SALISBURY, N.C. — StarCom Racing has partnered with Units Moving and Portable Storage and returning sponsor SeaDek Marine Products for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

Units Moving and Portable Storage and SeaDek Marine Products will serve as co-primary sponsors of the No. 00 Chevrolet driven by Landon Cassill during the First Data 500 at Martinsville.

“As a race team, we work hard to put our best product possible on the track each week, so partnering with companies, such as SeaDek and Units who produce quality products aligns with our team’s core values,” said Matthew Kohler, StarCom Racing president.

Units Moving and Portable Storage, establish in 2004 by Michael McAlhany, offers high-quality constructed containers featuring barn-style doors and all-steel construction. The container is clean, weather-resistant, spacious and available in 12-ft and 16-ft. lengths.

“Units Moving and Portable Storage greatly feels partnering with Star Com Racing, is a great fit for both companies,” said Wade Malloch, corporate ops manager. “We are highly competitive in what we do, and to be the best, and strive on success.”

“We’re really excited to be partnering with StarCom Racing. There is so much crossover between the NASCAR and marine industry audiences and this just seems like a natural combination. Hopefully this is the first of many collaborations,” said Jason Gardner, VP of Marketing at SeaDek Marine Products.

INDIANAPOLIS – Team officials have formally unveiled the Arrow McLaren SP brand.

The name Arrow McLaren SP marks a new chapter for the team following the partnership between McLaren Racing and Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in the NTT IndyCar Series. Arrow Electronics will also remain with the team as the title partner.

The team was originally founded by Sam Schmidt 14 months after suffering serious injuries in a testing accident. The team’s first season came in 2001 under the Sam Schmidt Motorsports name. The team scored multiple victories and seven Indy Lights championships.

Ric Peterson joined the team in 2013 as co-owner, with the program advancing to the IndyCar Series level. The team has since scored seven victories and 28 podiums in the NTT IndyCar Series.

In August it was announced that McLaren Racing would return to IndyCar competition through a partnership with Arrow Schmidt Peterson, directly leading to the rebranding of the team as Arrow McLaren SP.

McLaren was founded by racer, designer and engineer Bruce McLaren in the 1960s and has gone on to be one of the most successful motor racing brands in history. McLaren has won eight Formula One Constructors’ Championships and 12 Formula One Drivers’ Championships.

The team has not yet announced drivers for the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season. Marcus Ericsson, who has signed with Chip Ganassi Racing for 2020, and James Hinchcliffe drove for the team this year.

TORRANCE, Calif. – After making his SCORE Baja 1,000 debut last year, NTT IndyCar Series regular Alexander Rossi will return to the legendary desert off-road event on Nov. 19-24.

Rossi, who made headlines when he had a near-miss with a passenger vehicle on the race course, will drive the Baja Ridgeline Race Truck as part of the Honda Off-Road Racing Team.

An off-road rookie at last year’s running of the legendary race, Rossi quickly adapted to the demands of desert racing, which saw the Jeff Proctor-led Honda Off-Road Racing Team post a second-place Class 7 finish, the fourth consecutive first- or second-place result for the Ridgeline Baja Race Truck at the Baja 1,000.

“I am more than excited to get back in this Honda Ridgeline off-road truck for the Baja 1000,” Rossi said. “It’s safe to say I decided last year, within five minutes of testing the Ridgeline for the first time, that I was going to do this again.”

Rossi is a seven-time NTT IndyCar Series race winner, including the historic 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016. For his second Baja 1,000, he will again share driving duties with team owner/driver Proctor and Baja veteran Pat Dailey, with each driver covering approximately one third of the nearly 800-mile loop course, which will start and end in Ensenada, Mexico.

Proctor won his class in the Baja 1000 in both 2015 and 2016 with the Ridgeline, finished second in class in 2017 and 2018; and won the companion SCORE Baja 500 race both in 2016, 2018 and again earlier this year. The Ridgeline competes in Class 7, for unlimited six-cylinder production-appearing trucks and SUVs.

“We are stoked to have Alexander back racing with us in Mexico for his sophomore attempt at this iconic off-road race,” Proctor said. “This year’s 52nd annual Baja 1000 course covers ALL of the toughest terrain and areas in Baja Norte….as always, it will be tough. Alex is one of the brightest motorsports minds I’ve worked with, and he is a great asset to our team.”

