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Xfinity Series field shouldn't take surging Shane van Gisbergen lightly down the stretch
Shane van Gisbergen has put together an extremely impressive rookie year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, but you'd be wrong to simply call him a road-course ringer.
While it's true that all three of van Gisbergen's victories have come on road-courses, he has three additional top-10 finishes at the likes of Atlanta, Phoenix and Indianapolis.
With little practice available to him, van Gisbergen has forced to learn on the fly during races. However, he's adapted quickly to the Xfinity Series, finishing top-15 in 12 of his first 20 races. A potential top-10 run at Pocono was spoiled due to contact with Sam Mayer, but it's clear that SVG has taken quickly to stock-car racing.
Due to his road-course aptitude, it's van Gisbergen who currently leads the Xfinity Series in wins. If the regular-season ended today, van Gisbergen would be seeded in the top-five, a major help in his bid for the 2024 Xfinity Series championship.
His lack of oval experience, however, shouldn't be a reason for his championship competitors to take him lightly. While there's only one road-course in the playoffs — the Charlotte Roval on Oct. 12 — it serves as the elimination race for the Round of 12. Even if Kansas and Talladega don't go van Gisbergen's way, a win at the Roval would automatically put him in the Round of 8.
The schedule for the Round of 8 doesn't explicitly favor van Gisbergen, containing Las Vegas, Homestead and Martinsville, but it doesn't serve as the death knell for his title bid, either. Van Gisbergen didn't get a fair shake in his first trip to Las Vegas in March, as engine troubles derailed his day. Homestead will be a completely new venue for the New Zealander, but Martinsville could be his opportunity to strike.
Van Gisbergen ran inside the top-10 at Martinsville in April before ultimately settling for an 11th-place finish. Considering how quickly he learns in his debuts at tracks, going to a track for the second time could be the catalyst for his first oval victory.
Take SVG lightly at your own risk, Xfinity Series field: Behind the smiling, good natured shell of the Auckland native is a fierce competitor who is one of the best rookies any NASCAR series has ever seen.
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Shane Van Gisbergen Enjoys 'Pretty Exciting' NASCAR Playoff Drama, but Isn’t Sold on One Key Aspect
For the first time in his career, Shane van Gisbergen is experiencing what it is like to be fully involved in the drama of the NASCAR Cup Series. The ongoing tussle in the sport over the championship format and the elimination-style playoffs has led to him providing an opinion based on what he has seen thus far, and it is not something that would make everybody happy. The former Australian Supercars champion was asked for his thoughts on allotting playoff berths to drivers who win a race in the regular season during a recent appearance on Corey LaJoie’s Stacking Pennies podcast. Van Gisbergen himself has a playoff spot secured through this means, for his victories in Mexico, Chicago, and Sonoma. He responded by expressing strong self-awareness right off the bat. Admitting that he made it to the playoffs only through the courtesy of the current system, he said, “When I first won the race, I was 32nd or something [in points], so I can see why, but I really want Brad Keselowski to win a race ’cause he was like 30th as well at the time. “And it would have been interesting to see what people thought about that because he’s a champion. And he could run pretty deep in the playoffs. So, I really like the dynamic it brings now, especially with Bubba [Wallace] winning.” He pointed out how there are drivers on the bubble who are desperate for a win, and that their competitiveness makes things a lot more exciting. This is not a stand that the likes of Denny Hamlin and Mark Martin would appreciate. They’ve been pitching for a full-season points-based format devoid of the formula by which drivers get to the playoffs through regular-season victories. SVG expressed openness to restructuring how the championship is being decided by a single race, but he is too fond of how drivers become eligible to race in the playoffs currently. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Hamlin have discussed multiple formats in the past through which the champion can be decided through two, three, or more races. The purpose behind this is to crown the most worthy driver. The season finale going down at a single track can turn out to be hugely advantageous for a single driver. For instance, if the finale went down in a road course, van Gisbergen is the likely driver to end up being the champion, due to his mastery of the track type, even if he hasn’t necessarily been the best driver of the season. This is something NASCAR must try to avoid, and the Kiwi is all there to see change on this front.
