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Montana linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu will return for the 2026 season after being granted a ninth year of eligibility by the NCAA. The school announced Tuliaupupu’s return on social media on Monday alongside sixth-year offensive lineman Dylan Jemtegaard. Tuliaupupu will be entering his second season at Montana after starting his collegiate career at USC in 2018. He was sidelined for his entire undergraduate campaign at USC after two surgery-requiring injuries impacting his foot (2018) and knee (2020). The linebacker’s first season at Montana — and eighth overall — was just his second full season played and third with game action. He saw the field for the first time as a redshirt senior in 2022, appearing in all 14 games for the Trojans and recording 10 tackles, including three for a loss, and one quarterback hurry. Tuliaupupu returned to the sidelines with another injury in 2023 and missed the wholes season. He wrapped up his USC career in 2024, playing in seven games for the Trojans before his season was cut short due to illness. He transferred to Montana in 2025. Tuliaupupu will play under new Montana coach Bobby Kennedy. Kennedy is succeeding Bobby Hauck, who was named defensive coordinator at Illinois on Monday after a brief retirement. Reporting by The Associated Press.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Which conference can claim the title of best in college basketball? FOX Sports bracket forecaster Mike DeCourcy’s latest NCAA Tournament projections offer a snapshot of the national picture, and the arguments for multiple conferences are fascinating. The Big Ten and SEC feature the greatest depth, with both projected to send 10 teams to the tournament, according to DeCourcy’s projections. The Big Ten backs that up with five teams ranked in the top 13 of the AP Poll, while the SEC leans on balance, already boasting nine teams with at least 16 wins as of Feb. 10. The Big 12 and ACC make their case with top-end talent. The Big 12 is projected to place eight teams in the field and features six legitimate Final Four contenders, including four top-10 teams in Kansas, Arizona, Iowa State and Houston. Meanwhile, the ACC features blue bloods Duke and North Carolina, as well as a surging Virginia team that has won nine of its last 10 games. As the 2025-26 regular season quickly winds down, DeCourcy shares his latest NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament projections. EAST REGION SOUTH REGION MIDWEST REGION WEST REGION And it’s never too early to check in on the bubble. According to DeCourcy’s projections, Texas, Santa Clara, San Diego State and Virginia Tech are the last four teams in the tournament, while Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Cal and Missouri are the first four out. As for conference representation, the Big Ten and SEC lead the way with 10 teams, while the ACC has nine teams in DeCourcy’s latest tournament projections. The Big 12 has seven teams in the mix, while the Big East and West Coast have three teams each. The Mountain West conference has two teams represented in DeCourcy’s projections. Selection Sunday is just over one month away, and these projections will inevitably evolve. But for now, DeCourcy’s latest bracket forecast offers a clear snapshot of who’s rising, who’s falling, and which programs are already building the résumés they’ll need when March arrives.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

It’s always loud in Times Square, but it was even louder on Tuesday morning. NASCAR amplified the noise by setting a Guinness World Record for the “World’s Loudest Billboard.” Plopped right in the middle of Times Square (Manhattan, New York) is the billboard featuring a 1:1 replica NASCAR Next Gen engine that emits the roar of the Cup Series car. “Setting a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title is a proud moment for our sport and serves as a bold statement to get the 2026 season started,” NASCAR’s Chief Brand Officer Tim Clark said in a statement. “The billboard puts the visceral energy of NASCAR front and center and invites everyone to experience what makes our sport so unique.” The billboard is part of NASCAR’s 2026 brand refresh featuring the slogan, “Hell Yeah,” which according to NASCAR “highlights the instinctive, visceral energy that defines the sport.” The advertisement was devised by 72andSunny in partnership with Guru House and with the consultation of NASCAR engine builders in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. [COUNTING DOWN: 20 Most Memorable Moments in Daytona 500 History] Things kick into high gear this week for the 2026 Cup Series with the biggest race of the season — the 68th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday following last week’s running of the exhibition 2026 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray. First, catch Duel 1 and Duel 2 at DAYTONA on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET and 8:45 p.m. ET on FS1 (60-lap qualifying races for the field except for who’s starting the Daytona 500 in first and second place). Then, catch The Great American Race on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app. William Bryon has taken the checkered flag in each of the last two Daytona 500s. Should Byron do so again this year, he’d be the first driver in NASCAR history to three-peat in the historic race.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Mini Tyrrell didn’t just have to face the challenge of competing against 14 other drivers for a full-time truck ride at Kaulig Racing. He faced the challenge of not being able to share the journey with his family. Tyrrell won Kaulig Racing’s “Race For The Seat” reality contest that took 15 potential drivers to compete for a ride in its truck program. Having won three races in the CARS Tour last year to finish fifth in points, the 21-year-old Tyrrell will make his truck debut this weekend at Daytona (he also will have to run the ARCA race Saturday as he needed the practice and testing of that series before the truck race Friday). As all the competitors lived in a house for a couple of weeks without phones or computers, they couldn’t have contact with anyone outside the show. “It was definitely tough not having a connection to family or anything,” said Tyrrell, whose actual first name is Timothy, same as his father. “Not being able to call my dad, stuff like that was tough. “But I feel like the hardest part was really just keeping the mental aspect of it and keeping focused on … how to be successful, how to beat the guy that you’re competing against, and taking that extra step to be better every day.” Tyrrell gets one year to show what he can do. He seemed to be a favorite from the start of the eight-episode series that aired on YouTube as well as FOX Sports networks. It was produced by Dana White’s Thrill Productions as part of the entry of Ram into the sport. For Tyrrell, he vaults from the world of Virginia and regional short tracks on to the national stage. “There is that little bit of pressure on my shoulders that says, ‘Hey, this is a year deal, and I have to prove myself at this level in order to stay,’” Tyrrell said. “So that’s my goal. A little bit of pressure is I’ve just got to go out and do it, but I know that I just need to learn and adapt as best as I can. “I did during the entire show, and I feel like I’ve been pretty good at getting in anything and being able to be fast and be competitive in it. There’s not a worry that I will be competitive this year. It’s just a matter of making the right decisions and making sure that I prove to not only to Kaulig Racing and the fans of NASCAR, but also to Ram that I’m the guy you want.” In addition to Tyrrell, Carson Ferguson also got a ride — but just for possibly one race. Ferguson earned a chance to race a truck for Kaulig at Martinsville. Tyrrell said he feels the other drivers from the show will be rooting for him. “One thing about the show that I thought was really unique, really cool was to kind of get to know those guys, learn their story, learn their life, and become more personal with them and build friendships,” Tyrrell said. “[They are] definitely guys that I will forever talk to going forward, and no one’s been negative towards me or anything just because I’ve won. They’ve all been very supportive.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The Clash — NASCAR’s preseason exhibition race — isn’t a great predictor of how drivers will perform this year. But it does give a little bit of a sense of the attitude and confidence a team has going into the season. After Ryan Preece won the Clash last Wednesday at Bowman Gray Stadium, he definitely joins the top 10, as does his RFK Racing teammate Chris Buescher. Here’s a look at the drivers and a look at their Daytona 500 history going into the biggest race of the season (2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX): Dropped out: Tyler Reddick (Last Week: 8), Alex Bowman (Last Week: 10) On the verge: Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace 10. Chris Buescher (Last Week: Not Ranked) Buescher finished eighth in the Clash and now seeks his first Daytona 500 victory. He has three top-five finishes in the Daytona 500, with a best finish of third in 2020. The RFK Racing driver also has been eliminated in accidents in four of his 10 Daytona 500 starts. 