Rossi is the sixth Indianapolis 500 winner to take part in the Baja 1,000. Other Indy winners who have raced in the SCORE Baja 1,000 include Parnelli Jones, a two-time race winner (1971, ’72); fellow Honda IndyCar Series driver and Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay; Rick Mears, Danny Sullivan and Buddy Rice. Indy car season champions who have raced in the Baja 1,000 include Mears, Hunter-Reay, Sebastien Bourdais, Jimmy Vasser and Paul Tracy.

“The Honda off-road guys and my co-driver/navigator Evan Weller make it so easy for me to just jump right in and go to work,” Rossi said. “I can’t wait to share the seat with Jeff [Proctor] and Pat [Dailey] once again, and hopefully, bring home a win.” The Honda Off-Road Racing Team has had an outstanding 2019 season, including class wins for the Baja Ridgeline Race Truck at the Parker 425, the Mint 400 and the Baja 500; where the team successfully debuted the second-generation “TSCO” chassis; and a second-place Class 7 finish at the Vegas-to-Reno event.

Namibia 181 for 5 (Erasmus 52*, Baard 51) beat Kenya 94 (Patel 30, Scholtz 4-12, Smit 3-19) by 87 runs

After starting off the tournament with two lopsided loss to Netherlands and Papua New Guinea, Namibia are now red-hot after steamrolling Kenya by 87 runs for their third straight win to control their own destiny for one of Group A's four playoff spots. Stephan Baard and Gerhard Erasmus scored half-centuries at the front and back of the first innings before left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz produced the tournament's best haul of 4 for 12 to decimate Kenya in their chase. A win over Singapore in their final group match will guarantee Namibia a spot in the playoffs.

Namibia chose to bat first after winning the toss and were kept to a reasonably modest total in the first 10 overs, reaching 75 for 1. Niko Davin fell in the second over, slicing a thick edge to short third man off Shem Ngoche's left-arm spin. But Baard and JP Kotze rebuilt with a 63-run stand to steady course after the early loss. Baard scored five boundaries in an eight-ball stretch from the fourth to the sixth overs, punishing the width routinely on offer.

Kotze was sluggish at the other end, doing what he could to rotate the strike and give Baard support. He finally fell for 24 in the 11th trying to slog Sachin Bhudia's medium pace with the keeper up to the stumps. The wicket sparked a brief collapse for Namibia with poor running accounting for two of the next three wickets in the sequence. Zane Green ran himself out after freezing amidst an lbw shout from Rakep Patel as Aman Gandhi underhanded into the striker's stumps from short third man. Baard fell for 51 in the next over, flicking Collins Obuya to short fine leg. JJ Smit was then run out in the 16th from short third man again as he hesitated on a call from Gerhard Erasmus at the non-striker's end to make it 108 for 5 with 32 balls left.

But Erasmus and Craig Williams scored 73 through the rest of the innings, including 57 off the last three overs. Erasmus was brutal over the leg side, particularly in the final over bowled by Elijah Otieno. The medium pacer had already overstepped twice in his opening over but paid the price for a third no ball in the 20th, over waist height this time, as Erasmus clobbered him over the largest boundary on the east side for six in a 25-run frame to move to 49. A three off the final ball took him to a 25-ball half-century and left Kenya deflated heading into the break.

Kenya's chase started poorly when Irfan Karim took on Gerhard Erasmus at midwicket and was sent back by Aman Gandhi as the relay to the keeper beat him by three yards to make it 7 for 1 in two. Christi Viljoen bounced out Dhiren Gondaria, claiming a top-edge charging in his follow-through to make it 28 for 2.

Scholtz then entered in the 7th and struck once each in his four overs bowled unbroken. Jasraj Kundi was defeated charging down the wicket and bowled leg stump for 2. Gandhi fell in carbon copy fashion to Kundi for 22. Obuya drove to long-on in the 11th before Ngoche fell in the 13th leg before to a missed sweep. By the time

his spell was done, it was 53 for 6 and the rest of the innings petered out. Smit came back to clean up the tail with three late wickets as Kenya failed to last their 20 overs. At 2-3 after five matches, they need to beat group leaders Papua New Guinea in their final match to have any hope of advancing to the playoffs.

The West Indies men's team is set to play 11 Test matches - all part of the World Test Championship - 20 ODIs and 36 T20Is at home over the next three years. It all begins with Ireland's arrival in January 2020, and continues with tours by New Zealand and South Africa.

