The NBA Playoffs had their second round begin Monday. We were treated to two games, and one was significantly better than the other. That probably should be the expectation for Tuesday’s slate as well. Regardless of how the game goes, if we can cash some betting slips, that’s really the main goal here. I expect the Cavaliers vs. Pistons to be a more entertaining game tonight, and I have a bet for us on the game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a bit of a makeover this season, but the first round of the playoffs was essentially the same outcome they’ve always had. They exchanged Darius Garland for James Harden and Dennis Schroder. That didn’t happen in the same trade, but it did give the team a new look after starting the year with Garland, Lonzo Ball and DeAndre Hunter. This team will only go as far as Harden and Donovan Mitchell will take it.

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden talk during Game 2 in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs vs. the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Ohio. (David Dermer/Imagn Images)

In the first round, the Cavaliers looked like a really bad team. They won four games at home and lost all three road games. In fairness to them, they had at least two of those games in Toronto that were winnable. While they won games at home, they didn’t exactly dominate the Raptors. Game 7 was fairly sweat free, with a 12-point win, but they were fortunate not to have Brandon Ingram suit up for Toronto. I see both Evan Mobley and Harden as the keys to winning this series for the Cavaliers.

The Detroit Pistons were given a bit of a wake-up call. They came into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but they looked anything but the part of a dominant team in the opening round. They hosted the Magic and lost the opener. Then they lost two of the next three games, going down 3-1 in the series. They won, as expected in Game 5 at home, but Game 6 was wild. They were down and looked out of it in the second half. The Magic scored just 19 points in the second half, and Detroit forced Game 7.

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Ethan Thompson defends during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 12, 2026. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)

In Game 7, the Pistons locked in and were in control from the tip. It was an epic collapse from the Magic, and probably a disaster that cost their coach his job. The Pistons ended up winning by 22. They extended their coach as a result. Interestingly enough, JB Bickerstaff, the coach, was fired by Cleveland in part due to a lack of playoff success. He should be very familiar with the Cavs players and their strengths and weaknesses. I’d expect him to be an X-factor if he can exploit the weaknesses.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

In this series, you have to expect that Mitchell and Cade Cunningham will cancel each other out from a scoring perspective. Jarrett Allen and Mobley will provide a great variety of defense for Jalen Duren. The Pistons’ advantage will be Tobias Harris. For the Cavaliers, Mobley will be a tough matchup. Harden is also a guy who might be able to get some mismatches.

Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons smiles after the game against the Toronto Raptors at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on Dec. 30, 2023. (Chris Schwegler/NBAE)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

This is the tightest series in terms of pricing, with the Pistons being slight favorites. Three of the four games were very tight in the regular season, with all three being decided by four or fewer points. They both won two games, one on the road and one at home. I don’t expect this to be a defensive series. It isn’t the game either of them really wants to play. I think the Pistons are locked in, though. I haven’t seen much that’s great from the Cavaliers on the road in the playoffs. Give me the Pistons -3.5 here.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024 

It hasn’t been a great stretch of baseball for me over the past few days. Sometimes the looks are correct, but the outcomes are wrong. Sure, it is easy to say the look is wrong if you have a losing ticket, and there is a lot of truth.

Yesterday, the Philadelphia Phillies won the first five innings 1-0. I expected Aaron Nola to be worse, but he pitched well, so my play on the Miami Marlins was a loss, but it wasn’t a terrible look. Today, I hope we can get back on track with the Toronto Blue Jays taking on the Tampa Bay Rays.

Yandy Díaz of the Tampa Bay Rays looks on between innings against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

The Blue Jays were inches, minutes, outs, whatever descriptor you wanted to use, away from winning the World Series last year. This season, they look like they will struggle to even make the playoffs.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

They are currently three games under .500, which is a rough look considering they are in one of the toughest divisions in baseball. Is it a World Series hangover, or is it something worse for the team? The pitching staff looks a bit rough, throwing to a 4.27 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.

One of their better starters is taking the hill tonight as the Rays turn to Kevin Gausman. For the year, Gausman is 2-2 with a 3.10 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He has made three road starts this season, with just one of them being a quality outing. He has allowed nine earned runs over 16.2 innings. The Rays have been very strong against the Blue Jays right-hander in the past. In 74 at-bats against Gausman, they are hitting .351. They only have four extra-base hits against him, though.

