Connect with us

Sports

Tyler Reddick chasing history at COTA

Published

on

NASCAR: Autotrader 400Feb 22, 2026; Hampton, Georgia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick celebrates the win at EchoPark Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images

With two exciting finishes under its belt, NASCAR has opened its season strong and certainly raised questions. The biggest one might be this: Who or what can stop team owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, their two 23XI Racing teams and rising drivers Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace?

After last season found the organization and Front Row Motorsports in court against NASCAR regarding an antitrust accusation, with Jordan and company citing the sanctioning body as an unfair, monopolistic group, a settlement was reached on Dec. 11.

23XI Racing has not let any distraction slow it down, though the third race this season — the 95-lapper around the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on Sunday in Austin, Texas — will be a much different animal to deal with than the first two drafting tracks.

It’s an affectionate animal for Reddick thus far.

The NASCAR Cup Series has visited the Texas twister of a track five times since the 2020 COVID-affected campaign.

Advertisement

Following Chase Elliott’s win in 2021 and Ross Chastain’s a year later, Reddick used a series of sharp lefts and rights to handily beat Kyle Busch in 2023 for his fourth career win and first with 23XI Racing in a race that had 16 lead changes and 3,110 green-flag passes (53.6 per lap).

Over the past two seasons, William Byron and defending winner Christopher Bell have been the best at figuring out the track that looks like it was designed on an Etch A Sketch.

Bell’s victory a year ago came against Byron, but the day’s biggest story was that road racing ace Shane van Gisbergen did not find the checkers first and finished sixth after leading 23 laps.

That’s disappointing for someone who went 5-for-6 on road courses in 2025.

Advertisement

The Jordan/Hamlin-led team brings a ton of momentum to the Lone Star State, and Reddick stands on the cusp of being alone in history Sunday.

No driver has ever opened with three points wins. Only Matt Kenseth (2009), Jeff Gordon (1997), David Pearson (1976), Bob Welborn (1959) and Marvin Panch (1957) have won two consecutive races out of the gate.

“If at any point during this week I’m running out of reasons to be motivated to go win, I’ll keep that in my back pocket, for sure,” Reddick said. “You know, it’s cool to be able, or have the opportunity to potentially do things like that, but … it’s all about just doing everything I can and showing up every week being as prepared as I can.”

Advertisement

Naturally, the hotshot leads in points as Texas looms in the Southwestern horizon. He has 125 points, while teammate Wallace, the top driver with 86 laps led, is 40 points back in second.

In fact, Wallace’s name could have replaced Reddick’s here this week, and the No. 23 Toyota that led in the closing laps at Daytona and Atlanta could be racing in Austin for history with a couple of breaks or better final maneuvers.

Yet winning in Texas sounds speculative.

“Pray for me,” Wallace joked about COTA, where he finished 20th last time.

Advertisement

Can Reddick win again in the Texas capital like he did in 2023, or is it possible the snaking COTA will constrict 23XI Racing’s successful run to start 2026?

The answer to both are as obvious as asking Michael Jordan if he knows his championship ring size.

–Field Level Media

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Welsh Open: John Higgins remains on course for sixth title

Published

on

John Higgins remained on course for a sixth Welsh Open title after brushing aside Zhou Yuelong in the quarter-final.

The Scot clinched three scrappy frames before making breaks of 75 and 67 to win the contest 5-0.

Higgins will meet Jack Lisowski in the semi-final after he defeated 2017 champion Stuart Bingham 5-2.

Lisowski stormed into a 4-0 lead in Llandudno, with breaks of 70 and 118, before Bingham wrestled two frames back.

Advertisement

But Lisowski, who won his first ranking title at the Northern Ireland Open in October, held his composure to seal victory.

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Oleksandr Usyk’s next opponent named as he defends his WBC title in May

Published

on

Oleksandr Usyk‘s next fight has finally been confirmed.

Usyk was last in action in July when he became undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time with a fifth round knockout victory over Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium.

The Ukrainian vacated his WBO belt later that year, but remains in possession of the WBC, WBA and IBF titles, and had been rumoured for bouts against the likes of Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr.

Advertisement

Instead, it has been announced that he will take on the surprise alternative opponent he has also been linked to – kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven. As per the announcement, Usyk will be making a voluntary defence of his WBC belt, which will lead to legitimate questions over how Verhoeven has been sanctioned as a legitimate challenger.

The ‘Prince of Kickboxing’ has fought just once as a professional boxer, back in April 2014. The IBF and WBA belts are noticeably absent at this stage, meaning Usyk could be vacating them before the fight.

The event will take place at a spectacular venue, with the pair squaring off at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on May 23. The event is to be broadcast live on DAZN.

Speaking about the announcement, Usyk explained why he is giving Verhoeven the opportunity.

“I respect people who reach the very top in their sport. Rico is one of them — a powerful athlete and a great champion. Being a champion isn’t just about belts. It’s about years of hard work, discipline, and belief.

“I respect his journey — he’s truly the King of Kickboxing. But this is boxing — a different game, with its own rules and its own kings. I’m ready and really looking forward to meeting him in the ring. It’s going to be a unique experience for both of us, and I know the fans are excited too. A big night is coming!”

