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  • Kelly Crandall

Oct 31, 2024, 03:27 PM ET

Rodney Childers hardly goes down into the basement of his North Carolina home.

The basement is where you’ll instead find his teenage twin sons, Gavin and Brody, watching television or other activities. Earlier this month, though, when Childers started going through memorabilia in his Stewart-Haas Racing office, he needed to go down there.

“I started cleaning my office out, which sucked, and when you’ve been there for 11 years and everything we’ve done as a team, that was emotional,” Childers said. “Then you’re loading the truck up and I got home, and I had the whole family carrying trophies and things down to the basement. It was like, ‘Where are we going to put this?’ When they all walked back upstairs, I started looking around and I was like, ‘This is pretty incredible.'”

Childers had to clean out his office because Stewart-Haas Racing will shut its doors in little more than a week. The 2024 NASCAR season finale at Phoenix Raceway will be the team’s last race.

Now his basement is filled with trophies, die-cast cars, champagne bottles, firesuits and more from Cup Series races he’s won as crew chief of the No. 4 car with Kevin Harvick.

“I wish I had paid the extra money to get every trophy,” Childers said. “Kevin was buying me trophies every time we won a race. Well, in 2018, we started winning so much they cut me off. Kevin got to $92,000 on trophies. Then it happened again in 2020.

“I wish I had gotten them all because 20 or 30 years from now, that’s all you’ve got is to sit around and tell stories and look at trophies. So, I wish I had them all, but it’s still a lot. We’re out of room.”

Childers and Harvick will go down as the most successful pairing in Stewart-Haas Racing’s history. The duo won the 2014 series championship — in their first year working together — and 37 races by the time Harvick retired in 2023.

Harvick wants Stewart-Haas to be remembered for its culture and what co-owner and three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart brought there. The race shop had a blue-collar, racer’s attitude, and if there was work to be done and ways to be faster, there were people who could make it happen.

“I was fortunate to be given the keys of, ‘Hey, we want you to come in here and help us figure out how to make this team run fast,'” Harvick said to ESPN. “I had a lot more input than I would have at a lot of other places because of the relationship I had with Tony and I believed in that culture they had. That’s what drew all the people who loved racing to come work there.”

What will stand out for Harvick is that those at Stewart-Haas thrived on pulling off what others thought couldn’t be done. Just look at the driver lineup through the years and the variety of personalities in one building. With the likes of Stewart, Harvick, Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, Danica Patrick, there were as many highlights as there was attitude.

“It was about doing the best we could with who and what we had, and pairing up whatever driver with a [crew chief] that would either tolerate or challenge that person,” Greg Zipadelli, the competitor director at Stewart-Haas, told ESPN. “Even the drivers at times didn’t always see eye to eye, but they went out and respected each other for their talent levels.”

Zipadelli has been at Stewart-Haas from the beginning. Not only has he seen it all, he played a part in making it work. Throughout the years, the organization grew from two Cup Series entries to four, and then came the Xfinity Series program that went from one car to two.

Stewart-Haas Racing has a total of 105 victories: 70 in the Cup Series and 28 in the Xfinity Series. There is also a lone ARCA Menards Series West win. Among the victories are triumphs in the four crown jewel events: the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500.

There were also six non-point event wins in the Cup Series along with 87 poles between the Cup, Xfinity and ARCA. Stewart, Harvick, and Cole Custer have won driver championships for Stewart-Haas.

“Honestly, it’s hard and depressing because over the years I feel everyone has done a good job,” Zipadelli said. “You look at the wins and championships for the amount of time we’ve been in business, I think it’s been a solid accomplishment. It’s definitely disappointing to see it all breaking up.”

Childers would like Stewart-Haas to be remembered by those in the garage for the innovation that came from the organization. He hopes there is an appreciation for the pure talent and genius that came from trying to find new ways to succeed.

In the dominant years Childers and Harvick had, the garage never caught up to what they were doing. It was simply impossible because Childers fondly recalls how the competition never knew what Stewart-Haas were doing or when they were doing it.

“We would just keep changing,” Childers said. “There was so much ingenuity, whether it was in the bodies or when we were building our own chassis.

