KNOXVILLE, Iowa — A landmark victory on the opening night of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals ended a yearlong string of bad luck for Trey Starks and his Gobrecht Motorsports team.

Starks, who has traveled back and forth between his home in Washington to Knoxville Raceway all season, turned in the performance of his life to pick up his first World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory on the sport’s biggest stage.

Starks, whose car is co-owned by Scott Gobrecht and Jeff McCall, was in disbelief at his victory.

“This hasn’t been the best year for us for multiple different reasons,” Starks explained. “We’ve obviously gotten a ton of rain and we haven’t gotten the laps that we wanted to get this year. We’ve learned something every week we come here and it seems like the last several weeks or the last month, nothing has gone our way. We’ve had problem after problem after problem. At times we haven’t been very fast.”

And the struggle got worse as Knoxville Nationals week began with Sunday night’s Capitani Classic and two nights of racing at Southern Iowa Speedway.

“After all the problems we’ve had this week — we got run over on Monday night at Osky and last night we blew an engine, running solid both times,” Starks said. “To say we were due for this one is an understatement. These guys work so hard. I can’t thank Jeff McCall and Scott Gobrecht enough for believing in me and putting me in their car year after year here.

I just cannot believe it. We have needed this one, but tonight was the night to do it.”

Starks commutes weekly from Washington and McCall travels in from Cherryville, N.C.

“We chose to run Knoxville for a couple of reasons,” Starks said. “Jeff is from North Carolina and Scott is from Pennsylvania. We don’t like to settle in one place, so we thought let’s go to Knoxville. We were let down last year when we didn’t make the feature last year.

“I come in every Thursday and go home every Sunday,” said Starks, who runs a machine shop along with his father and brother. “Jeff does the same exact thing from North Carolina. It’s been a headache at times, but nights like this make it worth it.

“Sometimes I’ll take the red eye into Des Moines. When we run Jackson on Friday, I try to fly in on Thursday. Airports are my second home right now. I try to get back home as quickly as I can.”

And all the travel and hard work paid off on night one of the Knoxville Nationals.

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LIVE from the Knoxville Nationals
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Sheldon Haudenschild Wednesday Third Place Interview

Sheldon Haudenschild used a last-lap pass to claim 3rd place in the opening night of the 59th Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway. Moments ago, he spoke with Ralph Sheheen.

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LIVE from the Knoxville Nationals
Presented by Mobil 1 Truck & SUV
James McFadden Wednesday 2nd Place Interview

James McFadden grabbed second place with five laps to go in the opening night of the 59th Knoxville Nationals at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa. Ralph Sheheen caught up with him afterwards.

Mobil 1 – the best choice for your Truck or SUV. Learn more about Mobil 1 Truck & SUV oil and enter for a chance to win a Toyota pickup or SUV at dirtgiveaway.com.

LIVE from the Knoxville Nationals
Presented by Mobil 1 Truck & SUV
Trey Starks Wednesday Winner Interview

Trey Starks took his first main event victory at Knoxville Raceway Wednesday night, claiming the win as he prepares for Saturday’s 59th Knoxville Nationals.

Mobil 1 – the best choice for your Truck or SUV. Learn more about Mobil 1 Truck & SUV oil and enter for a chance to win a Toyota pickup or SUV at dirtgiveaway.com.

Philippe Coutinho will not return to the Premier League this month despite Barcelona offering him to a number of English clubs in recent weeks, sources at the Catalan club have told ESPN FC.

Barca had hoped to push through a move to Tottenham Hotspur before the transfer window shuts on Thursday, Aug. 8 but talks have now broken down.

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The Spanish champions believed a loan move to London was possible despite some complications earlier this week but have now conceded time is against them and their record signing will not be returning to England during the current transfer window.

Sources at Barca have told ESPN FC that talks with Tottenham were progressing well until chairman Daniel Levy looked to change the terms of the agreement.

Coutinho, 27, was also offered to other English clubs but there were no takers. Jurgen Klopp told ESPN FC that Liverpool could not afford a deal to re-sign the Brazilian, while Arsenal were never interested, despite reports in Spain to the contrary.

Manchester United's fleeting interest never progressed into anything firm, while Chelsea's transfer ban prohibited them from making a bid.

Speaking after Barcelona's 2-1 friendly win over Napoli in Miami on Wednesday, head coach Ernesto Valverde confirmed that Coutinho would be part of his plans if he remained at the Nou Camp this season.

"Of course I am counting on him," Valverde said. "We don't know what's going to happen, but he's with us.

"He didn't play today because, like Arthur and [Arturo] Vidal, they've only had two training sessions. The plan is the same. Bring them in little by little. We will see if on Saturday he can play some minutes.

