DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The final piece of the 2020 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Series schedule has now been confirmed.

Already released in August at IMSA’s State of the Series Address, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series will be in its eighth campaign in 2020. The season will once again start at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama on the first weekend of April, followed by a return to Watkins Glen Int’l in Western New York at the end of June.

In July, Super Trofeo North America will make its first visit to Canada as part of the annual Streets of Toronto weekend. The series will return to Virginia Int’l Raceway in late August and will run there as it has since 2013.

The final races of the season in North America will take place at California’s WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in September.

The final piece of the schedule is a first-time host for the final rounds, in addition to the World Final, and should be on everyone’s schedule for 2020.

Those will take place on Oct. 29-Nov. 1, 2020 and be held at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, near the town of Misano Adriatico in Italy, for the first time.

The race format remains unchanged for 2020 as each will consist of two, 50-minutes races per weekend with a rolling start, mandatory pit stops, and crews divided into four categories (Pro, Pro-Am, Am and Lamborghini Cup).

In the Pro category for the first time, a single driver will be allowed.

Darren Bravo was dropped from West Indies' squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, but former fast bowler and current commentator Michael Holding believes the left-hand batsman is "too talented to be left out".

ALSO READ - West Indies selector Roger Harper backs Bravo to return to Test side

Holding's endorsement comes after chief selector Roger Harper also backed Bravo to return to the side.

"I would tell him to find something that works. If he has a technical problem - and I don't know if that is the case - I would tell him to find someone and get it sorted," Holding said on the Line & Length podcast this week. "If it's just a matter of going through a bad rut and you don't know exactly what the problem is, again find someone who is highly qualified and skilful enough to look at you and suggest something that may be going wrong and try and get it sorted."

Bravo still has a central contract, having been awarded an all-format deal in July.

"Him being out of the team, I hope he will not take it personally and won't be upset," Holding added. "I just read that Jonny Bairstow was left out of the England team, and I also read that the chairman of the selectors and another selector actually went to visit him and sat down and talked to him. I hope that they will do the same thing for Darren Bravo. He is too skillful and talented a player to just be washed up on the shore. He is too talented to be left out."

Holding also advocated West Indies going back to their traditional strength of fast bowling, and supporting upcoming pace bowlers by preparing pitches accordingly. He cited India's example, and their recent stock of pace bowling riches, to emphasize his point.

"I would hope that the pitches in the Caribbean will be prepared to encourage fast bowlers," Holding said. "Because if you don't have pitches that encourage fast bowlers, you're going to struggle. Look at India. They have started prepare different pitches over the last six-seven years, and they've started to produce a lot of fast bowlers. And they are now winning series away from home. That is what you need.

"Look at the quickest pitches renowned in the Caribbean - Jamaica and Barbados. Where have most of the Caribbean fast bowlers come from? Jamaica and Barbados. In recent times, a few more have been coming out of Antigua. But Trinidad have not produced a lot. Ian Bishop definitely would have been a great but for injury. Colin Croft was from Guyana. But those flat pitches that don't encourage people to run in and work hard, will not produce fast bowlers. So one would hope that pitches that have good pace and bounce will be prepared in that manner so that we can encourage our youngsters to bowl fast."

Keeping the best prospects home is always paramount for college programs.

On Friday, the No. 2-ranked prospect in the ESPN 300 announced he will be staying in his home state of North Carolina.

Five-star defensive end Desmond Evans committed to North Carolina over Florida, South Carolina and Virginia Tech in front of his classmates at the Lee County High (N.C.) homecoming prep rally.

The 6-foot-6, 235-pound elite edge pass-rushing prospect had been the top target on the Tar Heels' board since the hire of Mack Brown, and Brown, along with Tim Brewster and defensive line coach Tim Cross, built a great relationship with Evans, his family and the Lee County High staff.

Lee County head coach Steve Burdeau said the Tar Heels are getting a special prospect.

"The intangibles are what is special aside from the height, weight and athletic ability," Burdeau said Friday morning. "How hard he plays from the snap to the whistle is what really sets him apart from some others." Those intangibles were on full display in the locker room as Evans navigated a difficult process.

