DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The latest chapter in the history of Ford Racing – a gripping true story of triumph more than a century in the making – will be completed at Motul Petit Le Mans on Oct. 12.

That’s when the iconic and inspiring Ford GT will make its final appearance as a factory-backed entrant in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The current iteration of the Ford GT has left its imprint in this four-year run, competing in both the WeatherTech Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship with two-car operations in each series operated by Chip Ganassi Racing.

With the IMSA season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta ahead, the Ford GT program has been deemed a success. Combining the efforts in IMSA and WEC, the car has compiled 19 race wins, 22 pole positions and driven nearly 280,000 miles (equivalent to nearly 11 trips around the world).

Fourteen of those victories have come in WeatherTech Championship GT Le Mans events, but it was the highly coveted 2016 class triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by IMSA drivers Joey Hand, Dirk Mueller and Sebastien Bourdais – coming 50 years after the historic win by a Ford GT in the world-famous endurance race – that remains a beacon of the present-day program.

Mark Rushbrook, the global director at Ford Performance Motorsports, said it was clear from when the program was announced in late 2013, that capturing Le Mans on the golden anniversary of the first win was the top priority. Mission accomplished … and then some.

“As one single event, it is because that was the goal, to win Le Mans in 2016,” Rushbrook said. “The fact that we did is a very significant piece of the program. But it wasn’t just that one race and that one win, as significant as that was. The fact that the car and the teams were so competitive throughout the four years … I think that shows that it was a very effective and significant program in total, not just in one race.”

Hand, Mueller and Bourdais followed the epic 2016 Le Mans win by taking home GTLM honors the following year at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. It was the first of five WeatherTech Championship victories for the No. 66 Ford GT, including the most recent race on Sept. 15 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“It’s been a great four years and I’m sad that it’s ending,” Mueller said. “Joey and I are super close and are mates, which is probably not really unique in this level of racing, but I remember my very first test in 2015. As soon as I touched ground and got out of the rental car, I felt like I’d been with the team forever. That’s a unique feeling, what you normally probably don’t get.

“There are no big egos. Everyone is as important as the next person. Everyone is working hand in hand for that one goal, winning races.”

The sister No. 67 Ford GT – with full-time co-drivers Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook along with IndyCar champion Scott Dixon for the endurance events – has had the most success with eight class wins, including the first victory anywhere in the world for a Ford GT at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in 2016 and the Rolex 24 in 2018. Briscoe is well aware of the program’s significance.

“A good part of the program has just been being part of the program from day one until the end,” Briscoe said. “It’s such a historic program with such heavy involvement with everyone at Ford. It’s just been so much fun rewriting history and comparing what we were doing to the 1960s. It’s been a really special time of our racing careers. I’ve been proud of all of us having a leading role of what we did the last four years.”

The legacy of Ford’s racing exploits dates to company founder Henry Ford, who was determined to prove the capabilities of his cars by beating other fledgling manufacturers at the beginning of the 20th century. It was his son, Henry Ford II, who pushed Ford Motor Co. to enter and win at Le Mans in 1966. Edsel Ford, the son of Henry Ford II, was behind the decision to launch the present Ford GT in competition.

According to Mike Hull, managing director at Chip Ganassi Racing, that continuing desire to race and win within the Ford family inspires everyone involved in the program to push harder to achieve those results.

“The Ford family themselves are still very directly involved in Ford Motor Co.,” Hull said. “They have their lineage on their sleeve in terms of what’s important to them and the performance of their product. That goes back to Henry Ford having his springboard of winning that race years ago. That really started the company and I think they still hold that very, very close to their hearts.

“That makes for a terrific bond that goes well past the definition of partnership.”

Rushbrook emphasized the strength of the partnership as well that, in addition to Chip Ganassi Racing, includes chassis designer Multimatic, Roush Yates engines and Michelin tires. He’d love nothing more than to end this latest chapter of Ford Racing history with one last win in the Motul Petit Le Mans – an event that has eluded the Ford GT the past three years.

