I Dig Sports
Rengifo beats Angels in arbitration for 2nd time
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Infielder Luis Rengifo beat the Los Angeles Angels in salary arbitration for the second time in three years and will earn $5.95 million instead of the team's offer of $5.8 million.
Arbitrators Brian Keller, Mary Theresa Metzler and Stephen Raymond made the decision Friday, a day after hearing arguments.
Rengifo set career highs last season with a .300 batting average and 24 stolen bases. He hit six homers and had 30 RBIs in 78 games. He was sidelined May 3-17 by a viral infection and July 3-23 by right wrist inflammation. He played his last game of the season Aug. 2 and had right wrist surgery four days later.
Rengifo defeated the Angels in arbitration two years ago when he was awarded $2.3 million instead of the team's $2 million proposal and then agreed to a $4.4 million salary last season. He has a .253 career average with 53 homers, 187 RBIs and 42 stolen bases in 61 attempts over six big league seasons, all with the Angels. He will be eligible for free agency after this year's World Series.
Teams have won three of the five decisions, defeating New York Yankees reliever Mark Leiter Jr. ($2.05 million instead of $2.5 million), Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana ($1.4 million instead of $2.1 million) and Pirates pitcher Johan Oviedo ($850,000 instead of $1.15 million). Angels outfielder Mickey Moniak won his case and will earn $2 million instead of $1.5 million.
A decision is pending for St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar, who asked for $2.95 million and was offered $2.45 million. Nootbaar's decision is being withheld until the case of Cardinals outfielder/infielder Brendan Donovan is decided or settled.
Cardinals right-hander Andre Pallante and Washington Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe also remain scheduled for hearings, which run through Feb. 14.
'He's always had it' - England prepare for Dupont brilliance
England attack coach and former scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth highlighted Dupont's ability to turn the tables on a defence, launching attacks when apparently close to losing possession and territory, as one of his greatest assets.
"I've never seen anyone get out of trouble as well as him," said Wigglesworth.
"The ball will bobble out of a ruck, and it's not perfect, but he somehow gets a ball popped out when he shouldn't do. He rarely gets tackled, and the ball rarely stays static.
"He will bounce out, beat three defenders and put a cross-kick in. Or he'll shrug you off and keep the ball moving."
France are hunting a fourth successive win over England in the tournament - a run that would be their best in the fixture since 1978.
Meanwhile, England need a shock victory to improve a grim run of recent results, with eight losses, admittedly each by single-figure margins, in their past 13 Tests.
Wales have a late injury worry over Liam Williams for the Six Nations game against Italy on Saturday.
The veteran full-back has been struggling with a knee injury sustained against France in the opening game.
Williams did not take part in the team's final training session in Rome on Friday, with Wales' management saying his workload is being managed.
There are concerns the 33-year-old will not recover in time for the crunch Six Nations game at Stadio Olimpico.
It would be a major blow for under-pressure Warren Gatland to lose his most experienced back.
Blair Murray - who played all three Tests during the autumn, including at full-back against South Africa - is lined up to replace the British and Irish Lions player.
Murray trained at full-back on Friday, while Tom Rogers has also filled that role for Scarlets this season.
Gloucester youngster Josh Hathaway would most likely be promoted to the bench.
Wales lost 43-0 against France in Paris in their opening Six Nations game, heightening the problems for Gatland's squad after 13 consecutive Test defeats.
No 'needle' with Ireland despite winless run - Townsend
Tom Jordan makes his first Six Nations start as Scotland make three changes from the team that beat Italy last weekend.
Rory Sutherland comes in at loose-head prop and Jack Dempsey is at number eight, while Jordan is chosen at inside centre having impressed as a replacement against Italy.
New Zealand-born Jordan, 26, made his Scotland bow during the autumn series, having qualified on residency grounds. Both of his international starts to date have been at full-back, while he primarily plays at fly-half for club side Glasgow Warriors.
Sutherland's previous Test start came last summer against Uruguay, while he hasn't started a Six Nations match since February 2022 in a win over England.
"I think there are similarities with the three of them, which is the real energy that they bring, they're quick players, they are in good form," said Townsend.