Advertisement

The Ukrainian will be a considerable favourite in the fight, and fans will hope for a more legitimate opponent later in the year.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Arne Slot defends Liverpool’s summer signings: ‘£450m very well spent’

Published

on

Arne Slot has launched into a defence of Liverpool’s record spending spree by declaring they bought “great” players who will be a “big, big, big success” at Anfield and insisting they did very well with their money.

Liverpool spent £450m last summer, more than any English club had ever paid out in one transfer window, and broke first their own transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz for £100m and then the British record to buy Alexander Isak for £125m.

Liverpool are only sixth in the Premier League, despite their huge outlay, with Isak, who is currently out with a broken leg, scoring just three goals in 17 games for the club.

Arne Slot (left) has defended summer signings like Florian Wirtz

Arne Slot (left) has defended summer signings like Florian Wirtz (PA Wire)

But Slot is confident the Swede and Wirtz, plus top scorer Hugo Ekitike, full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, injured centre-back Giovanni Leoni and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili represent a good use of Liverpool’s budget.

Advertisement

“They are great football players which will be a big, big, big success for this club,” he said. “In general I only ever see, ‘£450m spent, 450, 450, 450’. And no one looks at the circumstances, which are that the £450m is very well spent, very, very, very well spent – one more time, very well spent.”

Slot often points out that, over his time in charge, Liverpool have brought in around £300m so it is not a £450m net spend.

And because of injuries he is not able to put all that £450m on the pitch. He believes he will be without £300m of talent against West Ham on Saturday with Leoni out for the season, Isak for another few weeks and Wirtz missing with a back problem, while Mamardashvili will be on the bench, though Frimpong is able to return.

Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike were two of Liverpool's big-money summer signings

Advertisement
Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike were two of Liverpool’s big-money summer signings (Getty Images)

But he accepts that Liverpool have not always seen the newcomers at their best, adding: “Alex has not been the Alex of Newcastle, [apart from] maybe 20 minutes at Tottenham, I don’t criticise him because we signed him for six years not six months. Giorgi, we needed him because Caoimh [Kelleher] left but we hardly played with two goalkeepers. Jeremie has been many times injured, Giovanni [is] out for the season. Tomorrow, I miss out on Florian. Him and Hugo and Milos needed time to adapt.”

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

All tasks and cheapest solutions

Published

on

EA Sports has released the EA FC 26 Georges Mikautadze POTM SBC in Ultimate Team, with the Georgian striker winning the LaLiga Player of the Month award due to his amazing performances over the course of February. The Villareal forward has spearheaded his team’s attacking efforts and led them to the third position in the league table, and he is fully deserving of this 87-rated item.

With the meta of the game evolving at a rapid rate, Player of the Month SBCs have also started to receive two PlayStyles+. The EA FC 26 Georges Mikautadze POTM SBC is an excellent example, as the LaLiga striker now has impressive stats in relevant areas after receiving his very first upgraded item of the season in Ultimate Team.


All tasks and cheapest solutions of the EA FC 26 Georges Mikautadze POTM SBC

Similar to the recently released Joey Veerman Fantasy FC SBC, the EA FC 26 Georges Mikautadze POTM SBC also requires two squads to be unlocked. This will keep the overall cost of the item relatively low despite his impressive attributes and traits, making him a tempting proposition for fans on a low budget.

The requirements (Image via EA Sports)The requirements (Image via EA Sports)
The requirements (Image via EA Sports)

These are the requirements and cheapest solutions of each segment of the POTM SBC:

Task 1: LaLiga

  • LaLiga players: Minimum one in your starting eleven
  • Team overall rating: Minimum 84

Solutions:

  • Romelu Lukaku: 84
  • Alexander Sorloth: 84
  • Greggi: 84
  • Nusken: 84
  • Sergej Milinkovic-Savic: 84
  • Alex Greenwood: 84
  • Damaris Egurrola: 84
  • Fox: 84
  • Hampton: 84
  • van de Donk: 83
  • Ilkay Gundogan: 83

Task 2: Top Form

  • Team of the Week players: Minimum one in your starting eleven
  • Team overall rating: Minimum 85

Solutions:

  • Alexandra Popp: 85
  • Foord: 85
  • Girelli: 85
  • Granit Xhaka: 85
  • Giugliano: 85
  • Svenja Huth: 85
  • Vivianne Miedema: 85
  • Kim Little: 85
  • Caroline Weir: 85
  • Damaris Egurrola: 84
  • Reed (TOTW): 84

The requirement of a Team of the Week player in the Top Form segment will raise the overall price of this item, as these versions are relatively more expensive to purchase from the transfer market compared to regular gold items.


Is the EA FC 26 Georges Mikautadze POTM SBC worth it?

The stats (Image via EA Sports)The stats (Image via EA Sports)
The stats (Image via EA Sports)

The overall expected cost of the SBC is around 32,000 coins. This is a decent price for a well-rounded striker from LaLiga who has four-star skill moves, a four-star weak foot, 88 pace, 90 shooting and 90 dribbling. He also has meta PlayStyles like Finesse Shot+, First Touch+, Pinged Pass, Low Driven Shot, Quickstep and Technical.