TULSA, Okla. – Tucker Klaasmeyer will return to Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports for the 34th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, Jan. 13-18 inside the River Spirit Expo Center.

Klaasmeyer, who has spent the past two seasons full-time with KKM between the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League and NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series, will look to deliver the team’s sixth straight Chili Bowl victory during the crown-jewel event in Tulsa, Okla.

While he’s been learning the ropes the past couple of years, Klaasmeyer will now be one of the senior drivers in the KKM Chili Bowl stable, with the recent departures of Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson and Logan Seavey.

“I think there’s a lot of ways you could look at it this, but I think the best way you can look at it as motivation,” said Klaasmeyer of being back with KKM. “I’m sure everyone’s going to be fired up and those guys that aren’t running (with Keith Kunz), they’re going to be fired up too.

“I think that it says a lot that year after year, you know what you’ve got when you get there when it comes to Keith … and that’s a big part of why I re-signed with them for this year’s Chili Bowl.”

Klaasmeyer was quick to note that despite a 2019 season that didn’t go quite as he’d planned, with a ninth-place finish in the USAC National Midget Series standings, there was no place else he wanted to be for the biggest event in midget-car racing.

“I think their record speaks for itself, you know? They’re good everywhere, but especially at the Chili Bowl,” noted Klaasmeyer. “There are always a lot of good cars there, but I don’t think anyone’s better than Keith and I do think that it’s probably my best shot to win the Chili Bowl. There’s new people with good stuff, and everyone’s midget stuff seems to be getting pretty good, but there’s just something about Keith’s cars in that building that makes them, I feel, a cut above the rest.

“They’re good in there, or I guess great would probably be a better word, and at the end of the day I wanted to stick with them if there was a way to make it happen. Luckily we got this deal put together.”

With two years on the road under his belt, Klaasmeyer feels he has learned a host of tools, skills and driving nuances from his time at KKM and grown in many ways, enough so that the Paola, Kans., native feels he can contend for his maiden Chili Bowl triumph during the Saturday finale next month.

“I’ve learned a lot about racing, but learned just as much not about racing with those guys, and I’m lucky enough to call them all really good friends,” Klaasmeyer said. “I spend a lot of time with those guys and I have learned that Keith’s equipment, night in and night out, is going to be the best he can give you. That’s the most important thing going into the Chili Bowl, is just knowing that your car is going to be good.

“With this deal, it’s in my hands basically, and I’m ready to go for it this year,” he added. “I just think it’s the best scenario for me, and if I don’t run a lot more midget races, I want to make sure that I’m in a good car and have a good shot at Chili Bowl.”

Vancouver goaltender Thatcher Demko was placed on injured reserve Thursday, prior to the Canucks facing off with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 24-year-old Demko, 7-4-1 this season with a 3.00 goals-against average, suffered a concussion in an optional practice Wednesday, coach Trent Green said after Thursday's morning skate. The Canucks recalled Mike DiPietro from Vancouver's AHL affiliate to take Demko's place.

"He did get bumped [in practice]," Green said, "and I think he got hit in the head with a puck, too."

Demko, who most recently played on Saturday, in a 6-5 overtime victory over the Buffalo Sabres, had a concussion last year as well.

"Today's day and age, we take concussions serious," Green said. "We take every one of them seriously."

The Canucks enter the home game vs. Carolina with 34 points, three away from the final wild-card berth in the NHL's Western Conference.

Several International and U.S. players are sporting yellow duck pins on their hats during the Presidents Cup.

The pin is an homage to late Australian player Jarrod Lyle, who died in 2018 of leukemia, and is called Leuk the Duck. It represents Challenge, an Australian organization that supports children with cancer.

Lyle was a very popular player among his peers and twice defeated cancer, before succumbing last year. GolfChannel.com senior writer Rex Hoggard traveled to Australia and chronicled Lyle's battle in 2013.

Rickie Fowler, a long-time friend of Lyle's, often wears the pin on his hat during PGA Tour events and came prepared to share the message this week at Royal Melbourne.

"All the guys got pins," said Fowler, according to Golf Digest.

"Some of the guys are wearing them. Some of the guys didn't know Jarrod, especially some of the younger guys, but yeah, they want to wear them. It's obviously for a great cause. For the guys that did get to know him, we're all for it."

BOSTON -- Al Horford sat out what was supposed to be his first game back at TD Garden against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night with left knee soreness and left hamstring tightness.

