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The NASCAR All-Star Race was won by one of the favorites. But how it would unfold few could predict, as Denny Hamlin triumphed to capture the $1 million prize. From a fiery crash for Ryan Preece on the opening lap to a handful of wrecks that knocked some of the potential contenders out of the race before the main segment, the first All-Star Race at Dover had its moments. “Overall, this is a typical All-Star Race when that stuff happens,” Hamlin said in his FOX interview after the race. “I just knew the game changer for us was long runs and obviously the ability to pass when we were behind someone.” Here are my takeaways: 1. Hamlin Proves Triumphant Hamlin won the All-Star Race for the second time in his career and first in 11 years. He was dominant, withstanding a challenge by Joe Gbibs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe during the final stage. He led 103 of the 350 laps, including the final 30. It won’t count in his career victory total (he has 61 points wins), but it is another testament to Hamlin’s ability. “If we’re going to a track that turns left, I expect to win every single week,” Hamlin said in his post-race news conference. “This is just very unique, especially in the era where all the cars are so similar, and I’m racing guys that have all my information. They see my setups, things like that, and I still can get it done in the end.” 2. Preece’s Scary, Short Day Preece blamed himself for the wreck on the first lap, where he and Kyle Larson had contact. The rear of Preece’s car erupted in flames, and Preece calmly got out of his car. “I’m fine,” Preece said in his FOX interview after exiting the medical center. “If it was my fault, I’m sorry. A tough way not to finish a race on Lap 1.” 3. Format Will Get Scrutiny With the All-Star Race going to Dover, the concern for track officials was that their fans were used to seeing the stars run for 400 laps. So only giving them half of that didn’t sit well. So a format was devised where the event would be 350 laps broken into segments of 75, 75 and 200 with the field reduced from 36 to 26 after the first two segments. Race winners from 2025 and 2026 and past champions were guaranteed to be in the final segment. But then Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott didn’t even make it to the final segment as they were knocked out early. “First thing is let’s give Dover their points race back, and then let’s figure out where we’re going to go, and then figure out the format,” Hamlin said. 4. Big Run For Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones finished third. And while this was an exhibition event, it was a solid day for a driver who had to race his way into the final segment. “We’ve been pretty bad at Dover the last handful of years, so I know it is a little bit of a unique deal, but a great run,” Jones said after the race, according to a Toyota release. Jones is 25th in the series standings. 4 ½. What’s Next The longest race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule awaits as the traditional 600-mile race in Charlotte will cap the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. At least the All-Star Race got drivers ready for a long event but certainly a more straight-forward event. It is also one of the most important races because it has an additional stage. There will be four stages of 100 laps each on the 1.5-mile oval.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, Ind.) — Yes, again. Alex Palou, the defending Indianapolis 500 winner and four-time INDYCAR champion who seems to win all the big events these days in INDYCAR, captured the Indy 500 pole Sunday. No surprise there. Unless you’re Alex Palou. “Very surprised,” Palou said in his news conference after winning his second career Indy 500 pole. “We did not have the speed. Even on Fast Friday [practice two days ago], we tried and tried and tried to get more speed. It was OK.” It certainly was more than OK on Sunday when it counted most. Here are my takeaways: 1. Rosenqvist disappointment Felix Rosenqvist posted the fastest four-lap qualifying run of the day at 232.599 mph. But that came in the top-12 session that determined the six drivers who competed for the pole. Rosenqvist could only muster a four-lap average of 231.375 mph in the Fast Six round, while Palou posted a qualifying speed of 232.248 mph, followed by Alexander Rossi (231.990) and David Malukas (231.877). Rosenqvist had been fastest in early rounds in past years at Indy, and this one was just another disappointment for the Meyer Shank Racing driver. “I’ve been so close so many times so it’s kind of annoying that I am not able to do it,” Rosenqvist said told me after his run. “At least I did the run I could with what we had. There was not much more in it.” 2. Notable Qualifiers No one expected pole-winning runs from Mick Schumacher and Katherine Legge. But there were plenty of eyes on each of them in their qualifying runs. Schumacher, the former F1 driver and son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher, will start 28th in his first Indy 500 as a rookie at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. “Overall, it’s been great,” Schumacher told me and other reporters after his laps. “It’s been step by step, and that’s what you want you really want out here. You want to build the confidence. … Unfortunately, we didn’t quite hit the [fast] window here.” Legge will start 27th as she attempts to do the Indy 500-Coke 600 double next Sunday. “The team has done a phenomenal job getting me a car that is fast and comfortable in normal conditions,” Legge told me and other reporters after getting out of her HMD Motorsports car that is being fielded as part of a partnership with A.J. Foyt Racing. “I feel we’ll have a really solid race car.” 3. Rossi Quietly Confident When Alexander Rossi talks about his victory in the 2016 Indianapolis 500, he indicates that he plans that it won’t be his only win in the race. The ECR Racing driver will start second next Sunday, and has had a quiet confidence about him all week, even though he had an engine expire earlier in the week in practice. [INDY 500 HISTORY: Counting Down The 10 Best Finishes Ever] “This year has been a little bit of failed to meet expectations in some areas and exceeded in others, but internally we’re performing at a much higher level and doing a better job than we were last year,” Rossi said in his post-qualifying news conference. 