fallen out of favour after a series of poor displays and could leave North London despite the shortage of defenders available in Mikel Arteta's squad. The German's agents are rumoured to be holding talks with Turkish giants Galatasaray, who would be more than glad to add the Gunners outcast to their squad. For his part, Mustafi would also welcome a move away from the Emirates. Although a permanent transfer does not seem to be on the cards, at least not in January, the teams could eventually shake hands on a loan with an option to buy.

Marash Kumbulla to Inter: 25%

The 19-year-old has been the defensive leader in one of the surprise teams in Serie A this season: Hellas Verona. Not surprisingly, the Albania centre-back has been linked to both Manchester United and Chelsea, but his next move will likely be in Italy. Juventus had pegged him as a potential replacement should they cash in on Merih Demiral, but Inter have intensified their pursuit and have leveraged their strong relationship with Verona to take the lead in the race.

Habib Diallo to Sevilla: 50%

With the departure of Moanes Dabbur to Hoffeinhem and with Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez nearing a move to LA Galaxy, Sevilla are sounding out the market in search of a new centre-forward. The Andalusians' sporting director, Monchi, has been particularly impressed by the performances of Metz's Senegalese striker, Habib Diallo. The 24-year-old, also eyed by Chelsea, has already reached double figures for goals in Ligue 1 this season and could become a serious target for Sevilla should Chicharito reach an agreement with the Galaxy.

David Warner extended his prolific summer across formats, topping it with an unbeaten century that handed India a drubbing in the opening ODI of the series in Mumbai on Tuesday. Warner's 18th ODI century was his fourth across formats since the summer started for him back home.

Before that Warner had a dismal run during the Ashes in England, putting together all of 95 runs in 10 innings. On Tuesday, Warner said that he was batting well in the nets in England but the runs weren't coming. Warner then returned home to hit form straightaway, with a T20I century against Sri Lanka, and currently averages 171.57 in 12 international matches this season, with two half-centuries and five centuries - one in T20I cricket, three in Tests and the latest one in ODIs.

Warner recalled how he batted for long hours in the nets before the Pakistan Tests, in which he scored consecutive hundreds, including a career-best 335 not out in Adelaide.

"Yeah I was hitting them well in England in the nets too and couldn't get a run on the board," Warne said at the press conference. "I have a hunger and a desire to score runs all the time. I look back at that little phase there [in England] and it was just a small hiccup. I wasn't out of form, I was out of runs.

"I'm really making the most of it at the moment, my feet are moving well. I'm getting my head over my front leg, my weight is going through the ball. All those small things are coming into play. When you are in that kind of form and touch and everything is going well for you, you have to make sure you are practicing the same and doing all the hard work.

"I look back at the beginning against Pakistan, I trained a lot going into the first Test match, JL (Justin Langer) noted to me I had been batting for almost two hours in that session which is unlike me. I didn't play a Shield game leading in and I felt like I needed to bat time. It put me in real good stead for the summer."

ALSO READ: How Starc and Finch masterminded Australia's victory

Warner and Aaron Finch put on a dominating stand like never before against India that was only their second 10-wicket loss at home. Warner said his chemistry with Finch off the field, and their understanding of each other played a crucial role in how they performed on the field. The two have opened 59 times in ODIs, with a tally of 3050 runs, including nine century stands. Against India, they average a staggering 106, having opened 10 times for 954 runs, including three century stands.

"The most pleasing thing for me up the other end was seeing Finchy transfer his weight into the ball very well," Warner said. "He talks about not doing that as consistently, but tonight was probably the best that I've ever seen him bat. The way that he played was fantastic. It was great to have that winning partnership and be clinical there and [win] none down.

"We complement each other on the field but we're great mates off the field and I think we know each other's games so well and personalities that now we can have honest conversations out there. If we're playing shots that we wouldn't, we reassure each other about that, it's purely we complement each other, it's just great to go out there and play the way that we do. When he's going, I know what my role is and when I'm going he knows what he's role is and we communicate that straight away and I think that's the best thing about our partnership, it works very well."

When asked if Warner saw himself and Finch opening the batting in the next World Cup too, in 2023 in India, Warner brought up a few other factors, apart from form and fitness, into play.

"I think we'll speak to our wives first. We'll both be 36 or 37, I've got three kids - I hope that's the last one (laughs) - and in that three years you've got form, wives, family. Take one step at a time."

England allrounder Ben Stokes has won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC player of the year after playing starring roles in the side's maiden 50-over World Cup triumph and one-wicket win in the Leeds Test during the Ashes in 2019.

In a World Cup final for the ages, Stokes struck an unbeaten 84 off 98 balls to help England tie with New Zealand's 241. He then made eight off three balls in a Super Over shootout, which also ended in a tie, but England eventually won the title on boundary count. Stokes also produced a similar stellar display in the longest format, his unbeaten 135 off 219 balls helping England secure an improbable chase of 359 from 9 for 286 at Headingley.

ALSO READ: Botham, Flintoff, Stokes - who is England's greatest allrounder?

Australia quick Pat Cummins and India's white-ball vice-captain Rohit Sharma scooped up the other top honours, winning the Test player of the year and ODI player of the year awards respectively. Cummins' Australia team-mate Marnus Labuschagne, who closed out 2019 as the leading run-getter in Test cricket, was named Emerging player of the year, while Scotland's Kyle Coetzer was recognised as the Associate player of the year.

Cummins had put in a number of strong performances in Test cricket in 2019, including match-winning five-wicket hauls against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. His hot form was also central to Australia retaining the Ashes away from home in 2019. The 26-year old had gone wicketless in a mere three innings out of 23 Test innings in the past year. In all, Cummins took 59 Test wickets in 2019, 14 more than any other bowler.

