Karim Benzema smashed the ball into the roof of the net in second-half stoppage time to give Real Madrid a 1-1 draw at Valencia in La Liga on Sunday.

Carlos Soler looked to have given the hosts the win with a clinical close-range finish late in the second half, but Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois's header from a corner kick forced a save and allowed Benzema to score.

Real substitute Luka Jovic looked to have levelled in stoppage time but the effort was ruled out for offside.

The visitors, however, refused to cave in and Courtois came up to contest a corner in a last ditch effort to salvage a point.

The Belgian headed towards goal and forced opposite number Jaume Domenech to parry the ball away and Benzema was on hand to steer the ball home on the rebound.

The goal prevented Valencia from climbing up to sixth in the standings and they were instead left in eighth on 27 points.

The result sees Real Madrid stay level with Barcelona atop the La Liga table after the Catalans drew 2-2 with Real Sociedad on Saturday.

Barcelona host Real Madrid on Wednesday in a Clasico after the originally scheduled match in October was postponed due to political protests in Catalonia.

Ben Stokes' World Cup and Ashes heroics helped him romp to the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) award for 2019, making him cricket's first winner of the gong for 14 years. Here are the men in whose footsteps he follows...

Jim Laker (1956)

The third winner of the Sports Review of the Year, as it was then known, and the first of many to demonstrate that its subsequent focus on "personality" was misplaced. Laker's award-seizing feat may have been attention-grabbing - 19 wickets for 90 at Old Trafford, 10 for 53 in the second innings and all that - but the man himself was anything but.

Colin Cowdrey dubbed him the "calm destroyer" as he wheeled his way through Australia's resistance, before flopping his sweater over his shoulder and ambling off to the pavilion, job done. That evening he stopped off for a pie and a pint in a pub in Lichfield (en route to another match against the Australians at The Oval) and not a soul noticed he was there. His Austrian wife Lilly wasn't exactly overwhelmed either. "Jim, did you do something good today?" she asked him that evening, after spending the day fielding endless phonecalls.

David Steele (1975)

From Henry Cooper in 1967 to Nigel Mansell in 1986 and Damon Hill in 1994, SPOTY has had a long and illustrious association with gallant losers. But few were more gallant than Northamptonshire's David Steele, the "bank clerk who went to war" in the 1975 Ashes. He pitted his bespectacled, greying features against the fearsome duo of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, and if he didn't exactly win, then he barely took a backwards step in racking up consecutive scores of 50, 45, 73, 93, 39 and 66 in his three Tests of that summer.

On his watch, England dug in for three draws, but surrendered the Ashes 1-0 having been routed in his absence, by an innings in the series opener at Edgbaston. To add to his legend, Steele (or "Groucho Marx" as Thomson is said to have dubbed him) got lost en route to the crease for his maiden innings at Lord's, ending up in the basement toilets after descending too many flights of stairs.

Ian Botham (1981)

Okay, so every now and again, SPOTY's "personality" epithet gets it spot on. Botham was rightly immortalised by his feats in the summer of 1981, but long before he put Australia to the sword with his swashbucklings at Headingley, Edgbaston and Old Trafford, he had been the coming man in the British sporting imagination. He finished third in the SPOTY standings in 1978, his first full year of Test cricket, and second a year later (when his feat of doing the 1000-run/100-wicket double in 21 Tests was trumped by Seb Coe and his three world records in 41 days).

But at the third time of asking, there could be no other winner. The runner-up, Steve Davis, snooker's self-styled 'Mr Interesting' never stood a chance. He would finish second once again in 1985 after yet more Aussie-bashing derring-do, by which stage his bleach-blond mullet and waistline-to-shoulderline ratio had made him look even larger than life than ever before.

