PERRIS, Calif. – This spring from March 28 to April 18 the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will invade six cities across California.

The series will make stops at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, Santa Maria Raceway in Nipomo, Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Merced Speedway in Merced, Ocean Speedway in Watsonville and Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton.

The first stop of the Spring California Swing on Saturday, March 28, at Perris Auto Speedway for the SoCal Showdown will be the series’ 20th visit to the half-mile track.

Then on Sunday, March 29, the World of Outlaws will return to Santa Maria Raceway for the first time in 21 years. All drivers on the tour will be competing for their first win at the third-mile raceway.

Carson Macedo, the 2019 World of Outlaws Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year, will then be on the hunt for a home win during the Thunderbowl Raceway doubleheader on April 3-4. The Kyle Larson Racing driver’s hometown of Lemoore is 30 minutes from the third-mile track. He earned an impressive four wins in his rookie campaign and will be poised to grow his resume this year.

Merced Speedway will be another new stop for the World of Outlaws this year on Friday, April 10. It will be the Series’ fifth appearance at the track. David Gravel, who returns for his second year with Jason Johnson Racing, won the last race at the quarter-mile track in 2014.

The next night, on Saturday, April 11, the World of Outlaws will return to Ocean Speedway for the Ocean Outlaw Showdown. It will be the Series’ first visit to the track since 2016. Reigning Series champion Brad Sweet, of Grass Valley, Calif., holds the crown as the last World of Outlaws winner at the quarter-mile track. He’s already off to a strong start with his Kasey Kahne Racing team this season, winning the second race of the year in Florida.

For the conclusion of the Spring California Swing, the Series on Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18, will run the FVP Platinum Battery Showdown doubleheader at the Stockton Dirt Track. Logan Schuchart swept both races at the three-eighths-mile track last year. He’s already off to a career best start in 2020 with a win at the DIRTcar Nationals.

Fellow elite drivers, such as 10-time series champion Donny Schatz and 2013 series champion Daryn Pittman – who drives for California-based team Roth Motorsports – will also aim for good runs during the swing as they try to position themselves for another championship run.

COLUMBUS, Ind. – Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports has welcomed yet another young driver into the ranks of its midget team for the 2020 season.

Brenham Crouch, from Lubbock, Texas, will contest a part-time schedule of midget races for the Toyota-powered team, starting April 3 at Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway.

Crouch, 14, is a micro sprint graduate and will compete primarily on the local level this season, while also testing his skills in selected Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget League shows.

He’ll also run a handful of NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series events late in the season, once he crosses his 15th birthday, before embarking full time with KKM in 2021.

“I’m really looking forward to getting Brenham behind the wheel and seeing what he can do for us,” said team owner Keith Kunz. “I had the chance to watch him race at the Tulsa Shootout back in January, and he impressed me right away. Our goal right now is just getting him comfortable in the midget as his development begins.”

Following his KKM debut at Jacksonville, Crouch will tackle the summer swing with POWRi, including races in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois. His USAC foray will begin Oct. 9-10 with a doubleheader at Illinois’ Wayne County Speedway and Indiana’s Tri State Speedway.

The Jason Leffler Memorial at Wayne County will mark one of the biggest short-track events the young Crouch has competed in during his racing career so far.

Manchester City produced a stunning comeback to overturn a 1-0 deficit and beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Madrid pounced on sloppy play at the back to spring a quick counter, before Isco applied the finishing touch on the hour mark to put Los Blancos ahead, but quickfire goals from Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne put City on their way to a famous win. The action wasn't done there, as Sergio Ramos brought Jesus down as the Brazilian raced through on goal and was sent off in the 86th minute, meaning he will miss the second leg at the Etihad.

Positives

Heads could well have dropped after they went behind -- arguably against the run of play -- but De Bruyne grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck in the final 15 minutes and inspired a comeback that will go down in City folklore.

Negatives

Pep Guardiola's side had a tough time working their way through Madrid's high press in the first half, with the ball regularly finding its way back to the hosts, and questions will also be asked about the opener, with a comedy of errors gifting Real the lead.

Manager rating out of 10

8 -- Eyebrows were raised when Guardiola started the game without either of Raheem Sterling or Sergio Aguero, but a system that saw De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva act as false nines gave them composure in the final third and rigidity at the back, while the manager's second-half introduction of Sterling changed the game.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Ederson, 6 -- Did well to palm away a Karim Benzema header in the first half, but couldn't deny Isco the opener despite racing out of his goal and closing down the angle.

DF Benjamin Mendy, 6 -- A clumsy first-half foul on Luka Modric earned the Frenchman a yellow card that means he will miss the second leg. Defensively, Mendy was well protected against Dani Carvajal by Jesus' excellent tracking back.