"He did a great job weighing his options," Burdeau said. "He had a bunch of offers and remained humble throughout this thing. He never became a distraction with the team or in the locker room." Evans becomes the highest-ranked prospect to pick North Carolina in the 15 years ESPN has ranked prospects. Marvin Austin, in the 2007 class, is the only other top-10 prospect to pick the Tar Heels. Evans is also just the third prospect ranked in the top 25 to select North Carolina, joining Austin and Greg Little, No. 22 in the 2007 class.

The Tar Heels had the No. 19-ranked class prior to Evans' verbal and now have 23 commitments, including ESPN 300 prospects Evans, defensive end Myles Murphy (No. 69), quarterback Jacolby Criswell (No. 243), defensive end Kedrick Bingley-Jones (No. 245), safety Ja'Qurious Conley (No. 250) and athlete Josh Downs (No. 278). The Tar Heels' class now also has seven ESPN four-star prospects and one five-star.

Brown and staff have built an elite defensive line class in the 2020 cycle with Evans, Murphy, Bingley-Jones, defensive tackle Clyde Pinder and ends AJ Beatty and Kaimon Rucker behind the work of Cross.

North Carolina is also winning key battles inside the state lines. With the state's top-ranked prospect now on board, the Tar Heels have two of the top three, and seven of the top 16 committed, and might not be finished. North Carolina continues to pursue ESPN 300 linebacker and Auburn verbal Trenton Simpson, four-star safety Malcolm Greene and three-star offensive tackle Cayden Baker, among others.

The highest-ranked class the Tar Heels have signed in the ESPN Recruiting era is No. 11 in 2007.

The Kansas City Chiefs received a "best-case scenario" for quarterback Patrick Mahomes after an MRI showed no damage other than a dislocated right kneecap, an NFL source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Friday.

Mahomes suffered a right patellar dislocation during the second quarter of Thursday night's 30-6 road win over the Denver Broncos, sources told ESPN. Prior to the MRI, the team believed Mahomes would miss at least three games, sources said.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid on Friday said he didn't have results of the MRI, but a source told Schefter that the results of the MRI were "good."

Reid said the evaluation of Mahomes was ongoing.

"I just know what I know: The kid had the MRI, and we don't have all the information," Reid said. "That is what I can give you. I am trying to tell you what is real. Once I get all the information, we will give you everything that kind of happened and what's going on here ... the whole deal. We don't hide that."

The NFL's reigning MVP was injured during a quarterback sneak on fourth down with just over nine minutes remaining in the first half. As medical staff attended to him on the field, it appeared Mahomes' knee was straightened and popped back into place.

A cart came onto the field, apparently to take Mahomes for treatment. He was instead helped off the field by a couple of trainers. Players from both teams came by to offer encouragement.

Mahomes, 24, soon left for the locker room, walking under his own power but with a limp.

Chiefs players understood the severity of Mahomes' injury after his kneecap popped out of place.

"He was saying, 'It's out, it's out,'" guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif said. "Nobody really understood what he meant at that time, and then we saw it. ... That's when we started panicking. Not panicking, but seeing that he was not all right."

Duvernay-Tardif, a medical school graduate, said he didn't need any particular knowledge to immediately realize the seriousness of Mahomes' injury.

"Everybody could have known something was wrong," Duvernay-Tardif said.

Veteran Matt Moore, who joined the Chiefs (5-2) late in the preseason after backup Chad Henne broke his right ankle, replaced Mahomes. He threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill and completed 10 of 19 passes for 117 yards.

"He is a pro and has done a nice job," Reid said Friday of Moore. "Hard to be a relief pitcher. He has done it before. There's a certain way to prep for that. He understands that. It paid off for him.

"The best part is we didn't have to change up a lot of things. Hard thing to do is if one backup comes in and you have to change the whole offense. We didn't have to do that for him."

The Chiefs next play the visiting Green Bay Packers on Oct. 27.