“That would be fantastic,” Rushbrook said of a season- and program-ending win. “All of these races now as close as the cars are, it takes flawless execution, great car, great drivers, great team sitting on the pit box. The team hasn’t let up; it’s not like they think the program is over. They know that the mission is to go win this race.”

LONG BEACH, Calif. – DENSO Products and Services Americas Inc., an affiliate of DENSO Corp., and NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Matt Smith are wrapping Smith’s bike in pink this month to raise awareness about breast cancer.

The partners will debut the new wrap Oct. 11-13 at the NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C.

“I’m really looking forward to this wrap on our DENSO Auto Parts EBR for Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” Smith said. “This cause hits close to home for our team because my longtime racing partner Mark Stockseth’s wife Marshallhas battled breast cancer twice. She’s a fighter, and this new design represents and honors her strength.”

Smith’s motorcycle will continue to sport the sleek pink and black wrap throughout the month of October. Other weekend races coinciding with Breast Cancer Awareness Month are the Oct. 17-20 AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals and the Oct. 31-Nov. 3 Dodge NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil in Las Vegas.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual international campaign to educate people about the disease and raise money for research, prevention and treatment leading to a cure. In the U.S. alone, one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.

DENSO is the primary sponsor of Matt Smith and his wife and teammate, Angie Smith, for the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

The continued youth takeover of the NHL shows no signs of slowing. Each season brings a new crop of high-end rookies who take the league up a notch, and several of these young talents could be considered among the best players in the game, regardless of age.

Every single year, this list of the top 25 players under the age of 25 becomes more difficult to compile, as I attempt to combine the subjective and the objective. This year, I made a short list that included 43 of the top players 24 and younger in the NHL before narrowing it to 25 names, using points per game, relative Corsi percentage, average time on ice and a host of other measures when I thought the margins were especially thin between players. Current body of work is the biggest factor in the decision process, but I also looked a bit at expectations and projections.

Notes: All players must be 24 years old or younger as of Jan. 1, 2020. Players with Calder Trophy eligibility, such as Cale Makar or Jack Hughes, are not eligible to be included on the list. There isn't enough of a body of work. Statistics referenced in this article are from Hockey Reference unless otherwise noted.

1. Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers

Age: 22 | Last year: 1

It isn't exactly a hard sell on this front. McDavid has grown into the game's best and most productive player. He is a singular talent with a mix of speed and skill, and his 1.30 career points-per-game average already puts him among the all-time greats of the game.

2. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche

Age: 24 | Last year: 4

It's amazing to compare where MacKinnon was just three years ago to where he is now. He was essentially a midrange guy. Over the past two seasons, however, he has become a legitimate threat to win the Hart Trophy. It isn't a coincidence that MacKinnon's surge coincides with his being paired with Mikko Rantanen, but based on MacKinnon's explosiveness, his hands and his tenacity in all areas of the ice, he's taking his rightful place among the league's elites.

3. Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

Age: 22 | Last year: 2

Each week on GolfChannel.com, we’ll examine which players’ stocks and trends are rising and falling in the world of golf.

RISING

Kevin Na (+8%): A week after Cam Champ bombed his way to victory, Na won in entirely different fashion – rolling in a Tour-record amount of putts to deny the sixth-ranked player in the world and capture his third title in his past 30 starts. Playing the best golf of his life, who in the sport is grittier than Na?

Jon Rahm (+6%): Rahm has proven that he can beat up on the lesser-weights, as he did again in his home open in Spain, but he’ll have to wait until 2020 to show that he’s ready to take the final leap toward greatness.

Cheyenne Knight (+5%): It’s too early to call Knight the next American star – she didn’t have a top-25 prior to last week – but her breakthrough victory sure was timely. Instead of heading back to Q-School with her confidence shaken, she now has job security and the unassailable belief that she can hang with the world’s best.

The Players (+2%): The Tour’s showcase event might not yet be a major, but at least in 2020 it’ll be treated like one – the tournament will offer live streaming of all 144 players in the field, just like the Masters.

