JR Motorsports unveiled Friday the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Sun Drop HeyDudes that will be available for NASCAR fans to purchase this coming Tuesday.
The green and white Wally features the iconic No. 3 driven by Dale Earnhardt Sr., as well as the Sun Drop and JR Motorsports logo.
The most HEYDUDEs are here!
— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) August 9, 2024: August 13th. #NASCAR | #HeyDudeXNASCAR | #HeyDudeShoes pic.twitter.com/3NYvN2z1S0
“Our racetrack-ready Wally NASCAR x Dale Earnhardt JR. celebrates the race legend in the same way that drivers celebrate their sponsors,” HeyDudes’ website reads. “Breathable mesh upper, removable insole and flex outsole makes this a clear winner.”
The Earnhardt HeyDudes are one of five NASCAR-themed Wally’s available for purchase this Tuesday. HeyDudes also has a Daytona 500-inspired shoe, as well as a standard NASCAR logo shoe. Along with Earnhardt, Hendrick Motorsports stars Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott have HeyDudes soon to be released. Larson’s has the HendrickCars.com logo on the upper part of the shoe, while Elliott’s features the NAPA Auto Parts logo.
HeyDudes, the popular slip-on shoe, has expanded into the sports world in recent years, now carrying its own “Collegiate Collection.” Schools such as Alabama, Florida, LSU, Tennessee and Texas among others have their own HeyDudes.
The Earnhardt-Sun Drop relationship, meanwhile, dates back to the late 1980s. Sun Drop initially sponsored Earnhardt’s late model stock car in 1994. In April 2023, Earnhardt and Sun Drop announced a multi-year extension to their partnership. Earnhardt notably used the Sun Drop paint scheme at the CARS Tour event at North Wilkesboro in May 2023.
“Sun Drop was in the refrigerator from the minute I remember as a kid growing up,” Earnhardt said. “It was everywhere in the house, everyone in the race shop was drinking it, every cooler had Sun Drop in it – and there were a lot of coolers. Dad was a loyal drinker of Sun Drop. It was always around.”
Earnhardt is scheduled to pilot the No. 3 Sun Drop Chevrolet in the CARS Tour race at Florence Motor Speedway on Aug. 30.
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As the debate surrounding NASCAR's playoff format rages on, Denny Hamlin has made it clear what side of the fence he's on. It's speculated that Hamlin, who signed a two-year contract extension on Friday, will likely retire from full-time NASCAR competition at the conclusion of the 2027 season. But the future Hall of Famer says a change to NASCAR's points system could convince him to stay behind the wheel for a little longer. "As a person that now only has a couple years left, I told Jeff Gluck (that) if they (NASCAR) get a legit format down, I might go longer," Hamlin said on Monday's episode of "Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin." "Because I feel my chances might be better on a more typical sample size. The one-race (championship), my chances are 25%. If you go to 36 races (full-season points format), my chances are a bit better than that. "I believe you need to legitimize your sport first, (and) the people will tune in," Hamlin continued. "Do I love that NBC has the biggest voice in what our championship format is? Absolutely not." NASCAR has had some form of a playoff system in place since 2004, with the current format originating in 2017. The current format includes 16 playoff slots, four rounds over 10 races and a one-race, winner-take-all championship between the four drivers that qualify for the Championship 4.
While the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders have garnered a lot of attention lately, there is one NFC team that has quietly been flying under the radar. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a one-score game to the Lions in the divisional round in 2023 and followed that up with another one-score loss to QB Jayden Daniels and the Commanders last season, proving how close they have been to the ultimate prize in the two seasons with Baker Mayfield under center. In an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" Tuesday morning, analyst and former player Ryan Clark offered high praise for Mayfield and what the Buccaneers are capable of. "Baker Mayfield is a top-10 quarterback in this league," Clark said. "Baker Mayfield is a football player. And when I say that, I know people at home are gonna be like, 'Duh, he gets paid to play football.' No, not all quarterbacks are seen as football players. Not all quarterbacks are embraced in the locker room as one of us." Clark sees the Buccaneers as a team the rest of the league should be paying attention to because of who they have returning and the close calls in the playoffs the last two seasons. "This is a team that's been on the cusp the last two years," Clark said. "Now you think about some of the pieces they've added, the confidence in their quarterback and the way that he plays, and Todd Bowles with another year to understand winning at a high level at the head coach position. This is a team you better be extremely scared of because they're stacked and they're confident." Mayfield has been sensational during his time with the Buccaneers. Although he did throw 16 interceptions, Mayfield accounted for the third-most passing yards (4,500) in the league last season and has thrown the most TD passes (69) in the last two seasons, per StatMuse. To add even more incentive for Mayfield, the team restructured his contract, which is set to expire after the 2026 season, to include $30M in guaranteed salary for that season. The Buccaneers return a lot of production on both sides of the ball, in addition to bringing in first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka, who topped 1,000 receiving yards twice at Ohio State and accounted for 26 total TDs. While Tampa Bay allowed the 17th-most points per game (22.7) last season, it returns the majority of its defensive production. On top of that, the offseason acquisition of veteran LB and two-time Pro-Bowler Haason Reddick, who agreed to terms on a one-year deal, should be a welcomed addition for a franchise that had some question marks on defense last season. The Buccaneers are projected to have the sixth-easiest schedule in the NFL this season and have the best chance to win the NFC South for the fifth consecutive season, according to ESPN Analytics. If Mayfield can cut back on his turnovers and the defense can create more pressure on opposing QBs, the Buccaneers could be a threat in the NFC once again as they look to put their recent nail-biting losses in the postseason behind them.