"Jack obviously was getting back into full fitness and he's now had three weeks training with us, he's good to go. He's been a starter for us for the last few years.
"I feel Rory has earned it, he brings a lot of speed in his kick-chase, his defence and his ball-carrying.
"With Tom, it was great to see him again play like he has done in the 15 jersey for us in November. 12 was probably his natural position, it was the position he played most of his rugby growing up, so I think all three deserve an opportunity to start."
Pierre Schoeman, Jamie Ritchie and Stafford McDowell drop to the bench while Matt Fagerson switches to the blindside flank to accommodate Dempsey's return.
Sam Skinner is among the replacements, having been added to the squad this week, and Jamie Dobie is preferred to George Horne as back-up to scrum-half Ben White.
Ireland, led by interim head coach Simon Easterby, beat England in their tournament opener last weekend as they attempt to win a third successive title.
BARBERVILLE, Fla. Hard work and preparation paid off in a big way for the UNOH Motorsports Team Tuesday night at Volusia Speedway Park.
Driver Randy Giroux claimed the fifth of six UMP Modified features at the annual DIRTcar Nationals at the half-mile track becoming the first UNOH alumnus to win there since Joel Ortberg in 2014.
Driving the No. 1 modified as a UNOH teammate to Aidan Hinds and Brayden Weller, Giroux started outside the front row for the fifth main event of the night.
Known as the high side hero, Giroux quickly used the high groove to grab the lead. The UNOH crew was on edge for 15 laps as reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier challenged Giroux for 15 laps. However, Giroux, who is a native of Ontario, held on to deliver UNOH its first Gator trophy in 11 years.
UNOH Team members hightailed it to the infield after the checkered flag, all running to meet the No. 1 car and its victorious driver. Spirits were high, fireworks boomed overhead and Randys gator trophy gleamed gold in the bright track lights.
Wilson Owens served as crew chief for Giroux.
While watching the feature I experienced a lot of emotions I had never felt before, Owens said. My entire body was shaking and I felt like I was gonna fall over while watching him lead so many laps and after the restart. Every time he races, I wonder if the adjustment we made to the car was the right choice. Today, it was and seeing that work pay off was absolutely amazing.
Its Girouxs fifth season racing with UNOH.
It means a lot, to accomplish this after racing with UNOH for five years, Giroux said. During the race I felt really confident in the car and in myself, but on the restarts you can really give up positions if you mess up. I was a little worried but had a lot of momentum on the restart and got clear.
The last five laps I could see the red nose of Allgaier coming up underneath me and I held him off. It felt really good. This crew worked their tail off today and it paid off really well.
Weller and Hinds finished fifth and 10th respectively, in Tuesdays fourth feature.
MUNDELEIN, Ill. Turn 3 Motorsport announced the signing of 20-year-old Cooper Becklin for the 2025 USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Continental Tire.
Becklin, a native of Portland, Ore., enters his first full season in the highly competitive championship with a growing background in racing and a great deal of valuable experience from past competitions.
Becklin began his professional racing career in the Formula Pro USA F4 Western Championship, where he finished third in the standings in 2020. He then progressed to FR Americas, enjoying a standout season in 2023 with one win, 15 podium finishes, and another third-place championship finish.
Building on his momentum, Becklin made his debut in the USF Pro 2000 Championship last season at Road America, and then went on to compete in the final three rounds of the year at Mid-Ohio, Toronto, and Portland. During his brief yet impressive USF Pro 2000 campaign, Becklin showcased his potential with a top qualifying result of fourth in Toronto and consistent top-10 finishes.
I am incredibly excited to be joining Turn 3 Motorsport for the 2025 USF Pro 2000 Championship season, said Becklin. The team has a proven track record of winning championships, including their success just last year. Im eager to learn from such a talented group of people and grow my potential as a driver. This is a fantastic opportunity, and I cant wait to hit the track in the No. 2 Helmet House car and push myself to new levels.
Its time for our weekly Friday tour around the racing world. From hot laps to the main event, heres whats on our mind this week.
Hot Laps: Hall of Famers
The final off weekend before the start of the NASCAR season, will see three individuals inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame tonight in Charlotte.