Stephanie Meadow (+1%): Knight wasn’t the only former Alabama All-American to shine on Sunday. Meadow drained a 25-footer on the 72^nd hole to finish in a tie for sixth – and, more importantly, slide inside the top 100 on the money list to keep her card for next year. Clutch.

FALLING

Defending champs (-1%): The Houston Open took a year off, and moved from the spring to the fall, but 2018 winner Ian Poulter won’t be in Texas to defend his title. He’ll tee it up this week in Italy, in a lucrative Rolex Series event, against stronger competition and with European Ryder Cup points at stake.

Knees (-2%): Fortunately they’ve all avoided major injury, but Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose and now Brooks Koepka all have been plagued by a bad wheel this year, perhaps an indictment of their grueling workouts that maximize their speed and power. Do these guys play golf or running back?

Bryson (-3%): Heading into a fall break, DeChambeau revealed his plans to get “bigger” and “way stronger” – which is curious, seeing how he’s already a very large, well-sculpted human. Players have wrecked their careers chasing distance, so hopefully the Mad Scientist isn’t another casualty.

Captaincy choices (-4%): Na’s ascendance (he’s the only eligible U.S. player with multiple wins in 2019) complicates matters for Captain Woods, who now faces the prospect of leaving off the American roster a U.S. Open champ, a consistent contender, a popular figure in the team room and maybe even himself. It’s unavoidable: Someone’s feelings are going to get hurt.

DQ rules (-5%): Poor Mind Muangkhumsakul, whose career was nearly derailed because she thought the pro-am for the Symetra Tour Championship was at 9 a.m., not 8 a.m. She was disqualified from the event, per tour regulations, and barely held on to her LPGA card for next year. That this rule has not been amended – how about a significant fine, or a mandatory sponsor outing instead? – defies all logic.

If you have been waiting for “The Smiling Cinderella” to make an encore appearance on the LPGA this year, your wait is almost over.

Hinako Shibuno, the Japanese player whose 10,000-watt smile won the hearts and minds of so many when she claimed the AIG Women’s British Open title in her major championship debut this summer, plans to play the Taiwan Swinging Skirts at the end of this month.

“I am very honored to receive a sponsor’s exemption for the Swinging Skirts in Taiwan as my second start for the U.S. LPGA this year,” Shibuno said in a statement Monday. “I will try my best again.”

With her Women’s British Open victory two months ago, Shibuno earned the right to claim LPGA membership for both this year and next year, or to defer taking up membership until next year. She has declined to take up membership this year. If she defers, the membership would be for 2020 only, with the chance to retain membership beyond that, based on her play next season.

Shibuno, however, says she still favors remaining on the Japan LPGA next year.

“I am more interested in the U.S. LPGA tour than when I won AIG a couple months ago,” Shibuno told reporters while playing the Japan Women’s Open last weekend. “I would like to play the U.S. tour in the future, but definitely not next year, at this point.”

Shibuno, 20, has until the start of the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship week (Nov. 21) to decide whether to take up LPGA membership for next year. As a non-member, she isn’t eligible to play the CME Group Tour Championship, based on a new rule change in effect this year, with the event’s new $1.5 million first-place prize altering who’s eligible for the big payday.

Shibuno finished seventh at the Japan Women’s Open, nine shots behind Nasa Hataoka, the winner. Shibuno said watching Hataoka, So Yeon Ryu and Inbee Park has heightened her interest in playing the LPGA in an attempt to become a better player. She also said she would like to learn English as preparation to do so.

Two weeks ago, Shibuno won the Descente Ladies Tokai Classic in spectacular fashion, for her third Japan LPGA title this season. She came from eight shots behind in the final round to win with a 64. She is second on the tour’s money-winning list.

Shibuno didn’t just surprise fans internationally this year. She said she surprised herself. Her AIG Women’s British Open title came in her first tournament playing outside Japan.

“Last year, I passed the professional golfer's test in Japan,” Shibuno said on the eve of the final round of the Women’s British Open. “At that point, I didn't even know if I could play on tour. So, I really can't understand why I'm performing at this level, but I think my coach is really helping me.”

Shibuno started her rookie year on the Japan LPGA this season ranked No. 561 in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings. She’s No. 11 in this week’s rankings.

Fans at Woburn Golf Club in England knew virtually nothing about Shibuno until she stormed up the leaderboard late in the third round. She was six shots off the lead making the turn on that Saturday but shot 30 on the back nine, with four birdies over the final six holes, to take the lead going into the final round. She became just the second Japanese player to win a major championship, joining Chako Higuchi, who won the LPGA Championship back in 1977.

Barcelona must bring in €124 million in player sales before the end of the season or the club risks damaging its financial stability, sources have told ESPN FC.

Philippe Coutinho, on loan at Bayern Munich, and out-of-favour midfielder Ivan Rakitic are two of the players Barca believe they will be able to sell.

- ESPN La Liga fantasy: Sign up now!
- When does the transfer window reopen?

They are already working hard on balancing the books before the 2019-20 financial year ends on June 30, 2020. The Spanish club used to classify income from player sales as "extraordinary" until Neymar's transfer to Paris Saint-Germain for €222m in 2017.

Since then, they have been forced to make the sale of players each year a priority for their financial model to work. The amount they must bring in this season has been fixed at €124m to ensure they don't end the year in the red. If that were to happen, club members could push for the board's removal.

Some members are already anxious about the club's economic health, with one member at Sunday's AGM having suggested the board rushed through the sale of Jasper Cillessen to Valencia in June to avoid a similar scenario earlier this summer.

However, Barca's confidence lies in the belief that they will be able to bring in good money for Coutinho and Rakitic.

Both players were used as bait in a move for Neymar last summer but neither wanted to move to PSG. Coutinho ended up joining Bayern on loan, while Rakitic drew interest from Italian duo Inter Milan and Juventus.

Bayern have an option to sign Coutinho for €120m and must let Barcelona know before June 30 if they plan to push ahead with a permanent move for the Brazil international.

"Bayern are happy with Coutinho but it is still too early to know what they will do next summer," a Barcelona source told ESPN FC. "So far, no one from the club has called us to talk about taking up the option [to buy]."

Coutinho, 27, has made a good start to life in Germany. Freed from the pressure of being Barcelona's most expensive signing, he's produced a string of impressive performances, scoring two goals and setting up three more.

Rakitic, meanwhile, has fallen down the pecking order under coach Ernesto Valverde and could ask to leave if his situation does not change between now and January.

Sources have told ESPN FC his relationship with Valverde has deteriorated. The Croatia midfielder has gone from being a guaranteed starter to the fifth choice midfielder. He has started just once this season.

Inter and Juve both moved for him in August but were unable to match Barca's expectations, despite offering the player a good salary.

PSG made a big offer for Rakitic in 2018, too, but Barca turned it down. At that point, Valverde did not want to lose a player he felt was key to his midfield, but following the development of Arthur Melo and the signing of Frenkie de Jong, things have completely changed.

Arsene Wenger is interested in becoming Lyon manager, sources have told ESPN FC.

Wenger is also considered as an attractive option by the French club although their priority is Laurent Blanc.

Sources have told ESPN FC that former France boss Blanc is the main candidate and will meet Lyon on Tuesday to discuss the role, which would be his first job since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in 2016.

- ESPN Premier League fantasy: Sign up now!
- VAR in the Premier League: Ultimate guide
- When does the transfer window reopen?
- Premier League winter break: All you need to know

Wenger, who turns 70 on Oct. 22, left Arsenal in May 2018 after 22 years in charge and has turned down a lot of offers, including from Premier League clubs, in that time.

Although he has agreed in principle to take on a technical role at FIFA, his priority is to make a return to club management as soon as possible.

Lyon sacked Sylvinho on Monday after a poor start to the domestic season.

Fourteenth in Ligue 1, Lyon are only a point clear of bottom team Metz and have not won any of their last seven league matches (four defeats and three draws) after two wins in the first two weeks of the season.

