CONCORD, N.C. – Garin Mash isn’t new to Charlotte Motor Speedway, but the 18-year-old is relatively new to racing.

Mash grew up watching his father, Dewayne, race on Charlotte’s frontstretch quarter-mile oval at the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout before he first tried his hand in a Bandolero in 2017.

In the two years since, Mash’s visits to victory lane speak volumes to his determination and continued dedication to racing.

When he was eight years old, Mash hopped behind the wheel for the first time when he gave junior drag racing a try. He didn’t stick around very long.

“I went 150 feet, turned off the car, got out, and said, ‘I’m not racing again,’” he recalled.

Plans changed eight years later.

In 2017, the Mash family was in a serious car accident. Dewayne “Grumpy” Mash was revived on the scene and needed numerous surgeries to return to normalcy. Grumpy’s racing career was over, but his son, nicknamed “Little Grumpy,” was prepared to take the seat. He resumed his career at K1 Speed in Concord, North Carolina, learning the basics of circuit-track racing in a go-kart.

It didn’t take long for Mash to show his skill. He recorded his first win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in round two of the 2017 Winter Heat Series.

This summer, Mash’s exploits in his neon yellow No. 12 Bandolero have more than justified his investment in motorsports. He has two feature wins, he’s the points leader in the Farm Bureau Bandolero Outlaws division and has his sights set on a Bojangles’ Summer Shootout championship. Mash recognizes his competition at Charlotte Motor Speedway can dominate all over the country. This summer, he wants to win against the best of the best.

And, when he isn’t behind the wheel, Mash furthers a different kind of passion – storm chasing.

“I want to be a meteorologist, but NASCAR is always a good option, too,” Mash said.

Mash enters next Tuesday’s Bojangles’ Summer Shootout First Responders Night presented by Disconnect & Drive with an eight-point lead in Outlaws standings.

MORRISON, Colo. – After winning at Bandimere Speedway a year ago at her sponsor’s race, Leah Pritchett was already excited to return to Denver to kick off the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series’ famed Western Swing at this weekend’s the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil.

But after missing a race to open the month, consider that excitement even greater.

After a three-week break, Pritchett will return to her 11,000-horsepower Dodge MOPAR 1320 Angry Bee dragster, intent on keeping her success going on the mountain. Her talented team has been building towards its first win of the year, and there’s no denying that Pritchett’s excitement level is off the charts heading to one of the biggest races of the year on her personal scale.

“I don’t think there is another human that can parallel how I feel about getting back in the car at Denver right now, or getting the team back on the track,” Pritchett said. “I’m beyond motivated. It doesn’t take missing a race, or Denver being the mother flagship event to get my motor running, but it most definitely has kicked it into overdrive. It will have been 25 days since being behind the wheel of a nitro car, or since my team has been in race pace, but I can promise, everyone is as prepared as ever to defend what I consider a U.S. Nationals-caliber event.”

Pritchett (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners at Bandimere Speedway. It is the 14th of 24 events in the NHRA season and is the traditional starting point of the challenging and iconic three-race Western Swing, which includes stops in Sonoma and Seattle.

Racing at Bandimere Speedway means performing at an elevation of more than 5,800 feet, but Pritchett thrived in those conditions a year ago, beating Doug Kalitta in the final round.

Sensing how special the weekend is, Pritchett, who is currently seventh in points, is motivated for more success. The team, led by crew chief Todd Okuhara, has a winning formula on the mountain, advancing to back-to-back finals at the scenic facility. But Pritchett also feeds off a memorable atmosphere that starts with the Mopar Big Block Party, continues with night qualifying on both Friday and Saturday, and concludes with what she hopes are four great runs on Sunday.

“The energy is off the charts,” Pritchett said. “The incredible experience Dodge and Mopar provide for the fans the entire week is unparalleled and undoubtedly contributes to the upbeat atmosphere. But, the fuel comes from the fans. They are the ones bringing the energy that will ultimately give our team that extra something special.”

Pritchett and her team appear back on the right path, advancing to the semifinals in Norwalk after a string of four straight first-round losses. She believes the team is ready to continue that momentum in Denver, even as Pritchett squares off with a loaded Top Fuel class that includes points leader and defending world champ Steve Torrence, who has won seven of the past eight races, Brittany Force, Antron Brown, Terry McMillen, Richie Crampton and Clay Millican.

“It had been a moment since we linked six full clean pulls together back-to-back, which is great not only for the data it provides, but team confidence,” said Pritchett, who has seven career wins. “Combine that with isolated momentum on the Denver mountain where we have reached the final round two years in a row, and we are prepared more than ever to connect our strengths and hoist the Wally on the mountain again in the 1320 Angry Bee Top Fueler.”

BROWNSBURG, Ind. – Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 and Atomic Speedway officials have rescheduled the canceled June 21 Ohio Sprint Speedweek show for Sept. 12.

The $5,000-to-win program will be the opening act of what is now a triple-header weekend for the All Star Circuit of Champions at Atomic Speedway. Friday’s program will award a $5,054 top prize, with the Dean Knittel Memorial finale on Sept. 14, paying a $12,554 top prize.

Hot laps will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday and the sprint cars will be the only class on the card.

All tickets and wristbands from the canceled June 21 event will be honored for Thursday night-only. New admission tickets can be purchased the night of the event for $22 (G.A), $20 (Senior/Veterans) or $35 (pits).

OREGON, Wis. – Matt Kenseth, fresh off his victory in the Slinger Nationals last week at Slinger Super Speedway, will compete in the Howie Lettow Classic 100 at Madison Int’l Speedway on Aug. 16.

Kenseth, the 1994 track champion at Madison Int’l Speedway, will compete for the $5,000 top prize against the top ARCA Midwest Tour super late model drivers in the same No. 8 SUPERSEAL car  that he drove to victory in the Slinger Nationals.

This will mark the first appearance by Kenseth at his home track since winning a 100-lap contest in 2014, his 27th career feature win at the high banked paved oval.

“I’m looking forward to getting back on the track at Madison. It’s my home track,” Kenseth said. “I have a lot of great memories there and I’m hoping to make some more. I will never forget the first time my dad brought me there to watch a super late model race. It was the biggest, fastest track I had been to at the time and I was in awe when I heard and saw the super lates flying around there.

“To this day I get excited thinking about the races I have watched and the races that I have won there. There’s nothing like going home.”

A VIP Meet and Greet Party will take place allowing fans the opportunity to attend a Q&A session with the 2003 NASCAR Cup Series champion, get up to two items autographed and have a professional picture taken with Kenseth.

The VIP Experience will include a custom ticket good for the VIP area and general admission seating, water and soft drinks as well as the autograph and photo opportunities listed above.

A limited number of VIP Experience Passes are available for advance purchase at misracing.com/tickets for $108 each.

Adult general admission tickets for the Howie Lettow Classic are $20, with Whelen Heroes and Senior tickets $18, students ages 12-17 are $15, ages 6-11 $5 with kids ages 5 and under admitted free. Take advantage of the MIS Family Ticket and get up to two adult admissions and up to four youth admissions ages 17 and less than for $50.

Spectator gates will open at 3:30 p.m., practice begins at 4 p.m. with qualifying getting underway at 6:15 p.m. A full racing program, which includes preliminary events and features for the ARCA Midwest Tour, Midwest Trucks and Midwest Dash Series will begin at 7:30 p.m.

PERTH, Australia -- Victor Lindelof has brushed off talk of a move to Barcelona and insisted he is happy at Manchester United.

The Swede's agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, suggested on the eve of the summer tour of Australia and the Far East that the defender could be tempted by a move to Camp Nou but Lindelof, one of United's best players last season, says he wants to stay at Old Trafford.

"I'm very, very happy to be an Manchester United player," said Lindelof at a news conference at the WACA cricket ground.

"I'm excited for new season to start. That's my answer. I'm very happy here."

PERTH, Australia -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed David De Gea is on the brink of signing a new contract at Manchester United.

The Spaniard is on the verge of agreeing a new five-year deal worth in excess of £350k-a-week and Solskjaer is hopeful an announcement will be made soon.

"Hopefully we can agree with David as I've said a few times," Solskjaer told a news conference at the WACA cricket ground on Tuesday.

"That'll be up to David and the club to announce when that happens, if and when."

De Gea sat out the 2-0 win over Perth Glory on Saturday but is set to return to the team against Leeds United at Optus Stadium on Wednesday.

- Lindelof dismisses talk of United-Barca switch
- Ogden: Pogba, Neymar, Bale facing make-or-break seasons

Solskjaer is also expecting Romelu Lukaku to be fit for the second game of the summer.

The Belgian, who has been heavily linked with a move to Inter Milan, missed the game against Perth Glory through injury but trained with the squad on Monday and should feature against Leeds.

Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof should also be fit after missing out against Perth. Luke Shaw limped off with a hamstring injury and may not be risked on Wednesday.

"We were all training [on Monday], no one missed training -- 24 players plus keepers," said Solskjaer.

"Lee Grant is still not fit and maybe we won't risk Luke. Rom is fit. Luke trained on Monday but we might not risk him."

