Drew Brees chuckled Monday when asked about the growing narrative that he is showing signs of decline to start his 20th NFL season.

"Well, my job is to execute the offense. ... My job's not to have the most air yards or throw the ball down the field most or anything like that," the New Orleans Saints quarterback said after his team flopped in several areas during a 34-24 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.

"I think I've always evaluated myself on being a great decision-maker. And so, at the end of the day, I'll throw the ball to the open guy, move the ball down the field, score points, help us win football games. So that's my job," Brees said. "My job's to help us win. My job's to help put everyone around me in the best position to succeed."

However, the numbers show a noteworthy trend. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Brees' average of 4.82 air yards on passes this season is the lowest of any quarterback through two games since Brett Favre in 2009.

As ESPN analysts Louis Riddick and Brian Griese pointed out after Monday's loss, Brees has looked less comfortable in the pocket and hasn't been as "surgical" as usual on short and intermediate throws. Brees, 41, has completed just 44 of 68 passes this season (64.7%) after topping 74% each of the past two seasons (the two most accurate seasons in NFL history).

Brees completed 26 of 38 attempts for 312 yards and one touchdown with one interception Monday. His first interception of the season was a costly one just before halftime, turning a potential scoring drive into a game-tying field goal for the Raiders.

"Are we totally in sync right now? No, we're not. We're not even close to where we are capable of. Not even close," said Brees, who was missing his security blanket in receiver Michael Thomas, who missed his first game in four years because of an ankle injury. "We did some good things early on, but it just wasn't enough for the few opportunities that we had."

The Saints (1-1) will have to try to get back in sync on a short week before they host the Green Bay Packers (2-0) on Sunday Night Football.

To be fair, the deep ball has not been a big part of Brees' arsenal in recent years, and he still managed the two best passer ratings of his career the past two seasons, in which the Saints posted back-to-back 13-3 records.

There are plenty of reasons that Brees and the Saints' offense might be a little off to start this season, including the abbreviated offseason and the ankle injury that Thomas suffered in the final minutes of New Orleans' Week 1 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brees and new Saints receiver Emmanuel Sanders have yet to get in sync consistently, with Sanders catching just one pass for 18 yards on three targets Monday.

Brees and coach/playcaller Sean Payton both described their performances as "awful" in Week 1 as well, despite the 34-23 victory over Tampa Bay.

"Again, I think we just need to be more efficient," said Brees, who blamed himself for a bad decision on his interception, pointing out that he should have settled for a checkdown on that throw instead of rushing under pressure.

"We called a shot play or two today -- and just got the wrong coverage on both of them. So what could've been big-play opportunities, what could've been throws down the field unfortunately had to be checked down," Brees said. "But I think both of those [resulted in completions for about 10 yards]. At the end of the day, our job is to move the ball and score points, however we have to do that."

As Brees pointed out, the Saints had the ball for just 23 minutes, 42 seconds on a night when their defense struggled to stop Raiders tight end Darren Waller. For the second week in a row, New Orleans led the NFL in penalty yardage, with 129 yards on 10 accepted flags.

"We didn't possess the ball enough offensively, and defensively ... we couldn't get off the field," Payton said.

"We gotta do a better job coaching. I don't think it's gonna be a real pleasant film to watch for some of our star players as well. We have to be precise with what we're doing. The last two weeks, I think it's been average at best offensively. We're not functioning well enough."

LEXINGTON, N.C. – Longtime NASCAR team owner Bob Germain announced Monday night that he has sold his NASCAR Cup Series charter, with Germain Racing departing NASCAR at the end of the season.

The Germain Racing charter has been acquired by NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, who are teaming up to launch a new, single-car Cup organization in 2021. Bubba Wallace is slated to drive for the new team.

Germain Racing will finish out the NASCAR Cup Series season, competing in the final seven races with driver Ty Dillon before closing operations and saying farewell.

At the top level of the sport, Germain Racing has made 418 NASCAR Cup Series starts since its debut with driver Max Papis in 2008. Though the team has never won a Cup race, it does have a pair of top-five finishes – one by Casey Mears and the other by Dillon.