"The idea is the same with him as everyone else. We count on him, of course."

Barca are still open to selling Coutinho this month, with the transfer windows remaining open in other countries, but felt that the English market represented their best chance of making some money back on a player they signed for a fee rising to €160 million 18 months ago.

Coutinho is prepared to leave and Paris Saint-Germain could yet come in for him, or he could, as sources told ESPN FC earlier this summer, be included in a deal to bring Neymar back to Camp Nou.

There have not yet been any signs of interest from clubs in Italy or Germany.

Coutinho has failed to produce his best form at Camp Nou and is expected to fall further down the pecking order following the arrival of Antoine Griezmann for €120m this summer. Even before the arrival of Griezmann, though, Barca were keen to sell.

The ex-Liverpool man is currently in the United States with the rest of his Barcelona teammates. They play Napoli in Miami and again on Saturday in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as part of the inaugural La Liga-Serie A Cup.

Romelu Lukaku is on the verge of leaving Manchester United for Inter Milan in a £72 million deal, sources have told ESPN FC.

Lukaku had been in Belgium since Monday and travelled to Milan on Wednesday evening to undergo a medical and seal the move. Lukaku's agent, Federico Pastorello, played a key role in brokering the agreement that is set to see the striker's two-year stay at Old Trafford come to an end.

Inter submitted a fresh offer -- made up of £60m in up-front payments and another £12m in add-ons -- after a day of talks in London on Wednesday.

Pastorello posted a photo on social media of him and Lukaku on a plane that said "Ready to take off .... direction Milano!"

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Ready to take off .... direction Milano ??!!! ⚫️? @inter ... stiamo arrivando .... @romelulukaku #interfc #romelulukaku

A post shared by Federico Pastorello (@fedepastorello) on Aug 7, 2019 at 3:23pm PDT

Lukaku's former club Everton are due a £5m payment as part of the deal.

The Belgium international has angered United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this summer after ruling himself out of all six preseason games with an ankle injury. Lukaku was also reprimanded for posting preseason running data on Twitter before failing to report for training at Carrington on Tuesday.

Sources have told ESPN FC that United have not ruled out replacing the 26-year-old with Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic but there is an acceptance it may prove difficult with time running out before Thursday's transfer deadline. Solskjaer is comfortable with promoting 17-year-old Mason Greenwood into a more prominent role to make up for Lukaku's absence.

Lukaku will leave United having scored 42 goals in 96 games following a £75m move from Everton in 2017.

With the Premier League transfer window closing at 5 p.m. BST/12 p.m. ET on Thursday, clubs across Europe are scrambling to get their business done -- here are some of the biggest storylines. Click here to view all the latest transfers and keep up to date with the latest gossip below.

- Lukaku closes on £72m Inter move
- David Luiz to force Arsenal transfer
- Barca's Coutinho going nowhere
- Man City sign Cancelo; Danilo to Juve

TOP STORY: Mandzukic to Man United?

Manchester United will need a striker once Romelu Lukaku's move to Inter Milan has gone through, and Sky Italia reports that they have set their sights on Mario Mandzukic.

Mandzukic, 33, isn't one for the future but he's a quality player with plenty of experience that would allow Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood to develop. In fact, sources have told ESPN that United may not even make a move for anyone as they trust 19-year-old Greenwood to fill in.

United have already spent £80m on Harry Maguire and £50m on Aaron Wan-Bissaka, while Mandzukic is a cheaper option than Athletic Bilbao's Inaki Williams who would cost £81m. The Sun reports that Williams is an option though.

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09.44 BST: Tottenham are closing on two deals today. Paulo Dybala could be set to arrive for €70m, while Giovani Lo Celso looks a bit further along as the Telegraph is reporting that the midfielder is having a medical. He could cost around €60m.

09.37 BST: Borussia Dortmund defender Omer Toprak is set to join Werder Bremen, according to reports from Deichstube in Germany.

The 30-year-old wants more playing time and is prepared to see his salary halved from €5m per year.

Dortmund could receive a €5m transfer fee in return and get another player off their payroll. Felix Passlack, Alexander Isak, Abdou Diallo, Sebastian Rode, Jeremy Toljan and Andre Schurrle have already left Dortmund this summer, while Shinji Kagawa and Maximilian Philipp are also on their way out.

09.24 BST: Shock late move for Manchester City here in the goalkeeping department. Former England goalkeeper Scott Carson is set to join on a season-long loan from Derby, says the BBC.

Ederson is the undisputed No. 1 with Claudio Bravo his backup. But the 33-year-old former Leeds, Liverpool, andWest Brom stopper will be third-choice.

