Las Vegas, NV – What a great day it was for Stewart-Haas Racing driver Riley Herbst as he dominated most of the race here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the Alsco Uniforms 320 Xfinity playoff race. With much excitement and still in shock, Herbst thanks his entire Monster Energy team for believing in him and giving him a chance. Being in his hometown, he had about 60 family and friends trackside with him to see his victory.

“Oh my goodness, you don’t even know what this means, what this takes off my chest,” Herbst said. “I can’t believe it. I love you, Las Vegas.” Again, he is in disbelief when he says “Oh my goodness, I love this town and I love this team,” Herbst continuously kept thanking the people – family, team owners, and corporate sponsors – who had stuck by him as he made his way up the ranks.

A week prior to the Alsco Uniforms 302 race here in Las Vegas, Herbst announced that he would return to Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2024 season.

There were rumblings that he could potentially move up to Cup, but he doesn’t want to move up before winning in Xfinity. He has had 23 top-five finishes along with three runner-up finishes but still didn’t have a win.

Herbst had a great run and won stage 2 and the race as he led 103 of 201 laps. By doing this he has beaten the Xfinity Series championship leader John Hunter Nemechek by nearly 15 seconds. What’s even more special about this win is this is his first career win and the 100th for SHR across all NASCAR series.

After not making it into the playoffs, he had doubt set in mentally. Herbst stated in his post-race interview, “This year is such a failure to not make the playoffs and it’s so embarrassing to be in a car like this that doesn’t make the playoffs, and walk in the garage each week with your head down.”

Although he is not in the playoffs, he still drove like he was. After qualifiers on Friday, he started the race in 8th position in his Ford. Herbst admitted no one would have predicted him as the driver to win for the team.

Herbst was emotional after he grabbed the checkered flag at the end of the race. He then showed more emotion when he drove the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford car into victory lane after hugging his mom. He was smiling and then started to tear up.

During the post-race interview, he was asked by Crystal Carrington with Racing Refresh about the emotions he was feeling and any conversation with his mother in victory lane, He stated that “when you are in your darkest days, there’s nobody around you besides your mom. That’s her job, and she’s the best at it.” He also stated “It’s making me emotional again just thinking about everything” and you could hear his voice trimmer.

He then goes on to say “There’s many times when you just don’t know, and she’s the only one there to pick you up. I wouldn’t be here without her.”

Then Herbst boasted and showed excitement that his team “just beat everybody in the playoffs, trying to go to Phoenix – they all brought their best stuff, and we whooped ‘em by about 10 seconds…I just flat-out beat them!” He was advised that it was actually 15 seconds and he gazed with even more excitement. SHR Ford finished first and Herbst teammate Cole Custer finished third.

The Chevrolets rounded up many spots in the top 10 with Chandler Smith being fourth and others included Sam Mayer, Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, Brandon Jones, Daniel Hemric, and Layne Riggs.

Stage Results:

Stage 1: Custer swarmed past Chandler Smith with 10 of 45 laps remaining to take the Stage 1 win. Sammy Smith was third, Hemric fourth and Hill fifth.
Nemechek showing his great driving abilities started from the rear of the field and made his way to sixth.

Stage 2: belonged to Herbst as he ran down his teammate in the final 45 laps of this stage to earn the stage win. This was only his second career stage victory. With a couple of cautions in this stage, once being No. 26 Kaz Grala’s engine blew and spewed fluid over the track. This brought out the red flag for nearly nine minutes in order to clean the track.

Stage 3:
This last stage is actually anyone’s race. This is when the drivers and pit crew have to play it smart. During the final round of green flag pits for new tires and fuel, Herbst was first off followed by Custer and Nemecheck.

The 2021 Xfinity champion Daniel Hemric and Richard Childress Racing driver Sheldon Creed were among the first of the lead-lap cars to hit pit road.

Herbst took a 4-second lead over Custer around lap 125. One of the playoff drivers – Sammy Smith had to make a second pit stop for a loose wheel.

Unfortunately, this was the second time he had a loose wheel during this race. But Herbst demanded his respect during this race. His lead time grew wider and wider with more than 11 seconds at lap 170 over Nemecheck.

With two races remaining in the semifinal round of the playoffs, the four drivers lowest in points without a win and in danger of elimination are Sheldon Creed, Sammy Smith, Mayer, and Chandler Smith, who is 15 points behind the cutline.

https://www.nbcsports.com/watch/nascar/herbst-wins-at-las-vegas-for-firstxfinity-victory

The series moves to the 1.5-mile oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway for next Saturday’s Contender Boats 300 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

By Yulanda Gilliam - March 5, 2023  

Las Vegas, NV—What a great day for Hendrick Motor Sports at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube. Their driver, William Byron, car 24 won 176 laps and won the race today. He has had good luck at LVMS but today was a different feeling for him and the HMS team. Not only did Byron win the race, he also won stages 1 and 2. That’s really huge. This is the third time HMS has taken first, second, and third spots in a race.

Although the team represented well today, they was still missing an important part of their team. The driver of the No. 9 car, Chase Elliott missed the cup series race due to a leg injury he suffered  from a snowboarding accident on Friday. He will be out for an undetermined amount of time as he recovers from surgery that he underwent on Friday night. Josh Berry, who is not familiar with the next gen car took on the feat to qualifier and raced the No. 9 in place of Elliott during the cup series race this Sunday.  There is no word who will drive the car next week in Phoenix.

Many fans have voiced displeasure about Elliott snowboarding during race season as he is paid to drive. On the other hand, some race drivers, including No. 8 Kyle Busch feels differently. Busch stated in pre race interview “that the drivers are humans. We can’t be wrapped in bubble wrap”. Over the years, drivers such as Jimmy Johnson, Denny Hamlin, and Daniel Hemric have sustained injuries outside of the race car.

Joey Logano, car 22, was the pole winner after the qualifying race with a lap of 29.024 seconds and 186.053. This is his first pole in 2023 season, but unfortunately, it did not work well for Logano. He crashed his back end into the wall on lap 182 after car 6, Brad Keselowski and Logano made contact while fighting for position into the turn. He was able to drive the car to pit road, but was unable to fix the broken toe link within the allotted ten minutes given under the damaged vehicle policy.

Such a great race for car 23, Bubba Wallace.  He not only finished the race but he finished 4th today. This week was a better look for 23XI Racing Team as both Wallace and Tyler Reddick 2023 season was looking dim.  Neither driver finished the race in either Daytona Speedway or Auto Club Speedway. Wallace started out in the top 15 after the qualifying race on Saturday. He ran in the top 10 for most of the race hovering over position six. With the fourth caption and late race accident sent the race into a three lap overtime.

Wallace took a two-tire pit stop and pushed his way up to fourth position. He hasn’t had good luck in the past with a two-tire stop, but the decision from his crew chief Bootie Baker turned the tables for the tire decision. He was happy with todays win but feels they have a lot of stuff to work on.

Up next:

Phoenix Raceway, March 12th 3:30 PM EST

No. 5 UCLA Survives A Scare From Arizona State 74-62

By Matthew Chambers - January 19, 2023  

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Phoenix, AZ—-UCLA came out the gate a little lethargic but in the last five minutes of the game those energy drinks must have kicked in for the Bruins to take down Arizona State.

Tyger Campbell poured in 22 points and David Singleton chipped in 21 points as No. 5 UCLA downed Arizona State 74-62 at Desert Financial Arena in front of a sellout crowd of 13,363.

The Bruins (17-2, 8-0 Pac-12) won its 14th consecutive victory, equaling the program’s longest winning streak since late in the 2007-08 season.

Campbell made 7 of 11 shots for the Bruins and was 8-for-9 at the free-throw line. Singleton hit 4 of 6 attempts from the downtown and totaled four boards. Jaylen Clark joined the party scoring 10 points, a team-leading eight rebounds, and three swipes.

“It’s been fun flying under the radar the last couple of months,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said while addressing the few reporters after a game that was called by remote FS1 broadcasters. “Because of what happened in Las Vegas, I think people gave up on us.”

As a team, the Sun Devils drained 9 of 22 shots from 3-point range 44.9%. The Bruins made 6 of 14 shots from long range, as Singleton connected on four of those.

Arizona State (15-4, 6-2 Pac-12) hit a half-court buzzer-beating 3-pointer to close the first half and went into the locker room at the break ahead 35-30.

In the second half, UCLA opened up with an 8-0 scoring run to open the second half, but the Sun Devils reclaimed the lead by six points at the 11-minute.

“I’d like to, first of all, thank our students and our fans for coming out. I got chills coming out for that game and seeing what the crowd and energy looked like. But we didn’t take care of the ball early in the game and thought we had that under control as the game went on but unfortunately, their points off turnovers were hard for us to overcome.” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said.

ASU made nine of 22 shots from downtown, including one from Frankie Collins that gave them a 60-58 lead before UCLA got back on track offensively. Jaime Jaquez Jr’s layup with 5:21 remaining gave the Bruins the lead, at 61-60. UCLA never trailed from that point forward.

“I knew my shot was going to fall when it needed to fall,” said Jaquez, who made four of 12 shots for nine points. “I’m not really worried about that.”

Singleton scored on a layup, assisted by Campbell, to put UCLA ahead 63-60. Campbell drilled a deep two-point jump shot with four minutes remaining to help the Bruins take a 65-60 advantage. After Arizona State reduced UCLA’s cushion to just three points at the 3:35 mark, Jaquez Jr. drilled a 3-pointer to put UCLA on top, 68-62.

