TULARE, Calif. – After missing the event in 2018, Freddie Rahmer will be back in the field for the Abreu Vinyards Trophy Cup presented by Rudeen Racing next month at Thunderbowl Raceway.

The son of legendary driver Fred Rahmer, Freddie made his Trophy Cup debut in 2017, but was unable to race in last year’s event.

Rahmer will again drive the Brent Kaeding-owned, BK Racing-prepared winged 360 sprint in the three day event, which offers a purse in excess of $200,000.

The Salfordville, Pa., driver is currently second in points at Williams Grove Speedway.

The 26th annual Abreu Vineyards Trophy Cup presented by Rudeen Racing benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation and will reach the $2 million mark in donations this year.

All entry fees, raffle proceeds, and other supporting fundraising activities have been donated to the Foundation for more than 20 years.

WEST BURLINGTON, Iowa – Inclement weather was again the winner at 34 Raceway.

The Deery Brothers Summer Series event scheduled for Friday night in West Burlington has been canceled because of rain and a less than promising forecast for later in the day.

The 500th event in series history and finale for the 33rd annual tour for IMCA Late Models now moves to Davenport Speedway to headline the Iowa Governor’s Cup program on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Pit gates open at 1 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 2 p.m. Hot laps are at 4 p.m. with racing to follow.

Grandstand admission is $20 for adults, $17 for seniors and teens, and free for kids 12 and under accompanying a paid adult.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – AFT Events announced Friday that Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys will be the event sponsor for the American Flat Track finale at Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, N.J.

Also the presenting sponsor of the Roof Systems AFT Singles class, it is fitting that the Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys Meadowlands Mile will be the division’s final proving ground.

An AFT Singles champion will finally be crowned after a season-long battle between points leader Dalton Gauthier and defending champion Dan Bromley.

Founder Russ Brown was inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2013. Among his most notable achievements is the creation of BAM (Breakdown and Legal Assistance for Motorcyclists), a free nationwide volunteer program of 2.5 million motorcyclists who help other motorcyclists in their time of need.

Today, Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys is a collective of hundreds of attorneys across the country dedicated to the rights of injured motorcyclists. Riders across the nation know: If You Go Down, Call Russ Brown.

“We are very excited to welcome a devoted series partner like Russ Brown as the title sponsor of the Meadowlands Mile,” said Cameron Gray, COO of AFT Events. “We are honored to share such a thrilling finale event with such a respected member of the motorcycle industry. With the help of Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys, this season finale will surely be an unforgettable event for AFT fans.”

“Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys are the Original Attorneys that Ride®,” added Wendy Koro, Operations Manager and Director of Marketing for Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys. “Our commitment to the sport is ingrained and based on a love for all things two-wheeled. We’re thrilled to be a sponsor of the AFT Singles Class and proud to contribute our support at the Meadowlands Mile.”

Editor’s Note: Since this story was originally published in the September 2019 issue of SPEED SPORT Magazine, Charles Leclerc has won his first two Grands Prix in Formula One competition. 

Many current and former race car drivers live in Monaco. It is because the weather is nice year-round and the principality is centrally located for traveling in Europe. There is also the small matter of Monaco being a tax haven for the wealthy.

But while many of the current Formula One drivers are Monaco residents — including Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas — only one of them is a true Monaco citizen: Charles Leclerc, 21, who has been impressively fast in his second season in F-1 and his first with Ferrari.

There is another reason the drivers like to live in Monaco — when it is not the grand prix week they can pretty much go around without being constantly stopped and asked for autographs and photos.

Leclerc, of course, has become a hometown hero, and there were posters of him all over the place during the Monaco Grand Prix days.

“I think there are drivers more famous than me living in Monaco,” Leclerc said. “For sure, I’m Monegasque, so it’s a little bit different. Also in Monaco they (the people living there) are quite used to it, so all year- round they don’t stop you that much in the city.

“When it comes to grand prix time, it’s a bit harder to go around Monaco because there are a lot of fans coming for the grand prix and, obviously, they want to have pictures, etc. During the year it’s quite OK.

“It’s a city that I’ve been growing up in,” Leclerc added. “It’s a huge honor for me to be racing in these streets. It’s actually pretty weird because these are the same streets (we race on) that I’ve taken on the bus going to school when I was 5 or 6 years old. To take them in a Formula One car feels special.”

