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The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season was a nightmare for Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman. He ended the season winless and missed out on the playoffs. His elimination was the byproduct of the back injury he suffered midway through the season. He has a tough task ahead of him going into the 2024 season.
Albon was sidelined for four Cup races and the All-Star after he broke his vertebra in an accident during teammate Kyle Larson’s High Limit Racing sprint car series. Even when he came back after healing, things weren’t the same. The No:48 Chevy team failed to match their teammates at HMS in terms of pace till the end of the season.
Bowman and his team have gone back to the drawing board to reset and get back to form next year. One of the major challenges for Bowman is to get over the injury, and Denny Hamlin of JGR who has gone through a similar injury and recovery believes a return to a successful journey is possible for Bowman next year.
I am confident in Alex’s ability to get back where he was. I think that this offseason will probably create an opportunity for him to get healthy. Looking at the timeline of when he had his accident…So it’s a restart, refresh and, certainly, both physically and mentally, will be a great reset. Hamlin said via NBC.
Alex Bowman is excited about the 2024 season
Bowman has been using the off-season for a full recovery and has made some changes to the team and the car gives him more confidence for the upcoming season. He is also in the best shape of his career and is training really hard for the days ahead.
I think having a couple of weeks not so compressed in the race cars has been good for me. From a fitness aspect, I’m probably in the best shape I’ve ever been in right now. Things are good, training really hard.
The 2024 season will be a fight for redemption for Bowman, who is now the fourth-ranked driver in the pecking order at HMS. He was arguably the same level as Willaim Byron till the 2022 season, but now with the impressive year the No:24 car, Bowman will most likely be the driver Rick Hendrick will replace if a situation demands it.
More must-reads:
- Bubba Wallace holds off Kyle Larson to win wild Brickyard 400
- Family man Bubba Wallace enjoying 'cool hobby' of winning in NASCAR
- The 'NFL all-time touchdown receptions leaders' quiz
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Family man Bubba Wallace enjoying 'cool hobby' of winning in NASCAR
1,050 days. 100 races. That's how long it had been since Bubba Wallace's last NASCAR Cup Series win before he flew under the checkered flag and won Sunday's Brickyard 400. But those numbers are moot in the wake of Wallace's third career win — one that nobody can say he didn't earn. Everything appeared to be working against Wallace in the waning moments of Sunday's race. From a poorly-timed caution with six laps to go, a dwindling fuel tank and having one of the best drivers in the world in Kyle Larson as his main challenger, it would've been understandable if Wallace let the win slip away. But he didn't. Wallace beat Larson on two restarts, saved enough gas to do a burnout and was able to join all the legends before him that have won at Indy and kissed the bricks. Wallace's emotions were on full display immediately following the race. With his wife by his side and his son in his arms, it was clear that this win was special. It wasn't one Wallace was going to take for granted. Throughout his career, Wallace's emotions haven't always been the sight of such positivity. There have been moments where anger, self-doubt, stress and sadness have outshone the good. That's just part of being a professional race car driver in a high-stakes job — but that doesn't mean it's fun. "We're all human," Wallace said in his post-race news conference. "We're all super hard on ourselves; you guys know how hard I am on myself. At the same time, I was combating. I'm like, 'f----- right, we can do this.' It's like the angel and devil on your shoulder." Perhaps the biggest difference between the Wallace that was seen on Sunday and the one that existed three years ago is that the angel overpowered the devil. "It wasn't all negative," Wallace said. "To even have that thought, it's like, 'Come on, focus.' That all went away on the restarts, because it was time to really focus and get the job done." Wallace did get the job done. He's now the winner of one of NASCAR's crown-jewel races, and he's guaranteed a spot in the Cup Series playoffs. But another big difference between the modern-day Wallace and the Wallace of years past is those who now stand beside him on race day: his wife, Amanda, and his son, Becks. As Wallace pointed out on the TNT broadcast following his win, he's already won in life. Now, he's won again as a Cup Series driver. "I'm a guy with a beautiful wife, a beautiful son, and just fortunate enough to be driving race cars," Wallace said. "Putting family first, that's all that matters. It makes things easier. It gives you something to focus on to. The racing stuff is kind of secondary now. "You have to go through a mental shift to say that. I remember when Amanda and I first started dating, and I'm like, 'Hey, racing's everything.' I knew I made a mistake saying that, and it took me all these years to realize, this isn't always going to be here. I think it's better to enjoy the moments like this. I'm enjoying life, I'm enjoying being here at the racetrack. I have a really cool f------ job. It's not even a job. Cool hobby." Whether you want to call it a job or a hobby, Wallace has become pretty good at driving race cars and sharing race weekends with those he loves most. At the end of the day, not even the allure of Gasoline Alley can outshine that.