"[The NFL] doesn't slow down for anyone or anything," said Reid, who coached the Philadelphia Eagles to the NFC Championship Game in 2002 after losing starting quarterback Donovan McNabb for six games late in the season. "The NFL keeps rolling, will still have games. If you are in the league and you are a player, you are expected to step up and play.

"... There's no looking back. Everything is looking forward in this league. Very seldom can you look back, and those that do are normally out of the league. When you are in it, you are only as good as your next game."

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- Dennis Rodman is pleading not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of slapping a man who was celebrating the former NBA star's birthday at a Florida bar in May.

Rodman's attorney Lorne Berkeley denied the accusation and said an investigation will exonerate the retired player.

Delray Beach Police say Jeff Soulouque attended the May 17 birthday event at the Buddha Sky Bar. They say Soulouque told an officer he was talking to someone behind the former player. An affidavit said Rodman turned around and smacked him and immediately apologized.

Soulouque said he was a little swollen the next morning and decided to press charges. The officer said he did not observe any swelling.

Berkeley pleaded not guilty Thursday in a Florida court on behalf of Rodman.

The 2019 World Series matchup could be determined Friday night, as the New York Yankees face the prospect of being eliminated from the playoffs with their third straight loss at their home park at the hands of the Houston Astros.

What's on tap

Friday's schedule

7:08 p.m. ET: Astros at Yankees, ALCS Game 5

The most important thing of the day: The Astros have a chance to secure their second World Series appearance in three years -- and knock the Yankees out of the playoffs for the third time in five years (2017 ALCS, 2015 wild-card game) -- with future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander on the mound.

The view from inside the ballpark

NEW YORK -- Game 4 of the ALCS began with a buzzing Yankee Stadium going dark for an NBA-style sizzle reel intro. Not long after, though, it was the Astros who turned out the lights. A brutal loss for the Bombers left them a loss away from being sent packing. They need to recover quickly -- or their drive home after Game 5 will be their final one this season. -- Matt Marrone

A stat to impress your friends: Carlos Correa (25 years, 25 days) became the youngest player in MLB history with 10 postseason home runs, passing Albert Pujols (25, 274). And in each of the past five postseason games that Correa has gone deep, teammate George Springer also has homered, including twice in this series (Game 2).

Predictions

The Astros are rolling. They looked comfortable against James Paxton the first time out. And they've looking increasingly comfortable against the vaunted Yankees bullpen as the series has progressed. Astros 7, Yankees 3 -- Bradford Doolittle

The Yankees have looked completely overmatched in the Bronx. They have one more shot to send the series back to Houston, but, well, it just doesn't feel very likely. Astros 6, Yankees 2 -- Marrone

About last night

Stud of the night: It's got to be Springer, whose three-run homer in the third inning put the Astros on top for good. Unless it's Correa, who matched Springer with a three-run shot to nearly the same spot in left field in the sixth for some needed insurance.

Dud of the night: It's probably not fair to single out anyone in pinstripes as the Yankees unraveled in ugly fashion late in the game, but we'll go with reliever Chad Green, who relieved Masahiro Tanaka with one on in the sixth inning and Houston leading 3-1. Seven pitches into Green's appearance, it was 6-1 Astros, thanks to the aforementioned home run by Correa.

Highlight of the night:

Off the diamond

Social media says:

If that's the last pitch we see you throw in a big league game @CC_Sabathia thank you for all the years and memories. From the dominance with the @Indians to the run with @Brewers to the leadership with the @Yankees...cheers to you. One of the best to ever do it.

— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) October 18, 2019

Quote of note: "We need to flush this immediately. We talked about it as a team, we need to get over this in a hurry and come put our best foot forward tomorrow. Stranger things have certainly happened, a lot stranger." -- Yankees manager Aaron Boone

Best of the playoffs so far

Our running postseason MVP: How good is Gerrit Cole right now? Everyone agrees he was a little off in Game 3 of the ALCS, yet he nonetheless shut out the Yankees over seven innings for a huge Astros win. For the postseason, Cole is 3-0 with a 0.40 ERA and 32 strikeouts, giving up one run, 10 hits and eight walks in 22⅔ innings. Needless to say, he's on track for one of the best postseasons ever for a starting pitcher.

