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AVONDALE, Ariz. — Just hours after defending NASCAR’s officiating this season, the series was embarrassed by an error on the Phoenix Raceway surface that painted the restart zone in the wrong place for the Truck Series championship.

The restart zone was at least 50 feet in the wrong place for Friday night’s crash-filled race, won by Christian Eckes in four overtimes. Ben Rhodes won his second Truck Series championship.

NASCAR overnight repainted the restart zone in its 2022 location in time for Saturday activity, which included qualifying for the Cup Series finale and the Xfinity Series championship race. No definitive reason was given for the paint having been in the wrong spot.

NASCAR did say that it notified the Truck Series teams that the restart zone was in the wrong spot and that it opted not to move it before the race.

The race was lambasted by top Cup Series drivers for its messy completion, which included Carson Hocevar wrecking Corey Heim and costing Heim the championship. The race went 29 laps past the scheduled distance, with the four overtimes caused by constant crashes in the field.

“This is what happens when there’s no rules, no officiating,” veteran Denny Hamlin posted on social media. “You get a product like this. ‘The show’ has taken over US Motorsports and why it’s hard to take seriously.”

In NASCAR’s annual state of the sport address earlier Friday, chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell took “a little bit of issue” when questioned about officiating errors throughout the season.

One of the most glaring gaffes was in the opening playoff race of the third round, when NASCAR disqualified Ryan Blaney for failing postrace inspection in a move that would have crushed his championship chances. One day later, NASCAR said the template it used to inspect Blaney’s car was off and his finish was reinstated — a turnaround that has Blaney racing Sunday for the Cup title.

“I put our officials up against any sport in the world. I’d also put our officials from an integrity standpoint up against anyone in the world,” O’Donnell said. “When they make a mistake, they don’t hide. They go to the media. They go to a race team, and they correct it. Doesn’t happen in all sports. Do we want to get everything right? We do. But I would remind everyone there’s no timeouts, there’s no going back to New York to review something.

“You’re racing. Every second of every race, you got to make a call,” O’Donnell added. “You got to be able to defend that. They’re able to come in and defend the call they made. If we made a mistake, we’re going to address it. We want to be perfect, for sure, but we’re not going to get everything right. We’re not going to get everything right in ’24 or ’25 as well. But I promise you that the best interests of getting it right.”

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Auburn’s Freeze diagnosed with prostate cancer

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Auburn's Freeze diagnosed with prostate cancer

Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and is expected to make a full recovery after doctors detected the disease in its early stages, the school announced Friday.

Freeze, 55, will continue coaching the Tigers while receiving treatment, Auburn officials said in a statement.

“Recently, Coach Freeze was diagnosed with an early form of prostate cancer,” the statement said. “Thankfully, it was detected early and his doctors have advised that it is very treatable and curable. He will continue his normal coaching duties and responsibilities, and with forthcoming proper treatment, is expected to make a full recovery.

“Coach Freeze is incredibly appreciative of our medical professionals and has asked that we use his experience as a reminder of the importance of prioritizing and scheduling annual health screenings.”

The Tigers are scheduled to start spring practice March 25.

Freeze’s teams went 11-14 (5-11 SEC) in his first two seasons, including a 5-7 campaign in 2024. With the additions of transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma), wide receivers Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech) and Horatio Fields (Wake Forest), offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin (Virginia Tech), and others, the Tigers are expected to be much improved this coming season.

At Liberty, Freeze coached from a hospital bed set up in the coaches’ box during the Flames’ 24-0 loss to Syracuse in his debut on Aug. 31, 2019. Freeze was recovering from surgery for a herniated disk in his back and a staph infection.

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Iowa State gives AD Pollard 5-year extension

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Iowa State gives AD Pollard 5-year extension

AMES, Iowa — Jamie Pollard, the Iowa State athletic director since 2005, has received a five-year contract extension through 2030, the university announced Friday.

The Cyclones have had unprecedented success in the major sports in 2024-25. The football team had its first 11-win season and the ninth-ranked men’s basketball team has been in the top 10 all season and achieved its highest ranking since 1956-57 when it reached No. 3 in December.

Terms of Pollard’s contract will be announced later, the school said.

“I am humbled to have had the opportunity to lead our athletics program for the past 20 years,” said Pollard, who thanked the administration for its support. “We have an amazing culture in our athletics program, led by our talented and dedicated coaches and staff. Although our industry is undergoing transformational change, I am confident our department will successfully embrace these challenges with the same energy and urgency that has proven to be successful in the past.”

Pollard, the nation’s third-longest serving Power 4 athletic director, has overseen $340 million in new construction and facility renovations. Since 2011-12, and excluding the 2020-21 pandemic year, ISU is the only school in the nation to have average attendances over 50,000 in football, 12,000 in men’s basketball and 9,000 in women’s basketball.

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Bowling Green’s Loeffler takes QB job with Eagles

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Bowling Green's Loeffler takes QB job with Eagles

Bowling Green coach Scot Loeffler is leaving the school after six seasons to become quarterbacks coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Loeffler, 50, went 27-41 at Bowling Green but led the Falcons to bowl appearances in each of the past three seasons, posting a 16-10 record in MAC play during the span.

He will replace Doug Nussmeier, who left the Eagles with Kellen Moore to become the New Orleans Saints‘ offensive coordinator. Loeffler will work under new Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who had been the team’s passing game coordinator and associate head coach.

“Scot has been dedicated to not only BGSU Football, but to all our student-athletes and BGSU Athletics, as well as our Falcon Marching Band and spirit programs,” university president Rodney Rogers said in a statement. “He cares deeply about player development and student success, and we wish him all the best as he continues his coaching career in the NFL with the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles.”

Loeffler returns to the NFL for the first time since 2008, when he coached quarterbacks for the Detroit Lions. A former Michigan quarterback, Loeffler coached QBs at his alma mater from 2002 to 2007 and also with Central Michigan and Florida. He first became an offensive coordinator with Temple in 2011 and made coordinator stops with Auburn, Virginia Tech and Boston College before landing his first head-coaching opportunity at Bowling Green.

The coaching change means Bowling Green players now have a 30-day window to enter the NCAA transfer portal. The Falcons had already lost three All-MAC performers to the portal in December in running back Terion Stewart (Virginia Tech), offensive tackle Alex Wollschlaeger (Kentucky) and linebacker Joseph Sipp Jr. (Kansas). Bowling Green also is losing record-setting tight end Harold Fannin Jr. to the NFL draft.

Athletic director Derek van der Merwe will lead the search for Loeffler’s replacement. In a statement, Van der Merwe praised Loeffler for building “a very successful program in a challenging climate in collegiate sports.

“I am looking forward to this process of finding the next great leader for our program who embraces what it means to be a Falcon,” Van der Merwe added.

ESPN’s Max Olson contributed to this report.

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