logo
Winner Takes All: Ty Gibbs, Ty Dillon Battle for $1M in NASCAR Tournament

Winner Takes All: Ty Gibbs, Ty Dillon Battle for $1M in NASCAR Tournament

Fox Sports3 days ago
Denny Hamlin earned the No. 1 seed for NASCAR's inaugural in-season tournament— and was promptly eliminated in the first race by Ty Dillon, the No. 32 seed.
Now, Dillon faces Ty Gibbs this weekend at Indianapolis to decide the first winner of the tournament and the $1 million prize that comes with it.
Hamlin said the five-race, bracket-style tournament overall was a success — but not without a few kinks. Some of the seeding was off, such as Shane van Gisbergen not qualifying for the field, then ripping off consecutive wins on the Chicago street race and Sonoma Raceway during the tournament races.
And sure, everyone loves a Cinderella in March. But two in July isn't necessarily making the tournament the NASCAR story of the summer.
"I think it has been unfortunate, right, you probably had a lot of the top seeds get knocked out pretty early in it, but overall, I thought the implementation of it has been good," Hamlin said.
The other side of the argument is this: Would any fan or media outlet really care about a pair of winless drivers such as Gibbs (the sixth seed) or Dillon at this point of the season without $1 million at stake?
"For a team like us, at this point in the season, we're not exactly where we want to be yet, but we're trending in a good direction," Dillon said Sunday at Dover. "Our story doesn't get told in years past. It's mainly the guys trying to fight for the points position. It's the guys running up front, trying to win the race. But our story and our growth in the year stops getting told. I'm grateful we've been able to show our personality as a team."
Unlike the All-Star race where the winner pockets $1 million, the driver with the best finish earns the cash prize, a ring, jackets and a trophy.
Dillon had luck on his side during his run, with his lone top-10 finish coming in the first race in Atlanta. He advanced in that race after Hamlin crashed out and finished 31st. Dillon twice has finished 20th, including at Dover. He has a best finish of 13th in five career races on the Indy oval.
Gibbs, the grandson of team owner and football and NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs, and Dillon have failed to win in a combined 374 Cup races. Dillon has only two career top-five finishes in a career that dates to 2014. The 22-year-old Gibbs has a much better pedigree, winning the 2022 Xfinity Series title, a series in which he was a 12-time winner. He has six top 10s already this season and could make NASCAR's playoffs on points.
Gibbs has three straight top 10s in the tournament, including a fifth-place finish at Dover. Gibbs finished 23rd on the Indy oval last season.
He's done enough to impress his grandfather.
"There's some people there that we got off to a terrible start, it was awful, (but) I had people on that group that came to me encouraging me, ideas for me, after it. I think they care for Ty. It just was a huge deal," the 84-year-old Gibbs said. "This sport will really measure you. But those guys have fought back."
Reporting by The Associated Press.
recommended
Item 1 of 3 Get more from the NASCAR Cup Series Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Stephen Curry Says He's ‘Nowhere Close' To Retirement, But Offseasons Are The True Test
Stephen Curry Says He's ‘Nowhere Close' To Retirement, But Offseasons Are The True Test

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Stephen Curry Says He's ‘Nowhere Close' To Retirement, But Offseasons Are The True Test