Both drivers secured fourth-place runs in the Germain No. 13, doing so in the July race at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway in 2014 (Mears) and 2019 (Dillon), respectively.

Germain Racing also has 113 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and 357 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series starts to its credit, with the team’s greatest successes coming at the Truck Series level.

Largely led by veteran Todd Bodine, Germain Racing entries won 22 times in Truck Series competition and won championships in 2006 and 2010, both with Bodine at the wheel.

Bodine was the driver all but one of the team’s Truck Series victories.

In a statement Monday night, Germain called his ownership adventure over the past 16 years “a thrilling adventure” and noted he’ll miss being a part of the sport after this year.

“From winning two NASCAR Truck Series championships in 2006 and 2010 to competing at the highest level of (American) motorsports in the Cup Series for the last 12 seasons, I have experienced the highs and lows of our sport,” Germain said. “I’m extremely proud of what Germain Racing has accomplished at every level and I will be transitioning out of ownership with many memories and friendships. I appreciate the interest and offers made over the last couple of weeks and I am excited to see how the sport continues to grow in the future.

“Thank you to GEICO for their loyalty to Germain Racing for more than a decade. It has been a great source of pride for our team to represent their brand on the track,” Germain continued. “Doug Barnette with Player Management International has facilitated our GEICO relationship since the beginning, and I truly appreciate his efforts. Finally, to my employees: building a team camaraderie has been a highlight of this journey and I will miss each of you.”

Monday night’s news leaves Dillon searching for a ride to remain at the Cup Series level in 2021.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin have announced the formation of a new NASCAR Cup Series team that will begin competition starting next year.

Current Richard Petty Motorsports driver Bubba Wallace has signed a multi-year deal to drive for the yet-to-be-named, single-car operation.

“Growing up in North Carolina, my parents would take my brothers, sisters and me to races, and I’ve been a NASCAR fan my whole life,” said Jordan. “The opportunity to own my own racing team in partnership with my friend, Denny Hamlin, and to have Bubba Wallace driving for us, is very exciting for me. Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few black owners. The timing seemed perfect, as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more.

“In addition to the recent commitment and donations I have made to combat systemic racism, I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for black people in racing.”

Jordan will serve as principal owner of the new team, with Hamlin as a minority partner while he continues to drive the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Starting a race team has been something that Michael and I have talked about while playing golf together over the years, but the timing or circumstances were never really right,” said Hamlin. “It just makes sense now to lay the foundation for my racing career after I’m done driving, and also help an up-and-coming driver like Bubba take his career to a higher level. In addition, Michael and Bubba can be a powerful voice together, not only in our sport, but also well beyond it.”

With the completed purchase of a NASCAR team charter from Germain Racing, Jordan becomes the first black majority owner of a full-time team in NASCAR’s premier series since NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Wendell Scott owned and raced his own car from the 1960s into the early 1970s.

“We proudly welcome Michael Jordan into the NASCAR family, and look forward to watching Michael, Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace compete in 2021,” NASCAR officials said in a statement Monday night. “Michael is an iconic sports figure and celebrated champion whose fiercely competitive nature has placed him among the greatest athletes of all time. His presence at NASCAR’s top level will further strengthen the competition, excitement and momentum growing around our sport.

“We wish Michael and his team tremendous success.”

Wallace moves over to the new team from RPM’s No. 43 Chevrolet, where he has spent the entirety of his full-time Cup career to date.

In 105 starts for RPM, Wallace has earned three top-five and nine top-10 finishes, with a best effort to-date of second in the 2018 Daytona 500.

“This is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I believe is a great fit for me at this point in my career,” said Wallace, the first African-American driver to race full-time at the NASCAR Cup Series level since Scott. “Both Michael and Denny are great competitors and are focused on building the best team they possibly can to go out and compete for wins.

“I’m grateful and humbled that Michael and Denny believe in me and I’m super pumped to begin this adventure with them.”

The name, car number, manufacturer, sponsors and other details for the new team will be announced at a future date.

EDMONTON, Alberta -- With a pair of first-period assists in Game 2, Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov matched -- then surpassed -- Tampa Bay's record for most points in a single postseason.

