Sports
Tyler Reddick chasing history at COTA
Feb 22, 2026; Hampton, Georgia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick celebrates the win at EchoPark Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images With two exciting finishes under its belt, NASCAR has opened its season strong and certainly raised questions. The biggest one might be this: Who or what can stop team owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, their two 23XI Racing teams and rising drivers Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace?
After last season found the organization and Front Row Motorsports in court against NASCAR regarding an antitrust accusation, with Jordan and company citing the sanctioning body as an unfair, monopolistic group, a settlement was reached on Dec. 11.
23XI Racing has not let any distraction slow it down, though the third race this season — the 95-lapper around the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on Sunday in Austin, Texas — will be a much different animal to deal with than the first two drafting tracks.
It’s an affectionate animal for Reddick thus far.
The NASCAR Cup Series has visited the Texas twister of a track five times since the 2020 COVID-affected campaign.
Following Chase Elliott’s win in 2021 and Ross Chastain’s a year later, Reddick used a series of sharp lefts and rights to handily beat Kyle Busch in 2023 for his fourth career win and first with 23XI Racing in a race that had 16 lead changes and 3,110 green-flag passes (53.6 per lap).
Over the past two seasons, William Byron and defending winner Christopher Bell have been the best at figuring out the track that looks like it was designed on an Etch A Sketch.
Bell’s victory a year ago came against Byron, but the day’s biggest story was that road racing ace Shane van Gisbergen did not find the checkers first and finished sixth after leading 23 laps.
That’s disappointing for someone who went 5-for-6 on road courses in 2025.
The Jordan/Hamlin-led team brings a ton of momentum to the Lone Star State, and Reddick stands on the cusp of being alone in history Sunday.
No driver has ever opened with three points wins. Only Matt Kenseth (2009), Jeff Gordon (1997), David Pearson (1976), Bob Welborn (1959) and Marvin Panch (1957) have won two consecutive races out of the gate.
“If at any point during this week I’m running out of reasons to be motivated to go win, I’ll keep that in my back pocket, for sure,” Reddick said. “You know, it’s cool to be able, or have the opportunity to potentially do things like that, but … it’s all about just doing everything I can and showing up every week being as prepared as I can.”
Naturally, the hotshot leads in points as Texas looms in the Southwestern horizon. He has 125 points, while teammate Wallace, the top driver with 86 laps led, is 40 points back in second.
In fact, Wallace’s name could have replaced Reddick’s here this week, and the No. 23 Toyota that led in the closing laps at Daytona and Atlanta could be racing in Austin for history with a couple of breaks or better final maneuvers.
Yet winning in Texas sounds speculative.
“Pray for me,” Wallace joked about COTA, where he finished 20th last time.
Can Reddick win again in the Texas capital like he did in 2023, or is it possible the snaking COTA will constrict 23XI Racing’s successful run to start 2026?
The answer to both are as obvious as asking Michael Jordan if he knows his championship ring size.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ryan McMahon the unlikely hero as Yankees edge Royals
Apr 4, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon (19) runs out a ground ball and is safe on a fielding error by the Miami Marlins during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Ryan McMahon hit a tiebreaking two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning and the New York Yankees earned a 4-2 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Friday night.
After not starting the game, McMahon entered at third base for Amed Rosario. Ben Rice kept the inning going with a two-out single, and McMahon snapped a 2-2 tie by sending a 2-1 changeup from Alex Lange (0-1) into the left field seats. McMahon’s homer sent left fielder Starling Marte back, but the wind appeared to carry it over the fence.
It was McMahon’s sixth hit in 43 at-bats this season — his first extra-base hit — and it occurred after manager Aaron Boone said the left-handed hitting McMahon was working on some things with his swing behind the scenes.
The Yankees have won five games in their final at-bat this year, which are their five most recent victories. McMahon drew a walk on Monday when Jose Caballero scored on a wild pitch by Jordan Romano in an 11-10 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
McMahon delivered his clutch homer after Camilo Doval (1-0) allowed a tying homer down the right field line by Vinnie Pasquantino. Doval quickly got the final out and David Bednar notched his sixth save.
Rice hit a two-run homer in the fourth off Michael Wacha as the Yankees did enough with five hits to win for just the third time in their past 10 games.
Before Doval faltered, New York’s Cam Schlittler allowed an unearned run on three hits in six-plus innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked two while throwing mostly four-seam fastballs, sinkers and cutters among his season-high 93 pitches.
Schlittler pitched around a dropped fly ball by center fielder Trent Grisham in the sixth.
With one out and Maikel Garcia on first, Bobby Witt Jr. hit a fly to the warning track in center field in front of the New York bullpen. As Grisham settled under it, the ball caromed off his glove for a two-base error and Garcia advanced to third.
After allowing Pasquantino’s RBI grounder, Schlittler struck out Salvador Perez to end the sixth.