9. Joey Logano (Last Week: 9) Logano finished 11th in the Clash and probably is looking forward to the Daytona 500, where he has one win (2015) in 17 starts. The Team Penske driver was second in 2023 but has wrecked out of the last two Daytona 500s. 8. Ryan Preece (Last Week: Not Ranked) Preece, who does not have a Cup points-race win, was emotional in winning the Clash. Now he heads to Daytona, where he has flipped twice in his career, including the 500 a year ago. The RFK Racing driver has six Daytona 500 starts with two top 10s. 7. Christopher Bell (Last Week: 3) Bell was 13th at the Clash, a little bit of a disappointing result. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver had back-to-back third-place finishes in the Daytona 500 in 2023 and 2024. He was eliminated by a wreck last year and finished 31st. 6. Chase Elliott (Last Week: 2) Elliott, who finished 17th in the Clash, has one top five in 10 starts in the Daytona 500. He was second in the 2021 race. The Hendrick driver also has sat on the pole twice back in his first two Daytona 500 races in 2016 and 2017. 5. Kyle Larson (Last Week: 4) Larson, who sat on the pole but was 16th in the Clash, seeks his first Daytona 500 win in his 13th Daytona 500 start. The Hendrick driver is not known for prowess on the drafting tracks. He has four top 10s but no top fives in the Daytona 500. 4. Chase Briscoe (Last Week: 6) Briscoe finished sixth in the Clash. Briscoe has six career Daytona 500 starts, including starting from the pole and finishing fourth last year in his first race with Joe Gibbs Racing. He was third in the 2022 Daytona 500. 3. Denny Hamlin (Last Week: 7)Hamlin had a couple of spins but wound up fifth in the Clash. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has three Daytona 500 victories (2016, 2019 and 2020) in 20 starts. But he hasn’t finished top 10 in any of the last four Daytona 500s. Maybe not coincidentally, those are the four Daytona 500s with the Next Gen car. 2. William Byron (Last Week: 5) Byron was second in the Clash. The Hendrick driver has eight starts in the Daytona 500 and never had a top-20 finish until his back-to-back victories in 2024 and 2025. He led just a combined 14 laps in those two victories. 1. Ryan Blaney (Last Week: 1) Blaney was third in the Clash. The Team Penske driver has 11 career Daytona 500 starts, and he could almost taste the victory as he was second in 2017 and 2020. He has six top-10 finishes and has led 208 laps in the Daytona 500 during his career.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Two years ago, Kyle Larson said that Jade Avedisian had a long runway in her transition to asphalt racing. Avedisian is learning that things on the runway don’t always run smoothly. Now 19, Avedisian enters her third year of asphalt racing (and just her second on ovals) since making her name with a national midget title and a Chili Bowl main event appearance in 2023. Like many prospects, Avedisian is trying to learn — and win. She became the first woman to win a CARS Tour pro late model race when she won last year at Coastal Plains (N.C.) Raceway. That was a big victory, as was the one she earned Saturday night at New Smyrna Speedway when she captured the super late model feature win in a stout short-track field. The victory followed a dustup with Spencer Davis the previous night. “It was a perfect time for me to win the race,” Avedisian told me. “From the incident the night before, I felt like that was a great way just to go out there and clear my mind and ultimately win the race.” The style of racing is so much different, as Avedisian has gone from the hammer-down-for-30-laps features in sprint cars to the beating and banging of longer races in stock cars. Dirt tracks can also change nightly as far as where is the best line to run, while asphalt tracks typically have one or two best racing lines that rarely change. “The nights I excelled in the dirt world was because I always felt like, no matter what race it was, you have 30 laps and whoever can drive the hardest and be the smartest throughout the 20 minutes of the race is usually going to win the race,” Avedisian said. “Now … the style of racing is definitely a lot different.” Avedisian is driving a higher-horsepower late model this year at New Smyrna, where she also raced last year during the February speedweeks. She likes the additional horsepower and said the experience of racing the track a year ago is helping her now. Experience is what she feels she lacks. As a Toyota Racing Development driver, she knows there is a plan and she has at least some time to learn. They put her with the strong Wilson Motorsports team in late models and Nitro Motorsports in ARCA. “I obviously hope that, or wish that I could have won 10 races last year, right?” Avedisian said. “But it sometimes just doesn’t work like that. And I learned a lot last year, so I think that’s also the reason I kind of got up to speed a little bit quicker this year. … I was pretty confident walking into it. “I knew if I just kind of did my job, throughout this kind of long week, we’d have opportunities to win.” With all this in mind, Avedisian is a