Andrew Flintoff (2005)

In the seminal summer of 2005, Andrew Flintoff became the ultimate Boy's Own hero, a salt-of-the-earth Prestonian who could bat like a blacksmith, bowl like a galumphing wildebeest, and drink anyone left standing under the table. In a summer writ large with some of the most towering personalities cricket has ever produced - Shane Warne and the newcomer Kevin Pietersen among them - Flintoff bested them all, first with his startling seizure of the second Test at Edgbaston (that over to Ricky Ponting, or the "hello massive" six off Brett Lee? Take your pick) but then, in the wake of Ashes glory at The Oval, with the most heroic display of public inebriation ever countenanced.

As he staggered to Trafalgar Square with eyes as pied as a piper's, Freddie proved he was one of us, the bloke from the pub who had answered his country's call. And, in the final summer before Test cricket disappeared from terrestrial TV, he seemed also to be the last break-out star that the grand old game would be capable of producing…

Ben Stokes has been crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year after playing a key role in the team's World Cup win and producing one of England's most remarkable Test innings of all time against Australia at Headingley.

England's World Cup side were also recognised in the team of the year category, while Jos Buttler's run-out of Martin Guptill to seal the trophy in the final against New Zealand was voted moment of the year as cricket sealed a treble victory.

Stokes' nearest rivals were Lewis Hamilton, the Formula One driver, who came second, and Dina Asher-Smith, the sprinter, in third. His win ends a barren run for cricketers in the award, as he becomes the first to win the prize since Freddie Flintoff in 2005. Stokes is the fifth player to have claimed the title since its inception in 1954, following Jim Laker (1956), David Steele (1975), Ian Botham (1981) and Flintoff.

"It's an individual award, but I play in a team sport," said Stokes. "The best thing about that is you get to share special moments with team-mates, backroom staff, management who make days like we had in the summer possible. I'm up here receiving this award not just by myself but without the efforts that you put in this summer, I wouldn't be up here doing that.

"Two years ago was a tough time for me in my life. I've had so many people help me through that. Family to me is more important to me than what I do for a living... I come home from a good day or a bad day and they're there for me no matter what."

The allrounder's win will be seen a significant boost for cricket's standing in England, not least given that not a single player had even managed a podium finish since the game went behind the paywall following the 2005 Ashes.

While the sight of Andy Murray receiving the award poolside while in Miami has become a regular one in recent years - Flintoff himself heard the news of his victory in a Lahore hotel at 3am in 2005 - the ECB allowed Stokes to attend the ceremony in Aberdeen, despite the fact that the rest of the Test squad departed to South Africa on Friday evening.

Stokes' attendance at the prizegiving means that he will miss England's first two-day warmup match in Benoni which starts on Tuesday, but that was seen as a price worth paying for the ECB as they attempt to return the game to public consciousness ahead of its return to free-to-air television next summer.

"It's been huge," said Jason Roy - who attended the ceremony alongside white-ball captain Eoin Morgan - of the World Cup win's significance for the game's public standing. "For us to work so hard for the four years and for it to come down to that moment, and to wake up the following day and keep getting messages... to inspire people like we did was incredible."

Ashley Giles, England's managing director, said: "I'm so pleased for Ben. His exploits this summer showed he is one of the finest cricketers in the world. I played alongside Andrew Flintoff when he won the award in 2005 and Ben's feats this year place him in the same bracket as Freddie, and Ian Botham before him."

Tom Harrison, the ECB's CEO, said that the award "confirms [Stokes'] place in the hearts of the British public".

"It's wonderful news that Ben has been named the winner of Sports Personality of the Year," Harrison said. "This is richly deserved and it puts the finishing touch to an amazing year for Ben and for English cricket. He is not just one of the greatest cricketers we have ever had, but someone who has shown what it means to face into adversity and come through it.

"We're also thrilled that the England team who won the men's World Cup for the first time have been honoured too. No-one who was at Lord's on July 14 will ever forget that extraordinarily dramatic win over New Zealand."

Earlier in the evening, host Gary Lineker had mistakenly introduced Stokes as the "main award winner" rather than "nominee" before the public vote had even opened, perhaps reflecting the fact that the allrounder was the odds-on favourite with the bookmakers.

The rest of England's Test squad watched the show from their hotel in Johannesburg, and were part of a huge social media push from the English cricketing world encouraging people to vote.

