Keep an eye on Chase Elliott this weekend. Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images.
NASCAR: It's a doubleheader weekend at Dover
For the first time since 1956, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series head to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin at Road America. Considered by many to be one of the best road courses in the country, this track is over four miles in length with multiple long sweeping straightaways and fourteen corners. Because of its layout, the track is one of the fastest of its kind. One corner to look out for is turn number five. This corner is a blind turn that sits at the exit of a long straightaway towards the end of the race. With a lot of drivers' brakes wearing out, this could be a trouble spot as it has been for in the Xfinity Series races here. This racetrack is a beautiful facility with some of the best fans and the best racing in the world. I am ecstatic to see the Cup Series get a race here.
Last week, Alex Bowman and Kyle Busch went on to claim victory in the Pocono doubleheader. In the first race, teammates Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman battled it out in the closing laps. And it appeared that Larson was on his way to a fourth victory in a row until the final corner when a tire went flat, giving the victory to Bowman. When interviewed, Larson stated there were no tire issues for most of the day and that he believed he ran over debris. This is becoming an issue as we saw complaints of debris at Nashville as well. Let's hope NASCAR can do a better job going forward because it might have cost Larson a victory. Needless to say, he rebounded the next day to finish second, so it wasn't all bad for this year's hottest driver. As I mentioned earlier, Kyle Busch went on to capture his second victory of the season, and he did it using fuel strategy. The most impressive feat is that his car was stuck in fourth gear the whole time, and he was still able to wheel the car to victory.
This week, another major bombshell was dropped upon the NASCAR world. It was announced Wednesday that Justin Marks and Mr. Worldwide himself, Pitbull, would be purchasing Chip Ganassi Racing in 2022. When it was announced that Kaulig Racing would be moving up next season, it left a lot of questions as to what was next for Trackhouse Racing, seeing as they were left without a charter. Everyone figured that they would find a way to stay competitive next season, but NO ONE expected them to buy a whole race team! This all but confirms that next season they will field a second car, but now the question is, who is going to drive it? This will certainly be one of the most sought after seats in the garage area.
As I mentioned earlier, while Kaulig Racing will be moving their Xfinity Series program up to Cup next season, they will also be fielding a Cup car this Sunday with AJ Allmendinger driving. He's going to be one to really look out for this week. There are a handful of drivers in the field that have spent time racing on this track, but none have the experience that he has. Not only has he driven stock cars here, but has also found success in the old Champ-Car Series as he won back in 2006. No one knows this track better than him. If he can stay out of trouble, he will be a contender to win come Sunday.
The driver that I have winning this Sunday is the king of the road himself, Chase Elliott. When the Cup Series heads for a road course, it's tough not to pick him, considering how much success he has accumulated on road courses. He has also been fast here in his limited Xfinity Series starts, as he nearly won back in 2015. I look for Elliott to continue his success that he's been on and capture his seventh road course victory come Sunday.
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Dusty Baker has won the fourth Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Baseball Digest.
The beloved Baker retired following the 2023 season after spending 56 years in the majors as a player, coach and manager. He was honored Thursday with an annual distinction that “recognizes a living individual whose career has been spent in or around Major League Baseball and who has made significant contributions to the game.”
Willie Mays won the inaugural award in 2021, followed by Vin Scully in 2022 and Joe Torre last year.
“Receiving this award is a tremendous honor,” Baker said in a news release. “I never thought that I’d be in the class of the people that received this award. I know that my late mom and dad would be proud of me. This is really special.”
The 74-year-old Baker broke into the big leagues as a teenager with the Atlanta Braves in 1968 and played 19 seasons. He made two All-Star teams, won two Silver Slugger awards and earned a Gold Glove in the outfield.
He was the 1977 NL Championship Series MVP and finished fourth in 1980 NL MVP voting before helping the Los Angeles Dodgers win the 1981 World Series.
Following his playing career, Baker was a coach for the San Francisco Giants from 1988-92 and then became their manager in 1993. He won the first of his three NL Manager of the Year awards with the Giants that season and spent 26 years as a big league skipper, also guiding the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals and Houston Astros.
Baker took all those teams to the playoffs, winning 10 division crowns, three pennants and finally a World Series championship in 2022 with the Astros. He ranks seventh on the career list with 2,183 wins and is the only manager in major league history to lead five franchises to division titles.
In January, he returned to the Giants as a special adviser to baseball operations. Baker's former team is 7-18 under new Astros manager Joe Espada.
“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I am honored to congratulate Dusty Baker as the 2024 recipient of Baseball Digest’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He joins an incredible club," Commissioner Rob Manfred said. "Dusty represents leadership, goodwill, and winning baseball. His ability to connect with others, across generations, is second to none. He is a championship manager and player. But, most importantly, Dusty is an extraordinary ambassador for our national pastime.”
Baker was selected in voting by an 18-member panel from a list of candidates that also included Bob Costas, Sandy Koufax, Tony La Russa, Jim Leyland, Rachel Robinson and Bud Selig, among others.