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Bubba Wallace claims NASCAR has become 'really well diverse' in the last five years
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Lack of diversity has always been a major issue NASCAR has faced in it’s effort widen the premier stock car racing’s market in the modern era. But over the last few years the sport has made significant changes and introduced projects that has allowed minorities to explore the sport more.

23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, the only African American racer in the top-tier and the most accomplished with two Cup wins alongside six Truck race win, is the face of NSASCAR’s diversity efforts. He has been instrumental in the sports’ diversity efforts, including the controversial decision to ban the Confederate flags.

Recently in an interview, Wallace was asked about fans booing him and about the change in diversity in the sport. He pointed out that the booes he gets have changed a lot and though he is still the only black driver in top tier, there are lot diversity behind the scenes as crew members alongside other roles.

I feel like it’s changed a lot… As far as being the ‘only’… In the cup series, yes. Behind the wheel, yes. But there’s a lot of different people in the garage that don’t look the same, let’s go back, say 10 years ago. Maybe even five years ago. It’s really well diverse. Bubba Wallace said via V-103 Atlanta.

Bubba Wallace breaks down his U.S. Air Force paint scheme for Dover

The U.S. Air Force will return as the sponsor for Bubba Wallace and will feature at this coming weekends race at Dover. While talking about it, Wallace pointed out that the new Flying Tiger paint-scheme they have come up with for this week as a throwback for the old Warhawk scheme.

My first day back in January meeting the new Air Force team, I was like, ‘People want (a Warhawk scheme), I want it. Let’s do something and bring it back.’ So they were like, ‘All right, we’ll work on something.’ And so we come up with the Flying Tigers scheme (for 2024). Bubba Wallace said.

The 2024 season so far has been consistent for Bubba Wallace, but he is yet to win a race and has been the same since 2022 Kansas playoff race. He has to clean up his execution and step up his game in order to secure a playoff spot this season. Dover might present him with a chance now.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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Browns play cruel joke on Shedeur Sanders before preseason opener
NFL

Browns play cruel joke on Shedeur Sanders before preseason opener

The Cleveland Browns aren't setting fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders up for success before he makes his debut against the Carolina Panthers on Friday night. Amid hamstring injuries to Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel, the Browns are giving the start to Sanders, hoping to keep QB1 Joe Flacco healthy before the regular season. However, the Browns aren't making Sanders' life easy before Friday's game. Per Zack Jackson of The Athletic, Sanders has yet to receive reps with the first-team offense in practice and has mostly worked with the third team in training camp. "Through 10 days of camp, Sanders is the only one of the four Browns quarterbacks not to take snaps with the No. 1 offense," Jackson wrote. "He piloted the No. 2 offense in one drill last week against the Browns’ No. 1 defense, but the majority of his snaps in camp have come with and against the No. 3 units... "Wednesday’s joint practice should provide some clarity on the Browns’ exact thinking and availability for Friday. Sanders likely won’t take No. 1 reps in the joint session, but he’ll have that practice and a Thursday walk-through to prepare further — and potentially get the chance to play the full game in the preseason opener." Per Fred Greetham of 247 Sports, Sanders did not receive reps with the first-team offense during the joint practice on Wednesday, but did take part in four plays during an 11-on-11 period against the Panthers following Flacco's reps. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski thinks Sanders has received enough reps from the second and third team units to be ready for Friday night, arguing that the only thing different about the players on the first team is the "batteries" they're built with. "That's part of, I think it's just preseason ball, where you may have some ones going against twos," Stefanski said. "Two's going against one's. You could have, there's different guys in there at different times, but I think both sides, particularly in that first game, it's all about playing fast. "So you typically don't see a ton of looks that are unusual per se. So if you stick to your rules and you stick to what you've been taught over the last few weeks, you should be able to operate and function well." Sanders is going into his first NFL game flying blind after the Browns played a cruel joke on him this week. Frankly, there is a considerable difference in throwing to the equipment staff and players signed as undrafted free agents versus the speed that a first-team offense in the league has. The Browns aren't giving Sanders a fair fight by allowing him to practice a few reps with the first team. It's now up to Sanders to quickly respond to the differences if he wants a chance to move up the depth chart.

The Lakers could have another undrafted gem on their hands
NBA

The Lakers could have another undrafted gem on their hands

In a summer dominated by LeBron James and Luka Doncic headlines, the Los Angeles Lakers may have quietly struck gold once again in the UDFA market, this time with former Villanova standout Eric Dixon. After initially agreeing to a two-way contract following the 2024–25 NBA Draft, Dixon’s path to the professional ranks was temporarily delayed due to injury, forcing him to miss Summer League. The Lakers, however, remained invested in the 24-year-old forward, eventually signing him to an Exhibit 10 deal, a move that keeps him in the pipeline and positions him as a potential breakout candidate through the G League. Dixon brings one of the most decorated resumes in college basketball. The 6-foot-8, 255-pound forward led all Division I scorers last season, averaging 23.3 points per game while shooting an impressive 40.7% from beyond the arc on 7.2 attempts per contest, a remarkable transformation for a player once seen as a traditional low-post presence. He concluded his five-year career at Villanova as the school’s all-time leading scorer, finishing with 2,314 points and etching his name into Big East history. While concerns around his age and lateral quickness may have contributed to him being passed over in the draft, Dixon’s refined skill set and ability to stretch the floor make him a strong fit in today’s NBA. He delivered in big moments throughout the season, including a 38-point outburst against Maryland on Nov. 11, and consistently carried the offensive load for the Wildcats. With his Exhibit 10 deal, Dixon is expected to begin the season with the South Bay Lakers, where he’ll aim to prove he’s healthy and ready to make an immediate impact. If he performs as expected, a return to a two-way contract, and possibly NBA minutes, could be on the horizon. The Lakers have developed a reputation for identifying and nurturing overlooked talent, with Austin Reaves and Alex Caruso emerging as prime examples. Dixon, with his offensive versatility and physical readiness, could be next in line. In a loaded Western Conference, unearthing low-cost contributors is more important than ever. Dixon might just be the next hidden gem to emerge from the Lakers’ development pipeline.

