THE LEFT TURN

NASCAR: Jockey Made in America 250 preview, picks

NASCAR: Jockey Made in America 250 preview, picks
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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Rockets defeat the Grizzlies, 120-118. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Jalen Green tied his career high with 42 points, capped by a layup that gave Houston the lead late, and the Rockets rallied for a 120-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.

The Grizzlies were down by four before Jaylen Wells made a 3-pointer followed by a steal and layup from Brandon Clarke that put them up 115-114 with just under a minute left.

Green’s layup put the Rockets on top 116-115 before a turnover by Ja Morant gave Houston the ball back. Amen Thompson was fouled and made two free throws with 8.1 seconds left to make it 118-115.

Morant missed two free throws after that and Fred VanVleet added two free throws for Houston with 2.1 seconds left to make it 120-115 and secure the victory.

It was Houston’s fourth straight win overall and second in a row over Memphis after beating the Grizzlies 119-115 on Thursday night.

Morant swished a 38-footer to put the Grizzlies up by 12 with about eight minutes to go.

The Rockets went on a 16-2 run after that to take a 107-105 lead with 4 1/2 minutes remaining. Green and VanVleet had 3-pointers during that stretch and Thompson added six points to help Houston erase the deficit.

Morant had 29 points for the Grizzlies, and Desmond Bane scored 25.

Takeaways

Grizzlies: They need to do a better job of finishing after leading by 12 in the fourth quarter.

Rockets: Green delivered the kind of dominant performance the Rockets need from him on occasion as they look to remain among the top teams in the Western Conference.

Key moment

Houston’s 16-2 run that erased the double-digit deficit.

Key stat

Houston had 15 offensive rebounds to just eight by Memphis.

Up next

Houston visits Denver on Wednesday night, and the Grizzlies play the first of consecutive games at San Antonio that night.

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