driver who remains on my list of top-20 Cup prospects based on performance and potential. While marketing, sponsorship opportunities and funding are not primary factors, they do factor into this list because they can impact if these drivers will make it to Cup. Some parameters: No driver who has had a season in Cup — or is about to have a full season in Cup (i.e. Connor Zilisch) — is on this list and a driver must be younger than 28 years old to get a nod here (sorry Butterbean Queen): 1. Corey Heim Age: 23Previous ranking: 2 The winner of 12 truck races last year and the series title, Heim should have a full-time Cup ride this year. But all 23XI Racing seats were already filled with driver-sponsorship pairings for 2026, so Heim will do 12 Cup races in a fourth car for the team, as well as be its reserve and test driver. Expect Heim, who also could do some truck races this year, to be full time in Cup in 2027. 2. Jesse Love Age: 21Previous ranking: 4 Love won the season opener and the season finale to capture the Xfinity Series title last season (now known as O’Reilly). The Richard Childress Racing driver is back to defend his crown this year and will look to finish more consistently in the top five (he had nine top-five finishes last year). 3. Brent CrewsAge: 17Previous ranking: 3 Crews won four ARCA national races and a couple more ARCA regional series events last year. He made 10 truck starts with two top-five finishes. The 2023 TA2 champion in TransAm, Crews will vie for the O’Reilly Series title this year. But the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will miss four races early in the season, as he doesn’t turn 18 until March 30 and can’t race early-season events at Daytona, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Darlington. 4. Corey DayAge: 20Previous ranking: 7 Day is a driver that Hendrick Motorsports is hoping will follow the Kyle Larson path to stardom, coming from sprint-car racing on dirt tracks to NASCAR. Day won on both the High Limit and World of Outlaws circuits last year. He had one top five and two top 10s in 11 Xfinity starts last season. He will run full time in the O’Reilly Series this year for Hendrick. 5. Layne Riggs Age 23Previous ranking: 8 Riggs ranked second in the truck series with three victories last year and finished fifth in the overall standings. He is back for a third season at Front Row Motorsports, and if he can have a season with several wins, his stock will continue to rise. 6. Kaden Honeycutt Age: 22Previous ranking: 10 Honeycutt finished third in the truck standings, as he raced in the playoffs for Halmar Friesen Racing as the replacement for the injured Stewart Friesen. That move from Niece was precipitated by what he planned on for 2026. He’s replacing Heim at Tricon. Honeycutt’s success isn’t a huge surprise — he is the 2024 CARS Tour pro late model champion. 7. Carson Kvapil Age: 22Previous ranking: 9 Kvapil enters his second year of racing for JR Motorsports, after a rookie season where he finished third in the standings after he posted seven top fives and 14 top 10s. Being paired with veteran crew chief Rodney Childers for much of this season (he’ll run a couple of different cars during the year) could be the recipe for a breakout year. 8. Taylor GrayAge: 20Previous ranking: 11 Gray hopes he had his breakthrough win with a victory in the Xfinity Series race at Martinsville late in the year. He finished seventh in the standings and is back for another season at JGR in 2026. 9. Sam MayerAge: 22Previous ranking: 6 Mayer had a disappointing finish to 2025, as he didn’t compete in the final race as he served a one-race suspension for wrecking Jeb Burton on the cool-down lap at Martinsville. But he did have a respectable Xfinity season with one win and 13 top fives for Haas. He has eight wins in the series and this will be a pivotal year, if he can show more maturity and the ability to win regularly, proving he belongs in Cup. 10. Rajah Caruth Age: 23Previous ranking: 13 Caruth won a truck race at Nashville to make the playoffs at Spire. He’ll move to JR Motorsports and an O’Reilly ride this season for 23 races and then do the other 10 for Jordan Anderson Racing. Caruth is going to need to run well; he’s stepping into the car that Connor Zilisch ran well in last year. He’s moving up this ranking because he has a great opportunity if he can take advantage of it. 11. Christian EckesAge: 25Previous ranking: 14 Eckes returns to the trucks after a frustrating year at Kaulig, which didn’t have a good Xfinity year, as Eckes finished 13th in the standings with six top fives and 15 top 10s. He has nine career truck wins and will be expected to vie for the title driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. 