KANSAS CITY, Kan. – For the second week in a row, the random draw for starting position in the NASCAR Xfinity Series went the way of Michael Annett and JR Motorsports.

Wednesday’s lottery put Annett on the pole for the Kansas Lottery 250 at Kansas Speedway, one week after he also led the field to green at Texas Motor Speedway.

The Iowa native is still seeking his first win of the year.

Brandon Jones will join Annett on the front row, with Kaz Grala starting third in his first Xfinity Series race of the year. Grala will drive the No. 21 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.

Austin Cindric and Harrison Burton fill out the top five on the grid, followed by Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric and Noah Gragson.

Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Kansas Speedway goes green at 5 p.m. ET, with live coverage on NBCSN, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Starting lineup for the Kansas Lottery 250 at Kansas Speedway:

1. Michael Annett
2. Brandon Jones
3. Kaz Grala
4. Austin Cindric
5. Harrison Burton
6. Chase Briscoe
7. Ross Chastain
8. Riley Herbst
9. Daniel Hemric
10. Noah Gragson
11. Justin Allgaier
12. Justin Haley
13. Jeffrey Earnhardt
14. Jesse Little
15. David Starr
16. Ryan Sieg
17. Jeremy Clements
18. Dexter Bean
19. Alex Labbe
20. BJ McLeod
21. Timmy Hill
22. Brandon Brown
23. Brett Moffitt
24. Josh Williams
25. Stephen Leicht
26. Jairo Avila Jr.
27. Bayley Currey
28. Tommy Joe Martins
29. Kody Vanderwal
30. Ryan Vargas
31. Chad Finchum
32. Matt Mills
33. Myatt Snider
34. Joe Graf Jr.
35. Kyle Weatherman
36. Vinnie Miller
37. Colin Garrett

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Kevin Harvick finally got some lottery luck to swing in his direction on Wednesday afternoon.

In the 14th race utilizing NASCAR’s random draw procedures to set the starting lineups for its three national series, as well as the 19th NASCAR Cup Series race overall for 2020, Harvick’s No. 4 Ford team received the No. 1 pill for the first time – awarding him the pole for the Super Start Batteries 400 Thursday night at Kansas Speedway.

It’s the first time Harvick will lead the field to green since he won the Busch Pole Award in qualifying for the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway back in November of 2019.

Appropriately, Harvick went on to win that race and lock into the Championship 4.

This time, Harvick will start first with eight races remaining in the regular season, hoping to add to his series-leading four wins on the year at a track he’s won at three times (2013, ’16, ’18).

Harvick will be joined on the front row by Joey Logano, with Aric Almirola and Ryan Blaney making up row two to give Ford a sweep of the top four grid spots at Kansas.

Martin Truex Jr.’s Toyota and Alex Bowman’s Chevrolet will roll off fifth and sixth, respectively, with Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin filling out the top 10.

Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson rolls off 20th.

Starting lineup for the Super Start Batteries 400 at Kansas Speedway:

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Joey Logano
3. Aric Almirola
4. Ryan Blaney
5. Martin Truex Jr.
6. Alex Bowman
7. Brad Keselowski
8. Kyle Busch
9. Kurt Busch
10. Denny Hamlin
11. Chase Elliott
12. Matt DiBenedetto
13. Chris Buescher
14. Matt Kenseth
15. William Byron
16. Austin Dillon
17. Bubba Wallace
18. Ryan Newman
19. Clint Bowyer
20. Jimmie Johnson
21. Erik Jones
22. Christopher Bell
23. Tyler Reddick
24. Cole Custer
25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
26. Garrett Smithley
27. Michael McDowell
28. JJ Yeley
29. Brennan Poole
30. John Hunter Nemechek
31. Corey LaJoie
32. Quin Houff
33. Josh Bilicki
34. Joey Gase
35. Ryan Preece
36. Ty Dillon
37. Daniel Suarez
38. Timmy Hill
39. Reed Sorenson
40. BJ McLeod

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – Super DIRTcar Series and Orange County Fair Speedway officials have agreed to cancel the July 28 Battle on the Midway due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

Both organizations are looking forward to getting back on track with the Eastern States 200 on Sunday, Oct. 25.

