NAPLES, Maine – Following a rare off weekend, the Pro All Stars Series North super late models and PASS Modifieds return to action Sunday at Speedway 95 for the Hopkins Milling & Paving 150.

The speedway, known as Maine’s Family Fun Track, will host the next Road To The Oxford 250 qualifier.  Courtesy of Hopkins Milling & Paving, adult tickets will be $15.

By virtue of his second PASS win of the season at Oxford Plains Speedway, Garrett Hall has shot to the top of the standings over three-time PASS North champion, D.J. Shaw, and rookie competitor Gabe Brown.  Heading back to Speedway 95 on Sunday, Hall is familiar with the Hermon, Maine, track, having won there in 2016.

“The track is bumpy, fast and fun,” says Hall.  “The high side has a little more banking on it and you can keep your momentum going up there.”

With a 24-point cushion over Shaw in the standings, Hall believes this weekend at Speedway 95, and the races leading up to the 46th annual Oxford 250 in August, are pivotal if he wants to challenge for his first PASS North title later this year.

“It’s really important because the competition is so tough and there’s 10 cars that can win every week,” said Hall.  “We’re hoping to keep the momentum going and get another win on Sunday at Speedway 95.”

While much of the attention will be on the points leaders, the leading PASS winner at Speedway 95 with three wins, Ben Rowe, will be looking to return to victory lane there for the first time in 16 years.

In addition, former PASS North champions Johnny Clark and Travis Benjamin are entered, along with defending PASS National champion Derek Griffith. Current PASS National Championship leader and Richmond winner Mike Hopkins has filed an entry, while Brown, Scott Chubbuck, Chad Dow, Andy Saunders, Gary Smith, and Bobby Therrien have also filed entries.

ROSSBURG, Ohio – Eldora Speedway officials have announced that Saturday night’s Ohio Sprint Speedweek event is being flex-scheduled due to possible weather later in the evening.

The new showtime is two hours earlier and now scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

The Eldora event is the second round of nine straight nights of racing for the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1, and the 2019 edition marks the 37th time America’s original touring sprint car series have barnstormed their way across the Buckeye state.

Saturday’s schedule now has the pit area opening to competitors at 1:30 p.m., the grandstands opening to spectators at 2 p.m., the driver meetings beginning at 3:15 p.m. and hot laps on track at 4:10 p.m.

Kyle Larson is the defending race winner and has indicated his intention to return to defend his race win.

COLUMBUS, Ind. – Logan Seavey’s path to the USAC Indiana Midget Week championship revolved around consistency and a passion to try and win every one of the five races he entered with Keith Kunz/Curb Agajanian Motorsports.

Seavey took the No. 67 Mobil 1-sponsored Bullet/Toyota to a victory in the mini-series opener at Montpelier Motor Speedway on June 4, then backed that performance up with three additional podium finishes in the next four nights en route to earning the title by 36 points over teammate Tanner Thorson.

A third-place run during the final night at Lawrenceburg Speedway on June 8, combined with a flat tire for chief rival Tyler Courtney, ultimately iced the point battle in Seavey’s favor.

“We just had a good car, basically every night during the week,” Seavey told SPEED SPORT. “We struggled a little bit at Gas City (I-69 Speedway) … but other than that, we were really good at Montpelier, really good at Bloomington, good at Putnamville, and then good again Saturday night at Lawrenceburg. It comes down to having a fast race car and having confidence in what we can do as a team.

“It was good for us to go to Granite City (Tri-City Speedway in Illinois) a few weeks earlier and run well, because that was a big boost to all of us, but then to fire off the week with a win is always good and what really, I feel like, helped to propel us all the way through the five nights to the championship.”

Seavey was quick to mention that one of his team’s keys to success was a quick rebound period, and that they didn’t allow themselves to stress over things that were out of their control or in the past.

“The biggest thing was, that even though we missed out on a few wins I feel like we should have had, we never let that get us down,” Seavey noted. “Even at Gas City, when we had a bad night, we picked ourselves right back up and kept going, kept digging. … Bad nights are a part of racing and you have to recognize that sometimes, it’s just how the cycle goes. We just put our heads down and stayed focused on what we knew we could do and were capable of, and in the end it paid off for us.”

Seavey’s worst finish during the entire week was 12th at Gas City, and after that he put together runs of second, second and third – contending for the trophy each night for the remainder of the stretch despite a loaded field that averaged 30 cars during the course of the week-long endeavor.

“To be on the podium four nights out of five with USAC is huge for us, because these guys are as good as it gets and it’s as hard as it has ever been to be able to stay in the mix all the time with that series,” said Seavey. “That’s just a testament to how fast our race cars are right now, and to the fact that we’re starting to close the gap to the guys ahead of us in points.

“We had a pretty big deficit going into this week, and now we’re starting to trim away at it.”

He may have made his run through Indiana Midget Week look easy, but Seavey said it was anything but simple to string together a streak of four top-three finishes in five days.

“It’s really tough to have that kind of consistency,” Seavey pointed out. “You have to go out and run a good qualifying lap. The night we struggled, we didn’t qualify well … it’s just how USAC’s format works. If you can qualify well, even if you have a bad heat race, you can start at the front of the B (main) and then you’re right back toward the front of the feature again. Qualifying is your whole night with USAC, really.

“Being able to rip that good lap is the key, and right now we’re really doing that.”

Though he was born and raised in Sutter, Calif., Seavey has learned plenty about the racing culture of the Hoosier State and recognizes what it means to add “Indiana Midget Week champion” to his resume.

“Winning an Indiana Midget Week title is huge,” said Seavey. “There’s a lot of talented names on the list of drivers who have won that championship, and it’s pretty special for me just to win a race during the week … let alone to win the whole thing. That’s really cool and something I’ll remember for a while.

“Now we just want to take that momentum, keep moving and hopefully win back to back USAC titles.”

ST. LOUIS -- A parade 52 years in the making will finally happen Saturday in St. Louis, when the city celebrates the Blues' first-ever Stanley Cup championship.

The Blues defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Wednesday's Game 7 in Boston. The Blues joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1967 and had never before won a championship.

The Blues took to Twitter Thursday to announce celebration plans. A parade will start at noon at 18th and Market Street and head east. A rally will then take place beneath the Gateway Arch.

Fans attending the celebration may want to bring an umbrella. Rain is in the forecast.

Real Madrid presented Eden Hazard as their new "galactico" signing on Thursday with an army of adoring fans queuing outside the Santiago Bernabeu stadium to welcome the Belgian playmaker.

Donning the white strip of the 13-times European champions, the club's joint-record signing kicked balls into the crowd and posed for photographers on the pitch at the official presentation.

Hazard, who joins from Chelsea on a five-year deal, had earlier undergone a medical.

Pointing to the badge on his shirt, the 28-year-old kissed it to leave the 50,000 strong crowd in no doubt about his allegiance.

? The #RMFans ask for @hazardeden10 to kiss the badge... AND HE DOES! #WelcomeHazard | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/3ioqxJvTSm

— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) June 13, 2019

However, the new signing cautioned fans he was not a galactico yet, saying that he wanted to prove his worth to the storied franchise.

"I'm not a galactico, not yet," Hazard told the media afterwards. "I hope I will be one day. Despite everything I've done in the past, it will be like beginning from zero. In football you can always improve, you never reach the limit. I am in a good moment of my career, but this team can allow me to raise the bar further."

The 28-year-old was also asked whether joining Madrid would boost his chances of winning a Ballon D'Or prize, currently held by new teammate Luka Modric, and won in the two previous years by former Blancos star Cristiano Ronaldo.

"It's true that almost all Ballon D'Or winners recently have been Real Madrid players," he replied. "But I am just focused on helping the team to win. Then if everything goes well, why not, it is in my head, but I am not thinking of it every day. The most important thing is winning trophies for Real Madrid."

The boyhood Madrid fan said that current coach Zinedine Zidane had been "my idol," while denying that he should perhaps have moved to the Bernabeu at an earlier point in his career.

"I have had various stages in my career, Lille, Chelsea, now I felt the time was right to join the best club in the world," he said. "I don't think it is too late, I am 28 years old, the top moment for a player. Everything began last year, after the World Cup.

"I spoke with Florentino Perez at an award event in London and he told me to come to Madrid, which made me happy. But I stayed one more year at Chelsea. I think things went very well personally, and also with the team, winning the Europa League. This is the perfect time to join Real Madrid."

After some fans had chanted "we want Mbappe" while waiting for Hazard to appear, the Belgium international was later asked if he would like to see Madrid now sign the Paris Saint-Germain forward or Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.

"I want to play with the best, and those you mention are the best," he said. "But it's not for me to say about transfers."

Hazard did accept that his signing -- part of an investment by Madrid which has already topped €300 million this summer -- was part of a "new cycle" aiming to bring success back to the Bernabeu after their awful 2018-19 campaign.

"Real Madrid have won many titles over the last five years, last season was not so good, but this happens in football," he said. "I hope to help begin a new cycle, with new players, alongside those still here who have won so much."

Australia staged a remarkable three-goal comeback to beat Brazil 3-2 and pick up three crucial points in Group C at the Women's World Cup in Montpellier on Thursday.

Brazil raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first half, with Marta converting a penalty in the 27th minute and Cristiane beating her defender to a cross just over 10 minutes later to double her team's lead with an excellent headed finish.

The goal from Marta, a fitness doubt coming into the match, extended her record as the all-time Women's World Cup goals leader to 16 and made the 33-year-old the first women to score at five different editions of the tournament.

Australia struck back just before half-time, though, when Caitlin Foord poked home at the back post from a flicked on header to halve the deficit and send the Matildas into the dressing room trailing 2-1.

Shortly before the hour mark, Australia were back on level terms. A Chloe Logarzo shot from distance crossed up Brazil goalkeeper Barbara and found its way into the back of the net to make it 2-2.

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Australia then took the lead through a Brazil own goal thanks to a favorable decision from VAR, as an initial offside call against Sam Kerr was overturned following the referee's consultation with the pitchside monitor to complete the Matildas' three-goal rally.

"Tonight is one of the finest Australian performances I've seen. The players deserve all the rewards they were given tonight. I'm really delighted for them," said Australia coach Ante Milicic.

"They never stopped believing, and the coaching staff never stopped believing. We kept on believing in our style and in our football and it's an Australian performance to be proud of."

Brazil pushed hard for an equaliser, but the Australian defence stood firm to see out the result and join Brazil and Italy, who have yet to play their second match, on three points in the group.

Marta, who had already scored at the 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 World Cups, admitted her record goal was bittersweet given the result.

"It would feel much better with a win," Marta said. "It's one more detail written in the history of women's football. I am honoured, but there's more to do at this tournament."

The result marks just the second time in Women's World Cup history that a team came back from two goals down to win a match and gives Australia a very solid chance of reaching the round of 16.

When Lionel Messi finally retires, few could argue against him being considered one of the game's best-ever players. He loves his job and has been doing it at an elite level for over a decade. He is recognized by his peers, his rivals and the entire world of soccer. He largely avoids controversy on the field and rarely speaks to the media, which limits the opportunities for anything other than his play to do the talking.

What he has achieved in his career stems from his prodigious talent but is also a product of his monumental competitiveness. Lionel Messi didn't rest on his laurels; he always sought perfection. His rivalry with fellow icon Cristiano Ronaldo elevated him. He perfected his free kicks and other aspects of his game. And yet, there's a sense that two Messis exist: there's the one who conquered soccer with Barcelona and the other that's forever trying to win with Argentina.

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Aside from an Olympic gold medal with his country in 2008, Messi hasn't won anything with the national team. This streak of futility is made even more painful by the fact that with Messi leading the way, the Albiceleste have reached three international finals -- the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Copa America the 2016 Copa America Centenario -- and have lost all three.

As they chase their first international title since the 1993 Copa America (this year's edition will be broadcast on ESPN+), will this summer see the two Messis finally reconciled as one?

Messi with Argentina: The thorn in his side

Many still wonder why he keeps playing for the national team given his public failures. The answer is clear: the five Ballons d'Or, four Champions League titles, 10 La Liga titles or the six Copa del Rey wins do not make up for his deep desire to win an important title with his country. He's had chances but lost them all. Without a doubt, the most painful one came on July 13, 2014, at the Maracana, against Germany, in which an extra-time goal from Mario Gotze led to a silver medal for Messi and Co. His four goals carried Argentina to the final yet he didn't manage a single shot on target over the 120 minutes in the final.

The ultimate issue is that Argentina's national team does not help his cause. You hear time and again that Argentina's Messi is not the same as Barcelona's Messi. The reasons are obvious: different teammates, less preparation time, constant coaching changes, incompetence within the Argentina FA and a burden too great for a single player to carry. As captain, Messi is expected to deliver; his teammates look to him in times of need and opponents are happy to commit extra defenders to Messi given how integral he is to their chances. So far, none of the supporting cast have stepped up to help him out.

Then comes the external pressure. Argentina has a tendency to compare its best players and the debate around Messi vs. Diego Maradona has prevented a lot of national team fans from enjoying the Barca star's alchemy. Many want Messi to be like Maradona, who famously did bring the World Cup back to Argentina after winning the 1986 edition in Mexico, and if he doesn't manage to do the same, he will be heavily criticized. His detractors may be few in number, but they tend to be loud.

And those three final defeats have served to intensify the criticisms of his detractors.

On paper, the 2019 Copa America represents a fresh start. Argentina will take a strong squad to Brazil, one that has undergone a major overhaul, with a new wave of young players set to represent their country. Of the 23 heading to Brazil, 12 players have fewer than 10 national team appearances, with the side relying on Messi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria to provide the veteran leadership.

Argentina were woeful at Russia 2018 but in a sense, their miserable round-of-16 exit to hosts and eventual winners France helped the FA realize that a significant rebuild needed to begin immediately. It was a turning point but it also helped the fans realize that in a sporting culture that worships success like that in Argentina, such change cannot happen overnight.

Could their 26-year drought finally end be ended this time around? They lack a defined style of play and will be a work in progress but they have Messi. This summer, it might be enough. -- Nicolas Baier

Messi at Barcelona: the star in a system built for him

Johan Cruyff always taught that one of the most important, but difficult, things in football was to do the simple things right first time and every time. It's a philosophy that must apply to anyone who wants to explain the brilliance, the power and the success of Messi's life at Barça.

He's a phenomenon, yes. Arguably the greatest footballer but certainly in that elite pantheon. But that alone doesn't fulfil Cruyff's criterion about sticking to the simple, necessary things. To understand Messi domestically, particularly in comparison with his career with Argentina, you need to look around him.

It doesn't detract from Messi's all-time greatness to point out that, across his Blaugrana career, he's had the benefit of three 24-karat geniuses as mentors and tormentors: Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Pep Guardiola. And yes: "genius" is the correct adjective for all three.

We also need to add that throughout Messi's life in the Barcelona first team, there has been a flood of guys who, though not all-time "genius," still belong to the exclusive club of footballers with true greatness in their talent, technique, competitiveness, intelligence and athleticism. This cast of "best supporting actors" includes Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Dani Alves, Jordi Alba, Thierry Henry, David Villa, Victor Valdes and Carles Puyol. It's also notable that early in Messi's career, the club moved out guys like Ronaldinho and Deco who might have hampered his development because of their penchant for nightlife.

Take into account the twin concepts his club leaned on: it was vital to re-educate young Messi on sleep, general diet and physical recuperation. Equally, it was fundamentally important to keep him happy by constantly renewing his contract to the point, now, where his basic gross earnings will be over €30m per year. All of that has immense significance but also, just think about the fact that for almost the entirety of Messi's lifespan at FC Barcelona, he's been surrounded by fellow "addicts" hooked on winning, on the club's particular brand of football intelligence, the hard work required to hone their competitiveness, the appeal of rising to the occasion or fighting for every loose ball.

