Sports
Denny Hamlin rallies to win All-Star Race
May 17, 2026; Dover, Delaware, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) races to the inside of driver Brad Keselowski (6) during the NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images Denny Hamlin tracked down Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe, got by with 29 laps remaining and held on to claim the $1 million payday for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Del.
Briscoe’s No. 19 Toyota took the point from Hamlin’s No. 11 with 52 laps left after the final restart, but Hamlin patiently hunted down his teammate’s Camry, moved by on the frontstretch and won the exhibition race by 0.887 seconds.
The 45-year-old Hamlin won the All-Star Race for the second time (Charlotte, 2015) in his 20th start. It was also his third straight victory at Dover.
Erik Jones finished third followed by Austin Dillon and rookie Connor Zilisch.
The high-banked, one-mile speedway reached out on Lap 2 as the first incident happened. Ryan Preece’s Ford was moved up on the straightaway and got into the No. 5 Chevrolet of reigning title winner Kyle Larson, creating a mess in Turn 1 in a nine-car melee.
The wreck involved Cup champions Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott, whose crews scrambled to repair their cars since the drivers were locked in to the final 200-lap segment.
After a lengthy cleanup, Brad Keselowski continued to pace the field but relinquished the point to polesitter Hamlin after leading the first 16 laps. Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota quickly built a 3½-second lead in 13 circuits.
Bubba Wallace passed Hamlin on the segment’s final restart, and his No. 23 Toyota won it after Riley Herbst spun in a wreck that involved Elliott for a second time, ending the day for the sport’s most popular driver.
AJ Allmendinger gathered the lead from Shane van Gisbergen in the second segment, but the road course specialist later spun. A wreck involving Keselowski, Ross Chastain and Wallace resulted in Chastain’s No. 1 being retired.
Tyler Reddick worked his way back to the front to earn the checkers in the 75-lapper over Briscoe and Hamlin, but JGR’s Ty Gibbs had a tire go down and wrecked while running sixth on Lap 126.
Briscoe passed Hamlin to lead early in the final segment, but Reddick showed strength as did a hard-charging Zilisch as the competition caution neared. Hamlin moved by Reddick to the point as the yellow waved with 125 to go.
Just after Hocevar and William Byron pitted, Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford crashed in Turn 1 after his left-rear tire came apart.
–Field Level Media
Sports
USMNT hopefuls Brenden Aaronson, Chris Richards have injury scares
Mar 31, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; United States forward Brenden Aaronson (11) controls the ball against Portugal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images United States attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson came away with left leg injury while playing for Leeds United on Sunday, although initial speculation is that the setback is not expected to jeopardize his World Cup status.
Prospective USMNT defender Chris Richards also went down with a injury Sunday when he rolled his left ankle while playing for Crystal Palace. The second-half substitute returned to the match after a minute on the sideline and played to its completion.
Aaronson, who is in excellent position to make the United States Men’s National Team for the second consecutive World Cup cycle, went to the ground in the 58th minute of Leeds’ Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The 25-year-old Medford, N. J., native was clutching at his left leg as Leeds’ medical team came onto the pitch. He limped off the field and was replaced in an eventual 1-0 victory.
Richards, 26, is a native of Alabama who was in the FC Dallas development program before joining Bayern Munich’s academy in Germany in 2018. He played in Germany’s Bundesliga for two seasons before moving to Crystal Palace in 2022.
USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino will reveal his 26-player squad for this summer’s World Cup on May 26 at a public event in New York.
Aaronson tops Leeds with five assists and has added four goals, while playing a team-best 35 (of 37) matches this season.
Aaronson signed a five-year deal with Leeds in 2022. He was loaned to FC Union Berlin in the German Bundesliga in 2023-24 after Leeds was relegated, but returned to the West Yorkshire, England, club a year later.
Aaronson earned his first call-up to the USMNT in October 2019, made his debut with the team in 2020 and played in all three of the United States’ 2022 World Cup games.
Richards has 36 appearances with the USNMT since 2020, scoring three goals, but was not named to the United States’ 2022 World Cup roster. He has played in 33 Premier League games for Crystal Palace this season, scoring one goal.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Guardians blast six home runs in rout of Reds
May 17, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo (9) celebrates after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Kyle Manzardo led a long-ball barrage with two home runs and Gavin Williams tossed six strong innings to lead the Cleveland Guardians past the visiting Cincinnati Reds, 10-3, on Sunday in the rubber game of the three-game series.
