Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, the first elimination race of NASCAR’s playoffs will pit a three-time Daytona 500 winner against two past Cup Series champions.

The trio is also among NASCAR’s greatest stars in a 16-driver playoff field that includes popular racers Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, and Bubba Wallace who did not qualify.

So this year’s field is rather depleted, but Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., and Harrison Burton are all below the cutline heading into the first elimination race of the playoffs. The bottom four drivers from Saturday night’s race will be removed.

So, what is the plan?

Hamlin, a four-time champion at Bristol, has a simple ambition.

“I’m coming here to win,” Hamlin declared Friday. “That plan will remain unchanged unless the scenario in the race changes. I’m going to go on offense straight away, and I’ll be fine regardless of the outcome.

“I just know, that over 500 laps here, things will work themselves out.”

A Trio Of NASCAR Stars In Danger Of Playoff Elimination At Bristol Cutoff Race

Joey Logano is the only driver who has already qualified for the second round after winning the playoff opener in Atlanta. This leaves the remaining 11 positions available, with the bottom four in the most jeopardy.

The Atlanta race and the road circuit at Watkins Glen last week were new sites on the 10-race playoff schedule, which is how Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner, 2012 champion Keselowski, and 2017 champion Truex ended himself in this position.

Both circuits are unpredictable, and Keselowski finished 19th at Atlanta, the highest of the three drivers in both races. Truex, who finished 20th at Watkins Glen, was furious after the race about the lack of respect among drivers in the field.

He’s retiring from full-time competition after the season, and he decided it’s probably too late to become a dirty driver. He stated that he was unsure whether he would be willing to compromise his ethical views to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

“I honestly don’t know. “I believe it will just depend on the situation — what we find ourselves in and what is going on,” Truex stated. “But most likely not.” I’ll probably race the same way I always do, and maybe we’ll be good enough to finish the job that way.”

Hamlin clarified that the contract extension handed to Wallace earlier this week does not indicate that 23XI Racing is close to signing NASCAR’s charter agreement.

When NASCAR issued a deadline two weeks ago to accept its last offer, 23XI was one of only two holdouts. Wallace has agreed to a multi-year contract deal, according to the organization.

“Nothing has changed on our side on (charters),” said Hamlin, the team’s co-owner alongside Michael Jordan and Curtis Polk. “We’ve said for awhile that we plan on racing next year and we’re sticking to that.”

That was the message Hamlin delivered this week at a sponsor summit held by 23XI Racing for its partners.

“We were quite clear in our messaging that nothing was changing. “The battles we have off the track are over ownership,” Hamlin stated.

Driver exchange
Spire Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing announced Friday that they will swap drivers beginning with next week’s race at Kansas Speedway, marking a rare in-season team trade.

Corey LaJoie, who had already been informed that he would not be returning to Spire next season, will start racing for Rick Ware Racing next weekend. Justin Haley, who has previously driven for Spire, will return to his former squad to replace LaJoie.

Haley’s seat is secured until 2025, while LaJoie is virtually on trial with Rick Ware Racing for the next two months of the season.

LaJoie is regarded as the leading contender for the full-time driver position at RWR, but he needs establish himself in the next seven races of the season.

Haley has driven partial schedules for Spire throughout numerous seasons and earned the team’s only Cup Series victory in July 2019 at Daytona.

NASCAR transactions are unusual because sponsorship contracts are normally connected to a car or a certain driver.

A Trio Of NASCAR Stars In Danger Of Playoff Elimination At Bristol Cutoff Race

“It’s unique, it’s unconventional,” RWR president Robby Benton explained. “Driver swaps and player trades are very different from what we do (in NASCAR).” But I want you to know that everything is friendly.”

Kurt Busch switched to Furniture Row Racing for the final six races of 2012, while Jeff Burton joined Richard Childress Racing with 14 races remaining in 2004. The closest driver trade occurred in 2003, when Jeff Green and Steve Park switched rides.

Is Dale Jr. finally gone?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. thinks that Friday night’s Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway would be his last until at least 2026.