The Sun Devils finished the game with three players who scored in double figures, led by Desmond Cambridge Jr.’s 15 points. DJ Horne chipped in 14 points and Austin Nunez poured in 10 points.

“We’re one of the best defensive teams in the country,” Cronin said after Arizona State closed the game by making only one of its last eight shots, “and we’ve proven it over this winning streak.”

Game Notes:

UCLA outscored Arizona State by a 44-27 margin in the second half. The Bruins have committed fewer turnovers than their opponent in all 19 games this season. This marks the second year in the last three seasons in which the Bruin has won its first eight Pac-12 contests (UCLA also opened 8-0 in Pac-12 play in 2020-21). UCLA has won five of its last six contests against Arizona State, including two of its last three meetings against ASU at Desert Financial Arena. The Bruins have won 14 consecutive games since dropping back-to-back games in Las Vegas, to Illinois and Baylor, on Nov. 18 and Nov. 20.

UP NEXT:

This Saturday, UCLA will return to action at No. 11-ranked Arizona (16-3, 5-3 Pac-12). Game time at Arizona’s McKale Center is 11 a.m. PT (12 p.m. MT, in Arizona).

The Sun Devils will look to split the weekend set with USC Saturday at 8 p.m. Dave Pasch and Bill Walton will be on the call on ESPNU.

Avondale, AZ – Prior to the start of Sunday’s competition, Joey Logano was among the top list of drivers set to win the Championship 4 race in Phoenix alongside Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney. After qualifying time, Logano won pole position at the starting line backdooring Chastain who led the practice run.

Could Logano make a sweep here for the 2022 race season as he did back in March? Vowing to his four-year-old son he would, he had no choice but to stay true to his word. “I couldn’t be a liar to my son”. With the championship and contest trophies on the line, Logano had the chance to win at least one of them.

Maintaining a winner’s mindset since his October victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Logano led 187 of 312 laps to become the NASCAR Cup Series Championship winner this weekend. Second place went to Blaney’s No.12 leading 109 laps just 0.301 seconds behind Logano. Ross Chastain’s No. 1 couldn’t deliver his hail melon to the finish this time, coming in third with no leading laps including a few other waving red flags.

Chase Elliot was the first of the drivers in a wreck being bumped by Chastain in the left rear quarter panel turning in the left lane dogleg area of the track. Chastain didn’t lift with No. 9 coming across his hood spinning around backward hitting the wall bending his suspension. His pit team immediately dove into action beating regulated time and getting him back in the contest but at the cost of coming in 28th position.

On a higher note, it was a memorable win for the Penski team with Logano dominating his first contest this year, taking home the championship and keeping his Ford Mustang clear from combustion.

Since the release of the new NEXT Gen car, at least eight Fords have been set ablaze this season either during races or down pit road. Brad Keselowski’s 269th lap wasn’t as lucky. Thankfully he was safe from injury and released from Infield Care Center.

Aware of its hazardous nature, NASCAR continues to make improvements with cars off-season addressing safety issues with rubber buildup around rocker boxes. “It just caught fire and next thing I knew we were sitting there. It’s a bummer, but we’ll hopefully (learn) something from it and move on”, Keselowski stated.

During the post-race interview, Team owner Roger Penske extended his thoughts and prayers to Joe Gibbs and his family mourning the untimely loss of his son and co-owner Coy Gibbs before joyously declaring a good day for his team having their stroke of bad luck lifted with their two big prize winners-Zane Smith and Joey Logano. This year was extra special for Team Penske starting out with their Indy Car Race victory.

Crew Chief Paul Wolfe also expressed signs of emotion during the post-interview. Not rushing to celebrate after the checkered flag went up from Logano’s win, he was unsure why he had a delay, “Probably a bit of relief to be honest..it’s uh gosh it’s so hard to win these things and told a few people this before the weekend you know we knew we were prepared the best we could be.. we had the speed when we unloaded and it was just you get into this race, you just don’t want to screw it up”.

Elliot was asked about the contact that was made by Chastain. He chose to say very little about the impact thanking his team and how proud he was of them. “Looking forward to off-season and um...I’m really proud of our team for the fight that we put in today and I felt like we just kind of peeked right there you know before I; before we crashed and so I got a car driving pretty good..we just had our best pit stop of the day so that was all really solid”.

Christopher Bell talked about his initial reaction to the passing of Coy Gibbs during his post-game interview. “Yeah, I mean uh wow..wow, wow, wow you know just from being out and then the wins that Charlotte and Martinsville and then all of a sudden you wake up this morning and you’re racing for a championship, you’re happy you’re belated and then your world comes crushing down so whenever you get news like that it definitely puts in perspective that there’s more to this than outside of racing”.

Congratulations to Joey Logano on a great season, championship and race win!!

Photo credit: Joe Gibbs Racing 

AVONDALE, Arizona – During the NASCAR season finale this weekend at Phoenix Raceway, some sad news also hit the NASCAR community. Just a day after his son Ty Gibbs dominated and won the 2022 Xfinity Series Championship race, Coy Gibbs passed away in his sleep, according to a release from Joe Gibbs Racing.

“It is with great sorrow that Joe Gibbs Racing confirms that Coy Gibbs (co-owner) went to be with the Lord in his sleep last night,” the team said in its statement. “The family appreciates all the thoughts and prayers and asks for privacy at this time.”

Coy was not a stranger to NASCAR or the Joe Gibbs Racing team. He played many sports and was known as the middle linebacker at Stanford University from 1991 - 1994. He was also a race car driver in the late 1990s driving late models. While he had 58 truck starts, he finished in six top 5 finishes. Coy Gibbs also started and ran Joe Gibbs Racing’s motocross team, which was a winner and championship contender in Supercross. He stepped into the executive role after his brother J.D. Gibbs passed away in January 2019 also at the age of 49. J.D. battled a degenerative neurological disease.  

This news also leaves the Joe Gibbs Racing family a bit numb. They all will still have to race and perform on Sunday for the Cup Series race that starts at 1:00 PM MST. Ty Gibbs was set to race the No. 23 car for the 23XI Racing team for Kurt Busch. About an hour before race time, it was announced that Ty will not race due to a family emergency and will be replaced by driver Daniel Hemric. The news was not immediately released of the details of the family emergency. 

A moment of silence was held in his honor before the Cup Series Race. Multiple drivers, including Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and race winner Joey Logano paid tribute to Gibbs before and after the race, with Logano dedicating his race victory and championship to him. During the post-race interview, Logano reflected on his relationship with Coy and spoke very highly of him. 

“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Coy Gibbs,” NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France said. “On behalf of the France Family and all of NASCAR, I extend my deepest condolences to Joe, Pat, Heather, the Gibbs family, and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing on the loss of Coy, a true friend and racer.

During the NBC prerace show, analyst Dale Jarrett, who won the 1993 Daytona 500 with Joe Gibbs Racing, said he was “stunned, devastated” by the news. “It’s family to me because of my association and the opportunities they gave me,” Jarrett said. “To get to know this family and to see Coy come from a college football career, try racing, do anything and everything to be a part of the family business there. And to bring Ty along and put him in a championship situation.

“If there’s any consolation in thinking about this, he was able to watch Ty win his championship yesterday. But my heart, my thoughts, and prayers to Joe, Pat, Ty, and everyone in the Gibbs family.”

NASCAR on NBC analyst Kyle Petty, who lost his son, Adam, in a 2000 crash, said he had many discussions with Joe Gibbs after the death of J.D. Gibbs.

“These are the days in this sport we are a family,” Petty said. “You hurt for this family. There are no words. This is his second son, and I was just crushed when I found out about it. It’s the worst thing a parent can go through to lose a child. But Coy was loved and we can look at so many positive things. That’s what we have to look at, anytime you have this situation, you have to look at the positive side.

“And Joe Gibbs and Pat are strong in their faith. That’s all you have is that faith you’re going to see them again. They’re in a better place. It breaks my heart. It truly, truly again brings you back to that moment in your life. And I know it takes him back and Pat back to that moment they lost J.D. It’s a sadness that will fall on this place as more and more people find out.”

Joe Gibbs started his NASCAR Cup Series team in 1993 after winning three Super Bowls as the coach of the Washington Redskins. After his fourth Cup Series championship, Joe Gibbs was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020.

Coy Gibbs is survived by his wife, Heather, and four children (Ty, Case, and Jett, and daughter Elle.)

Photo Credit: Chris Graythen: Ty Gibbs (right) celebrates with his father, Coy Gibbs, and mother, Heather Gibbs, in victory lane after winning the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. 

Photo Credit: Elvin Anderson

Avondale, AZ - This race has been the talk for many fans, race teams, and the media. Specifically, it was during last weekend’s controversial win for Ty Gibbs as he purposely tapped and crashed his teammate Brandon Jones in the last lap for the win at Martinsville. Both drivers were into the championship and could have both been in contention to compete this weekend, but with the spinning in the final lap, Jones ended up finishing 23rd and was eliminated.  This has added more negative reactions to Gibbs as the other drivers have shared their displeasure on how he would do that to his own teammate. Grandfather and team owner Joe Gibbs has a lot on his plate this weekend in Phoenix from working out the driver incident and hoping to win championships in the Xfinity and Cup series races. “Yeah, I think what’s happened there is we’re working through all of that,” Joe said. “There’s a lot to it. We’re trying to — as a family and as a race team family, we’re trying to work through every single part of that. We’re still going through it because it isn’t easy, everything that happened. Even still, Joe believes the situation could have been handled better.

