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Kevin Harvick saw it all during his two-decade plus career in NASCAR. But in this past Sunday’s Cup Series championship race at Phoenix, Harvick saw something for the first time.
The season finale came to a halt just before the start of Stage 2 after the pace car crashed into the sand barrels entering pit road. NASCAR put the red flag out to clean up something they never could have envisioned happening, let alone in a championship race.
Harvick, the FOX Sports announcer, called it an “epic failure” by the pace car driver, whom Harvick is wondering still has a job today.
“I’ve seen the pace car catch on fire, I’ve seen F1 pace cars spin out in the rain, but never just spin out on a 75-degree day in Phoenix turning onto pit road,” Harvick said on Tuesday’s “Happy Hour” podcast. “That was an epic failure. … There’s no way to hide it. Does he get fired? Is he evicted from the pace car duties? That was bad.”
OH MY GOODNESS.
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 10, 2024
The pace car crashed entering pit road. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/NWkPeLXsVe
Joey Logano reacts to push for NASCAR to change playoff format
The pace car wreck fortunately did not become the major story coming out of the race. That belonged to Joey Logano and his capturing of a third Cup Series title. Logano led 107-of-312 laps, outlasting his fellow Championship 4 competitors Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Tyler Reddick and shutting up many fans who called him an undeserving champion.
Logano finished the season with an average finish of 17.1, the worst for a driver in a championship-winning season.
“Outside of what was brought up to me in the media center and a couple times today during media stuff, I haven’t heard much of it,” Logano said Tuesday of complaints about the playoff format, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. “The part I don’t understand, and I said it the other day, we’ve been doing this for 11 years. And everyone thought it was awesome and now we don’t. What happened? Nothing changed. I don’t get it because as a race fan, if I take myself out of the car or I’ll just watch the Xfinity and the Truck stuff. The same format. I think it’s awesome. I love it.
“The regular season guys, do those guys get an advantage? Absolutely, it’s a pretty big one too. Does that mean that you can just go in cruise control throughout the playoffs? No, obviously. Can you go in cruise control in any other sport through the playoffs? No, you won’t make it to the end. Why do we need to change that? It makes no sense to me when I hear all of this. But whatever, I got the trophy, and I don’t really care.”
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Report: Bears' Ben Johnson screamed at Caleb Williams during training camp
There is no ramp-up period for the Chicago Bears at training camp this year. Head coach Ben Johnson brought the same intensity he harbored during OTAs at the Bears’ first practice of training camp Wednesday at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois. Adam Hoge of CHGO Bears said that Johnson was upset with Williams and the offense multiple times on Wednesday. He got into the face of the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft during a seven-on-seven drill. “Accountability is what I’m talking about, though, because, look, it was like a three-strike thing, let’s call three strikes, and you’re out all right,” Hoge said on the CHGO podcast. “Because we saw Ben get in Caleb’s, you know what, during seven-on-sevens about something. I don’t know what it was about, but he wasn’t happy, and he was screaming at him, alright.” Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson tried to show patience Johnson tried to show patience with the second mistake, when there was a miscommunication with the wide receivers getting lined up. He let Williams and the receivers sort the issue out before the play. But Johnson didn’t stand idly on the third pre-snap mistake; another miscommunication between Williams and the receivers. Johnson pulled the entire first-team off the field in favor of the second-team led by veteran quarterback Case Keenum. Caleb Williams is picking up where he left off in OTAs Per multiple reports, the Bears’ offense had a poor day. Mark Carman called Williams’ performance on Wednesday the worst part of practice. “Today was just bad,” Carman said. “They had to pull the offense off the field. (Williams) wasn’t getting them lined up. It might not have been his fault every single time he’s his first pass was picked off (by linebacker Tremaine Edmunds). “He rolled right on long play, Cold Kmet’s wide open right in front of him. He ended up running out of bounds. It just wasn’t a good day for the quarterback.” Williams didn’t have a great spring. He struggled with every duty from calling the play in the huddle to getting the cadence right to throwing the ball into the middle of the field or further than 10 yards. As of Day 1 at camp, all of those things are still problems. But at least the $13 million per year head coach is mad.