Steve Smith's 774 runs in seven Ashes innings earned him a nomination in the World Sport Star category, but he was beaten by Kenyan marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw a pair of touchdown passes and was able to experience the thrills of victory in what was likely the final home start of his career in a 36-20 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Manning, who had friends and family in attendance, received a standing ovation when he came onto the field for the Giants' first drive. Fans later serenaded him with chants of "Eli ... Manning" when it became apparent the 234th start of his career would likely end in a victory. He was pulled from the game with 1:50 remaining and received another standing ovation from the home crowd.

Manning evened his career regular-season record at 117-117.

The two-time Super Bowl winner wasn't perfect (Manning threw three interceptions), but it was good enough for the Giants (3-11) to snap a nine-game skid. Manning was able to experience a feeling that has not been common the past few years. Not a bad sendoff if this was his final start on Sunday afternoon.

It just might be. Manning is set to become a free agent at the end of the season. Rookie Daniel Jones missed his second straight game Sunday with a high ankle sprain, but there seems to be a decent chance he returns next week when the Giants play on the road against the Washington Redskins.

Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in this year's draft, ditched the walking boot and practiced last week. He seemed to be moving well and said he felt "better," even if he wasn't all the way there. Another seven days might be enough for him to be ready to get back on the field to face the Redskins and their rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins.

Manning was making his second consecutive start in place of Jones on Sunday. He completed 20-of-28 passes for 283 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions as the Giants won for the first time in Manning's four starts this season.

It didn't matter that it came against the struggling Dolphins (3-11). It made for a potential nice ending to a legendary Giants career.

Footage of the Cincinnati Bengals' sideline shot last week by a freelance videographer hired by the New England Patriots, which prompted an NFL investigation, was aired Sunday by Fox Sports.

In the video, which appeared to be shot by Bengals security, a member of the team's security can be heard questioning the Patriots' full-time producer as the camera can be seen showing a tight shot of the Bengals' sideline.

The Patriots have acknowledged that their production crew inappropriately filmed the field and sideline during the Bengals' Dec. 8 game against the Cleveland Browns and accepted full responsibility. The crew was credentialed by the Browns to shoot video for a Patriots web series called "Do Your Job" on an advance scout for the team, but the Patriots did not inform the Bengals or the NFL, which they called "an unintended oversight."

In the video that aired Sunday, the Bengals security member, while watching what was filmed, asked whether the footage was shot for a piece profiling an advance scout. When told yes, Bengals security said: "Come on, guys! I don't see the advance scout in this footage."

FOX SPORTS EXCLUSIVE: @JayGlazer reveals footage of Patriots filming Bengals. pic.twitter.com/C7U7mopaEm

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) December 15, 2019

The Patriots employee responded they were "trying to get some field perspective. That's my bad." Bengals security then pointed out the shot was of the Bengals' sideline and "not the field," and the Patriots employee offered to delete the footage. He said he didn't know he wasn't allowed to shoot the sideline and apologized.

Bengals security asked, "How did you not know" that filming the sideline was not allowed? The Patriots employee responded, "But I can delete this right here for you." The Bengals security member then laughed and said, "The damage is done, my friend."

The video ended with the Patriots employee again offering to delete the footage and saying that once it's deleted, "there's no way I can get that footage back."

The Boston Globe reported Sunday that the Patriots suspended the producer on site for the video shoot. A source told ESPN's Mike Reiss that the employee has not been at the Patriots' facilities all week but would not confirm he has been suspended.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday at the league meetings in Irving, Texas, that the NFL will not make any judgments until the completion of an investigation.

In 2007, the Patriots were fined $250,000 and lost a first-round draft pick for violating NFL rules against using video to steal the New York Jets' signals in a scandal dubbed Spygate. Belichick was also fined $500,000.

ESPN's Mike Reiss contributed to this report.