JR Motorsports’ agreement with sponsor Hellmann’s Mayonnaise required the Hall of Fame driver to drive the vehicle at Bristol. That clause does not exist in 2025.

“I’m not planning on racing in the Xfinity Series next year,” Earnhardt added. “I’ll be foolish to say I’m never going to run again because I don’t know well enough to stay away from it, and I’ll probably miss it next year and be absolutely willing to sign up for anything that might be beneficial to JR Motorsports.”

Earnhardt, who turns 50 later this year, says he will miss racing in the series next year and “terribly regret that I didn’t race and probably in 2026 find me somewhere that I can go compete in the Xfinity Series again.”

“If a partner comes together with a package that helps one of the other cars fill out multiple races that we have some inventory, I’m absolutely on board to do a race for that reason alone,” according to him.

Earnhardt will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet at Bristol, which Connor Zilisch won in his Xfinity Series debut last weekend at Watkins Glen.

Earnhardt stated that JR Motorsports had not ended conversations on potentially fielding a Cup team.

“You just never know that when the phone rings what’s going to be on the other end of that call these days especially,” he told me. “There’s a lot of fresh interest coming into the sport, and with the new (charter) agreement, it’ll churn a bunch of potential partners who have been looking at the sport and waiting for that deal to happen to see where the monies end up.

“We may be able to capitalise on some of that momentum and those events. We may not. If it doesn’t happen, I’m not sure if I’ll have a huge regret.”

SOURCE | AP

McLaren leads Red Bull in the Formula One constructors’ race. It is now up to Lando Norris to put pressure on Max Verstappen for the driver’s title.

Oscar Piastri’s victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last week propelled McLaren to the top of the teams’ rankings — the key to F1’s lucrative prize money — but teammate Norris only cut into Verstappen’s lead.

Norris overcame Verstappen late in the race to finish fourth, but the Dutch driver leads by 59 points going into the Singapore Grand Prix.

This week in F1, the spotlight has been on McLaren’s seemingly flexible rear wing, which could aid at high speeds. Piastri stated Thursday that it is lawful and not a “magic bullet” for their current success.

McLaren And Lando Norris Seek To Pressure Red Bull In F1’S Singapore Grand Prix

F1 looks wide open right now, with Ferrari and Mercedes both vying for victories. McLaren will still have to fight hard even if Red Bull isn’t in front on a track where Verstappen has never won.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fastest in Friday’s first practice, albeit only by 076 seconds over Norris. Carlos Sainz Jr. was third fastest in the other Ferrari, with Verstappen fourth.

In the second practice, Norris edged Leclerc by 058 seconds, ahead of Sainz, in a session that finished with George Russell sliding his Mercedes into a barrier. Verstappen was only 15th fastest, citing a lack of grip in low-speed bends.

Last year, Red Bull failed to win at only one track: Singapore. The team was unable to establish a competitive setup, and Verstappen remained significantly off the speed throughout the weekend, as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. claimed victory.

Red Bull left Azerbaijan with the hope that it had resolved at least some of the balancing issues caused by its attempts to enhance the car this season. Verstappen, who has now gone seven races without a win, was dissatisfied with the car in Baku but emphasised that it was down to a poor configuration choice more than underlying performance.

However, Singapore is slower than Baku and presents a more difficult circuit for Red Bull.

“Our car is generally not very good on bumps and curbs, which is obviously what you have around here, so we need to try to stabilise that a little,” Verstappen said Thursday in Singapore.

Street circuits suit Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, who has been quick in Baku in search of a podium result since April. However, colliding with Sainz meant that all of those efforts were in vain.

After Singapore, Red Bull and its second-team RB are anticipated to decide whether to keep Daniel Ricciardo as RB or recall Liam Lawson. Ricciardo stated that “decisions will be made” before the next race in Austin, Texas, on October 20.

Hamilton’s Criticism
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s attempts to reduce cursing have caused the latest feud between drivers and the regulatory body.