09.05 BST: West Ham have signed Switzerland international striker Albian Ajeti from FC Basel on a four-year deal.

09.03 BST: Swiss outlet Blick claims AS Monaco are interested in Xherdan Shaqiri and Liverpool would want €36m for the midfielder.

Shaqiri has been a great backup for the likes of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, but the Switzerland international wants to play a more important role.

08.57 BST: Southampton striker Charlie Austin has been pushed down the pecking order after the arrival of Charlie Adam, so West Brom and Bristol City are trying to land him on loan, according to Sky Sports.

08.42 BST: Everton are exploring the possibility of signing Marcus Rojo from Manchester United after being knocked back in their approach for Chris Smalling, with a source telling ESPN FC a deal is "unlikely as it stands, but you never know."

08.28 BST: Sampdoria forward Dennis Praet will join Leicester for a fee in the region of £12-14m, a source has told ESPN.

Leicester have plenty of money to spend after selling Harry Maguire to Man United but there's no sign of a replacement centre-back just yet.

08.23 BST: Australia midfielder Aaron Mooy is set to join Brighton on loan from Huddersfield, a source has told ESPN.

Huddersfield were relegated from the top-flight last season and Mooy was one of their star players, so it makes sense that a Premier League club are interested. We're just surprised that they are letting him depart on loan.

08.15 BST: And more from the BBC, as they report that Juventus forward Paulo Dybala is close to a move to Tottenham for €70m.

08.00 BST: Arsenal are on the verge of signing Chelsea's David Luiz, says the BBC.

Even though Chelsea are in the middle of a transfer embargo and can't sign a replacement, the two clubs have agreed a fee of £8m which will see Luiz sign a two-year deal to reunite with Unai Emery -- his former manager at PSG.

07.46 BST: Bayern Munich's hopes of signing Manchester City's Leroy Sane may have been ended by injury, according to reports in Germany and the UK.

Sane has been a target for Bundesliga champions Bayern all summer, although City's asking price of £135m has been prohibitive.

Even so, a deal still appeared possible as both clubs would not totally break off contact, but the 23-year-old Germany international suffered a knee injury in Sunday's Community Shield against Liverpool at Wembley.

According to German daily Bild and British paper the Daily Mail, the injury could be worse than initially feared amid concerns that Sane may have suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage.

That would rule him out for much of this season, and scupper any potential transfer for a year.

07.00 BST: Celtic and Arsenal have agreed a Scottish transfer record fee of £25 million for Scotland left-back Kieran Tierney, the BBC reports.

The player is set to travel south ahead of Thursday's Premier League transfer window deadline to complete the deal.

06.47 BST: What the latest on Neymar? Well, he's still at Paris Saint-Germain. BUT, there have been reports that Real Madrid could use Luka Modric as a makweight in a deal to lure the Brazil star to Spain.

06.02 BST: Leeds United full-back Tom Pearce is booked to have a medical at Wigan on Thursday morning, that's according to Phil Hay at the Athletic.

05.56 BST: More on Brian Rodriguez's move from Penarol to MLS pace-setters LAFC. Reports had put Rodriguez's transfer fee at $11.5m, but a source with knowledge of the deal has told ESPN FC that the transfer fee was "closer to $8m."

05.37 BST: Philippe Coutinho's chances of returning to the Premier League this transfer window appear slim. Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde confirmed as much late on Wednesday night in the U.S., telling reporters: "Of course I am counting on him. We don't know what's going to happen, but he's with us."

05.23 BST: BBC's David Ornstein says that Ryan Sessegnon's move to Tottenham is a done deal. Spurs will reportedly pay £25m plus Josh Onomah to land the Fulham starlet.

03.49 BST: Speaking of Lukaku, Fabrizio Romano has posted a video of the striker arriving in Italy. It's fair to say that the Inter fans are pleased to see him...

Romelu Lukaku has just arrived in Milano! More than 200 Inter fans here to wait him at 2am. @SkySport ⚫️?? pic.twitter.com/Iapb9c0Ioy

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 8, 2019

03.00 BST: Rise and shine football fans, Deadline Day has officially begun!

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PAPER ROUND (By James Capps)

Spurs set to seal Lo Celso deal

Reports in the Guardian claim Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a €60 million fee with Real Betis for midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, with a deal expected to be finalised before the transfer deadline.

With moves for Philippe Coutinho and Paulo Dybala reportedly hitting trouble, talks with the 23-year-old are set to go smoothly on Thursday, after the Argentine was withdrawn from his side's preseason friendly squad on Wednesday evening.