The play of this October: We're going to cheat and make this plays: the back-to-back home runs by the Nationals' Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto off the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the National League Division Series. Kershaw in the wake of Soto's tying bomb could end up as the lasting image of these playoffs.

Game of the postseason so far: Nationals-Dodgers, Game 5 of the NLDS. The Dodgers ambushing Stephen Strasburg, Strasburg settling down and keeping the Nats in it, Walker Buehler's mastery, Kershaw's big strikeout before his eighth-inning implosion, Howie Kendrick's 10th-inning grand slam, questions for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. There's a lot to unpack here, and this was a true postseason classic.

NEW YORK -- In a way, we've been here before. Many times. Close-out game. Justin Verlander on the hill. It's a sensation of eternal return and it usually ends badly for the opposition.

But not always: We're 10 days removed from Verlander's last chance to close out a series. Doesn't it seem longer than that? But you remember -- Verlander got the call to start Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays on three days' rest. Which he'd never done before in full, back-to-back starts.

"He's one of the best pitchers in the world," Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch said after tabbing Verlander the night before that outing. "No more complicated than that. He's ready, and it's his game."

And you remember what happened: Verlander gave up three runs in the first inning, coughed up bombs to Tommy Pham and Willy Adames, struggled with his control with three walks and spun an ineffective slider for 3⅔ innings. He departed to a jeering Tropicana Field crowd and with the worst game score (33) of any of his postseason starts.

It was shocking to see. Verlander has as many close-out wins as anybody (four of them before that night, with a 1.15 ERA in those outings). Then you remembered the short-rest factor, which Verlander gamely refused to use as an excuse, calling such narratives "low-hanging fruit." Maybe he's right. A sample of one tells us nothing.

With a little deduction, though, we can look at Verlander's overall record in close-out games -- the four wins, the 1.15 ERA before the short-rest game -- and conclude that one thing does not look like the other. And that is very bad news for the New York Yankees, who face Verlander with their season on the line Friday in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.

"You just don't let off the gas," Verlander said before Game 4 on Thursday, an 8-3 Astros win that put the future Hall of Famer in position to close out a series for a record fifth time in his career. "You just stay focused and try to do the best you can."

Hinch has talked repeatedly during the postseason about wanting to get every series over with as quickly as possible, to play no more games than necessary to survive and advance. There are so many benefits to doing so -- rest for the relievers, the chance to line up the starting rotation, a day off to allow position players to let nagging maladies heal. The chance to allow sportswriters on the postseason beat to get some sleep and find a decent meal.

The Washington Nationals are reaping those benefits as we speak and already were by the time the Yankees and Astros took an unplanned day off Wednesday because of a rainout. The Yankees are now hoping for a long, grueling seven-game ALCS because there is no other way forward for them. It's seven games or hot stove time.

"You need to flush what's already happened in a hurry because tomorrow's too important" is the way Yankees manager Aaron Boone put it after the loss Thursday.

The Astros, on the other hand, can end things Friday. They would then have three days off before the start of the World Series. Gerrit Cole would start Game 1 with more than enough rest. (Rust angle narratives!) Verlander would be in line for Game 2, with Zack Greinke going in Game 3 at Nationals Park. In other words, even though the Astros are a couple of days behind the Nationals per the calendar, they can enter the Fall Classic on equal footing, only with a bit less rust to knock off.

But that's next week. Hinch won't even look beyond Friday, nor will his players.

"We don't want to take anything for granted," Jose Altuve said, echoing his manager. "We want to make sure we win tomorrow. We're playing against a great team."

Well, the "next game is all that matters" line has been Houston's playoff mantra for years. Obviously, it has served the Astros well. In having Verlander lined up for Game 5 -- with a familiar, normal, healthful four days of rest under his belt -- Houston could hardly be better positioned to go for the kill. Not only do the Astros have one of baseball's best big-game pitchers lined up, they have now seen the higher-leverage arms of the mighty Yankees bullpen multiple times in the series. Of course, Hinch even underplays that factor.

