OSTRAVA, Czech Republic -- Canada routed host Czech Republic 7-2 Tuesday to complete the preliminary round at the world junior hockey championship and clinch top spot in its group.

Joe Veleno, Nolan Foote, captain Barrett Hayton, Connor McMichael, Liam Foudy, Dylan Cozens and Jared McIsaac all scored as Canada topped Group B with nine points.

Canada faces Slovakia, which finished fourth in Group A, in the quarterfinals.

Hayton and Cozens added three assists each, and goaltender Joel Hofer made 17 saves.

Vojtech Strondala and Libor Zabransky reduced Canada's lead to 4-2 midway through the middle period, netting goals 14 seconds apart, but Foudy answered for Canada just 10 seconds later to stretch the advantage to 5-2.

The United States placed second in Group B -- a point behind Canada -- and next plays Finland, the third team in Group A. It's a rematch of last January's final, which Finland won 3-2.

The Finns were upset 5-2 by Switzerland on Tuesday. Fabian Berri scored two goals for the Swiss, while Gaetan Jobin, Simon Knak and Valentin Nussbaumer also contributed a goal each and goaltender Stephane Charlin stopped 36 shots.

Anttoni Honka and Joonas Oden scored for Finland.

All four quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday.

Earlier Tuesday, Russia secured a quarterfinal spot with a 6-1 victory over Germany to finish third in Group B with six points.

Kirill Marchenko scored twice and added three assists and Pavel Dorofeyev had two goals for the Russians, who play Switzerland in the last eight.

Sweden won Group A by beating Slovakia 6-2. Alexander Holtz scored two for the Swedes, who play the Czechs in the quarters.

Germany, last in Group B, will play the best-of-three relegation series against Kazakhstan, the bottom team in Group A.

When will we see Brooks Koepka tee it up again?

While it is unknown when Koepka will return to action, the world No. 1 released a video Tuesday that shows him rehabbing his left knee with various weight and resistance training.

(Oh, and we can't forget to point out the "Puppies and Golf" T-shirt.)

"It’s been a journey these past 3 months rehabbing my knee but it’s coming along & I’m ready to get back out there healthy for a strong 2020," Koepka tweeted.

Koepka had stem-cell treatment done to the knee after the Tour Championship and re-injured it after slipping on wet concrete during the second round of the CJ Cup in October. He had to withdraw from the Presidents Cup earlier this month, saying, "I need more time to heal."

As a two-time winner this year, Koepka was eligible to play this week at Kapalua but opted to skip the Sentry Tournament of Champions. In 2019, he played the TOC and followed with starts in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia before returning to Tour action at the WGC-Mexico in late February.

Koepka is again committed to play in Saudi Arabia in February, but hasn't confirmed whether he will be healthy enough.

Chelsea have recorded a loss of £96.6 million for the year ending June 30, according to the Premier League club's latest financial results released on Tuesday.

After two profitable years, Chelsea insisted they are still compliant with UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations.

The club cited a lack of Champions League football, costs associated with changing manager and a record outlay on players Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Pulisic, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho for the loss.

Turnover grew slightly to £446.7 million.

"Consistent revenue growth and careful financial management over recent seasons has allowed the club to make significant levels of investment in the playing staff whilst maintaining compliance with UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations," Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said on chelseafc.com.

"This has contributed to another Europa League victory at the end of the 2018-19 season and a return to the highest level of European competition.

"This solid commercial foundation, allied to a young and exciting team now led by Frank Lampard, means that the club is well placed to sustain its pursuit of success both on and off the pitch as well as maintain its financial stability over the coming years."

Chelsea made a £62 million profit in the previous year.

The London club is fourth in the Premier League, 20 points behind leader Liverpool, and plays at Brighton on Wednesday.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead says he does not regret signing Jared Goff and Todd Gurley to their record-breaking contracts.

"Those are human beings that gave a lot to this organization and deserve to be compensated," Snead said Tuesday.

Snead met with reporters following a 9-7 season that resulted in the Rams taking third place in the NFC West and missing the playoffs a season after playing in Super Bowl LIII.

The Rams played inconsistently throughout the year on offense, defense and special teams. However, Goff and Gurley drew the most criticism because of their uneven play and the massive extensions that tie them to the Rams into the foreseeable future.

Before this season, Goff signed a four-year extension that included an NFL-record $110 million in guarantees that keeps him with the team through 2024. Gurley signed a four-year deal that included a then-NFL-record $45 million in guarantees before the 2018 season that keeps him with the Rams through 2023.