DF Aymeric Laporte, 6 -- Saw plenty of the ball in the opening half hour as he looked to guide his side out of the intense Madrid press, but his evening came to an end after 32 minutes when he limped off and was replaced by Fernandinho.

DF Nicolas Otamendi, 6 -- Landed Rodri in all kinds of trouble with a heavy pass that his teammate failed to bring under his spell, and Real cruelly punished them with a swift breakaway and clinical finish to go ahead.

DF Kyle Walker, 6 -- Looked to have gotten to grips with the slippery Vinicius Junior after a testing first 10 minutes, but he was unable to deal with the winger as he raced away and laid the ball on for Isco to fire home the opener.

MF Rodri, 6 -- One or two nervous moments in possession for the former Atletico Madrid man on his return to the Spanish capital, and didn't cover himself in glory for the Isco strike when his blind pass was intercepted by Real before they broke away to score.

MF Ilkay Gundogan, 6 -- Quietly went about his business and used the ball wisely in what was a no-nonsense display.

MF Kevin De Bruyne, 8 -- Often the most advanced City player as he roamed the final third as a deep-lying centre-forward, and provided an inch-perfect cross for Jesus to nod home the leveler, before calmly stroking home an 83rd-minute penalty to seal a glorious victory.

MF Riyad Mahrez, 6 -- Had a quiet first half, but became a more prominent figure in the second period and had three decent openings, but was unable to give Thibaut Courtois a seriously testing save to make.

MF Bernardo Silva, 5 -- A difficult night in which he was often surrounded by crowds of white shirts when he looked to make something happen, and there were one or two occasions when the Portuguese's first touch let him down.

MF Gabriel Jesus, 8 -- Did a brilliant job defensively to help Mendy deal with the threat of Carvajal, and going forward, Jesus was a constant threat, culminating in a well-taken header to get his side back into the game before forcing a red card for Ramos that makes City firm favourites heading into the second leg.

Substitutes

DF Fernandinho, 7 -- Slotted in at centre-back in place of the injured Laporte, and the switch coincided with City gaining some composure and control in the game. An excellent performance.

MF Raheem Sterling, 7 -- His quick burst of pace drew a poor tackle from Carvajal to win his side the late penalty.

Aaron Finch has hailed the importance of David Warner and Steven Smith to Australia's T20I side, after the pair starred in a dominant batting performance in the third and deciding game of the South Africa series in their first game at Newlands since the ball-tampering scandal of March 2018.

Warner put on 120 in an explosive 11.3-over opening stand alongside Finch, his captain, to set the game up for Australia. The pair put on 75 in the powerplay, Australia's joint third-highest six-over score in T20I history, and allowed only seven dot balls in that phase, the lowest ever.

And Finch praised both his improving touch game and his meticulous planning, suggesting that his attention to detail is "as good as anyone I've played with".

"In this format of the game and probably one-day cricket as well," Finch said, "Davey's been so consistent for such a long time.

"I think if you look at his IPL record where he's played the majority of his T20 cricket, it's been super consistent and he's someone that once he gets in and once he's in good form, he's so hard to bowl to because he accesses both sides of the ground, he's got touch, he's got power, so as soon as you've got guys like that, they can be so hard to stop.

"From his younger days playing T20, when it was all just brute force, I think the way that he goes about thinking through his innings, planning his innings pre-game, but also adapting - it's extraordinary.

"And to sit down and chat with him about plans, how we're going to go about it at the top of the order - which very rarely works the way that you want it to work - his attention to detail in his planning is unbelievable and as good as anyone I've played with."

Smith, meanwhile, was demoted from his usual No. 3 position down to No. 5, with Australia keen to give opportunities to their middle-order batsmen and to maintain left-hand/right-hand partnerships due to the strong cross-wind that blew across Newlands.

But even in an unfamiliar role - this was Smith's first innings at No. 5 in T20Is, meaning he has now played in every position from No. 3 to No. 9 in the format - he found a way to stamp his mark on the game, taking 20 runs from Anrich Nortje's final over to finish unbeaten on 30 from 15 balls.

"[He's] a little bit different [to Warner] in regards to being a middle-order player, No. 3, 4, 5 throughout his career," Finch said. "You're always faced with different challenges. So to have that ability to come in and strike at 200 when the game requires it, or come in at 2 for 10 and navigate through a tricky six or seven overs but still score, the ability to do that has been extraordinary.

"I think what's changed for him slightly in his game is he's probably got a bit more power - maybe he's always had the power, but a little bit more freedom to play his shots, and I think that's been a huge difference to his game.

"Teams used to think that they could just squeeze him, he wouldn't hurt you too much at the back end, but to develop all the shots that he's got now, he's a super-important player to us, and he's bloody impressive to watch."

