January 10: Melbourne Renegades v Merlbourne Stars at Melbourne

Our XI

Sam Harper (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Nick Larkin, Dan Christian, Beau Webster, Cameron Boyce, Haris Rauf, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sandeep Lamichhane

NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates

Captain: Haris Rauf

Rauf has been the hottest property this Big Bash season. So far, he has picked up 13 wickets at an incredible average of 7.23 and an economy rate of 5.87 - all extraordinary T20 numbers for any bowler. It is hard to believe Rauf was playing grade cricket in Hobart just a few weeks ago, and roped in only as cover for the great Dale Steyn. Arguably the find of the tournament so far, Rauf's pace and form are good enough for you to shed the 'pick batsmen or allrounders as captain' policy, despite the law of averages looming large.

Vice-captain: Shaun Marsh

A single-digit score last game aside, Marsh is a safe pick at the Docklands Stadium, where he averaged 182 coming into this season. In the absence of Aaron Finch, who will be leading the national side in India this week, Marsh is by far Renegades' most experienced batsman, and a lot will depend on him if they are to turn around their winless campaign. Marsh's scoring rate isn't the quickest, but he offers insurance as one of the few Renegades batsmen who can handle pace, fingerspin and wristspin equally well.

Hot picks

Glenn Maxwell

Maxwell is among the big names missing from Australia's squad touring India, and will look to continue a fabulous BBL season. He averages 57 with the bat and has an acceptable economy of 6.92 with the ball. His average of 71.5 in chases this season explains why that could be a decision well worth considering. So wait for the toss and then pick your captain, Maxwell won't be a bad choice too.

Marcus Stoinis

Stoinis racked up a number of Player of the Match awards last season, most notably twice in the league phase against cross-town rivals Renegades, in this very fixture. He is Stars' leading run-getter of the season at this point with 331 runs at a strike rate of 121, and has been playing as a specialist batsman. Stoinis' consistency with the bat makes him a solid fantasy pick despite not bowling a single ball this season.

Sam Harper

Renegades' wicketkeeper-batsman is finally starting to show shades of consistency, which is a lethal combination to go with his boundary-striking capabilities. He's coming off his highest T20 score of 73 in their last game, and in Finch's absence, could move up the order to open the batting.

Value picks

Beau Webster

A surprise name at the top of Renegades' runs charts, Webster has been whacking them to all parts this season. His 236 runs have come at a strike rate of 142.16. His vulnerability against wristspin might prove a problem, but Stars are without Adam Zampa, who is also away in India. All things considered, a shoo-in to your XI on current form.

Cameron Boyce

He hasn't had a great time away from home this season, but is always a handy option to have at the Docklands Stadium, where he has been their go-to option after the Powerplay. Boyce has 10 wickets from his last five home games at an economy rate of 6.73.

Points to note

• A number of big stars are missing from this fixture - Finch, Kane Richardson, Zampa, Peter Handscomb to name four, as they are on the plane to India for the ODI series. Keep that in mind while picking your XI

• The Docklands stadium hasn't been the highest scoring of grounds, thanks in part to a slowish outfield. Expect a lower par score, in the 140-155 range, and pack your XI with bowling and all-round options

January 10: India v Sri Lanka - 3rd T20I in Pune

Our XI: Kusal Perera, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Avishka Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini

NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about a late injury (or other relevant) updates.

Captain: KL Rahul

It is a bit of a risk to not go with Virat Kohli as captain - the leader of the Indian team can make your fantasy team look silly if you gamble against him - but if you had to go in for some risk for the promise of potentially greater reward, KL Rahul's your man. In what seems to have become his favourite format of late, Rahul shows great consistency and quick scoring. Batting at the top of the order also gives him the best chance to score big. In the last game, Kohli batted at No.4, which is another reason we're suggesting Rahul as captain.

Vice-captain: Virat Kohli

We like risk-taking, but not that much risk-taking. If Kohli's not your captain, he has to be the vice-captain, there's no room to negotiate with that. The potential downside of not having Kohli as one of the two is too huge. He's a run machine after all, and on most days, he'll get you good returns with the bat, irrespective of format.

Hot picks

Kusal Perera

Sri Lanka's highest scorer in the first T20I, and a naturally aggressive batsman, Kusal Perera has a game naturally suited to the shortest format. He's also the wicketkeeper and bats in the top order, completing the trifecta of 'must-haves' for a fantasy T20I team: a top-order batsman who also has another skillset.

Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah made a quiet return to international cricket in the first T20I, but you get the feeling that he wasn't cranking it up to full gear quite yet. Now that he's had a match under his belt, he is likely to be more confident of letting loose. And a Bumrah on the loose is a hot pick like no other.

Shreyas Iyer

One of the consistent performers in the Indian team who has flown under the radar, Shreyas Iyer has quickly become an integral part of the top order. He's got all the shots, and he's got the game to play an innings from 15 for 3 in the fifth over, or 150 for 3 in the 15th over.

Value picks

Wanindu Hasaranga:

A 22-year-old with good potential, the fact that Hasaranga is a leggie works to his advantage. India haven't been devastating against legbreak bowlers, and Hasaranga might be young, but he is already more than two years old in international cricket. He hasn't set the scene on fire with his bat, but he has a first-class century to his name, so he'd be an ideal value pick.

Navdeep Saini:

He showed off a devastating array of deliveries in the first T20I on the way to a Man-of-the-Match performance, and Navdeep Saini is only set to grow further. He's got the pace to trouble the best batsmen, but has added guile now, which makes him all the more difficult to face.

Point to note

There hasn't been a T20 match played at this venue, at the senior level, since May 2018, when Chennai Super Kings held their home games here. In the games that have happened recently, good batting has been rewarded. If the pitch is a batting-friendly one, be sure to stock up on top-order batsmen.

Having dominated the home Test summer, Marnus Labuschagne wants to become a multi-format master in the vein of Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and his friend and team-mate Steven Smith as he embarks on a first ODI tour for Australia to face India on the subcontinent.

It was in the 50-over game that Labuschagne first showed promise as a busy middle-order batsman, winning player of the tournament in the domestic limited-overs tournament in 2016 for Queensland before being part of the National Cricket Centre intake the following year.

He subsequently earned his chance for Australia in Test matches, making a quantum leap during the 2019 Ashes in England and then carrying on to still more masterful displays against Pakistan and New Zealand. Now, granted the chance to be part of Australia's white-ball squad for the first time, Labuschagne has revealed the long-term consistency and a role across formats for the national team are his major goals for the future.

ALSO READ: 'Clinical' Glenn Maxwell still in ODI frame - Aaron Finch

"You look at the guys I look up to and aspire to - Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Joe Root. They've been doing it for a very long time, five, six years they've been consistent, not just in one format, but two or more formats," Labuschagne told ESPNcricinfo before departing for India. "So for me personally there's a lot to learn and a lot to grow, because I've had some success this summer but the real challenge for me is to be more consistent going on and being able to keep putting continued performances on the board.

"If I can continue to do that, then that's obviously going to be the challenge for me, and getting an opportunity in this one-day series is an opportunity for me to show a slightly different part of my game that we haven't seen this summer, but that's a really exciting challenge too."

As an example for the type of adaptable, evolving batsman Labuschagne would like to be, he admitted that the standard set by Michael Hussey for Australia, where he started life as an opening batsman but developed into a player capable of playing just about any role in the top six, while also adding power to his game to dominate the back end of an innings, was a hard one to ignore.

"With the opportunities that might come in the next few months, we'll have to see, but definitely Michael Hussey is a great person to learn from," Labuschagne said. "The way he played the one-day game, the way he finished off the innings and the way he probably started his innings. There are a few similarities there, but I'm definitely not comparing myself to Michael Hussey. My job is to just enjoy these next couple of weeks and then we'll go from there.

"I can't look too far ahead of myself and that's one thing I've been able to do the whole summer, keep it really clear, take it game by game, enjoy the moment, make sure I'm really well prepared and really ready to go, but not getting too far ahead of myself is a really key thing for me."

The likelihood for Labuschagne is that he will play a somewhat different role for Australian than for Queensland, where this season he batted at No. 3. With Aaron Finch, David Warner, and Smith seemingly locked into the top order for Australia, Labuschagne, Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey and Ashton Turner will be juggled in the remaining spots. Labuschagne's wrist spin bowling, part of the reason he was chosen for Australia's Test side in the first place, will also be a factor, particularly in the absence of Glenn Maxwell's off-breaks.

"Whatever role I'm given is one I'm going to try and keep," he said. "If that's batting in the top four or even outside the top four, whatever that is, it's just for me to be able to know I bat at three and four for Queensland so that role in the middle order is one that I'll probably be given and for me it's just to be consistent and play that role as best I can.