Snead pushed back on the perception that their contracts, along with those of defensive tackle Aaron Donald and receiver Brandin Cooks, have left the Rams with little room to maneuver and improve their roster in 2020.

The Rams also are without a first-round pick in the 2020 and 2021 drafts after sending both selections to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who will be looking for a record-breaking payday of his own as he enters the final season of his rookie contract.

"I do call it probably a false perception," Snead said. "Ultimately, I can see why that would be a perception, but maybe there's an element of staying a little too shallow."

The Rams are projected to have a league-high $108.75 million in salary-cap charges allocated to their five highest-paid players -- Goff, Donald, Gurley, Cooks and Ramsey.

It's projected that the salary cap will increase from $188.2 million to about $200 million in 2020.

"From a salary-cap standpoint, and I assume the cap does go up, there's a new collective bargaining agreement that's coming that's another variable that we don't know about," Snead said. "We've shown in the past that when you have commodities that you might could move on with via trade to collect draft capital that maybe the perception says you don't have and to clear cap space."

Snead declined to say if any of his players, including Gurley, were available to trade.

Gurley powered the Rams' offense in Sean McVay's first two seasons as coach, as he rushed for more than 1,200 yards in back-to-back seasons and last season scored a league-best 21 touchdowns.

But this season, amid reports that he's suffering from a degenerative knee condition or arthritis, he rushed for a career-low 857 yards and 12 touchdowns on 223 carries. His touches dropped from an average of 22.5 per game last season to 16.9 this year.

McVay throughout the season denied that Gurley was on a load-management program.

Snead pointed to the general state of the run game, an evolving offensive line and opponents' game plans as reasons for Gurley's decline.

"We didn't run the ball this year as well as we have," Snead said. "We definitely want to get back to being more efficient running the football."

When asked if Gurley was the same running back he'd proved to be in the past, Snead said, "This year, he wasn't."

Last season, Goff demonstrated significant progress in his development as he passed for 32 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions, and led the Rams to an NFC championship and Super Bowl.

But this season, he took an apparent step back as the offense relied more on his arm than the legs of Gurley. Goff passed for 4,638 yards and 22 touchdowns, with 16 interceptions. His Total QBR (48.3) ranked him 23rd in the league, between the Chargers' Philip Rivers and the Bills' Josh Allen.

THE VENN DIAGRAM of men who are professional cornerbacks and men who deeply enjoy talking about themselves is very nearly just one circle on top of another circle. But there is, toward the bottom of the diagram, a tiny sliver of arc where the lines bend and the overlap gets a little bit blurry, and that is where you find Stephon Gilmore.

Now, Gilmore is trying. Over the past year, he has heard from everyone, including his own wife, that he needs to open his mouth. It is time, they say. It is necessary. So Gilmore is grudgingly dipping his toe into the shallow pool of self-promotion.

"Honestly, it just doesn't feel right," he says to me at one point during a recent conversation, describing the sensation that comes with praising himself as "weird" and "bizarre." He likened its aftermath to a "burning" in his stomach. "I don't think it will ever feel normal," he says. "I'm not sure I want it to either."

Gilmore's general reticence is authentic. Tyrod Taylor, a former teammate in Buffalo, recalls Gilmore as "literally the quietest" player he has known in the NFL. Sammy Watkins, another former teammate, says Gilmore doesn't talk much trash on the field -- "because he doesn't talk at all." When Devin McCourty, the Patriots' defensive captain, is asked what role Gilmore fills during the daily banter sessions among New England's defensive backs, McCourty looks flummoxed. "Well, he laughs when other people say something funny," he finally offers.

Gilmore's on-field credentials are impeccable: He had six interceptions in the regular season, tied for the most in the league. He has returned more interceptions for touchdowns (two) than he has allowed to receivers (one). He is a magician, turning the NFL's top pass-catchers into tiny rabbits that vanish inside his hat; earlier this season, he faced Amari Cooper, Odell Beckham Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster, allowing the trio just 11 catches and 130 yards combined.

In a somewhat underwhelming (by Patriots standards) 12-4 season in which the offense was less than its typically explosive self, Gilmore's reliability was staggering. And that constancy is what ultimately convinced him he needs to speak up, if only to make a statement on behalf of "all the other quiet guys" who get overlooked because they're not the brassiest.

To be clear: Gilmore is doing it on his terms. The godfather of the showman/shutdown corner is Deion Sanders, who had his own dance move, the "Primetime" nickname, an abundance of flashy clothes and a litany of antics that included once showing up to training camp in a Mercedes-Benz golf cart. Behind him is a long line of corners who would almost never hesitate to spew an entertaining sermon of self-promotion in full Deion fashion: Ty Law, Richard Sherman, Josh Norman, Aqib Talib, Jalen Ramsey and many, many more.