“I think that’s it,” he said. “All of us certainly wish that it had never happened. We think the world of Brandon and his dad, J.R., so we’re just kind of committed to, at this point, go through all of this and try and do it in the right way. That’s what I think we’re all focused on.”

While Joe might have navigated through difficulties before, none revolved around a difficulty involving his grandson, whom he has watched for 20 years.

Here’s a little bit to go on with the final four drivers for the championship. It’s a battle between JR Motorsports who has 3 drivers in the final 4 and Joe Gibbs Racing. What are the odds of JRM being crowned the winner? 

Noah Gragson has won 5 of the last 9 races to add to the great season he has had this year. He took the victory here at Phoenix in march. Last season he finished 12th so his mindset is definitely on the win. 

Ty Gibbs has 6 wins where he was on the podium in 3 of the last 4 races. With his fast car and superior race performance, he could be crowned the winner this year. 

Josh Berry has also had a great run this season. He may have only 2 wins this season and is not as experienced with the Phoenix track, but he can take the win this year. 

Justin Allgaier has been the most consistent among the drivers in the final 4. He has made it in the top 4 at least 7 times this year but just hasn't made it over the hump since he started in the Xfinity Series in 2009. 

Now the race has begun everyone’s eyes are zoned in on the final 4 drivers. Although Gragson led 35 laps, he just couldn’t hold onto it at the end compared to Gibbs who led 125 laps. During the last 30 laps of the race, it was surely a battle between drivers. The lead kept switching hands numerous times on this one-mile track between Gragson, Allgaier, and Gibbs. 

With just 13 laps to go in the first stage, there is a caution as Brandon Brown hits the wall. As the first stage is complete, it will go to Gibbs who dominated this stage. He, the crew chief, and his crew had a great stage performance. The car was very strong during the practice run, qualifying, and most importantly the race. Coming in second and third were Allgaier and Gragson side by side with Berry coming in at fourth position.

There are a few things that go into ensuring a win for the championship - great run, quick pit stops, and not crashing. Although Gragson had a slow pit stop that caused him to lose five positions, he was still able to make it to the front. This is what makes him a great driver. His focus was definitely on winning the championship here in Phoenix, he knew he had some laps left and he was sure he had an opportunity to win. He refused to believe his race was over and he showed us that he was not giving up. Unfortunately, it was just too late for him. 
 

Phoenix Race Results (Stage 1): 1. Ty Gibbs; 2. Noah Gragson; 3. Justin Allgaier; 4. Josh Berry; 5. Landon Cassill; 6. Sheldon Creed; 7. Nick Sanchez; 8. Sammy Smith; 9. Brandon Jones; 10. AJ Allmendinger

Phoenix Race Results (Stage 2): 1. Ty Gibbs; 2. Justin Allgaier; 3. Noah Gragson; 4. Sammy Smith; 5. Landon Cassill; 6. Sam Mayer; 7. Brandon Jones; 8. AJ Allmendinger; 9. Sheldon Creed; 10. Josh Berry

NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | 11/5/22 | Motorsports on NBC

Las Vegas, NV–The excitement of NASCAR filled the air this weekend in Las Vegas with a star-studded line up of top competitors, celebrities, impending changes, historical moments, and unexpected wins.

Motorist News

This weekend was a decent one for Tyler Reddick who will join 23XI Racing in 2023, a year earlier than scheduled. His contract was taken over by Richard Childress Racing after an agreement was made with the two teams. Reddick joined RCR in 2019, claiming his second Xfinity Series championship that year before moving up to the Cup Series the following season. He won his first Xfinity Series title with JR Motorsports in 2018.

The twenty-six year old Cali native will be swapping his custom No. 8 Chevy to take on his new joyride, the No. 45 Toyota hardtop next year. The news came right on queue as he drove his way to pole position at the Speedway. “I’m really excited about next year, but there’s still a number of races left this year that I’m gonna continue to remain focused on and do everything I can for my team to run well and do well,” Reddick said.

Prior to talks of him joining the 23XI brand at the end of his 2024 contract, Co-owner Denny Hamlin intensely studied his newest driver’s skillset, “I watched him race, I raced against him, I wanted him, and I got him”, said the veteran exec not revealing which car Reddick would drive, or whether 23XI would expand to a three-car fleet with Reddick joining Kurt Busch and Bubba Wallace as teammates.

Reddick’s signing news came the same weekend Busch made his release regarding his future in racing, “As I continue to focus on my health and work towards being cleared, I will be stepping away from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition in 2023″, said the multi cup race winner.

He has been out the last twelve cup series competitions after sustaining a concussion at Pocono Raceway July 23rd, having yet to be medically cleared to return to the cockpit though he feels like he is 90-95 percent better in his daily activities.

The thirty-four time cup race champ has enjoyed his career with the 23XI team, appreciating their support since his injury, “my long-term health is priority No. 1, and I don’t feel committing at this point to compete for a championship next year is in my best interest or the best interest of the team”, said the three-time NASCAR top division racer stating he will continue to work with them part time and looks forward to preserving his relationship with Wallace and Reddick off the track.

Although No. 45 has not been driven by Busch, his presence has been seen and felt in racing events from track to track. Bubba Wallace has been Busch’s sub driving No. 45 during playoff races for team points. Ty Gibbs will be filling in for Busch driving car No. 23 displaying his teammate’s name during the ALSCO Uniforms 302 event in Las Vegas.

Gibbs had a great 2021 season and stepped up the ante in the 2022 season for the Xfinity series. It’s just a matter of time before he advances in the Cup Series. He now will become teammates with Hamlin under Gibbs Racing, the family-owned affiliate by his grandfather taking over Kyle Busch’s No. 18 while the two-time Espy Award and seven-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team owner makes his transition to Richard Childress Racing (RCR).

Busch has won two championships during his time with Gibbs Racing. Other drivers who have won driving No. 18-Dale Jarret in the Daytona 500 and Bobby Labonte, the first driver to win a Cup title.

History Was Made-Mother And Daughter Duo Compete Together In NASCAR Series

By Yulanda Gilliam - October 15, 2022  

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Las Vegas, NV–The Las Vegas Motor Speedway brought back the Bullring races in the Star Nursery 150 this season jump starting the event with twelve races while making history in the ARCA Menards Series West race on Friday.

For the first time mother and daughter raced and both finished creating a monumental moment in NASCAR history with eBay Motors sponsoring the speed duo of Sarah and Bridget Burgess in this memorable series.

Neither of them won the contest but were happy to have competed together, sharing the experience of a lifetime. Bridget’s No. 88 HMH Construction Chevrolet SS finished 12th while Sarah’s No. 97 ebay motors Chevrolet SS ended in 17th place.

Racing is nothing foreign to the Burgess family. Originally from Australia, they moved to the U.S. to focus on their racing dreams. Sarah is owner and crew chief of their BMI team out of Tooele, Utah. Earning her credentials as a longtime drift and off-road racer, she is also the senior business development and partnership manager for eBay Motors.

Helping to grow the marketplace’s presence within the industry alongside her husband Adam, they serve their daughter as supportive parents in conjunction to maintaining their family legacy. Now we will get to see her climbing in and out of the race car-though this won’t happen until next season.

Bridget will conclude her final race for this season in Phoenix on November 4 during The ARCA Menards Series West as she currently holds a record of four top 10 finishes this season.

During an interview with NBC, the aspiring twenty-year old said she was so happy for her mom and hopes they will be able to do it again. Having no experience driving an oval race track made the weekend even more meaningful for the forty-two year old Sarah Burgess. Hoping someone captured a photo of her and daughter sharing this special occasion side by side on the restart,  Sarah and Bridget Burgess made history.

Congratulations to the winner of the Start Nursery 150 – Taylor Gray who made it to victory lane two years in a row with his No. 71 David Gilliland Racing stock car. Gray, a seventeen year old from Mooresville, NC was very competitive in the race. Like other drivers, the start and restarts needed some work but with him leading all 150 laps for his fifth ARCA Menards Series win, this season is nothing short of amazing.

Earlier this year, Gray won the race in Phoenix and honored his hauler driver Steven C. Stotts who was killed in a traffic accident heading to Phoenix from Texas. During the March win, he did not execute any burnouts instead he pointed his fingers up to the sky and took a reverse victory lap. Gray had a hell of a race Friday giving praise to his team “All props to my guys who work so hard at the shop”.

“They work their butts off every week so we can come out and do things like this. It was a good race car and a good day”, said the racer. The last Bullring win, he led 123 of 150 laps. This might be one of his favorite tracks to race as he seems to have a great system in place to keep the lead even after the many restarts.

The final race of the 2022 ARCA Menards Series West season will take place at Phoenix Raceway on Friday, Nov. 4 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

ARCA Menards Series West at LVMS Bullring Oct 15, 2022

   Photo Credit: Yulanda Gilliam
 

Phoenix, AZ—This season has been nothing short of uncertainty for the Sun Devils. They are weathering the interim change in their head coach as well as continual players entering the transfer portal. But today, they didn’t allow the dust from previous weeks to deter them from their goal to win.