Tampa Bay is one of those teams that finds ways to win no matter who is on their roster. I have to say that I’m a bit shocked at how great the team is looking through the beginning portion of the year. They are 22-12 with one of the best records in baseball. At home, they are 12-4, looking like one of the most dominant teams in the sport. As a team, they are hitting .253, and the pitching staff is throwing to a 3.67 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Drew Rasmussen of the Tampa Bay Rays throws a pitch during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Aug. 14, 2022. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

Looking to position them for yet another win is Drew Rasmussen. For the season, the righty is 2-1 with a 2.64 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. He has made two home starts this year and has gone six innings in both of them. He has allowed a total of six hits, one walk and one earned run over those 12 innings. Blue Jays hitters haven’t been great against him, hitting just .200 overall, but they do have five extra-base hits of their 12 hits. That signifies that when they do make contact, they hit the ball hard.

There are a few things that stand out to me here. First, I think the Rays have the upper hand in this game and should grab the win. With a line of -130 for the Rays, I think we still have value, and I’m going to take them to win. Rasmussen has been very strong. Gausman is keeping this line closer, but the Blue Jays have been awful on the road, and the Rays have been strong at home.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Kevin Gausman pitches for the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ont., on April 7, 2026. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)

One other play worth putting a little bit of money on is a prop. Yandy Diaz has been excellent against Gausman. While he doesn’t have a ton of extra-base hits against him, he does have a .583 average against him in 12 at-bats. I like him to get 2+ total bases at +120.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024 

Alvin Kamara has spent his entire nine-year career in New Orleans, but right now, there’s no guarantee that he’s going to be returning for a 10th season. As things currently stand, Kamara and the Saints don’t seem to be on the same page about his future. 

The Saints have done several things this offseason that would suggest that they might be ready to move on from the 30-year-old running back, but on Kamara’s end, it sounds like he wants to stay in New Orleans. 

The five-time Pro Bowler has kept a low profile this offseason, but he’s finally talking. During a Monday appearance on “The Set” podcast with Terron Armstead, Kamara hinted at where he wants to play in 2026, and for the first time ever, he publicly reacted to the Saints’ decision to sign Travis Etienne Jr., his potential replacement at running back. 

Let’s take a look at what Kamara had to say and what the future might hold for him. 

Alvin Kamara’s thoughts on his NFL future and reaction to the Etienne signing

One of the most surprising moves of the offseason came in March, when the New Orleans Saints signed Etienne to a four-year, $48 million deal. It wasn’t a shock to see the Saints sign a running back, but it was a surprise to see them go after a top-of-the-market player. Etienne’s deal makes him one of the 10 highest-paid running backs in the NFL, just behind Kamara, who signed a two-year, $24.5 million extension back in October 2024. 

As soon as Etienne was signed, there were immediate questions about what that would mean for Kamara’s future. There were also questions about whether Kamara would even want to stay in New Orleans with Etienne now on the roster. 

Kamara seemed to answer both of those questions on Monday. 

“I watched [Etienne] in Jacksonville these past couple years,” Kamara said. “He’s explosive, he hit home runs. He did it in college. Strong dude, seems smart. I’m excited to see what we can do together.” 

That last line is the notable one. If Kamara is excited about seeing what the duo can “do together,” that means he wants to stay in New Orleans. Kamara also made it clear that he won’t have any trouble sharing the backfield with Etienne because there’s no “beef” between the two of them. Kamara said he was actually glad to see Etienne score such a big contract. 

“You know I ain’t into social media and all that,” Kamara said. “I don’t do too much watching and stuff, but I think a lot of people be thinking it’s like beef or something when moves like this happen, and it’s like, ‘Man, I couldn’t be happier.’ One, my boy got paid, and two, like, it ain’t nothing but some help in the backfield. That’s the name of the game, depth. One person can’t do it by themselves, so I’m cool with it. Whichever direction we can take it, I’m with it.”

Kamara hasn’t spent much time in New Orleans this offseason, but he said he’s excited to get to work with Etienne. 

“I haven’t had really a chance too much to talk to him, but definitely excited that he got a fleur-de-lis on his helmet and he got paid,” Kamara said. “Now, it’s time to go to work.”

During Kamara’s first two years in New Orleans (2017-18), he formed a powerful one-two punch at running back with Mark Ingram and he’d like to see the same thing happen with Etienne. 

“I think that’s what we trying to find, me and Mark set the bar very high,” Kamara said. “That’s what efficiency looks like on a very high level. I’m 100 percent for it. If that’s what direction we’re going in, I’m with it. I think we can get there.”