Gilmore, for his part, is fairly certain he'll never dance on the field. He mostly keeps his promotion to the relative soundlessness of social media (he often just reposts other people's compliments). When I meet him in Foxborough, he walks up wearing wind pants and the sort of duck boots your dad might wear to shovel the driveway.

"Do you think you're the best corner in the NFL?" I ask, and he hesitates, just for a second. But the questions come more frequently these days, and Gilmore has decided that -- however awkward it might feel -- he must talk (at least a little).

Are you the best corner in the NFL?

"Yes," he says.

GILMORE MET HIS wife, Gabrielle, when they were both student-athletes at South Carolina (Gabby ran track). It took about a month of Gabby trying different topics before Gilmore actually began talking to her, she says, but they fell in love and now have two children: Sebastian, who is 4, and Gisele, who is 2.

The Gilmore kids, according to their mother, "do not chill." They have "a different kind of motor" than the standard toddler, which generally results in them "destroying the playroom" on a daily basis.

Gabby says she and her husband have different strategies when it comes to playing defense against this wiggly, adorable hurry-up offense. "If it's happening, I'm sort of freaking out, running in there, trying to stop them from taking out another toy when there are like 50 toys already on the floor."

Gilmore, however, prefers to stand back from the mayhem. "His patience is ridiculous," she says. "He doesn't get upset, and he doesn't jump in. He's literally like, 'Sebastian -- please put the toy back in the box.' He just, like, waits. I don't know how he does it."

This is consistent with Gilmore's overall philosophy: Chaos should be bypassed in favor of a focused, steady plan with a clearly defined end result. The goal -- whether it is more interceptions or fewer dump trucks on the rug -- is always in view.

In high school, that meant seeking out a math tutor on his own because Gilmore had decided there was no way he was going to be sent to junior college. At South Carolina, it meant switching positions -- Gilmore actually came up as a quarterback -- because it was clear he was more likely to make the pros on defense. When he arrived in the NFL, it meant dialing back on heavy weights work in favor of focusing on explosiveness and his back-pedaling technique, which he knew would be necessary as the league became more and more fixated on passing.

And then, when he signed with the Patriots in 2017, it meant never relaxing or letting down, not even in walk-throughs. Not even if it meant drawing the ire of the Patriots' veterans.

McCourty recalls, somewhat gleefully, one of the very first walk-throughs Gilmore participated in with New England. Generally, the defense lays back in these workouts, allowing the offense to script out a few plays and make some easy completions. "I remember Tom [Brady] threw the first one over and Steph jumped in and picked it," McCourty says. "Then he threw another one over -- like, real easy, expecting it to be simple as it always was -- and Steph broke it up again."

McCourty giggles. "Tom and Jules [Julian Edelman] were pissed."

Gilmore's explanation is simply that he never wants to give up a repetition, never wants to pass on an opportunity to train his brain. It makes sense when you realize that Gilmore's overriding on-field strategy is the same one he brings to parenting his kids: patience. Over the past few years, while working with trainer Jeremy Boone and veteran cornerback Dre Bly in the offseason, Gilmore has refined a playing style that resembles the methodology that puzzle masters use to tackle a sudoku.

In the same way that the puzzler uses a process of elimination to cross out a number once it becomes clear that the digit can't be the answer for a specific box, Gilmore comes to the line of scrimmage for each play and quickly processes all the evidence in front of him. He has a list, as he puts it, "of a lot of little things that add up to something bigger." Where is the receiver on the field? What down and distance is it? What defense are his teammates in and, more important, how does that look to the quarterback? Which way is the receiver leaning? As the answers pour into his head, he mentally crosses off the various routes his opponent might run until he is left with only one or two options.

It is, Gilmore says, a proactive approach instead of a reactive one. And Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals was the textbook example: Gilmore intercepted Andy Dalton twice, returning one for a touchdown. On each play, Gilmore knew exactly where receiver Tyler Boyd was going to run.

Take the last pick, which helped seal the Patriots' victory. Gilmore cycled through his mental checklist: A second-and-long meant the Bengals would try a quick pass to get into a more reasonable third down. The Patriots' pressure meant Dalton wouldn't have time to throw deep. Boyd's position meant he was heading to the edge of the field, not the middle.

At the snap, Gilmore simply let the route develop as he knew it would, then stepped in front of the throw to make the interception.

In general, this is why Gilmore doesn't jam receivers at the line as often as many other corners; in his view, it actually hurts him instead of helping him. Remember, chaos is to be avoided.