"A big part of playing in India is how you play spin, so for me being nice and clear with my plans about how I play spin and then just trusting the processes I have. Batting in the middle order it's about running really hard between wickets and trying to get those runs through the middle, then when you get the opportunity towards the back end to open the shoulders a bit.

"The whole one-day game's moved in that more aggressive, positive direction, but I've been lucky I've been able to move with that and play in this era where one-day cricket is a really high scoring game. As batters that's your job, you need to put big totals on the board, especially if you're batting first, and it's also great because it's going to be tough conditions in India and they're obviously a very strong side. So just about enjoying the challenge and not getting too far ahead of yourself, taking it ball by ball and game by game."

As for what awaits Labuschagne after the brief India tour, he said he was hopeful of getting more of an opportunity to play for the Brisbane Heat in the closing stages of the Big Bash League. So far he has played just seven matches over three tournaments for the club, only getting to play one match last summer.

"I'm not sure - I hope when I come back there's an opportunity there for me to play, and I get some opportunities to showcase my T20 game, which is something that people probably haven't seen yet," he said. "But for now I'll just enjoy this next challenge of one-day cricket and then go from there."

Sydney Thunder offspinner Chris Green remains determined to push for a place in Australia's T20 World Cup squad despite being suspended from bowling for an illegal action. Green is currently barred from bowling in all in all Cricket Australia competitions, including the BBL, for 90 days.

Green underwent testing after being cited by match officials for a suspect action in the Thunder's BBL clash with the Melbourne Stars earlier this season. His suspension came on the back of a cryptic tweet from Melbourne Renegades allrounder Dan Christian. There have been reports that other opponents have privately queried the legality of his action while bowling the quicker ball.

"I actually haven't seen the tweet," Green said of Christian's remarks. "People are always going to have their opinions about you and your game and he's well entitled to his. I'm not bitter about anything. I think the process I went through was incredibly fair and it's time now to move forward. I really do look forward to this challenge that lies ahead."

Christian offered a frank response when asked about his tweet and Green's suspension. He said: "It's disappointing for Chris but it's nice to see that the authorities are upholding the laws of the game."

Green will now undergo remedial work on his action over the next 90 days whilst still being available to play as a batsman. This hasn't deterred his burning desire to play for Australia.

"Absolutely, my dream is to play for Australia," Green said. "I've had some really great messages from selectors and players and coaches and fans. Hearing those words of support has really helped me at this time. There's so much to look forward to.

"It's a 90-day training block if you like that I can fine-tune my game. I've had a busy 12 months prior to this where I haven't had the time to stop and work on technical aspects of my game so I see this as a really good window to work on my game and make the changes necessary on my bowling.

"I was told it was marginal, my faster ball was the one that was reported and that was the issue from around the wicket. It's something I have got to look at because that's what's been identified and that's the technical changes that I need to make".

At the moment, Green isn't sure how the 90-day period will impact his IPL deal with Kolkata Knight Riders. New head coach Brendon McCullum, who was instrumental in his signing, raised some questions about Green's sanction on Thursday night during a commentary stint on Channel Seven's BBL coverage.

"There's a testing centre in Chennai," McCullum told Channel Seven. "So if we were to fly Chris to India, do some work with some of our guys who are experts in that area, and he's able to make some quick adjustments, and then we get him tested at the ICC centre there in Chennai, would that then allow him to play in the BBL?

"I don't quite understand the 90-day thing. Would the ICC guideline not over-ride that? I'm certainly not having a go at anyone. Ultimately you just want to help the kid back to playing cricket and doing what he loves."

On his part, Green has already spoken to McCullum and has some plans in place to work with the coaching staff at Knight Riders.

"He's been incredibly supportive," Green said. "I've had conversations with their assistant coaches as well and they're willing to stand by me and help me through this. They've offered to take me out and work with their specialists and through the process as well.

"I've had contact with Sunil Narine's bowling coach as well and I plan on working with some of the best coaches around the world and in Australia on this to get myself sorted and to get back bigger and better."

PHILADELPHIA -- The NFL's chief medical officer called Carson Wentz "heroic" for reporting his concussion during Philadelphia's playoff loss and disputed the notion the league's system failed the Eagles quarterback.