Kamara and Ingram combined for over 3,000 yards from scrimmage in 2017, a season that ended with Kamara being voted the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. Kamara totaled 728 rushing yards and 826 receiving yards that year. 

“I ain’t going to say we’re going to recreate that, but we’ll see,” Kamara said. “We gotta get close, we gotta reach for it.”

There had been speculation that Kamara might be considering retirement, but that certainly doesn’t seem to be the case. 

Kamara clearly sounds like someone who wants to play for the Saints in 2026, but do the Saints want him? It’s an interesting question with a layered answer, but based on their moves this offseason, they seem to be setting the stage for a possible breakup. 

Let’s take a look at what the Saints have done this offseason to plant the seeds for a possible Kamara exit. 

March 6: Saints restructure Kamara’s deal

As we mentioned earlier, Kamara got a two-year extension back in October 2024. Less than 18 months later, the Saints decided to restructure the deal. The Saints took Kamara’s $10.155 million base salary for 2026 and converted it into a signing bonus, allowing them to spread the cap hit over five years. This lowered Kamara’s 2026 salary cap hit from $18.63 million to $10.45 million, but it didn’t add any more guaranteed money for the running back, so there was no upside for him. 

On the Saints’ end, this move made sense for two reasons. Not only did they pick up more than $8 million in cap space, but the restructure made it easier to trade or cut Kamara this year, but only if the move happens after June 1. If the Saints were to release Kamara before June 1, they would take a $24.40 million dead cap hit. However, if they were to cut him after June 1, they would only take a $10.07 million cap hit and they’d actually save $376,000 against the cap. 

If the Saints were to trade Kamara after June 1, they would pick up $3.38 million in cap savings, so getting rid of Kamara after June 1 — whether through a trade or release — now becomes a plausible move thanks to the restructure.  

March 9: Saints sign Etienne

Three days after restructuring Kamara’s contract, the Saints handed Etienne a four-year deal worth $12 million per season. You don’t pay a running back that kind of money unless you plan to make him your feature guy, so the team’s plans for Etienne seem pretty clear. 

During his final season in Jacksonville last year, Etienne rushed for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns. The 2021 first-round pick topped 1,000 yards in three of his four seasons in Jacksonville and it appears the 27-year-old is going to be a workhorse running back for the Saints. 

With Kamara also making more than $12 million per season, the Saints are the only team in the NFL with two running backs making $12 million or more per year. Maybe the Saints ask Kamara to take a pay cut, but it’s hard to see them paying out that much to two players at the running back position in 2026. 

April 28: Saints general manager gives vague answers when asked about Kamara’s future

During an interview on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was asked about Kamara’s future in New Orleans and he couldn’t have been more vague. First, Loomis was asked a two-fold question about how Kamara reacted to the Etienne signing and whether the running back would be on the team in 2026. 

“I think we’re still trying to work through that to see where we’re at roster-wise, and look, there’s a couple of areas there that we’ve got to work through,” Loomis said. “So I’d rather not comment on it right now, but it’s certainly an exciting possibility.”

Kamara has made it clear he wants to play for the Saints this year, but it feels like the Saints are still trying to decide whether they can make it work. 

At a later point in the interview, Loomis was asked if the team is “on the same page” as Kamara and whether other teams are calling about a possible trade. 

“I’d rather keep that to myself at this point,” Loomis said. “That’s a good question, but I think those are private conversations, at least at this point.”

If the Saints were on the same page as Kamara, it seems Loomis would have just said so, but instead, he essentially ducked the question. 

What this all means is that you should circle June 1 on your calendar, because that’s when we should know more about Kamara’s future. The Saints certainly seem ready to move on, but it feels like Kamara wants to stay in New Orleans, so if he’s willing to take a pay cut, the two sides may be able to work out a deal. 

On the other hand, if the Saints decide to trade him, it will be interesting to see what happens, because back in October, Kamara said he’d rather retire than play for another team. 

“I don’t want to go anywhere, and I’ve said it countless times,” Kamara said before the 2025 trade deadline. “If Mickey comes down and says that, I’m going to drink a piña colada somewhere.”

If other teams are worried that he might retire, that could tank his trade value, and in that case, it could force the Saints to release him if they really want to cut ties with their all-time leading rusher. 

Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter, who spent most of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, is not impressed with the Arizona Cardinals as an organization. In short, he thinks that franchise is “awful.”

A fresh start in Minnesota could rewrite the entire Kyler Murray conversation.