With 28 points (six goals, 22 assists), Kucherov bettered Brad Richards' franchise record, which was set during the team's 2004 Stanley Cup run. Both of Kucherov's assists on Monday were gorgeous passes and helped ignite Tampa Bay's slumping power play. Kucherov also leads all Lightning forwards in ice time, shouldering 21:47 a night while captain Steven Stamkos remains out of the lineup.

But after leading the Lightning to a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Monday, to even the Stanley Cup Final 1-1, Kucherov is still looking for more.

"We didn't come here to break records," the 2019 Hart Trophy winner said. "We came here to win a Cup."

Kucherov, 27, is having a dominant summer -- even as he seems a bit banged up after 21 games of postseason games this summer. Monday's game was a microcosm for just how involved Kucherov has been in every aspect of the Lightning's game.

In the first period alone, Kucherov took a big hit from Jamie Benn, got high-sticked and briefly went to the dressing room after crashing alongside 6-foot-7 defenseman Jamie Oleksiak into the boards. Kucherov then returned -- and set up power play goals for linemates Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat.

That type of period can often keep a coach on edge.

"If he were a little younger, it probably would have concerned me," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "But this year, it has not. The attention he gets is unparalleled. You're getting that attention for a reason -- it's because you're pretty darn good. But you can't let anyone see you sweat. They're going to make it tough on you and you need to fight through it. Respect is earned and it's gained when you fight through stuff. And he's found a way to keep his emotions in check and really grind through players being hard on him. That's why he's being rewarded on the points side of things. ... It's really fun to watch."

Already this summer, Kucherov passed Hockey Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis to become the franchise's all-time playoff goals leader (34).

Kucherov's assist to Point on Tampa Bay's first goal -- the first time in six games the Lightning struck first -- came on a tic-tac-toe sequence with Victor Hedman. Three minutes later, also on the power play Kucherov faked a one-timer -- which he sold well, especially considering Kucherov leads the team with 78 shots this summer. Instead, he sent a pinpoint pass across the seam to Palat, who had a wide open net.

Tampa Bay's power play had entered Game 2 on a 0-for-14 cold stretch, which dated back four games.

Kucherov said he left Monday's game briefly only because his visor was broken -- coincidentally after absorbing two big hits.

"Tough start, I guess," Kucherov said. "It's playoffs, you have to play no matter what."

Stamkos is inching closer to a return, and even took part in morning skate on Monday. But his absence hasn't been felt as much, in part due to the leadership of Kucherov.

By winning Game 2, the Lightning have yet to lose consecutive games this summer. They are 6-0 in games following a loss. Kucherov has nine points in those wins.

"Everybody is amazed by the wonderful skill plays he makes," Cooper said. "But you look at his battle level, you look at when he goes in for 50-50s, or 40-60s and still comes out with the puck, it's impressive. That's it for me, how hard he's working. There's gritty things that guys get a lot of accolades for that don't have his skill level. But when you have his skill level and he still does that, it's pretty impressive."

After a 4-1 win for the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Tampa Bay Lightning evened things up in Game 2 on the strength of a three-goal first period. The Stars proved to be a tough out, bringing it to a one-goal deficit and fighting to the end, but Andrei Vasilevskiy held them off to secure a 3-2 win for Tampa Bay.

Miss any of the game? We're here with the top takeaways as we look ahead to a pivotal Game 3 on Wednesday.

More: Click here for the entire Stanley Cup Final schedule.

Stanley Cup Final Game 2 in 10 words or fewer

Heard you like power plays: How about nine of them?

Player of the game: Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Lightning

The Tampa goalie was spotted a three-goal lead and then was asked to do some heavy lifting to preserve it. A parade of penalties in the second period gave the Stars ample power-play time and an 18-5 shot advantage. He stopped 17 of those shots, including a couple of near breakaways for the Stars. One sequence saw him make two straight saves on Joe Pavelski. Vasilevskiy was also strong late in the third, with the Stars pressing for the tie. Anton Khudobin (28 saves) settled down across the ice after a tough first period, but it was Vasilevskiy's night with 27 saves.

What worked for Tampa Bay?