Blue Jays demolish MLB records with eye-popping Coors Field performance
DENVER — There's nothing like coming to Coors Field to fix what ails you. Just ask the Toronto Blue Jays. Losers of six of eight games before arriving in Denver, the Blue Jays posted an MLB-record 63 hits in a three-game series while easily sweeping a road series from the Colorado Rockies. By totaling 25 hits on Monday night, 14 on Tuesday and 24 in Wednesday's matinee, the Blue Jays set a new MLB standard for offensive prowess. Toronto passed the MLB record of 62 hits in a three-game series, set by the Boston Red Sox in a June 7-9, 1950 matchup against the St. Louis Browns. As part of the hit parade, Toronto smashed 13 home runs, the most ever surrendered by the Rockies in a three-game set. Included in that barrage were three hits by Bo Bichette, including a three-run shot on Wednesday afternoon that got the Blue Jays rolling in the third inning. Kyle Freeland, Wednesday's starter for Colorado, allowed seven hits in his 4.2 innings of work. That was the fewest amount of hits given up by a Rockies starter against Toronto, as Rockies starter Tanner Gordon allowed 11 in 2.2 frames on Monday, while Anthony Molina surrendered nine in 5.0 innings on Tuesday. "We need to pitch with confidence as starting pitchers. We need to command the baseball better in general," said Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer as his team slipped to 30-84 on the season. "We have to put hitters away when we have that opportunity." That was something Colorado couldn't do against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, as their first six runs of a 20-1 blowout win came with two outs in the frame. Wednesday's offensive explosion helped Toronto outscore the Rockies, 45-6, in the series. That run differential was the second-most in MLB's modern era and the most runs scored by an MLB team in a three-game series since the 2019 Chicago Cubs scored 47 runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates from Sept. 13-15, 2019. In all, the 45 runs, 63 hits and 13 home runs allowed in the series were each the most allowed by Colorado pitchers in a three-game set in franchise history. How bad did it get for Colorado at the end of the series? Down 12-1 entering the ninth inning on Wednesday, the Rockies put catcher Austin Nola on the mound for his first-ever pitching appearance. He was nothing like his younger brother, Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola, as he promptly gave up four consecutive doubles, including RBI shots from Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as part of eight hits and eight runs posted by the Blue Jays against him. "It hurts when you get beat that bad for three games," Nola said. "We can compete with anybody. I know we can. We're all Major League players, so it definitely hurts. We're going to have to flush this one and get back out there on Friday in Arizona and have a new competitive attitude." All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
NFL Hall of Famer reveals why he chose to join Deion Sanders' Colorado coaching staff
Marshall Faulk is Colorado's new running backs coach, and the Buffaloes could not ask for someone with better experience for the job. That's, of course, because this is Faulk's first coaching gig. As a player, though, there were few better than the Pro Football Hall of Famer. In 12 seasons in the NFL, he rushed 2,836 times for 12,279 yards and 100 total touchdowns. He was a league MVP, a seven-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champ. Faulk was the real deal, and now he has a chance to pass his experiences on to the running backs at Colorado. For him, it's more than just the opportunity to coach football, though. He gets to coach under Deion Sanders, whom he views as a major difference-maker for the game of football. "You guys know him in a different way than I know him," Faulk said in a recent media availability (h/t On3). "We’ve been friends for many years. We worked together in television. We always talk just about the game and probably more about kids coming up in the game. How do you affect and make sure they come into the game the right way? He’s one of those way makers. When you pay attention to kids that’s gonna leave this program and go to the next level, they’re gonna do it in a certain way and you’re gonna say, 'Wow, they were coached by a guy who understands how to get it done.' I identify with that." Colorado can certainly use Faulk's expertise heading into 2025. There are several players battling for the starting role after Isaiah Augustave transferred to South Carolina. Even then, he was Colorado's leading rusher last season while rushing for just 384 yards and four touchdowns, so it's not like the Buffs have a big gap that they're trying to replace. Dekalon Taylor transferred in from Incarnate Word, where he rushed for 909 yards and nine touchdowns last season, so he'll be a player to watch. Dallan Hayden, Micah Welch, Simeon Price and Charlie Offerdahl are also names to know. Faulk will have his work cut out for him, but he seems excited to make a difference both on and off the field for these young Buffaloes. "So coming here not just to win games on the field, but to win the game off the field, which is to make sure that these young men in life become what they want to become outside of football. They become the father that they want to be, the brother, the husband. Making sure that they do that, that’s the important part. That was attractive," he said.
Oilers' new signing ranked among NHL's worst contracts
Despite boasting a core of elite contracts that include Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, the Edmonton Oilers saw their overall contract value rankings take a hit in a recent article by The Athletic. Dom Luszczyszyn looks at every team and its contract situations each season. The Oilers ranked 8th overall, but that dropped them down the standings, largely due to the new eight-year, $3.9 million AAV deal handed to forward Trent Frederic. In a recent analysis evaluating NHL contract efficiency, Frederic’s deal earned a D-grade — one of the lowest marks handed out — alongside the much-maligned Darnell Nurse contract. He was signed to the new deal this offseason after arriving to the Oilers via a trade at the deadline. Injured, but in the lineup for the playoffs, he wasn’t exactly the most effective forward. The Oilers believe he has a lot more to give and GM Stan Bowman bet on the forward. Frederic’s extension, which carries a modest annual cap hit but stretches through 2033, is projected to offer just a +20.1% positive value while delivering a -$15.2 million total surplus over its duration. Frederic’s ranking is particularly glaring when placed next to the six A-grade contracts on the Oilers’ books. No other forward has a grade lower than a C. The team also has four different A-grades, an A for McDavid and an A+ for Draisaitl. Combined with team-friendly deals for stars like McDavid and Draisaitl, Edmonton remains one of the league’s most efficient teams in terms of contract value. Will the Oilers shed either of these bad contracts? According to this ranking, Frederic and Nurse deals are two glaring liabilities. Don’t expect the Oilers to move off either contract anytime soon. Bowman said of the Frederic deal: “…he’s a very unique player with the skillset that he has. He’s a big guy, he’s a physical player, he’s not afraid. He’s got that intimidation factor where he’ll go to the other team’s bench and challenge anybody, like stop messing around with our group. That’s something that I find, you either have that or you don’t. … And he’s scored, you know, he scored what, 18 goals twice in a row at a fairly young, younger age. So I think he’s got the game in him. And I think when you add all that up, it comes down to he’s a very unique player. It’s not like if we passed on Frederic, we’ll just go get so-and-so, who’s maybe a little different, but the same type of player. Not a lot of guys like that out there. They just aren’t anymore.” As for Nurse, there was talk that the Oilers approached him and others about their no-move clauses, and Nurse declined to waive his. The hope is that he elevates his game, and with the rising salary cap, his deal doesn’t look like such an albatross. With several key contracts set to expire soon — including McDavid’s — and questions lingering around term for others, the Oilers need to be cautious with long-term commitments. As it stands, the Frederic deal is a warning sign that not every extension is created equal, even on a Cup-contending roster.
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