The Texas Rangers seem quite serious about building a legitimate starting rotation, adding two-time AL Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber in a weekend trade. On the one hand, it is rather easy to overlook Kluber's lost 2019 season because his problems were unrelated to either his valuable elbow or shoulder. A Brian Anderson line drive broke Kluber's forearm on the first day of May. However, that was simply the result of bad luck. Kluber missed several months and then, while on the mend, he strained his oblique in August. That was it for his season -- and neither malady should continue into 2020. Remember, the great Kluber averaged 32 starts, 17 wins, 246 strikeouts and a 2.85 ERA over the previous five seasons, earning awards and much fantasy love along the way.

While it might seem obvious to give Kluber the proverbial "mulligan" and trust him again, some will view the changing of his home ballpark from Cleveland's Progressive Field to the new Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas (which is still under construction) as an issue. Perhaps it will be, but we need years of data on the new park before making assumptions. A retractable roof could alter the hot-summer power rates we generally see in the Dallas area. Kluber pitched considerably better in home games in Cleveland throughout his career, but most pitchers are better at home. In other words, I will not make any assumptions on this particular potential concern.

That said, Kluber does turn 34 in April 2020 and he did struggle in the opening month of 2019, when he was presumably healthy. Perhaps age no longer matters all that much. After all, we continue to see Justin Verlander and others thrive in their mid-30s, but each pitcher is different. Kluber's fastball velocity continues to decline and his walk rate, in this past season's small sample, more than doubled. One can only guess as to whether Kluber would have thrived statistically after his difficult April, but many viewed Kluber as a risk anyway due to his heavy workload in previous seasons, along with the velocity drop.

The good news is that fantasy managers will not need to grab Kluber among the first 20 starting pitchers or in the top 100 overall, as his value is depressed. Those who feel that big numbers are on the way should not wait much longer than that. Would I take a chance on Kluber in the middle rounds? Of course. One cannot arbitrarily pick an age and presume a player is certain to decline from that point forward. Additionally, ballpark factors often mislead. Those who ignored Rangers LHP Mike Minor and RHP Lance Lynn last season (or perhaps ran away from midseason) because of their home ballpark ended up looking silly. Verlander finished as the lone hurler in the sport with more bWAR than Minor and Lynn in 2019. The Rangers have also recently added RHP Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles to their rotation. I think Lynn can repeat his success, while Minor will take a step back. Still, Kluber is worthy of an 11th-round choice in roto drafts.

Heading back to Cleveland in this deal is OF Delino DeShields, a speedster and occasional walker who is bereft of power, and RHP Emmanuel Clase, an extreme hard-thrower and potential closer. LHP Brad Hand figures to handle closing duties for the Indians to start 2020, but the team might have to trade him as well for financial reasons. Clase, who routinely hits triple digits on the radar gun with both his fastball and a ridiculous cutter -- nobody throws their cutter this hard -- avoided home runs last season and earned saves in the minors. He might not be drafted in most ESPN standard leagues, but he should be one of the top reliever handcuffs. Meanwhile, erratic RHP Jose Leclerc keeps the closer role in Texas. Beware the control issues!

DeShields joins a Cleveland outfield featuring Oscar Mercado, Franmil Reyes (unless he handles DH duties) and myriad questions. Still the new arrival seems like a decent bet for his fifth 20-SB season in six years with modest playing time. Just do not expect much else. DeShields has hit .246 with 18 home runs in five seasons. He will fight for playing time with Jake Bauers, Greg Allen, Jordan Luplow and perhaps a free agent to be named later. What an exciting fight this should be!

Last season, the Texas Rangers used 19 different starting pitchers, with only rotation stalwarts Mike Minor and Lance Lynn starting more than 18 games. Even with stellar years from Minor and Lynn, Texas ranked 12th in the American League in rotation ERA. In 2018, the Rangers used 15 different starting pitchers, didn't have a single starter qualify for the ERA title and ranked 14th in the AL in rotation ERA.

As the Rangers prepare to move into shiny new Globe Life Field for 2020, the offseason priority was to improve and stabilize the starting rotation. On Sunday, they acquired two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber from the Cleveland Indians for center fielder Delino DeShields and 21-year-old right-handed reliever Emmanuel Clase, who recorded a 2.31 ERA in 23⅓ innings with the Rangers and ranked as the team's No. 30 prospect, according to MLB.com.

