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Tyler Reddick delivers gutsy performance at Darlington to win NASCAR regular-season championship
As if racing at the famed Darlington Raceway wasn't tough enough, Tyler Reddick had another factor potentially blocking his path to the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship on Sunday evening.
A stomach bug plagued the 28-year-old throughout the Southern 500, but despite the adverse conditions inside the No. 45 Toyota Camry, Reddick forged on to a 10th-place finish.
If a top-10 effort at NASCAR's toughest track didn't settle Reddick's stomach, the shine of the regular-season championship trophy might. Reddick won the regular-season title by just one point over Kyle Larson, who entered Sunday's race 17 points behind Reddick in second place.
Reddick's health wasn't too bad when the green flag flew, but as Stage 1 progressed, his condition seemed to worsen inside a car reaching temperatures of over 120 degrees.
Tyler Reddick asks the team if he can get some plain crackers or bread during his next pit stop.
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) September 1, 2024
The less-than-favorable circumstances didn't faze Reddick's on-track performance, however, as the No. 45 seemed to get better as the stage went on. A fourth-place finish in Stage One gave Reddick seven valuable stage points, all of which were the difference in the No. 45 winning the regular-season title.
Reddick told to drink all of the fluid (with medicine) he was given.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 1, 2024
Stage 2 saw Reddick earn three more stage points, and while the handling on the No. 45 car slipped in Stage 3, four fresh tires with 21 laps to go gave Reddick some life, as he drove his way into the top 10.
While Chase Briscoe and Kyle Busch battled for the win, Reddick quietly brought home the No. 45 Camry in 10th place, putting forth a strong enough effort to win the regular-season championship and earn the 15 valuable playoff points that come with it.
After an incredible summer stretch, Reddick should absolutely be considered a championship threat. The No. 45 team should be all smiles after Darlington — save for the interior mechanic, who has a rough week at work awaiting him.
More must-reads:
- Chase Briscoe wins his way into NASCAR playoffs as Wallace, Busch, Buescher fall short
- Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing, Bubba Wallace come up short of NASCAR playoff berth at Darlington
- The 'NASCAR All-Star race winners' quiz
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William Byron wins Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway in fuel-mileage masterclass
William Byron has had his heart broken plenty of times during the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. That wasn't the case on Sunday. Despite running on fumes and his competitors taking chunks of his lead, Byron held on to score the win in Sunday's Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway, even though he had to hold the lead and save gas over the race's final green-flag run. After fuel-mileage heartbreakers at Michigan and Indianapolis, the win was a welcome sight for the No. 24 team. "How about that for some fuel mileage?" Byron told USA Network. The win is Byron's second of 2025, his first at Iowa and the 15th of his Cup Series career. Neither polesitter Chase Briscoe, nor Stage 1 and 2 winner Brad Keselowski, nor defending Iowa winner Ryan Blaney could track down Byron in the closing laps, despite being able to push their cars to the limit. Briscoe, Keselowski, Blaney and Ryan Preece rounded out the top five, with Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman, Carson Hocevar, Joey Logano and Austin Dillon completing the top 10. Other notable finishers included Austin Cindric in 12th, Josh Berry in 13th, John Hunter Nemechek in 15th, Kyle Busch in 20th and Kyle Larson in 28th. Both Wallace and Berry mounted charges over the final green-flag run of the race after being mired deep in the pack before the Lap 287 restart. Sunday's race featured 12 caution flags, 10 of which were for cause. All 37 cars finished the race, with Joey Gase bringing up the rear of the field in 37th, 10 laps down. Byron will leave Iowa as the Cup Series points leader by 18 points over Chase Elliott, who finished 14th on Sunday. Chris Buescher holds the 16th and final provisional playoff spot by 23 points over Preece with three races remaining in the regular season. The 24th race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season will take place at Watkins Glen on Aug. 10, with coverage beginning at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Maple Leafs Linked to 20-Goal Talent in Potential Roster Shake-Up
With Mitch Marner leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason, the team has been searching for different ways to replace his production. Marner was a central piece to the offensive side of things for Toronto, and the Maple Leafs front office has been active. Toronto is looking to get over the hump in the Eastern Conference, and building a more well-rounded roster could be the key. The Maple Leafs have multiple options to improve the team, and the possibility of a late offseason move is in play. One name that has gained some traction for the Maple Leafs is forward Jack Roslovic. According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, there are multiple teams still looking at Roslovic, including the Maple Leafs. Toronto has been trying to move money around to make it possible to outright sign Roslovic. The Maple Leafs are lacking cap space, but it seems that Roslovic could be a solid addition to bolster the roster. Roslovic is coming off a very successful season with the Carolina Hurricanes, which saw him score 22 goals and 17 assists. The forward remains one of the better free agents still left on the open market, and he could help fill the void left by Marner's leaving. Toronto has been active this offseason, bringing in Nicolas Roy and Matias Maccelli to help things. But Roslovic could be used as a third-line scoring option, helping to make the Maple Leafs more formidable across the roster. This could be a move to help get the Maple Leafs to take that next step toward true title contention. The front office has a lot of pressure on it to succeed, and this could be one way to help win more games on the ice.