Rohit had reeled off 648 runs in nine innings at an average of 81 and strike rate of 98.33 in the World Cup in the UK. Only Sachin Tendulkar (673) and Matthew Hayden (659) have scored more runs than Rohit in a single edition of the World Cup.

Rohit's India team-mate Deepak Chahar's 6 for 7 against Bangladesh in the Nagpur T20I, which also included a hat-trick, was chosen as the best T20I performance of the year. Chahar's figures are also the best ever best ever in men's T20Is.

England's Richard Illingworth, meanwhile, won the David Shepherd Trophy for the umpire of the year. India captain Virat Kohli, who had claimed three major awards last year, won the spirit of cricket award for asking fans to cheer for Steven Smith - and not boo him - at the 2019 World Cup, when the Australian was returning from a one-year ban for his role in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal.

India captain Virat Kohli has said that he will rethink his batting at No.4 after another failure at that position in the side's ten-wicket defeat in the ODI series opener against Australia in Mumbai on Tuesday.

There has been plenty of chatter around India's top-order combination, with the return of Rohit Sharma for the three-match series against Australia, and Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul being in good form. All three played in the first game, pushing Kohli to No. 4, and with the others also having to move down a place Kedar Jadhav couldn't fit in the XI.

ALSO READ: When Rahul fell, we lost the momentum - Dhawan

While Dhawan had made 74 at the top and Rahul 47 at No.3, Kohli couldn't get going at No.4 and was dismissed for 16 by legspinner Adam Zampa. Kohli's last few scores at the No. 4 position in ODIs read: 16, 7, 12, 11, 3*, 4 and 9, dating back to January 2015. The last time he scored big at that position was way back in November 2014, and Kohli admitted at the presentation that the team had not benefitted much when he had batted at that position recently.

"We've had this discussion many times in the past," Kohli told Star Sports, the host broadcaster, about his batting position. "Because of the way KL has been batting, we have tried to fit him in the batting line-up. Having said that, I don't think it's quite gone our way whenever I've batted No. 4 so we'll probably have to rethink about that one.

"All in all it's about giving some guys opportunities and you'll never know if this works or not if you don't try. It's very easy to just go with one template and just follow it non-stop. I think people need to relax and not panic with one game, I'm allowed to experiment a little bit and fail as well at times. You lose games here and there but today was one of the days where it didn't come off."

Dhawan also said where Kohli batted was "the captain's choice" and that the team had been doing well of late, which didn't give them a reason to worry yet.

"It's just one bad day at office," Dhawan said. "We played well against West Indies as well, where all the batsmen did well and as players, we don't focus too much on facts that are not happening. Shreyas [Iyer] has been doing so well, he is a young lad, whose one-odd innings could go here and there. As a team we back each other and we don't focus too much on a loss. It's alright. They played really well. We were a bit unlucky as well, like a few top edges went here and there, they didn't go in the hand, but they played well."

India have been flexible with their top order in T20Is too, in recent times, with six different players occupying the No.3 spot in India's last six (completed) games in the shortest format. Wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson was the latest to the trialled in that spot in Pune last week. In Thiruvananthapuram against West Indies last December, it was batting allrounder Shivam Dube who had made the most of the promotion by cracking a 30-ball 54. Then, in the second T20I against Sri Lanka in Indore, Shreyas Iyer pitched in with a fluent 34 to hasten India's victory. Apart from Kohli, Samson, Dube and Iyer, Rahul and Pant have also batted at No.3.

"See, it is more to give players [game-time], like how Sanju Samson came in today (at No. 3), then Shreyas [in Indore], so they can get more time in the middle, because it is totally different feel when you are batting in the match and having more overs and so that was the reason today," Dhawan had explained after India clinched the series 2-0 against Sri Lanka in Pune.

"Even Manish Pandey went up [the order]. So, they can have more time, otherwise it's the same pattern [that's] going on. In these series, we can do the experiment, it is best time to experiment and once we know, 'okay that this guy is clicking', then we are going to go ahead with those pattern[s] again."

Opener Prithvi Shaw, who was in doubt for the New Zealand tour after hurting his shoulder in the Ranji Trophy, has now recovered and is set to join the India A squad there. The 20-year old underwent rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, after injuring his shoulder against Karnataka earlier this month, and has also resumed batting in the nets.

My favourite sound. The sound when the ball hits the middle of my bat. Superb net sessions going on. pic.twitter.com/Iw8bUJXE4N

— Prithvi Shaw (@PrithviShaw) January 14, 2020

Shaw could also be in contention for the senior team's Test tour of New Zealand, which follows the A tour. India A's campaign will begin with a three-match one-day series followed by two four-dayers. Eleven days after India A finish their tour, the senior side will play the first of two Tests against New Zealand on February 21 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.

This was the second time that a freak injury had disrupted Shaw's career. In the lead-up to India's Test tour of Australia in 2018, Shaw tripped on his ankle in the field, and was sidelined from the entire series. Shaw had gone to Australia brimming with confidence after a century on Test debut against West Indies. So far, he has just added one Test to his debut.

Shaw had also suffered another setback in 2019, when he was suspended for a doping violation. He, however, returned to action in the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and hit form for Mumbai.

More recently, allrounder Hardik Pandya had been pulled out of the India A squad as his rehab was "taking longer than expected" and Vijay Shankar replaced him in the squad. Shaw will join Vijay in the A side in New Zealand as both players will look to make their cases for recalls into the senior team.