What Leclerc has noticed is that many more people recognized him after he finished third in the Bahrain Grand Prix back in March. Until then many fans had only seen him with his helmet on in the car on TV, but now that he had celebrated on the podium after the race they were able to put a face with the name.

The journey to Ferrari for Leclerc, who was born on Oct. 16, 1997, began in 2005 in karting. He won the French PACA Championship in 2005, ’06 and ’08. He moved through the karting ranks and was the French Cadet champion in 2009. Leclerc claimed the Junior Monaco Kart Cup in 2009 and then in 2011 he added the CIK-FIA KF3 World Cup, the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy and the ERDF Junior Kart Masters. He continued in karting until 2013 when he finished second to Verstappen in the CIK-FIA World KZ Championship.

Like Verstappen, Leclerc moved quickly through the car racing ranks and on up to Formula One. He competed in Formula Renault 2.0 in 2014 and the FIA Formula 3 championship in 2015. Then, in 2016, he won the GP3 championship with three victories and eight podiums. Ferrari and Haas nominated him as a junior F-1 test driver.

Seven wins and 10 podiums earned Leclerc the 2017 FIA Formula 2 championship. And he was a test driver for Ferrari and Sauber.

Click below to continue reading the story.

CONCORD, N.C. – Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell has been transported to a local hospital after complaining of abdominal pain Friday morning at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

According to a tweet posted on Front Row Motorsports’ official Twitter account, McDowell was complaining of abdominal pain and was taken to the infield medical center at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

After being examined, the decision was made to transport McDowell, 34, to a local hospital.

.@Mc_Driver visited the infield care center this morning with abdominal pain and is being transported to a hospital. We are currently working on plans for the remainder of the day.

— Front Row Motorsports (@Team_FRM) September 27, 2019

Front Row Motorsports has tabbed Austin Cindric to drive McDowell’s No. 34 on Friday while McDowell receives treatment.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams will practice from 12:05 to 12:55 p.m., followed by qualifying at 4:40 p.m. EST.

SHANGHAI – Blake Windred's second round was eight strokes worse than his first, but the 21-year-old Australian still held a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Asia-Pacific Amateur.

Windred shot 1-under 71 Friday following his opening 63 for a two-round total of 10-under 134 at Sheshan International Golf Club.

Jun Min Lee, who plays U.S. collegiate golf at Texas A&M, had a bogey-free 67, and was in second place, tied with Ren Yonezawa, who also shot 67, the best rounds of the day.

Liu Kaiwen was in fourth after his second consecutive 69, four strokes behind Windred.

"The wind often meant a half a club difference in your shots, and then it would die and you weren't sure where it was going," Lee said. "I think I coped pretty well."

Leading by two strokes after his first round, Windred, starting on the back nine, had four bogeys on Friday but again finished strongly to birdie his final two holes. On Thursday, he birdied his final four.

"That's the most pleasing thing about today," Windred said, "Hopefully that was my bad round and I ground it out quite well, so it's not really that bad. I'm still moving forward.

"The goal was basically shooting 5-under every round. So, I have a bit of work to do over the weekend, but so far, I'm on track."

Windred had bogeys on 11 and 15 to slip back to 8-under after nine holes. He dropped another shot at the par-4 first hole but had a pair of birdies to get him back level on the day.

"Morning is just a little bit of different with a little bit of that fog or whatever, but there was initially a little bit of a difference," Windred said. "I prefer the afternoon, so the back nine I felt a little more comfortable with my numbers."

He had a three-putt bogey from below the hole on the par-3 fourth and then made a par save from a near-impossible stance next to a bunker on the seventh.

Windred hit a draw off the tee over the trees on the par-5 eighth, his second-last of the day. After laying up, he birdied it from below the hole. On the ninth, his 15-foot putt hung on the edge but fell into the hole.

Imran Ali, the first player from Afghanistan to compete in the tournament, had an opening-round 96 and missed the cut. The tournament website said that Ali practices on the only golf course in his war-affected country - a nine-hole layout - but that he was working with authorities to open the first driving range.

Tonny Ramo had rounds of 99-100 to finish 55 shots over par and in last place of the 120 players.

The winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur receives an invitation to compete in next year's Masters at Augusta and the British Open, while the runner-up or other second-place finishers gets a place in final qualifying for the British Open.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Two years after winning a prestigious amateur title at St. Andrews, Matthew Jordan enjoyed more success on the famous Old Course by shooting 8-under 64 to lead the Dunhill Links Championship on Friday.