The start and the power play. As Lightning coach Jon Cooper noted after Game 1, the team's effort in the first 40 minutes of that game barely necessitated a shower afterward. They had their legs and their heads in the game in the first period of Game 2. Then they found their confidence courtesy of three power plays, two of which resulted in goals. They added a third tally to complete a monster first period, including a plus-4 in scoring chances at 5-on-5. Then they hung on -- at times for dear life.

What didn't work for Dallas?

Discipline. Coach Rick Bowness said the only thing he didn't like about their Game 1 win was their third-period effort, as the Lightning dominated and the Stars took three penalties. Well, in the first period of Game 2, the Lightning dominated, and Dallas took the first three penalties of the game: Mattias Janmark (high-sticking, 3:20), Joe Pavelski (tripping, 10:58) and Jamie Oleksiak (holding, 13:11). All night, the Stars were going for the big hits and additional punishment. That played into the Lightning's hands more than breaking their spirits.

The goals

Tampa Bay 1-0: Brayden Point (Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman), 11:23, first period, power play

The old saying is "it's better to be lucky than good," and Tampa was a little of both here. On the second power play of the first period, the Lightning created a little chaos in front of Khudobin on their first chance, and they filtered the puck to the slot on their second. That was good. The lucky part: Point's shot deflected off the stick of Esa Lindell. Khudobin went left. The puck went right. Tampa went up 1-0 on Point's 10th of the playoffs.

Tampa Bay 2-0: Ondrej Palat (Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman), 14:22, first period, power play

The Lightning entered Game 2 in a 0-for-15 drought on the power play, but you wouldn't know it with the way they moved the puck here. Hedman to Kucherov, across the ice to Palat and then into a gaping net for his ninth of the playoffs. Khudobin has earned favorable comparisons to former Boston Bruins playoff MVP Tim Thomas stylistically, but being overaggressive has its occasional downside -- such as this, when Khudobin was unable to get back to his right, thanks to the Lightning's pinpoint passing.

Tampa Bay 3-0: Kevin Shattenkirk (Blake Coleman and Anthony Cirelli), 15:16, first period

The Lightning finished Game 1 with their best period -- and only good period -- of the game, outshooting Dallas 22-2 in the third. That momentum carried over to the first period here, as they outshot Dallas 14-6 and completed a three-goal burst on this long-distance, seeing-eye shot from Shattenkirk for his second of the playoffs. Dallas rookie Joel Kiviranta turned the puck over to start the sequence. Tampa scored three goals in 3:53.

Dallas 3-1: Joe Pavelski (John Klingberg and Alexander Radulov) 14:43, second period, power play

The Stars joined the power-play party on a deflection from the master of such things, Joe Pavelski. Klingberg floated a shot that Pavelski tipped home, winning a physical battle against Ryan McDonagh in the process. This was Pavelski's 10th goal, the second-highest total of his playoff career. This is why Dallas signed him last summer: To get the Stars these kinds of goals because they lacked them last postseason.

Dallas 3-2: Mattias Janmark (John Klingberg and Alexander Radulov), 5:27, third period

Tough one for Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Stars entered the zone on an odd-man rush, with Radulov setting up Klingberg in the circle to the goalie's left. Vasilevskiy set up for a high glove-side shot from Klingberg. But Janmark snuck behind Lightning defenseman Shattenkirk and set up his stick for what was essentially an alley-oop from Klingberg. Vasilevskiy assumed that his defenseman would take away any shooter in that situation. He assumed incorrectly.

Easy call of the night

Clearly offside pic.twitter.com/jSsVsLHTj8

— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@TheReplayGuy) September 22, 2020

The Lightning thought they scored a critical goal in the third period after Dallas closed to 3-2. Mikhail Sergachev sent a shot through some legs and then through Khudobin's. Alas, a quick review of the play shows that Blake Coleman was in the zone before the puck. As coach's challenges go, this video review was one of the swiftest of the playoffs.

Corey Perry moment of the night

Corey Perry.
Bruh. #GoStars pic.twitter.com/iFWby7Swv6

— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@TheReplayGuy) September 22, 2020

One of the only players in the NHL who can have an opponent in a full headlock on the ice and then look up at the referee with "who, me?" across his mug. Classic Corey Perry.

The big question for Game 3: OK, so how about Steven Stamkos?

The Lightning captain skated in the optional practice before Game 2 but wasn't in the lineup for the game. Jon Cooper said the captain is "inching closer." Time will tell.

Meg Lanning has been named the Melbourne Stars captain for the WBBL following her off-season move back to the club after a spell with the Perth Scorchers.

Lanning, the Australia captain, will replace Elyse Villani in a move that had long-been expected after she returned to the Stars in July. She previously captained the side in the first two seasons of the WBBL before switching to the Scorchers.

"I'm looking forward to leading the Melbourne Stars again and building on the great work Elyse Villani has done," Lanning said. "It's a privilege to be captain and we're pretty happy with how our squad looks ahead of the tournament. More than anything, I'm really looking forward to getting back to playing cricket, firstly with Australia and then with Stars in WBBL."

The Stars, who last week announced the signing of England duo Katherine Brunt and Nat Sciver, have completed their squad for the season by signing allrounder Bhavi Devchand who is also a former Scorchers player.

"I think we're in a pretty good place. In recent seasons we've been able to make some competitive totals with the bat but have struggled to take key wickets and really break a game open," head coach Trent Woodhill said.

"We've made some changes for this season which I hope will start to make that difference at key points in matches. I'm delighted Meg has agreed to return to the captaincy, and I'd like thank Elyse for her leadership over the last 12 months - she has done a fantastic job."

"Bhavi has already had WBBL experience in Perth and gives us greater depth which will be important with the workload ahead."

The WBBL, which will be played entirely in Sydney, is due to start on October 25.

Melbourne Stars squad Meg Lanning (capt), Katherine Brunt, Nat Sciver, Elyse Villani, Mignon du Preez, Annabel Sutherland, Lucy Cripps, Bhavi Devchand, Alana King, Holly Ferling, Erin Osborne, Tess Flintoff, Georgia Gall, Sophie Day, Nicole Faltum.

Bowlers beware. Alyssa Healy might be about to bring out even more shots. The Australia wicketkeeper-batter could unveil some new strokeplay in the series against New Zealand which starts on Saturday, having used the extended Covid-19-enforced break from the game to look at how she can become a full 360-degree player.

The last time Healy picked up a bat in a match was the T20 World Cup final at the MCG on March 8 where she plundered 75 off 39 balls against India to give Australia a position from where they never threatened to lose the match.

That performance, in front of more than 86,000 people, capped a tournament where Healy had bounced back from a rare lean run of form leading into the event where she had made five single-figure scores in a row during the tri-series, involving England in India, which followed a world-record 148 not out against Sri Lanka last October.

ALSO READ: Healy: 'Opportunity to play four big events in 2022 daunting but also exciting'

That run of low scores, which followed a WBBL that was below her typical high standards, was very much a blip in what had been a dominant two years from Healy where she had transformed her game to become one of the leading batters in the world - her ODI record since 2018 boasts an especially prolific average of 58.70.

"I don't want to give away too many secrets to the Kiwis but have been preparing for a few things in particular. Stay tuned." Alyssa Healy

However, while not wanting to give too much away to New Zealand, Healy said that there were parts of the ground that she wanted to be able to score more freely in and has been trying out some of the new skills during the two weeks of training she and the other quarantined players have undergone in Brisbane.

That fortnight elapsed on Monday and the rest of the Australia squad arrived in the city to prepare for the three T20Is and ODIs apiece which will all be played at Allan Border Field.

"After celebrating the World Cup for about a month, I sat down with my batting coach and discussed a few different things we could work on, not necessarily to jump to another level but prepare as best as I could for this New Zealand attack," Healy said. "I don't want to give away too many secrets to the Kiwis but have been preparing for a few things in particular. Stay tuned."

"You might see some new things from me in this series. It was a great opportunity for me to go back and work on things that I hadn't really touched for a while. I'd made some technical changes a couple of years ago and they paid off beautifully but you never want to be standing still; you want to keep learning, growing and developing and there's always areas of your game that you want to work on."

Despite having driven some of her bowling team-mates to distraction during training over the last two weeks, the internationals may come a little too soon for Healy to show off the full new range but she promised that if they don't come out in Brisbane they'll be on show in the WBBL next month.