"I think what Carson Wentz did is heroic and should be highlighted as an example of how an unbelievably skilled and competitive athlete understands the seriousness of concussion injury and is willing to honestly report it and receive the care that he needs independent of his desire and drive to continue to participate in the game," Dr. Allen Sills told The Associated Press on Thursday. "Having a concussion and playing through it is not about toughness. That's demonstrating a lack of understanding of the severity of the injury. So I applaud Carson Wentz for understanding how serious this injury is and for getting appropriate care that he needs."

Wentz was injured when Seattle's Jadeveon Clowney hit him helmet-to-helmet from behind in the first quarter of a 17-9 loss in an NFC wild-card game Sunday.

Wentz, 27, stayed in and threw a couple of passes before reporting symptoms on the sideline. He was examined in the medical tent and went to the locker room for further evaluation after failing the concussion protocol. He was not allowed to return to the game.

"It's a great example to players at all ages and levels that you only have one brain and you shouldn't take chances with a brain injury," said Sills, a neurosurgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "Brain injuries are different than other injuries. Anytime someone has a sprained ankle, you can see their ankle swell up or they dislocate a finger and you can see the finger pointing in the wrong direction. You can't see a brain injury from the outside, but that does not make it any less severe or any less dangerous to the recipient than any of those other injuries."

Because the independent spotters and the neurotrauma consultants monitoring the game did not see Wentz exhibit behavior or symptoms suggestive of a concussion and he had to tell the team's medical staff, some media and fans have argued the league's system for concussion detection is broken.

"I would vigorously disagree," Sills said. "Video identification of [symptoms] is one part of a concussion identification. You're not going to see things like amnesia or confusion on video, and that's why all the other elements of detection are really important."

Those elements include players being open and honest about their symptoms. Also, the team's trainers and medical staff are relied upon to notice and report symptoms. So are coaches, teammates and game officials.

"You have to have people talking to the players," Sills said. "You want to make the players and their officials and coaches and everyone aware of the symptoms because you're not always going to see it on video, but yet there will be signs there if you're looking at everything."

The Eagles had an instance earlier in the season when linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill didn't report symptoms after taking a blow to his head and played the entire game. He later admitted lying to the medical staff about his symptoms and missed the following game because of a concussion.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson called it a "selfish act" and promised to remind players about the importance of reporting symptoms immediately.

Wentz missed the playoffs the two previous seasons because of injuries and watched Nick Foles lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl title two years ago. This season, Wentz led an injury-depleted team to four consecutive victories in December and was excited to start his first playoff game.

However, Clowney's shot knocked him out of it after only two series. Clowney wasn't penalized for a late hit and the league still hasn't determined whether he'll be fined.

"I just applaud him for setting the example that we want all players to follow," Sills said of Wentz. "The Eagles' medical staff acted immediately and appropriately as soon as they were aware of the diagnosis. They didn't treat this player any differently than they would have a backup or if this was a preseason game. Our concussion protocol and our care is the same in every single game, no matter who the player is or what the situation or what the implications are."

An attorney for Patrick Reed sent a cease-and-desist letter to Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee demanding he stop referring to the golfer as a cheater for his actions at a tournament in the Bahamas last month.

Golfweek obtained the letter in which attorney Peter Ginsberg wrote that the purpose "is to obtain assurance that you will refrain from any further dissemination, publication or republication of false and defamatory statements concerning Mr. Reed, including any allegations that he 'cheated' at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas."

Chamblee has been a vocal critic of Reed in the aftermath of a rules violation during the third round of the tournament in which the golfer was assessed a two-shot penalty for improving his line of play when he took two practice strokes in a waste area. Among things he said on the air was that "to defend what Patrick Reed did is defending cheating. It's defending breaking the rules."

Chamblee acknowledged to ESPN that he had received the letter, which hints at legal action.

"The letter accuses flippant and reckless comments," Chamblee said. "My comments were weighed heavily before they came out of my mouth, and they were meant to address the larger issue of what I believe to be the decaying traditions of the game. This game has always had at its core the belief that self-governing gives the game its appeal. Inasmuch as we play the game for camaraderie. The self-governing tradition is slowly being replaced by a catch-me-if-you-can attitude.

"I think the whole golf world was watching how the Reed incident was treated. Including the young men and women who will soon be on their respective tours. If the catch-me-if-you-can attitude pervades junior golf, 10 years later it pervades professional golf and that concerns me. And was the origin of my remarks."

Reed has endured plenty of backlash, both at the Presidents Cup last month and again last week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. The heckling was so bad at the Presidents Cup in Australia that Reed's caddie, Kessler Karain, was involved in an altercation with a spectator and ultimately prohibited from working the final day.

Ginsberg has previously sued the PGA Tour on behalf of Vijay Singh and Hank Haney and represented former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice in his dealings with the NFL over his suspension for domestic violence. Ginsberg confirmed to Golfweek that he represents Reed and sent the letter.

Chamblee told Golfweek that he received the letter during the Presidents Cup, where Reed was 0-3 before winning in his Sunday singles match as part of the United States' victory.

Ginsberg wrote that Reed said at the time there was no intent to violate a rule.

"Indeed, as you should know, and presumably do know but chose to ignore, if the PGA Tour believed that Mr. Reed had intentionally violated any rule, he would have been disqualified from the tournament rather than assessed a two-stroke penalty," Ginsberg wrote. "Everyone involved agrees that Mr. Reed acted unintentionally, and the tape of the incident fully supports that conclusion."

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said Sunday he considered the matter closed.

Chicago Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. will be out four to six weeks with a severe right ankle sprain, the team announced Thursday night.

Carter, in his second season, is averaging 11.7 points and a team-high 9.9 rebounds after being limited to just 44 games as a rookie because of a thumb injury. He has become one of the Bulls' most solid defensive players and has 17 double-doubles on the year.

Carter injured the ankle in the Bulls' game against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night when he landed on the foot of Mavs forward Dwight Powell and rolled the ankle. He left the court in a wheelchair.

"It was probably the worst pain I ever endured, as far as playing basketball," Carter said. "It was very frightening. I couldn't feel my toes after a while."

Also Thursday, the Bulls also said a follow-up MRI showed forward Otto Porter Jr.'s broken left foot is healing. Averaging 11.2 points in nine games, he has been sidelined since he was hurt against Atlanta on Nov. 6.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma City Thunder had never before played a tribute video for the return of a former player. But Russell Westbrook is certainly unique.

The video played before the Houston Rockets' starting lineup was introduced Thursday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Deafening cheers and a familiar chant drowned out the introductions of the other Rockets starters.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!" the fans roared after Westbrook sprinted from the Rockets' bench to the opposite sideline, gestured toward the crowd and then held one finger up in the air as his Houston teammates surrounded him near the free throw line.

"Man, some things you can't put into words, just because I've been here so long, so many great memories, great people," Westbrook said. "Obviously, the best fans in the world, because they come with it, and tonight they came with it.

"The organization, Sam [Presti], Mr. [Clay] Bennett, they do an amazing job of just making you feel home. And I felt like I was home."

The Rockets' 113-92 loss didn't put a damper on a night Westbrook called "very, very special."

The cheers from the sellout crowd began even before the tribute video, which featured a variety of Westbrook highlights; fiery, on-court celebrations; clips of his community involvement; memorable Instagram posts; and famous quotes from his remarkable run as the Thunder's point guard.

Westbrook also followed his former routine as he stepped onto the floor for the opening tip, dapping up the Thunders' employees at the scorer's table before firing an imaginary arrow into the upper deck and sprinting to the corner and working the crowd into a frenzy again.

"That was dope. Obviously, we got smacked, but it was a dope environment," said Rockets star James Harden, who spent the first three seasons of his career as the Thunder's sixth man before being traded to Houston. "Oklahoma City, as usual, showed mad love to Russell and everything he's done for those 11 years he was here. Obviously, an unbelievable fan base, and it was just a beautiful thing to see."

The Thunder and the franchise's fans also gave Paul George a warm welcome when he returned to Oklahoma City with the LA Clippers earlier this season, showing pictures of him on the arena big screens as the crowd applauded. It was a stark contrast to the venomous atmosphere for Kevin Durant's return with the Golden State Warriors.

The reception for George, who pushed for a trade to the Clippers after two years in Oklahoma City, was polite. The reception for Westbrook, whose ensuing trade to Houston for Chris Paul and future first-round picks was more of a mutual decision, was passionate.

Westbrook walked into the arena as a visitor for the first time, wearing a black T-shirt from his clothing line that read "ZERO REGRETS" across the chest. On the back, there was a list of statistics from his Oklahoma City tenure, with "1 TEAM" at the top, his Thunder totals of 11 seasons, 821 games, 28,330 minutes, 18,859 points, 6,897 assists, 5,760 rebounds, 138 triple-doubles, eight All-Star appearances, one MVP and "0 REGRETS" circled at the bottom.