Arizona State (2-4, 1-2 Pac-12) defeated the #21 ranked Washington Huskies (4-2) 45-38 for a Pac-12 win. This is the Sun Devils’ first win under the interim head coach Shaun Aguano. The Huskies lost their first game of the season on the road against UCLA last week.

Washington struggled defensively in last week’s loss to the Bruins and continued to have breakdowns as injuries mounted against the Sun Devils to remain winless in Tempe since 2001 (eight games).

“Second week in a row coming down to the wire,” Washington coach Kalen DeBoer said. “We’re giving ourselves a chance to win the game, but we’ve got to do a better job earlier in the game. We’re just digging ourselves a hole.”

Many of the Huskies fans and players probably figured that when the Sun Devils starting quarterback Emory Jones went down with an injury midway through the second quarter that it was all over for them. But they had a rude awakening. Trenton Bourguet came on the field with a mission and he got the job done for the Sun Devils. Turner had just returned from a month long leg injury to him being ejected for the targeting call that took Jones out of the game.

“He’s not the tallest or the strongest, but he has the traits to be a good quarterback,” Aguano said. “Once you have that opportunity, make sure you take advantage of it and he did that.”

Bourguet threw three touchdowns, 15 for 21 for a total of 182 yards. Definitely not bad for the backup quarterback. Bourguet’s touchdown were to Xazavian Valladay on a 14-yard td pass, Elijhah Badger on a 10-yard td strike, and a 2-yard td pass to Badger in the second, third, and fourth quarter respectively.

“Once you get smacked in the mouth enough times you’re going to get up and land the first and last punch,” said Arizona State’s Xazavian Halladay, who amassed for 133 yards and two touchdowns.

Halladay scored on an 11-yard up the gut and Bourget followed with a 14-yard TD pass to Halladay, throwing into the flat with a blitzing edge rusher in his face.

The Sun Devils went up 24-10 when Michael Penix Jr. pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage and Jordan Clark pick it off and took it 38-yards to paydirt.

The Huskies had the momentum for a bit trimming the lead to 24-17 at halftime on Wayne Taulapapa’s 1-yard TD plunge.

After Arizona State stuffed the Huskies on fourth-and-1 at their own 32, Bourguet followed with another dime throw with pressure in his face, finding Badger in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard TD and a 31-17 lead.

This win was a collective effort from both sides of the ball. The Sun Devils defense shut down the Huskies quarterback Penix Jr and made him uncomfortable in the pocket. Penix Jr., the nation’s leading passer, continued his passing streak against ASU by throwing for 311 yards.

Cameron Davis led the Huskies with his three touchdowns and had 9 carries and 77 rushing yards. Although there were no passing touchdowns, the Huskies rallied back from a two touchdown deficit and tied the game in the fourth quarter with a little over twelve minutes left. This came off an interception by Bourguet and caught by Davon Banks allowing the Huskies to score off five plays for 38 yards to tie the game. But Arizona was able to move the ball effectively in the last four minutes of the game to close it out.

During the post game interview Huskies coach Kalen DeBoar said, “They key is they can be upset,” now saddled with 8 and 7 point losses at the season’s halfway point. But we’ve got to make sure we move on because there’s a lot of football to be played. We’re a 4-2 team and we’re disappointed at what’s happened the last two weeks.”

NEXT GAME:

ASU: October 22, 2022 @ 1:00 pm vs Stanford Cardinal

Huskies: October 15, 2022 @ 2:30 pm vs University of Arizona Wildcats

Watkins Glen, NY—Today is a big day for the road course at Watkins Glen International. The driver that everyone has their eye on is Ty Gibbs. He is the one to beat in the JR Motorsports cars, as he has won the last two of his six races. At the New Holland 250—the Michigan International Raceway on August 6th it was Gibbs fifth best victory as he sped to take control of the race. It was his best victory of the season.

During the qualifying at Watkins Glen Ty Gibbs, Austin Hill, Riley Herbst, Kyle Lawson, and A.J. Allmendinger finished in the top 5. The Pole position was determined by the ten drivers first round results at the track.

On the onset of the race, very early on was a caution by #7 Justin Allgaier as he lost the rear grip on turn 2 and spun out of control on turn 3. Allgaier was coming around the curve and he was a little high on the #51 car. This track is very fast, so picking and choosing your speed is critical. It made for a short day for Allgaier, he was able to exit his car on his own and entered the ambulance for precautionary measures.

Sammy Smith came up with a win at the end of stage 1. It was said to be the best of starts for Watkins Glen for the Xfinity Race Series.

Alex Labbe caused a caution after hitting the wall. He had some heavy damage to his car on the side panel. When he got out of his #36 car, he immediately fell to the pavement to sit and gather his bearings.

William Byron raced hard and won stage 2 with Ty Gibbs in 2nd and Allmendinger in 3rd. Byron has never won a road race.

Daniel Hemric was very optimistic with his speed, unfortunately things didn’t work out well for Hemric. He had a steering issue and  crashed into the tire barrier. In Turn 9, it appeared something broke on his car, which caused his car to veer off course. Hemric’s No. 11 car made massive contact with the barricade and would get pinned under the barrier.

Ross Chastain spun out and got stuck in the gravel and was running 19th at the time. This was the 8th caution of the race.

Heading into the final laps Gibbs and Byron were fighting for the that flag. But they both spun out with 4 laps remaining as they tried to go too wide. Both had been dominant throughout the day, with Byron leading 35 laps and Gibbs leading 25.

Byron finished the day in 25th place with Gibbs not far behind in 27th. Smith won the first stage, and Byron took the second. Justin Allgaier, a three-time winner this year, finished last in the 38-car field after an early crash.

Larson won his 1st road XFinity race with AJ Allmendinger taking 2nd, S. Smith in 3rd and bringing up the rear were Noah Gragson for 4th and K. Grala for 5th. Larson was ecstatic for the victory during the XFinity race, now he is on to the next Cup race on Sunday, August 21, 2022.

PHOENIX – Tonight’s game was a special game for the Phoenix Mercury with a true home game during the semi-finals. Due to prior events scheduled at the Footprints Center, each of the Mercury home playoff games were played at the local colleges Grand Canyon University and Arizona State University respectively.

It’s been a long time coming for the Mercury to be this far in the playoff scene and with the NBA game time change, it gives the ladies an opportunity to play on their own home court for game 4 and possibly close out the series.

October 6, 2021 will forever be a memorable day for Phoenix fans as they will got double header games of basketball for the first time in history. The Phoenix Suns played the Los Angeles Lakers at 3pm PST (Preseason) and Phoenix Mercury had the Las Vegas Aces at 7pm PST for game 4 (Mercury 2-1) in the best of 5 semifinal games.

The Aces had something to prove in game 4. They went into the game with an all or nothing mindset as they face elimination in Phoenix. From tip off through the first 2.5 minutes, it didn’t look like the mindset had changed as the Mercury dominated the floor with a opening 11-2 lead.

The Mercury relied a lot on their bench as they were playing without Sophie Cunningham who was injured in game three due to a calf strain and Kia Nurse hurt her knee just 39 seconds into the game. Nurse went up on a fast break for a layup but had her shot blocked by A’ja Wilson planted awkwardly on her right leg. She left the game as she was able to limp off on her own and returned only to support her team fully clothed in the third quarter.

Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said in the post game interview, “I think that threw them for a big punch. I think it showed how important Kia Nurse is for us.”

Diana Taurasi had three fouls going into halftime. She got the 3rd with two seconds which helped the Aces take a 49-46 lead into the break.

Las Vegas rallied right past the Mercury in the third quarter with a 24-0 run. When asked what was the mindset during the post game interview, both head coaches and players all were in amazement about the run. Both guard Kelsey Plum and forward A’ja Wilson stated it was an attitude adjustment for them.

The Aces was just too much for the Mercury and close them out in the fourth quarter to the tune of 93-76 for the final.

Plum stated “For us to get beat the way we did the previous two games, it’s humbling. You have to look at what can I do better as an individual, what can I do to help the team and I’m really proud everyone just bought in tonight.” And she did just that, ending with 20 points and six assists.

The Aces took this game personally and had to get back to playing basketball they are best known for. There sole focus is a spot in the WNBA Finals at home on Friday.

Chelsea Gray led the Aces with 22 points while A’ja Wilson chipped in 15 points with 12 rebounds and Riquana Williams added to the win with 17 points. One thing for sure, is when Williams and Gray are hot, they are a difficult team to beat.

“That’s how we play basketball”, Aces coach Bill Laimbeer said as he predicted his Aces would play their best in Game 4.

Brianna Turner is a key component to the Phoenix Mercury success and hope to win their next title since 2014. Game three Turner was the high scorer for both teams with her career high 23 points, 17 rebounds and 2 blocks in her 31 minutes of play against the Aces.

Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 14 points apiece to lead Phoenix.

“You knew they were going to respond and today we knew that coming”, Taurasi said. We just didn’t do the things done that you need to beat a really good team.”

The road to the 2021 WNBA Finals looks great for Chicago after they beat No. 1 Connecticut Sun in 3-1. Chicago’s Candace Parker scored 17 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and two steals to help the Sky advance to the finals for the second time in franchise history. They also had players from the Chicago Bulls there to support them courtside.