Ben Sulayem’s unfavourable reference to “rap music” attracted condemnation from seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, F1’s sole Black driver. He stated that Ben Sulayem’s “stereotypical” language contained a “racial element.”

McLaren And Lando Norris Seek To Pressure Red Bull In F1’S Singapore Grand Prix

While Hamilton believed there was probably too much swearing in F1, Verstappen suggested that TV should be more conscientious about which radio clips are aired. “That will help a lot more than putting bans on drivers,” he told me. Verstappen was reprimanded on Friday for using an obscenity at a broadcast news conference the day before.

Sweat it out.
The heat and humidity of Singapore’s street circuit make it one of the most challenging events of the year for drivers. Even their water can get extremely heated, making it difficult to drink.

Mercedes driver George Russell revealed that he began specific training at the mid-season break a month ago, going for a run in three layers of clothing to mimic racing in fireproof dungarees in the Singapore heat.

“We lose almost four kilogrammes (8 pounds, 13 ounces) of fluids in in an hour-and-a-half race, so it’s a pretty good weight loss program if that’s what you’re chasing,” Russell told me on Thursday.

SOURCE | AP

Los Angeles — Shohei Ohtani continues to demonstrate a flare for the dramatic during his historic first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Japanese superstar became the only player in big league history to have 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases, while also setting several records.

On Thursday in Miami, Ohtani had his first three-homer game of his career, all after the sixth inning, as well as his first six-hit game and a franchise and career-high ten RBIs. Nobody in MLB history has done it before.

He concluded the night with 51 home runs and 51 steals.

Ohtani Keeps Showing A Flair For The Dramatic During His Historic 1st Season With The Dodgers

“Going for a home run is not the ideal way for me to hit a home run, so I try to focus on quality at-bats,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.

He also stole two bases and nearly hit for the cycle. Still, he was thrown out at third while attempting to extend his second double into a triple, demonstrating his unusual combination of speed and power.

Ohtani returns to Dodger Stadium on Friday to face the Colorado Rockies. His previous career highs were 46 home runs and 26 stolen bases in 2021 when he earned the first of two American League Most Valuable Player awards with the Los Angeles Angels.

Ohtani appears to be limitless.

On August 23, he hit a ninth-inning grand slam against Tampa Bay in his 126th game, becoming the fastest player to reach 40-40.

He has nine games remaining to see what else he can achieve during the regular season.

With a 20-4 victory over the Marlins, the Dodgers secured their 12th consecutive postseason berth. It’s not new for them, but it is for Ohtani. He has played 865 games without making a postseason appearance, the most of any current player.

Ohtani made it obvious when he signed a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers last December that contending for a championship motivates him.

“The No. 1 goal is to get to the postseason and win the World Series,” he stated last month.

During his six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, they never made the playoffs or had a winning season.

The Dodgers, who lead the NL West, are trying for their 11th division title in 12 seasons.

Ohtani’s incredible exploits come during a season in which his closest buddy abandoned him, and he is not pitching while recovering from elbow surgery last winter.

He skipped the Home Run Derby during All-Star weekend in July to avoid further injury, but as a designated hitter, he hit a three-run homer in the National League’s loss.

Not pitching has kept Ohtani’s arms and legs fresher and faster, allowing him to concentrate and improve on other aspects of his game. He’s polished his running and stealing skills, understanding how to get strong jumps off opposition pitchers by reviewing videos of their habits.

Ohtani Keeps Showing A Flair For The Dramatic During His Historic 1st Season With The Dodgers

Dodgers fans could be seeing a once-in-a-generation aspect of Ohtani’s game. When he starts pitching every five days next year, his legs may not allow him to steal as many bases.

The Ohtani effect is also noticeable off the pitch.

Fans formed mobs in and around Dodger Stadium during his two bobblehead giveaways. Ohtani’s final promotion is on Saturday when the first 40,000 fans will receive T-shirts depicting his likeness.

Japanese tourists come to the stadium for tours, so the team has added extra Japanese-speaking advisors. The squad has also signed several Japanese sponsors.

“He’s one of one,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

SOURCE | AP