Stephen Curry Says He's 'Nowhere Close' To Retirement, But Offseasons Are The True Test originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Stephen Curry is still playing at an elite level heading into his 17th NBA season, but even he's beginning to think about how, and when, his legendary career might end. In a recent appearance on the '360 With Speedy' show, the four-time champion spoke candidly about retirement, longevity, and what it really takes to stay motivated at this stage of his journey. While Curry emphasized that he's 'nowhere close' to walking away, he admitted he's started to take things in two-year increments to stay focused and grounded. 'I'm kind of taking it in two-year chunks," said Curry in a chat with Speedy Morman. "Just to know, you have to give yourself something and some motivation to kind of go after it. I talked to all the guys who got into this situation where they've extended their prime, and there are more ungraceful endings than there are 'I tip the cap' type of thing." Curry, 37, has already accomplished more in his career than most players can dream of. As a 4x champion, 2x MVP, 2x scoring leader, and 11x All-Star, the Warriors legend has nothing left to prove in the NBA. As he approaches his inevitable retirement, the true test of his stamina will be how he endures the offseason. "The offseason, for me, is the hardest because once you get into the 82 games, it's repetition, you know what you need to do in practice in the off days," Curry said. "You love playing, and the games are most fun… like, you get lost in the game, that's the easy part. So if I can get through the offseasons, I feel like that's a good marker for how long I can push it." Curry's love and passion for the game have never been in doubt. Since he entered the league in 2009, the NBA sharpshooter has played with a relentless drive to not only succeed with the Warriors but also get the absolute most out of whatever time he has left in the NBA. "I just want to be in a position where I can say I've done everything I can to get everything out of this game," said Curry. "Hopefully, I have my health and the choice to say 'I'm hanging it up and I'm good.' But I'm nowhere close to that, though.' Even after 16 years, and plenty of bumps along the way, the Warriors remain committed to building a contender around Curry. With averages of 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game last season, he proved he can still deliver at a high level, and now it's up to GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. to fill out the roster with enough firepower. While the Warriors have not made any notable moves this summer, they still have Steph, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler ready to help lead their team to prosperity in the West. In the 2024-25 campaign, they finished 7th in the West (48-34), but the jury is still out on where they'll fit in next season. For Curry, the finish line isn't in sight just yet, but he's pacing himself. By breaking his journey into manageable chapters, he's staying motivated, focused, and realistic about the path ahead. As long as his body holds up and the passion stays lit, Steph will keep chasing moments, not just milestones. And whenever that final buzzer does sound, it won't catch him off guard—it'll be on his story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.

Rangers hope to flip World Series title script, and finish this regular season how they started '23
Rangers hope to flip World Series title script, and finish this regular season how they started '23

Washington Post

time2 hours ago

  • Washington Post

Rangers hope to flip World Series title script, and finish this regular season how they started '23

ARLINGTON, Texas — Chris Young is hoping that the Texas Rangers can flip the script from 2023, when they won their only World Series title . The Rangers would like to finish this regular season the way they started that championship one two years ago. Texas (53-50) went into its day off Thursday, after a three-game series sweep of the Athletics and a week before the trade deadline, with 59 games left. 'I look back on 2023 and we went 40-20 in our first 60 games. And after that, you know, the next 102 we were two games under .500,' Young, the team's president of baseball operations, said before the opener of that series against the A's. 'Every season has a different ebb and flow to it. And my hope is that the next 62 games are our best 62 games of our season. If that's the case, then we'll look back and say, hey, the first half of the season wasn't as much fun as we had hoped, but it was all worth it to get where we wanted to go.' While third in the American League West behind Houston and Seattle, the Rangers were only 1 1/2 games out of the league's final wild-card spot. They won two of three games at the division-leading Astros before the All-Star break, and are 5-1 since, including a series win over AL Central leader Detroit. There are three games at home this weekend against Atlanta and then three in Los Angeles against the Angels before the trade deadline. Texas is 12-6 in July and averaged 5.6 runs per game, nearly two runs a game more than in their first 85 games before that. The pitching and defense have been good all season, with the staff's MLB-best 3.16 ERA and a majors-low 32 fielding errors. The Rangers have allowed two runs or fewer in their last seven games, matching the longest such streak in Texas history. 'If we can continue the progress we've shown over the last several weeks ... it's going to determine a lot,' Young said about what the team might do before the deadline. 'So not to put any more pressure on anything, it's just the reality of this point in the season, and we're looking up in the standings.' Corey Seager, in the fourth season of his $325 million, 10-year deal with Texas, has a 24-game on-base streak. He has hit .356 with eight homers and 22 RBIs in what is the second-longest active streak in the majors, behind the 29 by Milwaukee's Christian Yelich. The two-time World Series MVP shortstop had a 30-game streak last year and a 26-gamer in 2023, making him the only player with streaks of at least 24 games in each of those seasons. Right-hander Jacob deGrom (10-2, 2.28 ERA) was the only Rangers player picked as an All-Star, but the team gave right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (7-3, 1.58) the $100,000 All-Star bonus from his contract even after he was left off the American League squad. Eovaldi is set to start Friday against the Braves, his first game since July 13, when he went 7 2/3 innings in a 5-1 win at Houston before the break. The 35-year-old right-hander was scratched because of back stiffness from last Sunday's game against Oakland, and a matchup with AL All-Star starter Tarik Skubal. The 37-year-old deGrom missed most of the past two seasons after Tommy John surgery, and his 118 1/3 innings pitched are already his most since 2019, when he won his second consecutive NL Cy Young Award with the New York Mets. DeGrom went to Atlanta last week but opted against pitching in the All-Star Game, and the Rangers intentionally gave him a nine-day break between starts. 'If we can keep him out there and keep getting the best version of Jacob for another 10 or so starts, it's a great thing for our club,' Young said. 'He's feeling really good, and we're doing our best to try to protect him from a health and recovery standpoint.' Josh Jung is 4 for 8 with a homer and four runs scored in three games since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock, where the third baseman was sent July 2 when in a bad slump. Jon Gray made his season debut Wednesday against the A's, pitching two innings in relief for the win. The right-hander, who can be a starter or reliever, suffered a fractured forearm when struck by a comeback liner in a spring training game. Joc Pederson, the offseason addition out since May 25 because of a broken right hand, could re-join the team next week after a rehab assignment. ___ AP MLB:

Padres must prove they're worth 'bold move' at MLB trade deadline
Padres must prove they're worth 'bold move' at MLB trade deadline

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Padres must prove they're worth 'bold move' at MLB trade deadline

WASHINGTON — One hundred games into a season is typically long past time a ballclub has its identity firmly established. Yet the San Diego Padres know it's not too late to show the world exactly how good they are. And more specifically, to prove to club president A.J. Preller that their squad is worthy of the aggressive moves for which he's so renowned. 'We need to show him what we're capable of,' All-Star outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. tells USA TODAY Sports, 'to see what kind of bold move he'll make.' For now, the Padres have proven they're playoff caliber: They hold down the final wild card spot in the National League and lurk just 3 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. They began the second half by winning two of three games at Washington, the start of a 10-game humidity tour that will afford them climate-controlled indoor baseball in Miami before four games at St. Louis precede a return to San Diego's saner dew points. It was on this almost exact trip last year – also the first after the All-Star break - that the Padres won seven of nine games, going from .500 team to a club that gave the Dodgers the hardest punch of the playoffs before losing a five-game NL Division Series. And after that post-break burst, Preller juiced up the bullpen, swinging deals to land All-Star relievers Jason Adam and Tanner Scott, a just reward for a club that earned it. Now, these Padres face something of a last dance. Oh, it's never over in San Diego, not when veterans like Manny Machado ($350 million through 2033), Xander Bogaerts ($280 million, 2033) and Tatis ($340 million, 2034) are wrapped up well into the next decade, and eight other players locked into multi-year deals through at least 2027. But a mini-window of sorts is closing: Starting pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King, the major pieces of their pivot to deal Juan Soto to the New York Yankees, are free agents after this season. The extent to which San Diego attempts to retain them this winter, or backfill the rotation via free agency, should be telling about the near-term fate of the franchise, which lost its franchise scion when owner Peter Seidler passed away in November 2023. While overflow crowds at Petco Park and the many long-term commitments ensure the Padres will stay competitive, coming years may suggest a re-tooling or at least easing the foot up on the gas. For now, though, there's still a pennant to chase, and a case to make. 'This is the stretch,' says Cease, who shrugged off a first half in which he posted a 4.88 ERA to strike out 10 in his first start after the break. 'Obviously all the games are important. But this is really, probably going to define who we're going to be at the end of the day.' With a president of baseball operations surely watching closely. 'I don't think in terms of that,' says Cease, 'but the better position we're in you know the more aggressive he's probably more willing to be. 'But he's probably going to be aggressive either way.' And Preller would be augmenting a club that, despite its 54-45 record, knows there's a little more in the tank. 'Didn't let 'em breathe' The Padres were hard to miss at the July 15 All-Star Game, what with five representatives led by Tatis and MVP candidate Manny Machado. Yet the remainder of their reps came from one unit: The bullpen. They were well-earned nods, with Robert Suárez leading the majors with 28 saves and Adam (2.05 ERA) and lefty Adrian Morejon (1.83 ERA, 0.81 WHIP) dominant almost every time out. Yet Adam and Morejon have already pitched in 48 games, one less than the major league leaders in that category. Jeremiah Estrada has logged 47 appearances. And the Padres have played 55 games decided by two runs or less, second-most in the majors. Fortunately, they're 34-21 in such games, yet the bullpen has burned a lot of high-leverage fuel to prop them up, and the sustainability questions will swirl if there are any late-inning hiccups. To put it bluntly: The Padres need to start kicking some teams' butts. 