Lukaku has travelled to Australia with United despite being keen to link up with Antonio Conte at Inter.

The Serie A side are yet to submit a suitable offer for the 26-year-old and Solskjaer is confident the former Everton man can have a positive impact at Old Trafford next season if his move to the San Siro does not come off.

"The day we start the league I'm sure everyone who's here will give absolutely everything for Man United," said Solskjaer.

"We want a strong team with players who give everything.

"There are always rumours speculation about Man United players but when the league starts we batten down the hatches and stay as a team."

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar reaffirmed his desire to leave the club in a short meeting with sporting director Leonardo, sources told ESPN FC.

The meeting occurred after the Brazil international reported for preseason training on Monday, one week after he was expected back in the French capital.

As indicated through his father last week, Neymar returned to the French champions' Camp des Loges training centre after fulfilling his commitments back in his homeland, with Leonardo reminding the player of PSG's disappointment at his tardiness and consequent stance.

Neymar and Leonardo have spoken multiple times over the telephone since the latter's return as sporting director earlier this month, and the player's father has also told the PSG exec that his son wants out, but ESPN FC sources say that Monday marked the first time that such a talk has happened face to face.

Although Neymar did not train with his club teammates and is not expected to feature in Tuesday's friendly against Dynamo Dresden in Germany, the 27-year-old did a significant amount of gym work and is expected to undergo further tests as his teammates travel to Rudolf Harbig stadium.

?Treino finalizado!⚡

?Training completed!⚡
⠀#Neymar #NeymarJr #NJr #Paris #PSG #Futebol #Treinamento #Brasil pic.twitter.com/cEuWTDsh99

— Neymar Jr. Site (@NeymarJrSite) July 15, 2019

The ball is now in Barcelona's court after the €222 million man dropped a thinly disguised hint at his hopes for a summer move over the weekend.

Sources have also revealed that Barca feel it is possible to still bring the South American in after signing Antoine Griezmann for €120 million last week. Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu had previously stated that he was aware that Neymar wanted to leave but that PSG didn't want to sell him.

Meanwhile, super-agent Pini Zahavi remains hard at work with Philippe Coutinho's agent Kia Joorabchian on trying to ensure that a possible switch stands the strongest chance of happening.

Elsewhere, Abdou Diallo's signing is expected to be made official by the Ligue 1 giants on Tuesday after the 23-year-old underwent his medical on Monday ahead of his proposed €32m move from Borussia Dortmund.

Derbyshire 146 (Hudson-Prentice 55, Sanderson 5-46) and 155 for 5 need a further 164 runs to beat Northamptonshire 342 and 122 (Palladino 4-33) by 308 runs

An astonishing day on which 24 wickets fell ended with Northamptonshire closing in on victory against Derbyshire at Chesterfield.

After Ben Sanderson took 5 for 46 to bowl Derbyshire out for 146 with Fynn Hudson-Prentice unbeaten on 55, Tony Palladino claimed 4 for 33 as Northants were shot out for 122. That left Derbyshire chasing 319 for victory but by the close, they were 155 for 5, still 164 runs short of the target.

A pitch offering spin and variable bounce was certainly demanding to bat on but lack of foot movement and poor shot selection accounted for the majority of the wickets.

The carnage began when Wayne Madsen played across the line to give Sanderson his first victim and the rest of the day became a procession as wickets tumbled to a rash of poor strokes. Tom Lace and Leus du Plooy paid the price for failing to get forward as Derbyshire slipped to 60 for 6 before Hudson-Prentice took 22 from a Rob Keogh over.

Matt Coles struck with his third delivery by trapping Matt Critchley on the crease but Hudson-Prentice reached 50 before Keogh wrapped up the innings giving Northants a lead of 196.

They chose not to enforce the follow-on but instead of an afternoon of accumulation, Northants moved into T20 mode and were bowled out in a chaotic session on a pitch which had clearly put doubts in the minds of the batsmen.

Ricardo Vasconcelos was run out attempting a second to deep square leg and after Luke Proctor offered no shot to Hudson-Prentice, Palladino profited from inadequate technique and ill-judged shots.

Keogh played across the line, Adam Rossington drove wildly at his first ball and although Temba Bavuma and Josh Cobb briefly threatened to restore order, more frantic shot selection sent the innings into terminal decline.

Cobb drove Critchley to long off and Bavuma fell victim to the mood of recklessness when he skied Palladino to point. Hamidullah Qadri beat Coles's charge and less than 31 overs had been bowled when Saif Zaib holed out to leave Derbyshire facing the highest successful run chase at Queen's Park.