The Boston Bruins have been under pressure to retool after a disappointing season, and now a potential blockbuster move could shake the entire NHL. A major trade proposal has surfaced that could send a star goaltender to the Edmonton Oilers, a move that would give them the elite presence they've lacked in net while forcing Boston closer to a rebuild. The deal being floated by multiple outlets would send Edmonton's current starter, Stuart Skinner, along with Matthew Savoie, Beau Akey, and a 2028 first-round pick to Boston, while the Oilers land a goaltender capable of changing their Cup window overnight. Edmonton's push for a franchise goalie could reshape the Western Conference and challenge the Dallas Stars' path to the Cup If this trade goes through, the Oilers would instantly address one of their biggest weaknesses, setting up a showdown with teams like the Dallas Stars, who already see Edmonton as one of their toughest rivals. Boston, on the other hand, would fully commit to a rebuild, pairing Joonas Korpisalo with Skinner in what could be one of the NHL's weakest tandems, likely boosting their draft lottery odds in one of the most hyped draft classes in recent memory (NHL.com). An insider noted, "They weren't the only ones who had inquired about Swayman, but yes, I was told they poked around." That comment shows just how wide the interest is for this level of goalie talent (Heavy.com). I think this kind of trade would completely shift the balance of power in the West, making Edmonton even more dangerous for teams like Dallas, who could end up facing a vastly upgraded Oilers team in the playoffs. If Boston truly embraces a rebuild, moving their top goaltender could be the first domino in a massive roster overhaul, something that could shake the market for weeks.
Matt LaFleur is earning the ire of several of his Green Bay Packers players early in training camp. On Tuesday, LaFleur punished offensive tackle Rasheed Walker for his altercation with defensive end Kingsley Enagbare. However, the most interesting interaction of the day came between LaFleur and tight end Tucker Kraft. Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, LaFleur called out Kraft for two questionable fumbles during the first week of practice. Both "fumbles" came after the play was over or when the ball fell out of bounds. "Certainly, we all know what kind of player Tucker Kraft is and can be," LaFleur said. "He can’t allow Evan Williams to reach around and punch a ball out, so it is challenging everybody and hopefully that makes us that much better.” The third-year tight end took issue with LaFleur calling him out in front of the media and blamed the coaching staff for implementing practice rules that made it easy for offensive players to fumble. "I’d say a lot of the times — there’s certain rules you play with in practice, like just letting the defense punch repeatedly," Kraft said. "You’re not allowed to stiff-arm. I guess all I have are excuses. Yes, I am working on not fumbling the ball in practice." Schneidman said Kraft answered the question with a tone of sarcasm. Kraft was frustrated that he couldn't defend the ball by stiff-arming a defender trying to poke the ball from his undefended arm. Kraft acknowledged that during practice, he has to "play by the rules" LaFleur makes and is trying to work on having a "yes sir, no sir" attitude with his head coach. He then made a vague reference about a "bus fine" and accused LaFleur of throwing him under the bus in front of the media. Schneidman believes the tight end might actually be calling for Green Bay to fine LaFleur after his discouraging quote Tuesday morning. "So yes, the Packers’ third-year tight end might be calling for his head coach to be fined — not by the league, of course, but by the team — for what he perceived as throwing him under the bus," Schneidman wrote. "Is Kraft being serious about fining LaFleur? "Probably not. Is he peeved LaFleur called him out? It sure seems like it." LaFleur might do better to have a conversation with Kraft before dragging his name into news conferences with reporters. It's clear Tucker doesn't see eye-to-eye with LaFleur about fumbles. This is a good reminder to those getting overly excited or nervous reading practice reports that what happens at practice should be taken with a grain of salt. Most likely, Tucker is going to be fine.
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