Author: alaskaadmin

Indianapolis Motor Speedway was another weekend when Toyotas were strong, taking four of the first five spots. But Ford also put four cars in the top 10. The only Chevy in the top 10? Carson Hocevar. Granted, Kyle Larson had a flat tire and Chase Elliott ended up in a wreck, but that certainly impacted these power rankings. No Hendrick driver is in the top 10. They only have eight top 10s combined over the last eight races (Larson with four, William Byron two, Alex Bowman two and Elliott none). Here are my power rankings after the Brickyard 400 and headed into an off week before the season resumes Aug. 9 at Iowa. Dropped out: Kyle Larson (Last Week: 10), Shane Van Gisbergen (Last Week: 9) On the verge: Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, William Byron, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Shane van Gisbergen Hocevar won the pole and finished ninth as the top Chevrolet finisher at the Brickyard. That’s two top 10s in the last three races for the No. 77. An eighth-place for Preece at the Brickyard gave him back-to-back top-10 finishes. He’s going to need to keep rattling off top 10s if he hopes to make The Chase. It was not a good weekend for Wallace, as he started 29th and finished 28th. But he does have four finishes of sixth or better in the last eight races, and few drivers are posting those solid finishes over that long of a stretch. Reddick was 10th at the Brickyard as he continues to try to find the magic from earlier in the season. He’s making a little bit of progress with two top 10s in the last three races. He is still the series leader with five victories this year. Blaney got wrecked (unintentionally) by John Hunter Nemechek and it didn’t just result in a 26th-place finish; it also resulted in Blaney finishing behind Todd Gilliland as they battled for the $1 million in-season tournament prize. But Blaney is still third in the series standings. Logano followed up his win at North Wilkesboro with a third. The three-time Cup champion probably can’t declare being back until The Chase, and that’s when the more traditional 1.5-mile tracks come into play. But at least it appears he’ll be playing in the postseason. Gibbs started fourth and finished 12th at the Brickyard. It was the second consecutive what-could-have-been day for Gibbs, but he continues to show speed and with no real signs of slowing down. Briscoe finished fourth at the Brickyard although probably wishes he had the last restart back, as it appeared he, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin weren’t in sync. But he’s moving up in the standings and has a realistic shot of being fifth by the time The Chase starts. Bell finished second … again. It was the sixth time this year and third time in the last four races. But he considered the Brickyard a good second-place finish. He arguably could be No. 1 on this list but really needs a win. A fifth-place finish last weekend gave Hamlin three top fives in the last four races and seven top fives in his last 10. He’s still the man to beat on ovals.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

INDYCAR unveiled renderings of its new 2028 car, which will start on-track testing this week. The drivers like the looks of its sleek INDYCAR feel and will soon get a chance to help test and make tweaks. “We all wanted a new, modern-day car that is lighter and looks futuristic and fast but still has all of the incredible safety advancements that INDYCAR is known for,” ECR driver Alexander Rossi said in a news release. “This does all of those things. “There are still a lot of things to work through in terms of on-track testing and how it reacts to the different types of environments it will be exposed to, but from a visual standpoint, it’s incredible.” The car is designed to go faster while also incorporating many of the safety elements implemented since the last car was first designed around 2012. Those safety and other elements added weight and the 2028 car is a fresh opportunity to overhaul the car to keep its INDYCAR style while also making it faster. That starts with the car, designed by Dallara, that will be 100 pounds lighter, including a reduction of 20 pounds of the hybrid system and 25 pounds of the gearbox. “I was just as excited to see what was inside the car as I was to see what it looks like on the outside,” Andretti Global driver and INDYCAR champion Will Power said in a statement. “INDYCAR and Dallara have done an incredible job combining updated aerodynamic ideas with all of the safety elements from the current car. It has a seamless look and one that’s also modern and aggressive at the same time.” In arguably the most impactful development from an engineering standpoint, teams will no longer make and develop their own dampers. On the current car, damper development is key to how the suspension handles because it was the primary area where teams had the most latitude. Series officials, in a news release, indicated teams will have a variety of options, including more spring, damper and inerter tuning options while using the single-source supplied parts. That potentially could tighten the