Sports
Carson Hocevar rides the wave to NASCAR Cup pole at Texas
May 2, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar (77) is interviewed after winning the pole position in the qualifying session for the 2026 Wurth 400 Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images FORT WORTH, Texas — In a manner of speaking, Carson Hocevar called his shot at Texas Motor Speedway–and wound up on the pole for Sunday’s Wurth 400 Presented by LIQUI MOLY (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Before Saturday’s time trials at the 1.5-mile track, Hocevar said he hoped to capitalize on his last-in-the-order qualifying position–a benefit of his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway last Sunday.
“Hopefully we can roll out last and take advantage of it,” Hocevar said. “Start up front, which is super important here. Pit stops are going to be important. Get a good pit selection and really keep the momentum rolling.”
It took a monumental lap for Hocevar to achieve that objective. Streaking around the speedway in 25.222 seconds (191.240 mph), he edged Spire Motorsports teammate Daniel Suarez (191.320 mph) for the top starting spot by 0.003 seconds.
The Busch Light Pole Award was the second of Hocevar’s career, with the first coming at Texas a year ago.
“Maybe going to (sponsor) Chili’s last night it weighed the car down just a little bit more, and I had a little more left-side weight,” joked Hocevar, who also won Friday night’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at TMS. “I don’t know where those three thousandths (of a second) are, but I’m glad I had ‘em in the bank.
“My lap felt pretty good. It wasn’t quite key it up on the radio and (say)… ‘If they beat that, they can have it,’ and they don’t get beat. It wasn’t quite doing that, but I was coming off Turn 4, and I was like, ‘If this isn’t fast, I’m going to be disappointed.’ It felt good.”
Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher qualified third at 190.981 mph in the only Ford that cracked the top 10. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe tied for fourth at 190.786 mph, with Hamlin getting the nod for the higher starting spot on an owner points tiebreaker.
Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, series leader Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman and Ty Gibbs completed the top 10 on the grid. Defending Cup champion Kyle Larson will start 11th.
Austin Dillon and Bubba Wallace did not make qualifying attempts and will start from the rear of the field on Sunday. Dillon’s team changed the engine in the No. 3 Chevrolet. Wallace crashed in practice will start the race in a backup car.
“It was on edge, just like Texas is,” Wallace said of the accident. “Just trying to find the right balance for us and our team. So it was going to be a good debrief to figure out if we can get some more speed, but just have to rely on our teammates and go get it tomorrow.
“This is a very unforgiving place. So like I said, it (the No. 23 Camry) was around before I even knew it.”
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying — Wurth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
Saturday, May 2, 2026
1. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 191.340 mph.
2. (7) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 191.320 mph.
3. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 190.981 mph.
4. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 190.786 mph.
5. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 190.786 mph.
6. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 190.611 mph.
7. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 190.456 mph.
8. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 190.416 mph.
9. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 190.382 mph.
10. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 190.168 mph.
11. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 190.067 mph.
12. (88) Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, 189.940 mph.
13. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 189.860 mph.
14. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 189.780 mph.
15. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet, 189.693 mph.=
16. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 189.427 mph.
17. (67) Corey Heim(i), Toyota, 189.341 mph.
18. (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 189.228 mph.
19. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 189.155 mph.
20. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford, 189.129 mph.
21. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 188.950 mph.
22. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 188.772 mph.
23. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 188.692 mph.
24. (21) Josh Berry, Ford, 188.686 mph.
25. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 188.442 mph.
26. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 188.403 mph.
27. (41) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 188.311 mph.=
28. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford, 188.193 mph.
29. (51) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 187.983 mph.
30. (97) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 187.905 mph.
31. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 187.800 mph.
32. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 187.682 mph.
33. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 187.669 mph.
34. (38) Zane Smith, Ford, 187.285 mph.
35. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 185.350 mph.
36. (66) Chad Finchum(i), Ford, 176.396 mph.
37. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 0.000 mph.
38. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
— By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
Sports
NFL: Miami no longer meets Super Bowl site requirements
Jan 20, 2026; Miami, FL, USA; A general overall aerial view of Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the Miami Dolphins and site of the 2026 CFP Championship playoff game. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Miami has dropped out of the Super Bowl hosting rotation because Hard Rock Stadium no longer meets the NFL’s site requirements, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said this week.