Modern-era drivers Ricky Rudd and Carl Edwards will share the spotlight with pioneer inductee, team owner Ralph Moody.
Qualifying: Not A NASCAR Race
Have read where many have said Thursdays World of Outlaws finish between Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell looked like a NASCAR race. Granted the two drivers are NASCAR regulars, but the finish looked NOTHING like a NASCAR race.
First Heat: Heartbreaker
Young Emerson Axsom had a heartbreaker on Thursday night, leading 22 laps of the World of Outlaws feature at Volusia Speedway Park before spinning out with three circuits remaining. Axsom, 20, is looking for his first World of Outlaws victory, and were betting he gets one this season. Maybe even before the weekend is over.
Second Heat: Fabulous Stat
Thanks to Brian Walker (Walkapedia) for this fabulous statistic. When Christopher Bell won Thursday at Volusia Speedway Park, he became the 28th driver to win a World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series feature with at least five different team owners.
Jac Haudenschild leads the way, having earned a WoO victory for 15 different team owners. Sammy Swindell is second with wins with 12 different owners. Look up Walkapedia on social media to see the full list.
Third Heat: Tough Guy
Carson Macedo has placed himself in the same sentence as many of the great sprint car drivers of the past as a true tough guy of the sport. Macedos rapid return from a badly broken leg and subsequent victory on the opening night of the World of Outlaws season is example one.
But it is hardly the first time Macedo has raced (and won) while injured, including after a fiery crash and flip at Knoxville Raceway two years ago.
Fourth Heat: King of the 360s
A staple at the now-defunct East Bay Raceway Park for more than two decades, the King of the 360s sprint car race has moved to Floridas Hendry County Speedway this year. Under the supervision of the United Sprint Car Series, the event begins tonight and concludes with Saturdays $10,000-to-win finale. Watch it on SPEED SPORT affiliate DoneRight.tv.
Dash: Gator Here, Gator There, Gator Everywhere
We used to think the Gator trophies handed out during the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park were unique and difficult to win. Kyle Larson has yet to win one.
But as of Friday morning, 99 different drivers have won Gators in the UMP modified division alone. Twenty different drivers have won a feature in the divisions past week and more than half were first-time DCN victors. With 103 drivers in competition on Thursday night, nearly one-fifth (20) of them have already picked up a Gator trophy this week.
C Main: Advertising Dollars
While it may not be apparent to many, SPEED SPORT is a business and not a service. Complaints are frequent but we received an email this week that was downright insulting. In summary, it was in reference to the HendrickCars.com advertising on our website and in the Daily newsletter. It read in part, So this is what SPEED SPORT has come to. Chris Economaki would be rolling over in his grave.
Thats laughable. I worked for Chris for nearly 30 years and gaining advertising support was always his primary concern. SPEED SPORT would have never become the trusted source for news had it not been for advertisers. Chris would have been elated to do business with a company such as HendrickCars.com and would have talked about it every chance he could.
Advertising money is the lifeblood of all media outlets, SPEED SPORT included. Get it sponsored, was one of Chris catch phrases and one we still use today.
Advertisers are always welcome here.
B Main: Daytona 500 Open Cars
Weve been saying it for decades now, but we sure wish the Daytona 500 was a completely open race and that there were not 36 drivers and teams locked in based on the charter system. Racing into the field through the twin Thursday qualifying races was always the highlight of the week.
Now, multiple cars (looks like nine this year) will compete for the final four slots in the field. That said, thanks to a new NASCAR rule that creates a spot for a star driver from a different racing position, there could be 41 starters this year as four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves would get that spot if he fails to earn one of the four available slots.
Others who will need to race into the field either by setting a fast qualifying time or by outrunning the other open cars include NASCAR Cup Series champions Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. The remainder of the non-chartered Daytona 500 entries are Justin Allgaier, Chandler Smith, B.J. McLeod, Anthony Alfredo, J.J. Yeley and Corey LaJoie.
Feature: Larson Vs. Bell
One thing open-wheel fans have missed in recent years have been breathtaking battles between Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell.
