Sports
Stubbs: Five bold predictions for Bristol
Sep 7, 2024; Hampton, Georgia, USA; The helmet of NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) rests on the top of his car before qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jason Allen-Imagn Images Saturday’s Bristol Night Race is more than another edition of a premier event in racing. It also serves as the cutoff race for the NASCAR playoffs Round of 16 for the fifth consecutive season.
By virtue of his win at Atlanta (Sept. 8), Joey Logano is the only playoff driver safe from elimination.
Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs are tied for the final transfer spot to the Round of 12. Denny Hamlin is currently below the cut line, with Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. and Harrison Burton also needing big performances to advance.
With the stage set for the 29th race of the 2024 season, here are five predictions for Saturday’s nighttime action at Bristol Motor Speedway:
–Carson Hocevar will, for all intents and purposes, clinch the ROTY award
Fellow Rookie of the Year contender Josh Berry may be stronger on short tracks, but the two drivers are moving in very different directions.
Berry hasn’t finished inside the top 20 since Richmond on Aug. 11, while Hocevar has five top-16 finishes — three top-10s among those — and a third-place effort at Watkins Glen in that same span. Berry’s 12th-place finish at Bristol in March trumps Hocevar’s 27th-place finish. Still, the momentum is all the side of the No. 77 team with eight races to go. A 45-point advantage for Hocevar over Berry will only grow on Saturday; Berry won’t be able to catch up.
–Bright playoff lights melt Truex, No. 19 team for second consecutive season
It’s a shame Truex’s final playoff run could culminate in a first-round exit. But it’s the most likely scenario for a No. 19 team that sits 14 points below the cut line.
Truex’s playoff collapse in 2023 was salvaged by an abundance of playoff points that led to the Round of 8, but no such insurance exists this time for the 2017 champion. Truex hasn’t finished better than 20th since Pocono on July 14, and while he was second at Bristol in March, Saturday night will be a struggle for a driver who seems mentally checked out of the 2024 season.
–Denny Hamlin advances to the Round of 12 … by the skin of his teeth
All signs point to Hamlin being the driver making a shocking Round of 16 exit on Saturday.
A six-point deficit to the cut line and finishes of 24th and 23rd in the first two playoff races don’t exactly inspire confidence in the veteran driver, but the No. 11 team will be able to piece together enough speed for Hamlin to barely find his way into the second round. Whether he goes any further remains to be seen, but the winner of the past two Bristol races will find a way to keep his season alive.
–Bubba Wallace proves worth after contract extension, continuing late-season tear
Five top-10 finishes in the final eight races of the regular season weren’t enough for Wallace to make the postseason for the second consecutive season.
But the Mobile, Ala., native was rewarded with a multiyear contract extension from 23XI Racing on Wednesday. Wallace missed the playoffs while 11th-hour wins from Burton and Briscoe helped nudge him out of the championship running.
But he was 12th in points after 26 races, and has already matched his career best in every statistic other than wins. The No. 23 team has potential to go on a late tear to end the year, and while it may not start at Bristol, Wallace shows over the final eight weeks of the season why he was worthy of a new deal.
–Cindric, Bowman and Suarez survive and advance
For Austin Cindric, (+43) Alex Bowman, (+41) and Daniel Suarez, the task is simple: Survive 500 laps at Bristol and earn a ticket to the Round of 12.
Surviving 500 circuits at the Last Great Colosseum is easier said than done, but all three drivers have risen to the occasion through the first two races of the postseason. Most had Cindric, Bowman and Suarez circled as first-round exits, but catastrophe-free nights at Bristol stand as the only deterrent to a Round of 12 berth.
It won’t be easy to come home with a clean car on Saturday evening, but all three playoff underdogs do enough to advance.
–By Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media
Sports
No. 13 St. John's starts fast, pounds No. 6 UConn for Big East crown
Mar 14, 2026; New York, NY, USA; St. John’s Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) follows through on a dunk against the Connecticut Huskies during the first half of the men’s Big East Conference Tournament Championship at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images NEW YORK — Zuby Ejiofor totaled 18 points, nine rebounds, seven blocks and three steals as top-seeded St. John’s started quickly, never let up and earned a 72-52 victory over second-seeded UConn on Saturday night to win the Big East tournament title.
Projected to be a fifth seed in the NCAA Tournament by many bracketologists, the Red Storm (28-6) won their fifth conference tournament title and achieved the feat in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history.