Miami has hosted 11 Super Bowls, tied for the record with New Orleans, but none since Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, 2020.
The 38-year-old venue also hosted the Super Bowl in 1989, 1995, 1999, 2007 and 2010. Before that, Miami held Super Bowls at the Orange Bowl in 1968, 1969, 1971, 1976 and 1979.
“We normally have one every five years,” Ross told the South Florida Business Journal. “Miami is not really in line for one. It’s always exciting to have the Super Bowl but that was before we had all the other events. Miami has by far the best weather. It’s in their best interest to have one here but at this point they don’t believe we meet all the requirements and the demands.”
Because the stadium added infrastructure on the property to host the Miami Open tennis tournament and a Formula 1 race every year, there is limited space on site for Super Bowl hospitality events.
“We are looking at how to make improvements,” Ross said. “I want to make the stadium always feel like a new stadium (and) we are looking at what the next phase will be and making the fan experience that much better.”
The next three Super Bowls are scheduled to take place at SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.) in 2027, Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) in 2028 and Allegiant Stadium (Paradise, Nev.).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets C Luis Torrens gets 2-year extension reportedly worth $11.5M
Apr 9, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets catcher Luis Torrens (13) reaches for the ball during the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images New York Mets catcher Luis Torrens celebrated his 30th birthday on Saturday with a nice payday.
The Mets announced a contract extension with Torrens for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, which multiple outlets reported is worth $11.5 million.
A backup catcher in his ninth season, Torrens is batting .200 with two doubles and four RBIs in 13 games this season, his third with the Mets. He is earning $2.275 million for 2026.
Known for his defense, Torrens is a career .226 hitter with 27 homers and 127 RBIs in 421 games with the San Diego Padres (2017, 2019-20), Seattle Mariners (2020-23), Chicago Cubs (2023) and Mets.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Visiting D.C. United short-handed for clash with NYCFC
Aug 23, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New York City FC midfielder Nicolas Fernandez Mercau (7) dribbles during the second half against FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images Short-handed D.C. United will try to build off last weekend’s dramatic home win on Sunday when they visit a New York City side hoping to ride momentum from a midweek U.S. Open Cup victory over their crosstown rival.
After a slow start, the attack for D.C. (3-4-3, 12 points) has suddenly erupted with seven goals in its last two matches.
In a 4-4 draw at the New York Red Bulls on April 22, Tai Baribo scored a hat trick for his fourth, fifth and sixth league goals. Then last Saturday, Louis Munteanu scored his first goal for the club in the 84th minute and Kye Rowles had the 90th-minute winner as the Black-and-Red rallied for a 3-2 home win over Orlando.
But Baribo will miss a second straight match with an injury, manager Rene Weiler confirmed this week. And one of the candidates to replace him, Brazilian attacker Gabriel Pirani, has played his way out of consideration, Weiler said.
“He’s playing for himself instead of the team, and I dislike,” Weiler told reporters. “And I can’t see the joy in his face in the identification of our club. So he will not be in the team.”
The victory against Orlando halted a five-match league winless run for D.C. in its first full season under Weiler. Now it visits an NYCFC squad mired in a similar six-match MLS slide, with City’s last league win coming on March 14 at home against Colorado.
But Pascal Jansen’s squad earned a decisive 3-1 win at the Red Bulls in Wednesday’s Open Cup Round of 16 clash, with Raul Gustavo scoring the winner in the 39th minute and Thiago Martins adding insurance in the 57th minute.
Nicolas Fernandez Mercau leads NYCFC (3-4-3, 12 points) with eight league goals, including two in a 4-4 home draw against FC Cincinnati on April 22.
And given their current form, Jansen isn’t about to feel sad that his side will likely have their top scorer while his opponent won’t.
“Obviously a massive piece for them. An important player,” Jansen said of Baribo’s absence. “We’re coming out of a good game against Red Bull, and now the focus is on D.C., and they’re missing one of their key players. That’s tough for them, but good news for us.”
The two sides have split their last four head-to-head matches, including a pair of draws.
–Field Level Media
NFL: Miami no longer meets Super Bowl site requirements
Mets C Luis Torrens gets 2-year extension reportedly worth $11.5M