“Orange County promoter Brett Hearn went into great detail and time in an attempt to make the Super DIRTcar Series event work at Orange County,” Super DIRTcar Series Director Dean Reynolds said. “Unfortunately with New York State restrictions, and now with the track having to hold off on the drive-in section, we both felt best to cancel the show and move the focus to Eastern States Weekend.

“Brett still wants to give the DIRTcar Big Blocks a show on the July 28 date and is looking to put together another type of program to give the gang a race to run.”

Orange County’s return to weekly DIRTcar action, plus the Eastern States 200 coming back to the series schedule, created a lot of buzz around the Middletown oval.

“We are all very disappointed. Orange County is my home track where my dad and I grew up watching racing. I saw Brett Hearn’s first race,” Reynolds said. “And I can tell how much Brett is disappointed, as he followed the series for so many years. He loves the series and really wanted to have this event in his first year at the promotional helm.”

The Super DIRTcar Series kicks off its return to racing on Wednesday, July 29 at Bridgeport Motorsports Park in Swedesboro, N.J.

GLENDORA, Calif. – NHRA officials announced Wednesday that Dodge will be the title sponsor of the Dodge NHRA Indy Nationals presented by Pennzoil, Aug. 6-9 at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

The Dodge NHRA Indy Nationals will be the fifth race of the 2020 season and the third race of NHRA’s return to action after the four-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Dodge NHRA Indy Nationals will feature racing action in all four Mello Yello Drag Racing Series categories including the 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel and Funny Car classes, the ultra-sophisticated Pro Stock division and the ever-thrilling Pro Stock Motorcycle class.

Also in competition will be the E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Drag Racing Series Presented by J&A Service as well as the North Central Division NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series sportsman classes and the exhibition Mountain Motor Pro Stock class.

Wealth management service UBS secured 20-year naming rights to the New York Islanders' new arena at Belmont Park, a $1.5 billion project that is expected to be ready for the team to move in for the 2021-22 season.

It's the culmination of a decades-long saga for the Islanders, who will finally have a long-term solution in Long Island after a brief stint in Brooklyn.

"If you look at a franchise where fans have been put through a more difficult process, there aren't many that compare to the Islanders," said Tim Leiweke, the CEO of the Oak View Group, which is overseeing the project.

"It's been one of the longest struggles for a sports team in this country to try to find predictability and try to find a place that they can call home. It's shocking, because if you take a step back, there are 10 million people who live in Long Island. It's the fourth-largest city in the United States -- if it was its own city. And yet, it never had comfort, it never had predictability, and the fans always had to deal with great uncertainty."

That should change with this new arena, which is expected to generate approximately $25 billion in economic activity, including 10,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs. There is an additional $100 million investment in transit and infrastructure, including the first newly constructed Long Island Railroad station in almost 50 years.

"In terms of timing, we think it's a fantastic time to have a commitment to New York and the U.S. in terms of thinking about the impact of restarting our economy," said Tom Naratil, president of UBS Americas. "The size of this project -- with both temporary employment and permanent employment -- within the New York metropolitan area is very, very exciting."

UBS Arena at Belmont Park aims to have 30% of permanent jobs filled by people from the surrounding area, and 30% of construction dollars will be reserved for state-certified minority and female-owned businesses, with 6% earmarked for service-disabled, veteran-owned businesses.

Oak View Group also secured naming rights this month for Seattle's arena. Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, which is also scheduled to open in 2021-22, and UBS Arena at Belmont Park represent the two most expensive arenas ever built for NHL games.

