ALGER, Wash. – Shane Stewart will not return to CJB Motorsports following the conclusion of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season.

The news was confirmed in a press release sent out Wednesday by the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series previewing upcoming events in Washington.

“We weren’t meshing together,” said Chad Clemens, co-owner of CJB Motorsports. “It’s business. Shane knows the deal. We know the deal. He’s a great guy. Great family. But we’re not meshing as a team. When that happens you have to make changes and that’s pretty much what we chose to do.

“I felt like I gave him plenty of time, you know I didn’t hold it from him for another month or two or whatever and throw it on him. I gave him enough time, out of respect to him, to say, ‘Hey listen, we’re going in a different direction’ and that’s what we chose.”

Stewart joined CJB Motorsports this year after five years with Kyle Larson Racing. Expectations were high for the combination, but the results simply haven’t come for Stewart and CJB Motorsports.

The team currently sits seventh in the World of Outlaws point standings and Stewart has scored one win this year, which came in June at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville in Tennessee.

Stewart recently lost crew chief Barry Jackson, who will be working with affiliated KI Crossbow-sponsored driver Kerry Madsen for the rest of the season. Jackson will still be available to help, especially when Madsen is racing with the World of Outlaws, Stewart said, but the it’s up to him and his crew to set up the car and figure out the shock package.

Jackson went off the road to get a head start on the 2020 season, Clemens said. The team felt working with Madsen and his team for the rest of the season would be a good test to try different things for next year. Jackson will be back with the CJB Motorsports No. 5 car next year.

CJB Motorsports has yet to decide on who will replace Stewart next year and Stewart has not landed a deal for 2020 as of yet either. A decision on who may replace Stewart at CJB Motorsports may come in the next 30 to 60 days, according to Clemens. The team is also exploring the possibility of a second car that may run about 60 races next year.

“That’s sort of just talk,” Clemens said about a second car. “Nothing etched in stone.”

For the remainder of the year, Clemens said he would like to see Stewart win races, be in the top-five and gain some confidence for himself.

“Hopefully we can finish the year strong and we can all kind of separate and go our own ways on good conditions, good faith and chalk it up as a good experience that we’ve all learned a lot from,” Stewart said.

“The thing is, sprint car fans, sprint car mechanics, owners, you’re only as good as your last race out here,” Stewart said. “My name hasn’t been mentioned too many times this year. And that’s one thing I’ve got to concentrate on and get good strong finishes. And get my name back up to where it used to be. And where it should be. And where it needs to be. That’s just one thing I’m going to try and focus on real hard and try to accomplish.”

LAFC forward Carlos Vela has said he had accepted a move to Barcelona in January, before the Catalan side opted for Kevin-Prince Boateng instead.

Boateng made the surprise move to Camp Nou during the winter transfer window as a back-up forward for the remainder of the campaign, but made little impact with only four appearances, of which just one was a victory.

- ESPN fantasy: Sign up now!

Since March, Vela has enjoyed a superb run of form, scoring 27 times in 26 appearances for LAFC, who are top of the Western Conference. The Mexico international is the league's top goal scorer with 19.

"I was really close [to joining Barca]," Vela told BS The podcast. "In the second month of my holiday, I had a pina colada in hand and my agent called me to say: 'Listen, Barcelona are calling you.

"They want you to play for four months and then you can go back to Los Angeles.' I said to him: 'Just say yes, I don't care about money or anything. I'm going to start training tomorrow. Give me two weeks to get my fitness up.'"

Barca went on to win La Liga but lost in the Copa del Rey final and Champions League semifinals.

Carabao Cup holders Manchester City will visit League One side Preston North End as the draw for the third round of the competition was held on Wednesday.

The draw was held after all second round matches were complete, which saw Everton survive against Lincoln City, Leicester City beat Newcastle United on penalties, and third-tier Sunderland shock Burnley.

Liverpool and Manchester United are also playing League One clubs in the next round, with the Reds travelling to Milton Keynes Dons and United hosting Rochdale.

Other fixtures include Arsenal welcoming Nottingham Forest, and Colchester United hosting Tottenham Hotspur.

Last year's runners-up Chelsea will play either Grimsby and Macclesfield who will play their second round tie on Sept. 10.

The third-round matchups will commence on Sept. 23.

Full list of fixtures include:

Preston North End vs. Manchester City

Milton Keynes Dons vs. Liverpool

Manchester United vs. Rochdale

Arsenal vs. Nottingham Forest

Colchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea vs. Grimsby/Macclesfield

Sheffield Wednesday vs. Everton

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Reading

Oxford vs. West Ham United

Watford vs. Swansea City

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Aston Villa

Sheffield United vs. Sunderland

Portsmouth vs. Southampton

Burton Albion vs. AFC Bournemouth

Luton Town vs. Leicester City

Crawley Town vs. Stoke City

There will be 32 teams in the hat for the UEFA Champions League group-stage draw.