"If it takes them out of their route, that's bad," he says, "because most of the time I know where they're going anyway, so I don't want to get in their way."

ONE DAY LAST June, while a group of team executives and current and former Patriots were on a trip to Israel, Robert Kraft, the team's owner, pulled aside former cornerback Ty Law. Kraft had been enjoying watching Law, a Hall of Fame corner, spend time with Gilmore as they stopped at sights along the Sea of Galilee.

"You know," Kraft said into Law's ear as he nodded toward Gilmore, "he reminds me of you."

Law nodded. Part of the comparison is surely circumstantial, since Gilmore had a critical interception in the Patriots' most recent Super Bowl win and Law had one to help seal the Patriots' title in 2002. But Law sees Gilmore the same way, going as far as saying that when he watches Gilmore play, he feels as though it keeps "my legacy alive." To Law -- and, clearly, to Kraft -- Gilmore is the next in a lineage of top defensive backs who might be less famous than, say, the Patriots quarterback but are no less critical to the team's dynastic success.

Understand: Brady's durability, his arm strength, his imperviousness to pressure -- all of it is otherworldly. But it is also impossible to ignore the defensive component to his legacy. Law was the best player on the 2003 championship team. We all know the Patriots don't win Super Bowl XLIX without Malcolm Butler's last-second interception, and they certainly don't win Super Bowl LI either if the defense doesn't hold the league's top offense that year to just seven points in the second half.

In fact, according to Pro Football Reference, the Patriots' four best offensive seasons during the Belichick/Brady era produced no titles. Conversely, in two of their four best defensive seasons, they did win a title. (And, for what it's worth, their defense this season is statistically better than any of those.)

All of which is to say: Gilmore knows the history here. He wears No. 24, the same as Law and Darrelle Revis, two corners who defined generations at the position. Gilmore wanted it because so many of his favorite corners -- Law and Revis, but also Champ Bailey and Charles Woodson -- have made it one of the league's most historic numerals.

To some, that pedigree would be daunting, but Gilmore has never shied away from it, not since he took over the number from Terrence McGee, 10-year veteran and holder of multiple Bills records, during Gilmore's sophomore season in Buffalo.

Gilmore spent the first five years of his career with the Bills, dealing with a slew of different coaches and coordinators, injuries to his wrist and shoulder, and a pile of losses that left many Bills players struggling to stand out amid the wreckage.

"When a season doesn't go well, sometimes people will jump ship, but he never did," says Rex Ryan, who coached Gilmore in Buffalo. Gilmore had five interceptions and 48 combined tackles and made the Pro Bowl in 2016, even as the Bills went 7-9 and Ryan was fired. "If they were all like him, I'd still be there," Ryan adds. "I honestly think we'd have won Super Bowls."

Instead, Bill Belichick targeted Gilmore, looking to add him to a considerable personal canon of corners. Belichick came up as an assistant working with the secondary, and even before he was a head coach, he helped the Giants beat the Bills in Super Bowl XXV by relying on his defensive backs to shut down Buffalo's passing game, virtually ignoring star running back Thurman Thomas. In New England, Law and Revis were panaceas for Belichick that covered up holes elsewhere, and Gilmore now joins Revis as one of only two corners in nearly 20 years on which Belichick has bestowed jaw-dropping money (five years, $65 million).

He isn't regretting it either. When Gilmore shut down Brandin Cooks and the Patriots stifled the Rams to win the Super Bowl last season, Belichick -- who isn't exactly known for his effusiveness -- pulled Gilmore close after the final whistle and said, "That was incredible."

GABBY AND THE kids gathered around the table one afternoon in September as the family prepared to celebrate Gilmore's birthday. Gabby brought out a beautiful ice cream cake that had been iced with a sprawling Patriots logo, a giant "24" and "Happy Birthday, Stephon" written in script. The cake was gorgeous and the children clamored.

Then, in front of Gilmore, Gabby put down two salads -- one that had "Happy B-Day Stephon" written on top of it in carrot strips and another that had "Happy B-Day 24" artfully dribbled in dressing.

Yes, for his 29th birthday, Gilmore cut loose and had ... "cakes" made out of salad. ("I preferred the ice cream," Gabby says.)

Gabby wasn't surprised, though. How could she be? This is who Gilmore is, how he works. The only time Gabby has ever seen her husband drink alcohol was after the Super Bowl last season, and even then it was only because of a bet between the two of them: If the Patriots won, she got to make him take a shot. They did, so she did.

"I gave him Tito's, and he got it down," she says. "But he wasn't thrilled about it."