Kluber made just seven starts last season, missing most of the season with a broken forearm after getting hitting by a line drive on May 1 and then suffering a strained oblique on a rehab assignment in August. Before the injury, Kluber was hit hard, allowing 44 hits in 35⅔ innings and posting a 5.80 ERA. Still, it feels like a shockingly low return for a pitcher who won the 2017 Cy Young Award and finished third in the 2018 voting. It essentially amounts to a salary dump by the Indians, with Kluber set to earn $17.5 million this season with an $18 million club option for 2021.

Given that Kluber's injuries weren't structural, it certainly is a worthwhile gamble for the Rangers. If he's bad again, the commitment is only for one season. Having already signed free agents Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles, the Rangers can run a top five of Minor, Lynn, Kluber, Gibson and Lyles, with Kolby Allard, Brock Burke and Ariel Jurado in reserve. If Kluber bounces back, and Minor (7.8 bWAR, 4.2 fWAR) and Lynn (7.6 bWAR, 6.8 fWAR) repeat their career seasons or at least come close, this has the potential to be one of the better rotations in the league.

Kluber must be viewed as a question mark, however, and even if the Indians really like Clase, the return suggests there wasn't much interest out there in Kluber, and teams weren't willing to give up much value in addition to absorbing his salary. DeShields is a plus defender in center but owns a career 76 OPS+, including 72 last season, which ranked 201st out of 207 batters with at least 400 plate appearances. He's hardly the solution to Cleveland's search for outfield help, and DeShields/Clase is far less of a return than the Indians would have received last offseason, when they were also shopping Kluber and may have received a package from the Dodgers that included Alex Verdugo.

A big reason for the concern about Kluber's production moving forward is his declining velocity:

Corey Kluber's pitch velocity distribution by year... pic.twitter.com/agN8UeSRAb

— Daren Willman (@darenw) December 15, 2019

Kluber's fastball averaged 94.6 mph in 2014 and was down to 92.4 in 2018 and 92.3 last season. But Kluber's fastball -- in particular his two-seamer, which he throws more often than his four-seamer -- has always been hittable. Even in 2017 and '18, batters hit .303/.354/.492 against his sinker. In his limited innings last year, that jumped to .390/.457/.732. That's just 46 batters faced, and his curveball remained an elite strikeout weapon, but his overall strikeout rate has fallen from 34.1% in 2017 to 26.4% to 22.6%.

So there are red flags. You can't go into 2020 expecting Cy Young-caliber Kluber, although this is far from a Felix Hernandez situation. In fact, Caesars Sportsbook moved the Rangers' World Series odds from 100-1 to 40-1 following the trade. (The Indians fell from 18-1 to 30-1.)

The Rangers still have a hole at third base, but there are options out there -- Josh Donaldson in free agency, Kris Bryant or Kyle Seager via trade -- and they could use another bat in right field or first base. But there will be a lot more excitement now in the new park.

The AL West, in fact, looks a lot more interesting than it has been the past three seasons. The Astros have dominated the division and the A's have won two straight wild cards, but the only other team to finish above .500 since 2016 was the 2018 Mariners. Now the Rangers are making a playoff push, as are the Angels, who signed Anthony Rendon and should have more moves to come.

Are the Astros vulnerable? Look, the Rangers and Angels have a lot of catching up to do. The Astros finished 29 games ahead of the Rangers and 35 games ahead of the Angels in 2019. Obviously, losing Gerrit Cole is a huge blow to Houston and Wade Miley (33 starts, 3.98) is a free agent, so that's 66 starts and 8.9 WAR currently gone from the 2019 rotation. They have Lance McCullers Jr. coming back from Tommy John surgery and Jose Urquidy to replace Miley, but factor in the ages of Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke, and it's plausible to argue the Astros are beatable for the first time in four years. If the Rangers and Angels continue to make additions, you could also argue the AL West will be MLB's best division in 2020, with four potential playoff teams.

