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Before heading back to his day job in the NASCAR Cup Series, Kyle Larson mixed it up with the Outlaws at I-55 Speedway. Larson not only won the 30-lap feature on Friday night, he followed it up with his third Ironman victory in as many attempts.
Kyle Larson has won the 55-lap I-55 Ironman race three times now, 2020, 2023, and 2024. He tires Craig Dollansky for most wins all-time in the grueling Sprint Car race. In total at I-55, Larson has five career wins in seven starts. That’s pretty good I reckon.
While the Hendrick Motorsports driver didn’t have to come back from P21 in the weekend finale, he had to pass some cars. Larson qualified P12 for the event and by Lap 44, he was passing Giovanni Scelzi for the lead, and he never looked back.
Between the two races, Larson passed 31 cars and took home $37,000 for 85 laps of work. Not a bad weekend at the track.
This guy passed 31 Sprint Cars in 85 laps for $37,000 at @I55Raceway this weekend.
— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) August 4, 2024
Not a bad two nights for @KyleLarsonRacinpic.twitter.com/jrAgcV13Yd
“I was just fortunate enough to get a good initial start and kind of be the first one to the top to get to fifth,” Larson said, via World of Outlaws. “I was really struggling there before the open red, so that was nice to be able to get Paul (Silva) to turn some wrenches on this thing and get me freed up. That really allowed me to kind of get through the waves in (Turn) 1 and get through the middle and get pointed off of (Turn) 2 much better.
“That was a fun race. I hope all of you fans enjoyed that. Ironman 55 is probably my favorite Sprint Car race of the year. It’s tough, long. I really enjoy these long races. Cool to three-peat this.”
With the Olympic break taking place after Indianapolis, Kyle Larson took his family to Italy. He must have been itching to race again, because he put on a show Friday and Saturday.
Going from P21 to P1 in a 30-lap sprint car race is a wild feat. Even if he had finished P2 it would have been a race worthy of praise. Then to follow it up, he passed 11 more cars and won the 55-lap ain’t event.
While NASCAR took a break, Larson kept racing. He did head out to Italy for a little bit with the family. But everyone knew Larson would be back to racing sooner rather than later.
Getting his chance to race on dirt and shake off the competitive rust is massive. Kyle Larson leads the points race in the Cup Series right now. However, it’s a narrow lead of 10 points over Chase Elliott and 15 points over Tyler Reddick.
This time next week we will thankfully have NASCAR racing back in action.
More must-reads:
- NASCAR makes decision on victory celebrations after Connor Zilisch fall
- Former NASCAR official sheds light on investigation, decisions during infamous 2013 'Spingate' scandal
- The '2023 NFL AP second-team All-Pro' quiz
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Short-lived Memphis-Arkansas Speedway was a tragic piece of NASCAR history
In a time well before NASCAR’s period of westward expansion saw a plethora of 1.5-mile tracks be built across the United States, the Memphis-Arkansas Speedway in Crittenden County, Arkansas was an oddity. The track was a high-speed, mile-and-a-half dirt track that featured some of the highest speeds on the NASCAR calendar in its time. Perhaps the most normal aspect of the track was the fact that, like many tracks of the time, it was built in the middle of nowhere. The track sat in Lehi, Arkansas — hardly a hotbed for anything, much less big-league stock car racing. Nevertheless, track owners Nat Epstein, Clarence Camp and Harold Woolridge somehow drew Bill France and 28 NASCAR Cup Series entries to northeastern Arkansas for the first time in October 1954 for the inaugural Mid-South 250. For a period of the sport’s history that featured some of the best stock-car driver to ever compete, the entry list for the track’s first race was relatively sparse in terms of star power. Three-time Cup champion and 1959 Daytona 500 winner Lee Petty led 150 of 167 laps in the first race at the new venue, but an axle issue relegated him to a third-place effort and gave Buck Baker the win. The second race at the track in 1955 showcased the appeal of racing on the high-speed, high-banked dirt track. Fonty Flock led 88 laps and won the race with an average speed of 89.982 miles per hour, a solid pace for the time. A reported crowd of 15,000 was on hand to witness the race. It was in 1956 that the track became infamous. A pair of fatalities among drivers Thomas ‘Cotton’ Priddy, 27, and Clint McHugh, 28, during the 1956 Mid-South 250 weekend solidified its place in NASCAR lore. McHugh’s accident occurred in qualifying on June 9. In his first attempt at qualifying for a Grand National Race, McHugh’s Oldsmobile flipped over a guardrail in Turn 3 and tumbled into a lake. While he was pulled back to land by fans, McHugh died at an area hospital from his injuries. During the race itself on June 10, Priddy was thrown from his vehicle on Lap 39 after contact with another car. Unlike McHugh, Priddy died instantly. “I knew what it was going to be like to be married to Thomas,” Priddy’s widow told the Louisville, Ky. Courier-Journal on June 11, 1956. “I went into the constant worry and pain with my eyes wide open, but I never told him to stop (racing). I expected him to be killed.” At that point, the writing was on the wall for the Memphis-Arkansas Speedway. Epstein, Woolridge and Camp knew that if the track was going to continue to attract NASCAR races in the coming years, it would have to be paved. The problem? Even in 1957, paving a 1.5-mile superspeedway cost $100K, an impossible sum of money for the track’s owners. Land such as that taken up by the speedway is a hot commodity in the Delta region. A farmer purchased the property in 1958 and flooded the infield in an effort to grow catfish. Eventually, the track that once served as a ring for NASCAR’s early gladiators was leveled and used as farmland for soybeans and rice. In a way, the Memphis-Arkansas Speedway encapsulated the unintended arrogance with which many tracks and sanctioning bodies in the early years of professional racing conducted themselves. A track that was once a fascinating venue quickly turned into the site of two incredibly tragic deaths and, after less than five years of racing, was both literally and figuratively leveled.