“All those races we won in 2018 and 2020, we had what we called a front-mount-shock car where the bump-stop load was going through the front, and the brakes were on the back. What it was doing was raising the splitter up a half inch in the corner and it would lower the whole rest of the cage in the roof a half inch. Nobody else could figure it out.

“It was hard workers. It was ingenuity. It was just racers. That’s really what it was about. And having some hard-nosed drivers, too.”

The end for Stewart-Haas comes with a whimper instead of a bang. Chase Briscoe won at Darlington Raceway in early September, the team’s first victory since 2022 and what could be its last. The performance across the board for its teams has not been to the standards of what was once routine.

And as it happens in racing, there were drivers who came and went. Harvick’s retirement left a hole in the team. Stewart is happily focused on his family and NHRA drag racing. The company has lost sponsorship funding with the exit of multiple partners throughout the years.

“I thought it was really cool to see a guy come in and stick his neck out in certain areas, whether it be financially or just from a sheer time standpoint and being spread thin,” Chase Elliott said to ESPN of Stewart. “I always thought it was really cool that he went out and did that and had success with it and made it work. You hate to see them go just because the overall health of our sport wants and needs healthy race teams, and they’ve been a healthy race team. I hate to see that.

“But they’ve had a solid legacy. Anytime you have something end like that, it’s really easy to forget all the good that went on and just look at what’s happened in the past year or whatever. But I still admire their efforts to go and be what they’ve become and be a top-tier team in NASCAR. That’s a hard thing to do and they did that.”

Briscoe doesn’t want the lasting image of Stewart-Haas to be how it’s ending. The first thing he hopes is remembered is how many races the organization won.

“It’s crazy to think that a place as successful as it was, in such a short window could be in the position now where it’s closing down,” Briscoe told ESPN. “It should be remembered as this place that was really, really dominant in its time, and it’s sad to see it go. It shouldn’t be remembered for what it was the last two or three years. It should be remembered what it was in its heyday.”

There are more than 300 employees at Stewart-Haas. A majority of them are headed for new opportunities or a different chapter in life. Some will stay with co-owner Gene Haas as he begins Haas Factory Team, out of the same building, next season.

Joey Logano finds it hard to use one word or a succinct way to describe the team’s legacy, but its success and what it’s done for people in the industry easily come to mind.

“They won a lot,” Logano told ESPN. “What Tony did there, being a driver that jumped into the ownership role and was successful at it, that’s the first time it happened in a long time when he did that. And then obviously adding teams to it and all that. It was pretty impressive to see.

“It’s sad to see it go, but they also should be proud of what they achieved with their championships and the impact they made in the sport for everybody. There were a lot of jobs there and in our industry. There’s a lot of people who have really benefited having them around.”

Sunday at Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix Raceway a week later will be the swan songs for Stewart-Haas. In the end, the organization will have run 1,986 NASCAR national series races.

“We just did what we loved to do and that’s win races,” Zipadelli said. “I’m just having a really hard time getting over that it’s done and it’s kind of blown up and [we’re] moving on.”

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Can Texas slow down the Ohio State machine? Previewing the Cotton Bowl

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January 2, 2025

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Can Texas slow down the Ohio State machine? Previewing the Cotton Bowl

Jan 1, 2025, 08:32 PM ET

On New Year’s Eve, Penn State became the first team to lock up a spot in a College Football Playoff semifinal when it beat Boise State 31-14 in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. Texas needed double overtime to escape a gritty Arizona State team 39-31 on New Year’s Day and advance to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, where it will face Ohio State on Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Penn State, which has yet to trail in a CFP game, will face the winner of Notre Dame–Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl was postponed until 4 p.m. ET on Thursday after a deadly truck attack in New Orleans that killed at least 15 and injured dozens more.

While Penn State awaits its opponent, here’s an early look at the semifinal matchup between Texas and Ohio State. — Heather Dinich

When: Jan. 10, 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

What we learned in the quarterfinals: Texas has gone through quite an identity crisis over the past six weeks on offense. The Longhorns went from rushing domination in their final two regular-season games, to not being able to run in the SEC championship, back to rushing domination in the first round against Clemson, back to struggling on the ground against Arizona State. So which Texas rushing attack will show up against Ohio State? There is no doubt that Texas will need a bigger rushing effort to beat the Buckeyes. Perhaps offensive tackle Cameron Williams will be healthy enough to play and will help make a difference. Either way, we learned that Texas still has work to do to put together a complete offensive performance.