"Seven-game series are always going to increase familiarity as the series goes," Hinch said. "But so are they. I'm bringing Joe Smith every game, Will Harris has pitched every game, [Roberto] Osuna has pitched. They're getting their clean looks at our guys too."

So before we write off the ALCS as a fait accompli, there are three sources of consternation to consider for the neurotic Astros fan:

1. It's Yankee Stadium. Not including wild-card games, this is the 70th Yankees postseason series. Only once have they lost three straight at home to end a series, and that happened 77 years ago. In the 1942 World Series, New York dropped three straight at home against the St. Louis Cardinals to lose in five games. This year's Yankees went 57-24 at home during the regular season. Not once did a team beat them three times in a row on their own turf.

2. The Game 6 conundrum. Hinch's myopic focus on the next game means that he simply hasn't entertained discussions of what he might do if he has to pick a Game 6 starting pitcher. On Wednesday, he said that the Astros internally had not even had the discussion because there was simply too much baseball left to play before that would come into play. He and his club were pointed in one direction: winning Game 4 and Game 5, rendering the Game 6 conundrum moot.

After the Astros blasted the Yankees on Thursday, Hinch's shortsightedness is clearly paying off. But if you're a fan, well, it's hard not to peek ahead and wonder: What about Saturday?

Greinke and Verlander are out. The Astros have not used a fourth starter thus far in the postseason, and if Verlander comes through again Friday, they'll get to the World Series without having to use one. But if the Astros lose, then it becomes dicey: Does Hinch stay in kill mode and bring back Cole on three days' rest? Like Verlander, it's something Cole has never done. Then again, as great as Verlander has been, Cole just seems to keep gathering momentum. Maybe the switch in routine simply won't faze a pitcher so hot.

If not Cole, then Hinch's only other option is a dreaded bullpen game, of sorts. He does have rookie Jose Urquidy, who started for him late in the season and was often effective. Urquidy would have a short leash -- thus the bullpen-game descriptor -- and veteran Brad Peacock would be among those likely to add bulk to the bullpen formula.

One thing that winning Game 4 accomplished: No matter what, the Astros will have three wins in the books if a Game 6 takes place. That makes saving Cole for Game 7 -- on normal rest -- a more palatable option.

3. Second time through. There was some thought that Verlander's problems with the Rays were less about the short rest and more about the fact that the Rays were seeing him for the second time in a short span. Thus maybe the Yankees will fare better when facing him for the second time in less than a week.

This isn't Verlander's first rodeo, of course. He has faced the same team twice in a playoff series eight times. His ERA in the initial outings of those instances: 2.94. In the eight return engagements, Verlander's ERA actually has dropped to 2.84. Sorry, Yanks. That's who Verlander is.

"You don't want your mindset to change, whether you have a series lead or not," Verlander said. "Any game can swing on any moment and the series can swing on that moment as well. I guess you just don't let off the gas, you just stay focused and try to do the best you can."

The bottom line is that Hinch isn't concerned about any of this. He sees the end of this tunnel, the one that leads to the airport and the happy flight out of town and toward a soft landing in the 90-degree heat of Texas and three days of healing and preparation for Houston's second Fall Classic in three seasons.

"After the 27th out [of the clincher] is when I start to have immense confidence," Hinch said. "I had confidence in JV beforehand, that's why I announced that he was going to pitch Game 5. The 3-1 lead had nothing to do with it. I wasn't even really thinking about Justin. I'm not sure where he was."

Hinch might not look beyond tomorrow, but he knows he has possibly the generation's greatest elimination-game hammer rested and ready to go. He knows that if that plan falters, he gets another shot at closing it out on Saturday. All series, the Yankees have played under a looming cloud, knowing that to beat the Astros four times, you have to win a game started by Verlander or Cole.

