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RICHMOND, Va. — Denny Hamlin’s bid for a sweep at Richmond is off to a good start.

Hamlin won the pole for Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race, topping qualifying Saturday in his No. 11 Toyota. It was Hamlin’s third pole of the year, although he went on to finish out of the top 10 after his first two at Phoenix and Nashville.

Hamlin won at Richmond earlier this season and is trying to become the first driver to sweep the track’s two Cup races since Martin Truex Jr. in 2019. Hamlin’s five career victories at Richmond are one behind Kyle Busch, the leader among active racers.

“I probably put a little more pressure on myself to perform at this race track, just simply because I know what it takes to win here and what I need out of the car,” Hamlin said. “I feel like I have good techniques that help equal the success in the past, but we have gone through so many car changes, tire changes – things like that, but the basics still ring true in the end. I love winning here. To have five is certainly exciting. I feel like each one has been a little different.”

Hamlin edged Truex, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, in qualifying.

“I feel like we made some really good adjustments between the two rounds, and I was able to execute the lap I was trying to execute,” Hamlin said. “Was I surprised it held up? Yes. I definitely was.”

Truex, who is retiring from full-time racing after this season, is still seeking his first victory of the year. At Richmond in March, Truex was in good shape to win before a late caution sent all the contenders to pit road. Hamlin ultimately prevailed in overtime.

Qualifying doesn’t always mean much at Richmond. The track ranks second all-time to Daytona in wins from outside the top 20.

For the first time in a points-paying Cup race, teams will have multiple tire options. Teams receive sets of Goodyear “Prime” tires and sets of “Option” tires. The latter is softer, trading longevity for short-term grip and speed.

“I would love the Option tire — the soft tire — just to be the tire,” Hamlin said. “If we are experimenting this to see if we can run those tires in a race as the only tire, I think that is certainly a viable option.”

Prior to qualifying, Hamlin was asked a timely but less pressing question: Should motorsports be in the Olympics?

“I saw some sports that I didn’t know this time around, so I would love to see motorsports as part of it,” he said. “But I don’t know how feasible it is, just knowing that we all drive different equipment.”

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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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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.

Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.

Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.

Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.

That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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