At this point, Gabby -- and everyone else -- knows Gilmore's commitment to his routines are well ingrained. Gabby and the children go back and forth between Massachusetts and the Charlotte area during the season, often leaving Gilmore on his own during the week; it is a situation that makes him crave more time with his kids, to be sure, but also allows him the freedom to be meticulous about how he prepares to play.

He follows the diet laid out for him by New England's trainers after they analyzed his blood work. He spends hours organizing the notebooks he keeps on every receiver he has ever faced, updating and reviewing the tendencies of his next target. He gets four massages per week, a nod to his approaching 30 and the reality that he is, by NFL standards, at least, no longer young.

He does occasionally get more involved on social media than he has in the past -- he had a brief back-and-forth with DeAndre Hopkins after the Texans-Pats game in December -- but while Gilmore's personality has blossomed a bit, his determination to avoid vanity remains resolute. Even his touchdown celebration is muted. There are no pantomimed slam dunks or elaborate dance steps here; when Gilmore ran back his pick against the Bengals, he simply stood in the end zone with his hands behind his back, staring up into the crowd.

The display, which came from a suggestion by Kyle Van Noy, was perfect, symbolizing the handcuffs Gilmore puts on other teams while also highlighting his staid, detached approach to a position generally seen as anything but.

"I know what is typical, and I know that I'm not that ..." Gilmore tells me, his voice trailing off. He looks up. "But really," he says, "why should that matter?"

It certainly doesn't to New England. In fact, some of Gilmore's teammates have even taken steps to assist in filling the void of smack-talk that one would expect to come from a lockdown corner.

Increasingly this season, McCourty says, a number of Patriots, often led by Van Noy, run into the scrum of players after Gilmore breaks up a pass or delivers a hit simply to shout insults on Gilmore's behalf. "They'll get in there and be like, 'Yeah! He's mad because he's got zero catches!'" McCourty says. "Even though they didn't have anything to do with him having zero catches."

Many players wouldn't like that -- they wouldn't want anyone stealing their thunder. But this suits Gilmore just fine. In fact, it is actually what he prefers.

He knows how good he is. He would just rather have other people say it.

Back in the early 1950s, Crosley stock car racing became part of the weekly motorsports schedule in the “Windy City” region.

Beginning in 1952, short tracks, like Cole Lenzi Field, Mance Park, 87th Street Speedway, Raceway Park, Soldier Field and indoors at the International Amphitheatre, began to host the small-car action.

The diminutive Crosley automobile was produced from about 1939 through 1952 in the cities of Richmond and Marion, Ind., with the company, owned by Powel Crosley Jr., headquartered in Cincinnati. Crosley, an innovative individual, at one time owned the Cincinnati Reds baseball team and a Cincinnati radio station.

On average, the car measured about 12-feet long from bumper to bumper and weighed between 1,100 and 1,400 pounds. An air-cooled, two-cylinder engine powered the vehicle. Featuring rounded lines in a sedan, convertible or station wagon model, the car was rather narrow at about 49 inches with a wheelbase of about 80 inches.

Crosley racing debuted around Chicago in 1952 at Cole Lenzi Field, an athletic/baseball facility located west of Chicago in Hodgkins, Ill. With the racing presented at the small dirt oval by the Chicago Crosley Racing Ass’n, competition saw midget racer Lou Scally, Carl Clark, Gil Miranda, Bernie Siewak, “Runt” Stanover and Tom Norbert among the feature winners. Dan Fredericks was crowned the champion.

Clark and Siewak were team,  which also included Cy Hooper and one of the Clear brothers from time to time — either Spike or Red. The Clear brothers operated a Crosley dealership/repair shop on York Road in Hinsdale, Ill. The team cars were numbered 50 through 53 and painted white with red lettering.

At Soldier Field on Chicago’s lakefront, Bob Leatherman raced a Crosley against the full-sized stock cars during the weekly Andy Granatelli-promote racing programs at the flat, quarter-mile, paved oval.  Leatherman, a former football star, wheeled his No. ½ to starter Art Kelly’s checkered flag in a 25-lap feature victory at Soldier Field in front of some 14,000 fans on July 9, 1952. No doubt the small wheelbase of the Crosley helped the Chicago driver maneuver the tight Soldier Field turns.

The little cars also competed at Raceway Park and 87th Street Speedway in 1952 with weekly racing moving to Mance Park Speedway beginning in 1953. An early May opening date was scheduled with the racing to be held under the auspices of the West Suburban Racing Ass’n.

More Crosley racing took place in 1954 at Mance Park, which was located at 63rd Street and East Avenue in Hodgkins — less than a mile south of Cole Lenzi. Raceway Park also hosted the little cars on several occasions.