The GOAT – Diana Taurasi is still recovering from an ankle injury as she set a personal playoff career high of 37 points during game in Vegas. In game 4,Taurasi played 29 minutes, scoring 14 points with 3 rebounds and 3 assists. During the post game interview she stated that there were not many calls for them to end up on the line, but it is what it is – she is not going to get upset about the calls or lack thereof. They didn’t bring their best in the game and have some work to do in game five.

Next Up:

Game 5 is Friday in Las Vegas at 9:00 PM

Phoenix, Az—This was the first time the Arizona Diamondbacks played the San Francisco Giants this season. This game was extra special for the D-backs, not only because they played and won on the 4th of July, but their starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner played against his former team. The teams were very patriotic today with their hats, arm sleeves, cleats, and catcher gear all bearing the American Flag.

The Diamondbacks beat San Francisco 8-3 at Chase Field Monday night, handing the Giants their fifth straight loss. The Giants have now lost 11 of their last 14 games.

The Giants were first at bat and score their first two runs. Bumgarner loaded the bases  with one hit batter, two walks with just one out. The first inning looked like it was going to be a long one for the D-backs.  LaMonte Wade, Jr was up to bat and laced a single which two runs scored. With a man on first, the D-Backs rally back with a double play to end the threat.

The first at bat for Arizona was Jordan Luplow against the Giants starting pitcher Carlos Rodon. Luplow smacked a double followed by a walk from Cooper Hummel. With Ketel Marte up to bat, the D-backs had a opportunity to push runs across the diamond. Unfortunately Marte came up short and struck out his first time at the dish. After Christian Walker got on to load the bases for the D-backs, Buddy Kennedy got a single and banged in two runs. The D-Backs were getting quality swings against Rodon.

In the second inning, the Giants bats went cold although Bumgarner gave them hope as the left handed pitcher seemed to struggle a bit with his accuracy. “I’m trying to figure out if it’s something physical and just not making the pitches or if it’s mental trying to be too perfect with each one instead of just going after guys and getting ahead,” Bumgarner said. “The latter is probably what I’m leaning toward but I’m not too sure. We’re definitely going to try to rearrange that and fix it because I’m not getting paid to go five innings every time.”

D-backs got comfortable at the plate and started to put runners in scoring positions. They scored another two runs in the second. Daulton Varsho had an infield single and then scored on a sacrifice bunt by Geraldo Perdomo which resulted in a throwing error by Wilmer Flores.

Hummel roped a single, stole second base and scurried to third on another error by catcher Curt Casali. With Marte’s ground rule double down right field line Hummel walked home, giving the D-backs a 4-2 lead going into the top of the third inning.

David Villar made his debut in the MLB and got a single his first time at bat for Giants with two outs on the board. This was a stellar game for Villar with a single and an RBI as he brought home Evan Longario across the diamond. This cut the deficit to 4-3 but the Giants couldn’t close the gap after that.

The D-backs favorite number was two as each time they scored they put a two spot on the board. They resumed scoring in the sixth inning. Kennedy started the party with a single, followed by an RBI double by Rojas with Varsho driving in Rojas with a single.

Arizona finished off the RBI party in the 8th inning scoring another two runs leaving the Giants scoreless since the third. The D-Backs pitchers kept the Giants’ hitters guessing for most of the game.

Bumgarner pitched five innings, then was relieved by Sean Poppin for a inning, Joe Mantiply pitched two stellar innings, and Mark Melancon closed the game out for the D-Backs.

“The bullpen took over,” head coach Torey Lovullo said postgame. “We talk about being uncommon here — I asked Joe Mantiply to go two full innings. I was trying to keep their lefties on the bench, it’s no mystery. And Joe in a very uncommon way gave us two unbelievable innings. Darn close to 40 pitches over two days but he didn’t waver. He went out there and executed it. It was great to watch. The back side of the bullpen did a really nice job.”

Team Stats Summary

Up Next:

Game 2 – 7/5, 6:40 pm at Chase Field (TBD-AZD vs Alex Wood-SFG)

Game 3 – 7/6, 6:40 pm at Chase Field (Merrill Kelly-AZD vs Alex Cobb-SFG)

AVONDALE, AZ- The temperature was definite a scorcher at NASCAR’s United Rentals 200 race today. Ty Gibbs won in Las Vegas last week on a green caution, this week he is hanging in at the 10th spot. His anticipation of coming to Phoenix snagging another win was short lived, he just could not keep up with JR Motor Sports driver Noah Gragson as he produced his first win of the season at Phoenix Raceway.

Gragson’s record is looking great thus far as he has finished second and third in the first three of the Xfinity series competitions. This contest was Gragson’s best race this year as he dominated the course leading the max laps here at the speedway nearing a perfect score winning 59 out of 60 points earning him his sixth career win. Should he have made the first round in place of Trevor Bayne, he would have reached a perfect 60 for 60 record.

Trevor Bayne’s return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series was his first in five years. After replaying his skills on the raceway, Trevor finished top of the Pole in position 1 followed by Gragson, Ty Gibbs, Ryan Sieg, Brandon Jones, and Parker Retzlaff. He was chosen by Joe Gibbs Racing last month to drive the #18 Toyota Supra for seven races at Auto Club Speedway, Phoenix Raceway, Charlotte Motor Sports, Nashville Super Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and finishing at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He has raced with Ford for much of his Cup and Xfinity Series career without driving a Toyota car in over a decade now looking to reclaim a new title after being the youngest driver in NASCAR history to win a Daytona 500.

Bayne had a rough opening in the United Rentals competition when his #18 would not start. It was initially unclear what was wrong later resulting with an issue in the steering wheel. Thankfully, his team tackled the defect before the green flag dropped retaining his pole position after NASCAR deemed the faulty component switch as a safety issue.

The first caution for the night came by way of brake failure on Stewart-Haas Racing driver #98 Riley Herbst’s car causing a hard crash against the barrier. Herbst started out at the 21st position and sped to 12th before his impact raised the caution flag in lap 23. Immediately after the crash, Riley let down his window net, asserting spectators he was ok.

Ultimately, the victor of the festivities Noah Gragson dominated the contest having this to say afterward about his win and network “This team has been on a roll so far this year. All top-three finishes in the first four races. I can’t thank everyone enough for the hard work and we’ll try to keep it going.” His swiftness so far has been agile all season long and evident here at Phoenix Raceway leading 114 of the 200 laps in the race briefly losing the lead during a green flag pit stop.

There were no major penalties on post-race inspection, #18 (Trevor Bayne) and #19 (Stefan Parsons) had one lug nut issue, Stage one winner: Trevor Bayne, Stage two winner: Noah Gragson, Winner of race: Noah Gragson

Next up: Atlanta Motor Speedway

AVONDALE, AZ – The ARCA Menards Stock Car Series kickoff will be held tonight at Phoenix Raceway. Like the Camping World Truck Series in Las Vegas, the ARCA Menards Stock Car Series is considered a minor semi-professional league of stock car racing, it is a feeder series that leads into the NASCAR headlining events. Hailee Deegan and Joey Logano are among the few drivers who gained their start from this series.

ARCA stands for Auto Racing Club of America which was founded by John Marcum in 1953. The racing series has changed its name a multitude of times from 1986 – present.

1986-1991: ARCA Permatex Super Car Series

1993-1995: ARCA Hooters Super Car Series

1996-2000: ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series

2001-2009: ARCA RE/MAX Series

2010-2011: ARCA RE/MAX Series (RE/MAX and Menards joint sponsorship)

2011-2019: ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

The race debuted in 2020 at the Phoenix Raceway of which thriving stock car driver Chandler Smith won that contest and fellow driver/self-team owner David Gilliland won thereafter in November that same year.

The General Tire 150 was more diverse this season than in years past with more women burning rubber on the raceway. Three of its women participants were #25 Toni Breidinger, #30 Amber Balcaen and #88 Bridget Burgess along with driven African American racer #61 Rajah Caruth.

Toni Breidinger:

Toni Breidinger, 21, is on the road to becoming the first Arab American female driver to compete in a NASCAR national series. Along with race car driving, she is a model in the Bay Area.

Breidinger gained her start driving go-karts when she was nine years old with her twin sister Annie who’s following in her sister’s tracks. It was their father who taught them the basic skills that would later mold them both to enjoy their passion and thrill for the sport leading to the onset of Toni’s career with ARCA (2018 and 2021) driving then under Young’s Motorsports on a part time basis where she began at Daytona International Speedway. She currently drives with Venturini Motorsports competing in ARCA and raced part time in the Camping World Truck Series.

She also tried out for the W Series in 2019, a racing contest exclusively for female drivers from around the world alongside Natalie Decker. She made it to the top 50 finalists but was later cut from the program. On Friday’s General Tire 150 race at Phoenix Raceway, Toni’s pole position was 10th and she finished 15th overall.

Amber Balcaen:

Amber Balcaen always had a love for racing. As a young girl, she trained on dirt tracks leading to her first female championship win in her Canadian hometown of Manitoba though her big break came in 2016 when she caught the attention of NASCAR Drive for Diversity, a program designed to target minorities and women offering diverse opportunities in the sport.

That same year, she made history as the first Canadian female to win the NASCAR Motor Mile Speedway competition and now drives for Rette Jones Racing competing in NASCAR’s national ARCA Menards Series and part-time in both the East and West divisions.

“This is, honestly, what I’ve worked toward my entire career,” the 29-year-old said from her home in Charlotte, N.C., a dream she always hoped for. “It’s been a long road, a lot of hard work to get here, but hard work pays off.” She finished 30th overall at the 25th pole position in the General Tire 150 series.

