From Jones steering iconic No. 43 to victory to Harvick’s fiery Ford, the Southern 500 definitely delivered
Racers were angry. Racers were complaining. Racers were questioning everything, live in HD on our television sets.
Awesome. Welcome to the postseason.
On Sunday night in the 73rd edition of the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, NASCAR’s oldest speedway and its still-new race car joined forces to send the sport through a time machine and a garbage disposal all at once. When the checkered flag flew and the smoke quite literally cleared, Erik Jones drove a car into Victory Lane that hadn’t won this race in exactly 55 years, Richard Petty’s always famous but often feeble No. 43. Meanwhile, Chase Elliott, the driver who led the 2022 Cup Series standings all season, ended the night and started the NASCAR playoffs finishing dead last.
As noted NASCAR fan (probably) Maximus Decimus Meridius once asked, “Are you not entertained?!”
Honestly, Max? Yes. Yes, we were. We have been all season long. And we will take nine more weeks of it, from here until the final lap at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 6, thank you very much.
Granted, none of us is Elliott (unless he is reading this, and if he is, hey, man, thanks), who now sits ninth in the standings while staring cautiously at the two tracks that will be raced upon before the postseason field is whittled from 16 to 12. He finished 29th at Kansas Speedway earlier this year and 25th at Bristol Motor Speedway in its last non-dirt event one year ago. None of us is Kyle Busch, who led 155 laps at Darlington, seemingly en route to getting his title run back in order … before popping an engine and finishing 30th.
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And none of us is Kevin Harvick, who slogged through most of the regular season, then won two in a row to seize momentum heading into the playoffs, in search of his second series title. But his night ended in South Carolina with him escaping a fire-engulfed Ford, reigniting his bemoaning of NASCAR’s new one-size-fits-all Next Gen car as being unsafe.
“What a disaster for no reason,” the 46-year old ironically known as “Happy” said on NBC Sunday night. “We didn’t touch the wall. We didn’t touch a car and here we are in the pits with a burned-up car, and we can’t finish the race during the playoffs because of crappy-ass parts.”
His irritation is understandable. Harvick is now ranked last among the 16 playoff drivers. Busch sits in 11th. The previous eight years of NASCAR’s so-called Elimination Era say that they are in real trouble of not making the bracket when it cuts four teams two weeks from now. They will have to win one of those two races to advance.
Next Gen cars are providing parity. That’s good, right?
However, those are the same parts and same race car, essentially a spec machine, that have also produced a season that will rank among the most competitive in NASCAR’s nearly 75-year history, no matter what happens over the remaining nine weeks. Jones was the season’s 17th different winner, and more than a few non-playoff participants are still capable of hoisting a trophy before the year ends, led by another who had his heart broken by the Lady in Black, Martin Truex Jr.
The 2022 parity party of victors has opened doors long guarded by stock car racing’s powerhouses, welcoming teams like Petty GMS Motorsports and drivers who have found Victory Lane as difficult to reach as a Himalayan mountain peak.
No one disagrees that the Next Gen car deserves a long, hard look over the winter when it comes to incidents like Harvick’s fire. Safety should always be first.
But most are also in agreement that the equality-generating raciness of the machines doesn’t need to change at all. The ones who remain resistant seem to be those who used to have the winners’ lounge to themselves, superteams that now share that room with guys like this year’s five first-time Cup Series race winners, and would-be second-tier outfits such as Petty GMS, Team 23XI and even the once-mighty Richard Childress Racing. Those who have had that club to themselves aren’t super big fans of level playing fields.
Why would they be? So many future NASCAR Hall of Famers, those who used to be able to elbow out the kids from the bar, are now having to stand in line for the next drink like everyone else, waiting for service from a bartender who looks like an awful lot like Father Time. It happens. It just doesn’t usually happen all at once like it has this season.
But keep in mind that it wasn’t so long ago that the loudest complaints weren’t from the drivers; they came from the fans. When NASCAR’s TV ratings were in the tank and there was nary a highlight to be found or a conversation to be heard on any sports talk show. Like, less than five years ago. The grousers said it was all too predictable. They hated that the same guys won all the time. They howled that one guy (see: Johnson, Jimmie) won all the championships. They said the schedule was full of racetracks that all looked the same, and so did the cars, separated visually by nothing more than a different set of stickers on the nose.
Now NASCAR has 17 winners. It has a schedule packed with road courses. No one has been able to repeat as Cup champ since Johnson’s run of five straight ended … in 2010!
What we have now, Next Gen car and otherwise, might not be perfect, but it’s certainly not boring. No one can accuse the sport of being predictable. Not the sport we’ve watched this season, particularly over the past few weeks, and especially what we witnessed Sunday night at Darlington. Heck, we don’t even know what the schedule is going to look like year to year, after decades of being able to set your watches to the same types of tracks at the same places on the same dates.
Oh, and a heads-up, it’s only about to get wackier. Take a glance at the racetracks that are slated for the cutoff races at the end of each round of these playoffs.
Bristol. Charlotte Roval. Martinsville. Yeesh.
That’s probably not going to be a lot of fun for the racers. They will wreck cars and lose sleep and favorites will fall out of contention and surprises will win more races. They will all stress out because of all the above. They will complain loudly about it all on TV. But the next weekend, another green flag will be waved, and they will do it all over again.
Will we be entertained? Based on the Southern 500, you can bet your maximus we will.
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
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2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
CHICAGO — Chicago White Sox great Paul Konerko got a present from one No. 14 to another in honor of the 20th anniversary of the 2005 World Series championship run: a jersey signed by noted Chicago fan Pope Leo XIV.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, presented Konerko a jersey with the new pontiff’s signature on the back during a ceremony prior to the game against the Cleveland Guardians. It had the six-time All-Star’s last name and “Pope Leo” above the No. 14.
Robert Prevost became the first pope from the U.S. in the history of the Catholic Church when he was elected on May 8. The Chicago-born missionary, who took the name Leo XIV, is a White Sox fan.
Prevost attended the 2005 World Series opener against Houston in Chicago. He watched from Section 140, Row 19, Seat 2 as the White Sox beat the Astros 5-3 on the way to a four-game sweep and their first title since 1917.
In May, the team unveiled a graphic installation near the seat paying tribute to Pope Leo and that moment. The pillar artwork features a waving Pope Leo XIV, along with a picture from the TV broadcast of the future pope sitting with good friend Ed Schmit and his grandson, Eddie.
Members of the 2005 team are in Chicago this weekend to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the championship run. The White Sox debuted uniform patches honoring late closer Bobby Jenks, who died last week in Portugal, where he was being treated for stomach cancer. On Friday, the team unveiled a statue of former ace Mark Buehrle.
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