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This week, a doubleheader at Pocono Raceway marks the 18th and 19th races of the 36-race NASCAR season: the end of the first half and start of the second.

Despite being only halfway through the season, there has been no shortage of interesting, historic or just downright odd statistical storylines.

Hendrick Motorsports owns the first half

With eight wins in 17 races to start the season, Hendrick Motorsports has already surpassed its total from last season (in 36 races), and its total from the 2018 and 2019 seasons combined. It’s on pace for its first double-digit win season since 2014 (13) and the team record of 18 in 2007 is in play.

Hendrick also enters Pocono on a five-race win streak, the longest by a team since Hendrick won five straight in 2014. Hendrick (who else?) had a six-race win streak in 2007.

The big wins for Hendrick were at the Circuit of the Americas (Chase Elliott) and Charlotte (Kyle Larson), the 268th and 269th wins in team history. The first tied Petty Enterprises’ record for most by a Cup Series team, and the second broke that record.

Petty Enterprises had held that wins record since 1960, even though its last win came courtesy of John Andretti — another great last name in motorsports lore — in 1999.

Hendrick’s 270th win, at Sonoma, came with Larson beating Elliott to the line. It was the fourth straight 1-2 finish for Hendrick, tying the record set by Carl Kiekhaefer’s team in 1956.

Larson comes to Pocono with six consecutive top-two finishes, the seventh different driver in series history to have a streak that long. He joins Richard Petty, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip, Tim Flock, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick. Harvick was the last to have a streak of six-plus races, going eight straight over the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Larson wasn’t the only driver hitting milestones for Hendrick in the first half.

  • Chase Elliott: sixth road course win tied him for third-most in Cup Series history. 40.0 win percentage is second all-time behind Dan Gurney.

  • William Byron: 11 straight top-10 finishes is fourth-longest streak in team history, behind Jeff Gordon (21 and 14) and Jimmie Johnson (13).

  • Alex Bowman: 10 laps led in Richmond win was the second-fewest dating back to 1990 (Kevin Harvick: 3 in 2013)

Another milestone victory for Hendrick came with its 267th Cup win, this one at Dover, courtesy of Alex Bowman. What made that win notable was that Larson was second, Elliott third and Byron fourth. It was just the fourth 1-2-3-4 finish for a team in Cup Series history.

The most recent time it happened was in November 2005 at Homestead, when Roush Fenway Racing did it with Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards.

Before that, it happened in Dec. 1956 and April 1957 with DePaolo Engineering, both times with Fireball Roberts winning the race, with Paul Goldsmith, Curtis Turner, Ralph Moody and Marvin Panch filling out their scorecard.


Busch nears a record … that he can break in 2023

Last season, it took nearly the entire year for Kyle Busch to taste victory in the Cup Series, doing it in race 34 of the 36-race season. This season, he got there in race No. 11 at Kansas.

It was his 17th consecutive season with a win, tying David Pearson for the second-longest streak in series history. It trails only Richard Petty’s 18-year run from 1960-77 for Cup Series record.

There’s no reason to believe he can’t get there — he’ll just have to wait until 2023 to have sole possession of that record.


Brad Keselowski is the King of the Dramatic

Brad Keselowski winning at Talladega wasn’t a surprise; he has long established himself as one of the premier restrictor plate race drivers in series history.

The way he picked up the victory was more of a surprise, leading only lap 191 (of 188 scheduled laps, thanks to overtime) of the race and winning by about a tenth of a second.

That was Keselowski’s sixth career win with a last-lap pass, putting him one away from the series record (that we can tell — there are several races that don’t have lap-by-lap leaders).

What’s even more amazing is that Talladega was the third time that Keselowski won a race by leading in only the final lap. In Cup Series history, that has happened only 23 other times, with no other driver doing it more than once.


