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CONCORD, N.C. — Jumping into the crowd to celebrate a big race victory appears to have become a Team Penske thing.

Ryan Blaney held off William Byron to win the rescheduled Coca-Cola 600 on Monday at Charlotte Speedway, giving team owner Roger Penske a sweep of the Memorial Day weekend’s top races in the United States.

Josef Newgarden won a record-extending 19th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday for Team Penske. Like Newgarden, Blaney jumped out of his car and climbed into the crowd to celebrate the win with fans.

“I only did it because Josef did it,” Blaney said. “I was pretty fired up. I don’t get that excited very often, but I was super pumped. I loved how Josef did it Sunday. … I said, ‘I am going to go in the stands like Josef did and have some human contact.'”

Blaney compared it to jumping into a mosh pit at a metal concert.

A few moments later, he tried to hold back tears with the weight of 59-race winless streak lifted from his shoulders.

“You start to get to feel like you can’t win anymore,” Blaney said. “We hadn’t won in awhile and that can get hard. I want to thank the 12 (team) for believing in me.”

Blaney took the lead from Byron on a restart and led the final 26 laps to win his first Cup Series race since the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona in August of 2021.

Byron finished second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick.

Truex said Blaney’s emotions are understandable.

“He’s under a lot of pressure to perform,” Truex said. “They’ve won a lot of races since his last race. I’m sure he questioned himself through some point during that streak that he was on. He’s had many opportunities to win and they’ve slipped away. Those are the hardest to think about so he’s probably thinking, ‘we finally did it.'”

It is the first time Team Penske has swept the Indianapolis-Charlotte doubleheader.

“The pressure was on us to try to sweep the weekend,” said Blaney, who said he texted Newgarden after the Indy 500 win. “So that was the goal. Fortunately we executed well enough to get it done.”

Blaney’s win came just days before Penske hosts a weekend of racing on the downtown streets of Detroit. The return of racing in downtown Detroit is Penske’s gift to the city he calls home. Then, the 86-year-old heads to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the very few events he’s yet to win.

The 5½-hour race included five wrecks in the final 50 laps, including one with 26 to go when last week’s All-Star race winner Kyle Larson spun and took out defending Cup champion Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell.

Blaney had passed Byron on the previous restart, and then got the jump on him again on the final restart and ran away with the checkered flag.

It was a rain-soaked weekend at Charlotte, which washed out practice and qualifying and postponed the race to Monday. That meant drivers began the race without ever having turned a lap in the NextGen cars at the 1.5-mile oval for the first time in Coca-Cola 600 history.

More rain caused the race to be red-flagged for nearly an hour after 158 laps, making the longest Cup race of the year even longer.

Defending race champion Denny Hamlin was left fuming after his day ended with a wreck on lap 186, prompting him to call for NASCAR to suspend its most popular driver Chase Elliott.

Hamlin wasn’t the only one fired up.

During the rain delay television cameras caught Aric Almirola shoving Wallace after the two exchanged words. Wallace refused to say what sparked the altercation, and said he wasn’t surprised at what unfolded.

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

It was a rough night for Jimmie Johnson and his new Legacy Motor Club team.

After saying he has never been more ill-prepared for a race due to his inexperience in the NextGen car, Johnson spun out on lap 78 in a single-car crash. He took his No. 84 Chevy behind the wall a few laps later and was joined by there by Legacy teammates Erik Jones and Noah Gragson, who suffered radiator damage.

After Johnson returned, he crashed into Gragson and spun out a second time and went behind the wall again. He finished last.

“I think I learned a lesson with this aero package that I didn’t know about,” Johnson said. “Much different than the car I have driven in the past.”

Kevin Harvick finished 11th in his final Coca-Cola 600.

Harvick, who is retiring after the season, won the race in 2011 and 2013. He started Monday’s race on the front row, but quickly fell back to the mid-20s and was never a major factor in the race.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Orioles, veteran RHP Morton agree to 1-year deal

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Orioles, veteran RHP Morton agree to 1-year deal

After losing ace Corbin Burnes via free agency, the Baltimore Orioles bolstered their rotation on Friday, agreeing to a one-year contract with veteran right-hander Charlie Morton.