St. John’s, ranked No. 13 in the nation, also became the first school to go back-to-back as Big East tournament champions since Villanova won three straight from 2017-19.
The Red Storm won for the 19th time in 20 games since a six-point home loss to Providence on Jan. 3. Their lone loss in that span was a 72-40 thrashing by UConn in Hartford on Feb. 25.
Ejiofor, voted the tournament’s most outstanding player, made 7-of-11 shots and hit a pair of 3s on Saturday. He finished one shy of his career high for blocks set Dec. 6 against Ole Miss and matched in the next game on Dec. 13 against Iona.
Bryce Hopkins also scored 18 and Oziyah Sellers contributed 14 for the Red Storm, who scored the game’s first 10 points. St. John’s scored the first nine points in a quarterfinal win over Providence on Thursday and the first eight in the semifinal win over Seton Hall on Friday.
The Red Storm shot 48.2% from the field (27 of 56) and scored 24 points off turnovers.
No. 6 UConn (29-5) was unable to win its ninth conference title and ended the game by getting outscored 13-3 and missing its last 13 field-goal attempts over the final eight minutes.
Tarris Reed Jr. led the Huskies with 17 points on 8-of-17 shooting but was constantly bottled up by Ejiofor in the paint. Reed was UConn’s lone double-figure scorer as the Huskies shot a season-worst 33.9% (19 of 56), missed 16 of 19 3s and committed 17 turnovers.
Leading scorer Solo Ball was held to three points on 1-of-7 shooting while Alex Karaban finished with seven and Silas Demary Jr. had six.
After a basket by Erik Reibe made it a nine-point game with 9:58 left in the first half, the Red Storm ripped off an 11-3 run that featured dunks by Ejiofor and Dillon Mitchell for a 36-19 lead with 4:37 left before taking a 40-27 lead by halftime.
St. John’s held an 18-point lead on a basket by Sellers less than two minutes into the second half, and UConn scored the next nine points, getting within 47-38 on a layup by Reed with 15:08 left. The Huskies kept charging back and Reed’s short jumper cut the lead to 49-42 and prompted a timeout.
UConn sliced the lead to nine on a basket by Malachi Smith with 8:03 left. St John’s answered by getting six straight points from Darling, a jumper by Sellers and a layup by Hopkins for a 69-49 lead with 3:26 left to essentially clinch matters.
–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Giants signing WR Darnell Mooney to 1-year, $10M deal
Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (1) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The New York Giants are signing veteran wide receiver Darnell Mooney to a one-year contract worth up to $10 million, according to multiple reports on Saturday.
The Atlanta Falcons released Mooney, 28, earlier this month as a salary cap casualty after he signed a three-year, $39 million contract in March 2024. He was set to count $18.4 million against the cap, but the move saved the Falcons $7.42 million.
The Giants lost 2025 leading receiver Wan’Dale Robinson (92 receptions, 1,014 yards) in free agency to the Tennessee Titans earlier this week. They added former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Calvin Austin and re-signed Gunner Olszewski to join veterans Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton.
Mooney recorded 64 catches for 992 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in 16 games (all starts) in his first season with the Falcons in 2024. He had just 32 receptions for 443 yards and one score in 15 games (all starts) in 2025. He missed Game 1 due to a broken collarbone and two other games because of a hamstring injury.
He has 309 catches for 4,028 yards with 17 touchdowns in 91 career games (80 starts) with the Chicago Bears (2020-23) and Falcons.
Chicago selected Mooney in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Tulane.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Late charge propels Kyle Larson to O’Reilly Series win in Vegas
Mar 14, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; JR Motorsports driver Kyle Larson (88) celebrates his victory of the LiUNA! at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — No matter the series, Las Vegas Motor Speedway agrees with Kyle Larson.
Surging into the lead from the seventh position moments after the final restart on Lap 154 of 200, Larson pulled away to win The LiUNA! on Saturday, becoming the fifth different winner in five NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events this season.
Larson crossed the finish line 2.557 seconds ahead of Chase Briscoe, who recovered from a brush with the outside wall and resulting flat tire to finish second.
The victory was Larson’s second at Las Vegas to go with three in the NASCAR Cup Series. In his first O’Reilly Series start of the season, the driver of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet registered the 18th win of his career in the series.
Sheldon Creed ran third, followed by series leader Justin Allgaier and Sammy Smith.
“I was a bit nervous,” Larson said of the final run. “I knew the 00 (Creed) and Briscoe were ripping the top. I tried it once, and I didn’t feel good up there at all.