Variety is the spice of life

The Cup Series season started with seven different winners in seven races (and 10 winners in the first 11 races). Going back to the start of the Modern Era in 1972, it’s just the fifth time that a season has started with that many different winners in a row. The only seasons with more were in 2000 (10) and 2003 (9).

And that’s without a pair of the dominant drivers from 2020, Denny Hamlin and Harvick, winning a race yet this season.

The first four winners of the season — Michael McDowell, Christopher Bell, Byron and Larson — combined to win just once all of last season. And none of them finished better than 14th in points. It was the first time since 1986 that the first four winners of a season each had fewer than 10 career wins at that time of their victory.

In 1986, Geoff Bodine, Kyle Petty, Terry Labonte and Morgan Shepherd won the first 10 races.

Those wins by McDowell and Bell were the first of their Cup careers (and Byron’s was just his second win). The only other times in Cup Series history the first two races of a season were won by first-time winners came in 1949 and 1950 — the first two seasons in Cup Series history.

More on McDowell, whose upset win in the Daytona 500 remains one of the best stories in recent memory: He won in his 358th career start; the only other driver in series history with that many starts prior to getting his first win was Michael Waltrip, who won the 2001 Daytona 500 in his 463rd start.

McDowell, like Keselowski, led only the final lap. He’s the third driver to win the 500 leading only in the final lap, joining Austin Dillon in 2018 and Kurt Busch in 2017.


Hamlin still seeking first win

With all the variety in Victory Lane, one driver we haven’t seen win yet is Hamlin, who won seven times last year. But it’s not like Hamlin hasn’t been successful.

Hamlin started the year with eight top-five finishes in the first nine races, the first driver to start a season off like that since Dale Earnhardt in his storied 1987 season. Except “The Intimidator” won six of the first nine races that year.

Hamlin’s year also started with a fifth-place finish at Daytona, after leading 98 laps. The last five drivers to lead at least that many in the Daytona 500 failed to win. The last driver to lead that many and win? Earnhardt, in 1998.


New track … who dis?

For those who wanted to see more variety in the NASCAR schedule, 2021 has been the season for you.

  • We had the first dirt track race since Sept. 30, 1970. A mere 18,443 days between dirt track races.

  • We’ve had road course races at Daytona, Austin and Sonoma, with four more to come. Seven road course races crushes the record for most in a season, which was four in the 1957 and 1964 seasons.

  • There have been first Cup races at Nashville, Circuit of the Americas (Austin) and the Bristol Dirt Track. The Indianapolis Road Course will host its first later this year. The last time we had at least three new venues debut in a season was 1969, when we got inaugural races at Michigan, Kingsport, Dover, Talladega and Texas World Speedway.

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NHL playoff watch: A must-win for the Penguins?

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NHL playoff watch: A must-win for the Penguins?

The Sidney Crosby era of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey has been synonymous with success. The Pens missed the playoffs in Sid’s rookie campaign of 2005-06 but have made it every season since, a streak of 16 straight springs with playoff hockey in Western PA. That run has included three Stanley Cups and one loss in the Stanley Cup Final.

Could the streak be coming to an end this season?

The Penguins enter today’s game against the Boston Bruins (3 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+) one point ahead of the Florida Panthers with a game in hand, but four points behind Matthew Tkachuk & Co. in the regulation wins column.

After the matchup with the Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Penguins take on the Philadelphia Flyers (who are not great but always play the Penguins tough), followed by the playoff-bound New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild. Thereafter, the final trio of contests does get a bit easier, with the lottery-bound Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets on the docket to close out the season.

For comparison, the Panthers take on the Blue Jackets tonight, followed by three lottery teams (Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals), before closing out against the playoff-bound Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.

Although today’s games are not must-wins for either club, the points have become all too important to squander as the final matchups are played. As it stands now, the Penguins have a 66% chance of making the playoffs, per FiveThirtyEight’s model, compared with 38% for the Panthers.