"I won't be able to go tonight," the center said shortly before his Philadelphia 76ers faced the Celtics. "Went out there on the floor, [and] just not where I need to be."

Horford, who was listed as questionable by the Sixers on Thursday morning, went out to the court for his usual pregame workout and met with the team's training staff afterward. It was determined then that he wouldn't be able to play.

"It's a special place to play at," Horford said. "I'm definitely disappointed that I won't be able to play tonight."

Horford joined the Celtics as a free agent three years ago, after spending the first nine seasons of his career with the Atlanta Hawks. He helped them to back-to-back Eastern Conference finals in his first two seasons before Boston lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2019 conference semifinals.

It came as a surprise in June when Horford opted out of the final year of his contract with Boston and then joined the Celtics' archrivals this summer. But he said the decision to leave the Celtics was a much more difficult one than the one he made to join them.

"For me, it was a big leap of faith coming here," Horford said, "leaving my stability and everything that I had in Atlanta and then I didn't realize that what I was building here was something that I felt like was very special with this group and everything.

"It was definitely tougher when I had to make the decision to leave [Boston], but ultimately I understood that was the right decision for me to do."

Horford said the reason it was the right decision for him was because it gave him the opportunity to play alongside Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid. During his time in Boston, Horford was considered one of the league's best defenders against Embiid -- and, frankly, one of the few who could slow him down at all.

Now, though, Horford -- who turned 33 in June -- doesn't have to take the constant pounding of guarding centers that he did in Boston, and he and Embiid being on the same team allows each of them to be more prudent about managing injuries like the ones he is now.

"Really just looking at that opportunity," Horford said. "I know that I really felt like the opportunity to go over there and play alongside a guy like Joel and Ben [Simmons] was something that was going to be hard for me to pass. To have that opportunity to, I feel like, win now -- that was one of the things that really drove me."

CONCORD, N.C. – Chip Ganassi Racing announced Thursday afternoon that longtime motorsports owner and visionary Felix Sabates is retiring from the sport.

Sabates, 74, founded SABCO Racing in 1987 and joined forces with current owner Chip Ganassi in 2001, where it became known as Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

The duo combined to field cars in NASCAR’s top two divisions of competition and produced 43 total wins, including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400, and nine trips to the NASCAR playoffs.

Both cars driven by Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson won races in 2019 and made the postseason, with Larson advancing to the Round of 8 – the furthest a CGR car has ever advanced since the playoff system began.

In addition to NASCAR, Sabates and Ganassi fielded entries in IMSA, where they won seven championships, 64 races, including a record eight Rolex 24 at Daytona races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

“Where do you even begin to describe Felix Sabates? He’s done so much for the sport of racing,” said team owner and friend Chip Ganassi. “I teamed up with him almost 20 years ago, and he’s been a great business partner and an even better friend. In that time, the only thing we’ve had an argument over was who was picking up the tab at dinner. Felix helped me develop as an owner as well as an individual. His track record in this sport certainly sets the bar high for anyone that follows.

“I’m proud to call him a friend and wish him all the best.”

Sabates, who has been a Charlotte resident since 1963, has always had a soft spot in his heart for sports. In 1988, he became an original owner of the Charlotte Hornets basketball team and played a key role in negotiating with the NBA to grant Charlotte a franchise.

He also is the only person who had ownership in the original Hornets to still have an ownership stake with Michael Jordan in the Charlotte Hornets.

Sabates has been an owner of the East Coast Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers, which won the league championship in 1995. Also, in the early 1980s, he started the first indoor professional soccer team and was one of the first investors of the World Football League.

Sabates is also well known for his many philanthropic contributions and has received several honors and awards for his generosity.

Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina has named its dining hall after him, Elon College and UNC Charlotte bestowed upon him Honorary Doctorate degrees and he received a “Special Blessing” in writing from Pope John Paul II.

Sabates became a member of the philanthropic Dream Makers Society of the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County, Fla., in recognition of his 12-year commitment to and support of special fundraising events.

In his honor, the Felix Sabates Athletic Center was dedicated in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in November 2000. The facility is the largest Boys and Girls Club in the state. He also is a large contributor to the Levine Children’s Hospital, which bears a special plaque in his honor is in the main lobby.

Sabates has contributed much money to and served on the board of Atrium Health Care system for more than 30 years, while also being a member of the Atrium Health Foundation Board.

But through it all, Sabates’ heart has been with racing for more than three decades, and it’s a sport he’ll continue to cherish as he goes into retirement.

“I look back to the 1980s when I first started in this sport, and I can tell you that the landscape has really changed. It’s been challenging at times, and tremendously rewarding watching the sport grow,” said Sabates. “When I started the NASCAR team, it was just a different time —a smaller regional sport. Then NASCAR grew and grew into a big business and continued to grow after my partnership with Chip.

“I’m proud of what I’ve done over the last 30 years. I have friendships that will last a lifetime,” Sabates continued. “I hope that what I have tried to give back to the sport — whether it be bringing NASCAR to Mexico or being instrumental in starting the sports car program with Chip — will be equal to what the sport has taught and given me. I’ve always said that I never wanted to be an old man walking around at the track; this is my way of honoring that commitment I made to myself years ago.

“I wish Chip and his teams all the success in the world and will be keeping a close eye on the sport from afar, and maybe even make an appearance from time to time.”

SEBRING, Fla. – Two days of open testing at Sebring Int’l Raceway provided a reminder as to the ultra-competitive nature of Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires.

Four different drivers took turns atop the charts during the opening four out of five sessions at the 1.8-mile, 11-turn road course before Sweden’s Rasmus Lindh turned the fastest lap of all for HMD Motorsports during a late flurry of activity Thursday afternoon.

Lindh, 18, looks set to graduate to the top step on the Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires next season, after finishing as runner-up in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires in each of the last two years – both times to Kyle Kirkwood.

The teenager turned a best lap of 55.9580 seconds (107.438 mph) just a couple of minutes before the checkered flag flew for the final time.

“HMD is a new team (to me) in Indy Lights, so we wanted to see how they worked,” said Lindh, who also tested an Indy Lights car with Andretti Autosport at Indianapolis in October. “The first day was all about getting used to how they did things, like the setup of the car and how we would work with the engineer. We put it all together this morning and were fastest straight away, and quickest at the end of the day.

“We have a very good feeling now. This is only my fourth day in the Indy Lights car so I feel I can improve – but everyone in the field feels that way, since we’re all rookies and most of the drivers are coming up from Indy Pro 2000,” he added. “I feel as though I’m ready to move up to Indy Lights next year, though I need a little bit more time to get used to everything.

“The Road to Indy ladder is very good, the steps really prepare you as you move up.”

Kirkwood ended the test just a couple of tenths shy of Lindh, at 56.1736, following his first experience in an Indy Lights car with defending champion team Andretti Autosport.

Kirkwood, who was fastest of all during the second of three sessions on Wednesday, edged teammate and Indy Lights veteran Robert Megennis by just over a tenth of a second.

“It was a learning experience,” said Kirkwood. “It’s a much different car than the Tatuus, especially with the turbo, the much longer wheelbase and what feels like a very different tire compound. It seems as though you can drive the Dallara harder and find lap time that way. It’s more of a driver’s car.

“And this was my first time driving a real open-wheel car around Sebring. I live only 90 minutes away from here, but I haven’t driven here that much. It took me a session or two to get acclimated but now it comes naturally. Andretti clearly has a good baseline setup and we didn’t deviate much from that.”

Danial Frost ended the test with the fourth fastest time, 56.3800, aboard a third Andretti Autosport Dallara-AER IL-15, narrowly ahead of Frenchman Tristan Charpentier, also for Andretti Autosport.

Frost had been fastest of all on day one at 56.8616 seconds, although the top five – Frost, Megennis, Nikita Lastochkin, who made an impressive debut for the Exclusive Autosport team, Lindh and Kirkwood – were all blanketed by just .1572 seconds.

“The two days here at Sebring were very successful,” said Frost. “On the first day we had the fastest time at the end of the day, and the second day was very positive as well. We have some places to improve to find those final tenths as this level of the Road to Indy is extremely competitive, but overall we’re very happy with the way the test went.”

A total of nine drivers completed 1356 incident-free laps, with the top eight all within one second of Lindh’s benchmark time.

“It’s nice to come back, have experience and know what I’m doing,” said Megennis. “I have so much more confidence in myself and in the car, and a better understanding of what I need to do to go fast. You can maximize every lap you get. We tried some stuff with the car that we haven’t been able to try before, and we learned a lot. We treated this like a real test – I didn’t have to go out and figure out how to drive the car, we could work on things to use during the season to win more races.”

After turning the second fastest lap (to Lindh) Thursday morning, Antonio Serravalle ended the day sixth overall for HMD Motorsports, edging Lastochkin and third-generation racer Flinn Lazier, for Belardi Auto Racing.

In addition to Exclusive Autosport, Jay Howard Driver Development also turned its first “official” laps during a sanctioned Indy Lights test with Christian Bogle in preparation for an anticipated series debut in 2021.

The next official outing for the Indy Lights field will be the traditional Spring Training on March 9 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Former Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas made his first public appearance since walking away from hockey in 2014, and he fought back tears as he described the brain damage he has endured after sustaining a concussion in his final NHL season.

"I couldn't communicate with anybody for a few years," Thomas told reporters on Thursday, ahead of his induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. "I didn't call my dad. I didn't talk to anybody. There was a time period, yeah, where I hated the game, so to speak. I didn't sit there and [say] 'I hate it.' My rebound effect was like, this wasn't worth it."

After a decade playing in the minors and Europe, Thomas broke into the NHL as a full-time goaltender in 2005-06 as a 31-year-old. In 2011, Thomas led the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup since 1972. At age 37, Thomas became the oldest winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, punctuated by shutting out the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7.

Thomas took a season off in 2012-13 to focus on "family, friends, and faith," he wrote in a post on his since-deleted Facebook page. He returned for 2013-14, splitting 48 games between the Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars, before stepping away for good.

Thomas said that in a December 2013 game with the Panthers, he sustained a concussion "that changed my life."

"I woke up the next morning after it and I couldn't decide what I wanted to eat, where I wanted to go," Thomas said. "I couldn't plan a schedule. I survived following the team schedule the rest of the year and just made it through that season."

Thomas finished that season and played in the World Championships that spring, too.

"On the ice, I was able to be like 97 percent maybe, 95 percent of what I was before, but off the ice, like I said, I still can't choose," Thomas said. "I'm so much better, but I wake up every day and basically I have to reorder everything in my mind for the first couple hours of the day and then make a list and try to make some choices to get some stuff done."

Thomas said it was difficult to face reporters on Thursday. The Michigan native is now living in Idaho with his family.

"I didn't want to talk about this," he said. "I didn't want to talk. I didn't want to tell the world this stuff. Not till I felt ready, and I didn't feel ready yet. But here I am."

Thomas said he has relied on support from his wife, kids and brother through the difficult time. Thomas also cited reading Ken Dryden's book "Game Change," about Steve Montador, a former NHL player who was diagnosed with CTE after his death.

"It actually helped my family understanding what was going on," Thomas said of the book. "That, to me, was a step forward as far as understanding that other people are going through the same deal. I just thought I was unique. When you're going through it, you just can't understand."

Thomas has tried several experimental treatments that he says have helped with his brain function, including oxygen therapy.

He also cited "really, really good water with ionic minerals" as part of his healing. "There's a lot about water that an average person wouldn't think about," Thomas said.

Thomas dropped the puck for the Bruins-Capitals game on Wednesday night and said it was the first NHL game he had attended since retiring.

"I couldn't follow the game anymore," Thomas said. "My brain wasn't functioning well enough to be able to keep up with the game, so I sat out in the woods for a few years. I didn't watch much hockey. There's not much TV out there."

Thomas said that being at the arena was "surprisingly comfortable." He "had a blast" seeing the trainers, as well as visiting with Zdeno Chara, Tuukka Rask, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Krejci for the first time since he walked away.

Thomas was inducted to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in a five-person class that included NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, longtime NHL forward Brian Gionta, women's star Krissy Wendell, and Neal Henderson, the co-founder of the oldest minority hockey club in North America.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Chicago Blackhawks placed defenseman Calvin de Haan on injured reserve Thursday with a right shoulder injury.

The 28-year-old de Haan got hurt during Tuesday night's 5-1 loss at Vegas. He had offseason surgery on the same shoulder.

De Haan has one goal and five assists in 29 games in his first season with Chicago. He was acquired in a trade with Carolina in June.

The IR move was made retroactive to Tuesday.

The last-place Blackhawks have been riddled by injuries, but defenseman Olli Maatta is expected to return for Thursday night's game at Arizona. Maatta had been sidelined by an illness.