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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two-time Daytona 500 champion Matt Kenseth finally reached the top rung of his career on Friday night when he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

The 50-year-old Kenseth, who drove 18 full seasons in NASCAR before retiring in 2020 with 39 Cup victories and 20 poles, highlighted a class that also included longtime driver Hershel McGriff and crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine.

The driver who many referred to as “Matt the brat” when he first broke into racing ranks 21st on NASCAR’s career wins list. He won all of the sport’s biggest races including the Daytona 500 in 2009 and 2012, the Coca-Cola 600, the Southern 500 and the All-Star race.

“I always looked at my career as a ladder – you always start at the bottom and you hope to climb your way to the top,” Kenseth said in his acceptance speech. “My ladder has hundreds and hundreds of rungs on it. And without any of them, bottom, middle or top – no matter how you fit in my life – I wouldn’t be here without any of you. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you all.”

Kenseth’s wife, Katie, and father, Roy, inducted him.

“The internal drive is what put Matt on this stage tonight,” Katie Kenseth said.

Kenseth captured the 2003 Cup Series championship behind a dominating season in which he led the points standings for the final 32 weeks. He made the NASCAR playoffs in 13 of 14 seasons and finished runner-up twice. He also won 29 Xfinity Series races.

Kenseth talked about learning to love NASCAR by watching his family race at Jefferson Speedway where he grew up in Wisconsin and begging his father to take him to his uncle Gary’s house so he could help him work on his race cars.

“Racing truly is a family sport,” he said.

Kenseth earned the respect of his contemporaries, including Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick.

Johnson, a seven-time Cup champion, said some of his fiercest battles on the race track have been with Kenseth.

“There was always just a deep level of trust that we’re going to give 100 percent, not step over the line, not clean each other out,” Johnson said. “As a competitor, he was one of the few that I knew we’d race hard but we wouldn’t cross the line.”

Johnson said the two forged a friendship away from the track riding bikes.

“I absolutely call him a friend,” Johnson said. “His family, his kids are close to my kids, our wives are close, like we’ve really become friends and I am so thankful for it.”

Harvick also described Kenseth as a fair driver, but added that he is “that sneaky guy that would dump you.”

“If you did him wrong, he was going to give back exactly what he got,” Harvick said. “As you look back at Matt, he was one of the rare few that would always just figure it out and find his way to the front by the time that the race was over. He’s a great hardcore good racer and I always respected him.”

Shelmerdine was the crew chief and front tire change for four of Dale Earnhardt’s seven championships. Only two crew chiefs have more premier series titles than Shelmerdine: class of 2012 inductee Dale Inman with eight and Chad Knaus, who will be eligible for Hall of Fame consideration in 2024, with seven.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. inducted Shelmerdine, saying “he put my dad on the path to greatness.”

“What makes a great crew chief? It’s simple, a great driver,” Shelmerdine said. “What else can we say about him? When we started together, Dale and I just kind of clicked intuitively.”

The 95-year-old McGriff competed on race tracks for 68 years.

From 1954 until 2018, he participated in 271 races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (now ARCA Menards West Series), winning 34 races and posting 100 top-five finishes. He captured the series championship in 1986 at 58 years old and finished second in points in 1985 and 1987.

McGriff spoke at length about his career path, saying he started driving vehicles at age 7.

“I have had a happy life and this induction is just icing on the cake,” McGriff said, tearing up several times during his speech. He joked that he still plans to write a book about his life.

Mike Helton was honored as the Landmark Award winner for outstanding contributions to the sport. Helton was the first person outside the France family to handle NASCAR’s day-to-day operations.

Photographer T. Taylor Warren was named the recipient of the 2023 Squier-Hall Award.

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Ohtani has shoulder surgery after dislocation

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Ohtani has shoulder surgery after dislocation

Shohei Ohtani had surgery Tuesday to repair his shoulder after partially dislocating it during the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced.

The arthroscopic procedure was to repair a labrum tear and was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, the team said.

Ohtani dislocated his left shoulder while attempting to steal in Game 2 against the New York Yankees.

The Dodgers said he is expected to be recovered by spring training.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Knight’s Choice salutes in Melbourne Cup boilover

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Knight's Choice salutes in Melbourne Cup boilover

Knight’s Choice has won the 2024 Melbourne Cup, defeating Warp Speed and Okita Soushi in a thrilling finish at Flemington on Tuesday afternoon.

The massive outsider saluted for Irish-born jockey Robbie Dolan, who claimed victory in what was his first ever ride in the “race that stops a nation”.

In what was a gripping 164th staging of Australia’s most-watched thoroughbred race, Knight’s Choice proved too strong in a sprint to the finish, pulling over the top of Okita Soushi and holding off Warp Speed by the barest of margins.

Trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon on the Sunshine Coast, Knight’s Choice was well down the betting across all markets. It was Laxon’s second Melbourne Cup triumph after she trained Ethereal to victory 23 years ago.

“This is the pinnacle of all pinnacles, this is the Melbourne Cup,” Symons said.

Zardozi rounded out the first four.

As the field approached the final few hundred metres it appeared as though Jamie Kah, aboard Okita Soushi, would become just the second woman to ride the winner in the Melbourne Cup. But Okita Soushi was swallowed up as the winning post neared, with Knight’s Choice beating Warp Speed to the line after a peach of a ride from Dolan.

“We’ll be singing tonight after a few beers,” Dolan, who was a contestant on the 2022 edition of “The Voice”, told Channel 9.

“It is amazing and a lot of people doubted this little horse. Doubt me now.”

Laxon was more than happy with the ride, with Dolan threading his way through the field from near last on the bend.

“He started the race, and he knew how to ride him. We didn’t give him instructions, he knew what to do,” she said.

“I love it being down for the Australians. The Australian horse has done it, and Robbie is Australian now as well, so I’m thrilled to win the Cup, and it is the people’s Cup, and that’s what it is all about.”

Knight’s Choice is just the sixth Australian-bred horse to win since 1993, and the first since Vow and Declare back in 2019.

The five-year-old gelding carried only 51kg to victory and was making its first start over the 3200m trip. It had most recently come off a fifth-placed finish in the Bendigo Cup, but had showed sparing little form this preparation otherwise.

“I watched every Melbourne Cup for the last 40 years. I thought my best chance was to get him to stay the trip and, hopefully, he can run home and do the quick sectionals he can on a good track and he proved everybody wrong,” Dolan said.

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Rangers All-Star P Eovaldi declines $20M option

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Rangers All-Star P Eovaldi declines M option

Two-time All-Star starter Nathan Eovaldi became a free agent Monday after declining a vested $20 million player option for next season with the Texas Rangers.

Eovaldi will get a $2 million buyout from that option earned by throwing more than 300 innings over his two years with the Rangers after joining them in free agency. He was the winning pitcher in their World Series-clinching game at Arizona in 2023, when he was 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA in six postseason starts. He was also part of Boston’s 2018 title.

The Rangers had expected Eovaldi to decline the option, but would still like to re-sign the 34-year-old right-hander and Texas native.

“We still have great interest in bringing him back,” said Chris Young, the team’s president of baseball operations. “We’re still going to work towards hopefully getting him back in the Rangers uniform.”

Texas declined a $6.5 million team option for Andrew Chafin, a left-handed reliever acquired from Detroit in a deadline trade. Chafin got a $500,000 buyout and became a free agent after 62 combined appearances in 2024 that triggered $625,000 in bonuses on top of his $4.75 million salary, plus a $250,000 assignment bonus for the trade.

Eovaldi was 24-13 with a 3.72 ERA in 54 starts the past two seasons, and had 298 strikeouts over 314 2/3 innings. He was 12-8 with a 3.80 ERA in 29 starts this year. He threw seven scoreless innings at the Los Angeles Angels to win the season finale for the Rangers, who finished 78-84 and missed the playoffs.

Texas was the sixth big league team for Eovaldi, who is 91-81 with a 4.07 ERA in 294 career games (275 starts) since his debut in 2011 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Besides Boston, he also has pitched for Miami, the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay.

His $34 million deal with the Rangers included a $16 million salary each of the past two seasons, and a $2 million signing bonus. He also earned multiple bonuses for being an All-Star in 2023 and reaching certain levels of innings pitched.

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and left-hander Andrew Heaney, who made a team-high 31 starts, are also free agents.

The Rangers still have two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle under contract after both made three starts at the end of last season after recovering from elbow surgery in 2023. Jon Gray has one more season left on his four-year deal, and former first-round draft picks Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker made their big league debuts this year.

Chafin, who pitched in 21 games for the Rangers, is the fifth Texas reliever to become a free agent. He joined four right-handers: All-Star closer Kirby Yates, veteran David Robertson, José Leclerc and José Ureña in free agency. The 39-year-old Robertson on Saturday declined a $7 million mutual option, triggering a $1.5 million buyout.

Seager recovery

Young said two-time World Series MVP Corey Seager is recovering “nicely” from his second hernia surgery in less than eight months.

Seager’s season ended in September after he had a right sports hernia repair, on the opposite side of his abdomen from the Jan. 30 procedure. Seager missed most of spring training and did not play in his first exhibition game until March 23.

“I believe he’s close to resuming a normal offseason and his normal strength and conditioning program,” Young said.

Seager was ready for the March 28 opener in his third season of a $325 million, 10-year contract. The 30-year-old shortstop hit .278 with 30 homers and 74 RBI in 123 games before going on the injured list Sept. 4 with right hip discomfort.

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