Bridget Burgess:

Bridget Burgess is no stranger to wheels. After relocating from Brisbane, Australia, to Los Angeles chasing dreams of competing in motorsports, she began her career in short course off-road racing later evolving to speedway racing pursuing her path to NASCAR. Her mom, Sarah Burgess raced for many years but retired to focus on Bridget’s success. In 2020, Bridget entered the ARCA Menards Series West division working under her family-owned team BMI Racing and continuing to do well for herself coming in at eighth place at Sonoma Raceway. She also had a top 10 at Colorado National Speedway and recently made her return racing full time with ARCA.

Rajah Caruth:

Rajah Caruth, the driven 19-year-old from Washington DC is in his second year of racing and doing quite well for himself behind the wheel. Since his rookie break at the Bojangles Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he’s earned two top 10’s ending 13th in the Semi-pro points. He is the first African American driver to win at the Tri-County Motor Speedway, currently driving full-time in the ARCA Menards Series and gearing up for his debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Alpha Prime Racing on April 2nd at Richmond Raceway.

After this evening’s General Tire race in Phoenix during the ARCA Menards Series competitions, he started out 7th and finished 4th. Due to a caution flag and going in overtime, he wasn’t able hold onto the 2nd place spot or the win but proved he can ride with the big dogs.

Rajah received the 2021 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award at the Legacy Gala NASCAR Hall of Fame celebration. “To have the support of the Scott family, it’s a lot of responsibility to receive it,” Caruth told NASCAR.com. “I mean, it’s only year four for me, so it means a lot. I’m excited to add to that legacy and do what I’m supposed to do on and off the racetrack.”

“We couldn’t be more proud of the success that Rajah’s had in his development,” Brandon Thompson, NASCAR’s Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, told NASCAR.com. “Him winning the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award was really just the next natural progression in his development as a driver. What he was able to do over the past couple of years in the weekly series, to be able to notch four wins coming right out of a racing simulator, essentially, is huge.”

LAS VEGAS, NV–This weekend featured a special celebration in the history of a true pioneer. NASCAR kicked off their festivities with a themed weekend honoring Wendell Scott at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. Scott, an Army veteran who served in Europe during World War II, was the first African American driver of NASCAR and the first African American to win a race in the Grand National Series. Friday, March 4th marked the 61st anniversary of great trendsetter’s NASCAR career.

Launching his premier series debut at Piedmont interstate fairgrounds in Spartanburg, SC on March 4, 1961, Wendell Scott finished 17th place in the Grand National contest. A few years later on December 1, 1963, he went on to win a Grand National Series title at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida. Scott was not only a driver but a team owner.

Overcoming racism and persistent lack of funding, #34 beat the odds being inducted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame as the first African American driver to win a Cup Series race. Without ever being awarded sponsorships, he reached the pinnacle of his career off determination, guts, perseverance and humility-words from his son Franklin Scott during the NASCAR Hall of Fame event. Confirming his dreams are the fuel that energizes them, Wendell’s family expanded his tradition by commencing the Wendell Scott Foundationconnecting students in North Carolina and Virginia to resources like mentoring, STEM skills, and a legacy of leadership.

On Sunday, Franklin was joined by his son Warrick and artist Chuck Styles, while they spoke with media during a press conference regarding Wendell Scott’s attributes and what lies ahead. He commended the virtuoso on his creative work as it depicted a lot of his father the craftsman didn’t even realize. “When you look at the caricature, his hair, his face, his determination. He got it all!” said Franklin. “We love racing. We’re racing family, that’s what we did. My father predicted so much of this. He told me so many times I’m going to get a trophy. There’s gonna be more minorities involved in racing on the highest level. He predicted a lot of this. It makes me shutter to think about the times that we would be riding on old bumpy roads.”

The innovator’s grandson Warrick added “The evolution of Wendell Scott is so important in this sport. My grandfather was for the underdog. His passion was for the underserved, under acknowledged community. With NASCAR being the stem education for us, we will use that to further my grandfather‘s legacy working with youth all around the country.”  He stated his grandfather “built the ultimate bridge for diversity and we can see that manifesting right here today.”

All the race cars and trucks including the pace-car had custom  decal on them certified by NASCAR. The artwork created by Chuck with Art of Styles LLC (@Chuckstyless) paid homage to the late Wendell Scott. “One of the key features I like to do is have a lot energy with my brush strokes because I believe that the energy that I put into the artwork you are able to feel it. I am thankful that you all felt the energy that I have put into the artwork” Chuck stated. “Thank you to NASCAR for reaching out to me to tie in this new approach to Wendell Scott’s Legacy. I did not know about Wendell Scott and that’s unfortunate. I just recently completed my MLB card collection with TOPPS where I chose historic African American baseball players. So, I was already in the mindset of highlighting some of America’s heroes and sports.”

Xfinity Car driver Jesse Iwuji will be carrying on the Scott Legacy with co-owner former Dallas Cowboys running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith. American Legion member and lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserves, Jesse debuted in the NASCAR Infinity Series on Feb. 19 at Daytona. Iwuji has stated he was inspired by Scott and wanted to continue to bring awareness.

“Jesse, you have the opportunity. Just think what Wendell Scott could have done if he had any of the sponsors on your car. Everything we earned went back into the race team and family. He was a great man so you are following in the footsteps of one of the vanguards of the sport and a giant in the racing world. I just want to encourage you to give yourself patience to learn because you’re not going to learn it all in one year”, an emotional gesture from the son of a legend bestowing wisdom and trust into another carrying on the #34 heirloom his father once did.

I met with Art designer Chuck Styles following the press conference to further explore what inspires the artist’s creativity.

Yulanda: What was your inspiration? When did you know that you could draw? When did you find your love of being an artist?

Chuck: You know I think when I was little out of high school was when I actually noticed my gift or took my gift seriously, at the time I was a barber and one of my coworkers saw my talents advised me I could always be a barber but that gift that I have right there don’t waste it you need to invest in that and that’s when I took art seriously.

Yuanda: What do you have going on next?

Chuck: I have some things I’m working on (chuckles). Yes. I’ve worked on James Harden and his Adidas campaign, TOPPS, Hollywood Studios working on If Beale Street could talk, worked on Michael B Jordan’s Superman movie, that might be coming out soon.

Yulanda: It’s an honor and blessing to meet you. Continue creating great art masterpieces.

Las Vegas, NV-GENTLEMAN START YOUR ENGINES!!!!!! Are the famous 4 words every NASCAR fan loves to hear at the beginning of a race and when NFL Hall of Famer, Super Bowl XVIII Champion & MVP Marcus Allen who served as Grand Marshall shouted that phrase at today’s 25th Annual Pennzoil 400 Cup Series competition, the crowd could have been heard over the next state.

The event’s theme was “Wendell Scott” weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway honoring its first African American NASCAR driver Wendell Scott for his attributes and contributions to the sport of NASCAR. His son Frank and grandson Warrick were there in honor of their father and grandfather representing the family tradition, an heirloom of his legacy.

In the spirit of family, a universal focus shared throughout the NASCAR event was the act of humaneness. Multiple teams including Hendrick Motorsports which donated $2,000 for every lap they raced in addition to their $200,000, raised funds for aid in Ukraine. The sentiment “finishing races is important, but racing is more important” is one of several exciting factors in a contest of this magnitude, this was one that unified the participants not just as a road race network but as a global community.

The race itself was not a disappointment to the fans at all as it went down to the wire into OT. Yes you read it correctly, there is OT in NASCAR. The competitors were fueled strategizing their rounds, going the distance. As the race was coming to it’s last few laps Las Vegas native #18 Kyle Busch had a commanding lead and it looked as if he was going to snatch the win after starting in last position at takeoff. But a caution going into the closing laps forced the racers to pit and into a winner take all.

In the end #48 Alex Bowman Ally Chevrolet was victorious capturing the checkered flag. This was Alex’s 7th victory in 228 Cup series races and his first victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Can Alex and team Hendrick take this same momentum into Arizona next weekend and capture a back-to-back victory at the RUOFF Mortgage 500? Race fans will be on the edge of their seats for this one and 4.0 Sports and Entertainment will be there.

Las Vegas, NV-This weekend’s 26th Annual Alsco Uniform 300 Xfinity Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was one for the ages with 17 lead changes among 9 drivers and 11 cautions. But in the end, 19-year-old Ty Gibbs driving the #54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing was victorious. He captured his fifth victory in 21 Xfinity Series races, his first win of the season and first top 10 finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It was a little touch and go shortly after the restart for the hotrod getting into a dust-up with fellow racer Ryan Sieg, his second with the dragster. Pausing on a weather red-flag in Lap 19, the two chatted about the incident but went at it again with Sieg attempting to run Gibbs into the Turn 4 wall by Lap 30 having #39 spin out taking Sheldon Creed and Brett Moffitt in the process ending his run in the contest.

In show of great sportsmanship, Gibbs apologized for his actions with Sieg on the track, “It wasn’t my best decision and I’m sorry to their whole group. Ryan’s family, they worked so hard, so I want to apologize to them”, said Gibbs. He thanked his track peer Justin Allgaier for pushing him to the lead over Noah Gragson. “That helped me out a lot. I had a fun time racing with JR (Motorsports) cars. Hopefully, we can keep it going and go out and win some more races”.