Pistons Predicted to Send Tobias Harris to Nets for Former Champion Forward in Offseason Trade
NBA

Pistons Predicted to Send Tobias Harris to Nets for Former Champion Forward in Offseason Trade

The Detroit Pistons have had an interesting offseason thus far as they try to build off an impressive season last year. Of course, the Pistons went from having the worst record in the NBA the prior two seasons to making the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference last season. Now with most of their core led by Cade Cunningham, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson set to return next season, they are looking to take advantage of a weakened East and clinch a top playoff spot. Despite this, the Pistons did lose Tim Hardaway Jr., Dennis Schroder and likely Malik Beasley in free agency, though they did sign Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert. Detroit could still look to make more moves before the start of next season and Sports Illustrated’s Jackson Caudell and Rohan Raman recently released a mock trade that would land the Pistons a former NBA champion. Pistons predicted to land Michael Porter Jr. from Nets In the trade, the Pistons would acquire Michael Porter Jr. from the Brooklyn Nets for Harris, Marcus Sasser, Bobi Klintman and a top-10 protected 2027 first-round pick. Brooklyn would also send Day’Ron Sharpe to the Atlanta Hawks for Vit Krejci and three second-round picks. This is an interesting trade for the Pistons to make and one that does not make a ton of sense as they would be moving on from two key players from last season in Harris and Sasser. Despite this, adding a knockdown shooter in Porter Jr. to their lineup along with a player who has championship experience from his time with the Denver Nuggets could be a solid addition to their roster. For Porter Jr., he is a great scorer who would provide some much-needed spacing in the Pistons’ starting lineup and would also slot in as their likely second option behind Cunningham. Porter Jr. has also improved defensively over the past few seasons, though swapping Harris and Sasser for him would be a major risk for the Pistons to take, especially with Porter Jr.’s injury history. While that may be the case, adding Porter Jr. next to their young core of Cunningham, Thompson, Duren, Jaden Ivey and Ron Holland II could make the Pistons a contender next season and for years to come.

Cardinals All-Star Addresses Future; Hints Time In St. Louis Is Ending
MLB

Cardinals All-Star Addresses Future; Hints Time In St. Louis Is Ending

The St. Louis Cardinals made changes this summer but the winter is going to be even more transformational. Trading away guys like Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz, and Phil Maton certainly hurt. But, these were necessary moves with the Cardinals' chances at a playoff spot just barely hanging on for dear life. The Cardinals are one game below .500 at 57-58 right now through 115 games played as of writing ahead of their showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday afternoon. Sure, the Cardinals could go on some long winning streak and change the perception around the club once again. That would be great, but right now, the odds of the club making the playoffs are slim and that's why the Cardinals traded the three relievers before they could hit the open market in free agency. Once the season ends, bigger changes are coming, though. Cardinals at crossroads that will start to be answered this winter The Cardinals used the trade deadline to move on from some of the team's players heading to free agency that didn't have no-trade clauses. The Cardinals opted against trading players under team control beyond this season and guys with no-traded clauses made it clear that they wanted to stick around, including Miles Mikolas, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras. Nolan Arenado also reportedly didn't expand his list of approved teams from this past offseason. Of the no-trade clause guys specifically, Gray, Contreras, and Arenado still control their destiny beyond the season. Mikolas will be a free agent and spoke about his future and noted he wants to continue pitching, but made it sound like he won't be back with Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I want to finish strong," Mikolas said. "And I want to do my best to be a good example for the young guys. There are some young guys in here who I’ve seen from their rookie years, seen them mature and get better. Hopefully, I’ve left a little bit of an imprint on them. Show the younger guys what it’s like to go about your work – day in, day out, rain or shine. I’ll be in here tomorrow working out, busting my tail in the gym, getting my work done with the trainers, watching video, trying to get better. Bottom line: I want to finish strong and show teams that I’ve still got a lot of good baseball left in me... "I know teams look beyond that. They’ll look at everything. Teams are going to sign you after they go back and look at all of your starts and go, ‘What was the difference? Can we fix him? Can we help him? Can we do this? Can we do that?’ If my stuff is good – and the ball is coming out of my hand good – and I’m available wire to wire, that’s something. That’s something I take a lot of pride in...I’ll play as long as I can. The ball is still coming out of my hand pretty good for being almost 37. I’ll play as long as they let me." Mikolas has been with the Cardinals since 2018 and has earned two All-Star nods with the team, but his future is in question now.

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