Lo Celso had only joined Betis on a permanent basis in April after enjoying a fruitful season-long loan spell from Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 16 goals in 45 games for Los Verdiblancos.

The Argentina international will be the second major addition to the Spurs midfield this summer, following the £54m acquisition of Frenchman Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon at the start of July.

PSG keen on Milan's Donnarumma

Paris Saint-Germain are plotting a move for AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, according to reports at Calciomercato.

After the permanent departure of Kevin Trapp to Eintracht Frankfurt, Paris sporting director Leonardo is back in the market for a new shot-stopper, with the Brazilian said to be unconvinced by his most senior keeper, Alphonse Areola.

In fact, the Italian publication claims PSG offered Areola as a makeweight in a player-plus-cash deal for Donnarumma, but that offer was rejected by the Rossoneri.

There are several other obstacles in the French giants' way, with the youngster believed to be reluctant to make the move, while senior members of the Milan board are also said to be strongly opposed to another sale of an academy product, following Patrick Cutrone's move to Wolves.

Tap Ins

- Brighton are preparing to break their transfer record on deadline day, with the Mirror reporting that the Seagulls have made a £28m move for Genk midfielder Sander Berge. Graham Potter's side will need to fight off interest from Sheffield United and Lazio for the 21-year-old Norwegian's signature.

- Leicester City are set to seal an £18m deal for Sampdoria midfielder Dennis Praet, according to reports in the Telegraph. The Belgian is set to travel to the midlands overnight for talks with Brendan Rodgers' side, who have so far signed three players this summer.

- The Daily Mail claims Premier League duo Southampton and Crystal Palace will go head-to-head for the deadline day capture of Spurs full-back Kyle Walker-Peters on a season-long loan. The 22-year-old impressed Palace boss Roy Hodgson when his side met Spurs in the FA Cup last season.

Mike Hesson has parted ways with Kings XI Punjab after a ten-month tenure as coach of the IPL franchise.

Hesson announced his decision to step down through a post on Twitter on Thursday.

"I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Kings XI franchise," his tweet said, "and wish to thank them for the season I had in charge. Whilst disappointed not to be able to build on the work we did this year, I'm sure success isn't too far away for them. I wish them all the best for the future."

A message from me regarding @lionsdenkxip pic.twitter.com/xOGfEw4LBq

— Mike Hesson (@CoachHesson) August 7, 2019

Hesson's departure from the IPL comes at a time of significant coaching changes at the international level in the aftermath of the men's World Cup.

Hesson, who had coached New Zealand between 2012 and 2018, replaced Australian Brad Hodge as Kings XI coach in October last year. He took up the IPL role five months after stepping down as New Zealand coach, and his stint with Kings XI was his first in a T20 franchise league. During his tenure, Kings XI finished sixth in IPL 2019, winning six of their 14 games, with R Ashwin as captain.

Hesson had quit as New Zealand coach less than a year before the 2019 World Cup, with a view to taking a "break from the rigours of international cricket". Under him, New Zealand became a dominant Test team and also made the World Cup final in 2015. In 59 T20Is under Hesson, New Zealand won 30 and lost 24.

Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar has been ruled out of the remainder of the T20 Blast with Birmingham Bears after fracturing his ankle during warm-ups on Sunday and faces a tight schedule to be fit for the start of the Australia season.

Agar, who plays for Western Australia and Perth Scorchers, picked up the injury ahead of the match against Yorkshire and it was subsequently found that he suffered a small fracture to his right ankle along with ligament damage.

The Australian men's domestic season starts on September 21 when Western Australia host Victoria in a Marsh One-Day Cup match at the WACA which leaves Agar six weeks to recover.

Paul Farbrace, Warwickshire's sport director, said: "We're obviously very disappointed to lose Ash after he made such a great impression on and off the field. He will soon return to Australia to start his rehabilitation programme and we all wish him the very best."

Before joining Birmingham he had been part of the Australia A squad for the one-day leg of their tour and bowled with the World Cup squad to help them to prepare to face Shakib Al Hasan.

He took six wickets in four matches for Australia A before collecting three in his first four T20 Blast matches where he also produced some handy performances with the bat from the middle order.

Agar last played for Australia during last year's T20I series against Pakistan in the UAE although was part of the one-day squad for the South Africa one-day series last November without getting a game.

When he was dropped for the next one-day series, against India in January, he took a swipe at the selectors for a lack of communication. "I got told pretty much just keep trying to get better," he said. "That's what I was told. I guess I mustn't have run the drinks well enough last time, because I didn't really get a crack at that before."

He then suffered an injury mid-way through the Big Bash which ended his season and he lost his Cricket Australia contract in April but selection for the A squad showed he remained in the selectors' thoughts.