X factor: TE Gunnar Helm. Texas likes to utilize its tight ends in the offense Steve Sarkisian runs, and Helm came up huge in the win over Arizona State, with three catches for 56 yards — and the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Helm was big in the opening-round win over Clemson, too, with six catches for 77 yards and a score. Sarkisian praised him leading into the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, saying, “The multiplicity of the things that the tight end has to do in our systems make him extremely valuable. When you have a good one, I think that that makes our lives a lot easier from a playcaller perspective.”

How Texas wins: Texas has been ranked the No. 1 defense in the country for the bulk of the season for a reason, and we saw that for large swaths of its win over Arizona State. The Longhorns will have to continue to set the tone up front and get after Will Howard to make him uncomfortable. Michigan provided the blueprint for winning in November, when it dominated the Buckeyes on both lines of scrimmage. Texas certainly has the potential to do that with its defensive and offensive fronts. But the Longhorns will have to absolutely be better on their offensive line to have any shot to win. They were overwhelmed at times by a smaller Arizona State defensive front. — Andrea Adelson

What we learned in the quarterfinals: No one can stop Jeremiah Smith, and by extension, the Ohio State offense. Against an Oregon team that defeated them in October, the Buckeyes came out of the gates at the Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential ready to prove the Ducks didn’t have their number. Thanks to Smith, who caught five balls for 161 yards and had two touchdown receptions of 40-plus yards in the first half alone (he finished with 187 yards), Ohio State looked to be playing at a different speed, as Oregon seemed helpless on both sides of the ball. The freshman wide receiver was a blur, speeding past the Ducks’ secondary with ease while making his case for being not just the best freshman in the country — or the best wide receiver — but one of the best players in the sport. It helped that nearly every Ohio State skill player who touched the ball found gold — running back TreVeyon Henderson averaged double-digit yards per carry while adding two touchdowns, and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka added his own tremendous play in a 42-yard touchdown grab in the first half. It was all a reminder that the best version of this Buckeyes team might just be unstoppable.

X factor: RB TreVeyon Henderson. Texas’ defense might have no choice but to sell out to stop Smith, and though Smith might still get his, it will certainly open things up for other wideouts on the Buckeyes’ offense in addition to Henderson. The senior has not been particularly splashy this season, but he has been consistent. In Pasadena, however, he looked as good as ever, recording his first 100-yard game of the season. There’s no question that Ohio State’s air game is its strength, but if it can pair it with more consistent running from Henderson, the Longhorns will have a tough time on defense.

How Ohio State wins: Short of doing exactly what they did to dominate Oregon in Pasadena, the Buckeyes have a clear recipe for success now. The confidence they inherited from avenging their loss to the Ducks should be enough proof that they have the talent and execution to beat any team remaining, especially Texas. A healthy dose of Smith will be essential, and the stout defense that has had more sacks than any other playoff team so far will need to pressure Quinn Ewers, but a lot will certainly fall on Will Howard‘s shoulders. In the Rose Bowl, Howard looked as comfortable as he has looked all season long. He had no crucial mistakes, threw three touchdown passes and found Smith over and over again to much success. He’ll have to do more of the same in the Cotton Bowl. — Paolo Uggetti

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U.S. beats Canada, wins group at world juniors

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January 2, 2025

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U.S. beats Canada, wins group at world juniors

  • ESPN News Services

Dec 31, 2024, 11:26 PM ET

OTTAWA, Ontario — Danny Nelson scored the eventual game-winner in the third period and Trey Augustine made 38 saves, leading the United States to a 4-1 win over Canada on Tuesday night and into the top spot in Group A at the world junior hockey championship.

Cole Hutson and Cole Eiserman each had a goal and an assist for the Americans. Ryan Leonard scored into an empty-net.

Bradly Nadeau scored for Canada, which allowed three goals on seven American power plays. Carter George stopped 24 shots.

Canada finished third in the pool and will face Czechia in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The Americans face Switzerland.