As we enter the final stretch of the regular season, it’s time to check all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2023 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via FiveThirtyEight.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s games
Last night’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Boston Bruins vs. WC2 Pittsburgh Penguins
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1 New York Islanders
M2 New Jersey Devils vs. M3 New York Rangers

Western Conference

C1 Minnesota Wild vs. WC1 Seattle Kraken
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC2 Winnipeg Jets
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings


Saturday’s games

Note: All times Eastern. All games not on ESPN, ESPN2, TNT or NHL Network are available via NHL Power Play, which is included in an ESPN+ subscription (local blackout restrictions apply).

St. Louis Blues at Nashville Predators, 1 p.m. (NHLN)
Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins, 3 p.m. (ABC/ESPN+)
Florida Panthers at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.
Buffalo Sabres at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m.
New York Islanders at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.
New Jersey Devils at Chicago Blackhawks, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m.
San Jose Sharks at Arizona Coyotes, 10 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers, 10 p.m.
Los Angeles Kings at Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m.
Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights, 10 p.m.


Friday’s scoreboard

Watch “In the Crease” on ESPN+ for highlights from every game.

Buffalo Sabres 3, New York Rangers 2 (OT)
Winnipeg Jets 6, Detroit Red Wings 2
Calgary Flames 5, Vancouver Canucks 4 (OT)
Dallas Stars 4, Arizona Coyotes 2


Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 121
Regulation wins: 49
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 133
Next game: @ PIT (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 109
Next game: @ OTT (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 6
Points pace: 101
Next game: vs. NYI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 90
Next game: @ CBJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 38%
Tragic number: 12

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 88
Next game: @ PHI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 5%
Tragic number: 12

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 86
Next game: vs. TOR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 2%
Tragic number: 10

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 82
Next game: @ TOR (Sunday)
Playoff chances: <1%
Tragic number: 6

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 71
Next game: vs. CAR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Metropolitan Division

Points: 103
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 114
Next game: @ MTL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 102
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 112
Next game: @ CHI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 99
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 6
Points pace: 107
Next game: @ WSH (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 6
Points pace: 94
Next game: @ TB (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 90%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 92
Next game: vs. BOS (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 66%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 83
Next game: vs. NYR (Sunday)
Playoff chances: <1%
Tragic number: 6

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 79
Next game: vs. BUF (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 4

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 60
Next game: vs. FLA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Central Division

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 106
Next game: @ VGK (Saturday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 105
Next game: @ COL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 8
Points pace: 104
Next game: vs. DAL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 94
Next game: vs. NJ (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 61%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 91
Next game: vs. STL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 9%
Tragic number: 12

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 83
Next game: @ NSH (Saturday)
Playoff chances: <1%
Tragic number: 4

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 72
Next game: @ SEA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 59
Next game: vs. NJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Pacific Division

Points: 99
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 108
Next game: vs. MIN (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 105
Next game: vs. ANA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 7
Points pace: 105
Next game: @ SEA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 100
Next game: vs. LA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 92
Next game: vs. ANA (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 31%
Tragic number: 11

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 82
Next game: vs. LA (Sunday)
Playoff chances: <1%
Tragic number: 2

Points: 57
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 62
Next game: @ ARI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 61
Next game: @ EDM (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

P — Clinched Presidents’ Trophy; Y — Clinched division; X — Clinched playoff berth; E — Eliminated from playoff contention


Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Connor Bedard, who has been lauded as a generational talent.

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 15

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 16

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 13

Points: 57
Regulation wins: 15

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 22

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 29

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 32

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 28

*Notes on traded picks impacting the top 16:

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MLB investigating Rendon altercation with fan

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MLB investigating Rendon altercation with fan

Major League Baseball says it is investigating a confrontation between Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon and an Athletics fan at Thursday’s season opener in Oakland.

In a 12-second video posted on social media, Rendon grabs the fan by the shirt through the guardrails and accuses the fan of calling him a “b—-.” Rendon continues to challenge the fan as he denies the claim. Rendon then calls the fan a “motherf—er” and takes a swipe, which does not connect, as he lets go of the shirt and proceeds to leave the area.