"In each market, there's a story to be told about the scars left behind -- the [NBA's] Sonics leaving Seattle, and the Islanders, for 40 years, trying to find a home," Leiweke said. "I'm fascinated by that story. If I'm an Islanders fan, I just went from the most unpredictable to the most predictable because of the commitment these guys made to privatize this building and build something special."

Leiweke noted that the fact these projects are moving forward during a global pandemic should inspire hope that sports and arenas can come back.

The Islanders' new arena will hold 17,000 for NHL games and 19,000 for concerts. It is expected to host more than 150 events annually.

"UBS Arena will stand as a beacon of strength, resilience, achievement and community, and we look forward to celebrating this milestone with our loyal fans," Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky said in a statement. "We're thrilled to be partners with UBS on this transformational project that will be so important to the New York economy for decades."

Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom has signed a three-year, $9 million contract extension just weeks after completing radiation treatment for a rare form of bone cancer.

Lindblom, 23, has not played since being diagnosed in December with Ewing's sarcoma, a cancerous tumor that grows in the bones or in the tissue around bones. He underwent his final treatment July 2 in Philadelphia.

"The support that the organization, the fans, and the entire NHL has given me has been quite overwhelming," Lindblom said in a statement. "I can't wait to get back skating with the boys and being the professional hockey player I know I can be. I want to thank the Flyers for giving me this opportunity and I look forward to the day I'm back and contributing to the team's success."

Lindblom had 11 goals and 18 points in 30 games this season. He will not play again this season, with the Flyers set to face the Boston Bruins as part of the round-robin slate for the top four teams in each conference.

He was named a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

AIG announced Wednesday that it is extending its title sponsorship of the Women’s British Open for two years, through 2025.

As part of a rebrand, the championship will now be called the AIG Women’s Open.

Japan’s Hinako Shibuno is set to defend her title with the AIG Women’s Open scheduled Aug. 20-23 at Royal Troon, which will make it the LPGA’s first major of 2020, with the coronavirus pandemic causing a reshuffling of the tour’s schedule.

“The R&A and AIG share a long-term vision for the AIG Women’s Open,” said Martin Slumbers, chief executive of the R&A, . “We are fortunate to have such a committed partner in supporting women’s golf.

“The AIG Women’s Open is a global championship and its new name reflects its growing stature and broadening international appeal. Together with AIG, we are determined to accelerate the progress we have made in women’s golf. The AIG Women’s Open is the perfect showcase for these highly skilled athletes to demonstrate how good they are and inspire more girls and women to take up golf.”

The championship was established in 1976, became a regular LPGA event in 1994 and was designated as an LPGA major in 2001.

“In the face of challenging global circumstances, we are pleased that our increased support of the AIG Women’s Open will enable these dedicated professionals to compete and break down barriers that will provide a lasting example for future generations,” said Peter Zaffino, AIG’s president and global chief operating officer.

On this episode, Jaime Diaz and Brandel Chamblee discuss Jon Rahm's ascension to World no. 1, Tiger Woods' struggles in his return at the Memorial and debate the importance of distance in today's game.

Tony Finau has parted ways with longtime caddie Greg Bodine on the heels of a close call at last week's Memorial Tournament, according to a Caddie Network report.

Bodine has been on the bag since Finau's rookie PGA Tour campaign during the 2014-15 season. That includes Finau's lone Tour triumph at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open and appearances at both the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup over the last two years.

Finau's quest for a second victory has included a number of close calls, notably a playoff loss earlier this year at the Waste Management Phoenix Open when he led by two shots with two holes to play but lost to Webb Simpson. He had another chance last week at Muirfield Village, where he held at least a share of the lead after each of the first two rounds. But the 30-year-old struggled over the weekend amid difficult conditions, shooting a front-nine 42 during the final round en route to closing 78 and an eighth-place finish.

Finau has made the cut in four of five starts since the Tour returned to competition last month. He's one of the headliners for this week's 3M Open and will reportedly have swing coach Boyd Summerhays on the bag at TPC Twin Cities.