Carter has intimate knowledge of the Cardinals’ interworkings because his lifelong pal, Larry Fitzgerald, played 17 seasons for the franchise. And the curtain peel-back is not pretty.

The Cardinals’ Mess Adds Context to Murray’s Vikings Arrival

Carter was not afraid to rip the Cardinals.

Carter on ARI

The Hall of Famer hopped on the Fully Loaded Podcast last week and unleashed: “I’m gonna tell you something that you’ve never heard before about the Arizona Cardinals. They have one of the worst ownership groups. They do not know what they’re doing. And I couldn’t say this for a long time because my kid was playing out there — Larry Fitzgerald. He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer; now, I can let go. They’re awful. The way they do things is awful. He was lucky to survive his career there.”

“They’re so inconsistent. They have no plan. They have no rhyme. They have no action plan — like what they’re going to do. And — they ruin a lot of good players. Players don’t go to Arizona and become Hall of Famers, typically. They’re fortunate with Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald that they escaped, but they were who they were.”

The funny part? Most non-Cardinals fans already thought this about Arizona. Carter merely confirmed what most commonly believe.

Carter added about the Vikings’ new quarterback: “Kyler Murray, to me, could be a Baker Mayfield. He could be a Sam Darnold. He’s got talent. Put it in the right system and support it the right way. He’s played some hell of a football. To keep him healthy and keep him confident — that’s what they need.”

The Murray Angle

Murray is now the Vikings’ quarterback, and because Carter played for the purple from 1990 to 2001, he has a vested interest in Murray’s upcoming stint. It’s still shocking to process that the Cardinals offloaded Murray in favor of Jacoby Brissett and Carson Beck, while paying him to play for the Vikings in 2026.

If Carter has it right, Murray could be the product of poor ownership, never able to fully take off, as Arizona hasn’t empowered many — outside of Fitzgerald and Warner — to thrive.

Think: one man’s trash is another’s treasure.

NFL Report Cards Confirm It

Carter isn’t alone with his assessment of the Cardinals’ ownership and the enterprise. Annually (although 2026 could be the last, as owners don’t want them anymore), the NFLPA releases team report cards, with the Cardinals habitually near the bottom.

In 2026, they ranked second-to-last. These are the details from ESPN:

Treatment of Families: D+
Home Game Field: B
Food/Dining Area: C-
Nutritionist/Dietician: B
Locker Room: F-
Training Room: D+
Training Staff: B-
Weight Room: D+
Strength Coaches: B-
Position Coaches: B+
Offensive Coordinator: B-
Defensive Coordinator: C+
Special Teams Coordinator: B
Team Travel: C+
Head Coach: B+
General Manager: B
Team Ownership: F
Overall Rank: 31

Strangely, the Pittsburgh Steelers finished dead last in overall rank this year.

Arizona Sports‘ Tyler Drake on the Cardinals’ NFLPA grades: “In previous years, the report cards were posted with details to the NFLPA website and included plenty of breakdowns from team owner to cafeteria. This time around, however, the report cards are now internal after the NFL won a grievance filed against the NFLPA to not make the scores public.”

“Arizona’s locker room amenities have been a primary sore spot since the report cards were first created. They again received an F- in this year’s report card. As for head coach, which was a category added in 2024, Arizona saw no less than a B+ with Jonathan Gannon running the show the past three years. Gannon was fired this offseason and replaced by head coach Mike LaFleur.”

A New Beginning for Murray

Murray will get a chance to re-prove his status as a two-time Pro Bowler in Minnesota. He has Kevin O’Connell, widely known as a “quarterback whisperer,” at his side. Even better, there’s Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and the NFL’s third-ranked defense from a season ago to further help the newcomer.

Carter claimed Murray could become “another Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold,” but the ironic part is that those two quarterbacks were punchlines before they turned their careers around. Mayfield flamed out of Carolina; so did Darnold. They didn’t have two Pro Bowls like Murray, nor did they boast Murray’s efficiency and volume stats through seven seasons.

While Mayfield and Darnold needed full-scale career reclamation, Murray merely needs to be himself and continue his production from Arizona — and stay healthy.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman’s absence in the final stretch of the regular season and during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was to address his mental health, he revealed in a statement Tuesday.

Hedman, who also missed a significant amount of time this season due to injury, addressed the situation in a statement shared by the team. 