12. Keelan HarvickAge: 13Previous ranking: 17 Harvick has continued to shine in the late models as he won four times and had six top fives in 10 CARS pro late model starts last year. He most recently became the youngest winner of the Icebreaker late model stock race at Florence (S.C.) Speedway. Harvick, the son of former Cup champion and current FOX analyst Kevin Harvick, has a mix of CARS Tour and ASA events, as well as some TransAm races on his schedule this year. 13. Chandler SmithAge: 23Previous ranking: 12 Smith won two races and finished eighth in the truck standings but expected more than just five top fives driving for Front Row Motorsports — even for a program put together just before the start of the season. Smith will need to contend for the title this year if he wants a shot at Cup. He will attempt to make the Daytona 500 in a fourth FRM car. 14. Tristan McKeeAge: 15Previous ranking: 15 McKee is one of the top talents in the Chevrolet development program. At 12 years old, he became the youngest winner in the CARS Tour pro late model division in 2023 and then became the second-youngest ARCA winner by winning his debut at Watkins Glen last year. He has had his share of ruffling feathers, but he’s young. He’s signed by Spire Motorsports to a developmental contract and will run a variety of ARCA and ASA races this year. 15. Gio Ruggiero Age: 19Previous ranking: 20 Ruggiero won in his rookie truck season, as he captured the victory at Talladega and finished 11th in the truck standings — the top spot for drivers who did not make the playoffs. He should be a threat this year, as he returns racing for Tricon. The Toyota Racing Development driver will also do some O’Reilly races for Joe Gibbs Racing. 16. Jade Avedisian Age: 19Previous ranking: 18 Avedisian became the first woman to win a CARS Pro Late Model race, as she captured a win last year at Costal Plains. Avedisian won a super late model race this week at New Smyrna Speedway, where many of the best short-track asphalt racers compete during Speedweeks. She has a mix of late model and ARCA races on her schedule this year, as she continues under the Toyota development banner. 17. Nick SanchezAge: 24Previous ranking: 5 Sanchez would be higher on this list but he didn’t solidify a full-time ride for 2026 until this week after his plans fell through to return to Big Machine Racing. He had one win and seven top-five finishes in the O’Reilly Series last year for the organization. He will continue in the series this year for AM Racing, which had a sale of the team fall through in the last month. 18. Lanie Buice Age: 19Previous ranking: Not Ranked Buice is part of the Chevrolet development program and she had two top 10s in four ARCA starts last year. She had two top fives in CARS Tour late model stock events. Buice has a robust schedule in 2026 of a mix of ARCA and late model races. 19. William Sawalich Age: 19Previous ranking: Not Ranked Sawalich dropped off my list last summer but then had two Xfinity runner-up finishes and seven finishes of 12th or better in the final eight events. After earning stage points in just five stages of the first 19 races, he earned stage points 13 times in the final 14 races. This year will be pivotal for Sawalich in another season at Joe Gibbs Racing. 20. Isabella Robusto Age: 21Previous ranking: 16 Robusto averaged an 11th-place finish last year, running the full ARCA season, as she finished fourth in the standings. She had nine top-five finishes, which was certainly respectable. But there was a feeling that there was hope for a little bit more. Still, Toyota loves her potential and her work ethic. 25 others to watch: Tyler Ankrum Luke Baldwin, Austin Beers, Carson Brown, Mike Christopher, Daniel Dye, Luke Fenhaus, Jake Finch, Jake Garcia, Tanner Gray, Conner Jones, Isaac Kitzmiller, Caden Kvapil, Treyten Lapcevich, Landen Lewis, Ben Maier, Helio Meza, Andres Perez de Lara, George Phillips, Tyler Reif, Taylor Reimer, Lavar Scott, Sammy Smith. Dawson Sutton, Mini Tyrrell.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The NASCAR season opens Sunday with the 68th edition of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. The broadcast starts at 12:30 p.m. ET and the green flag is at 2:30 p.m. ET (FOX and the FOX Sports app). What does the weather look like? Sunday’s low is 59 degrees and the high is 78, according to FOX Weather as of Monday evening. As of Tuesday afternoon, there’s a 64% chance of rain, slated to pour between 1 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, so it could potentially disrupt the race. There are also winds heading south at 16 miles per hour. The sun will set at 6:14 p.m. ET. [DAYTONA 500: Bob Pockrass’ Everything To Know About Daytona 500] Last season’s Daytona 500 was affected by rain. There were two delays that totaled more than three hours and 30 minutes, but after it finally resumed, William Byron ultimately won the race. Rain has also already been a story for the 2026 season of