In January 1954, the Crosley stockers competed one-time-only indoors at the International Amphitheatre, which was located at 42nd Street and Halsted right next to Chicago’s famed Stockyards. On Jan. 16, Chicago’s George Piper won a 50-lap feature on the Amphitheatre concrete oval ahead of local midget champion Tony Lenti, Al Schueneman and Clear Brothers driver Clark.

The races were presented by the Chicago Auto Racing Ass’n, which was headed by Granatelli.

Ed James, who would later own a Chevrolet dealership in the western suburbs of Chicago, remembers the Crosley racing at Cole Lenzi and was instrumental in getting the racing at the Amphitheatre to become a reality.

“In 1952, they were racing the Crosleys at the Cole-Lenzi ball diamond,” remembered James. “The cars were actually running around the bases. I heard about the races and went out and bought a used Crosley station wagon. I put a roll bar in it and welded up the spider gears to have a locking rear end. I didn’t start racing until I turned 21 in July.

“I was the secretary or treasurer of the West Suburban Racing Ass’n when they raced at Mance,” James added. “I distributed the winnings and was in charge of the pit passes. Cliff Woodbury Jr. (son of 1920s Indianapolis driver Cliff Woodbury) and I grew up together and he got involved in Crosley racing after I did and drove some for the Clear Brothers.

“Cliff and I got together with Andy Granatelli, who controlled Chicago auto racing (at Soldier Field) and was running the midgets inside the Amphitheatre during the winter,” James noted. “We got a contract with him to run the Crosleys in place of the midgets on a Saturday. After doing all that work, I was drafted and on a train the night before (the races) headed to Fort Leonard Wood (Mo.) for basic training.

“They ran the Crosleys that night and my girlfriend (wife-to-be) wrote me a 15-page letter about the races. They called them the ‘Crunching Crosleys.’  The people in the stands were standing most of the time because it turned out to be almost a demolition derby.”

Seemingly as quick as Crosley racing hit the Chicago area, the small-car competition was pretty much over by 1955 — some three years after the last Crosley automobile came off the assembly line.

TULSA, Okla. – Noted midget crew chief Flea Ruzic and Team Ripper Racing will pay tribute to an American racing icon during the upcoming Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, Jan. 13-18.

Jesse Colwell’s No. 14 Stanton SR-11-powered Ripper, which Ruzic will turn the wrenches on at the Chili Bowl, will carry a throwback livery honoring legendary four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt.

Colwell’s entry will sport the iconic rust-orange Coyote Enterprises colors that Foyt drove to his record-setting fourth victory in The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

The paint scheme comes complete with several period logos, as well as gold-painted wheels, nearly matching what Foyt carried into the winner’s circle at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that year.

It’s the third-straight year that Ruzic and Ripper team owner Steve Reynolds have brought a throwback car to the Chili Bowl, following on from a Martini & Rossi throwback in 2019 and Steve McQueen’s Gulf Oil paint scheme the year prior in 2018.

Ruzic said via phone on Tuesday that the chance to honor one of his childhood racing heroes at the biggest midget race in the world was one that he simply couldn’t pass up.

“We always put together a theme car or a tribute car every year for the Chili Bowl, somewhat like NASCAR … they do throwback schemes every now and then,” Ruzic explained. “So Steve Reynolds and I talked it over and he brought up the idea of doing a Foyt car, specifically the ‘77 Indy 500 car that he won his last Indy 500 in. And I loved that idea, both from the racing side and a personal perspective.

“We didn’t really want to do this without his approval, so I called Donnie Beechler – who’s a friend of ours, and said what we wanted to do and asked if he could get in touch with A.J. and see if he would be OK with it,” Ruzic added. “He agreed to do that, and then called me back about three days later and he said, ‘Man, A.J. is excited and floored that somebody would do that.’ And once he said we were good to go and to have at it, we went ahead and moved forward with it. I think it turned out phenomenally.”

Foyt’s No. 14 Coyote didn’t win the Indy car championship in 1977, but it did win races at Ontario (Calif.) Motor Speedway and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in addition to that year’s Indianapolis 500.

The Texan finished fourth in points on the strength of those three victories, and how Foyt went about his business in the heyday of USAC is something that Ruzic said he looks up to and tries to emulate.

“Man, when I was a kid, the Mount Rushmore of racing would have included A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti and Richard Petty. Those were who everybody had heard of, common names that anybody off the street would know,” Ruzic recalled. “But for me personally, A.J. Foyt is somebody that I always looked up to. Not only could he hop in anything and drive it, but they built their own Indy cars. They developed all their own stuff. He controlled everything himself. He could just do it all and they were always fast.