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman celebrates with the bench after scoring against the Buffalo Sabres during the third period of an NHL game in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 28, 2026. (Chris O’Meara/AP)

“I’ve spent most of my life in this game, and nearly all of my career with this organization. Wearing this jersey – and serving as captain – is the greatest responsibility of my professional life,” his statement began. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

“That responsibility doesn’t only apply on the ice. Over the past couple of months, I made the decision to step away and focus on my mental health. It was not an easy decision, but it was the right one.

“I’ve always believed that being a leader means doing what’s best for the team. In this case, it also meant doing what was necessary to take care of myself, so I can be the best player, teammate, husband and father I expect to be.” 

Hedman expanded on his statement during his exit interview with the media on Tuesday, adding that he feels “way better” and that it was the “right decision” for him. 

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman skates on the ice during warmups before a game against the Boston Bruins in the 2026 Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 1, 2026. (Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images)

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

“This is something that exists in our game more than people see. If this moment helps make it easier for others to take care of themselves when they need to, that matters,” he said Tuesday. “I’m proud of this team, and I look forward to what’s ahead.”

Hedman, who spent his entire 17-year NHL career with the Lightning, missed a majority of the season with an elbow injury that required surgery in December. He returned in time for the Olympic break, where he played for Sweden, before being sidelined again before the quarterfinal game against Team USA.

After playing in just 33 games this season, Hedman said he was looking forward to returning next year. 

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman handles the puck during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on Oct. 17, 2025. (Brian Bradshaw Sevald/Imagn Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Tampa Bay was eliminated from the playoffs after suffering a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 on Sunday. The loss marked the organization’s fourth straight first-round exit.

 The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

McLaren has won at Le Mans before.

When the team arrived at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1995, few predicted that a lightly modified road car, the F1 GTR, would walk away with outright victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Yet, in one of the wettest races in the event’s history—with about 17 hours of steady rain—the team’s F1 GTR driven by JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas, and Masanori Sekiya drove off with a victory, McLaren’s first win at the Vingt Quatre Heures.

Advertisement

Of course, McLaren won there before, when Bruce McLaren himself drove a Ford GT40 MkII to the victory in 1966.

Now McLaren is ready to return to victory with this, the MCL-HY FIA Hypercar that will enter the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class in 2027. Current Hypercar competitors include: three-time winners Ferrari AF Corse with the Ferrari 499P, Toyota Gazoo Racing with its GR010 Hybrid, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s 963, Cadillac V-Series.R, BMW M Team WRT with the BMW M Hybrid V8, Alpine Endurance Team’s A424, Peugeot TotalEnergies’ 9X8, Aston Martin THOR Team’s Valkyrie, and Genesis Magma Racing’s GMR-001.

It won’t be just a race car, it’ll be available as a track day car for a handful of lucky customers. But, sadly, it won’t be homologated as a street car.

The track day variant, called the MCL-HY GTR, will be developed in parallel with the race car.

Advertisement

The MCL-HY test car will be developed in a robust 2026 test program ahead of homologation, McLaren says.

It’s all part of a more audacious plan. McLaren says its return to racing in the premier class at Le Mans also marks the beginning of a challenge to once again take the Triple Crown of motorsport: victory at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With McLaren already competing at the pinnacle of Formula 1 and the NTT IndyCar Series, the MCL-HY completes the final piece of an ambition that McLaren is uniquely placed to contend for, the team says.

The McLaren Hypercar Team will begin on-track testing of the MCL-HY this month, a program that will support the simultaneous development of both the race car and its track car counterpart ahead of McLaren’s WEC debut in 2027.

Advertisement

For the 2026 test program, McLaren Hypercar Team works driver Mikkel Jensen will be supported by McLaren Driver Development Program (DDP) drivers Gregoire Saucy and Richard Verschoor. In addition, United Autosports driver Ben Hanley will bring his valuable development experience to the team.

Built to the ACO/IMSA LMDh regulations, the MCL-HY combines a lightweight carbon fiber monocoque with what McLaren calls exceptional balance. Power comes from a twin‑turbocharged V6 race engine paired with a hybrid MGU system, delivering up to 697 bhp to the driven rear axle. With a minimum weight of 2,270 pounds and a highly efficient power‑to‑weight ratio, the MCL‑HY has been developed “to balance outright performance with endurance racing efficiency, designed to operate at the very highest level of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the demanding 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

Just as Ferrari eliminated the hybrid component from its 296 to make the Ferrari Challenge car (for instance), the MCL-HY GTR track car variant of the McLaren has been deliberately developed without the FIA Hypercar’s mandated LMDh hybrid system and is powered purely by the 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged gasoline-fed racing engine. That results in a lower dry weight while still making 720 bhp.