The 23-year-old led by one stroke after two rounds, with his bogey-free score at St. Andrews coming a day after shooting 6-under 66 at Kingsbarns.

Every player in the field plays 18 holes at three Scottish courses - St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns - before returning to the Old Course for the fourth and final round of the pro-am on Sunday.

That is where Jordan won the St. Andrews Links Trophy in 2017 during an impressive amateur career that ended when he turned pro in September last year. Ranked No. 292, Jordan now plays on the second-tier Challenge Tour, where he won the Italian Challenge Open in June.

None of his three closest pursuers are ranked in the top 100 in the world, either.

Matthew Southgate, ranked No. 300, shot 66 at Kingsbarns to join No. 126 Calum Hill (65 at St. Andrews) and No. 265 Joakim Lagergren (62 at Kingsbarns) in a tie for second place on 13 under overall.

Justin Rose was 8 under after nine holes at Kingsbarns, and had nine birdies and an eagle in total in his round of 64, leaving the world No. 4 in a six-way share on fifth place on 12 under.

First-round leader Justin Walters shot 1-under 71 at Carnoustie, traditionally the toughest of the three courses, and dropped into a tie for 17th on 10 under.

Rory McIlroy was 5 under after five holes, but only picked up one more birdie in shooting a bogey-free 66 at Kingsbarns. The No. 2-ranked McIlroy was at 8 under, six strokes off the lead.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has said winger Christian Pulisic "needs time to adapt" to the Premier League club.

Pulisic signed for Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund in January, but was immediately loaned back to the Bundesliga side before joining the Blues this summer.

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Speaking ahead of Chelsea's league clash with Brighton this weekend, Lampard said of the United States international: "Pulisic we forget is 21, because of the price tag.

"It is normal to have an adaptation period. He has shown some good moments this season and in preseason, but he must do it daily."

Pulisic joined Chelsea for a fee of £54 million, and has not yet scored in six appearances for the club in all competitions.

"He needs time to adapt, but we support him on that," Lampard said. "His time will come.

"A huge part of any manager's job is to sit and work with the players -- younger or older, but with younger players you want to pass on more knowledge and help them.

"Sometimes it is being tough. I try to do that as much as possible."

Lampard also provided updates on the fitness of a number of his players, saying that defender Antonio Rudiger will miss the Brighton fixture due to a groin issue, while Emerson's hamstring injury will keep him sidelined until after the international break next month.

Likewise, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is not likely to return in the immediate future.

"We can't give a date," Lampard said, "but he's outside jogging slowly.

"That's a positive move for this week. It's good to see him outside. We will see how that goes over the next weeks."

Lampard added that Andreas Christensen is expected to feature in the Chelsea squad to face Brighton, while Olivier Giroud's involvement is uncertain.

Former Chelsea player Lampard took over as manager this summer and his side have experienced mixed fortunes in the Premier League, winning two, drawing two and losing two.

They have also suffered two defeats in Europe -- one to Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup and one at home to Valencia in the Champions League -- but defeated League Two side Grimsby 7-1 in the Carabao Cup this week.

With two weekends remaining in Major League Soccer's regular season, the race for the postseason -- four playoff spots remain up for grabs -- is coming down to the wire.

All 12 games will be played on Sunday, with six Eastern Conference games kicking off at 5 p.m. ET and six from the Western Conference beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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- Schedule | Standings | Statistics

THE WEEKEND'S BIG QUESTIONS

Does San Jose have anything left?

Four losses in a row and just two wins since August have Matias Almeyda's team fighting for their playoff lives (and it doesn't help that the coach's fiery personality got him suspended for Wednesday's 2-1 loss against Philadelphia).

To reach the postseason for just the second time since 2012, San Jose needs victories, starting with Seattle's visit to Avaya Stadium on Sunday (ESPN+, 7.30 p.m. ET). This is about as big as it gets in the league this weekend, with the Sounders fighting for second in the west.

It is a test of Almeyda's managerial talents and the bigger project in San Jose, but at least the Quakes will also get a boost with Chris Wondolowski's return, though they'll miss his support as a fan.

Can Atlanta win without Martinez?

