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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chase Briscoe won the pole Friday for the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway.

Briscoe had a lap at 181.822 mph in the No. 14 Ford in the final round of qualifying, edging Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Aric Almirola for the No. 1 starting spot. Harrison Burton qualified third in another Ford, followed by 23IX Racing teammates Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs in Toyotas.

The top five qualifiers are among 17 drivers vying for the series’ final postseason berth at Daytona.

“We literally have absolutely nothing to lose with our points situation,” Briscoe said. “That part of it is a little freeing and relieving.”

All four SHR cars qualified in the top 10, and nine of the top 12 were Fords.

Wallace has a tenuous hold on the 16th and final spot, carrying a 32-point advantage over Gibbs into Daytona. Daniel Suárez is 43 points behind Wallace. The three Toyota drivers are the only ones who can get in on points.

Fourteen others can knock out the trio by winning the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday night. No one would be surprised to see it happen because the all-or-nothing group includes fan favorite Chase Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman, two guys who usually have speed at superspeedways, as well as former Daytona winners Almirola, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones and Justin Haley.

All of them will be chasing Briscoe when the green flag drops.

“Everybody loves an underdog,” Briscoe said. “We’d be the equivalent of a 16 seed (in the NCAA Tournament). Hopefully we can get in and cause a raucous.”

Elliott qualified 23rd, eight spots ahead of Bowman.

“I hope it comes down to the two of us because that means one of is going to get in,” Elliott said. “I hope that’s the case for the sake of Hendrick Motorsports. … But one of us is going to be left short. It’s part of racing, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Hendrick already has two drivers locked in: William Byron and Kyle Larson. Elliott and Bowman might be in had it not been for issues earlier in the season.

Elliott missed six races after breaking his left leg in a snowboarding accident in early March and was suspended for another for intentionally wrecking Denny Hamlin. Bowman was sidelined three races while recovering from a back injury sustained during a rollover in a sprint car race and also was docked 60 points for a violation.

“A friend of mine said to me this week, ‘Dude, you missed seven races and you’ were like 40 points from 16th before Michigan,'” Elliott said. “When you look at it like that, it could be a lot worse. I sat on the cough for seven weekends this year and we had a legitimate shot of pointsing our way in, which I just never thought was going to be possible and we haven’t been running out best, either.

“All those give me positivity in knowing that, yeah, the situation’s not ideal – I’d like to be doing better – but it’s not all bad. … Granted, we haven’t gotten to victory lane at this point, but I’m proud of the work that we put in and I think there’s better days ahead.”

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MLB: Iassogna crew chief, plate umpire for ASG

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MLB: Iassogna crew chief, plate umpire for ASG

NEW YORK — Dan Iassogna will be the umpire crew chief and work the plate during Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Atlanta’s Truist Park.

His crew will include Marvin Hudson at first, Chris Segal at second, Jansen Visconti at third, Jeremie Rehak in left and Erich Bacchus in right, Major League Baseball said Thursday.

Iassogna, 56, will work his second All-Star Game. He was at third base for the 2011 game at Arizona.

He worked his first big league game in 1999, was hired to the major league staff in 2004 and appointed a crew chief ahead of the 2020 season. Iassogna umpired the World Series in 2012, ’17 and ’22 along with eight League Championship Series and seven Division Series.

Segal, Visconti, Rehak and Bacchus will work their first All-Star Games and Hudson his second after being in left field in 2004 at Houston.

Tony Randazzo will be the replay umpire in New York.

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A’s Rooker joins list of HR Derby participants

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A's Rooker joins list of HR Derby participants

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Athletics slugger Brent Rooker is adding his name to the list of Home Run Derby participants.

Rooker announced Thursday that he’s participating in the event, which takes place Monday in Atlanta. He will become the first Athletics player in the Home Run Derby since Matt Olson in 2021.

“Competing in the Home Run Derby has always been a dream of mine,” Rooker said in an Instagram post. “Can’t wait to make it happen next week in Atlanta! See ya there!”

Rooker, 30, entered Thursday with a .270 batting average, 19 homers and 50 RBIs, putting him on pace for a third straight season of at least 30 homers. He went deep 30 times in 2023 and had 39 homers in 2024.

His 58 homers since the start of the 2024 season rank him third among all American League players.

The only A’s to win the Derby were Mark McGwire in 1992 and Yoenis Céspedes in 2013 and 2014.

Other announced participants include Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr., Minnesota’s Byron Buxton, Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero, Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh and Washington’s James Wood.

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Mets recall Acuna from Triple-A, DFA Jankowski

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Mets recall Acuna from Triple-A, DFA Jankowski

BALTIMORE — The New York Mets recalled 23-year-old utility man Luisangel Acuna from Triple-A Syracuse before Thursday’s split doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles.

The brother of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr., Luisangel Acuña went 13-for-45 (.286) for Syracuse after the Mets optioned him in late June.

Capable of playing second base, shortstop or the outfield, Acuna had batted .241 in 65 games before going to the minors.

“He was a big part of this team the first couple of months,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters. “We got to a point where we felt like, ‘Hey, let’s get him some everyday playing time. ‘And now it’s time for him to be back up here, continuing to help us win baseball games.”

In a corresponding move, the Mets designated outfielder Travis Jankowski for assignment.

Acuna was on the bench for New York’s first game of the doubleheader.

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