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IndyCar rookie Jimmie Johnson is hopeful of testing in August on the oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway as part of a path toward running in next year’s Indianapolis 500.

Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR champion, jumped this season to IndyCar and has competed in seven races for team owner Chip Ganassi. He’s set to race again next weekend at Nashville. Johnson hasn’t finished better than 19th this season.

Johnson, 45, only wanted to drive road and street courses this year but has the desire to drive at Indy next season. Johnson would have to complete the Rookie Orientation Program later this year required to race on the Indy oval.

Johnson kept an eye on fellow IndyCar rookie Romain Grosjean’s oval test Tuesday at World Wide Technology Raceway outside St. Louis. Grosjean, a former Formula One driver, committed only to the road and street course races, just like Johnson.

Johnson texted Grosjean on Tuesday and asked for tips on handling the oval course.

“I’m trying to find my comfort with the ovals,” Johnson said. “I think he’s in a similar place. We’ve both been chatting over the course of the year about ovals. Really, about the experience altogether. I get more and more comfortable with ovals. Hopefully, the test, when it happens in late August, will go well and I’ll continue to work closer toward the Indy 500 or ovals in general.”

Johnson’s seven NASCAR championships are tied with Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Johnson said there should be carryover from his NASCAR career in Indianapolis to when he attempts the open wheel run at the Brickyard.

“Of all the tracks we run on,” Johnson said, “there should be some crossover on the oval. I found there was zero crossover on the road courses, so that was interesting.”

Johnson will miss only the Aug. 21 race at the track outside St. Louis the rest of the IndyCar season. That track is a mile oval. Johnson, who worked the Indy 500 this year as an analyst for NBC, shares the No 48 this season with Tony Kanaan. Kanaan will drive the ovals again in 2022.

Used to the more grueling NASCAR schedule, Johnson is slated for 12 road and street course races and he skipped the four oval races.

“I’ve really wanted to slow down this year and try something new,” Johnson said. “Both of those things are definitely happening.”

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NHL 4 Nations Face-Off Central: Schedule, rosters, news, how to watch

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NHL 4 Nations Face-Off Central: Schedule, rosters, news, how to watch

Instead of having an All-Star Game this season, the NHL and NHLPA are staging the 4 Nations Face-Off, which will run from Feb. 12 through Feb. 20. This is a round-robin tournament that will feature four national teams — Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States — with NHL players from those nations filling the rosters.

Read on for full coverage of the event, including rosters, schedule and broadcast information from the opening round games all the way through the championship matchup.

More: Schedule
Roster grades, snubs
Everything you need to know

Game schedule

Note: All times Eastern.

Wednesday, Feb. 12: Canada vs. Sweden, 8 p.m. | TNT
Thursday, Feb. 13: USA vs. Finland, 8 p.m. | ESPN
Saturday, Feb. 15: Finland vs. Sweden, 1 p.m. | ABC
Saturday, Feb. 15: USA vs. Canada, 8 p.m. | ABC
Monday, Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland, 1 p.m. | TNT
Monday, Feb. 17: Sweden vs. USA, 8 p.m. | TNT
Thursday, Feb. 20: Championship game, 8 p.m. | ESPN


Rosters

Note: Players are listed alphabetically by position. These are not projected lineups.

Finland

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Grading the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters, plus snubs and surprises

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Grading the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters, plus snubs and surprises

The first-ever NHL/NHLPA 4 Nations Face-Off is many things.

It’s a midseason exhibition tournament that replaces the NHL All-Star Game for a change of pace. It’s an antipasto of international hockey ahead of the Italian feast of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. It’s also the first time that a generation of Canadian and American superstars get to battle for bragging rights and a championship — although Sweden and Finland will have something to say about that.

On Wednesday, those four nations reveal their rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off, taking place from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston. The U.S. and Canada will announce their rosters at 7 p.m. ET, while Finland’s and Sweden’s reveals arrived earlier in the day. Some of the names are very expected, and some of the selections are a bit surprising.

Here’s how the rosters grade out — at each position group and overall — and which NHL players might be feeling snubbed by their home nations after these roster reveals.

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National signing day live: Commits, flips, rumors and best moments

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National signing day live: Commits, flips, rumors and best moments

College football’s national signing day has kicked off with the early signing period. Class of 2025 high school recruits are now able to sign their national letters of intent to lock them into the colleges of their choice.

With 16 ESPN 300 commitments, Georgia starts the signing period with the No. 1 class in ESPN’s rankings. However, the top spot has not been locked down completely and has changed hands a few times this cycle. Most programs will sign the majority of their class this week, but recruiting is far from over. If a prospect doesn’t sign a national letter of intent by Friday, the next national signing day for this cycle begins Feb. 5, 2025.

We’re tracking the latest news, analysis, class rankings movement and more throughout Wednesday, with latest updates at the top:

coverage:
Class rankings: Top 50 schools
Last-minute intel, flips to watch

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