As for the Indians, it's a sad day, trading one of the best pitchers in franchise history (he's eighth all time in WAR for Cleveland) and getting a disappointing return. There is no way to view this other than the Indians prioritizing saving money over winning. Sure, the rotation still could be very good in 2020 with Shane Bieber, Mike Clevinger, Carlos Carrasco, Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac, but the depth takes a hit. Maybe they'll apply Kluber's salary elsewhere on the roster -- or maybe this means Francisco Lindor is next to go.

Left-hander Madison Bumgarner and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a five-year, $85 million deal, sources familiar with the agreement told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The worth of the deal was first reported by The Athletic.

The 30-year-old Bumgarner, the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 World Series for the San Francisco Giants, went 9-9 with a 3.90 ERA last season, when he moved forward from two somewhat forgettable injury-shortened seasons.

In 2019, Bumgarner bounced back to tie for the National League lead with 34 starts and was second with 207⅔ innings pitched, which erased many doubts that the former Giants icon could again showcase his trademark durability.

A 10-year veteran, "MadBum" logged six straight seasons with double-digit wins, more than 200 innings and 30-plus starts -- finishing with 18, 18 and 15 wins, respectively, from 2012 to 2014. But the 6-foot-4 left-hander went 4-9 with a 3.32 ERA in 17 starts in 2017, when he missed nearly three months following a dirt bike accident during an off day in Colorado. He threw just 111 innings that season to match his low total from 2010 when he came up in June.

Then Bumgarner broke the pinkie on his pitching hand when he was hit by a line drive from Kansas City Royals hitter Whit Merrifield in his final 2018 spring training start, undergoing surgery to insert pins into the finger. He returned in June and wound up 6-7 with a 3.26 ERA in 21 starts and 129⅔ innings.

In April 2012, Bumgarner signed a $35.56 million, six-year deal through 2017 that included $12 million club options for both 2018 and '19. Before San Francisco staged a bit of a midseason surge to get into playoff contention this past season, Bumgarner had been mentioned as a potential top trade target prior to the July 31 deadline.

Bumgarner has 1,794 strikeouts, which ranks 14th on the active list, and has a career record of 119-92 with a 3.13 ERA. He has been a clutch postseason pitcher in each of San Francisco's World Series title-winning campaigns of 2010, '12 and '14.

World 200m champion is third in BBC Sports Personality of 2019 while her coach John Blackie is named coach of the year

It was not to be for Dina Asher-Smith and Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show as the main prize went to cricketer Ben Stokes.

Asher-Smith finished a fine third behind winner Stokes and F1 driver Lewis Hamilton as Johnson-Thompson, footballer Raheem Sterling and rugby player Alun Wyn Jones finished outside the top three.

But it was still a great night for athletics at the annual awards show in Aberdeen with, in addition to Asher-Smith’s recognition, awards for her coach John Blackie, plus Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Eliud Kipchoge.

Blackie (pictured above with Asher-Smith and Gabby Logan) was named coach of the year and stepped on to the stage to take his accolade as Asher-Smith was being introduced as one of the six sports stars on the short list for the No.1 honour of the night.

“On behalf of all the volunteer coaches out there, this is the kind of thing you can do,” said Blackie. “Don’t give up. Just set your sights high.”

Grey-Thompson was given a special lifetime achievement prize for her incredible wheelchair racing career and she also paid tribute to the volunteers in the sport that had helped her reach her potential.

What a wonderful reception for Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson – winner of BBC Sports Personality Lifetime Achievement award ?

Watch #SPOTY ? https://t.co/Gx41WWN9KI pic.twitter.com/76FeTaDrgq

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 15, 2019

“My path to elite sport involved trying loads of different sports – swimming, tennis, basketball, netball, rounders and ultimately wheelchair racing. I was so fortunate to find something I loved and became good at it,” she said.

Kipchoge, meanwhile, was awarded the world sports star of the year after winning the Virgin Money London Marathon and breaking the two-hour barrier in the INEOS-sponsored event in Vienna.