With Houston's Game 4 win, it's no longer Verlander or Cole ... it's Verlander and Cole. That's a commanding position to be in for the Astros as they prepare for a third straight game in the hostile environment of the Bronx. It's not a bad launching pad for the penultimate step to a championship.

"I love the fact that we have JV on our side," Hinch said. "And he's going to set a tone tomorrow that hopefully leads us to the World Series."

Defending champion hopes to become a two-time winner like her mother, Liz McColgan, while Chris Thompson targets a record fourth title in Portsmouth

As she heads into Sunday’s Simplyhealth Great South Run feeling in her best ever shape, Eilish McColgan hopes to emulate her mum and coach, 1991 world 10,000m champion Liz, and become a two-time winner, while the 28-year-old also has an eye on her mum’s Scottish record.

Liz clocked 52:00 in the Portsmouth 10-miler in 1997 to secure a second win after her first in 1995, with Eilish having run 54:43 to claim victory last year in her longest ever race.

A number of other fine performances have followed and the world finalist, who improved her own Scottish 5000m record with a time of 14:46.17 to place 10th in Doha just two weeks ago, hopes to cap a successful year by retaining her 10-mile title at the 30th edition of the famous race on the south coast.

“Last year I was so nervous about it because I didn’t know what to expect from the race, the distance – it was so far out of my comfort zone. This year I feel so much more confident knowing exactly what to expect from the race and from myself,” says Eilish.

“Training has been going really, really well. I’m a little bit gutted the season is coming to an end, to be honest, because I’m in by far the best shape of my life so I want to make the most of it. It would be nice to end the season on a high.

“It’s insane,” she adds, on the prospect of emulating her mum. “When I look at my mum’s achievements, certainly on the road, it’s cool to feel like I’m going round and doing the same races as her.

“I’d love to run a fast time here. I feel like I’m in good shape, there’s no reason why not. If the weather permits me, if there’s not a big breeze on that final two-mile stretch, I feel confident that I can maybe get close to my mum’s time, maybe even break it. That would be a huge goal for me.”

Another former winner joining Eilish on the start line on Sunday will be 2017 champion Gemma Steel, who warmed up for the Portsmouth event by winning the Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run 10km at the end of last month.

Aly Dixon has also experienced recent success, having broken two world records in the space of eight days, and she drops down in distance to race over 10 miles.

First the Olympic marathoner won the world 50km title in a record time of 3:07:20 on her ultra running debut and then she broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest superhero to run a half-marathon, clocking 78:26 at the Simplyhealth Great North Run when dressed as Wonder Woman.

Joining the trio in a domestic elite women’s field will be the likes of Cardiff’s Jenny Nesbitt, who races over the distance for the first time following recent podium finishes at the Cardiff and Swansea Bay 10km races and Cardiff Cross Challenge, plus Winchester’s Louise Damen, Bedford’s Rebecca Murray and Swansea’s Verity Ockenden.

The defending men’s champion also returns, with Chris Thompson looking for a record-extending fourth victory after becoming the first athlete to win the race three consecutive times last year.

The 2010 European 10,000m silver medallist enjoyed an impressive return to form in 2018 after years of injury struggles and his third win in Portsmouth in 46:56 was an official 10-mile PB (though he has gone quicker during a half-marathon) despite the 38-year-old having been in heavy training for the TCS New York City Marathon.

After a win at the Great East Run half-marathon and a seventh-place finish at the Great Scottish Run last month, Thompson will again look to see off the challenge of his club-mate Andy Vernon, who had to settle for second place when the two athletes battled in Portsmouth 12 months ago.

Vernon had also been working towards a marathon then, with a debut in London in his sights, but he was forced to withdraw due to injury.

This weekend he is set to return to racing for the first time since the Great Manchester Run and London 10,000 in May as he works towards a debut 26.2-miler in New York.

The pair are joined in the largely domestic elite men’s field by Ben Connor and Marc Scott who, like McColgan, were both representing GB in the 5000m at the IAAF World Championships in Qatar.

British 10,000m champion Connor was third at the 2017 Great South Run, when he set his PB of 48:36, while Scott races the distance for the first time after strong recent performances to win at the Cardiff Cross Challenge and clocking the quickest leg at the English National Road Relays.