field and create more parity with the teams having similar options. The engine will be a 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 internal combustion engine capable of producing up to 760 horsepower. That should produce some record speeds, potentially at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which should also see the benefit of a more aerodynamically stable speedway front wing. “There is a wow factor,” said defending Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist in a news release. “The first thing that struck me is that it has more room in the cockpit and will fit differently-sized drivers, which is really good. Secondly, it definitely has the INDYCAR DNA, which was a worry for me that it wouldn’t look like an INDYCAR Series car. “This definitely does. It also has an aggressive look with an integrated aeroscreen and a car that addresses a lot of little tweaks that drivers have asked for. Dallara has delivered on almost everything. I’m super excited for the future.” The exact dates and sites of testing will be announced soon. “Seeing the car for the first time made me even more excited about where INDYCAR is going,” said four-time INDYCAR champion Alex Palou in a news release. “The design is super cool and feels like a proper next step for the series while still looking like an INDYCAR Series car. “I think the fans are going to love it, and as a driver I cannot wait to get behind the wheel. The most important thing is that we keep the close, fun racing that makes INDYCAR special, and from what I’ve seen, we’re heading in a really good direction.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner understands the assignment for this season. Turner, nicknamed “The Conductor” for his musical acumen, is the defensive co-captain for a team that’s not only considered the heavy favorite to win the Super Bowl, but also on one of the most talented rosters assembled in recent years. How will Turner handle those high expectations? What does he make of playing alongside the otherworldly Myles Garrett and the possibility of playing again with future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald? I asked Turner those questions and more following one of the Rams’ first training camp practices as the standout defensive tackle looks to play a big role in Los Angeles’ run for a Lombardi Trophy this season. What was your focus this offseason after the way things ended last year? Turner: It’s always continuing to get better. Getting some footwork training in, making sure my hands are continuing to be sharp, continuing to understand the game and let those opportunities come to me. Really, each offseason is about getting faster and stronger. And then I did a lot of vision training too, being able to see the game early. The more that I can see things that connect my eyes to my hands and my hands to my body, the more I’ll be able to start faster. Vision training sounds different. What’s that like? They have these goggles that blink for short periods of time, and then you can turn them up and have them blink for longer periods of time, catching bean bags and calling which color and which color corresponds to your hand. And these three-color sticks will have blue, red and yellow. And then another one will have white, black and green on it, or something like that. They throw random sticks, and you have to call out a specific color as you catch the stick while I have on the goggles. It’s just little stuff like that, because when it comes down to the trenches, obviously it’s a lot of violence, just getting off the rock and running into people. But it’s so technical, and the more your eyes can see, the better off you’ll be. It’s just being able to see things clearly and locking in my eyes. Especially on the first day, your eyes are going to be out of whack with everyone flying around. But the more you can focus your eyes in on what you’re seeing and the more you can use film study to be able to anticipate what you’re going to see, that helps. Have you changed your weight at all? I’ve been within a 10-pound range since I’ve been here. I’ve always been staying within a 290 to 300-pound range. And I feel really comfortable playing there. What was your initial reaction when you heard about the Myles Garrett trade? It was a very hard day. Obviously, Jared Verse is one of our brothers and a very good teammate. So that was a tough thing to process. But then you get the opportunity to work with a generational talent, a guy who just broke the sack record and more than anything, is just a good guy. Now we’re finally getting a chance to work with each other, me being able to get reps in camp and him being able to get reps in camp, we’re going to continue to build up that camaraderie so we can rush four as one. It’s obviously exciting times when you’re able to work with one of the best in the world. Anything that’s surprised you with Garrett being out on the field since he’s been here? I didn’t really have too many expectations. I’ve been following his journey a little bit and his personality too, and he always just seemed like a down-to-earth guy. So, I’m just continuing