CRANDON, Wis. – Crandon Int’l Raceway management has announced that the historic facility and all its assets have been purchased by business owner and Crandon native Jamey Flannery.

The 400-plus acre track located in the picturesque Northwoods of Wisconsin has hosted the largest off-road races in the sport since opening in 1984.

Details of the historic purchase have been finalized and will take effect on Jan. 1, 2021. The new agreement will also operate the track as a business venture, replacing the current non-profit club structure in operation since the Crandon races began in 1970.

Flannery is the owner of several businesses including Flannery Contracting, Flannery Trucking, Jamey Flannery Trucking and soon Flannery Recycling. He is also a champion at Crandon, winning the 1998 Crandon Governor’s Cup in four-wheel drive Chevy truck.

Crandon Int’l Raceway is comprised of a 1.75-mile short-course off-road track, more than 2,100 designated grass camping sites, a modern grandstand and a hospitality facility, a designated off-road park, corporate hospitality suites, a trap range and a VIP center and office at the location’s original barn.

The track plays host to two major race events each year, including June’s Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run and Labor Day’s massive Polaris World Championship Off-Road Races and Crandon World Cup – an event which saw a record crowd of more than 70,000 people at its 50th anniversary running in 2019.

Both the new Champ Off-Road and Ultra4 series are scheduled to run at the track as part of their 2021 race seasons.

The next step in its evolution also provides the chance for Crandon’s longstanding Board of Directors to enjoy more time with family and a well-deserved retirement from the facility’s day-to-day operation.

Led by club President and Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee Cliff Flannery, these people have devoted decades of service to build the track and keep it maintained, while also staying true to the club’s cornerstone mission of donating tens of thousands of dollars back to the local community. Each year hundreds of volunteers earn these charitable donations by helping in all phases of track operation during race weekends.

Keeping the Crandon International Raceway tradition part of the family, Jamey’s Flannery’s father was the late Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame honoree and track champion Jack Flannery, while Cliff Flannery is Jamey’s uncle.

“This racetrack has been such a positive influence on the entire Flannery family and also in the lives of so many people,” said Jamey Flannery, who also currently races in the Champ Off-Road series unlimited Pro 4 category. “It’s an honor for me to be in a position to help extend that history and expand Crandon’s status as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway of the off-road world. We can’t wait to get started on getting ready for the 2021 season.”

“While this announcement will come as a surprise to many, the fact is that life is always all about timing,” explained Cliff Flannery. “The entire community and our hard-working staff of volunteers and crew have spent the better part of our lives building Crandon International literally by hand. After 50 years we knew the time had come to transfer that dedication to something much bigger for the future. All of us old guys will still be spending time here, but we are really excited for seeing what happens to this special place moving forward.”

Much of the focus moving forward will be on enhancing the camping and hospitality aspects at the track, along with expanding Crandon’s operation to its  fan base of adventure and outdoor enthusiasts.

Crandon Office Manager Tina Kulaf will remain in her role of managing the track’s business operation, while current Promoter Marty Fiolka and his TRG Rennsport group will continue their roles in event promotion, sponsorship, marketing, content and public relations.

“All too often change can be an anchor and sometimes the end of time-honored tradition,” added Jamey Flannery. “We will be finalizing and sharing plans in the coming months, but rest assured they will not dilute so many of the great aspects of our legendary Crandon Experience. Despite our new direction, for us the past will always share equal balance with the future. We know what makes Crandon so special for so many people, and our job will be to keeping polishing the diamond created by his community and especially the club’s Board of Directors.”

SEBRING Fla. – Fittingly, the final race of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama season came down to a duel between Jeff Kingsley and Riley Dickinson.

The Platinum Cup front-runners throughout 2020, Kingsley and Dickinson battled throughout the second race of the day Friday afternoon at Sebring Int’l Raceway.

It was Kingsley who orchestrated the decisive move with 13 minutes remaining in the 45-minute race, diving his No. 16 Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car inside Dickinson’s No. 53 Moorespeed Porsche for the race lead at the 17th turn.

Kingsley went on to win by 4.977 seconds and punctuate a championship season that included 11 race wins. After tying Dickinson for the third-most points in GT3 Cup Challenge USA competition last year, Kingsley finished with a 31-point gap on his chief rival in 2020.

“Amazing!” Kingsley said. “I’m at a loss for words partly because I’ve been waiting for this day and partly because I’m absolutely exhausted. I can’t thank Kelly-Moss enough, Children’s Hospital of Alabama, my mom and dad – they worked so hard for this, to get me racing – and my girlfriend.

“I’d like to thank IMSA, Porsche, Yokohama, everyone who made this possible.”

Dickinson won four races this season, including Friday morning’s opener at Sebring, and was saluted by Kingsley for the stiff competition.

“Riley gave me a bit of a door (to make the pass for the win in race two),” Kingsley said. “A bit unexpected but I took what was ours and just moved forward. He’s been a tough competitor all year.”

Alan Metni finished third overall in the No. 99 Kelly-Moss/AM Motorsports Porsche to claim the win in the Platinum Masters class for drivers 45 and older. It capped Metni’s third straight Masters championship with his 10th class win in 16 races.

“It was a great season, a lot of fun,” Metni said. “I enjoyed racing with all my buddies and teammates and competitors and friends. Really thankful that we were able to do this in the middle of a pandemic. I thought IMSA and Porsche did a really great job of keeping it safe and keeping it fun.

“It’s just a really high level of competition, and it’s a great place to learn. All the cars are exactly the same, so there’s no concern about who’s got a better car. It’s all down to the skill of the driver and that makes it probably the best place to learn.”

Efrin Castro was victorious in race two in the Gold Cup class and earned the Yokohama Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars in the No. 65 TPC Racing Porsche. Castro collected six wins this season.

“I was thinking in the last few laps that I can’t believe it’s the end of the season,” Castro said. “I learned so much battling with my friends, because they are my friends. We drive hard in the car, but outside we all get along and we are like a family. It was just a great year.”

The Gold Cup championship went to Curt Swearingin on the strength of nine wins over the course of the season. It was a bittersweet weekend for Swearingin, who honored his father’s recent passing by changing his car number to No. 44 this weekend.

Swearingin only had to start the two races to claim the Gold Cup crown. He purposely parked the car after one lap in the first race, but a punctured tire ended his second race after a single lap.

“We were fortunate during the season that we were able to put enough wins together to get to this point,” Swearingin said. “We’re still happy. We won the championship. We won a lot of little battles to get to the point to win the war.

“It’s been a hard week. My dad passed so I was racing for him today. I didn’t get to get him the (race win) that I wanted to give him but we gave him a championship. That’s what matters.”

SEBRING, Fla. – Cameron Lawrence was doing laundry when his phone rang Wednesday morning. The voice on the other end of the phone asked if he could be in Sebring later in the day.

The voice was Will Turner’s, owner of Turner Motorsport. Driver Bill Auberlen couldn’t compete as planned due to self-quarantine from possible COVID-19 exposure, and Turner wanted to know if Lawrence could fill in for him.

One minor issue. Turner thought Lawrence was in Florida and could easily drive to Sebring Int’l Raceway. Instead, Lawrence was at his new home in Austin, Texas. The answer was yes, but the travel was the problem.

“I think he forgot that part, that I’d moved to Austin about a year ago,” Lawrence said. “I definitely didn’t remind him. … I barely made it in time for the first practice. It was very hectic. Obviously, looking back it was worth all the rushing, all the staying up late and waking up early.”

Worth it, indeed. He helped Robby Foley drive the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 to victory Friday in the Alan Jay Automotive Network 120, the season finale of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Sebring Int’l Raceway.

“I love racing, and I love this team, and I love this series,” Lawrence said. “When you get a call from Will and the Turner guys, you just do what you’ve got to do to get down here.”

While Lawrence and Foley were teaming to win the race, Nate Stacy and Kyle Marcelli were teaming in the No. 60 KohR Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4 to finish third in the race and claim the driver and team championships in the Grand Sport class of the Michelin Pilot Challenge.

Consistency was the key to the championships. The No. 60 Aston Martin never finished worse than seventh during the 10-race season.

“We can look back on the season and say, ‘Yeah, we left a little on the table here and a little on the table there,’ but I think everybody in the paddock will tell you the same thing,” Marcelli said. “When we had a strong car, we were able to take advantage of it. Just no major mistakes. That’s really what paid off.”

An intense duel between teammates Mark Wilkins and Gabby Chaves ended with Wilkins and Harry Gottsacker winning the race and Chaves and Ryan Norman claiming the championship in the Touring Car class.

Chaves, driving the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Veloster N TCR, pursued Wilkins’ No. 21 Hyundai closely during the final laps of the two-hour race, but settled for second place and the championship.

“The rule within the team is that Hyundais race Hyundais, but Hyundais don’t hit other Hyundais,” Norman said. “We play it smart with each other and we respect each other a lot. Really, at the end of the day, we give it all we have. We race each other cleanly, and the best car and driver wins.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Augusta National is playing even longer and softer for a guy like Danny Willett.

But that’s his choice. He’s attacking it with only a 3-wood.

After cracking the head of his driver in the first round, Willett, the 2016 Masters champion, rolled with just his 3-wood for the second round – and isn’t sure if he’ll even put the big stick back in the bag for the weekend.

“We’re going to have a little look, but I’m pretty happy that if it’s not something that really, really stands out, we’ll end up just playing as we have done today,” said Willett, who shot a second-round 66 and is at 7-under 137, two shots off the lead. “It’s one of those things where if you feel more comfortable with the 3-wood that we’ve had for a long time now, and you put a better swing on it if you’re not sure about a driver, it’s maybe not worth it. So, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Willett cracked the face of his driver on the 17th hole Friday morning. Though he has a spare head, he didn’t like what he saw on the range and decided to go without it.

On the two holes that were used to calculate driving distance, Willett still hit his 3-wood an average of 279 yards on Friday. For the week, he’s ranked 60th in the field (out of 91), at 283.9 yards a pop.

Even with a full compliment of clubs, this is a course Willett tends to attack mostly with 3-wood. “This place, for me, has always been a second-shot golf course,” he said. With how receptive some of the greens are, he’s still able to hold, say, a 6-iron into the green, despite a 30-yard loss in distance.

“In years’ past, that would have been a real big disadvantage,” he said.

Has he ever broken a driver before during competition?

“A couple times, unfortunately,” he said, “and I don’t even hit it that hard. It’s just that I don’t like tinkering. That driver is probably three years old, so that’s the only problem with not liking to change all the time is that sooner or later something like that might happen.”

Like in the middle of the Masters.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – There wasn’t much time for Rory McIlroy to regroup after an opening 75 at the Masters.

Enough time to hit five 9-irons and a 3-wood on the range.

Oh, and enough time to receive a pep talk from Jimmy Dunne, his longtime friend and an Augusta National member.

The gist?

“It was colorful,” McIlroy said, laughing.

Whatever was said, it worked. McIlroy matched the round of the day Friday with a second-round 66, not just extending his stay at Augusta National but at least giving himself a chance, however slim, of capturing that elusive final leg of the career Grand Slam. At 3-under 141, he’ll begin the weekend six shots off the lead, but outside the top 25.

“I honestly have been playing so good coming in here, and then I go into the first round and I shoot 75, and I’m like, Where the hell did that come from?” McIlroy said. “I knew it was in there; it was just a matter of trying a little more and being committed.”

When play resumed at 7:30 a.m. Friday, McIlroy was even par and had nine holes to play. He had high hopes: A back-nine rally to get back in the mix, then keep rolling into the second round after a 30-minute break.

That didn’t happen.

McIlroy failed to get up-and-down from the greenside bunker on 10. Then he uncorked a wild snap hook on the par-5 13^th, his ball sailing deep into the azaleas. He took an unplayable lie and hacked back into the fairway, making a bogey on the second-easiest hole on the course.

It got even worse a few holes later, when McIlroy dragged his club left through impact on 16 and pulled his tee shot into the water. He was fortunate to escape with only a bogey.