The field also features Olympic marathoner Scott Overall and 2017 English National and Inter-Counties cross country runner-up Alex Teuten, who makes a trip along the coast with his Southampton club-mate Mahamed Mahamed, plus European under-23 10,000m bronze medallist Emile Cairess, who is said to be targeting the British under-23 10-mile record of 47:50.

Entries for the 30th edition of the event have sold out, with more than 20,000 runners taking to the start line on Clarence Esplanade across the weekend, with a 5km race and junior events also being held.

DINWIDDIE, Va. – The 2020 Professional Drag Racers Ass’n schedule features new stops at Summit Motorsports Park and Maple Grove Raceway, in addition to four returning venues.

The eight-weekend schedule was revealed to drivers and teams during the pre-race driver’s meeting at the PDRA World Finals presented by Pro Line Racing and $hameless Racing at Virginia Motorsports Park on Friday morning.

The most noteworthy changes to the PDRA schedule are the new stops at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, June 11-13; and Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., Aug. 20-22.

“The PDRA is the premier place to race for over 10 categories of drag racing,” said Tyler Crossnoe, race director for PDRA. “While we pride ourselves on having the best racers, they have to have a platform to perform on. Adding national-event caliber facilities like Summit Motorsports Park and Maple Grove Raceway really put a staple on the PDRA calendar with two more strong tracks to go along with our other returning stops.”

PDRA racers are familiar with the rest of the tracks on the 2020 schedule, as the series has contested races – twice a year in some cases – at the four facilities for the last few years.

The season will kick off at GALOT Motorsports Park in Benson, N.C., April 2-4. The popular track will also host the penultimate race of the season Oct. 8-10.

Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Va., will also play host to two events, May 7-9, and the season finale Oct. 22-25.

Time-tested facilities in Maryland Int’l Raceway in Budds Creek, Md., July 16-18; and Darlington Dragway in Hartsville, S.C., Sept. 10-12; round out the eight-race schedule.

“One of the most important pieces to the puzzle for any series is consistency,” Crossnoe said. “For the PDRA, we have tried to keep the consistency to a point, while keeping things fresh for another season. Fans and racers alike will begin to schedule their vacation time around the same weekends going forward with date and facility consistency that we hope to lock in moving into 2020 and forward.”

2020 PDRA Drag Racing Series Schedule

April 2-4 – GALOT Motorsports Park – Benson, N.C.

May 7-9 – Virginia Motorsports Park – Dinwiddie, Va.

June 11-13 – Summit Motorsports Park – Norwalk, Ohio

July 16-18 – Maryland International Raceway – Budds Creek, Md.

Aug. 20-22 – Maple Grove Raceway – Reading, Pa.

Sept. 10-12 – Darlington Dragway – Hartsville, S.C.

Oct. 8-10 – GALOT Motorsports Park – Benson, N.C.

Oct. 22-25 – Virginia Motorsports Park – Dinwiddie, Va.

LAS VEGAS — Justin Hill will join the Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda team for the upcoming Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, season.

The former Western Regional 250 Supercross champion will compete in the 450 class aboard a Honda CRF450R, joining returning team members Malcolm Stewart and Vince Friese.

“Justin has championship speed and abilities and we are excited to have a rider of his caliber join the team,” said Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda team owner Mike Genova. “While Justin has had a couple of tough years; we believe that with hard work and commitment on his part, combined with our race-proven MCR Honda, he can be a top contender in 2020.”

After winning the 2017 Western Regional Supercross Championship, Hill defended his title before moving up to the premier 450 division in 2018.

The next two years were riddled with bad luck and injuries.

“I’m really excited to be a part of the Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda team,” said Hill. “Change is good and working with this new group of guys is a breath of fresh air. The bike is amazing and I am looking forward to racing to the top this coming season.”

Hill will pilot a 2020 Honda CRF450R built by mechanic Jake Chase, but will wait to make his competition debut until the January season opener and will not compete in this weekend’s Monster Energy Cup.