Connect with us

Published

on

CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR champion Kyle Larson has emerged as a candidate for an Indianapolis 500 ride and said Saturday he has permission from Hendrick Motorsports to run the iconic race if a deal can be completed.

Larson told The Associated Press he has spoken to both team owner Rick Hendrick and vice chairman Jeff Gordon about his desire, and Hendrick’s only caveat was that Larson not run the Indy 500 this season.

If he does land a ride, though, Larson said he’d run “The Double” and compete in both the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Only four drivers have previously attempted to run the 1,100 miles in two different states on the same day, and Tony Stewart in 2001 was the only driver to complete all the laps.

Kurt Busch in 2014 was the last driver to attempt the feat.

“Nothing’s changed. I would love to do it,” Larson told AP. “It’s just timing and I want to be in the best equipment possible. But I’ve told Jeff and Rick that I’d like to do it and it’s kind of up to them to find something.”

Kyle Busch also has permission to run the Indy 500 when he joins Richard Childress Racing next season, but conversations with McLaren to run a fourth car for Busch have fizzled over the limited budget offered by potential sponsor Menard’s for the effort.

Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, who last month retired from full-time racing after two seasons in IndyCar and his own Indy 500 debut, also wants to run The Double next season.

But for it to work for Larson, Busch or Johnson, they’d all likely need to partner with a Chevrolet team, and the options are limited. Team Penske has been reluctant to run a fourth car at Indy, which would leave Arrow McLaren SP as the best viable Chevy choice. The McLaren lineup finished second, fourth and 11th in this year’s race.

Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan, who finished third this year, has also emerged as a candidate for a seat with McLaren. The team is expanding next year to three full-time entries with the addition of Alexander Rossi to the lineup, and team head Zak Brown has so far remained undecided on if he wants to field a fourth car in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Grassroots racing fans are eager to see Larson at Indy, as his dirt background and dominance in smaller series across the country has made him a popular figure. Although his name is now being mentioned in IndyCar circles for a potential seat next May, Larson said he was unaware of any ongoing negotiations involving his participation.

Continue Reading

Sports

Rookie Langford notches majors’ 1st cycle of ’24

Published

on

By

Rookie Langford notches majors' 1st cycle of '24

BALTIMORE — Texas Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford hit for the cycle in Sunday night’s 11-2 win against the Orioles, completing the feat with a three-run homer down the left-field line in the eighth inning.

It was the first career four-hit game for Langford, who was drafted last year by the Rangers with the No. 4 overall pick and made a swift rise to the majors to make Texas’ Opening Day roster this season.

It was the first cycle in the major leagues in 2024.

Langford tripled in the fourth, doubled in the fifth and singled in the sixth.

At 22 years, 229 days old, Langford is the youngest player in Rangers history to hit for the cycle. He’s the 15th rookie to hit for the cycle since Major League Baseball established an official definition of rookie status in 1958.

The only other rookie in Rangers history to hit for the cycle was Oddibe McDowell, in 1985 against Cleveland. He recorded his in his 59th career game; Langford had his in his 60th career game.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

MLB unveils changes to HR Derby rules, format

Published

on

By

MLB unveils changes to HR Derby rules, format

BALTIMORE — The rules for the 2024 Home Run Derby have been altered significantly, with some of the changes designed to reduce the frantic pace that has concerned past participants.

Within each player’s timed round, the hitter will see a maximum of 40 pitches — similar to how there is a maximum number of basketballs shot in the NBA 3-point contest. This will place a greater premium on efficiency between the batting practice pitchers and the hitters.

Since the Derby moved to a timed format in 2015, the rounds of swings have often shifted into a race of the hitter and pitcher trying to get through as many swings as possible. In last year’s Derby, all of the participants averaged more than 43 swings per round.

Some past participants have spoken about how exhausting the event has become, and have privately fretted about what they perceive to be a heightened risk for injury because of the accelerated pace, which is not typical for hitters taking batting practice.

The hitters will have three minutes in each of the first two rounds, and two minutes in the championship round.

Also, the bonus time for each hitter will no longer be clocked. Instead, the hitter will continue until he’s made three outs — a swing that generates a result other than a home run. A fourth out can be earned with a 425-foot home run in the bonus time. This change will allow for an unlimited number of home runs in the bonus period, meaning that a hitter who is behind will always have a chance to make up a deficit.

Additionally, the first round will no longer be a head-to-head bracket. Instead, the top four first-round scores from the eight hitters will advance to the semifinal bracket, with ties broken by the longest home run in the first round.

Toronto‘s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won the 2023 Home Run Derby in Seattle. He and his father are the first father-son duo to win the Derby, which is typically among the highest-rated MLB events every year.

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson became the first player to publicly commit to participating in the 2024 Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on July 15, making the announcement himself during Sunday Night Baseball. Henderson is among the MLB home run leaders with 26.

Continue Reading

Sports

NHL draft grades: Why the Sharks, Utah Hockey Club each get an A+

Published

on

By

NHL draft grades: Why the Sharks, Utah Hockey Club each get an A+

The 2024 NHL draft was a spectacle in every sense of the word. Count me among those who wouldn’t mind seeing the event held at Sphere going forward. I understand wanting to spread league events around, but when you hit a grand slam like the NHL did here, don’t mess with what works.

In terms of the selection process itself, some teams had fantastic drafts, extracting value with each selection, while other teams left value on the table with the talent available.

When considering a grade for each team, the totality of their work was considered: quality of players drafted, selection value and value derived from trades. Here’s our grade for every front office, with insights on particular high-value picks and trades (as well as questionable ones).

Jump to a team:
ANA | BOS | BUF | CGY
CAR | CHI | COL | CBJ
DAL | DET | EDM | FLA
LA | MIN | MTL | NSH
NJ | NYI | NYR | OTT
PHI | PIT | SJ | SEA
STL | TB | TOR | UTA
VAN | VGK | WSH | WPG

ATLANTIC DIVISION

When you have only four draft selections and three are in the 100s, it is difficult to come away with much.

Dean Letourneau was a quintessential Boston pick, even if it was a bit of a reach. The potential for Tage Thompson 2.0 has to be enticing for a franchise that needs help down the middle. He’s going to take a few years, but there is a real chance Letourneau is a unicorn, and Boston took that swing.

Elliott Groenewold, Jonathan Morello and Loke Johansson don’t have NHL projections, but you don’t expect that from midround picks. It’s a long shot for those three to make it, but they are fine bets.

Continue Reading

Trending