In one of the most celebrated days on the racing calendar, 34 cars took to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday for the first day of qualifying for the May 25 Indianapolis 500.
Reigning NASCAR Cup Series championship points leader Kyle Larson turned in a solid performance with a pair of four-lap qualifying attempts earning him the 21st starting position on the 33-car grid with a four-lap average of 231.326 mph.
While that showing doesn't advance Larson's No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet into Sunday's Top 12 qualifying session to determine the polesitter and the first four rows of the race, it does ensure the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion will have a chance at making history for the second consecutive year.
A week from Sunday, the 32-year-old Californian will compete in the Indianapolis 500 then fly immediately to Charlotte Motor Speedway where he will race in the NASCAR Cup Series' Coca-Cola 600 -- only the fifth driver ever to run racing's celebrated Memorial Day "Double."
The late John Andretti, Robby Gordon, three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and former series champ Kurt Busch join Larson on that short list. Stewart's 2001 finishes of sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte were best among them all.
Larson and his Arrow McLaren team have certainly put in the work toward success this week. He spun out and had contact with the wall during "Fast Friday" practice in anticipation of qualifying. Larson was OK physically and the team was able to make repairs to his car in time for him to return to track as the session ended for a shake-down.
He went out early in Saturday's day-long qualifying session, but it was his second attempt mid-afternoon that boosted his position and safely secured his presence on the grid. He went from 27th in speed on his first qualifying run to 16th best with three hours remaining in opening day qualifying -- ultimately that speed bettered in the remaining time by five cars.
"We're P21 so we're in the race," said a smiling Larson, who started fifth in last year's Indy 500. "After the first run, I was a little nervous we'd be one of the guys battling for the final spots. Obviously, we would have loved to have been in the Fast 12 again but, overall, a good day; we got two runs in.
"It was fairly comfortable, just slightly less comfortable than what I felt last year in qualifying. I just got a little bit of a free moment into (Turn) 2 on the last lap, but other than that I felt pretty balanced. I was happy with that. Obviously, with the balance it comes with a little bit lack of speed, but I didn't crash and that was a plus."
Larson, who now heads back to North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway for Sunday night's NASCAR All-Star Race in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, certainly didn't seem overly concerned with this seventh-row position on the grid for this year's 500.
"I'm sure it will be a bit crazy as the race typically is back there," he said. "I had a bad restart early last year and fell back to near that position and we were able to fight our way back forward. Just execute some good laps and hopefully we'll have a good result."
Reigning championship leader Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou -- who ran the fastest single lap of the week -- set the fastest four-lap average speed of the opening day of qualifying a mark of 233.043 mph in the No. 10 CGR Honda. The effort was only a slight tick better than Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin (233.013 mph), last year's Indy 500 polesitter.
Also advancing to second round of qualifying were two-time defending Indy 500 winner, McLaughlin's Penske teammate Josef Newgarden; Larson's Arrow McLaren teammate Pato O'Ward; and the 2008 race-winner, CGR's Scott Dixon. Prema Racing's Robert Shwartzman was sixth-fastest on the day and is the only rookie to advance to the Round of 12.
Meyer Shank Racing's Felix Rosenqvist; two-time Indy winner, Rahal Letterman Lanigan's Takuma Sato; and A.J. Foyt Racing's David Malukas also advanced with a pair of former Indy 500 winners in Penske's Will Power and Andretti's Marcus Ericsson along with Arrow McLaren's Christian Lundgaard rounding out the top-12.
These dozen drivers will run again Sunday with the top six advancing to Firestone Fast Six to determine the most famous pole position of the season.
The importance of the achievement was evident in qualifying. The action started nearly immediately Saturday with Meyer Shank Racing's Marcus Armstrong in a big crash during the morning practice followed shortly by another incident involving a perennial championship contender Andretti Global's Colton Herta, who hit the wall and flipped his car during an early qualifying attempt.
Both teams were able to make repairs throughout the day, and Armstrong and Herta each made qualifying attempts in the closing hour.
Herta, a former front-row Indy 500 starter, rallied to a 29th-place qualifying effort with a remarkable run -- ironically bumping his teammate, former Indy 500 polesitter Marco Andretti, into the Last Chance Qualifier on Sunday.
Four cars -- Andretti, Armstrong, Rinus Veekay and Jacob Abel -- will vie for the final three positions on the last row of the grid at 5:15 p.m. ET.
Sunday's Top 12 qualifying and Last Chance Qualifying will be broadcast on FOX Sports (4-6 p.m. ET).