A 17-year veteran and two-time All-Star, Morton posted an 8-10 record with a 4.19 ERA, 167 strikeouts and 65 walks in 30 starts for the Atlanta Braves in 2024.

Morton, 41, has proved to be durable even in the late stages of his career, as he’s one of only four pitchers with at least 30 starts in each full season since 2018.

A third-round pick by Atlanta in the 2002 draft, Morton has pitched for the Braves (2008, 2021-23) along with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2009-15), Philadelphia Phillies (2016), Houston Astros (2017-18) and Tampa Bay Rays (2019-20).

He is 138-123 in 383 games (382 starts) with a 4.01 ERA, 2,047 strikeouts and 787 walks.

In 2019 with the Rays, Morton finished 16-6 with a 3.05 ERA in 33 starts, placing third in American League Cy Young Award voting and making the All-Star team for the second consecutive season.

Baltimore catcher Rene Pinto was designated for assignment to open a spot for Morton on the 40-man roster.

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Sources: Dodgers, Hyeseong Kim agree to deal

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Sources: Dodgers, Hyeseong Kim agree to deal

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement with Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim on a three-year, $12.5 million contract, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday.

Kim, 25, was posted by the Kiwoom Heroes on Dec. 5, marking Friday as a deadline to sign with a major league team. He’s known an an elite defender at multiple positions as he played second base, shortstop, third base and in the outfield for the Heroes over his eight-year run with the team.

His current fit with the Dodgers could be as a super utility player, depending on what other moves the team makes this winter. Kim is a career .304 hitter with 37 home runs and 211 stolen bases in 953 games while playing in the KBO. His speed alone can affect games, especially with the newer MLB rules that put an emphasis on base stealing.

The deal includes team options for 2028 and 2029, while the Dodgers also have to pay a $2.5 million release fee to Kiwoom. Per rules, the release fee is 20% of the total package.

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Hernandez returning to Dodgers on 3-year deal

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Hernandez returning to Dodgers on 3-year deal

LOS ANGELES — Teoscar Hernández will be in right field for the Los Angeles Dodgers next season when the World Series champions try to defend their title.

The outfielder was at Dodger Stadium on Friday after agreeing to rejoin the team on a $66 million, three-year contract.

“I had my mind clear that I wanted to come back and I was going to do anything in my power to make it work and be back with the Dodgers,” Hernández said.

He played last season on a $23.5 million, one-year deal and proved his value by becoming an All-Star and winning the Home Run Derby along with a third career Silver Slugger, which earned him a $1 million bonus. He capped it all by helping the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Hernández said he had offers from other teams that would have gotten him an additional $5 million to $6 million.

“For me, money wasn’t an issue,” he said.

Hernández’s deal comes with a $23 million signing bonus. The Dodgers hold a club option of $15 million for 2028 with a $6.5 million buyout. The contract also features $23.5 million in deferred money.

He called the Dodgers “different” than other teams.

“They give me the confidence. I didn’t get that really in other places,” Hernández said. “They trust me in everything that I can give them. That was one of the biggest things for me, that pushed me to do the best job that I can do in a Dodgers uniform.”

Manager Dave Roberts welcomed the return of Hernández.

“It’s not just about getting the most talented players. You’ve got to be good on the field and you’ve got to play the game a certain way,” he said. “What that does is it makes people around you better, it holds teammates accountable. For us, Teo checked every single box.”

Hernández hit a career-high 33 home runs and drove in 99 runs last season. The 32-year-old hit .272 in 154 games.

“He always put the team first and you could see that there was a real love of the game that he brought to the field each and every day,” general manager Brandon Gomes said. “I do think because of the way he plays with such passion and joy, when those big moments came up, it was something that he really cherished and was able to put the team first and slow the heartbeat down and do whatever was needed in that situation.”

Hernández will be in right field with Mookie Betts moving back to shortstop. Newcomer Michael Conforto will be in left.

Hernández was embraced by Dodgers fans and their support didn’t go unnoticed.

“I appreciate since the first day that I got here Dodgers fans were cheering for me,” he said. “They were giving me the support that I need to have the season that I have last year. When you have that support as a player, you have to give 110 percent every day.”

Information from The Associated Press and Field Level Media was used in this report.

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