Advertisement

“This decision ensures that clients benefit from a purer driving experience on track days; one that delivers authentic Hypercar performance and feel without additional complexity, and a simpler ownership model that prioritizes accessibility above all else,” McLaren says.

The MCL-HY GTR track car variant also represents a first-of-its-kind collaboration between McLaren Racing and McLaren Automotive, engineered in parallel with the race car.

For those who possess one of these, ownership of the MCL-HY GTR extends far beyond the car itself, McLaren notes.

McLaren Automotive has developed an exclusive program offering unprecedented access to McLaren Racing’s World Endurance Championship operation. Project: Endurance will immerse clients in the team’s journey, from testing and development, through to the drama of the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Advertisement

That means MCL-HY GTR owners will also take part in a two-year, six-event track driving program curated across premier international circuits, which includes opportunities to drive their car on PURE McLaren track events, exclusive, high-performance driving programs organized by McLaren Automotive at iconic racetracks globally. Each client will benefit from professional driver coaching, a dedicated pit crew and race engineering support, participating on a fully inclusive arrive-and-drive basis.

But patience will be a virtue. Deliveries of the McLaren MCL-HY GTR track car are to begin toward the end of 2027.

Many believe that the Vikings would do well to add a pass rushing mercenary, a conclusion many accept due to moving on from Jonathan Greenard. If Dante Fowler was on your wish list, then go ahead and work down to Plan B.

The update arrives courtesy of Tom Pelissero of The NFL Network: “Veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. is signing with the Seahawks on a one-year deal worth up to $5 million, per sources. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Fowler is now entering his 12th NFL season.”

The Vikings, The Pass Rush, & A Veteran Gone from FA

The past year has seen the Seattle Seahawks completely eviscerate the Minnesota Vikings. Most obvious, of course, was the Week 13 game where the Vikings decided that playing football was optional. Seattle emerged victorious by a score of 26-0.

But then there’s the other component of things, the more consequential way that the Seahawks have been annihilating the Vikings. Seattle has rallied around a young, hotshot coach to win the Super Bowl. Winning the Lombardi came with Sam Darnold at QB1 and with Klint Kubiak as the OC, both of whom were employed in Minnesota before Minnesota decided to move on from both.

Worse yet, the Seahawks have been conducting a masterclass on team building. Recent years have seen the Seahawks do exceptionally well within the draft. There is no Lombardi, folks, were it not for the contributions of various homegrown talents who were added in recent seasons.

Moreover, there’s something to be said for a team that can add a solid quarterback from within free agency before then rolling out an elite defense to win. The Vikings tried to do that back in 2018 with Kirk Cousins and failed.

All of this isn’t to say that the Vikings should have signed Dante Fowler. Nor, in fact, is the argument that the Fowler deal is definitely going to be a huge success in the Emerald City. Rather, the insistence here is that the Seahawks deserve ample respect. Seeing them make a move involves giving them the benefit of the doubt in a way that the Vikings haven’t earned.

Bringing the discussion closer to home means taking stock of where the Vikings’ pass rushing department stands.

Leaning on a starting duo of Andrew Van Ginkel (a cyborg) and Dallas Turner (so much potential) isn’t a bad spot to be. Seeing these two live up to their ability will mean that Minnesota does well on Sunday, especially if Caleb Banks thrives in his debut NFL season. Employing these two means that there’s no reason to panic.

At minimum, though, there does need to be some urgency to address a twofold issue:

1. Pass rushers rotate, so there does need to be capable talent behind the top two. Is the current depth sufficient?
2. What happens if the top two underperform and/or get hurt?

Neither of these questions have ironclad solutions. Some of the solution rests in LB Eric Wilson, who can get kicked up to edge rusher. Similarly, Jake Golday — the Vikings’ 2nd-Round selection — is seen as someone who can get shuffled around, playing both off-ball ‘backer and edge rusher.

Still, there’s much to be said for signing someone else, a veteran who can solidify the pass rushing floor as the in-house young lads reach for a high ceiling. Seattle’s decision to pickup Fowler means that there’s one less option to consider.

The Vikings’ cap space is going to get a boost in June due to the post-June 1 cuts for DT Jonathan Allen and S Harrison Smith. Quite possibly, the move will be to wait until then, but the front office may need to jump into the third wave of free agency sooner if more talent gets stolen way.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Advertisement