Topping an online public vote, the marathon runner beat off competition from South African rugby player Siya Kolisi, Australian cricketer Steve Smith, American golfer Tiger Woods, gymnast Simone Biles and footballer Megan Rapinoe.

As of press time, no woman has won a feature in the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series or the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League.

Winning a feature in both is a goal of Holley Hollan, of Broken Arrow, Okla., and many people believe she has the background, equipment and passion to accomplish it.

Hollan, who turned 18 last month, is a fourth-generation racer. She’s a daughter of Harley and Frannie Hollan, and her father is a businessman and racer, primarily in 600cc micro sprints.

Holley Hollan has been racing micros since she was five. She entered her first midget race last year, and she’s been running in both USAC and POWRi midget events this season.

One of her father’s businesses is Driven Performance Midwest in Tulsa, Okla., which is an extension of the performance speed shop Driven Performance in Fresno, Calif.

The company’s D1 chassis is especially well known in 600 micro sprint and junior sprint competition. Harley Hollan won the 2018 POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro League championship driving for his business.

His daughter works there through the week and races on the weekends.

Tulsa is a hotbed for all sorts of micro and midget racing and is, of course, the host city of next month’s Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.

“The Shootout and the Chili Bowl are 15 minutes from the shop and I always went there with my dad,” Holley Hollan said. “When I turned 16, I got to run there. For as long as I can remember it’s been a big part of my life.”

After racing for BOSS Factory Racing in 2018, Hollan became part of one of the top midget teams in history — Keith Kunz Motorsports.

With that arrangement, she became part of the Toyota Racing Development program, which is a significant accomplishment in its own right.

Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motor­sports (holding two other famous racing names) is the reigning NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series team’s champion. The organization has won eight of the last nine USAC national midget owner titles, including seven straight from 2012 through ’18.

The car Hollan drives for KKM is a Bullet by Spike with a Speedway Engine Development Toyota engine. Her SiriusXM Radio sponsorship comes through Toyota.

How did she get to drive for the team owned by Keith Kunz and Pete Willoughby?

“I started racing at a few of the POWRi events and got in front of Keith,” Hollan said. “They had been scouting out female drivers, and a lot of it was performing well at the right time.

“It’s great to be racing with Keith,” she added. “The whole team is determined to develop drivers and help them be the best they can be. It’s a prestigious team, and it’s great not to be worried about your equipment. I’ve been very lucky and I’m thankful for that; just being confident in your equipment and in yourself is important.”

“Holley has come a long way in one year,” Kunz said. “She’s close to putting it all together and winning. She’s still learning how to run the whole race and finish strong. But from the beginning of the year until now she’s gained a lot of speed. She’s close.”

None of it is easy.

She finished sixth out of 162 drivers in the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League standings.

“Holley has come a long way in the two short years she has been racing a national midget, and has won several heat and semi races,” said POWRi founder Kenny Brown, who noted that Hollan’s best finish in the series is a second-place effort.

“She has finished in the top five three times and the top 10 15 times,” Brown added. “She made 27 of the 28 features this year. She is going to be very competitive in 2020 and she could become the first female to win a POWRi national midget race. With her knowledge of the outlaw micros, it has made it easy for her to understand the mechanics of a national midget. We are proud to have her represent POWRi.”

As the December issue went to press, Hollan ranked 18th in USAC points. She ultimately advanced two positions to end the year 16th in the USAC standings.

“This season has been a roller coaster for me,” Hollan explained. “Racing is like an extreme sport and you have to take it like it comes. But I’m focused 110 percent on chasing my first national win.

“It’s unbelievable to me how big midget racing is right now,” she added. “I think we’re in an era that is producing some of the best midget drivers ever. In July I contended for a win and finished second in a hard-fought race. I was upset that I didn’t win, but with how tough midget racing is right now, it was good to know that I’m capable of winning. It is just making me better.

“If you compete against good people, it will make you better and I’m thankful for that.”

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