The women's team, meanwhile, will focus on one-day cricket next year, playing 15 matches at home and away to prepare for the next 50-over World Cup in 2021.

On Friday, Cricket West Indies announced their home fixtures for the next three years, starting from January 2020 to August 2022. That period will feature the return of Windsor Park, the ground in Dominica that was damaged during Hurricane Maria - New Zealand are scheduled to play an ODI and a T20I there in July.

Pending ICC approval, the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad is set to become the region's newest international venue having hosted several Caribbean Premier League matches including the final earlier this month. Sri Lanka are set to play a T20I there in March 2021.

Arnos Vale in St Vincent also gets a look in having last hosted West Indies in 2014. Australia are penciled in to play back-to-back T20Is in June 2021 while the Trelawney multi-purpose facility in Jamaica is set to welcome Pakistan in July 2021.

The South Africa series next July features five T20Is in the lead up to the World Cup in Australia in October. Two of those matches will take place in Florida.

CWI said a more comprehensive schedule would be released at a later date but that their focus was on taking cricket to as many places as possible. "Not only does this provide a full calendar of international fixtures which allows us to better plan and schedule our cricket, but it allows everyone who supports and loves cricket to know when the next big game or tournament is coming," said Johnny Grave, the board's CEO.

West Indies Men's schedule for 2020

Ireland in West Indies

January 4: 50-over warm-up match - Three Ws Oval, Barbados
January 7: 1st ODI - Kensington Oval, Barbados
January 9: 2nd ODI - Kensington Oval, Barbados
January 12: 3rd ODI - Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
January 15: 1st T20I - Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
January 18: 2nd T20I - Warner Park, St Kitts
January 19: 3rd T20I - Warner Park, St Kitts

West Indies in England (Wisden Trophy)

June 4-8: 1st Test - The Oval, London
June 12-16: 2nd Test - Edgbaston, Birmingham
June 25-29: 3rd Test - Lords, London

New Zealand in West Indies

July 8: 1st ODI - Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua
July 10: 2nd ODI - Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua
July 13: 3rd ODI - Windsor Park, Dominica
July 15: 1st T20I - Windsor Park, Dominica
July 18: 2nd T20I - Guyana National Stadium, Guyana
July 19: 3rd T20I - Guyana National Stadium, Guyana

South Africa in West Indies

July 15-19: Warm-up match - Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
July 23-27: 1st Test - Queen's Park Oval, Trinidad
July 31 to August 4: 2nd Test - Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia
August 8: 1st T20I - Broward County Stadium, USA
August 9: 2nd T20I - Broward County Stadium, USA
August 12: 3rd T20I - Sabina Park, Jamaica
August 15: 4th T20I - Sabina Park, Jamaica
August 16: 5th T20I - Sabina Park, Jamaica

Faf du Plessis has called on Cricket South Africa (CSA) to finalise the team director and director of cricket positions as quickly as possible in order to allow the national team to put long-term plans in place.

South Africa currently have Enoch Nkwe serving as interim team director and Corrie van Zylas interim director of cricket. They picked the squad for the recent tour of India, which ended with a 0-3 Test-match whitewash.

"It is is a massive red flag," du Plessis said upon his return from from leading the team in that series. "An interim coach, interim director - it needs to be resolved as soon as possible. We need to make decisions that influence the team positively, but also from a point of view that you have trust in people coming to work for more than just a month. [At the moment], the coach can't hire someone for a month because, in two months' time, someone might decide something completely different. The most important thing right now is clarity and someone needs to make decisions."

Du Plessis' request comes after CSA announced a massive restructure of the way the men's team will function. Instead of the traditional head coach and assistant roles, South Africa will now have a team director, who reports to a director of cricket who will oversee all national cricket structures, and will have the freedom to choose his own support staff. A selection convenor will also be appointed.

Van Zyl, who has worked in CSA's High Performance structures for several years, explained that the positions should be filled soon. "What is happening at the moment is that the director of cricket role has been advertised. Next Thursday, the applications close. The idea is to get that done as soon as possible With that, we also need to get the convener of selection done. The convener of selection was advertised a while ago. That decision will be made shortly by CSA. The two roles will be announced more or less the same time."

While there has been little information about potential candidates for the various jobs on offer, van Zyl confirmed that he intends to apply for the director of cricket role in the coming days. "I haven't put in my CV for director of cricket, but yes, I am going to."

ESPNcricinfo understands that Linda Zondi, who was removed as convener of selectors after the 2019 World Cup, has applied to get his old job back.