The Guardians belted six homers on the day, accounting for all 10 runs, and won for the fifth time in six games and for the eighth time in 11 games. After opening 20-11, Cincinnati lost for the 12th time in 16 games.
Williams (6-3) stopped a personal two-game losing streak and won for the first time since April 29. The flame-throwing righty, who won five straight decisions in April, allowed just two runs and eight hits over six innings, striking out seven and walking none.
Jose Ramirez broke a 24-game homerless drought with a two-run shot in the eighth and walked twice as the Guardians belted six home runs in a game for the first time since June 17, 2017 against Minnesota.
Cleveland jumped on top with a Chase DeLauter two-run homer in the first against Cincinnati starter and loser Brady Singer (2-4).
Elly De La Cruz launched his team-leading 11th home run, an opposite field solo shot off Williams that cut Cleveland’s lead to 2-1 in the top of the third.
But Cleveland answered immediately in the bottom of the inning with the first of Manzardo’s two home runs, a long drive down the right field that hit off the foul pole and put Cleveland ahead, 4-1.
After the Reds cut the lead to 4-2 on a Nathanial Lowe RBI single against Williams in the fourth, Brayan Rocchio added his fourth of the year on a hanging Singer breaking ball in the bottom of the frame for a 5-2 Cleveland advantage.
One start after taking a line drive off the right side of his right foot, Singer was charged with five runs on seven hits in four innings, including a season-high three home runs.
Manzardo added his second homer of the game and his fourth of the season in the fifth off lefty reliever Brock Burke. Angel Martinez also had a two-run homer off reliever Connor Phillips in the seventh.
Travis Bazzana went 3-fo-4 for the Guardians, while DeLauter, Manzardo and Rocchio all contributed two hits.
De La Cruz went 2-for-5, but fanned twice as the Reds struck out a dozen times.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Chelsea Gray's big day helps Aces hand Dream first loss
May 17, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Las Vegas Aces forward NaLyssa Smith (3) is boxed out by Atlanta Dream forward Naz Hillmon (00) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Chelsea Gray scored 21 points, including a go-ahead jumper with 3.6 seconds left on Sunday afternoon, to propel the visiting Las Vegas Aces to an 85-84 win over the Atlanta Dream.
A’ja Wilson and Chennedy Carter each added 20 points for the Aces (4-1), who won their fourth straight game — all coming away from home. NaLyssa Smith scored 13 points for Las Vegas, which squandered a 17-point fourth-quarter lead before Gray’s game-saving jumper.
Allisha Gray led Atlanta (2-1) with 25 points, followed by Te-Hina Paopao’s 19 points and Madina Okot’s 14-point, 11-rebound double-double. Jordin Canada scored 11 in the Dream’s first loss.
Holding a seven-point halftime lead, the Aces pushed the margin to 16 on Wilson and Gray’s back-to-back 3-pointers.
Carter’s three-point play at the 3:35 mark extended Las Vegas’ lead to 73-54, before Okot’s layup began a 9-0 Atlanta run. The Aces took a 75-63 lead into the final quarter.
After Smith’s three-point play gave Las Vegas an 80-63 lead, Atlanta answered with a 17-1 run, cutting its deficit to a point on Paopao’s 3-pointer with 2:18 remaining. Wilson’s layup with two minutes left marked the Aces’ first made field goal in nearly seven minutes.
Gray made a pair of free throws with one minute left to pull the Dream within a point, before Canada’s steal and layup gave Atlanta an 84-83 edge.
Gray’s jumper then put the Aces ahead, and then she stole the ball from Alisha Gray on the Dream’s final possession to seal the victory.
Las Vegas jumped out to a 14-7 lead on Smith’s layup with 6:01 left in the opening quarter. Canada’s three-point play finished the first and trimmed the Dream’s deficit to 24-23.
Gray opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer to give Atlanta its first lead of the game. Las Vegas answered with an 11-0 run — which included Gray’s two 3-pointers — to give the visitors a 35-26 advantage.
After Jewell Loyd’s 3-pointer and Wilson’s free throws put the Aces ahead by 12, Gray’s basket began a 7-0 Atlanta run to pull the Dream within five.
Carter’s layup with 11.2 seconds left gave Las Vegas a 51-44 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
USMNT hopefuls Brenden Aaronson, Chris Richards have injury scares
Guardians blast six home runs in rout of Reds