The defending champion suffered a massive and poorly timed setback when Josef Martinez went down with a knee injury in last week's win over San Jose. The Venezuelan striker's 15-game scoring streak set MLS records and lifted the Five Stripes into a challenge for first place in the Eastern Conference.

While his prognosis seems to change for the better by the day, it's unlikely he'll be able to feature before the regular season is out, and the first test for Frank de Boer's squad without him saw Atlanta thrashed 4-1 by New York City FC in a battle for first place in the east on Wednesday. The loss effectively spelled the end of Atlanta's first-place chances and, combined with Philadelphia's win at San Jose, did significant damage to the possibility of securing second.

On Sunday, Atlanta visits Montreal (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET). The Impact is technically still in the playoff hunt, but the expectation will be for United to handle its business. More than that, though, getting a victory without Martinez is important for Atlanta's confidence heading into the final weekend and the looming defence of their title.

Can LAFC make more history at bogey team Minnesota?

LAFC's march to the Supporters' Shield is complete. Bob Bradley's team pulled out of a five-game winless run on Wednesday night with a 4-1 win over Houston, prompting wild celebrations at Banc of California Stadium. LAFC's home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is also ensured.

LAFC needs four points from its final two games to set a single-season points record of 71 and visits Allianz Field to take on Minnesota United on Sunday (ESPN+, 7.30 p.m. ET). Bradley's men might be slight favourites, but don't forget that the Loons beat the Shield winners back on Sept. 1.

ONE THING THAT WILL DEFINITELY HAPPEN

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will score. It's generally a bad idea to bet against him, but that's especially true when the stakes are high. Ibrahimovic is a good bet to find the net on Sunday (ESPN+, 7.30 p.m. ET) against a Vancouver side with nothing left play for while the Galaxy strive to lock up a home playoff game.

Ibrahimovic scored one and made another in the Galaxy's win at Vancouver in April and, with 28 goals, sits two goals behind Carlos Vela for the Golden Boot with two games to play. It's on.

THE GAME YOU'RE NOT PLANNING TO WATCH ... BUT SHOULD

Colorado vs. FC Dallas (ESPN+, 7.30 p.m. ET) might not look like the most glamorous matchup, but there is intrigue under the surface for a game between two teams connected by a coach who bolted Colorado for Dallas in 2014.

Oscar Pareja is in Tijuana these days, but this one still figures to have some spice. FC Dallas are squarely in the hunt for a playoff spot with a young, exciting group, while the Rapids are still mathematically in it and could spring a miracle.

PLAYER TO WATCH

We will go with the obvious choice and pick Vela, who is closing out an otherworldly season. His 30 goals puts him one behind Martinez's single-season record of 31 (set just last year), while his 15 assists puts him third in the league. Only one player in history, Sebastian Giovinco, had accomplished at least 20 goals and 15 assists in a season.

Vela blew past those numbers, becoming the first player to hit the 25/15 and 30/15 thresholds. He could break the single-season goal-scoring record on Sunday at Minnesota (ESPN+, 7.30 p.m. ET).

A TEAM THAT NEEDS SOME LUCK

Portland Timbers cannot catch a break. First the scoring dries up, then Brian Fernandez picks up a stomach issue and then, just when the goals do come back thanks to Jeremy Ebobisse, a 2-0 lead is thrown away at home to New England.

Portland will be on the road for the first time since Aug. 4 when they visit Kansas City on Sunday (ESPN+, 7.30 p.m. ET). With the margins fine enough to cut Timber Joey's log, Giovanni Savarese and his team are hoping for some better fortune as they look to secure postseason soccer.

Karachi's first ODI in over 10 years didn't even get as far as the toss. Heavy rain in the days leading up to this match was already proving a challenge, with doubts arising over whether the outfield would dry in time. Then, on Friday, more rain was delivered by towering dark clouds, forming large puddles on the outfield, and making even umpire inspections a challenge, once the rain did eventually relent. The severity of the downpour has prompted changes in the tour as well with the second game being postponed by a day to September 30. The final ODI will take place as originally scheduled on October 2.

The National Stadium was heavily waterlogged with the covers never moving through the course of a gloomy Friday afternoon, and just before 4:30 pm local time the officials had little choice but to abandon this game. Karachi will need bright sunshine over the weekend in order to assist the drying of the outfield, but unfortunately, more rain is forecast for Sunday.

Sri Lanka's tour to Pakistan consists of three ODIs and three T20Is.