Patriots have big Drake Maye concern surface at Vikings' joint practice
Defense ruled the day during the joint practice between the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings. Per Chad Graff of The Athletic, the Patriots defense did a masterful job of disrupting Vikings second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy at Wednesday's practice. However, New England's offensive line was unable to allow Drake Maye to have enough time to finish plays. "Even with four new expected starters up front following last year’s debacle, Wednesday suggested that there will likely be some bumps ahead for this offensive line," Graff wrote. "Sure, going up against the Vikings was always going to be a difficult task. Greenard has been wrecking his own team’s practices in training camp, and everyone in New England knows how good Flores’ scheme can be. But the domination was so thorough by the Vikings’ front seven that three straight plays at one point would’ve resulted in a sack." Maye showed flashes of promise when he had time to throw downfield or was able to use his legs to buy time or scramble when pressure came. The concern is that the offensive line won't allow Maye enough time to even scramble, so he can make throws. Graff has noticed the same issues that happened on Wednesday have been a constant at training camp against the Patriots defense. With a new-look offensive line that includes first-round pick Will Campbell at left tackle, the Patriots are expected to have some bumps at training camp and in September. New England's offense probably won't look great out of the gate while the offensive line develops in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' scheme. If and when the offensive line improves, Maye will have a chance to show off the arm that made him the No. 3 pick in 2024. For now, the offensive line is a concern much like it was last season.
Commanders have major hang-up preventing them from paying Terry McLaurin what he's due
It’s been two weeks since Washington Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin publicly revealed his trade request, and a resolution doesn’t appear to be in sight. Thanks to ESPN’s John Keim, we’re starting to get more insight into how the Commanders are approaching negotiations…and how they run counter to their star wide receiver’s financial desires. As we’ve assumed all along, the Commanders are wary of giving McLaurin a lucrative contract that would extend well into the player’s 30s. As Keim notes, the Commanders “rely heavily on analytics,” and those numbers aren’t particularly kind to receivers on the wrong side of 30. They may be onto something. Per ESPN Research, over the past five years, only three receivers 31 years or older have played at least 10 games and averaged 70-plus receiving yards per game (that number jumps to six players if you adjust for 60-plus receiving yards). Further, the team can simply point to the NFL landscape, as other teams are also clearly wary of paying aging wideouts. Among the 24 active wide receivers who are attached to the most guaranteed money, only Tyreek Hill was older than 30 when the deal was signed. McLaurin has continually pointed to his lack of mileage despite his age; he barely played during his first two years at Ohio State, meaning he may not have the same wear and tear as similar players his age. McLaurin is also naturally pointing to the stat sheet, as the receiver has continually produced despite uncertain QB play, uncertain ownership and a handful of different coaching staffs. Per Keim, the Commanders don’t want to pay McLaurin based on his past performance, with the front office preferring to shape any future contracts based on his projections for age-31-plus seasons. The organization also doesn’t want to set a new precedent by paying McLaurin, as it could convince future veterans to push for lucrative deals in their 30s. While McLaurin has taken the drastic measure of requesting a trade out of Washington, the organization is still convinced they have leverage in this showdown. After all, the player is still under contract for the 2025 campaign, meaning McLaurin will have to forfeit game checks if he sits out games. The team could even choose to slap him with the franchise tag next offseason (which could come in north of $30M), meaning they’re in full control of the player’s fate moving forward. The team is also skeptical that another suitor is going to willingly pay McLaurin the type of money he’s seeking. Per Keim, there’s doubts around the league about whether another team would be willing to meet the receiver’s demands. Even if a clear suitor does emerge, Keim makes it clear that Washington’s front office won’t give the star away without receiving a haul. We heard recently that McLaurin wasn’t necessarily seeking a deal that matched fellow 2019 draftee D.K. Metcalf‘s deal with the Steelers. However, Keim says Metcalf’s contract has generally served as a guide for McLaurin, but it’s uncertain whether the Commanders wideout is looking to match the AAV ($33M) or total guarantees ($60M). Ultimately, one source believes the Commanders may agree to pay McLaurin a contract that will pay $28M per year. Of course, it’s uncertain if the player would even accept that offer. If that hypothetical maximum offer doesn’t end in a signing, a divorce may be the logical next step.
Giants force Jets' Justin Fields into familiar problem at joint practice
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields was a little more accurate on Wednesday than he was in his "alarming" performance during joint practice with the New York Giants on Tuesday. Still, the fifth-year quarterback had a familiar issue pop up. Per Dan Duggan and Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic, Fields took several sacks against a Giants defense that brought the house on a shaky Jets offensive line. Via The Athletic: "On the other field, the Giants defensive front carried over its domination from Tuesday, giving Jets quarterback Justin Fields and his offensive line plenty of problems. Camp stats are subjective, especially when it comes to sacks, but the Giants appeared to get to Fields for four sacks. "Similar to Tuesday, there were moments when it was hard to tell exactly who was causing problems as the Giants sent multiple bodies in the backfield. Fields, who went 7-of-11 on the day, had a few overthrows on plays that likely were sacks." Fields did have a couple of long runs on a Giants defense that struggled against the rush in 2024. While Fields has a unique ability to add to the running game, the Jets need the 2021 first-round pick to push the ball down the field in the passing game. Fields has always had a problem with being indecisive in the pocket, leading to his taking too many sacks since entering the league. He led the league with 55 sacks in 2022 and has taken 151 in his four-year career. The Ohio State product took 16 sacks during his six starts with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. In camp, Fields doesn't have to worry about taking body blows from sacks that lead to injuries. That will happen in the regular season if he plays how he practiced on Wednesday.
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