"Our middle order is all really flexible, and they've had a lot of time to get their heads around being flexible as a group" Aaron Finch

While the top order and his bowling attack were impressive throughout the three-match series, Finch could be forgiven for having concerns over Australia's faltering middle order. The No. 4-6 positions have been the most vulnerable across their recent run of T20Is, with dominant top-order performances against Pakistan and Sri Lanka at home allowing scant opportunities, and the weakness was again exposed during this series.

Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade and Alex Carey managed only 121 runs between them in nine innings over the three games, but Finch suggested he was keen to give them further opportunities ahead of the T20 World Cup, even with Glenn Maxwell set to return from injury.

"Our middle order is all really flexible, and they've had a lot of time to get their heads around being flexible as a group," Finch said. "We're always really reluctant to change a winning formula. Obviously with Maxi recovering from injury at the moment, that's probably one of those spots there.

"But regardless of who's available and who's not, the guys who continually do the job for the side will keep getting opportunities, and we've made no secret about that. The winning formula is generally a pretty good one, you don't want to mess with that too much.

"The more games that that middle order in particular can play together - they haven't played a huge amount of T20 cricket together. I know Wadey and Smithy have played a fair bit of Test cricket together and one-day cricket over the years, but T20, the game's changing all the time.

"So the more they can get with Alex and Ashton Agar at seven as well, the more that they can keep playing is really important. You just start to understand each other's game a little bit more, you start to recognise patterns with people's play and the way that they're thinking. That's a really important part of going forward and winning a tournament."

It's already got to the stage where we can start to feel sorry for Quinton de Kock.

He has inherited a team on a downward spiral even as his own career is on the up. Aside from his promotion to the leadership role, de Kock has been South Africa's leading run-scorer in all four series this season, and they have failed to win them all.

He is also, for all his expressiveness while batting and his energy in the field, not naturally comfortable in front of the camera. Now, however, he is required to speak to the media every few days. He is asked questions to which he doesn't have answers, and expected to explain underperformance, of which he is not guilty.

Most of his answers have the words "not too sure" somewhere in them, usually prefaced with "to be honest with you", just in case anyone doubts the sincerity of his uncertainty. But it may not be his fault that he doesn't know why things have become as patchy as they have, with South Africa's infrequent wins interspersed with some spectacular losses.

It may be the inevitable result of a new regime finding its feet in a talent pool whose depth is unknown, and within a system that doesn't even know what the next domestic season will look like. The crises of the last few months have come home to roost and their effects are being felt most keenly in the on-field results.

"It's just another blowout," de Kock said after the T20 series was lost at Newlands. "Obviously it's not good enough doing it twice in one series. We are going to have to have a good look at ourselves and ask some honest questions."

Not just of themselves. Questions now need to be asked of those in charge of Cricket South Africa in the last few years, who lost the confidence of players including Vernon Philander, the first to say he retired prematurely because he didn't think the suits had anything but their own interests at heart. He would not be the only one. South Africa have lost a generation of players in the last 18 months, many a year or two before their time. In that, they have lost experience and it means that the national side now finds itself "trying to give guys some sort of opportunity", as de Kock put it, whether or not they are ready.

"Most of de Kock's answers have the words "not too sure" somewhere in them, usually prefaced with "to be honest with you", just in case anyone doubts the sincerity of his uncertainty"

Since touring India in September last year, South Africa have had nine Test debutants, three new ODI caps, and four maiden T20 internationals which speaks to how far and wide they have spread the net. The trouble is that they have not caught much. Only Rassie van der Dussen, who was part of the white-ball set-ups last summer but made his Test debut against England, has shown the consistency to merit a regular place. That means South Africa's batting line-up, especially in the shorter formats, is a revolving door of experimentation. In T20s, nothing beyond the top two is set.

Though Faf du Plessis has returned in a senior-player capacity, David Miller has not stepped up, Jon-Jon Smuts has not been given a proper run, Temba Bavuma and Heinrich Klaasen's were interrupted by injury and Pite van Biljon has not had a platform to build on. They have come unstuck against spin in stunning fashion, losing 13 wickets to Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar at 9.62 in this series and de Kock can't say exactly why.

"I don't think it's a technical thing. It can boil down to situations in the game. Or it could also be a confidence thing, I am not sure," he said. "I am not in the other batsmen's minds. We've got some really good players of spin. But in saying that their two spinners bowled really well. They didn't give much away."

ALSO READ: Finch hails Warner and Smith after Cape Town return ends in triumph

Aaron Finch suggested that scoreboard pressure - South Africa were chasing scores close to 200 in both Johannesburg and Cape Town - had something to do with his spinners' success. He also indicated the surfaces, which slowed and gripped as innings went on, could have contributed but for de Kock, there's only the disappointment of watching his line-up implode after they spoke about the opposite.