The Royals lost for the fifth game in a row and the eighth time in 10 games. Nine of those games have been decided by two runs or fewer.
Wacha allowed two runs on three hits in six innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked three.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Team Spirit, Team Vitality punch tickets to IEM Rio semifinals
A backlit keyboard is part of the gear online video game streamer Jordan Woodruff uses in his Gilbert home.
Jordan Woodruff
Team Spirit and Team Vitality kicked off the playoff stage at the $300,000 Intel Extreme Masters Rio event with quarterfinal victories Friday, moving into the final four in Brazil.
Spirit blanked MOUZ 2-0 and Vitality did the same to Natus Vincere. While the losing sides were eliminated, Spirit will meet Team Falcons and Vitality will oppose FURIA in the semifinals Saturday.
Sixteen Counter-Strike 2 teams are competing this week for a top prize of $125,000.
The double-elimination group stage began with two groups of eight teams, with all matches best-of-three. The group winners advanced to the playoff semifinals, with the group runners-up entering the quarterfinals as high seeds and the third-place teams entering the quarterfinals as low seeds.
In the single-elimination playoffs, all matches are best-of-three until Sunday’s best-of-five grand final.
On Friday, Spirit defeated MOUZ 13-5 on Dust II and 13-8 on Mirage. Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich of Belarus paced the winning side with 39 kills and a 1.86 match rating. Dorian “xertioN” Berman of Israel had 25 kills to lead MOUZ.
Meanwhile, Vitality rolled past NaVi 13-4 on Mirage and 13-6 on Dust II. Frenchman Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut starred for Vitality with 44 kills and a 1.92 rating. Ukraine’s Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov had a team-high 25 kills for NaVi.
Play continues Saturday with the two semifinal matches:
–Team Falcons vs. Team Spirit
–FURIA vs. Team Vitality
IEM Rio prize pool:
1. $125,000
2. $50,000
3. $30,000
4. $20,000
5-6. $12,500 — MOUZ, Natus Vincere
7-8. $7,000 — G2 Esports, Aurora Gaming
9-12. $5,000 — RED Canids, 3DMAX, B8, HOTU
13-16. $4,000 — Gentle Mates, Team Liquid, Passion UA, Legacy
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sei Young Kim grabs lead at midpoint of LA Championship
Jun 20, 2025; Frisco, Texas, USA; Sei Young Kim plays her shot from the sixth tee during the second round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images World No. 10 Sei Young Kim of South Korea carded a bogey-free 7-under-par 65 on Friday and took a one-shot lead after two rounds at the JM Eagle LA Championship in Tarzana, Calif.
Kim sits at 14-under 130 at El Caballero Country Club, just ahead of first-round leader Chizzy Iwai of Japan. Coming off a course-record-tying 63 on Thursday, Iwai carded a 68 on Friday, leaving her at 13 under.
South Korea’s Ina Yoon holds third place at 12 under following a 64. Tied for fourth at 9 under are Melanie Green and South Korea’s Jin Hee Im, who each shot 68 on Friday, and Jessica Porvasnik, who logged a 69.
Jenny Bae (second-round 68), Japan’s Minami Katsu (69), Australia’s Hannah Green (69) and Thailand’s Suvichaya Vinijchaitham (71) are level at 8 under, tied for seventh.
Kim birdied two of the first three holes and was 2 under at the turn. She then reeled off five birdies in a seven-hole span on the back nine.
“Little less windy today, because yesterday (it was a) very dry golf condition because (I started in the) afternoon,” Kim said. “So today … I can attack to the pin more than yesterday.”
Kim owns 13 career LPGA victories, but just one in the past six years, at the BMW Ladies Championship last October.
“This course (offers) a lot of the opportunity if you play well, so I think some players or couple players (will) play good and we’ll see, yeah, what’s going on,” Kim said. “Yeah, (I) like my position so I just want to keep (moving) forward (the) next two days.”
Iwai had another good round, albeit nowhere near as good as her first-round 63. She had two birdies and one bogey through the first 12 holes, then added three birdies in a four-hole stretch starting at No. 13.
“My front nine, I didn’t make … short birdie putts, but my driver and my second shot was all consistent, my swing,” Iwai said. “Yeah, my shot is pretty good.”
Yoon charged into contention with a sizzling start to her round, making seven birdies and two pars on the back nine. She then played the front nine and cooled off, adding only one more birdie in a bogey-free day.
“First nine holes was awesome,” Yoon said. “I never shoot 29 for nine hole in my life. It was unbelievable.
“The back nine was little bummer, but I had pretty good shot on the back nine as well. Some tricky putts on there. I made some. But it was good overall.”
–Field Level Media
Ryan McMahon the unlikely hero as Yankees edge Royals
Team Spirit, Team Vitality punch tickets to IEM Rio semifinals