Gragson led 52 laps snagging his third top-three finish, Series champion Daniel Hemric came in third, Josh Berry in fourth followed by Allgaier completing the top five finishers, as we congratulate all who participated in the competition.

With next week’s United Rentals 200 Xfinity Series in Arizona Ty will be looking to add another piece of victorious hardware to his mantel. After finishing in 13th place last weekend in Fontana and to come in first this weekend is a big jump for the Gibbs racing team. Let’s see if they can keep the momentum going into Arizona this coming weekend.

• Pos 1: John Hunter Nemecheck - Mobil 1 Toyota

• Pos 2: Kyle Busch - JBL Toyota

• Pos 3: Chandler Smith - Safelite Autoglass Toyota

• Pos 4: Ben Rhodes - Toyota

• Pos 5: Ryan Preece - United Rental Ford

• Pos 6: Zane Smith - Michael Roberts Construction Ford

• Pos 7: Matt Crafton - Slim Jim/Menards Toyota

• Pos 8: Tanner Gray - Ford Performance Ford

• Pos 9: Christian Eckes - Curb Records Toyota

• Pos 10: Ty Majeski - TSport Toyota

It was a drag duel between No. 18 Chandler Smith and No. 38 Zane Smith for the win. And the winner is… 19-year-old Chandler Smith driving Toyota with a .289 second lead across the finish line. This makes it the third win for C. Smith in the CWTS as he led 32 laps in Las Vegas this past Friday. After the post-race technical inspection, Z. Smith was disqualified for a lug nut violation. His car is part of the same team that appealed a separate wheel issue in the NASCAR Cup Series in Fontana last week. The disqualification has moved him from 2nd to last place (36th).

This goes to show you that it is anyone’s race. As Ben Rhodes No. 99 won both stage 1 and stage 2 he was unfortunately in a hard crash with teammate Ty Majeski No 66 during lap 103 and didn’t finish the race. So far this season, Rhodes has two wins under his belt and is third in the 10-driver playoff. Rhodes stated that he feels that everyone is driving a little dirtier now. He says “you’ve got to make the passes now. If you get put at the back, it’s hard to come to the front. If you are in the front, it’s hard to make that pass on the next guy. He also stated “I’m really aggressive with the truck. I try to be at least, and that’s just a product of racing.”

https://motorsport.tv/embed/dwuKdRi0-chandler-smith-emphasizes-gratitude-in-win-at-las-vegas

It was a very chaotic race, to say the least throughout the night with ten cautions leaving Spencer Boyd No. 12 with a dislocated shoulder. He said, “I’ve never really gotten hurt before. When I hit the inside wall, I was like ‘Whoa!’. I didn’t really see what happened, I knew someone got into my right rear and I was just kind of saving it down through the infield. Once you get in the dust, it took off, and it doesn’t look like I broke my arm, but I dislocated my shoulder. It was hard to get out of the truck with one arm, but the guys took care of me.”

SPENCER BOYD INJURY UPDATE INTERVIEW AFTER CRASH - 2022 NASCAR TRUCK SERIES AT LAS VEGAS

After the caution on lap 21 with No. 9 Blaine Perkins tires, most of the leaders went to pit lane. C. Smith, Jack Wood (fastest qualifier), Rhodes, and Colby Howard decided to stay out with others. There were a couple of penalties in the pit: Todd Bodine No. 62 and Stewart Friesen No. 52 will go to the tail after speeding on the pit lane. Rhodes won Stage 1 as they finished under a yellow caution. 

Stage 1 Results Top 10: 1. Ben Rhodes; 2. Chandler Smith; 3. Jack Wood; 4. Tanner Gray; 5. Carson Hocevar; 6. Matt Crafton; 7. Kyle Busch; 8. John Hunter Nemechek; 9. Ty Majeski; 10. Zane Smith

At the start of stage 2, Tanner Gray and Carson Hocevar take over the front row after Rhodes, C. Smith, and Wood head into pit lane. Kyle Busch tried to take the lead but couldn't get through. With 8 laps to go No 43, Thad Moffitt has to head to pit lane with a flat. With 6 laps to go No. 62, Todd Bodine spins and backs into a fence leading to a caution. On the green and 1 lap to go Majeski pushes Rhodes clear into turn one with Kyle Busch pushing to win stage 2 but was unable to finish in time.  Ben Rhodes wins stage two. 

Stage 2 Results Top 10: 1. Ben Rhodes; 2. Kyle Busch; 3. Ty Majeski; 4. John Hunter Nemechek; 5. Tanner Gray; 6. Chandler Smith; 7. Matt Crafton; 8. Christian Eckes; 9. Stewart Friesen; 10. Derek Kraus

Can it be done? Rhodes to win it all!! He has won both Stage 1 and Stage 2. With 32 laps to go to the end of the race, he definitely had a chance. Unfortunately, he was sent into the wall after contact from his teammate Majeski, who had just gotten sideways before the incident. He was done for the night and a caution is out. Fortunately, Rhodes was able to climb from the truck and was later evaluated and released from the infield care center.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1499956856738963458

The race continues, but not without a couple more cautions. There were cautions with 20 and 9 laps to go. With these cautions Kyle Busch makes it back to the top 3 spot. He moves with the 2nd spot for most of these laps. With 2 laps to go it’s the duel of the Smiths. They remain side by side on the white flag. Here is when drivers have to be creative and decide what will be their best option for the win. On the final lap, Z. Smith clears C. Smith off turn two, then C. Smith crosses under Z. Smith and he retakes the lead into turn three! AND JUST LIKE THAT Chandler Smith wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway!

https://twitter.com/NASCARONFOX/status/1499965312112160768?s=20&t=kSzXGnhQ9-5LybLXsCI2yg

San Diego dominated the entire game again Rising. During the game, Rising took 32 shots and only 3 were on target. San Diego took 10 shots and 6 were on target. The first was scored in the 19th minute into the first half by Miguel Berry and the second was scored at the 71st minute when Jack Blake (assist from Collin Martin) scored a hard shot at the top corner of the net behind Rawls. San Diego lead 2-0 as they came out more aggressive this match than they did the first match of the season. 

DSC_7115-2Photo:Andrea Neal/Jasperz Productionz Designs via PBY Media

"We had to make an adjustment at halftime and I thought it was fantastic. The players responded very well, they understood the tactics,” Rising manager Rick Schantz said after the match. “We didn’t get a goal early enough I thought. We gave up the second goal on some passive defending. And then I think you saw the Phoenix Rising heart. They refuse to lose here. They will never stop.

“I learned a valuable lesson as a coach today. You cannot take any opponents in this league lightly. You can’t ever think that it’s going to be easy and you have to push the boys from start to finish.”

DSC_9193Photo:Andrea Neal/Jasperz Productionz Designs via PBY Media

With six minutes of stoppage added to the clock gave Rising time to fire back and keep the game alive. Don't count Phoenix Rising FC out of the game until the end. At 90+1 forward Santi Moar scored as they rallied back to try to win the game. Rising kept pushing and fighting when midfielder Joey Calistri scored second goal at 90+7. Calistri received one of the two open midfielder spots along with Jeremy Kelly as Kevon Lambert is playing for Jamaica in friendlies and Aodhan Quinn was a pre-game scratch with hamstring. For those fans that stayed through the stoppage, you can imagine the energy they possessed all the way to the last second. 

Rising's next game will be home on Saturday, June 12th against Tacoma Defiance at 7:30 pm 

Scoring
SD – Miguel Berry 19
SD – Jack Blake (Collin Martin) 71
PHX – Santi Moar 90+1
PHX – Joey Calistri (Arturo Rodriguez) 90+7

Discipline
PHX – Jeremy Kelly (caution) 24
SD – Elijah Martin (caution) 65
SD – Corey Hertzog (caution) 68
PHX – Joey Calistri (caution) 76
PHX – Arturo Rodriguez (caution) 78
PHX – Ryan Flood (caution) 86

Lineups

Phoenix Rising FC – Andre Rawls, Ryan Flood, James Musa, Tobi Adewole (Prince Saydee 88), Darnell King, Joseph Calistri, Jeremy Kelly (Joe Farrell 88), Jon Bakero (Arturo Rodriguez 72), Santi Moar, Rufat Dadashov (Seyi Adekoya 61), Solomon Asante.

Substitutes Not Used – Ben Lundt, Deklyn Wynne, Ivan Gutierrez.

San Diego Loyal SC – Trey Muse, Josh Yaro, Elijah Martin, Jack Maher, Jack Metcalf, Charlie Adams, Collin Martin (Tumi Moshobane 75), Jack Blake (Sal Zizzo 90), Corey Hertzog (Thomas Vancaeyezelle 68), Miguel Ibarra (Morgan Hackworth 75), Miguel Berry (Ben Spencer 75).

Substitutes Not Used – Niki Jackson, Austin Guerrero.

Article written by Yulanda Gilliam

For more photos from Phoenix Rising FC vs San Diego Loyal (June 5) game, click on link below:
Rising vs San Diego (all images by Andrea Neal)

#USL #RisingTogether #SantiMoar #JoeyCalistri #Jaspprodzdesignz #POCC #PBYMedia #PromethianMediaandNews
 

What a great WIN the Phoenix Mercury had over the Atlanta Dream on Friday, August 16th at Talking Stick Arena. Despite the team having scarce bench strength due to injuries (currently Diana Taurasi, Essence Carson, Sancho Lyttle, and Alanna Smith) and Brittney Griner who is currently serving a 3 game suspension from the scuffle on August 10 with rookie Kristine Anigwe of Dallas Wings. The Phoenix Mercury continued to fight to the end.  DeWanna Bonner had a hell of a game Friday night with a double-double as she finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds. This was exceptionally a huge feat as she didn't have her two bigs with her on the court - Griner and Taurasi.  Bonner came just shy with four points away from her season scoring high against the Atlanta Dream. 