--Holy Cain, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media
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NBA teams won't assemble for training camp until September, but some players may not be on those teams for long. Here are six NBA players likely to get traded in the upcoming season. 1. Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz Some NBA teams go all-in. The Utah Jazz have gone all-out, ditching veterans Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson and John Collins this summer. Their lone remaining high-priced player is Lauri Markkanen, a 2023 All-Star who has four years and $196M left on his contract. He had a down year in 2024-25, playing just 47 games and dropping to 19 points per game, but the Jazz were also holding Markkanen out so much that they got fined. Markkanen's shooting would fit on nearly any NBA team, and he's still only 28 years old. The Jazz have amassed a lot of future draft picks, but many of them aren't great — pick swaps with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves, and a 2027 Los Angeles Lakers first-rounder. Trading their Finnish superstar could get them a huge return, especially if NBA teams are seeing him dominate in EuroBasket exhibition games. 2. Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors It seems like a foregone conclusion that Jonathan Kuminga will resign with the Golden State Warriors and equally inevitable that the Warriors will then try to trade their 22-year-old forward. The only holdup is that the restricted free agent and his team can't agree on a new contract. The Warriors need to get something back for their former lottery pick, but they also need to preserve his salary slot. Kuminga and his agent couldn't work out a sign-and-trade this summer, but once free agents who signed this summer can be traded Dec. 15, far more trade options will open up. Kuminga doesn't want to be on the Warriors. The Warriors don't want to guarantee him playing time. The breakup looks like it's coming. 3. Anfernee Simons, Boston Celtics In a year where the Boston Celtics have dramatically slashed their payroll in Jayson Tatum's absence, they have a huge incentive to deal Anfernee Simons, the guard acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers in the Jrue Holiday trade. Getting rid of Simons gets them under the luxury tax, which is worth tens of millions of dollars, while also keeping the Celtics out of penalties for repeatedly being a tax team. It all depends on whether the Celtics will settle for the financial savings or hold out to get assets back for the impending free agent. But Simons is almost certainly headed somewhere. 4. P.J. Washington, Dallas Mavericks P.J. Washington was a huge part of the Dallas Mavericks' run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Unfortunately, he plays the same position as the guy the Mavericks just took with the No. 1 pick in the draft, Cooper Flagg. The Mavericks also have Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and the newly-extended Daniel Gafford. Washington and his expiring contract are now expendable. 5. CJ McCollum/Khris Middleton, Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards took on McCollum and Middleton in trades in the past year, moves that were primarily made to shed the long-term salaries of Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma. But even though those players were both born in 1991, they should still be able to contribute to winning teams in 2025-26. The Wizards may value their veteran leadership, but they also have a roster full of recent draft picks who need playing time — and you can never have too many future draft picks.
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.
The New York Yankees won their first series of August in a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins from Monday to Wednesday, but they're still in trouble. They're only one game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final AL Wild Card spot with six weeks left in the regular season. The Yankees beat the Twins 6-2 on Monday and 9-1 on Tuesday before losing 4-1 on Wednesday, but Tuesday's victory came at a price. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt left early and didn't play on Wednesday, a night in which New York especially needed his bat. The Yankees released an update on Goldschmidt after Wednesday night's game, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. The 37-year-old has a low-grade knee sprain with inflammation. He's slashing .276/.331/.422 with 10 homers and 40 RBI over 112 games. Fellow first baseman Ben Rice went 1-for-4 in Goldshmidt's stead on Wednesday. The 26-year-old is slashing .233/.326/.456 with 17 homers and 38 RBI over 101 contests. Paul Goldschmidt comments on injury Goldschmidt said that he hopes he can avoid the IL with a "short-term" absence, via Hoch. While Rice is a high-upside player in his second year, the seven-time All-Star is still a more dependable contact hitter at this point. Goldschmidt is third on the squad with 110 hits, although his younger counterpart's OPS is 30 points higher. The Yankees need the veteran back as soon as possible to help them maintain their Wild Card spot. His presence allows Rice to play catcher, which is optimal given Austin Wells's struggles. The 26-year-old is slashing just .206/.264/.408 with 15 homers and 56 RBI over 94 games. Up next for New York is a road series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Goldschmidt's former team.
A previous report suggested that the Cleveland Browns want to start 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel at quarterback for this coming Saturday's preseason game at the Philadelphia Eagles over 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders as long as Gabriel is healthy enough to play at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. While speaking with reporters ahead of Wednesday's joint practice involving the clubs, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Gabriel began the day on track to start Saturday's contest. "The plan was always to give both of those guys a start in the preseason, so we’ll see how it shakes out," Stefanski explained, as shared by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. Neither Gabriel nor backup Kenny Pickett played in Cleveland's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Friday as they continued to recover from lingering hamstring injuries. Sanders received the bulk of the meaningful reps in that game and completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-10 win over Carolina. While Gabriel is doing 11-on-11 work during joint practices this week, Pickett remained relegated to 7-on-7 drills as of Wednesday. That said, FanDuel Sportsbook continued to list 40-year-old Joe Flacco as the betting favorite at -310 odds to be the Browns' starting quarterback for their Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals as of Wednesday. Pickett was at +360 odds, followed by Sanders at +1060. Gabriel was a +1800 underdog to get the nod for the Cincinnati matchup at that time. Gabriel began Wednesday as the Browns' unofficial QB3 ahead of Sanders. Meanwhile, Sanders did not get any reps in the opening few periods of the Browns' joint practice with the Eagles on Wednesday morning after suffering an oblique injury. Earlier in the month, the former Colorado star missed some practice time due to arm soreness. Per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Stefanski added that he wants "to get through" Thursday before he finalizes his plans for the Philadelphia game. Unless Gabriel experiences a setback ahead of the weekend, it seems he will receive an opportunity to silence critics while serving as Cleveland's temporary QB1 against the Eagles.