Though he was able to hit just a few balls in between rounds – and get an earful from Dunne – McIlroy trusted himself and swung with more commitment in the second round. The result was a bogey-free 66, tied for the lowest score of the day.

“I was thinking coming into this morning: Play the last few holes in 3 or 4 under par, get in and then go again, and I did the complete opposite,” he said. “That wasn’t ideal, and obviously wasn’t what I was thinking of. I turned it around nicely and shot a good one. At least gave myself a chance going into the weekend.”

It was also the second time in McIlroy’s career that he’s had at least a nine-shot turnaround at the Masters. He went 79-69 on the weekend in 2013.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The man who made the phrase “hitting bombs” a trending topic on social media is adding to that lore this week thanks to a 47 ½-inch driver shaft.

“Awesome,” Phil Mickelson smiled when asked Friday about his driving so far at this 84th Masters. “I'm driving like a stallion.”

After his second-round, 2-under 70, Lefty ranked 22^nd in driving distance and 27^th in driving accuracy, which for Mickelson qualifies as stallion-like. He was also sitting at 5 under, four shots back.

But if any of that was worth celebrating, it was short-lived.

“I'm very frustrated and disappointed with the way I've putted,” Mickelson said. “I've left eight, nine, 10 shots on the green, and it's pathetic, and I'm going to fix that and hopefully make a run. But you can't make those mistakes, give those shots up in this field, in this competition.”

Mickelson is currently 75^th in total putts this week and said following his round that he planned to have his putting stroke analyzed on a Quintic Ball Roll System to determine if it is an alignment issue or a problem with his stroke.

“We've got 36 more holes, and I'm playing well enough,” he said. “I struck it well enough to keep me in it despite probably being last in the field in putting. But I'm going to get that fixed for tomorrow's round.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The lack of patrons this year at the Masters is affecting even the best major player of the past few years.

Brooks Koepka said he’s found it difficult to “grind it out” and focus without folks lining the fairways and greens here at Augusta National. After rounds of 70-69 put him just four shots back heading into the weekend, Koepka rued a few “sloppy” mistakes and “stupid errors.”

“It is a little bit tougher sometimes with no fans to really get in there and grind it out,” he said Friday. “I mean, I’m not going to quit, but just putting it in some stupid places sometimes where it’s like, That’s the one spot you know you can’t miss it, and I put in there.”

Like when he missed short on the par-4 10th, leading to a bogey.

Or when his putt bounced through the fringe on the par-3 sixth and then missed the 5-foot comebacker.

“I just need to clean that stuff up,” he said. “No bogeys.”

Still, Koepka seemed overly critical of himself after an impressive comeback. Through his first 14 holes of the tournament he was 2 over par, hovering near the bottom of the leaderboard. Then he eagled the 15th and added two more birdies, playing his last four holes in 4 under to salvage a 70. His second round would have been even better if not for a bad break on the fifth hole, where his pitch clanked off the flagstick and rolled back to the bottom of the hill.

No one has been better in the strokes gained: tee to green category over the past few years at Augusta National. Koepka also has the best cumulative score to par in the majors since 2016 (73 under par), nearly 70 shots better than the next-best player, Dustin Johnson, who now shares the Masters lead at 9 under.

Asked about his position heading into the weekend, as he looks to win a major for the fourth consecutive year, and his fifth title overall, Koepka said: “Not very good. It could have been so much better. I was super sloppy. Just making stupid mistakes. I need to clean those up for the weekend, and I’ll be fine.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Bernhard Langer was feeling his age Friday, even if his scorecard didn’t look like it.

He played 26 holes at Augusta National, a brutal walk even in the best of conditions, but especially grueling after the fairways were soaked by rain.

“My knees are shot right now,” he said.

His game still seems plenty lively.

With rounds of 68-73, Langer secured a spot on the weekend at the Masters. By doing so, the 63-year-old is now the oldest player in tournament history to make the cut. He’s more than a month older than the previous record holder, Tommy Aaron (2000).

“How about that?” Langer said. “I’ll drink to that.”

Langer won the Masters twice, in 1985 and 1993, in what is now 37 career appearances. He’s made the cut four of the past five years, despite averaging just 264 yards off the tee, fourth-shortest in the field.