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh 'hopeful' deal is done with Keenan Allen after workout
The Los Angeles Chargers fanbase has been anxiously awaiting a potential deal with a fan favorite in former Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen. While nothing has yet to be announced officially, it feels that a reunion between the Chargers and Allen will be inevitable. Head coach Jim Harbaugh spoke to the media about Allen's recent workout, and the comments should make anyone happy who is hoping for this reunion. Harbaugh said the veteran receiver was doing "Keenan Allen things" during his workout, and the hope is that the team can get a deal done with Allen soon. Allen spent the first 11 years of his career with the Chargers. In that time, Allen earned six Pro Bowl selections and became one of the most popular players in franchise history. The Chargers attempted another reunion this offseason with receiver Mike Williams; however, Williams decided that it was time to move on from football, announcing his shocking retirement. The team has been looking for veteran leadership at wide receiver and may have found just that with someone who will be a future Chargers hall of famer. Adding Allen could be huge for players like Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who could learn from a talented veteran.
Jordan Love’s surprising anecdote about Aaron Rodgers changes what everyone assumed
When Jordan Love was drafted by the Green Bay Packers, the media immediately made his relationship with Aaron Rodgers a rivalry. In a recent post on the Players’ Tribune, Jordan Love finally addressed the noise. Many were stunned by the Green Bay Packers’ decision to draft Jordan Love in 2020. It was the first round. Aaron Rodgers had just thrown for over 4,000 yards, and there was no indication that he was going to be hanging up his cleats anytime soon. The Packers made a move out of left field, selecting the developmental quarterback out of Utah State with the 26th pick in the first round. Jordan Love was immediately engulfed in a media circus with a legendary quarterback he hadn’t even met yet. The media wanted Rodgers and Love to be rivals, but a recent post from the heir himself denies the claim There are endless rumors in the media about Aaron Rodgers being a bad teammate. Some will claim that where there’s smoke, there’s fire, while others will deny the claim. Many have come to Rodgers’ defense against that claim, with stories of his leadership and support for his teammates. New York Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson told one of those stories, explaining that the veteran QB helped him fly across the country when he needed surgery on his Achilles. In Green Bay, whispers of Rodgers refusing to support Jordan Love were everywhere. Now, five years into his career in the NFL, and with two years as a starter under his belt, Love took the time to show his appreciation for the veteran. In his post on the Player’s Tribune, Love recalled the night he was drafted. He said the Packers called and explained to him that they would be moving up to the 26th pick in order to select him. He was stunned and before he could take a breath, every question he was asked was about Aaron Rodgers. Love said: “before me and Aaron could even talk, the narrative was rolling. And it’s so crazy to me, because from the jump, Aaron was great with me. He laid out how he was in my same situation, and that he wanted to make sure there was no hostility. I told him I just wanted to learn and soak it all in.” Love had no problem being QB2. He said it was the ideal scenario. He was just 21 years old and coming into the league with a lot to learn. Behind Aaron, he was afforded the time that many rookie quarterbacks are not, often thrust into the starting lineup in Week 1 of their very first season. He had to learn how to handle adversity, the media, and command a locker room. He explained: “I got to watch Aaron and how he handled those situations, and that was invaluable.” Jordan Love barely played for the first three seasons of his career. Today, that’s extremely rare. Patrick Mahomes sat for one season before he started for the Kansas City Chiefs, and even that is considered an anomaly with the way the game moves on these days. Jordan Love, however, spent three years observing: “I also got to watch him spin that thing. There’s nothing like it. When him and Davante were out on that practice field, they wouldn’t miss. Literally. They had some kind of telepathic thing going on. Aaron would snap the ball, and he’d just glance over at Davante’s release, and within a split second, he knew where to put it — doot — back shoulder. Perfect. There was no check, no communication. Just a look.“ The Green Bay Packers quarterback revealed how much he learned from Rodgers. That in the league, the game is so much more than just playing, and that Rodgers was the master of manipulation. He closed the segment by saying that when he finally took over in 2023, his mom said: “Big shoes to fill. You going to be alright? You gotta play good, or they’ll get another quarterback.” So far, Jordan Love has done just fine, and 2025 could be a breakout year for the third-year starter. Jordan Love had front row seats for back-to-back MVPs, and one of the greatest duos in NFL history There are only two quarterback and wide receiver duos that have connected on more touchdowns than Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams. They are Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, and Steve Young and Jerry Rice. Elite company. Jordan Love got to watch that partnership at practice every day, and then see it come to life on the field on game day. Rodgers may have been supportive of Love as a young quarterback, but he was still determined to show the Packers, and the rest of the league, that he could still play at an elite level. In Love’s rookie season, Rodgers threw 48 touchdown passes and just five interceptions, while earning the league MVP in the process. The following season he won the award again. He was playing the best football of his career, and Love was right there on the sidelines watching every snap. That has to mean something. There has to be value in studying those reps, and then sitting down with the man himself to watch the tape and understand what he saw. Jordan Love is poised for a big year in 2025, and it’s a beautiful touch to pay homage to the mentor he felt so fortunate to have. Barring any unforeseen injuries, the two will face one another for what may be the first and only time in their careers. The Green Bay Packers will play the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road on October 26th, on Sunday Night Football.
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