Wales prop Nicky Smith has signed a new four-year deal to stay at Ospreys until at least 2023.

The 25-year-old loose-head has spent all his professional career at Liberty Stadium after making his debut in 2013.

Smith has turned down interest from Cardiff Blues and Sale Sharks after helping Wales win the 2019 Grand Slam.

"I know it's dragged out probably longer than I was hoping, but I'm just happy that I've committed my future to my home region" said Smith.

"It was always going to be Ospreys and Wales for me, I'm just happy that we've got the right deal and I'm looking forward to the next four years.

"It's been a good season personally, but there's always room for improvement and I know there's a lot I can work on so over these four years I can hopefully become a better player."

Smith has made 106 Ospreys appearances and played in four of Wales' Tests during the 2019 Six Nations Grand Slam.

Head coach Allen Clarke said: "Despite being comparatively young he has become a core player and a tremendous character within the squad.

"He has shown high level consistency at the top end of the game, not just in the set-piece but also in open-play, where his contribution is very much that of a modern day loose-head prop."

Wales captain and lock Alun Wyn Jones has yet to decide on where his playing lies beyond the end of his Ospreys deal, which expires after the 2019 World Cup.

However, Ospreys have signed Wales fly-half Gareth Anscombe from Cardiff Blues and retained centre Cory Allen, full-back Dan Evans and wing Luke Morgan.

Ospreys host Scarlets on Saturday, 18 May in the Pro14 play-off when a place in the Heineken European Champions Cup next season is at stake.

TOLEDO, Ohio – Nicknamed the Glass City, Toledo, Ohio is the glass capital of the world due to the production of a wide range of glass products in and around the area.

Toledo also happens to be one of the Midwest’s epicenters for auto racing, as well as the home of ARCA, the Automobile Racing Club of America.

Founded in 1953, ARCA has sanctioned thousands of races at hundreds of racetracks in the 67 years since, and the short-track world will be focused on Toledo Speedway on May 19 when the ARCA Menards Series visits its home track for the Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200.

Over the years, 16 drivers have earned their first ARCA victory at the series’ home track. The drivers who have earned their first wins on Toledo’s ultra-fast high banks range from the prolific, to the up-and-comers, to several one-off winners.

Ten-time series champion Frank Kimmel logged his first win – the first of a record 80 ARCA victories – back in May of 1994. Kimmel went on to victory a total of nine times at Toledo, making it his most prolific track alongside the legendary Salem Speedway in Indiana.

“This is just a really cool race track,” Kimmel said. “That first win was huge for me. At some point we had to stop being the bridesmaid and be the bride. We had to beat Bob Keselowski, Bobby Bowsher, and Dave Weltmeyer that night. We ended up winning nine times at Toledo but that first one is what got it all started.

“It’s still a pretty special memory to me.”

Todd Gilliland, who recently earned his second series win at Talladega Superspeedway, won at Toledo in his first-ever series start. It was a record-setting win, as Gilliland was one day past his 15th birthday, making him the youngest winner in series history.

Since ARCA rules stipulate you must be 15 years old to race, chances are that’s a record that will stand for years to come.

Gilliland won’t be racing at Toledo this season, as he is chasing the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series title, but he credits that Toledo win for helping establish himself as an up-and-comer worthy of a high-profile opportunity at Kyle Busch Motorsports.

“Toledo is fun short track,” Gilliland said. “It’s really wide, and you are probably turning more than you want on the straightaway. That was new to me when I raced in the ARCA Menards Series race there a few years ago, and I had to learn as fast as I could. Keeping the car turning is really important for the long run.

“It’s really cool to be the record holder as the youngest winner in ARCA history after my win at Toledo,” he added. “Watching the guys that have won there after me like Myatt Snider, Harrison Burton and Zane Smith is really cool as well, because they are bunch of my buddies. It’s a fun race track and I’ll be tuned-in cheering on my Toyota teammates.”

One driver that hopes to join Kimmel and Gilliland as ARCA winners at Toledo is Corey Heim. Heim is 16 years old, not quite as young as Gilliland was at the time of his Toledo win, and he comes with a wealth of short track experience already under his belt.

Heim finished second in CARS Tour super late model points last season, winning one of the series’ nine races, and hopes to convert that success into similar high marks at Toledo.

“I’m really looking forward to Toledo,” offered Heim. “It’s a relatively flat race track, which I’m particularly good at and I know Chad Bryant Racing has been very good there in recent years, so I look forward at the chance for my first ARCA Menards Series victory.”

DENVER, N.C. – Officials from On Point Motorsports have announced that Madvapes will serve as primary sponsor of Brennan Poole’s No. 30 Toyota Tundra for this weekend’s NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Poole, a Madvapes customer, will be behind the wheel of the No. 30 Madvapes Toyota Tundra, as well as make multiple local appearances throughout the next week.

