Christopher Bell started last week in Loudon by letting the cat out of the bag then ended it as he always seems to do at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: First to the checkers. On a historic day when NASCAR ran wet-weather tires on an oval to give the fans their money's worth — actually a few laps more than the planned 301 circuits — Bell showed that he had figured out how to maneuver his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota around the New England track better than any other driver. That came after inadvertently revealing that Chase Briscoe would be joining him as a JGR teammate next season, letting the confidential info slip out last Friday in an interview in the infield media center. Winning Sunday helped erase the oopsie. Bell's second career Cup Series win at Loudon came on the heels of winning his fourth straight Loudon Xfinity Series race Saturday. In all, the Norman, Okla., native has won seven of his 11 starts at NHMS, including a Truck Series triumph in 2017. Now it's on to Nashville Superspeedway, which will be hosting its fourth consecutive Cup race this Sunday, the Ally 400 at the 1.333-mile tri-oval in Lebanon, Tenn. Even with top-10 finishes in each of the three events held there since the 2021 campaign, the JGR hot shoe has not had the good fortune there he has sought. "It's good to head into Nashville having three top-10 finishes but it's been a place where I haven't been super comfortable," said Bell, who is tied with Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and William Byron with three victories thus far in the Cup Series. "Since we've gone back with the Next Gen car, we just haven't been great, and I've been the back half of the top-10 and lacking a little speed compared to the winners. "I know we are trying something new to try and improve on that, and I'm going there with a different mindset and a different mentality than I have the last couple of years." Race No. 19 in the Cup Series just outside of Nashville will be 300 laps, and Hendrick Motorsports has played it pretty well for the crowds in the Music City by winning two of the three races. In the inaugural event in 2021, Larson dominated by leading 264 laps. In the process, the No. 5 Chevrolet driver beat Ross Chastain by 4.335 seconds for Larson's third straight win. Also of note in that one, Chase Elliott scored a 13th-place finish but was disqualified after it was discovered in post-race inspection that he had five loose lug nuts. He was scored in last place and stripped of his Stage 1 win. Elliott rebounded by taking the checkers in 2022, but Chastain broke the Hendrick stranglehold on the trophy by putting his No. 1 Chevy Camaro on the pole and beating Martin Truex Jr. last year. On Thursday night at the old Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway short track, Chastain warmed up for the race weekend by finishing fourth, one spot ahead of hometown favorite Josh Berry, in the inaugural Battle of Broadway 150. –Field Level Media
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Diego Simeone was critical of the officials after Atletico Madrid s Champions League hopes were left in the balance following a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Atletico ended the first half with 10 men as the LaLiga champions bid to reach the knockout phase was dealt a blow against last-16 bound Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday.
Beaten 3-2 in the reverse fixture in the Spanish capital, having also lost Antoine Griezmann to a red card on matchday three last month, Atletico conceded goals to Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane before Felipe was dismissed nine minutes prior to the interval for a cynical foul on the latter and subsequent apparent dissent.
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Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw
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Austria and North Macedonia will face each other in the Euro 2020 finals this weekend. The Group C fixture at Arena Nationala in Bucharest is scheduled to kick off at 5pm UK time on Sunday and promises to be an exiting game of football.
Austria
Austria will fancy their chances of progressing to the next stage of the Euro 2020 finals from Group C. Franco Foda’s side will know that the Netherlands are the clear favourites to win the group, but the other teams, Ukraine and North Macedonia, can certainly be beaten.
The Austrians, though, did not have the best of preparations in the build-up to the European Championship. They lost 1-0 to England in their first warm-up game and then playe…
Veteran Brazilian Formiga became the first player to appear at seven editions of the Women s World Cup and the oldest to feature in the tournament when she lined up against Jamaica on Sunday.
The 41-year-old midfielder plays her club football for Paris Saint-Germain and came out of international retirement to give herself a chance of being involved in this summer s tournament.
She was duly selected by Brazil boss Vadao, who did not hesitate to put her at the base of his midfield for the team s opening Group C match in Grenoble.
Her inclusion in the starting XI at 41 years and 98 days saw her overtake Christie Rampone s record. Rampone played for United States in the 2015 competition at the age of 40 years and 12 days,
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Manchester United are interested in signing John McGinn from Premier League rivals Aston Villa, according to . It has been reported by the British tabloid that United’s new interim-manager Ralf Rangnick is a fan of McGinn and wants to add to his team at Old Trafford.
United scouts have been impressed by McGinn, who is a dynamic midfielder and is one of the best midfielders at Villa. The Premier League giants wanted to sign the Scotland international midfielder in 2019, but Villa wanted as much as £50 million.
McGinn is 27 now and is at the top of his game. The former Hibernian star is a very good and capable midfielder who has established himself as one of the better players in his position in the Premier League. McGinn would make United a better and stronger team in…
Crystal Palace s recent momentum was halted as they failed to break down Cardiff City in a 0-0 Premier League draw at Selhurst Park.
Roy Hodgson s side came into Wednesday s game on a high after back-to-back wins over Leicester City and Manchester City, but the closest they came to a goal was two efforts against the woodwork.
Andros Townsend hit the crossbar after 66 seconds, while captain Luka Milivojevic sent a free-kick against the post in the closing stages.
A fine late reflex save from Vicente Guaita denied Kadeem Harris as Cardiff almost snatched a victory, but Neil Warnock will be happy with a battling point against his former club that stops a two-game losing run.
FULL-TIME Crystal Palace 0-0 Cardiff
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Euro 2016 hosts and favourites France host Scotland in Metz for their final warm-up match ahead of the tournament on Saturday.
Didier Deschamps side go into the fixture on the back of seven wins from a possible eight after an entertaining 16 goals were scored across their last three matches.
Their 3-2 home win over Cameroon on Monday was far from routine, though, with the visitors twice equalising before Dimitri Payet settled the match with a stunning last-minute free-kick.
After missing the cut from the provisional squad, Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has been drafted into the France set-up to replace the injured Lassana Diarra as the home players look to take the last remaining opportunity to impress against Gordon Strachan s men.
I …
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Fellaini continued to be a prominent member of the United squad under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, the latter of whom was particularly vocal in his admiration for the physical midfielder and handed him a new two-year last June.
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LaLiga has denied president Javier Tebas is a candidate for the vacant Premier League chief executive role in England.
Tebas has emerged as a potential replacement for Richard Scudamore, who departed the Premier League in December last year.
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Responding to speculation, LaLiga said in a statement: We are not aware of this supposed interest.
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Competition: La Liga
Market: Barcelona to beat Girona
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La Liga returns for yet another round of games this weekend as the competition continues to heat up. Every single point is precious at this stage as a win can quite often see a side rise up a number of places in the league table and, with this in mind, Barcelona host Girona on Saturday.
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