When is the Champions League draw?

It takes place on Thursday, Aug. 29 in Monaco. The draw ceremony is expected to begin at noon ET / 6 p.m. CET. (4 p.m. GMT)

How long will the draw take?

It is likely to take around an hour, as a series of awards for last season's Champions League will be presented throughout:

- UEFA Men's Player of the Year
- UEFA Women's Player of the Year
- Goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward of the 2018-19 UCL season

What are the draw pots?

POT 1: Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester City, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Zenit St Petersburg

POT 2: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Shakhtar Donetsk, Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax, Benfica

POT 3: Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen, FC Salzburg, Olympiakos, Club Brugge, Valencia, Inter Milan, Dinamo Zagreb

POT 4: Lokomotiv Moscow, Genk, Galatasaray, RB Leipzig, Slavia Prague, Red Star Belgrade, Atalanta, Lille

One team from each pot will be drawn into a group, making eight groups of four clubs.

When will the games be played?

Matchday 1: Sep. 17-18

Matchday 2: Oct. 1-2

Matchday 3: Oct. 22-23

Matchday 4: Nov. 5-6

Matchday 5: Nov. 26-27

Matchday 6: Dec. 10-11

What time will the games kick off?

Two games will begin at 6:55 p.m. CET / 12:55 p.m. ET, with the remainder following at 9 p.m. CET / 3 p.m. ET.

When will the fixtures be known?

UEFA will publish all group fixtures later in the day on Aug. 29.

When is the draw for the Round of 16?

It takes place on Dec. 16.

MORE:

UEFA Champions League home page

The European champions are No. 1 and have started the season in fine style. Meanwhile, are Atletico set for a return to the top in Spain?

Agree? Disagree? Let us know, and watch Shaka defend his picks on ESPN FC TV, which airs daily on ESPN+.

West Indies women have recalled offspinner Anisa Mohammed to the squad as they aim to bank on experience for the upcoming ODI series against Australia, which starts on September 5. Mohammed's last appearance for West Indies came against Pakistan women in February, and, after three wickets across five international games on that tour, she was left out of the squad for the England and Ireland tour.

Mohammed's return is expected to bolster a side without medium-pacer Shakera Selman, wicketkeeper-batsman Chedean Nation and batsman Shemaine Campbelle, who have been ruled out due to injury. Deandra Dottin, one of the side's batting mainstays, who missed the tour of England and Ireland due to a shoulder injury has not been included in the 13-member squad.

The squad included uncapped Guyanese medium-pacer Shabika Gajnabi. The 19-year-old, a three-time captain of the Guyana U-19 team, was rewarded for her all-round performance in Cricket West Indies' Women's Championship earlier this year. Another youngster, Karishma Ramharack, who made her international debut on the tour of England and Ireland, was retained in the squad. The two are expected to provide West Indies with bowling options, said Robert Haynes, CWI's Interim Chairman of Selectors.

"The panel selected the best available players from the camp in Antigua over the last month, as a result of most of our senior players being unavailable due to injury. We have included Anisa Mohammed and Kyshona Knight who have a lot of experience between them, which is required when playing against Australia, the top-ranked women's team."

The three-ODI series will be played in Antigua, with the first match being held at the Coolidge Cricket Ground and the remaining ODIs will be played at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on September 8 and 11. The three T20Is will all be held in Barbados, between September 14 and September 18.

NEW YORK -- Serena Williams avoided what would have been her earliest loss in 19 appearances at the US Open.

Williams came back from a set down in the second round -- the first time she had ever lost a set in the round of 64 -- at Flushing Meadows to beat 17-year-old American Caty McNally 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 in a match that ended as Wednesday turned into Thursday.

Williams didn't drop a single point on her serve in the decisive third set and won 24 of the 29 total points played. She did not face a break point over the final two sets.

"You can't win tournaments making that many errors,'' Williams said. "I knew I had to play better, and I knew I could.''

And so she did.

"Obviously, she's going to pick up her level. I knew that was going to happen,'' McNally said. "Next time, I just have to raise my level with hers.''

Williams improved to 38-0 in the first two rounds at Flushing Meadows. The only time she was beaten as early as even the third round in New York was in her tournament debut all way back in 1998 -- when she was just 16 herself.

The following year, Williams won the first of her six US Open championships. McNally hadn't even been born yet.

Now Williams owns 23 Grand Slam singles titles in all, and she showed off why while powering her way through a deficit, taking 16 of the final set's initial 17 points.