NASCAR. The Clash at Bowman Gray, the exhibition race last Wednesday in North Carolina, took three and a half hours to complete, and included 17 caution flags and dicey racing on a wet track. [NASCAR: 4 Takeaways From NASCAR’s Clash] Mother Nature often affects the event known as “The Great American Race.” There’s a heavy chance it impacts Sunday’s result. But the likelihood is that skies should be clear for the remainder of the race week and weekend, from Wednesday through Saturday. There’s a 4% chance of rain Wednesday, 10% on Thursday, 16% on Friday, and 7% on Saturday. That includes Practice 1 on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 10 a.m. ET and qualifying on Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. ET. Then on Thursday the cars are split into two duels — Duel 1 is at 7 p.m. ET and Duel 2 starts at 8:45 p.m. ET. Practice 2 will be held Friday at 5:35 p.m. ET. Then the weekend starts with Practice 3 on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. Each of those events should proceed with few obstacles, according to FOX weather. Sunday’s race could be a different story.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Kenneth Walker’s father attended one of his NFL games for the first time in Super Bowl LX. The Seahawks star running back repaid that by having one of the best performances of his career in Seattle’s 29-13 win over New England. The 25-year-old star rushed for 135 yards en route to winning Super Bowl MVP honors on Sunday evening. Walker showed gratitude toward his father not just for showing up to Sunday’s game but also for the many ways in which he has supported him over the years — including helping him get through one of the toughest times of his life. “When the doctor told me I couldn’t play no more, I just thought football was over,” Walker told reporters following Super Bowl LX. “That’s what I was doing all my life. It was a shocking moment. My dad worked with me throughout that whole process. He was in the hospital with me, as well as my mom. That just made me grateful — each and every day, to be able to go out there and strap up and play this game and still be alive.” Ahead of Walker’s senior year of high school in 2018, he was diagnosed with blood clots in both of his lungs. Doctors recommended that he stopped playing football, as he was placed on blood thinners and had to take a shot twice a day for three months. During that time, Walker’s father participated in non-contact workouts with him so he could stay in shape, according to ESPN. Now, what once seemed unimaginable to Walker is a reality, as he’s just the eighth running back to win Super Bowl MVP. “If I would have told myself as a kid, I wouldn’t have guessed that I would be the one to win the MVP,” Walker said following Sunday’s game. “So it’s a surreal moment. It doesn’t happen without the guys in the locker room. Sunday’s game capped off what’s been a stellar postseason for Walker. After rushing for 1,027 yards on 4.6 yards per carry in the regular season, Walker rushed for 313 yards on 4.8 yards per carry and three touchdowns in the playoffs; his postseason spike came after fellow Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in their divisional round win over the 49ers. As Walker had success this postseason, he had Charbonnet at the top of his mind. “You know, for somebody like that to get hurt, it sucks,” Walker said. “I wrote his number on my wrist. I was going to show it when I scored, but I didn’t get to score a touchdown. But yeah, he supported me through everything.” Williams certainly felt support from more people other than his teammates on Sunday as well. As Walker’s father attended his first NFL game, he continued to express the gratitude he had for his dad following Super Bowl LX. “My dad, he comes out to Seattle all the time and watch games, but he never goes to the game because he don’t like crowds,” Walker said. “So, this is his first NFL game, and we won a Super Bowl, so it means a lot to me and I know you’re proud of me for real.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

NASCAR is back, and it promises to be loud, raw and a damn good time. Scott Eastwood gets the 2026 season revved up in this season trailer, featuring cameos from former NFL star Marshawn Lynch and YouTuber/NASCAR driver Cleetus McFarland, along with Cup Series drivers Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Carson Hocevar, Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson (plus his wife Katelyn). Come watch NASCAR for “grit, fights for inches and contact that counts,” as Eastwood put it. The season started with the Clash at Bowman Gray, an exhibition on Wednesday night. The race was highlighted by physical racing, weather obstacles, and constant lead changes. Ryan Preece took the lead on Lap 156 of the 200-lap race, and cushioned his lead on William Byron