The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are officially here and with that, it's time to begin narrowing down the 16-man field to 12, then eight, then four and finally, one eventual champion.
Who that champion will be is anyone's guess. So let's have some fun predicting the twists and turns that are sure to be in store for race fans over the course of the next 10 weeks.
It's a fresh start for 16 drivers. #NASCARPlayoffs. pic.twitter.com/JW8sKBDnBf
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 27, 2023
Round of 16
Eliminated: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Michael McDowell, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano
Going mostly chalk with the eliminations here, but for one surprise in reigning champion Joey Logano. It's less of a surprise if you've followed closely in 2023, though, as Logano has not performed up to his usual title-contending standards — in fact, Penske Racing on the whole seems to be off of its usual pace.
Logano would continue one of the more improbable streaks in NASCAR should he be eliminated, which is that ever since the implementation of playoff eliminations in 2014, Logano has qualified for the championship round in every even-numbered year but failed to do so in every odd-numbered year.
As for the winners, Kyle Larson is long overdue for a Darlington victory and Hendrick Motorsports always seems to turn it up a notch in the playoffs. Martin Truex, Jr. has been blindingly fast on intermediates this season, and Brad Keselowski seems like his first win as an owner-driver is right around the corner given his teammate Chris Buescher's recent hot streak.
Round of 12
Eliminated: Chris Buescher, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, William Byron
Let's get nuts. There's always that one elimination that comes much earlier than expected and this year, it's going to be William Byron. He has five wins, but hasn't consistently shown contending speed elsewhere, and in a round that figures to be the most unpredictable of the playoffs given its schedule, he's a prime candidate for a shocking exit.
Joining him will be two former champions in Harvick and Busch, as well as Buescher, who seems like he may be peaking just a bit too early. Larson once again will waste no time locking up his spot in the Round of 8, and Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick will avoid chaos at Talladega and the Charlotte Roval to survive and advance.
Round of 8
Eliminated: Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Ross Chastain
The Round of 8 is usually when you can no longer hide by simply stringing together solid finishes to advance; you must compete for wins. That'll be Tyler Reddick who does so by going back-to-back at Las Vegas, where the Toyotas are sure to be very fast. Then regular season champ Truex will come through at Homestead to punch his ticket to the Championship Four.
Then, just because why not, let's have a non-playoff winner at Martinsville in Chase Elliott to spice things up. That leaves two spots available in the title round for non-winners, and Bell, Keselowski, Hamlin and Chastain — who won't be able to pull off another "Hail Melon" as he did last year — will be left on the outside looking in. That leaves us with...
Championship Four
Larson and Blaney will be the two who point their way to Phoenix through the Round of 8, while Reddick and Truex will have more time to prepare given their locked-in status with their wins. Truex and Larson both have title pedigree, while Reddick and Blaney will be competing for their first championship.
Blaney has been very good at Phoenix over the years, but Penske's inconsistent speed in 2023 may hurt him. Reddick and Truex will both be strong, but given that both drive Toyotas, they may be held back by sharing resources as opposed to the other two whose manufacturers will be putting all their eggs into one basket.
Then there's Larson, who dominated the Phoenix race earlier this season and was leading on the final restart before William Byron passed him. Larson still has the same team around him as he did when he won the championship in 2021 and that experience will pay off as he'll take home the victory, and more significantly, his second Cup title.
Who do you think will win the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship? Your guess is as good as any, but one thing is for certain: these next 10 weeks are going to have no shortage of excitement.
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Now in her second WNBA season, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is averaging a league‑leading 12.5 rebounds along with 13.8 points, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. She recently returned from injury and immediately picked up where she left off, posting her 16th double‑double of the season (11 points, 11 rebounds) on Tuesday night even as her Chicago Sky fell, 91-68, to the Minnesota Lynx. Then, on Wednesday, Reese showcased her brand power on Instagram, posting a pregame photo dressed head‑to‑toe in Gucci with the caption, "Don’t worry about me… life is GUCCI @gucci #guccipartner." The image quickly lit up her feed and drew an immediate response from one of the game’s all‑time greats, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, who commented, “Yessss it is❤️." Despite flashes of elite play, the Sky have struggled mightily, standing at just 7-17 and sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference. Their 76.7 points per game rank 12th in the WNBA, and opponents are torching them for 86.8 a night (12th in the league). With head coach Tyler Marsh searching for consistency, every bright spot has been a welcome reprieve for a franchise that won the title as recently as 2021. Front and center among Chicago’s bright spots is Reese. Off the court, Reese has quickly built a burgeoning portfolio of endorsement deals, including Reebok, Calvin Klein, Beats by Dre, Amazon and now Gucci, underscoring her status as one of the WNBA’s brightest personalities. On the other side, you have Leslie, whose voice carries more weight than arguably anybody in women’s basketball. A three‑time league MVP, two‑time WNBA champion and Finals MVP and eight‑time All‑Star, Leslie helped define the league’s early years with the Los Angeles Sparks, including driving home the first dunk in WNBA history in 2002. A Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer (class of 2015), she remains a global ambassador for the sport.
With the trade for Ryan McMahon now complete, it would seem New York Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman has fulfilled one of his three priorities. He can now cross third base off the list, which leaves the rotation and bullpen as his remaining priorities. However, according to one Yankees writer, Cashman might not be done with the infield. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reported this after the McMahon trade: “The Yankees may not be done adding to their infield. A team source said the Yankees are interested in adding a right-handed hitter who could play the infield.” Kirschner adds that the Yankees have had interest in Willi Castro and Amed Rosario. But the question now is, how would another player fit into the Yankees’ infield? Needless to say, Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. aren’t going anywhere, and McMahon is just getting there. That leaves the low-hanging fruit. Anthony Volpe has been at the center of controversy all this season. His 13 errors, many of which had come at make-or-break moments, amount to the second-highest total in the game. In addition, his bat has not been able to compensate, hitting .217/.288/.408 with 14 home runs. There was always a lot to like about Volpe. He won a Gold Glove in his rookie year, his power has always been promising and his speed is nothing to scoff at. Unfortunately, his glove has become a liability, and his speed has also produced very few results. Volpe has swiped just 10 bags in 17 attempts. His power is the one thing that still has some upside, but it hasn’t been enough to justify a spot in the lineup. Both Castro and Rosario have been far more productive at the plate this season than Volpe. Kirschner doesn’t clarify how serious the Yankees are in their pursuit of another infielder, but that most likely isn’t available information. Having just turned 24, Volpe could still become the type of player that was expected from him as a top prospect. However, his recent performance has weighed heavily on his team’s efforts, and it may be buying him a ticket out of the Bronx — or at least a spot on the bench.
The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class had its day in Cooperstown on Sunday. This year's class included Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, who were elected by the eligible voters from the Baseball Writer's Association of America, and Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Here are some of the top highlights from Sunday's induction speeches. Dave Parker's son reads poem written by Hall of Fame father Parker's induction into the Hall of Fame was long overdue, and he sadly did not have the opportunity to enjoy the moment of seeing his name in the Hall of Fame as he died June 28. That left his speech in the hands of his son, Dave Parker II, who read a poem written by his dad. Parker spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was an MVP winner, two-time batting champion and World Series champion with the 1979 "We Are Family" team. Dick Allen's wife remembers his kindness Allen was the other veterans committee inductee, and his widow, Willa Allen, spent the majority of her speech remember the kindness of Allen off the field as much as his ability on the field. Allen is going into the Hall of Fame as a Phillie but won the 1972 American League MVP with the Chicago White Sox. He led the league in OPS four times and was the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year. A reminder that Billy Wagner wasn't naturally left-handed Being left-handed is a huge advantage (and money-maker) for pitchers, and Wagner was one of the most dominant left-handed relief pitchers to ever step onto a mound in the big leagues. But he wasn't always left-handed. Wagner was a natural-born right-handed person but taught himself how to throw left-handed after fracturing his right arm twice as a kid. It led to quite a career. Wagner made a name for himself with the Houston Astros but also spent years with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. CC Sabathia takes playful dig at Ichiro Sabathia accomplished a ton in his 19-year big league career. He won 251 games, won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award, was the 2009 ALCS MVP and a World Series champion. He still has apparently not gotten over the one individual award he did not win — the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year Award, which went to fellow 2025 inductee Ichiro. Sabathia made sure to make a playful dig at that. Sabathia was the only American League rookie outside of Ichiro — who also won the American League MVP that year — to get a first-place vote. He received one. The others all went to Ichiro. Ichiro stole the show Ichiro stole 509 bases in his Hall of Fame career, and on Sunday, he added one more steal to his list of accomplishments by absolutely stealing the show at Cooperstown. He delivered two of the best lines of the day, first by calling out the one lone writer who did not vote for him, keeping him from being just the second unanimous Hall of Fame inductee ever (after Mariano Rivera). His best line of the day, however, might have been when he referenced his brief time as a member of the Miami Marlins toward the end of his career. Ichiro played 14 of his 19 seasons with the Seattle Mariners while also spending time with the Marlins and Yankees.
The longtime former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins is in a serious contract dispute with his new team, the Buffalo Sabres. Nobody appears happy to stay with the Buffalo Sabres organization. Most of the talented players on the team were included in trade or free agency rumors, and now, Timmins doesn't appear too excited to sign with the team. Indeed, the Restricted Free Agent, who was traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Sabres earlier this offseason for Connor Clifton and a second-round pick, isn't close to reaching a deal in Buffalo. With arbitration hearings set to take place over the coming days, Timmins and the Sabres are likely to meet for that reason soon. Unless a deal is reached before then, the hearing will take place on August 2nd. The Ontario native is coming off a rocky season, where he played 51 games for the Leafs and 17 more in Pittsburgh after being traded. In those 68 games, the 26-year-old defenseman tallied 15 points, including three goals. After seeing three players around the NHL reach deals before their hearing date, some fans hoped to see the Sabres and Timmins sign a contract soon, but multiple reports confirmed that there hasn't been any 'traction' between both camps. As of now, five more players are scheduled to have salary hearings. Here's the full list, per PuckPedia: Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks) - July 28 Maksim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders) - July 29 Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets) - July 30 Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres) - August 2 Nicholas Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs) - August 3 Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens) - August 3 It'll be interesting to see what kind of contract Timmins would get in a hearing, or if a deal will be reached before the date. With the Sabres' reputation, it's not surprising to see that he appears reluctant to sign in Buffalo. Hopefully for their fans, massive changes will be done to the team to make sure they can attract top talent and convince them to stay with the team.