Up until the fourth quarter, the game was looking kind of sketchy for the Phoenix Mercury.  But as we all know, with the backing of the best fans in the WNBA: X-Factor and the teams will to fight for Brittney came that extra power the ladies needed.  The Phoenix Mercury has a 25-10 edge over the Dream in the 4th quarter which ended the Mercury's three game losing streak.  Currently the Mercury (12-13) is standing in eight place and just a half game behind the Minnesota Lynx (13-13) and one game behind the Seattle Storm (14-13).  

Bonner being the player of the game said in her post game interview "We needed that win bad, just for confidence, standings, and for BG more than anything." With this win with Griner out and a possible win against NY on Sunday, Mercury is holding on to playoffs and should have some healthy bodies back.  

We can not forget about the strength, will, and tenacity the other ladies had in this game. You saw the FIRE in their eyes and heart. Briann January, Leilani Mitchell, Yvonne Turner, Camille Little, and rookie Brianna Turner ALL came with one purpose and that was to WIN.

Coach Sandy Brondello said in her post game interview, "we limited their open threes and had a better congestion." During this game match, she started January for the first time in four games (she missed two games due to her foot injury), put Little and Turner in together to move Bonner to small forward.  These changes along with the points from January (16 pts), Mitchell (15 pts, 5 reb), Y. Turner (11 pts, 4 reb), and B. Turner (4 pts, 9 rebounds) and Little (4 pts, 6 reb) made a difference. 

Come out and support the Mercury during their last home games (purchase tickets: Aaron Hall at [email protected])

8/18 vs NY Liberty @ 3pm

8/25 vs Chicago Sky @ 3pm

9/3 vs Seattle Storm @ 7pm

9/6 vs Minnesota Lynx @ 7pm

9/8 vs Las Vegas Aces @ 1pm

Mighty Mercury!!!

PBY Media-Mercury_Storm_game2-2

"The organization is aware of the recent allegations against Natasha," Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel and CEO/GM Alisha Valavanis stated. "We are in communication with the league and looking into them."  With everything that has resurfaced, Brummell said in a statement. "We are in continued communications with the league and their investigation is now in progress and Natasha will play in tonight's game against the NY Liberty." Natasha Howard has not yet commented on the allegations.

Earlier this week, Howard was named as a starter for the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game for the first time, which is set for July 27 in Las Vegas. This is Howard's sixth season in the league and her second with the Storm. Howard averaged a career-high 13.2 points and 6.4 rebounds last year, helping Seattle to a WNBA title. She has averaged 17.6 points and 8.5 rebounds so far this season, her sixth in the league. PBY Media-Mercury_Storm_game2-3

In one of the text conversations, Jacqueline accused Natasha of stabbing her in the chest and leg. Jacqueline also posted videos to her account, including one where she appears to confront Natasha for threatening her, saying Natasha broke multiple doors. Natasha appears to deny those accusations in the video. Jacqueline also posted a video appearing to show bruises on her arm. 

Natasha still played and started in the Storm’s game against the New York Liberty on Sunday night. She scored 14 points while starting and playing 24:41 minutes. Currently, the
WNBA does not have a specific policy in place about domestic violence. Currently, the WNBA has another investigation pending as they decide the fate of The Los Angeles Guard Riquina Williams. She was arrested in April for an altercation with her ex-girlfriend in December 2018. The charges against her are burglary with assault or battery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. On May 27, the WNBA issued the following statement on Riquna Williams’ arrest: The matter is under active investigation and we have nothing to report at this time.

Riquina Williams has been playing during this active investigation and recently provided a statement. Her agent, Orlando Castaño, has provided in a statement to Swish Appeal on July 8 that the league was urging the Sparks to suspend Williams under Article XIV of the WNBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, Player Conduct and Discipline.

PBY Media-Mercury_Storm_game2-1
In 2015, another high-profile athlete was involved in a domestic violence case. Phoenix Mercury Center Brittney Griner and Tulsa Shock (now Dallas Wings) Forward Glory Johnson were both arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct on April
22, 2015. Both players sustained minor injuries. They were married on May 8, 2015, in Phoenix and were suspended for seven games each on May 15, 2015.  

The WNBA's decision to suspend Griner and Johnson for seven games each came less than 30 days after they were arrested. This final decision is a different approach to the current allegations with Williams and Howard.

PBY Media will continue to follow
these incidents and keep you updated.
 

This year was a monumental time for me to march in the 2019 MLK March in Phoenix Arizona. Why do you ask? Because I had all of my grandchildren with me as we continued to march for the legacy that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr created for jobs and freedom for all mankind. We celebrated the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The march began at 9:00 am at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, 1401 E. Jefferson Street in Phoenix. The march concluded at Margaret T. Hence Park with food, entertainment, and speakers.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr had a dream that his four little children will not come up in the same days that he came up within. His dream was that they will be judged on the basis of the content of their character and not the color of their skin. On August 28, 1963, Rev King addressed nearly 250,000 people with his “I Have a Dream“ speech at the March on Washington for Freedom and Jobs.

We learned about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in school growing up just like many of us. This blog sparked me to write it because as I told my 5-year-old grandson that we were going to march in the MLK March he had a few things to tell me:

ME: ok, we will have to go to bed early tonight because we have to get up early so that we can go to the MLK March

DJ: I know him

ME: How do you know him? What do you know? (I asked that to see what information he was going to tell me)

DJ: (Looking at me like why would I even ask that question). I learned about him in school.

ME: That is great. What did you learn about Him?

DJ: I learned that he was an important man and that he passed away.

ME: Well he didn’t just pass away. Let’s learn more about him.

DJ: Ok sounds good

So I had mixed emotions going through after this short conversation with my inquisitive grandson. I felt somewhat happy that the schools are talking about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Then I felt MAD, UPSET, HURT, and DISMAYED as I can’t believe that they tell the kids that he passed away instead of he was killed.

After having this conversation and my personal conversation with others that are not like me, I felt the need to share some history. We are coming up on the month of February when we dedicate it to Black History Month. But to me, every day is BLACK HISTORY MONTH. Please be sure to teach your children about their culture, and their history, and be sure that they understand the TRUTH and not the fairytale LIES. Below are a few links to google searches on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. You can and should go to the library and/or do your own searches to know and understand your history.

Here are a few images from the MKL March 2019 Phoenix

https://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr-9365086

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/21/us/mlk-i-have-a-dream-speech/index.html

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/mlkihaveadreamspeech.htm

https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/march-washington-jobs-and-freedom

Things to look out for in this game

There will be some changes made to the Sun Devils offense during this game. They will be playing against the Bulldogs without N'Keal Harry. Although this is a tough decision, it is definitely the best decision for him. He doesn't need to risk his chances of getting injured and messing up his chances for his first-round NFL draft status possibilities. The offensive coordinator will have to make some changes for tomorrows match up, but I am sure they have been working on these changes since their last game against Arizona on November 24. The Sun Devil's star running back Eno Benjamin will more than likely have a larger load to bare during this gam against Fresno State's defense. The Bulldogs have held their opponents to just above 122 rushing yards per game. 

The Sun Devils will have to keep an eye on Fresno State's KeeSean Johnson. Marcus McMaryion loves to pass to Johnson. For sure McMaryion will target Johnson against ASU's defense. Another adjustment the Sun Devil's have to make is being without freshmen Merlin Robertson as he is tending to family matters. So, freshmen Tyler Johnson and Darien Butler will have to come together with consistently and wear our McMaryion in the backfield. It will definitely be a tough feat, but very doable. 

Both Manny Wilkins and McMaryion have to focus on controlling their time during their possessions. They will have to try to control and dominate the possessions. They can not make mistakes, throw interceptions, and give away any possessions. Wilkins can not get in a position as they did with the come behind win over Arizona as they closed out their season with a victory. 

The Sun Devils strength and determination will definitely be tested this weekend in the Las Vegas Bowl. Head Coach Herm Edwards has a chance to close out his first season at Arizona State with eight wins and sending a strong message. This match up between Fresno State and Arizona State is a rematch with something to prove. They have played each other three previous times, with the last time back in 1941, Arizona State has won all three of the previous matchups. 

In summary

Both teams have been in the Las Vegas Bowl in the past. Fresno State last time to here was in 2013 where they lost against USC 45-20. This will be the Sun Devils second appearance with the first in 2011 that ended in a loss against Boise State 56-24. Be sure to watch. 

Las Vegas Bowl Information

Date: Saturday, December 15, 2018

Time: 3:30 pm ET

TV: ABC

Live Stream: WatchESPN or ESPN app

#ASU #LasVegasBowl2018 #FresnoState #CollegeFootball  #HermEdwards #NkealHarry #ESPN, #Pac12 #rematch#ABC #NFL #PBYMedia #FloridaCourier #POC #PhotographersOfColor

game photos: all photos taken by Yulanda Gilliam / PBY Media. Photos were taken during the 2018 season home games.