"I've driven all the bowlers a little agro over the last two weeks trying a few things in the nets," she said. "We'll have to wait and see if they come out in the game; [I am] not sure if I'm confident enough to do it yet but the ultimate goal in cricket is to be able to play 360 [degrees] and for me there's some areas I haven't quite been hitting so have been trying a few things. We'll have to see if they come out this series, if not you'll definitely see it in the WBBL."

ALSO READ: Cricket for some, not for all - where does the women's game stand?

Healy added that she did not see a lot of rust among the players who had been quarantining over the last two weeks despite the long absence from competitive cricket. Although the tour to South Africa after the T20 World Cup was postponed due to Covid-19 the team had been due an extended break over the winter, albeit some players would have been overseas in the UK, playing in the Hundred, under normal circumstances.

"Form-wise, I've been really surprised with everyone around the group in the last two weeks of training, seeing the Victoria and New South Wales players go about it, there's not a lot of rust around which is amazing," she said. "I'm excited to see what this group can achieve with six months rest; every time we come back from a major tournament we are straight back into something else, so for us to have the ability to have some downtime will hopefully do some really good things for the Aussie women's team."

And while Healy could see the bigger picture of how important it is for the women's game to be up and running again - England and West Indies began their five-match T20I series on Monday in Derby - she said that the competitive instincts mean that the will to win would be as strong as ever come the weekend.

"We want to win, and the Rose Bowl [one-day] series in particular is a really big one which we want to keep our hands on. Yes, I see the greater importance of having cricket back up and running here in Australia, but for us we are out there to win."

The NFL fined three head coaches -- Denver's Vic Fangio, Seattle's Pete Carroll and San Francisco's Kyle Shanahan -- $100,000 each for not wearing masks Sunday, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In addition, the league fined each coach's team $250,000, sources said.

The $1,050,000 in punishments comes a week after the league sent a memo to teams reinforcing its requirement that coaches wear coverings over their mouths and noses at all times on the sidelines during games, threatening discipline for those who don't comply.

The sharply worded message, written by executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent, came in response to wide variance in compliance during the first Sunday of the 2020 season.

Players are exempt from these protocols.

More fines could be coming, as several other coaches violated the league's rules, among them New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and both coaches in Monday night's game, Jon Gruden of the Las Vegas Raiders and Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints.

Gruden wore his face mask like a chin strap and Payton wore his gaiter like a turtleneck.

Following the Raiders' 34-24 win over the Saints on Monday night, Gruden, who last week said he felt the league's memo was directed at him, revealed he'd had COVID-19 and apologized for violating the rules.

"I'm doing my best," Gruden said. "I've had the virus. I'm doing my best. I'm very sensitive about it ... I'm calling plays. I just wanna communicate in these situations, and if I get fined, I'll have to pay the fine, but I'm very sensitive about that and I apologize."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Denny Hamlin has joined Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan to form a NASCAR team with Bubba Wallace as the driver, a high-profile pairing of a Black majority team owner and the only Black driver at NASCAR's top level.

The partnership was announced Monday night in coordinated social media posts by Jordan and Hamlin, with Wallace adding his own comment. The posts showed a picture of Jordan alongside a firesuit-clad Hamlin in a motor home at a racetrack.

"Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few Black owners," Jordan said in his statement. "The timing seemed perfect as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more."

Jordan becomes the first Black principal owner of a full-time Cup team since Hall of Famer Wendell Scott drove his own race car in 495 races from 1961 to 1973. Scott's 1964 victory at the Jacksonville 200 is the only win by a Black driver in Cup history.

The NBA great, who earlier this year pledged $100 million over 10 years for initiatives combating systemic racism, said the move into NASCAR is another step toward racial equality.

"I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for Black people in racing," Jordan said.

Jordan joins former NBA player Brad Daugherty, a partner at JTG Daugherty Racing, as the only Black owners at NASCAR's elite Cup level.

"Michael and Bubba can be a powerful voice together, not only in our sport, but also well beyond it," Hamlin said.

Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner and a top contender for this year's Cup title, will be part of a single-car Toyota entry aligned with Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin has raced his entire career for Gibbs, a Hall of Fame NFL coach.

"Eleven years ago I met Michael Jordan at a then-Charlotte Bobcats game and we became fast friends," Hamlin wrote. "Not long after, I joined Jordan Brand as their first NASCAR athlete. Our friendship has grown over the years and now we are ready to take it to the next level.

"Deciding on the driver was easy -- it had to be Bubba Wallace."

Tonight, I'm excited to announce MJ and I are starting a new, single car @NASCAR Cup Series team for 2021. Deciding on a driver was easy - it had to be @BubbaWallace. pic.twitter.com/nIJv0X6ZOX

— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) September 22, 2020

Wallace is the only Black driver in the Cup Series and this season used his platform to push for racial equality. The 27-year-old successfully urged NASCAR to ban the display of the Confederate flag at its events.

Wallace is winless in 105 Cup starts over four seasons, but he has six career victories in the Truck series. He's been hampered by mid-level equipment driving the No. 43 for Hall of Famer Richard Petty and, until this summer, the team struggled to land sponsorship.

"Bubba has shown tremendous improvement since joining the Cup Series and we believe he's ready to take his career to a higher level," Hamlin wrote. "He deserves the opportunity to compete for race wins and our team will make sure he has the resources to do just that.

"Off the track, Bubba has been a loud voice for change in our sport and our country. MJ and I support him fully in those efforts and stand beside him."

There's been speculation for months that Hamlin was organizing some sort of ownership group, as he expects NASCAR's business model to become more favorable for team owners when the "Next Gen" car is released in 2022. NASCAR rules prohibit a current driver from owning a team and driving for another, but Hamlin works around the policy with Jordan as the principal owner.

"Starting a race team has been something that Michael and I have talked about while playing golf together over the years, but the timing or circumstances were never really right," Hamlin said. "It just makes sense now to lay the foundation for my racing career after I'm done driving and also help an up-and-coming driver like Bubba take his career to a higher level."

In a statement, NASCAR welcomed Jordan to the series.

"His presence at NASCAR's top level will further strengthen the competition, excitement and momentum growing around our sport," NASCAR said.

Jordan became a partial owner of the Bobcats in 2006 and bought the team outright in 2010, restoring the franchise to its original Hornets name. Hamlin has been a longtime season-ticket holder with courtside seats along the visitors' bench.

Jordan dabbled in racing before with Michael Jordan Motorsports. He owned an AMA Superbike team and had one win in 10 years. Jordan has twice traveled to the NASCAR season finale to watch Hamlin race for the championship. Hamlin, who's 39, is still seeking his first title.

"Growing up in North Carolina, my parents would take my brothers, sisters and me to races, and I've been a NASCAR fan my whole life," Jordan wrote. "The opportunity to own my own race team in partnership with my friend, Denny Hamlin, and to have Bubba Wallace driving for us, is very exciting for me."

Wallace, who has cobbled together about $18 million in sponsorship deals since he made racial equality his platform, had already announced he was parting with Petty.

"This is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I believe is a great fit for me at this point in my career," Wallace wrote. "I am grateful and humbled that they believe in me and I'm super pumped to begin this adventure with them."

Jordan and Hamlin purchased a charter for their team from Germain Racing that guarantees Wallace a spot in the 40-car field every week.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics clinched their first American League West title since 2013 on Monday night with an assist from the rival Houston Astros.

Houston lost 6-1 to the Seattle Mariners, ending its three-year reign as division champion and making the A's the first team in the majors to lock up a division crown in this pandemic-shortened season.

Oakland was off Monday before opening an interleague series at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday.

Since last season ended, the slugging A's have emphasized the need to win the division given they won 97 games each of the past two years and lost the AL wild-card game.

Oakland is in the playoffs for a third straight year and the sixth time in nine seasons.

A's right-hander Mike Fiers was the whistleblower in the Astros' offseason sign-stealing scandal when he publicly called out his former club for cheating in an article published by The Athletic in November.

Houston won a major league-best 107 games last season but lost to Washington in the World Series. The Astros brought in veteran manager Dusty Baker to lead the way in 2020.