“I think I know how to get around it, even though I hit very long clubs [into greens],” he said. “But it’s certainly not easy.”

Especially not at his age.

“There have been many great players here before me – from Jack Nicklaus to Gary Player to all the greats that have competed here – and to be the oldest to make the cut, it’s certainly an achievement,” he said. “Hopefully I get to play a few more years and enjoy this place.”

MLS president and deputy commissioner Mark Abbott said that the league is aiming to start the 2021 season in early March.

A report from the Sports Business Journal previously stated that the league was considering an April start date due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, because of the crowded international calendar -- which will include the CONCACAF Nations League finals, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, qualifying and possible participation in the Tokyo Olympics, and the start of World Cup qualifying -- the league is targeting a more traditional start date for the beginning of the 2021 campaign.

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The 2021 season would begin without utilizing a bubble and have teams play games in home markets, though that could change. Presently, the pandemic is showing no signs of abating in the United States. According to the New York Times, there were 163,402 new cases reported on Nov. 12, with the seven-day moving average of new cases at 134,078 per day.

The 2020 MLS regular season began on Feb. 29, before it was suspended in early March because of the coronavirus.

"Based on the crowded international calendar next year, we are targeting to start our season in early March as usual," Abbott said in a statement to ESPN. "The restrictions on our ability to have fans in our stadiums this year contributed to very significant financial losses. Like all leagues, we are concerned about those restrictions continuing for a second year and are continually evaluating how to manage through the impact of the pandemic in 2021."

A source with knowledge of the situation indicated that due to the ongoing pandemic and its financial impact on the league's bottom line, MLS has sent a procedural notice to the MLS Players Association that would preserve the league's right to invoke the force majeure clause that was added to the Collective Bargaining Agreement last June.

The source added there is no intention to invoke the clause at this time, and the notice only allows MLS to do so at some point in the future. A force majeure clause allows either side to cancel the CBA in the event of catastrophic event like a pandemic.

MLS declined to comment regarding the force majeure clause. An attempt to reach the MLSPA for comment was not successful.

Last June, MLS commissioner Don Garber said that the league was set to suffer a $1 billion revenue hit. The source added that exact numbers have yet to be tabulated.

With fans only allowed to attend MLS matches on a limited basis in some markets -- and in other markets not at all -- the league continues to miss out on the gameday revenues that are the backbone of its business.

The source added that the league was able to claw back some revenues on the broadcast rights side, but that the league incurred additional expenses due to teams using charter flights to travel to away games, COVID-19 testing, and the MLS is Back tournament that was held in a bubble in Orlando, Florida, last July.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins may have had only three catches on seven targets in Sunday's loss to the Miami Dolphins, but the four other plays resulted in flags thrown for defensive pass interference.

All four penalties were against Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard. Three of them were accepted, which resulted in 42 yards worth of gains for the Cardinals in their 34-31 loss to Miami.

"As long as the ball moves, that's all I care about," said Hopkins, who had three catches for 30 yards. Howard's four pass interference penalties were the most by a player in a single game in the last 20 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

While he was pleased that the penalties helped the Cardinals' offense move down the field, Hopkins thinks they should benefit the receivers, as well.

"I do think that the rule should change," Hopkins said, "and receivers should get counted yards for penalties."

Hopkins, who was leading the NFL in receiving yards and receptions heading into Week 9, wasn't peeved with the reduction in his output Sunday, even in a loss. It was Hopkins' lowest game this season.

"I was very happy," Hopkins said. "Even though we didn't win. That's probably the only thing I was mad about, but not my catches or completions. When a guy has to hold you when a ball is being thrown your way every time, I think that's a sign of respect."

When Hopkins went back to look at the plays with the four defensive pass interference penalties, he saw himself either in a position to catch the ball or in position to have the advantage in catching the ball every time.

"That's what you want," Hopkins said. "You want to be able to be in the best position to make the catch or downfield where he has to do that because when a DB does that, he knows that he's beat, which is helping the team. Most P.I.s are downfield, which is a 20-, 30-yard play. And we consider those explosive plays, which explosive plays wins games."