“And then outside the car, he didn’t sugarcoat anything. When he got out of the car, he told you exactly what he felt, and that was it,” Ruzic added. “In the politically-correct world anymore, people get away from that and they’re more and more scripted … almost like politicians; they say what people expect them to say. But A.J. is somebody that a lot of people always looked up to, and I did and still do.

“He’s an American icon. He’s an American badass and that’s why we wanted to do this in honor of him.”

Much like Foyt did with his Indy cars in those days, Ruzic and Reynolds build all their own midget chassis from the ground up, something that Ruzic feels makes this tribute “a little extra special.

“He built a lot of his stuff himself in house, with his Coyote Enterprises. They did a lot of their own engine development, all their own chassis stuff, for a long time,” Ruzic noted. “That kind of fits in with what we do also. We build our own midgets from the ground up. We don’t buy a chassis or buy stuff and just pull it together. We handle pretty much everything on our cars.

“I guess it just works out that way, but if you ask me, it’s a pretty cool tie-in.”

Foyt will celebrate his 85th birthday during the Thursday preliminary night of the 34th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, and Ruzic would like nothing more than to give the Coyote No. 14 a strong run for ‘SuperTex’ with Colwell at the wheel.

“If we can do that,” he smiled, “it’ll make all the long hours getting this car ready even more worth it.”

SPEED SPORT’s Chili Bowl coverage is presented by MyRacePass, the official timing and scoring app of the 2020 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. Fans can download the MyRacePass app on their phones to follow all the action during the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. For more information on MyRacePass, visit www.myracepass.com and use the hashtag #GetTheApp on Twitter!

ATLANTA – Paul Miller Racing will kick off the new year with a new livery and a partnership extension with Total Lubricants as the team sets its sights on this weekend’s Roar Before the 24 test at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

The Paul Miller Racing No. 48 Lamborghini will enter the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with Total branding for the fourth consecutive year.

The team’s new Andy Blackmore-designed livery will be seen for the first time on track on Friday with Bryan Sellers reunited with Madison Snow for the full season. Corey Lewis will return for the four long-distance races at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta while Lamborghini factory ace Andrea Caldarelli is also back for another Rolex 24 at Daytona assault as the fourth driver.

“The team is very grateful for Total’s support, and we’re thrilled with how the 2020 livery looks for our championship chase,” Miller said.

“The Roar Before the 24 Test this week will be an important start for us, but we really have the dream team back together with Bryan/Madison/Corey/Andrea aboard a Lamborghini with Total’s support. This was the combo that took us to the title in 2018, and that is absolutely our target for 2020.”

Founded in France and active in 130 countries, Total is a major global energy producer and supplier of oil, natural gas, and low-carbon electricity.

“I am very happy and proud to continue to showcase our Total Quartz engine oil brand with our relationship with the Paul Miller Auto Group and Paul Miller Racing for the fourth year in row,” said Franck Bagouet, Senior Vice President – Lubricants, Total Specialties USA

“Since my recent arrival in September and my various discussions with Paul Miller, I have been impressed by his passion and the quality of our partnership. I can’t wait to see the car racing, and I know my teams are too!”

WELCOME, N.C. – After scoring a victory for Kaulig Racing at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in late September, A.J. Allemndinger will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series organization next season.

Allmendinger will pilot Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro during the season-opening NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway in February.

The news was revealed by team president Chris Rice late Monday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

“My PR department will probably kill me, but I’ll be more than glad to let everyone know that A.J. Allmendinger is coming back to run Daytona with us in the (No.) 16 car,” Rice said. “A.J. has done us a great job. We’ve got more things that we’re going to announce in January, but A.J. is going to pilot that car and I know he will do a great job. He did a great job in July, so I look forward to it.”

Allmendinger crossed the line third behind Kaulig teammates Ross Chastain and Justin Haley at Daytona on July 5, before that finish was stripped due to a post-race technical infraction (an engine seal issue) which resulted in a disqualification for the entry.

February’s season opener at Daytona will mark just the second time in team history that three Kaulig Racing entries will be fielded in the same event. Allmendinger will race alongside full-time teammates Ross Chastain and Justin Haley at the World Center of Racing.

Allmendinger is a three-time winner in Xfinity Series competition in 16 starts, all on road courses, with five top fives and two poles as well.

In NASCAR Cup Series action, Allmendinger earned one victory, 11 top-five and 57 top-10 finishes over the course of his tenure at the sport’s highest level. He’s now part of NBC Sports’ IMSA TV coverage.