With Bell absent from dirt-track racing in recent years, tussles like the duo waged in past Chili Bowls seemed like a thing of the past. But with Bells NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs giving him the green light to return to open-wheel machines, the future is now for the Bell vs. Larson rivalry.
Fans got a glimpse of this during the Tulsa Shootout and saw it in full swing Thursday night at Bell, driving Don Kreitz Jr.s winged sprint car, held off Larson by less than a foot (.05 seconds) to earn his first World of Outlaws victory since 2019.
With Larson and Bell both making appearances on the winged sprint car scene this season, theyll no doubt be an extra pain in the rear for regulars on the World of Outlaws and High Limit tours and a thorn in the side of one another.
Heres hoping the two also duke it out on a regular basis in the NASCAR Cup Series.
CAMPBELL, Calif. Racing legend Howard Kaeding has died. The patriarch of the Kaeding family was 92 years old.
The elder Kaedings death was confirmed in a social media post on the Kaeding Performance Facebook page.
The father of sprint car Hall of Famer Brent Kaeding and grandfather of sprint car racers Bud and Tim Kaeding was inducted into the West Coast Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2020.
Howard Kaeding moved to California as a youngster from Nebraska and took up racing during the early 1950s at San Jose Speedway.
Kaeding was victorious in 136 main events at the now-defunct track and won track championships there in 1973 and 1974 while winning 17 consecutive features.
He also won three California NASCAR supermodified championships from 1970-72.
Known as an innovator, Kaeding, who raced until he was 65 years old, also created Kaeding Performance during the early 1960s with his sons Brent and Joel later running the business. Today, it is operated by his grandson, Bud, a USAC Silver Crown Series champion.
The family promotes the annual Howard Kaeding Classic sprint car race at Ocean Speedway.
ATTICA, Ohio Attica Raceway Park will have an ambitious 2025 racing schedule featuring 24 events with over $850,000 in prize money to be handed out.
The three-eighths-mile race track at the Attica Fairgrounds will kick off its 38th racing season Friday, March 14.
Besides the weekly events featuring the Callies Performance Products 410 Sprints, the Dirt Nerds Podcast Powered by Propane UMP Late Models and the Fremont Fence 305 Sprints, the 2025 season features two World of Outlaw NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series spectaculars and the return of the All Star Circuit of Champions for five events.
The late models will also compete in two $5,000-to-win events with the American Iron Man Late Model Series.
The Attica Fremont Championship Series is highlighted in eight events for both the 410 and 305 sprints.
If Mother Nature cooperates its going to be a great year of entertaining races at Attica. More new clay was added during the off-season from the same source we obtained it from last year which produced highly competitive, exciting races, said Justin Liskai, Atticas director of operations.
We say it all the time but in todays economy it rings more true than ever.we could not do this without the tremendous support from our fans, race teams, great track staff and our fantastic marketing partners, added Liskai.
Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby will not play against the New York Rangers on Friday night due to an upper-body injury, according to coach Mike Sullivan.
On Tuesday night, Crosby collided with Luke Hughes and Erik Haula of the New Jersey Devils. He missed several shifts but returned for the final minutes of regulation and overtime. He also had an attempt in the Penguins' shootout loss.
Crosby, 37, skated on his own Thursday and took part in an optional Penguins practice at Madison Square Garden on Friday morning. Sullivan called that "encouraging," but cautioned the Penguins were "taking it one day at a time" with their captain.
This is the first game Crosby will miss in the 2024-25 season. He leads the Penguins with 58 points (17 goals and 41 assists) in 55 games. He played in all 82 games in the previous two seasons.
Pittsburgh faces the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday before entering a 13-day break for the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off. Crosby was one of the first players named to the Team Canada roster for that tournament.
The Penguins are eight points out of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Tonight, they're also expected to be without star center Evgeni Malkin, who is on injured reserve and considered "week-to-week."
Sullivan said the Penguins are in a "next-man-up mindset" with Crosby and Malkin out.
"Guys are always looking for more ice time, want to play a more significant role. Here's your opportunity. That's the world we live in. That's the NHL," he said. "When injuries occur, it provides opportunities for others. I think players need to look at it like that."
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