Category: Saturday Sports Slam

Austin Dillon welcomes baby, will race Sunday at Homestead

Austin Dillon welcomes baby, will race Sunday at Homestead
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Austin Dillon announced Sunday morning that he and his wife Whitney are now parents. The NASCAR driver said in a post on Instagram that Whitney Dillon gave birth to a boy named Ace. Austin Dillon is scheduled to start 16th in the No. 3 car in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. AJ Allmendinger had been on standby to drive if needed, but Dillon indicated in the post that he would get behind the wheel as planned.

No fish story: Michael Jordan’s boat nabs 442-pound marlin

No fish story: Michael Jordan’s boat nabs 442-pound marlin
By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer
Apparently, Michael Jordan is pretty good at fishing, too. Jordan and the crew of his 80-foot fishing boat named “Catch 23” hauled in a blue marlin weighing 442 pounds at the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament on Tuesday. It’s an event held annually at Morehead City, North Carolina, that attracts anglers from across the world. It’s the sixth-largest blue marlin caught so far during the tournament, which boasts a $3.3 million overall purse. The fish wasn’t enough to place in the top three, so it is not eligible for prize money. But Jordan and his crew still have two more days to catch a bigger marlin. The six-time NBA champion and owner of the Charlotte Hornets says he’s hoping to reel in a “little bit bigger fish” later this week.

North Carolina Speedway Ordered Shut Because of Large Crowds That They Called a Peaceful Protest

North Carolina speedway ordered shut because of large crowds
By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration has ordered closed a small stock-car track that’s allowed large crowds to gather repeatedly for weekend races well above COVID-19 limits for mass gatherings. Cooper’s health secretary says Ace Speedway in Alamance County is an “imminent hazard” for the virus’ spread and can’t reopen unless it creates a safety plan to keep fans away. Media outlets have reported crowds at the speedway exceeding 2,000 people. The action came after the local sheriff announced on Monday he wouldn’t issue a citation for the speedway. Disclosure of the legal action came as North Carolina reported another record high of virus-related hospitalizations.

The Speedway has been controversial because they used a loop hole for the crowds saying that the gatherings are peaceful protests.

Harvick cherishes Atlanta win

Harvick cherishes Atlanta win, looks to help off the track
By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer
HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Kevin Harvick turned in another dominating run at Atlanta Motor Speedway, cruising to victory over Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. in the NASCAR Cup race. Competing again in front of empty grandstands, Harvick won for the second time since NASCAR returned from the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. He added to his victory at Darlington in the first race back. Harvick came into the day having led 1,138 laps on the Atlanta trioval, far more than any other driver in the field. This was more of the same, giving Harvick his third career victory in Atlanta.

NASCAR looks to steer clear of protests over George Floyd

NASCAR looks to steer clear of protests over George Floyd
By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer
HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — NASCAR has a checkered racial history. From an affinity for Confederate flags among the fan base to a driver losing his job this season for casually uttering a racial slur, the good ol’ boys have never been known for their diversity. Maybe it’s not surprising this mostly white sport seemed hesitant to join the national outrage over the death of George Floyd. That’s a striking contrast to its rush to be the first major sport to return to action during the coronavirus pandemic. The Cup series now heads to Atlanta for its sixth race since returning from the shutdown.

Allmendinger wins on NASCAR oval for 1st time

Oval master: Allmendinger wins on NASCAR oval for 1st time
By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer
HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — A.J. Allmendinger won a NASCAR oval race for the first time in his long career. Taking advantage of mistakes by the three leaders, the 38-year-old Californian cruised to victory by nearly 2 seconds over pole-sitter Noah Gragson in the Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Allmendinger claimed a single victory during more than a decade in the top-level Cup series, and he had three previous Xfinity wins _ all on road courses. Now, he’s filled in a big hole on his resume. Pole-sitter Noah Gragson took the runner-up spot, followed by Justin Haley.

Dixon wins again at Texas in IndyCar’s delayed season opener

Dixon wins again at Texas in IndyCar’s delayed season opener
By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Scott Dixon was the fast driver for most of the all-in-one-day delayed opener for IndyCar. Five-time champion Dixon took the checkered flag at dusk Saturday for his fourth win at the 1 1/2-mile, high-banked oval in Texas. He had been the fastest in practice earlier in the day and qualified second. The 39-year-old New Zealander raced to his 47th career victory and matched A.J. Foyt’s record of 18 seasons with a win. After a restart with three laps left, Dixon sped away in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Honda.

Conor McGregor makes 3rd retirement announcement in 4 years

Conor McGregor makes 3rd retirement announcement in 4 years
By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer
Conor McGregor has announced his retirement from fighting for the third time in four years. McGregor abruptly made his latest dubious declaration on his Twitter account, where the former two-division UFC champion also announced his retirement in 2016 and 2019. The 31-year-old McGregor revitalized his combat sports career in January with an impressive first-round stoppage of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 246. McGregor remains the UFC’s biggest star and biggest financial draw. UFC President Dana White has already said McGregor is next in line for a title shot at the winner of lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s bout with Justin Gaethje this summer.

NHL: Players can start voluntary group workouts next week

NHL: Players can start voluntary group workouts next week
By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer
The NHL cleared the way for players to return to practice rinks next week and firmed up its playoff format even as a ninth player tested positive for the coronavirus. Teams can reopen facilities and players can take part in voluntary workouts starting Monday. It’s another step toward hockey returning this summer. Earlier in the day, the league announced every playoff series will be a best-of-seven after the qualifying round and teams will be re-seeded along the way instead of bracketing. That news came on the heels of the Pittsburgh Penguins revealing one of their players tested positive for the coronavirus and has recovered from COVID-19. That brings the total of NHL players testing positive to nine.

NASCAR announces another wave of races through August

NASCAR announces another wave of races through August
By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR’s All-Star Race will be a midweek event on July 15 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as part of a new revision to the schedule that runs through the first weekend of August. The revisions involve Pocono Raceway and the speedways in Indianapolis, Kentucky, Texas, Kansas and New Hampshire. NASCAR made no mention of whether spectators will be allowed at any of the events but Indianapolis, Kentucky and Kansas all said their events would not have fans. NASCAR leadership has not been available for public comment since May 17.