“I don’t know — clean air just must have meant a lot today. So, glad I was able to get the lead when it mattered.”
Briscoe took responsibility for the mistake that cost him a chance to win.
“Even with the adversity we were dealing with, I knew if we got a lucky break, we were going to hopefully get back up there,” Briscoe said. “Honestly, it wasn’t an unfortunate break with the tire — I think it was my own fault.
“I just drove it into the fence and cost myself. I had a lot of fun. It was certainly fun slipping and sliding around the race track. You could kind of run all over. I had a blast.”
Jesse Love ran sixth in one of the fastest cars in the race. Love led 36 laps and was first off pit road after stops on Lap 120. But his team incurred a safety violation when a crew member fell over the wall on that stop, and Love restarted 32nd under penalty. A determined charge through the field earned the sixth-place finish.
Creed’s third-place run was not without incident. On Lap 148, a tap from Creed’s front bumper sent Taylor Gray’s Toyota rocketing into the Turn 3 wall and out of the race as the drivers were battling for second.
“I just got into him,” Creed said. “I was trying to pack some air. I didn’t know he was that close to the 17 (eighth-place finisher Corey Day). I could have cut him more of a break there, and I didn’t. That’s not the way I wanted to race him.”
Connor Zilisch ran seventh as the fourth JR Motorsports driver in the top seven. Day in eighth scored his fourth consecutive top 10 after leading nine laps before the Creed/Gray accident caused the eighth and final caution.
William Sawalich finished ninth, and Daytona winner Austin Hill ran 10th.
Allgaier led a race-high 48 laps to Larson’s 47 and swept the first two stages to expand his series lead over Love to 13 points.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race — The LiUNA!
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday, March 14, 2026
1. (2) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 200.
2. (23) Chase Briscoe(i), Toyota, 200.
3. (3) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 200.
4. (9) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200.
5. (4) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 200.
6. (7) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 200.
7. (17) Connor Zilisch(i), Chevrolet, 200.
8. (11) Corey Day, Chevrolet, 200.
9. (14) William Sawalich, Toyota, 200.
10. (13) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 200.
11. (18) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, 200.
12. (12) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 200.
13. (5) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 200.
14. (29) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 200.
15. (27) Daniel Dye(i), Ford, 200.
16. (32) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 200.
17. (24) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 200.
18. (16) Cole Custer(i), Chevrolet, 200.
19. (8) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 200.
20. (26) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 199.
21. (22) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 199.
22. (33) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 199.
23. (38) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 199.
24. (10) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 199.
25. (19) Austin Green, Chevrolet, 199.
26. (30) Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 199.
27. (15) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 199.
28. (37) Mason Maggio, Chevrolet, 199.
29. (36) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 199.
30. (35) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 198.
31. (25) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 198.
32. (34) Nathan Byrd, Chevrolet, 198.
33. (20) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 197.
34. (31) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 197.
35. (1) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 196.
36. (28) Chandler Smith(i), Ford, Ignition, 184.
37. (6) Taylor Gray, Toyota, Accident, 148.
38. (21) Nick Sanchez, Ford, Fuel Pump, 141.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 116.82 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 34 Mins, 5 Secs. Margin of Victory: 2.557 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 42 laps.
Lead Changes: 16 among 9 drivers.
Lap Leaders: S. Mayer 1-5;S. Creed 6;S. Mayer 7-33;J. Allgaier 34-48;C. Briscoe(i) 49;J. Love 50-56;T. Gray 57;J. Love 58-64;J. Allgaier 65-93;C. Briscoe(i) 94;J. Love 95-104;J. Allgaier 105-108;J. Love 109-120;T. Gray 121-140;C. Day 141-149;B. Jones 150-153;K. Larson(i) 154-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Justin Allgaier 3 times for 48 laps; Kyle Larson(i) 1 time for 47 laps; Jesse Love 4 times for 36 laps; Sam Mayer 2 times for 32 laps; Taylor Gray 2 times for 21 laps; Corey Day 1 time for 9 laps; Brandon Jones 1 time for 4 laps; Chase Briscoe(i) 2 times for 2 laps; Sheldon Creed 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 7,41,19,54,00,2,88,17,0,20
Stage #2 Top Ten: 7,19,54,2,88,00,17,1,21,9
–By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media.
No. 13 St. John's starts fast, pounds No. 6 UConn for Big East crown
Reports: Giants signing WR Darnell Mooney to 1-year, $10M deal