Messi has been fortunate that the common corrosions in a dressing room -- frustration, ego, laziness -- have been ultra-rare at Barcelona. He's barely glimpsed that kind of atmosphere: it happened briefly in 2007-08 and momentarily in 2013-14. In those brief, fallow times when something around him was missing, when the hunger seemed sated and the team's standards dropped, not only was the experience exceptionally fleeting, but it was marginal: Barcelona only lost the Champions League semifinal by a goal in 2008, then lost both the Copa del Rey final (to Real Madrid) and La Liga (to Atletico Madrid) on the last day of the season in 2014.

Failure? Failure is defined differently on Planet Messi.

If it seems facile to point out that surrounding a genius with constant excellence, hunger, competitiveness and ambition is a recipe to explain Messi's phenomenal results, think again. Too few who assess him see this, understand this, describe this or award sufficient significance to this. For generations, people have been fixated by the "nature vs. nurture" debate. Just think of the atomic sporting power released when nature and nurture are equally superb and equally aligned? That part is immensely rare.

Messi has been paid unbelievably well at Barcelona, but that's nowhere near the main point. What's convinced him to stay has been the feeling that he's Primus Inter Pares: not "first among equals" but the greatest among greats.

There's also the element of kinship. In Luis Suarez, Messi has found not only a truly close friend, someone with whom he can share both family and professional time as if they were brothers, but he's found his perfect strike partner. Of all the attackers Messi has played with over the years, he and Suarez fit like hand in glove.

Had the prime of Xavi, Iniesta, Guardiola and Suarez intertwined, I'll wager Barcelona would have won a couple more trebles. Had Suarez been born in Argentina, Messi would have had three or four international trophies to his name with Los Albiceleste already. It's that simple. -- Graham Hunter

Derbyshire 504 for 4 (Godleman 211*, Lace 143) lead Glamorgan 394 (Wagg 100, Carey 62*) by 110 runs

After Glamorgan's batsmen had set new batting records yesterday, Billy Godleman followed suit in Derbyshire's first innings as they ended the third day's play on 504 for 4 - a lead of 110, with maximum batting points. The captain led by example, scoring a career best 211 not out - surpassing the 204 he scored against Worcestershire three years ago.

Much will depend on the weather on tomorrow's final day, but the likely outcome will be for Derbyshire to adopt a positive approach, and gain a lead in excess of 200, and then try to dismiss Glamorgan in their second innings.

Tom Lace joined his captain in the 12th over, and they were not separated for a further 61 overs, having shared a partnership of 291 for the third wicket. During that stand, they broke the record for the third wicket against Glamorgan, and later for any wicket against the Welsh county.

Another ten runs would have seen a 300 partnership for only the tenth time in Derbyshire's history, but Lace was dismissed by a remarkable catch by Owen Morgan, who dived to his right on the fine leg boundary to hold the catch one handed, inches from the ground.

Lace, 21, is on a season's loan from Middlesex, and during his time there was coached by David Houghton, who is now Derbyshire's Head of Cricket. He was at the crease for four and a half hours for his chanceless innings and struck 18 fours. If any of Middlesex's batsmen are injured, then Lace could be recalled for their next championship game which, ironically, is against Glamorgan on Sunday.

Godleman, despite being dropped twice behind the wicket and then a difficult chance to slip, scored most of his runs through the off-side, and although he played and missed on numerous occasions, remained steadfast and ensured his team would gain a sizeable first-innings lead.

The second new ball accounted for Lace, and nine overs later Michael Hogan, who had changed ends dismissed Alex Hughes, who was leg before without moving his feet. Harvey Hosein then joined Godleman to extend the lead, as Glamorgan's bowlers toiled on the unresponsive pitch. Hosein is 53 not out, as the pair shared a hundred-run partnership in the penultimate over.

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