NHL Analyst Links Edmonton Oilers Defenseman to Winnipeg Jets for Salary Cap Relief
NHL analyst Jake Tye of The Hockey News believes the Oilers could be in a position to trade Jake Walman for salary-cap relief, and the Jets are a team of interest. The 2026 NHL free-agent class appears to be shaping up to be one of the best ever, with Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin heading up the list. The Winnipeg Jets might have a more grounded and smarter target in Oilers defenseman Jake Walman. At 29, the native from Toronto has become a consistent-scoring offensive defenseman with 50-point upside over a full season. A year ago, he posted 0.61 points per game in the regular season and held a 0.45 average over Edmonton's Stanley Cup Final run, with his play being especially beneficial in crucial moments. Picked in the third round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues, Jake Walman was initially viewed as an upper-end, Adam Fox-caliber defenseman. He was traded to Detroit, where he was part of a deal that had him, Oskar Sundqvist, and a second-round pick go to Detroit for Nick Leddy and Luke Witkowski. There, he compiled 43 points in 145 games, showing glimpses of attacking flair. A cap-clearing deal then shipped him off to San Jose, where a larger role saw him tally 32 points in 50 games and make him an important asset in no time. Edmonton knocked on his door, acquiring him before his Cup journey, with him contributing 10 points in 22 games. Walman has just one year remaining on his contract Now with a year remaining on his $3.4 million contract and cap concerns for the Oilers, Walman could be on the open market sooner than later. 'With just one year left on his contract at $3.4 million and the Oilers facing cap constraints, Walman could be on the move again. He's drawn comparisons to Ryan McDonagh as another defenceman who thrived in a bottom-pairing role on a championship team. Like McDonagh with the Lightning, Walman combines solid two-way play with enough offensive upside to make a real impact. If he hits the open market or the Oilers are looking to move him, Walman could be a smart pickup for a team like Winnipeg as an option alongside Luke Schenn on the bottom pair and would work as cost-effective help on the backend with playoff aspirations in mind.' - Jake Tye His blend of solid two-way play and potential on offense makes him a cost-efficient depth signing for a contender like Winnipeg seeking blue-line help, per NHL analyst Jake Tye.
Tua Tagovailoa addresses relationship with Tyreek Hill after controversial comments
Shortly after Miami Dolphins players reported for training camp on Tuesday, Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill suggested he wants to be "better as a leader" after he controversially subbed himself out of Miami's regular-season finale this past January and then told reporters he was "out." While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa addressed the Hill-sized elephant in the room. "I think there’s a lot more vulnerability with Tyreek," Tagovailoa explained, as shared by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "He’s conversating a lot more with the guys, not just about football, but about things off the field, being vulnerable about some of the things people know about his personal life and things of that nature. I think that’s the first step toward him building true relationships and a real connection with a lot of the guys in there." Following Hill's "out" comment, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier revealed that the 31-year-old speedster never requested a trade. While publicly apologizing to his teammates during a Super Bowl week interview, Hill directly said that Tagovailoa is his "guy." Hill also insisted at the time that he loves Tagovailoa. "Everybody makes mistakes," Tagovailoa added about Hill. "It’s just, some people, they’re in the spotlight, and their deals get pushed out more than some others. So you’ve just got to cut him some grace. That’s our teammate. We love him, but as a person, I think if you get to know him, you’ll love him too." Hill and Tagovailoa likely will need to be on the same page if they want to prevent the Dolphins from going through a franchise reset next offseason. At least head coach Mike McDaniel is reportedly on the hot seat this summer, while Tagovailoa's status beyond the upcoming campaign is up in the air after he suffered a third reported concussion since the fall of 2022 last season. "You guys aren’t the only people that heard that," Tagovailoa said about Hill's "out" statement. "...So when you say something like that, you don’t just come back from that with, 'Hey, my bad.' You’ve got to work that relationship up. You’ve got to build everything up again. It’s still a work in progress, not just for me but for everybody. But like I said, he’s working on himself, he’s working on the things he says he wants to get better with and do better on. So that’s the first step to me, so I commend him for doing that." As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the 2024 Dolphins at -275 betting odds to miss the playoffs. Those who believe the relationship between Tagovailoa and Hill is on shaky ground following Wednesday's developments may want to take a flier on such a wager before the odds change later this year.
Nationals OF makes Catch of the Year candidate to rob home run
Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young delivered a Catch of the Year candidate with a spectacular grab he made on Wednesday. Young’s Nationals lost 5-0 to the Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, and the score could have been worse if not for Young. Will Benson was batting for Cincinnati with a runner on third base and two outs in the top of the eighth inning with his team leading 3-0. He belted a first pitch 96 mph fastball to deep center, but Young climbed the wall in center field to rob Benson of a 2-run home run. Here is a slow-motion version of the catch that shows Young climbing the wall to make the catch. What a catch by Young. Although Benson gave that pitch quite a ride, the metrics suggest it would have been a home run in only five MLB ballparks, so a flyout was an anticipated outcome. You just wouldn’t expect that ball to become an out in the manner that it did. Holy cow.
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