“I’m so pumped to bring Madvapes on track in NASCAR and to drive the No. 30 Madvapes Toyota Tundra,” said Poole. “This is a really fun one for me because I really do use their products and you may have even seen me sitting at the juice bar in the Cornelius location. Many people close to me, including myself, looked to Madvapes for a better alternative to traditional tobacco. I went in knowing basically nothing about vaping and the staff there is extremely knowledgeable and welcoming to those looking to make a switch.”

Madvapes started in their founder’s garage in Mooresville, N.C., in 2009, and today has its industry-leading factory in a former NASCAR engine shop.

As part of the Madvapes partnership, Poole will visit local stores throughout the week along with Speed Street in Uptown Charlotte at the blu/Madvapes booth.

Poole currently sits 16th in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver standings after competing in six of the first seven events of the 2019 season.

The Texas native has five previous starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the 1.5-mile Concord, N.C., track highlighted by a fifth-place finish in his last visit there in 2017.

“We want the fans of NASCAR to know we are here to help on their journey to move from traditional tobacco,” stated AMV Holdings and Madvapes Chairman Mark Kehaya. “Madvapes was at the forefront of the e-cig and vapor industries at the ground level and we look forward to continuing to serve the millions of American smokers who want an alternative. Our goal is to provide smokers solutions and walk with them through their individualized experience to vapor.

“Brennan has been an advocate for our work and we are excited to see him on the NASCAR track with one of our partners and Charlotte staple, blu, this Friday.”

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. – Monster Energy Kawasaki has signed two-time AMA 450 Pro Motocross champion Eli Tomac to a multi-year contract extension.

Tomac joined the team in 2016 and sits seventh on the all-time 450MX Class win list with 14 overall wins and 27 podium finishes aboard his KX450 motorcycle over the last three motocross seasons.

“I’m thrilled to continue the relationship with Kawasaki,” said Tomac. “I feel we have an outstanding team in place, an excellent KX450 motorcycle and a common goal of winning races and championships. I’m looking forward to starting off this Pro Motocross season with the crew on a high note. Let the good times roll!”

Tomac has also shown great success in Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, by earning 27 450SX wins and claiming the Monster Energy Cup twice.

He swept all three main events in 2018 to earn the Monster Million.

“Eli is an impressive athlete and an exceptional asset to the Monster Energy Kawasaki team,” said Kawasaki Senior Manager of Racing Dan Fahie. “It has been a pleasure working and winning together with him and his family and we’re all excited to continue this relationship and the successful route we’re on.”

INDIANAPOLIS – Team Penske continued to top the scoring pylon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the second day in a row on Wednesday.

This time, it was 2017 NTT IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden who had the fastest lap of the 3,219 turned on the second day of Indianapolis 500 practice.

Newgarden’s fast lap was 228.856 mph around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the No. 2 Shell Chevrolet. That was better than Scott Dixon’s 228.835 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda.

Fernando Alonso of McLaren had issues for the second day in a row. On Tuesday, an electrical issue sent the No. 66 Chevrolet into the garage early. The team changed the alternator and electrical loom and he was back on track Wednesday.

But at 12:34 p.m. Eastern Time, Alonso crashed in turn two, damaging the No. 66 McLaren entry. According to team IndyCar President Bob Fernley, the backup car will be prepared and that will become Alonso’s primary car for the remainder of the week. The primary car will be prepared and available as the backup before Saturday’s qualifications.

Rookie Felix Rosenqvist also had a crash in turn two in the final hour of practice and  slid across the track in front of Jack Harvey and defending Indianapolis 500 winner Power. Both were able to avoid the calamity, but Rosenqvist’s Honda was badly damaged.

“I was behind Colton (Herta) and just trying to run the car in traffic, and I just felt a very sudden change of having a bit of push, and it went very loose, very fast,” Rosenqvist said. “I couldn’t react to it.

“A shame, but that’s how it is.”

Power continues to have the fastest overall speed for the month at 229.745 mph. That was set during Tuesday’s opening day of practice.

Newgarden backed up Team Penske’s speed with another fast run on Wednesday.

“It was an OK day, pretty clean, for us at least,” Newgarden said. “It’s not easy. A couple wrecks today. I think that shows you that it’s not super straightforward to try and get around here even on a practice day.

“For us, we’re just trying to work through our program. I think we need to be a bit better in traffic. We’re still trying to figure out exactly what we need on the race car. That was kind of our focus today. We didn’t really do much qualifying sims or anything like that.

“We’re trucking forward. I think the Shell car feels OK. It’s not a bad start. I’m trying to stay careful with it. I always try and respect this place at the beginning. I never try and push until it’s time. Just you’ve always got to watch your back around here. She’s a tough place at a lot of moments.

“So far, so good. I’m really happy to be here with the group again and trying to go for a good month. I think we’ve got all the capability in the world, so hopefully we can seal off a good Sunday.”