after a restart on Lap 182. This Sunday, tune in for the famous Daytona 500, NASCAR’s first points-scoring race of the 2026 season. The green flag for the 68th edition of “The Great American Race” is at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App, with coverage starting at 12:30 p.m. FOX has broadcast the Florida-based race since 2007. The race, which is held at Daytona International Speedway, is a 200-lap race (500 miles). There are 41 cars competing. Byron, who was the runner-up in last week’s Clash, has won the last two Daytona 500s. Tune into the Daytona 500 and follow along throughout the 2026 NASCAR season to feel “Sunday at full throttle”, to hear “engines roar”, and for “dust, denim-fenders, and a place to let loose.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Mauricio Pochettino has once again indicated that he wants to return to Tottenham as he claimed their recent achievements are “not enough” for a club of that stature. Despite his current commitments with the United States national team, the Argentine said his ultimate ambition is to win the Champions League and Premier League. The pull of London remains strong Pochettino may be overseeing the development of football across the Atlantic, but his gaze remains fixed on the high-pressure environment of the Premier League. In a revealing interview on the High Performance podcast, the former Spurs boss has once again fanned the flames of a potential reunion with the club he led to the 2019 Champions League final. With Spurs currently navigating a difficult period under Thomas Frank, Pochettino’s public commentary on the club’s “needs” feels like a deliberate signal to the hierarchy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Argentine spent five successful years in north London, fostering a deep emotional bond with the supporters that has never truly dissipated. While his subsequent spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea were met with mixed success, his time at Spurs remains the defining period of his managerial career. His latest comments suggest that he still views the club as his “home” in English football, and he appears increasingly vocal about what it will take for the Lilywhites to return to the top table of European football. Europa League is ‘not enough’ for Spurs Pochettino was characteristically blunt when discussing the level of success required at Tottenham. While the club went on to win the Europa League last season. the 53-year-old insists that the fans deserve significantly more. He argued that for a club with Tottenham’s infrastructure and following, the focus must be exclusively on the most prestigious prizes in the game. “To win a Europa League, that the team won, is good, but it’s not enough,” Pochettino asserted. “It is not enough to challenge for the Carabao Cup, or the FA Cup, or the Europa League, or the Conference League. It’s a club that should be, or needs to be because the fans, what they expect is, to be in the Champions League, fighting for the Champions League, trying to believe that you can win the Champions League and also fighting for the Premier League and believing that you can win the Premier League”. A hierarchy of trophies Perhaps the most startling aspect of Pochettino’s interview was his admission regarding his own personal ambitions. For a man currently tasked with leading the United States into a home World Cup in 2026, many expected him to name the famous gold trophy as his ultimate goal. However, Pochettino bizarrely admitted that the daily prestige of the Premier League and the Champions League holds a greater allure for him than international football’s greatest prize. When the subject of which competition he most wants to win came up, his response was immediate and focused on the club game. “For me Champions League and Premier League,” he revealed. “Of course the World Cup but Champions League and Premier League for me are things that I don’t know how, but I will touch it for sure. I don’t know which club”. Balancing USMNT duties with the Spurs shadow Pochettino’s comments place him in an awkward position with the US Soccer Federation. With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, his admission that the Premier League is his primary obsession could be interpreted as a lack of focus on the monumental task at hand in North America. The USMNT hired Pochettino specifically for his “big-game” experience, yet his heart seems to be beating for a return to the weekly drama of the English top flight. For Tottenham, the shadow of Pochettino remains a constant presence. As they struggle to climb the table and avoid the “relegation dogfight” mentioned by pundits like Wayne Rooney, the prospect of an experienced, beloved figure returning to steady the ship becomes more tempting by the day.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports