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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Shortly after Michael McDowell said Wednesday he would not return to Front Row Motorsports after this season, Spire Motorsports announced it had signed the former Daytona 500 winner to a multiyear contract.

McDowell will drive the No. 71 Chevrolet for Spire starting next season. He will be teamed with Corey LaJoie and Carson Hocevar at Spire.

“This is a new chapter for my family and me, and we’re incredibly thankful for the opportunity that’s in front of us,” McDowell said. “It’s going to take some hard work, but I feel like everything is in place for us to be successful as a race team — to win races and contend for championships.

“People are the greatest asset to any organization, and with Spire’s vision, ambition, knowledge and dedication, we will achieve great things. Failure is not an option, and that’s the mindset that it will take to achieve our goals.”

McDowell, 39, has been with Front Row Motorsports since 2018. He won the Daytona 500 in 2021 and last year’s Cup race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course while driving the No. 34 Ford for Front Row.

McDowell has made 228 of his 477 career Cup starts with the organization. He has scored eight of his nine career top-five finishes and 35 of his 40 career top 10s while at Front Row Motorsports.

“Over half of my NASCAR Cup Series starts have been made under the FRM banner, and I’m thankful for each and every one of them,” McDowell said. “With that being said, my family and I have made the bittersweet decision that it’s time for us to embark on the next chapter of our motorsports journey, making 2024 my final season as the driver of the No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Front Row Motorsports.”

Team owner Bob Jenkins thanked McDowell for his contributions to the organization and said his wins at Daytona and Indy — both of which earned McDowell playoff berths — “set a new standard for our organization.

“He became the leader of his team and the organization. Outside the car, he was the model for a driver we want to represent us and our partners,” Jenkins said. “We’re sad to see Michael leave, but wish him, Jami and his family nothing but the best as he moves on to another chapter of what is already an incredible racing career.”

McDowell won the pole at Atlanta and Talladega this year and started on the front row for the Daytona 500. He crashed while defending his lead coming to the checkered flag at Talladega, one of a series-high four races he failed to finish this year.

He is 26th in the Cup standings entering Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway.

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NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Trent Frederic swap, Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals

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NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Trent Frederic swap, Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals

The NHL trade deadline for the 2024-25 season is not until March 7, but teams have not waited until the last minute to make major moves.

For every significant trade that occurs during the season, you’ll find a grade for it here, the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks swapping goaltenders, Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues, Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, the blockbuster deal sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes and Martin Necas to the Avalanche, J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers, and the Canucks staying busy and getting Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

March 1 featured three big trades, with Ryan Lindgren headed to the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota Wild adding Gustav Nyquist, and Seth Jones joining the Florida Panthers.

Read on for grades from Ryan S. Clark and Greg Wyshynski, and check back the next time a big deal breaks.

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Reports: Brewers add depth with lefty Quintana

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Reports: Brewers add depth with lefty Quintana

Veteran left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana is joining the Milwaukee Brewers on a one-year, $4.25 million deal with $1 million in potential bonuses, according to multiple reports.

Quintana, 36, is coming off a 2024 season in which he went 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA in 31 starts for the New York Mets. He struck out 135 and walked 63 in 170⅓ innings. Over his past six regular-season starts, Quintana gave up four runs — three earned — in 36 1/3 innings.

He started the deciding game of New York’s NL Wild Card Series matchup with the Brewers and pitched six shutout innings in the Mets’ 4-2 victory, though he received no decision. Quintana had a total of three postseason starts, allowing six runs — five earned — over 14 1/3 innings.

Quintana now will compete for a spot in a Brewers rotation that returns right-handers Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers and Aaron Civale. The two-time defending NL Central champions also added left-hander Nestor Cortes in a trade that sent two-time NL reliever of the year Devin Williams to the New York Yankees.

The Brewers could use some rotation depth as two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff and Robert Gasser come back from injuries. Woodruff missed all of 2024 while recovering from shoulder surgery, and he won’t be ready for the start of the season. Gasser, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, isn’t expected to be available until late in the season.

Milwaukee got more bad news Monday night when left-hander Aaron Ashby, a candidate for a rotation spot, left his start against the Cincinnati Reds with an injury. Murphy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Ashby appeared to have an oblique issue and would undergo an MRI.

When he makes his Brewers debut, Quintana will have pitched for every team in the NL Central. He was with the Chicago Cubs from 2017-20 and split the 2022 season between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.

Quintana owns a 102-103 record and 3.74 ERA in 359 career appearances, including 333 starts. He’s also had stints with the Chicago White Sox (2012-17), Los Angeles Angels (2021), San Francisco Giants (2021) and Mets (2023-24). He was selected to the All-Star Game in 2016.

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Bad Bunny agency announces deal with Tatis

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Bad Bunny agency announces deal with Tatis

MIAMI — Rimas Sports, the agency co-owned by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny whose leaders have been suspended by the baseball players’ union, announced a management deal Tuesday with San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr.

Rimas said it will oversee marketing, brand relations and other services, working to “expand his portfolio as an athlete, businessman and philanthropist.”

Tatis and the Padres agreed in 2021 to a $340 million, 14-year contract negotiated by MVP Sports, an agency headed by Dan Lozano.

Rimas Sports says it is a partnership among Bad Bunny and executives Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda. The company says it represents the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr., the Colorado Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar and the New York Mets’ Francisco Alvarez.

Although Rimas Sports is prohibited from negotiating contracts with teams, the agency is allowed to strike marketing deals with players.

The Major League Baseball Players Association revoked the agent certification of Rimas’ William Arroyo last April and denied certification to Assad and Miranda, citing a $200,000 interest-free loan and a $19,500 gift. The union issued a $400,000 fine for misconduct.

Arbitrator Ruth M. Moscovitch last October upheld the union’s five-year suspensions of Assad and Miranda and cut Arroyo’s suspension to three years.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer H. Rearden in Manhattan set a Feb. 18 deadline for Assad, Miranda and Arroyo to file a response to the union’s motion to confirm the decision, but no response has been filed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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