Nearly all of the 36 car/driver combinations that were on track Wednesday were working on race setup. Teams won’t begin working on qualifying setups until Friday.

“You have so much time, I think it’s easy to do that,” Newgarden continued. “Just you have so many sets – you have 36 sets of tires. It’s crazy how much time and tires you have. I think being methodical is really the wise thing to do. It just works really well in my opinion.

“You’ve got to peak at the right moments. Qualifying is very important. There’s a time there when you need to go quick, you need to have the car trimmed correctly, and it’s got to feel good, and then there’s a time to push in traffic and make something happen in the race.

“I think you pick your moments carefully, and it’s always fun running around here, though. I’ve been having a blast the last couple days.”

Spencer Pigot of Ed Carpenter Racing was third in a Chevrolet at 228.658 mph followed by rookie Santino Ferrucci at 228.561 mph. Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves was fifth at 228.561 mph.

There were 36 drivers on the track with Newgarden the fastest. Rookie Ben Hanley was the slowest at 224.361 mph, but that is a margin of just .7879 of a second that separates positions one through 36.

Practice for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 continues Thursday.

SALISBURY, N.C. – In one of the most hotly-contested Open division features of the season so far, Max McLaughlin led all 20 laps to win Wednesday night’s Prelude to the QRC Open at Millbridge Speedway.

Matt Francis (Intermediate), Ryan Zima (Box Stock) and Jaxon Merrifield (Beginner Box Stock) also picked up victories in their respective classes during the sixth week of racing at the sixth-mile dirt oval.

McLaughlin held off Carson Kvapil through the initial start and early laps, then fended off his Phantom Racing Chassis teammate Nick Hoffman late to notch his second win of the season at Millbridge.

The Toyota Racing Development driver was all smiles after the race, carrying some much-needed momentum into next week’s sixth annual $5,151-to-win QRC Open presented by HMS Motorsport.

“That was badass,” said McLaughlin in victory lane. “That’s two of the best young racers in the country right there, in Nick Hoffman and Carson Kvapil, and to hold them off is pretty fun. You see how my teammate drove me, too … as clean as could be. That’s how racing should be. It stinks that he broke.

“I really believe Nick and I would have had a great battle; I’d race him all day in anything.”

The elder Kvapil’s hopes faded with nine laps left, when he tagged the cushion and lost the engine in his No. 35 CorvetteParts.net machine, while Hoffman’s quest for victory ended inside of five to go after the motor mount broke on his silver and blue No. 2h entry.

“It was shaping up to be a really good battle between those two boys before Nick’s issue,” noted PRC team owner Harold Wiggins. “I’m not sure which one would have won it, but they always race each other really hard. It was a show, for sure.”

“Man, when we break things we seem to break them pretty big,” added Hoffman. “It was a lot of fun racing Max, though. He’s one of the best out here and pushes us hard every time we hit the race track.”

McLaughlin pulled away in the final laps to beat Tom Hubert by 2.7 seconds. Brent Crews completed the podium, followed by Andrew Wehrli and Dillon Latour.

Francis snookered Caden Kvapil on the initial start of the 20-lap Intermediate division feature and never looked back en route to his first-career Wednesday night win in the division.

Francis got the jump on the green flag from the outside pole and pulled away, beating the younger Kvapil by five car lengths in the end as they raced in and out of slower traffic in a caution-free event.

“I just swung wide on the start, exactly like my dad (Kenny Francis) told me to, and it worked out perfectly,” said Francis. “This is special. I haven’t won a Wednesday race in two years, so it feels good.”

Behind runner-up Caden Kvapil, Sam Corry, Laci Ferno and Kennedy Elledge completed the top five.

Zima won a frenetic 20-lap Box Stock main for his second victory of the season, putting memories of his dead-heat photo finish in week three out of mind by passing Colt Currie with nine laps remaining.

Zima then beat Cassidy Keitt, Aiden Price, Landon Sartain and Landon Totherow to the finish line.

Merrifield topped a caution-laden 12-lap Beginner Box Stock A-Feature, passing Carson Allen on lap seven, while Katie Yonchuk went wire-to-wire to win the 12-lap Beginner Box Stock B-Feature.

To view complete race results, advance to the next page.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With free agent Sergei Bobrovsky expected to depart, the Blue Jackets have locked in goaltender Elvis Merzlikins for next season.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Wednesday that the Blue Jackets signed the 25-year-old Latvian to a one-year contract for 2019-20. Merzlikins is expected to compete for the starting job in Columbus.

Joonas Korpisalo was Bobrovsky's backup this season, and the Blue Jackets acquired veteran goaltender Keith Kinkaid in a midseason trade. Both players also are free agents but could return to Columbus and compete with Merzlikins for the starting job.

Merzlikins is currently playing for Latvia at the world championships. He was selected by the Blue Jackets in the third round of the 2014 draft and has been playing in the Swiss National League.