4. No crashes? INDYCAR drivers made it through four days of practice and a full qualifying day without anyone having to go to the infield medical center because of a crash. It is rare to go a full week without having at least one car significantly damaged. “This whole grid is pretty damn good, man,” Santino Ferrucci told me after he qualified fifth for the Indy 500. “You’re seeing a lot of wheeling out there.” Rossi said it certainly isn’t because the cars are less than a handful. “It’s not easier, I can promise you that,” Rossi said. “That was one of the harder qualifying days I’ve had around here.” 4 ½. What’s Next? INDYCAR teams get two hours to practice Monday and then get a final two-hour practice Friday (Carb Day) before the race Sunday. The Friday slate includes a concert and the Wienie 500. Many of the drivers who were happy with their cars in practice in race trim will be glad to back to where they have speed. Teams get extra boost for qualifying, and that seemed to upset many of the cars, including that of two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden, who will start 24th. “I could tell from the beginning of the week [qualifying would not be good],” Newgarden told me and other reporters after his laps. “You know very early at this place. Race trim will be a different conversation.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

CITI FIELD (New York) – The Mets entered the Subway Series red-hot, on the heels of sweeping the Detroit Tigers at home. Meanwhile, the Yankees slumped into the weekend having lost five of their last six games. It was a scenario that, just a few weeks ago, would have seemed preposterous. The tables had turned, and it created a buzz. During a warm and sun-splashed weekend that finally felt like summer was around the corner, fans with different New York alliances traveled to Flushing and packed out the stadium every day of the three-game series. The atmosphere was charged. The stakes felt high. The drama was waiting to unfold. In the end, it was the Mets, the team with one of the worst records in baseball, that stunned the Yankees, the club that’s built to go to the World Series again. The Mets took two out of the three games, winning the first meeting of the season between the longtime crosstown rivals. Here are my takeaways: 1. Worst Gut Punch In A Season Full Of ‘Em Out of all the comebackers that could’ve hurt the Mets, this one burned like no other. Mets right-hander Clay Holmes absorbed a 111 mph line drive off the bat of Yankees rookie slugger Spencer Jones in the fourth inning of Friday’s series opener. It bounced off Holmes’ right leg and broke his fibula. He is expected to pitch again this season, but not for a very long time. A best-case scenario includes Holmes returning to the mound sometime around August. After Friday’s game, a 4-0 loss to their crosstown rivals, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza looked devastated. Reliever-turned-starter Holmes entered his Subway Series outing representing the Mets’ most consistent and dominant arm in their rotation. He carried a 1.86 ERA into his ninth start of the year before what he termed “a freak accident” derailed his season. As long as Holmes was churning out ace-level performances every five days, the Mets liked their chances of climbing up the NL East standings. But, without him? This was the toughest gut punch in a season full of them. “It’s tough. Clay is a guy who shows up every day. He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve seen in my career,” Juan Soto said on Friday. “It’s really sad what happened to him. We’re going to support him in any kind of way that he needs us. But it just sucks.” The Mets are without Francisco Lindor (calf strain), Francisco Alvarez (torn meniscus), Jorge Polanco (Achilles), Luis Robert Jr. (lumbar spine disc herniation), and Ronny Maricio (thumb fracture) for the foreseeable future. None of those position players have a definitive timeline to return. And yet, Holmes’ injury hit the Mets clubhouse the hardest, Mendoza said. On the heels of yet another lifeless loss, it seemed like the final nail in the coffin for their playoff hopes. The best thing about hitting rock bottom? The Mets were left with a blank slate. Even though it’s brutal, the only place to go was up. The only thing left to do was start over. 2. Mets Bullpen Then Shines In An Inspiring Win After deep devastation came a reason for celebration. The Mets showed up to Citi Field on Saturday with a vengeance, refusing to let Holmes’ injury sabotage their season even if it thwarted his. The Mets lineup rallied against the Yankees pitching staff and jumped ahead for a two-run lead that the Bronx Bombers were threatening to erase in the seventh inning. The Yankees loaded the bases with nobody out, thanks in part to a dropped ball from Mets rookie right fielder Carson Benge, when Mendoza turned to his eccentric setup man in the bullpen. Entering an impossible situation, Luke Weaver somehow pulled off the unimaginable against his former team. The wiry right-hander punched out his first two batters, then induced a groundout to end the inning with no runs crossing the plate. Weaver got it all done in just 11 pitches, so the Mets asked him for more. He came back out for the eighth, this time against the top of the Yankees order, and again he faced the minimum. Weaver delivered six king-sized outs for the Mets in a difficult spot. So, of course, he smirked as he walked off