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LEBANON, Tenn. — Bubba Wallace refused Saturday to discuss the details of the physical altercation in late May that led to the suspension of Aric Almirola by Joe Gibbs Racing, saying he preferred to “keep some people’s images good.”

Wallace spoke after qualifying for Sunday’s Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, briefly addressing an altercation that was first reported by The Athletic on Thursday.

“I think I said enough at Charlotte last year, so all in all life is good for me,” Wallace said. “That (expletive) happened over a month ago, and a lot of goods come my way. And that’s what I’m focused on. Focused on getting our stuff turned back around.”

During a rain delay at the Coca-Cola 600 last year in Charlotte, television cameras caught Almirola shoving Wallace during a rain delay after the two exchanged words. Wallace also declined to say what sparked that altercation except to say he wasn’t surprised.

“When you walk around with two faces, that’s what you get,” Wallace said then.

The Athletic first reported the altercation and resulting suspension Thursday for an altercation during the weekly competition meeting before the May 25 Xfinity race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That meeting includes drivers from both Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing with both teams using Toyotas.

Almirola retired as a full-time driver after 460 career starts at the end of the 2022 season to spend time with his family.

He returned this offseason with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Xfinity program and won April 6 at Martinsville. He was listed as the driver of the No. 20 at Charlotte only to be replaced May 22 on the entry list with Ty Gibbs who finished ninth in that race.

Christopher Bell drove the car to victory last weekend in New Hampshire before winning the Cup Series race the next day. John Hunter Nemechek won his second Xfinity Series race in the car Saturday at the Nashville Superspeedway, the Tennessee Lottery 250.

Denny Hamlin, who won the pole for Sunday’s Cup Series race, is Almirola’s JGR teammate. He’s also co-owner of Wallace’s 23XI racing team. Hamlin said he did not witness what happened and that it’s all “hearsay” for him.

“At 23XI, we let Joe Gibbs Racing handle it and they did what they saw fit,” Hamlin said. “So again, I don’t know all the details, but I don’t want to get too much into the personal business.”

Almirola reportedly is expected back for the Xfinity Series race July 20 at Indianapolis.

Wallace hasn’t won yet this year on the Cup Series, yet he ranks 15th in the points race. He’s just outside the cutoff for the playoffs with four top-fives, including second at the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. The driver for 23XI said Saturday that off the track he’s focused on his wife and baby boy.

“Things are good for me off track,” Wallace said. “Not so much on track. That’s what we’re focused on right now. So there you go. That’s the only question you’ll get.”

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Sale, Crochet named comeback players of year

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Sale, Crochet named comeback players of year

LAS VEGAS — Left-handers Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox won Major League Baseball’s Comeback Player of the Year awards on Thursday.

Cleveland right-hander Emmanuel Clase won his second AL Reliever of the Year award and St. Louis righty Ryan Helsley won the NL honor.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani joined David Ortiz as the only players to win four straight Outstanding Designated Hitter awards. Ohtani and the New York YankeesAaron Judge won Hank Aaron Awards as the outstanding offensive performers in their leagues.

Major League Baseball made the announcements at its All-MLB Awards Show.

Sale, 35, was 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 177⅔ innings for the NL’s first pitching triple crown since the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in 2011. He earned his eighth All-Star selection and first since 2018.

Sale helped Boston to the 2018 World Series title but made just 56 starts from 2020-23, going 17-18 with a 4.86 ERA, 400 strikeouts and 79 walks over 298⅓ innings. He was acquired by Boston from the White Sox in December 2016 and made nine trips to the injured list with the Red Sox, mostly with shoulder and elbow ailments. He had Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2020, and returned to a big league mound on Aug. 14, 2021.

Sale fractured a rib while pitching in batting practice in February 2022 during the management lockout. On July 17, in his second start back, he broke his left pinkie finger when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees’ Aaron Hicks. Sale broke his right wrist while riding a bicycle en route to lunch on Aug. 6, ending his season.

Crochet, 25, was 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA over 32 starts for a White Sox team that set a post-1900 record of 121 losses, becoming a first-time All-Star. He struck out 209 and walked 33 in 146 innings.

He had Tommy John surgery on April 5, 2022, and returned to the major leagues on May 18, 2023. Crochet had a 3.55 ERA in 13 relief appearances in 2023, and then joined the rotation this year.

Sale and Crochet were chosen in voting by MLB.com beat writers.

Clase and Helsley were unanimous picks by a panel that included Hall of Famers Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley and Rollie Fingers, along with John Franco and Billy Wagner. The AL award is named after Rivera and the NL honor after Hoffman.

A three-time All-Star, Clase was 4-2 with a 0.61 ERA, 66 strikeouts and 10 walks in 74⅓ innings, holding batters to a .154 average. The 26-year-old converted 47 of 50 save chances, including his last 47.

Voting was based on the regular season. Clase was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in the playoffs, allowing three home runs, one more than his regular-season total.

Helsley, a two-time All-Star, was 7-4 with a 2.04 ERA and 49 saves in 53 chances. He struck out 79 and walked 23 in 66⅓ innings.

Ohtani became the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. A two-way star limited to hitting following elbow surgery, Ohtani batted .310 and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs while stealing 59 bases.

Ortiz won the DH award five years in a row from 2003-07.

The DH award, named after Edgar Martinez, is picked in voting by team beat writers, broadcasters and public relations departments. MLB.com writers determined the finalists for the Aaron awards, and a fan vote was combined with picks from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners to determine the selections.

Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers and 144 RBIs while hitting .322.

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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