McNally had never won a match at any major tournament until Monday. She is ranked 121st and received a wild-card invitation from the U.S. Tennis Association for singles and for doubles, the latter with 15-year-old sensation Coco Gauff.

Williams never looked comfortable early as McNally charged the net, serving-and-volleying and looking like someone who belonged on this stage.

The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, made louder than usual under the retractable roof that was closed all day because of showers, alternated whom it was pulling for, more than happy to cheer for either woman representing the United States at the country's Grand Slam tournament.

"She's young. It's her first time in a stage like this and only her second Grand Slam, so I think there's a lot to gain from it,'' said Lynn Nabors-McNally, Caty's mother, who also helps coach her. "It's a great stepping stone to a lot of things.''

So there was McNally, almost strutting to the sideline while waving her arms, trying to get the spectators to offer even more noise and more applause after she pulled out the opening set in impressive fashion. First, McNally converted her only break point of the match to lead 6-5. Then, she served out the set despite falling behind love-40, erasing three break points and hitting a 103 mph service winner to seal it -- and implored the fans to get loud.

They obliged.

"I knew I was playing against the greatest of all time. ... I walked out there and I had the chills,'' McNally said. "Super happy just to get a set from her. That's something that not very many people do.''

And for a bit of the second set, too, McNally stayed with Williams.

But Williams started to pull away, in part by dispensing with the serves out wide that McNally was handling well and in part by reducing her mistakes from 15 unforced errors in the first set to 11 in the second to two in the third.

"I want to be able to win matches where I'm not playing my best and then play players who are playing great and be able to come through, and I need to be tested, I guess," Williams said. "Honestly, I'd rather not be tested and win every match. That doesn't happen, so it's important for me to have those really rough, rowdy matches -- that helps a lot."

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Oakland Athletics All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman is feeling OK and not in the concussion protocol after being hit in the head by a pitch and exiting Wednesday night's road game against the Kansas City Royals.

A's manager Bob Melvin provided the update to reporters after the 6-4 loss.

Chapman was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Royals starter Jakob Junis in the first inning, then was checked by a trainer and initially stayed in the game.

However, after playing third in the bottom of the inning and making it through his second at-bat, he exited.

Chad Pinder replaced Chapman.

The Baltimore Orioles' emotions boiled to the surface again Wednesday night, as reliever Richard Bleier and third-base coach Jose David Flores became embroiled in an obscenity-filled shouting match in the dugout and clubhouse tunnel.

In a fifth-inning incident shown live on the local broadcast of Baltimore's 8-4 loss to the host Washington Nationals, Bleier and Flores can be seen heatedly arguing about what was said to be the positioning of fielders.

"I think I just let frustration kind of boil over," Bleier said, according to The Baltimore Sun. "Some stuff about some balls that I thought maybe … defensive positioning, I guess. I probably could have done better for myself to keep my mouth shut, and unfortunately, I may have said something. You guys saw the rest."

Before being pulled, Bleier allowed three runs on four hits while recording one out.

"We're all adults," Bleier said. "It's not like I'm mad at anybody."

It was as Bleier exited that tempers then flared.

"I guess there was some disagreement about some positioning during his inning," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said, according to The Sun. "On the mound, he just left it a little bit too early for me, but I haven't talked to him, honestly since."

The incident followed two weeks after Chris Davis had a dugout confrontation with Hyde during a loss to the New York Yankees in which teammates and coaches had to restrain the first baseman.

That was also attributed to the frustrations of a struggling season.

"Right now, we're not thrilled with each other maybe," Bleier said. "But I'm sure we can move past this and get back to a healthy relationship."

In his latest BBC Sport column, Jamie Murray talks about his US Open hopes alongside Neal Skupski, recently playing with - and against - his younger brother Andy, who wins the British putting competitions on tour and why he has no plans to retire for a long time yet.

The US Open will be the second Grand Slam where I have played with Neal Skupski and we feel we have a good base to work from now as we look to go far in the draw.

We had a tough loss at Wimbledon in the first round and the way we lost - in a match stretching over two days because of bad light and five sets - was difficult to get over.

Then we didn't see each other for about a month because Neal went to play in the World Team Tennis competition and when we met up again in Montreal we only had one practice and played the match, where we lost without much preparation.

We had a few days on the practice court together leading up to Cincinnati where we had a good tournament and reached the semi-finals, then went to Winston Salem to get more matches if we could.

We also managed to reach the semi-finals there, so we played seven matches in the last couple of weeks which has been great for us.

We needed that time on court together at this stage of our partnership and we both feel a lot better going into the US Open having had those matches under our belt.