They clearly decided to approach it in a positive way as Billy Godleman and Luis Reece came out swinging in the late afternoon sunshine. Godleman repeatedly charged the opening bowlers before he was stumped for 25 off Sanderson in the fifth over and Madsen lost his middle stump trying to work Coles through midwicket.

Reece was lbw playing back to Keogh and Luke Proctor struck twice in his first over to leave Northants favourites to wrap up victory on Tuesday.

Whaddabout that Final eh?

How about those England boys and all those big moments? The Stokes heroics, Buttler being Buttler, the Archer cool at the death of the death? That throw from Roy and the sharply calm captaincy of Eoin Morgan?

Amid the kaleidoscopic madness of that chaotic ending, it was easy to lose sight of what had gone earlier and the incredible performance of one player on the biggest stage in cricket. Whaddabout Liam Plunkett?

Who'd have thought Liam Plunkett Bowling Cross-Seam In The Middle Overs could become a thing? But in this World Cup, it has most assuredly become A Thing. Plunkett hadn't bowled at his best in the semi-final against Australia; it was the only match in which he took no wickets, undermined perhaps by new-ball dominance that had preceded him.

But throughout the tournament his range of cross-seamers - he has three variations of that variation - have captured the biggest scalps: Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, Hashim Amla. And at Lord's, the first of his three wickets was his former Yorkshire team-mate and linchpin of the New Zealand line-up, Kane Williamson. With cross-seam in the middle overs. Whuddathunket!

"I felt good I wasn't going to try and do anything different," said Plunkett after the game. "I was going to bowl cross-seam, mix the seam up and just hit my length. That's what Morgs said to me first-up. He said, 'We've not tried cross-seam yet. Do what you do.'

"And he often said to me during the game, 'You're the best in the world at that point.' So to have your captain say that to you, it gives you a little bit of a spark and today I felt good and just to get Kane out is a massive turning point. I've played with Kane, I know how good he is, obviously player of the tournament, so to get that wicket it felt like the momentum had shifted a little bit."

When we spoke during the aftermath of the match, Plunkett was still struggling to be coherent through the emotion and kept apologising.

"It's not sunk in, it's not sunk in. I had a minute where we won and then we went back upstairs, I bawled my eyes out. You know the guys are celebrating and I was just hit by a wave of emotion and seeing my old man, who's been on the journey with me, my mum and dad, but my dad, he's not an emotional person but to see him cry, it was tear-jerking for sure."

Plunkett has every reason to feel this more than just about anyone. He made his World Cup debut twelve years ago - in 2007. Just let that sink in for a second. That longevity in itself also serves as a reminder that many professional cricketers, even the best ones, can go through their career without having their glory moment on the big stage.

"It's surreal," said Plunkett. "I was playing in the World Cup in the Caribbean, 2007, I think it was, against Ross Taylor and then I'm in the final with Ross Taylor again. It just goes by in a flash."

"But I've never really won a massive trophy. I know this is the biggest of the biggest for a cricketer to win the World Cup. I won a trophy with Durham way back when, and a few Champos, but I've never won a T20 in front of a big crowd or an IPL. It was meant to be, to win this in front of a big crowd in England at Lord's, the best ground in the world, in front of an amazing crowd and everyone got to see it on TV. I'd have given my right leg for it.

ALSO READ: Dobell: Legacy-maker Stokes rewrites his own intro

"The boys have been amazing over the past four years. You don't deserve to win anything, you don't deserve to win a World Cup, but what we've played in the last four years, we've dominated teams on the other side of the world. We've travelled, we've won away series, we won here 4-0, we beat the good teams, but you've got to put that all together for a World Cup. We saw that in the ICC Champions Trophy, we got beaten in the semi-finals and you start to think, in the back of your mind, that you can't go on to win a trophy."

Plunkett's ten runs from ten balls, including a crucial boundary, shouldn't be overlooked either. He was the last batsmen to contribute any runs in a partnership with Stokes; those who came after were all out for ducks. But he stresses the balance of personal responsibility and faith in team-mates.

"I think the best thing about this team is that you know the person behind you can do the job, but no one wants to leave it to them."

England's next ODI is eight months away. Their next World Cup campaign is four years away and England have learned, at long last, the value of long-term planning. At 34 years of age, it's possible that we may never see Plunkett's Cross-Seam In The Middle Overs on such a big stage again. But it is also probable that nothing could ever surpass this.

"I'm speechless. I keep thinking, 'I'm a World Cup winner'. Sorry if I'm not making too much sense," he apologises once more.

That's quite okay, Liam. As Eoin Morgan would say, do what you do.