'Didn't let 'em breathe,' an approving manager Mike Shildt said after the Padres jumped the Nationals in an 8-1 victory to claim the series Sunday. 'If we continue to do that – we add on – watch out. 'This team will be even more dangerous than it already is.' That victory was jump-started by Machado and Tatis drawing first-inning walks and Bogaerts jumping All-Star MacKenzie Gore for a first-inning grand slam; it was 5-0 after one inning and 8-0 after three. And it continued Bogaerts' tear; he's raised his batting average 40 points since June 19, his .382 average second in the majors in that stretch. Bogaerts, who turns 33 Oct. 1, has had an uneven first two years in San Diego, his OPS falling 102 points to .688 last season. Yet he's back at his familiar shortstop post and exemplifying this Padre group's ethos: Make good swing decisions, get the ball in play, catch the ball and run the bases aggressively and smartly. Bogaerts' 16.2% strikeout rate is his best since 2015, when he was 22 and in his first full season with Boston. The Padres' 695 strikeouts are fewest in the NL – 68 less than the nearest playoff contender, the Cubs. 'Just trying to swing at strikes,' says Bogaerts, who has stolen 16 bases in 17 attempts. 'Keep working and keeping the same routine.' Shildt is a bit more effusive. 'Just looks under control. Balanced. Everything looks smooth. He's got a lot of (stolen bases), right there with Tati. And he's playing as good a shortstop as anybody in baseball. 'We're getting an All-Star version of Bogey.' A division shot, a shot in the arm As they pass the 100-game mark in Miami, the Padres can feel good in who they are, and what is at stake. 'I know we have a good team," says Bogaerts. "We have to play some really good baseball. We have a tough stretch coming up and a big second half, so hopefully we can get there.' Indeed, 29 of their next 35 games are against teams with winning records; the Padres are just 20-32 against teams better than .500 this season. Things aren't optimal, but you can see help from here. King, currently on the injured list with a pinched nerve in his right shoulder, is throwing bullpen sessions and hopes for an August return. In his stead, Nick Pivetta – signed when the veteran righty hit a free agent road bump due to the qualifying offer – is pitching better than he has in his nine-year career. Jackson Merrill, who probably should have won NL Rookie of the Year honors last year, has been slowed by a pair of IL stints yet still has a runway to salvage the rest of his sophomore season. And for better or worse, they'll be done with the Dodgers by Aug. 24 after playing them six times in a 10-game stretch. Of their final 27 games, 10 are against the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox, the two worst teams in baseball. 'We have a chance to win the division out here,' says Tatis. 'We got a lot of baseball ahead of us. It's a matter of taking care of business and staying consistent.' And then there is the deadline. The Padres' needs are not unlike almost every other contender: A starting pitcher. Another outfield or DH bat, preferably right-handed. And perhaps another reliever, though the Padres are dealing from a position of strength rather than the relief misery many other clubs find themselves in. 'There is great talent in this room,' says catcher Martin Maldonado, the 38-year-old veteran of six Houston Astros playoff runs. 'The pitching staff is amazing.' In fact, the Padres believe, whatever additions arrive can only build upon something solid. Perhaps they will push them to a division title, a round deeper in the playoffs. Point is, the Padres have put themselves in position to reap those rewards. 'Almost every facet of the game we've been good,' says Shildt, citing the consistency of the team's at-bats as the last piece to slide into place. 'I do feel like we're in a good spot and trending to a great spot.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Padres' MLB trade deadline rumors depend on hot second-half start

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store