Sylvinho, who had never managed a club before, was new sporting director Juninho's choice last summer. Nevertheless, there was no way back from such a disastrous start of the campaign.

Gerard Houllier, an advisor to Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas, is a close friend of Wenger.

Appointing the former Monaco coach would be a great coup for Lyon in footballing terms but also for image and marketing reasons.

Lyon want to announce their new manager by the end of the week so he could have a week to prepare for the next league game against Dijon at home on Saturday Oct. 19.

India women's opener Smriti Mandhana has been ruled out of the ODI series against South Africa women after fracturing her right toe. A BCCI spokesperson confirmed that she had picked up the injury after being struck by a ball while batting in the nets. Pooja Vastrakar, the 20-year-old seam-bowling allrounder, has been added to the team as replacement.

Mandhana is now under observation by the BCCI's medical team and it is unclear if she will be fit in time to play India's next series. The team is tentatively set to depart for a tour of the Caribbean on October 23.

"It's a mild fracture," coach WV Raman said in a press conference, along with ODI captain Mithali Raj, on Tuesday. "The call [on Mandhana's return] will be taken based on the assessment of the physios at the NCA. It's difficult to fix the timeline either way because she still needs to get an MRI done because there is some swelling and it has to die down for the MRI to be taken. Once that's done, only then the assessment can be made."

ALSO READ: Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues set to miss WBBL

Raj chose to look at the positive side, saying the opener's absence will create opportunities for other players. "She [Mandhana] is an experienced player," Raj said. "But other players, like Priya Punia, have scored a lot of runs in the domestic games. This series is not part of the ICC Women's Championship. So that way it's a chance for us to try out new players. And I am positive that whoever gets a chance will utilise it fully."

Mandhana had failed to get going in the T20I series against South Africa that preceded the ODIs, with scores of 21, 13, 7 and 5 in the four completed games. However, she was in red-hot form in ODIs last season, with six scores over fifty including a hundred, in nine matches against Sri Lanka (away), New Zealand (away) and England (home). Overall, in 50 ODIs, she has 1951 runs at 42.41, with four tons and 16 half-centuries.

India won the rain-hit T20I series - two games were abandoned without a ball bowled - against South Africa 3-1. They will square off again for three ODIs in Vadodara between October 9 and 14.

India squad: Mithali Raj (capt), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-capt), Taniya Bhatia (wk), Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Jhulan Goswami, Dayalan Hemalatha, Mansi Joshi, Pooja Vastrakar, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav, Priya Punia, Punam Raut, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma

The England & Wales Cricket Board has pledged a funding boost for women's cricket of £20 million over two years, and plans to invest £50 million in the next five years, in a bid to make cricket into a gender-balanced sport.

The challenge of transforming women's and girls' cricket was one of six priorities within the ECB's 'Inspiring Generations' strategy for 2020-2024, and part of the new remit is a commitment to the funding of 40 full-time professional, domestic contracts, in addition to the existing central contracts for England Women's elite players.

A ten-point action plan was unveiled by Clare Connor, the ECB's managing director for women's cricket, at an event in London, with a focus on five key objectives:

Participation: To increase the number of women and girls playing cricket recreationally
Pathway: To develop aspiring female cricketers (U11-17) as players and people
Performance: To drive the performance of England women's cricket through a new semi-professional, eight region structure
Profile: To elevate the profile of women's cricket through The Hundred, the England Women's team and the elite game
People: To increase the representation of women across the cricket workforce

"Cricket has been an integral part of my life, as a player and in my role of Managing Director of Women's Cricket. I have never been more excited by the opportunity in front of us right now," said Connor.

"Recent initiatives have given women and girls more opportunities to play, such as All Stars Cricket for 5-8-year-olds, the South Asian female activators programme, and the Kia Super League for our most talented domestic cricketers. But to truly transform women's and girls' cricket, we must now move from targeted standalone programmes to addressing the whole pathway as one.