Those same phrases and statistics were on the special-edition Jordan WhyNot Zer0.3 shoes Westbrook wore during the game. The shoes were black and accented by the Thunder's orange and blue, and also had "THANK YOU" among the lettering.

"I don't regret one thing being here in Oklahoma City," said Westbrook, who had a game-high 34 points on 14-of-26 shooting in the loss. "I don't regret signing back. I don't regret staying here. I don't regret anything that I did here. I feel like I left everything out on the floor every single night and did what I could for the city."

The mutual love continued postgame. Westbrook exchanged hugs and handshakes at midcourt with ex-teammates such as Steven Adams, Terrance Ferguson and Dennis Schroder, as well as young Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was the centerpiece of the return in the George trade.

Westbrook then made his way toward the baseline by the Thunder bench, smiling and playfully interacting with Thunder coaches and support staffers before hugging Bennett, the franchise's majority owner.

Westbrook stopped again on his way back toward the visitors tunnel, hugging and chatting with Paul, who has led Oklahoma City to a surprising 22-16 record.

"The energy was amazing -- our first nationally televised game and Russ being back," said Paul, whose 18-point, 6-rebound, 5-assist, 4-steal performance was highlighted by dribbling between Rockets reserve center Isaiah Hartenstein's legs before hitting a floater for his final basket. "The crowd is always great, but we knew it was going to be a different energy tonight with Russ' first game back here. You have to get excited."

The fans remaining from the sellout crowd -- many wearing Westbrook jerseys or the T-shirts from his clothing line -- gave him one final standing ovation as he walked off the floor, his right index finger pointed toward the rafters again.

"It's special," Westbrook said. "It's a very, very special thing that meant a lot to me, honestly. Coming back here, just making me feel that I was very, very appreciated."

We have a trade!

Tampa Bay Rays get: OF/1B Jose Martinez, OF Randy Arozarena, compensation pick A (after first round)

St. Louis Cardinals get: LHP Matthew Liberatore (MLB.com's No. 41 overall prospect), low-level catching prospect Edgardo Rodriguez, compensation pick B (after second round)

I love it. It's what an old-school general manager might refer to as a "baseball trade." You have somebody we like. We have somebody you like. It's not trading a player because he'll be a free agent in two years. It's not dumping a big contract for low-level prospects. It's an old-fashioned challenge trade. Let's review.

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Chris Andrews is returning to Thomas Motorsports for another shot at the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.

The 34th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals Presented by General Tire is held next week inside the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Okla. Andrews, a two-time Attica Raceway Park 410 winged sprint car track champion, will be competing in his fifth consecutive Chili Bowl.

“Last year we were just terrible,” he said. “I just don’t have many laps in a midget and we started 10th in our heat on a heavy track and couldn’t go anywhere. I’ve been racing a lot of the Chili Bowl on iRacing. It’s so realistic and I think it will help me improve.

“Brian and Tyler Thomas give me a great race car every year. We have a great Spike Chassis with a Toyota engine. It’s up to me to get it done. Two years ago was our best showing. We won our heat and heading into our qualifying night A Main we were in the top four in points. Unfortunately we got taken out in someone else’s crash. We went from a possible B Main or C Main start on Saturday to a D Main.”

Andrews will qualify Tuesday when the roster of drivers includes NASCAR star Kyle Larson, who has been on a tear of late in a midget team he recently put together.

“The heat on your qualifying night is the most important race except, of course, for the Saturday races,” Andrews said. “You have to pass cars. That makes or breaks your whole week. These are the best midget racers in the world.”

Andrews will be part of a three-car team that includes Tyler Thomas and Tanner Berryhill. Berryhill will compete Monday while Thomas is set to roll off Wednesday.

Toyota Racing Development has won five consecutive Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals features. Thanks to Mobil 1, SPEED SPORT is providing exclusive coverage of the multi-car organization, led by three-time winner and current champ Christopher Bell and two-time Chili Bowl winner Rico Abreu, and other Toyota-equipped organizations and drivers as they prepare for and compete in the Chili Bowl. The Mobil 1 Road To The Driller program is in addition to SPEED SPORT and Sprint Car & Midget’s traditional “Live from the Chili Bowl presented by MyRacePass” coverage that surrounds the event.

The Chili Bowl will be shown live online on www.racinboys.com. The online PPV experience will run from Monday through Saturday’s qualifiers. At the time of opening ceremonies (6 p.m. local time) on Saturday, Racinboys PPV coverage will cease as the final features will be shown live on MAVTV (more information here).