Every week, we'll mine the waiver wire for lesser-owned assets to help your squad, whether you favor dynasty or the redraft format, and we'll also toss in some tips for DFS players out there. Finally, we will look at some former go-to fantasy assets who may be overvalued - in the short- or long-term - for one reason or another.

Forwards

Kevin Hayes, C/RW, Philadelphia Flyers (Rostered in 28.4 percent of ESPN.com leagues): After an utterly underwhelming first half to November, Hayes is productively back on track with 16 points in 19 games, including four goals in his most recent four contests. Now the new Flyer is centering a second scoring line with Travis Konecny and James van Riemsdyk, and a secondary power play with Jakub Voracek. Pick up the former Ranger (Jet for a brief minute) if you need fantasy help up front.

Christian Dvorak, C/LW, Arizona Coyotes (15.2 percent): Centering a Coyotes' top line with Taylor Hall, the 23-year-old assisted on a goal from the new Arizona winger against the Stars on Sunday. Give this forward duo a minutes to grow some chemistry, and Dvorak could be in for a blustery second half to 2019-20. Whether joined by Phil Kessel or Conor Garland.

Ondrej Palat, LW/RW, Tampa Bay Lightning (14.5 percent): Skating on a top line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, Palat has blossomed of late with two goals and four assists in five games. When healthy - unfortunately a perpetual issue for the 28-year-old winger - he serves as a legit scoring threat, particularly aside such aforementioned talent. And he's in a groove right now.

Nikita Gusev, LW, New Jersey Devils (14.1 percent): After a rather pedestrian debut to his inaugural NHL campaign, the former KHLer finally appears to be figuring it out. Following a run of 12 assists in 13 games, the 27-year-old winger has scored a power-play goal in each of his last two contests. Collecting 82 points in 62 contests in St. Petersburg last year, the top-six forward is worth fantasy investment in most ESPN.com standard leagues.

Noel Acciari , C, Florida Panthers (7.7 percent): How can you argue with eight goals (and one assist) in six games? Proving he can still be productive away from Jonathan Huberdeau, Acciari scored the opener in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Canadiens. It's not like skating on a second scoring unit with Vincent Trocheck and Brett Connolly is too poor a gig either. The former Bruin is proving to be a different player his first year outside of Boston. I like him in deeper leagues, as long as he sticks on that second line. There may also be a power-play role in the offing at some points.

Andrew Mangiapane, LW/C, Calgary Flames (0.2 percent): I continue to keep a view of what Mangiapane accomplishes in a regular role on a scoring line with Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm. I'm not ready to take action yet, but I'm watching. Five points in five games deserves that much.

Tom Kuhnhackl, RW, New York Islanders (0.1 percent): Scoring his first goal of the season in his first recent turn on a top line with Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal, Kuhnhackl comes out screaming outside-the-box Daily Fantasy potential in Grand Prize Pool play. Just make sure the bottom-six regular is indeed skating on the Islanders' No. 1 unit before DFS investment.

Defenders

John Marino, Pittsburgh Penguins (21.9 percent): With Justin Schultz and Brian Dumoulin out weeks, the 22-year-old rookie finds himself shouldering greater responsibility on the Penguins' blue line. Seeing top-four minutes and skating on the secondary power play, Marino has a goal and three helpers in his past five games, including an assist with the extra skater. In fact, the young defender has quietly contributed on the regular since early November, amassing 16 points in 24 contests. He won't hurt you in the plus/minus or minutes department either.

Goaltenders

Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks (26.0 percent): The starting netminder for the Canucks is on a appreciable roll, with four-straight wins and a .932 SV% since Nov. 21. Before sitting out the second game in a back-to-back set on Sunday, he had started nine-straight. Markstrom should be rostered in all but the shallowest of ESPN.com leagues. Oddly, he is not.

Cam Talbot, Calgary Flames (2.7 percent): Calgary's No. 2 has been exceptional through five appearances this December, allowing only 10 goals on 165 shots for a .939 SV%. While he remains limited as an everyday asset in ESPN.com standard leagues - unless, of course, something happens to starter David Rittich - the 32-year-old veteran presents as a viable DFS or streaming option, depending on league settings. He's seeing a noticeable uptick in action, competing five times in a recent span of three weeks.

Lowered expectations

Kaapo Kakko, RW, New York Rangers (60.3 percent): The Rangers' rookie is going to be just fine, promise. But right now, four assists (zero goals) in 17 games, and a limited role on the club's third line, doesn't sparkle much with fantasy potential. He's also battling a lower-body issue, resulting in two recent games off. Bench the gifted second-overall draft pick until he finds his rhythm.