Meanwhile, Nkwe, who has been promoted to the team director role after just one season as a franchise head coach, also indicated he is interested in taking on the role permanently. Asked if he thinks he is the right man for the job, Nkwe said, "I believe I am, especially, now that I have had this experience [India tour] and seen what areas need to be addressed. The last two months has helped me as a coach to grow to new levels. I strongly believe I am in the right position to do that."

The results, especially the Test series which South Africa lost 0-3, do not seem to agree with Nkwe but CSA made it plain before the tour that they would not judge him on the outcomes of one tour. At the time, van Zyl said it would be "very unfair". Instead, he suggested CSA would play the long game and appoint someone who could help the team succeed in both the ODI league which begins in 2020 and leads up to the 2023 World Cup, and the two T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021.

With "two ICC events in the subcontinent," Nkwe understood how important it is for South Africa to find the right personnel, including management. Though he would like to be that person, he gave an assurance that if he isn't, he will try to contribute in other ways. "I strongly believe I am the right person but that's not my decision. If I end up not being the person, then I will go back into the [domestic] system, and help improve the system in a different way," Nkwe said.

For now, despite what du Plessis described as a period of uncertainty and which van Zyl acknowledged could have created confusion over the structures, van Zyl and Nkwe are operating as though they are the people that will take South African cricket forward.

"The interim roles isn't the best way we could have done it. But, given the situation after the World Cup, it's the best we could have done," van Zyl said. "We need to start planning for the England tour and we need to act as if we are in those positions. If it changes, it changes and we have got no control over that."

Newly appointed Pakistan T20 captain Babar Azam dismissed concerns that captaincy would add unwelcome pressure on his young shoulders, and said he was confident of being able to handle the challenge. On the eve of the team's departure for Australia in what will be the first tour of the post the Sarfaraz Ahmed era, Babar said Pakistan wouldn't play the kind of cricket they had in Lahore against Sri Lanka. The focus, he promised, would be on aggressive, positive cricket, which the 24-year old believed was his side's best chance to overcome Australia.

"People judged in three matches [against Sri Lanka] that my performance suffered because I was vice-captain," Babar said. "That's not how it works. In the game of cricket, you have ups and downs, and that was a poor series for us, no question. I give 120% for the team in every single match, and I don't see why there would be any added pressure on me just because I'm captain. I'll continue to play as I always have, and I'm sure the performances will come.

"Moreover, I'm not just thinking I'll be happy to play regardless of the results. I'm looking to get a performance out of my team, as well as my individual performances. I look at current captains like Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli, and how well they manage their own form along with bringing results to the team. I'll try to emulate them."

Babar also confirmed he would continue to open the batting in the T20Is, also revealing he wished to see a policy that allowed out-of-form players to get extended runs so as not to have the spectre of demotion hanging above their heads. It was a vote of confidence for Fakhar Zaman, who has had a difficult time of late, especially in the T20I format, where he last scored over 25 in an innings in July 2018.

"There are players in our team who have continued to perform. I don't think they should be kicked out of the side just because they haven't been able to hit those heights for four or five games. We should back them. If you look at Fakhar Zaman's innings in the T20 Cup against my side [he scored an unbeaten 82 off 54 to help KP beat Central Punjab by 7 wickets], you can see he's beginning to return to form. You could see the improvement in Shabab's bowling, too.

"These guys know better than anyone they haven't been able to deliver at the level that's expected of them, but you can see they are returning to form. Fakhar and I will open, and Imam-ul-Haq will be the back-up opener, and I'm sure he'll be ready to take over when necessary."

On the day, however, Babar was more willing to strike an emotive tone rather than a pragmatic one. He began the press conference with a statement about how he first came to the Gaddafi Stadium 12 years ago as a ball-boy during South Africa's tour of Pakistan in 2007, and how grateful he was to be sat there leading the side out to Australia as captain. Candid displays of emotion haven't ever sat too comfortably with Pakistan cricket viewers, but Babar didn't shy away from admitting there had been tears along the journey.

"There have been many difficult times that reduced me to tears. My late coach - may god bless him - always used to say cricket is a game that makes you cry much more often than it lets you smile. A lots happened in these 12 years, and I have learned many things along the way. But I've never given up, never lost hope or the belief my hard work would pay off."

Babar may well feel he's entitled to a smile now. If recent history is any guide, opportunities to do so in Australia have been at a premium for Pakistan.