"When we chatted yesterday we had an honest conversation about fighting back," he said. "We know they are a really strong team. When they are on top, they are hard to stop. We spoke about not giving them a sniff. They got a sniff and rode the wave."

That summing-up could also apply to the bowling, which conceded 75 runs in the Powerplay at 114 in the first 10 overs. They escaped much of the post-series analysis apart from questions about why South Africa again chose to bench Dale Steyn, their most experienced quick. At least there, de Kock had an answer. "After Anrich's performance, thought he deserved another chance," de Kock said, referring to Nortje's last-over heroics in Port Elizabeth. "We all know what Dale can do."

So maybe South Africa are happy to sacrifice results for finding out what other players can do as they build towards the T20 World Cup but that still doesn't put de Kock in an easy position. He still has to lead the team and he still has to front up and answer for how they perform. Is it already becoming too much?

"I am still taking it in my stride," he said, and then like a real leader, accepted the responsibility for turning things around. "I am still learning. There's a lot of things that I didn't see when I was just a normal player. Now I am seeing things and learning about the game and the thinking behind decisions. I am asking a lot of advice from Faf. I hope I can get better and put the results on the board."

Unlike du Plessis, de Kock has not been rested from the next rubber, a three-match ODI series against Australia that starts on Saturday, when he will hope things can start to turn around.

Washington Redskins coach Ron Rivera remains excited about quarterback Dwayne Haskins and continues to mention the plan they have to develop him. That won't stop Rivera from looking around, however, as the Redskins plan to host quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Joe Burrow in pre-draft visits. Just in case.

Rivera told reporters at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday that hosting those two quarterbacks goes beyond doing due diligence.

"Everything is an option," Rivera said. "We're not closing the door on anything."

The Redskins drafted Haskins in the first round last April, but that was a different regime. Ever since he was hired on Dec. 30, Rivera has been consistent whenever discussing Haskins: He likes his potential but is not ready to anoint him as the starter for 2020.

However, a key part of Rivera's interviews, both with owner Dan Snyder and prospective coaches, was about having a plan to develop Haskins. Rivera pointed out that new offensive coordinator Scott Turner was with Carolina as an offensive quality control coach when the Panthers drafted Cam Newton in 2011. Turner also was with Teddy Bridgewater after he was drafted with Minnesota, and new quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese was with Cleveland when it picked Baker Mayfield.

But that doesn't mean they won't do their homework on quarterbacks in the draft. They could be bringing them in to create a smokescreen -- and perhaps increase the value of the No. 2 overall pick. If teams don't feel the Redskins would take a quarterback, they might be more inclined to try to trade up to No. 3.

The team also wants to interview them to get a feel for how other teams might perceive them after their own meetings. That could help them realize what they might be able to get if they traded back. Or they could end up having legitimate interest.

"We have to go through this process," Rivera said. "You don't know what's going to happen in front of you. You don't know what's going to happen with you. We're going to prepare and get ourselves ready."

He also said they would meet with defensive end Chase Young and others expected to go high in the draft.

Alex Smith is the only other quarterback on the Redskins' roster, and there is still question about whether he will return from his compound fracture of the right leg. Rivera wants more competition for Haskins -- someone, he said, who can challenge him.

But even while meeting with other quarterbacks and possibly seeking another veteran as competition, Rivera remains upbeat about Haskins.

"We have a very good young player," Rivera said. "The more I learn about him, it puts us in a pretty good spot. I'm excited about him. One thing I have seen is his commitment. He's been around a lot. I walk by the weight room, there he is. I walk by the locker room, there he is. That's a sign of a young man learning that he needs to be around."

Haskins played nine games as a rookie, starting seven. He finished with a Total QBR of 26.4 -- but it was 73.0 in his last two games. In those two outings -- losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants -- Haskins threw for a combined 394 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

But the game that stood out to Rivera was a 19-16 win over the Detroit Lions. Rivera wasn't focused on the stats -- 13-for-29 for 156 yards with an interception -- or the fact that Haskins took a selfie in the stands with a fan while the offense was in victory formation. What he liked is that Haskins led two late field goal drives in a comeback win.

"Very calm, very calculated," Rivera said. "He showed his poise and showed his leadership. ... He has that type of potential, but he has to grow into that."

ESPN's David Newton contributed to this report.

Heat star Jimmy Butler is available to play Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing Miami's past two games for personal reasons.

Butler didn't travel with the team for Monday night's game. He also didn't play Saturday night when the Heat routed the Cavaliers 124-105 in Miami.

Butler, who leads the Heat in scoring, played in the All-Star Game and scored 17 points in Miami's first game after the All-Star break against Atlanta.

The 6-foot-7 guard/forward is averaging 20.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 47 games.

Miami is 36-21 and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Wednesday's matchup with Minnesota marks the beginning of a five-game homestand for the Heat.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.