"We have an amazing opportunity to make cricket the sport we want it to be - a sport that is modern, innovative and inclusive. I have been so heartened by the level of enthusiasm, commitment and support for this plan from everyone involved in cricket."

Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, added: "During the development of Inspiring Generations, and extensive conversations and research across the game, the strong appetite to transform cricket's relationship with women and girls was abundantly clear.

"There is tremendous energy across the cricket network to pursue the game's largest growth opportunity and to increase the number of women and girls playing, watching and volunteering at every level of the game.

"This plan, formed in collaboration with the whole cricket network, and supported by our commercial and media partners, represents a crucial step in achieving our ambition of making cricket a gender-balanced sport."

The plan was produced following two years of consultation with all 38 Counties and Cricket Wales, and detailed analysis of thousands of survey responses from the recreational and elite game.

To test some of the recommendations for the recreational game, ECB has run pilot programmes with over 600 cricket clubs to better understand the essential criteria in creating the most sustainable women's and girls' clubs.

"This action plan is a really exciting next step in the continued growth of women's cricket," said Heather Knight, England Women's captain. "We need more young girls to be inspired to play and those young girls need to be able to see a clear pathway above them that encourages them to continue pursuing the game.

"As England players we're fortunate enough to meet lots of young girls who love the game and it means so much to us to see how much they love cricket. Much of this plan is about normalising the game for women and girls and I'm excited to see how this increased opportunity takes the game forward."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is unlikely to play Thursday night against the New England Patriots despite returning to practice late last week, multiple sources told ESPN. He had been eyeing this week's contest as a potential return date.

Barkley has been dealing with a high ankle sprain suffered Sept. 22 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is slated to practice again later Tuesday but is not expected to be cleared medically in time to handle the rigors of game action so soon after suffering the injury.

Coach Pat Shurmur said Monday that the Giants would do what is best for the team and Barkley would return when he's able to play at a high level and protect himself. It's almost certainly not going to happen Thursday. Sitting Barkley against the undefeated Patriots gives him another 10 days to get cleared for their Week 7 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.

Not having Barkley available Thursday leaves the Giants (2-3) short-handed against the league's top-ranked defense. Running back Wayne Gallman and wide receiver Sterling Shepard also are going to miss Thursday night's game. Both have concussions.

New England is allowing 6.8 points per game this season.

Undrafted rookie running back Jon Hilliman and fullback Elijhaa Penny, a converted tailback, are expected to shoulder the load without Barkley and Gallman. Austin Walter also is likely to be elevated from the practice squad. An outside alternative is difficult on such short notice.

The original reported timeline for Barkley was four to eight weeks. It has been 16 days since the injury.

It appeared Barkley was going to beat the timeline when he returned to the practice field early last week and began running and cutting at near full speed on a side field with a trainer. He improved as the week progressed and even sneaked in some scout team work on Friday.

Barkley was listed as a limited participant in Monday's projected practice report with the Giants on a short week.

"He's doing great," Shurmur said Monday, before adding that Barkley was closer to returning than he was last week.

Shurmur said there was a possibility that Barkley could return against the Patriots. It just seems highly unlikely. Barkley would have to be cleared by doctors and the long-term risk in this case outweighs the short-term reward.

The Giants enter the game Thursday night as 16.5-point underdogs.

Barkley was the No. 2 overall pick last year and won the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award with more than 2,000 total yards from scrimmage. He started this year in similar fashion, with a pair of 100-yard games.

But Barkley was injured after catching a pass from quarterback Daniel Jones in the second quarter of the Giants' Week 3 win over the Bucs. His ankle got caught and bent awkwardly while being tackled from the side as his momentum took him toward the sideline. Barkley spent the second half of the game in a boot and on crutches.

An MRI and second opinion revealed and confirmed a high ankle sprain, which seemed to indicate a significant absence.

Barkley told ESPN it was similar to a high ankle sprain he suffered during his freshman year at Penn State. He missed two games and returned 21 days later with what was then a career-best rushing performance (194 yards) against Ohio State.