Maple Leafs Top Prospect Shatters Expectations at World Junior Showcase
The World Junior Summer Showcase is in full swing, and Maple Leafs top prospect Ben Danford is shattering expectations, truly proving how good of a player he can be. The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive prospect, Ben Danford, is among the 44 players who were invited to Hockey Canada's World Juniors Summer Showcase. Hockey Canada finally unveiled the 44 prospects who will head to Minnesota for the showcase, after they held the roster release back while the organization dealt with several injuries, which begins Sunday and runs through August 2 in Minneapolis. Defensive prospect Ben Danford is the only Maple Leafs player invited to the annual showcase, where Canada's World Junior staff will get their first look at what their team might look like for the 2026 World Juniors, which will also take place in Minnesota in December. Danford is being called the best player at the World Juniors Summer Showcase Danford has been exceeding expectations, and one source revealed that he has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase so far. The source said Danford is steady, smart, and hard to ignore on the ice. 'Ben Danford has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase he's steady, smart, and impossible to ignore. Makes every shift count, whether he's breaking up plays or starting the rush. Canada's blue line is in good hands.' - An unnamed source The Maple Leafs selected Danford with their first pick (31st overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft. During his visit to Toronto's development camp earlier this month, the defender revealed that he's receiving mentorship from current Leafs defensemen as well as some alumni like Mark Giordano. The 6-foot-2 Danford could make for an excellent fit for Canada should he make the team. He is responsible in his own end, and he demonstrated leadership capabilities when he was named captain of the Oshawa Generals ahead of the 2024-25 OHL season.
Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield breaks news about contract situation
Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht recently suggested the club and Baker Mayfield will sign a contract extension "when the time is right" because Tampa Bay wants Mayfield "to be our quarterback for a long time." During a Monday appearance on CBS Sports HQ, Mayfield broke some news regarding the three-year, $100M deal he signed to stay with the Buccaneers back in March 2024. "You know, right now, I’m under contract through 2026," Mayfield told CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "So it was really just about getting guaranteed money for 2026, and they did that. And that’s all I can ask for. I signed the contract and knew what it was." JoeBucsFan noted that Mayfield's $40M salary for 2026 was not previously guaranteed. That's no longer an issue for the 30-year-old after he guided the Buccaneers to back-to-back division titles. While Mayfield is working with his third offensive coordinator (Josh Grizzard) in three seasons with Tampa Bay, he's also coming off the best campaign of his pro career. According to Pro Football Reference, Mayfield ended the 2024 regular season ranked fourth in the NFL among qualified players with a 106.8 passer rating, third with 4,500 passing yards and tied for second with 41 touchdowns through the air. In Tampa Bay, Mayfield found a franchise that has let him be his true self after he spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams from January 2022 through January 2023. He's now the emotional leader of a Buccaneers offense that needed more than just solid play at the sport's most important position after living legend Tom Brady retired in February 2023. "Right now it’s winning," Mayfield said on Monday about his mindset for the upcoming season. "I know good things will happen after that. But I trust this place. I love being here. Obviously, [I’m] used to bouncing around. I’ve done that before, but I don’t want to leave." As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Buccaneers tied for seventh among the betting favorites at +1300 odds to win the NFC Championship Game held in January 2025. Even if Mayfield fails to lead Tampa Bay to Super Bowl LX, it sounds like he will remain with the Buccaneers through at least the start of the 2026 season.
Colorado's Deion Sanders reveals massive medical problem he's been battling this offseason
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders detailed the medical issue he has battled throughout the offseason in a Monday news conference. The coach, who turns 58 on Aug. 9, wasn't with his team during summer camp in June. The Pro Football Hall of Famer revealed it was because he had previously been diagnosed with bladder cancer. The tumor was discovered during a routine vascular scan. Sanders' doctor, Janet Kukreja, said her team removed his bladder and used parts of his intestine to create a new one. The cancer is now gone, and he will continue to coach this season. "The process wasn't easy," Sanders said of the doctors giving him multiple options to treat the cancer. Sanders said he was aware of the surgery before the NFL Draft in April. However, he told his sons, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur and Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Shilo, that he just had a foot issue. The coach explained he didn't want his sons to have more to worry about as they prepare for their NFL careers. "I wanted them to focus on making the team and not focused on Dad," Deion Sanders said. "So they really don't know. My daughters do and this joker right here. Much love to my son, [Deion Sanders Jr.], who [didn't] leave my side since we found what was taking place." Deion Sanders said he's still adjusting to changes after the surgery. The coach has a catheter and said Colorado will have a porta-potty on the sideline, just in case he needs to use the bathroom during practices or games. Deion Sanders made a will in May, according to a clip posted to Deion Sanders Jr.'s YouTube channel on Sunday. The coach, though, isn't letting the fear of death weigh on his mind. "I've got too much life in me to be thinking about death — we gotta win a darn championship," he said. Deion Sanders' health is still a concern. He has had 14 surgeries (including the removal of his bladder) since 2021. For now, he appears eager to return to coaching after overcoming one of the biggest medical problems of his life.
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