No video showing what led to the altercation was immediately available.

“We are aware of the video and we are now looking into the matter,” MLB said in a statement.

The Angels said they had no comment on the situation and that Rendon would discuss what happened with reporters before Saturday’s game against Oakland.

Rendon was 0-for-3 in the Angels’ 2-1, Opening Day loss to the Athletics. He missed the majority of 2022 after undergoing right wrist surgery during the season.

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Oddsmakers, bettors trying to gauge impact of new MLB rules

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Oddsmakers, bettors trying to gauge impact of new MLB rules

Major League Baseball’s new rules didn’t impact scoring significantly in spring training, and oddsmakers began the season without adjusting their numbers on runs scored, while taking a wait-and-see approach to the pitch clock and elimination of the infield shift.

MLB games have averaged 9.1 runs scored over the past five seasons. Last year’s 8.57 runs per game was the lowest since 2015. Spring training games, with the new rules implemented, averaged 10.1 runs, down slightly from last year.

Pitchers have 15 seconds to throw a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds with a runner on base. Hitters must be in the batter’s box with eight seconds on the pitch clock. Hitters are allowed one timeout per at-bat to reset the pitch clock. Pitchers are restricted to stepping off the rubber only twice per plate appearance, including for pickoff attempts. The rule resets if a runner advances during the same plate appearance. And larger bases are being used to increase the success rate on steals.

“We don’t really see a direct correlation from the pitch clock to more scoring,” said Randy Blum, who oversees baseball odds for the SuperBook in Las Vegas. “We were not planning on adjusting our totals off that.”

Halvor England, BetMGM’s lead baseball trader, expects the elimination of the traditional shift to increase scoring marginally, but also believes pitchers will have more control over the hitter during an at-bat because of the pitch clock.

“I think it’s going to be a little more offsetting than people realize, almost a wash,” Halvor said. “I don’t anticipate there to be less scoring overall, but on a game-to-game basis, it’s going to be very marginal.”

The bigger bases being used this season, however, are a difference-maker in bookmakers’ and bettors’ eyes. Steals were up notably in success rate and volume — nearly double from last spring training — this year. Bettors expect the trend to continue.

The SuperBook offered a season-long prop on the over/under on most stolen bases by an individual player. Blum said the book opened the total at 50.5, a number that reflected about four to five more stolen bases than if the rule had not been in place. Still, sharp bettors took the over, causing the SuperBook to move the number to 52.5.

“That’s one thing [larger bases] that we did adjust our numbers on based on the rule changes, and it seems to be something that the bettors are taking note of also,” Blum said. “That was not necessarily a prop that in the past would get a lot of attention either way.”

Joe Fortuna, a veteran professional bettor and baseball fan, said he did edge his numbers up on runs scored because of the rule changes and was looking to bet overs early in the season for multiple reasons, including potential pitchers’ fatigue while working with the pitch clock.

“These guys, in April, might be a little bit out of shape, so I don’t know if running 100 mph pitches up there every 15 seconds will make them tire out faster,” Fortuna said. “The different rules all seemed to lean toward hitting to us.”

Fortuna also examined which hitters faced the most infield shifts last season and pointed out left-handed batters like San Diego’s Juan Soto, Texas’ Corey Seager and Kansas City’s Vinnie Pasquantino as ones who could benefit from its elimination.

“The shift is huge to me,” Fortuna said. “We actually bet on Pasquantino to win MVP today at 250-1. He batted .295 last year and faced 93.8% three-man shifts. That was the highest.”

For now, only one day into the season, bettors and bookmakers will be watching closely to see if there are any trends related to the new rule changes, but early on, it’ll be a guessing game.

“There will be some advantage for bettors if they can figure it all out quicker than the market,” Halvor said.

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