the mound. In the dugout after, Soto told Weaver he’s a unicorn. “You feel like there’s a little bit of an injury bug that we’ve had, and it feels never ending sometimes, especially in the midst of what’s going on with us this year,” Weaver said on Saturday. “But it’s games like tonight where every day is an opportunity to hit the refresh button.” Closer Devin Williams, another former Yankee, picked up some of Weaver’s leftover magic when he took the mound in the ninth inning. Trailing by three runs, Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger battled Williams but eventually whiffed on the sixth pitch of the at-bat. Williams followed up his toughest matchup by retiring his final two batters with ease, securing his sixth save of the season. After some inconsistency in their first few weeks as Mets, Weaver and Williams have bounced back so far this month. Williams has not allowed a run in his last 8.2 innings pitched (nine relief appearances). He’s given up just one hit and two walks in that stretch, while recording four saves. Weaver, too, has not allowed a run in his last 7.1 innings pitched (six relief appearances) with 11 strikeouts in that span. 3. Rodon’s Outing Was Bad News For Yankees’ Fried-less Rotation The Yankees avoided the worst when they learned on Friday that Max Fried’s elbow pain was due to a bone bruise. The left-hander won’t need surgery, and in a few weeks the team will re-evaluate whether Fried can resume throwing. In the meantime, the rest of the rotation has some very big shoes to fill. After Cam Schlitter, Fried was their best starter on the staff, helping the Yankees stay afloat until ace Gerrit Cole and southpaw Carlos Rodon returned from their respective injuries. Cole is one or two more rehab outings away from returning to the Yankees rotation for the first time since 2024. And now with Fried down for a while, there is more pressure on Rodon to perform like the 2025 version of himself, when he delivered an All-Star season and finished sixth in American League Cy Young award voting. But Rodon didn’t even make it through the fourth inning against the Mets on Saturday, which was his second start of the season since completing his rehab from left elbow surgery. He lacked command all night, eventually throwing a wild pitch that allowed the Mets to take the lead. Rodon’s erratic performance arrived at the worst time. The Yankees need him to settle in and find consistency as the No. 2 starter in the rotation now, particularly because Fried was a workhorse that saved manager Aaron Boone from having to overuse his bullpen. “I’m never going to make an excuse,” Rodon said on Saturday. “I think I should be dialed in right now. It’s frustrating.” Given what’s left of New York’s rotation — Will Warren, Ryan Weathers, Elmer Rodriguez, Schlittler, and Rodon — it’s fair to question whether this staff will be able to maintain its strong season. Yankees starters possess the second-best ERA in the AL, and it will be an uphill climb to try and keep it that way. 4. Extra-Innings Drama Returns To Subway Series After the Mets rallied for a victory on Saturday, the Subway Series finale on Sunday afternoon became an intense rubber match. The crosstown rivals were tied at 1-1 through five innings until the Bronx Bombers put up a four-run rally on Mets starter-turned-reliever Sean Manaea in the sixth inning. Boone had emptied his entire bench heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. Then he went to his closer, David Bednar, trusting him to deliver a Yankees win. They were one out away from him doing just that when Tyrone Taylor had other plans on his mind. Taylor, the Mets’ fourth outfielder, executed the swing of his life — slugging a game-tying three-run home run off Bednar to resurrect the Mets back from the dead. He tied the game at 6-6, sending it to extra innings, as Citi Field went berserk. Williams took care of the Yankees again in the top of the 10th inning, expertly stranding the ghost runner at third base before Benge walked it off for the Mets in the bottom of the frame. “Bummed out to happy,” Taylor said of his emotions at the plate on Sunday. “Hitting’s contagious.” Boone seemed to panic throughout the series finale, over-managing with pinch-hitters early and often until there was no one left to do damage when the Yankees needed it in the 10th. Taylor and the Mets, meanwhile, kept the faith. In the fifth, Taylor came off the bench as a pinch-hitter and ripped a liner that had an expected batting average of .680 to center field, where Spencer Jones made a terrific diving catch to take away an extra base hit. Again, Taylor ran into an unlucky out in the seventh inning on a lineout to left. In the dugout, his Mets teammates encouraged Taylor to keep swinging. When he finally did, he hit the ball so far that no Yankees fielder would get in his way. “I blacked out for him,” Benge said of Taylor’s at-bat on Sunday. “Hopefully we can get our at-bats going. Our arms are shoving. We’re trending in the right direction.” 4 ½. What’s Next? The Bronx Bombers’ ugly road trip has mercifully reached an end. The Yankees went 2-7 against the Brewers, Orioles and Mets — their first spell of true adversity in what has otherwise been a terrific start to the year. They go home to host the division-rival Blue Jays on Monday. The four-game series is their first meeting against Toronto since the Blue Jays eliminated the Yankees from the playoffs last October. The Mets will try to keep the good times rolling on a quick road trip that holds the best opportunity yet to change the course of their season. Beginning Monday, they face the Nationals and Marlins, also known as the two teams that are ahead of the Mets in the NL East standings. If they can stack up more wins on the road, the Mets have a chance to jump from last place to third in the division. The Yankees (28-19) and Mets (20-26) will meet again on Sept. 11 in the Bronx. Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports