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After being in contention throughout the second half of Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Noah Gragson crossed the start-finish line in the sixth position, driving the No. 4 Rural King Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Front Row Motorsports.
The finish marked the second top-10 of the season for Gragson, who began his tenure with Front Row Motorsports at the beginning of the year. Plus, after a difficult start to the season, the solid finish not only helped with some momentum building, but also aided the Las Vegas, Nevada-native in recovering some points lost through a tough start to the year.
While Gragson, like everybody else in the NASCAR Cup Series field, was ultimately hunting down a trip to Victory Lane with his Front Row Motorsports crew, the solid finish was more than enough to put a smile on the face of the 26-year-old driver.
“We were in the third row on the outside and was trying to keep [Austin] Cindric out front and keep the outside that I was in from getting there, and then the No. 60 was able to pull up and we had two Fords out front,” Gragson said. “I’m happy for Ford and Penske for the win, but this is a good reset and good points today after the first 10 races of the season.”
“We haven’t had the results we want, so it’s a good reset after the off weekend and a good way to start off the next part of the season.”
That was until approximately two hours after the checkered flag was displayed in Sunday’s event, when Gragson was promoted to a fourth-place finish after it was discovered that both Ryan Preece (P2) and Joey Logano (P5) were disqualified for a rear spoiler infraction.
Update. P4 today. Cheers
— Noah Gragson (@NoahGragson) April 28, 2025
The finish, which all of the sudden removed the goose egg from the top five column for both Gragson and Front Row Motorsports on the season, is his third top five finish in the NASCAR Cup Series – all three of which have come on superspeedways, and for different teams.
Gragson, a young up-and-coming talent that no doubt fits into the mold of the iconic Talladega Boulevard, is now the sixth driver to score a top five finish for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series – joining Todd Gilliland, David Gilliland, David Ragan, Michael McDowell, and Chris Buescher.
Now, while the 26-year-old driver currently sits 31st in NASCAR Cup Series point standings at the start of the 28-week stretch to the finish of the 2025 season, the 61-point deficit isn’t impossible to erase should things continue on an upward trajectory over the next couple of months.
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23XI Racing has one foot in the playoff door, courtesy of Bubba Wallace’s victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. The No. 23 driver survived a late-race rain delay, two overtime restarts, and massive pressure from Kyle Larson to secure the team’s first victory of the season. Denny Hamlin, one of the team’s co-owners, spoke to the press and detailed what their next objectives are. Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 45 Toyota Camry, is in a great position in the points table and should be able to get into the playoffs as well. What Hamlin is more concerned about is their third driver, Riley Herbst. The 26-year-old has been doing his best to match his teammates’ performances, but has consistently come up short this season. Hamlin said, “It’s the first time for our team to have two cars that are likely to get in. That’s a milestone. It’s a milestone for us. So our next objective is getting a win with Riley. Obviously, with him learning, Daytona is probably going to be his best shot. He needs to be focused on that, watching all the things that he needs to watch and somehow pull off a miracle there.” It would be a great achievement for 23XI Racing if it manages to get all three cars into the playoffs, and Hamlin realizes that too. The team has a character different from most others on the grid. Drivers, crew chiefs, and every other employee work on all three cars without any sense of division among them. So, to get all three entries to the post-season would be monumental. Hamlin went on to speak about his confidence in Wallace to go far in the playoffs. In 2023, Wallace finished tenth in points after making it to the playoffs on points. He believes that Wallace is a far more dangerous proposition for opponents now and can do a whole lot better. Hamlin said, “He can do it. He can go on a deep run. He did that before he became the new Bubba that I know now.” With new crew chief Charles Denike powering his efforts, Wallace can do the unimaginable this season. Denike is a former member of the U.S. Army and his approach to the job has left everyone, from Hamlin to Michael Jordan, thoroughly impressed. With the involvement of such talented professionals, 23XI Racing might just weather the tough times on track as their legal battle against NASCAR continues.
WNBA legend Lisa Leslie had three words for Angel Reese
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.
Bruins' David Pastrnak Calls Out Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: He Just Lacks Humility'
Juraj Slafkovsky is one of the most promising players in the NHL, but now he has been called out by David Pastrnak, who stated he lacks humility. After being picked No. 1 overall in 2022 NHL Draft, expectations were high in Montreal for young star Juraj Slafkovsky, and thus far, he's shown glimpses of being the elite level player many expected when he entered the National Hockey League. However, there are still some major steps to go, and in a recent interview, Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak pointed out perhaps one area where the 21-year old may need to improve moving forward. When asked about Slafkovsky and his potential, Pastrnak gave nothing but a glowing review of the young Canadiens star, but he did note that he believes Slafkovsky needs more humility. 'He's still a young player who is gaining experience in the NHL every year. This season it was already clear that he gave the team more than before...He just needs a little more humility, he should set an example for the young ones.' On the ice, there's no doubting that Slafkovsky has the presence, the size and the talent to be a true star, posting 101 total points over the past two seasons, but for whatever reason, it appears as though Pastrnak believes he needs to improve off the ice before he can take a major leap in Montreal. Ultimately, the talent is still there for Slafkovsky, and at 21-years old, he'll continue to learn off the ice, and if he can go anywhere close to living up to the potential that he's shown in his first three years at the NHL level, there's no doubt that he can be a big time star and help lead the Canadiens to significant post-season success.
Cowboys make questionable move amid Micah Parsons stalemate
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
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