“We’re not here to beat Canada tonight,” Augustine said. “We’re here to win a gold medal.”

The other matchups will have Group B winner Sweden take on Latvia, and Finland square off with Slovakia.

Canada and the U.S. played in the same building exactly 16 years to the day at the 2009 event, when John Tavares scored a memorable hat trick in Canada’s 7-4 comeback victory on New Year’s Eve. The Canadians went on to win a fifth straight gold.

“That’s something that’s storybook-like,” Eiserman said of beating Canada on home soil in the tournament’s marquee round-robin matchup. “Something that you’ve dreamt of.”

The teams met on New Year’s Eve for the first time since Dec. 31, 2016, when Canada picked up a 3-1 victory in Toronto. The U.S. got revenge less than a week later with a 5-4 shootout win in the title game in Montreal.

The Americans opened this under-20 tournament with a 10-4 win over Germany followed by a 5-1 victory over Latvia before losing to Finland 4-3 in overtime. Canada started with a 4-0 defeat of Finland before falling to Latvia 3-2 in a shootout and then rebounding to beat Germany 3-0.

The Canadians had a power play to start the third period while trailing 1-0 after Leonard took a roughing call at the end of the second. Nadeau blasted a one-timer for his first goal of the tournament off a feed from Brayden Yager at 1:58.

Nelson restored the U.S. lead at 4:22, taking a pass from Huston and beating George with his third goal.

The U.S. scored its third power-play goal of the game at 13:21 when Eiserman scored his second and put the game out of reach at 3-1 after a boarding penalty by Canada’s Easton Cowan.

Leonard scored into the empty net with 1:52 left in regulation to spark chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!”

George, who entered with consecutive shutouts that bookended the Latvia loss, saw his streak end at 133:02 on Tuesday’s first power play to silence the beer-chugging crowd at Canadian Tire Centre.

In the first period, Hutson took advantage of a failed Canadian clearing attempt on a U.S. power play and scored his second goal of the tournament.

Tempers flared later in the period when Canada’s Luca Pinelli and Zeev Buium of the U.S. went off for roughing and then jawed at each other in the penalty box.

Leonard hit another post for the Americans and Carson Rehkopf fired an effort that Augustine, who entered with an .879 save percentage in two starts, got enough of with his glove at the other end before tempers again boiled over at the buzzer.

In another Group A game, Finland beat Latvia 3-0 and finished second in the group. In Group B, Switzerland beat Kazakhstan 3-1 to secure a spot in the quarterfinal round. Also, Sweden completed a sweep of its four preliminary round games, beating Czechia 4-2 in another Group B game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source: Rangers place goalie Shesterkin on IR

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January 2, 2025

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Source: Rangers place goalie Shesterkin on IR

  • Greg Wyshynski, ESPNDec 31, 2024, 05:54 PM ET

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      Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

New York Rangers star goaltender Igor Shesterkin has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, an NHL source told ESPN on Tuesday.

The Rangers recalled NHL veteran Louis Domingue from the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack. Shesterkin’s backup, Jonathan Quick, is 5-4-0 in 12 games this season with a .907 save percentage and a 2.69 goals-against average.

Shesterkin stopped 21 of 25 shots in the Rangers’ 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Monday night. During that game, Panthers forward Sam Bennett was checked into Shesterkin’s upper body by Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren. Shesterkin was down on the ice briefly but didn’t leave the game.

Shesterkin, 29, is 11-15-1 in 27 games this season with a .906 save percentage and a 3.10 goals-against average. While the Rangers are 20th in goals against per game this season, Shesterkin is second among all goalies with 13 goals saved above replacement, according to Stathletes.

It has been an eventful month for Shesterkin. He signed a contract extension with the Rangers on Dec. 6 that makes him the highest-paid goalie in NHL history: an eight-year, $92 million deal that starts in the 2025-26 season. The 2022 Vezina Trophy winner is in the final year of a four-year deal with an average annual value of $5.66 million.

The injury to Shesterkin is the latest bit of adversity for the Rangers this season. They are 16-19-1 after 36 games, having lost four in a row and going 2-8-0 in their past 10. The Rangers were seven points out of a playoff spot entering Tuesday night.

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