Elliott claims NASCAR’s million dollar All-Star race
Chase Elliott joined his father, Hall of Famer “Awesome” Bill Elliott, as winner of NASCAR’s annual All-Star race, earning the $1 million prize Wednesday in front of limited spectators at Bristol (Tennessee) Motor Speedway.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it,” Elliott said.
Elliott won the second and third stages of the event and earned the right to choose which lane he wanted to restart for the final 15-lap sprint to the finish. He picked the outside lane and pulled buddy Ryan Blaney with him on the restart but was never challenged and beat Kyle Busch to the finish line.
Bill Elliott won the race in 1986, the only year it was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race began in 1985 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and was held at that North Carolina track every year but one until it was moved during this pandemic-altered year.
Tennessee officials allowed NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports to sell 30,000 tickets to the AllStar race, so it was moved from Charlotte because North Carolina would not authorize spectators for the race.
“What a better night to have fans back,” Elliott said. “There’s nothing like Bristol. There’s no feeling like it. This speaks for itself, Bristol is an electric atmosphere. We’ll take that million dollars back to Georgia.”
The crowd surged to the fence and chanted “USA! USA!” as Elliott celebrated on the frontstretch. It was the most spectators at a sporting event in the United States since March. Because the speedway is privately owned, attendance numbers will not be released, but there appeared to be about 20,000 people in the grandstands.
• Bubba Wallace called Michael McDowell a “joke” after McDowell wrecked him in Wednesday night’s Open qualifying race. Wallace also deposited the bumper from his wrecked car at McDowell’s hauler.
“People say he’s one of the nicest guys in the garage, can’t wait for the God-fearing text that he’s going to send me about preaching and praise and respect,” Wallace said during an interview after he was checked out at the infield care center. “What a joke he is.”
The wreck cost Wallace a shot at qualifying for the main event. If a driver doesn’t win a stage in the race, he can make the AllStar Race via fan vote. But a driver’s car must be in raceable condition. Both drivers were in the qualifying race because neither had won a race this year or last year.
College football
ROSE PARADE CANCELED >>
On Wednesday, it was announced that the Rose Parade has been canceled for this coming holiday season because of the spread of coronavirus. It marks the first time the New Year’s Day celebration has been canceled since 1942, in the immediate aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
But for the time being, the Rose Bowl game is still scheduled to take place on New Year’s Day, Tournament of Roses executive director David Eads explained to the Los Angeles Daily News.
While the Tournament of Roses hosts both the Rose Parade and the subsequent bowl game, the decision on playing the Rose Bowl is dependent on whether or not there is a college football season.
“The Rose Bowl game will be held if we’re able to hold it, and if there’s college football,” Eads said. “We’re very hopeful that there will be college football this year. … What that looks like will still be determined.”
The coming Rose Bowl will not be the traditional meeting between Pac-12 and Big Ten champions; rather, this year’s edition is scheduled to be a national semifinal in the College Football Playoff.
The Rose Bowl game has been played every year since 1916. When the Rose Parade was canceled in 1942, the game moved across the country to Durham, North Carolina, for that year. Horse racing BAFFERT SUSPENDED BY ARKANSAS RACING OFFICIALS
>> Two-time Triple Crownwinning trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended for 15 days by the Arkansas Racing Commission after two of his horses tested positive for a banned substance.
The commission said Wednesday in a ruling that the suspension runs from Aug. 1 -15. It found Baffert violated Rule 1233, which states that a trainer shall ultimately be responsible for the condition of any horse that is entered regardless of the acts of any third parties.
His horses Charlatan and Gamine each tested positive for lidocaine in two rounds of testing. They both won races at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on May2.
NBA
ANTIBODY TESTING REPORTEDLY ADDED TO PROTOCOLS
>> Because of a concern for false positives with coronavirus testing, the NBA authored a memo that added antibody testing to its return-to-play protocol, ESPN reported.
Since dead coronavirus cells can be detected in COVID-19 testing, it could lead to a positive result that would force a player to sit out for an extended period. A previously-conducted antibody test would help reveal if a player is not necessarily asymptomatic but has already recovered from the virus.
WNBA
DELLE DONNE WILL BE PAID
AS SHE REHABS >> While Mystics star Elena Delle Donne lambasted the WNBA for denying that she is at risk for COVID-19 due to her long-term battle with Lyme disease, Washington coach and general manager Mike Thibault appeared to say that the club will pay the reigning league MVP even if she sits out the season.
According to Thibault, Delle Donne will continue to be paid as she rehabs from offseason back surgery.
Delle Donne expressed concern that her status as one of the WNBA’s top players influenced the decision of the league’s doctors. The Centers for Disease Control does not list Lyme disease as an underlying condition that makes people susceptible to severe consequences if they contract the coronavirus.
Soccer
PRZYBYLKO’S GOAL GIVES PHILADELPHIA A 2-1 WIN >>
Kacper Przybylko scored in the 63rd minute and the Philadelphia Union held off Inter Miami for a 2-1 victory late Tuesday night in the MLS is Back tournament.
It was Union’s second win in two games in the World Cup-style tournament played without fans at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida. The victory secured a spot in the knockout round. 5 SUBSTITUTES INTERIM RULE IN SOCCER EXTENDED >> An interim rule allowing soccer teams to use five substitutes per match during the schedule congestion caused by the coronavirus pandemic was extended through next season.
Olympics
IOC POSTPONES DAKAR YOUTH OLYMPICS BY 4 YEARS
TO 2026 >> The 2022 Dakar Youth Olympics were postponed by four years, in further fallout from delaying the Tokyo Olympics to 2021. Africa will have to wait until 2026 for the continent’s first Olympic hosting duty.