You spend time with each other and learn about their personalities, and learn tennis-wise what works for them, how they might deal with certain situations in a match and what they might need in terms of communication at these points.

I'm not sure what he has learned about me so far in our partnership - you'll have to ask him!

But you try to be yourself and you find a way to deal with each other, that's what a partnership is about.

Off court, Neal is an easy going and relaxed guy. The only downside is that he supports a dodgy football team - he supports Liverpool and I support Manchester United - but we all have our weaknesses!

We're getting on well and we're confident the results will come, hopefully starting here at Flushing Meadows.

'People have been asking about the Great Wall of Noob'

I played with my brother Andy at the Washington Open last month, our first tournament together for a few years, so that was cool.

What made it particularly special is that we didn't know if we would ever play on court together again because of everything he has gone through in the past couple of years with his hip injury.

We earned a decent win against Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, played some good stuff and there was one particularly memorable point which we won with both of us at the net that led to Andy describing us as the 'Great Wall of Noob' on Instagram.

That had a lot of people asking what a noob is! So… if someone said to me 'you're a noob' it would mean you're a bit of a numpty, a bit of an idiot. It's a negative connotation but we don't use it that way - it's just a funny thing between us that we've used since we were kids.

Back to a more serious note… I don't know if I will play doubles with Andy again in the future.

I haven't spoken to him about us playing together in the Davis Cup but I'm sure he would love to play in Madrid if he is able to.

We always love playing for our countries and some of the most memorable matches of our careers have been playing Davis Cup for our country because of the atmosphere and energy created by some amazing support.

But for now his focus is playing singles again.

Hopefully he can have a good run until the end of the season and play a lot of matches, regardless of what level that is, then be ready to start again in January feeling fit, strong and ready to compete in the biggest events there are.

As well as playing with Andy in Washington, I played against him in the doubles in Cincinnati a couple of weeks later - that was pretty weird!

We just had to get through it. I thought to myself 'It is an hour and a half of my life, get your head down, compete and that's the end of it'.

The match was a little flat because no-one is getting too fired up and in each other's grills - but, of course, I'm glad I was on the winning side.

Mini-golf and eating steaks helped build British camaraderie

With Andy being in the States just for the doubles it meant we could spend more time together and do brother stuff.

We spent a lot of time practising together in Washington and hanging out off the court because we were on the same schedule. That is not normally the case at these events because he is playing singles and has a different schedule.

So I'm sure that will change now he's back on the singles tour.

In Cincinnati, there was a group of us British players and coaches all hanging out together, which was fun.

There are more Brits playing in these events so there is more camaraderie and we all get on well.

In Mason, Cincinnati, we were all in the same hotel and there is not a lot going on so we would go to Whole Foods - which says it is 'America's healthiest grocery store', apparently - and there was a butchers and fish market inside where you chose your food and they would cook it for you.

You could get a steak for $15, cooked unbelievably well by the chef in the back - in New York that would cost you about $70. We were filling our boots!

We would sit around the table for dinner and then go back to the hotel to play mini-golf.

Our hotel had an artificial putting green so we were playing there every night.

We played alternate shots in pairs with a random draw for partners and I only managed to win once. But it was great fun.

'I want to play as long as I can because you can't replace that buzz'

You might have seen I launched my own YouTube channel earlier this year which aims to give a behind the scenes look at the life of a Tour player.

Earlier this week I posted a video about my fitness workouts and recovery, which are vital in prolonging my career for as long as possible.

Every former player I talk to says play for as long as you can because nothing compares to that feeling of winning matches.

If I look after myself and continue to have a ranking at the top of the game then why would I stop playing?

It's a great life and nothing can compare to going out to play on centre court at a big tournament in front of a lot of people.

That buzz you get, that adrenaline, I feel like it would be tough for me to recreate that in something else I would do in life.

As I get older you start to think about more that you will do after playing because you realise you can't go on forever.

I guess there are a lot of things I could potentially get involved in.

I was on the ATP player council for a few years until recently and you learn a lot more about how the tour and the tournaments works.

I'm also involved in the Murray Trophy - the new challenger event in Glasgow - so that is a new experience for me as well.

I'd like to coach, but not necessarily coaching on the tour, especially after travelling around the world for so long as a player.

But I'd like to help the development of the younger kids in our country because I think there are so few people who have done what Andy, myself and a few other Brits have done.

That is in terms of getting to the top of the game, knowing what commitment that entails, the sacrifices that are required and the levels you have to be aspiring to at certain times of your development.

You never know when you are going to stop and what opportunities are available at that time so timing can be a huge factor.

I may be 33 now - but I'm not planning to stop for a good while yet.