to get to know him. I don’t think there’s been too much that’s surprised me. To be able to get to that caliber of player, you have to put in the work daily. And obviously that’s something he’s been able to do. He’s a talented individual, but he works hard, so I have a lot of appreciation for that. And I’m just continuing to learn from him. Along with Garrett, you added significant pieces on defense with cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. How do you handle high expectations for the defense? It’s the same story as always, right? We have to be inside-out more than ever. Before, it was people not really believing in us. I remember coming in my rookie year in 2023 and nobody thought we could do too much of anything, and we went and showed the world differently. So, it’s always been about being inside-out. We know we have a lot of returning guys from last year, but it’s also a different group. So, that’s what training camp is for, being able to build that rapport and that camaraderie, but also being able to continue to lock in. But really, a lot of our returning guys — whether it be from last year or before — we’ve built up the work. We know the mental toughness that it requires. We know the resiliency that it requires, so it will be continuing to put that on display. The outside world doesn’t matter. The last time I checked, nobody won a Super Bowl in July. It’s the NFL, man. Nobody is walking out there winning a Super Bowl or winning however many games. Expectations don’t really mean anything. It’s about what we do day in and day out, putting ourselves in position to take advantage of each opportunity we have on Sundays — or I guess every day of the week since we’re playing every day of the week (laughs). What was your reaction to losing the NFC Championship Game to the Seahawks in Seattle? When I tore my calf, really during that time when I was trying to see if I could go back on the field, that’s when I processed all the hurt of, ‘Man, I’m not playing in this game.’ And when the finality of the game hit, it obviously took awhile to process that our season was over. We really thought we could go win the whole thing last year, and we really believed that we were a couple plays away, but that’s what this league is. But I also remember something I felt so strongly was just the gratitude of the journey that we’d been on. We talk about so often the process and the journey. Taking time to pay attention to each and every step. And that’s what you remember. You don’t always remember the outcome of specific games. But you remember the guys that you were with and the journey you went on. And then we’ve got that rivalry with the Seahawks. We’ve got them two times this year, two times to go against last year’s Super Bowl champions. That’s going to be a super-exciting two games, and another opportunity to show why we believe we’re the best in the world, and go put that on display just by being more inside-out than ever and putting in the daily deposits that’s going to lead us to success when it comes game time. You mention the calf injury. I’m assuming you’re fully healthy since you’re out here on the field? Yes, I’m feeling great. I would be remiss if I didn’t ask about Aaron Donald’s potential return. You had an opportunity to play with him as a rookie and know what that looks like. What are your thoughts on the possibility of playing with him again? He’s a guy who’s taken me under his wing, obviously, my rookie year and even after that. He’s provided me with so many connections with people I feel have influenced me and helped me perfect my craft. He’s such a solid dude and good friend. Obviously, the possibility of him coming back out is really exciting to me. I remember when my rookie season ended and we were at the Lions, I felt back then that I really wanted to bring home a [Super] Bowl for him. And at that time I was just a rookie; I really didn’t know what the work looked like and what was required. But I was willing to put in the work. And here we are as a team a little more experienced. So, it would be a great opportunity [to have Donald return]. Your guess is as good as mine. But he’s a guy who works hard. He’s the right type of guy. That possibility is super exciting, and I’m also super excited with this team as we have it. However it shakes out, I’m excited for the journey we’re going on with these guys. A lot of people have talked about Donald’s impact on game days, but what would it mean for your group having him at the facility every day? Nothing can compare to his career. It’s a storied career, but I just think about personally how much he helped me out. The confidence that was instilled in my rookie year, being able to work alongside him. He put me in contact with Poodie (Rams defensive line trainer Albert “Poodie” Carson). I’ve been working with him ever since. I’m super excited about the possibility. But this type of thing doesn’t work with this type of team without somebody being as great on the field as he is off the field. If that does happen, that would be a reason why it’s successful.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports