Tyler Reddick passes Kyle Larson on the final lap of OT to win NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick is riding the kind ofCup Series hot streakthat Michael Jordan once enjoyed in his playing days.

NASCAR Kansas Auto Racing

Oh, you can bet the NBA Hall of Famer is enjoying this one, too.

Reddick roared by Kyle Larson on the final lap of overtime to win atKansas Speedway on Sunday, becoming the fourth driver to win five of the first nine races in NASCAR's top series in a season. Chase Briscoe wound up third while Denny Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI Racing along with Jordan, had to watch from fourth as his driver reached victory lane yet again.

“This kid is on fire. I don’t know what to say. I don’t think I can cool him down,” Jordan said. “When you win it’s always fun, and right now it’s fun for everybody at 23XI. Me being here and being able to see all the wins, I am so happy for the team.”

All four of the 23XI cars finished in the top 15 on a banner day for the team.

“Got to deliver for the boss man,” Reddick said of Jordan. “If he's going to come hang out with us, we have to get him dubs.”

Sunday's race had been caution-free except for stage breaks until Cody Ware spun as the white flag was about to fly.

Hamlin was leading at that point, and it looked as if he was about to win his record-extending fifth race at Kansas. Instead, all of the leaders had to pit, and even though Hamlin beat Reddick off pit road, the field was bunched up for the overtime restart.

Larson, trying to end a 32-race winless streak, lined up behind Hamlin on the inside, and he launched to the lead when the green flag flew. Chaos ensued behind them as Christopher Bell bounced off Reddick and Hamlin and the No. 5 car began to pull away.

Reddick came charging down the backstretch on the final lap, though, and he pulled alongside Larson as they went through the final corners. The No. 45 edged ahead as the checkered flag flew, and Jordan began to pump his fist in the pits in celebration.

The last driver to win five of the first nine Cup Series races was Dale Earnhardt in 1987.

“Just really blessed with the late caution,” Reddick said. “Was that nuts or what? I couldn't believe it.”

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Hamlin was happy Reddick won again. But it came at his expense, and he was decidedly unhappy about that. Asked of his frustration level, Hamlin replied: “Obviously it's not winning. It's Cody Ware, six laps down, wrecking. I don't know. Add it up.”

Larson, the defending race winner, said his car's balance was off after taking two tires on the final stop, leaving him on the podium for the third time without a win this season. Briscoe and Hamlin were followed across by another 23XI driver, Bubba Wallace.

“It was good execution for the restart there,” Larson said. “I got to the lead and I thought I could cruise right there to the checkered.”

Except that Reddick is the only one who seems to be doing that these days. Even when he doesn't win, he's had his Toyota running up front. He was fourth last week at Bristol and has been in the top 15 in every start this season.

He's a big reason Toyota is the first manufacturer since Chevrolet in 2007 to win seven of the first nine races in a season.

“I just think the whole team all year has been really poised,” 23XI President Steve Lauletta said. “It's not the first time we've had any kind of adversity come at us, and they've continued to stay calm, keep each other grounded and know we have a fast car. And if you have a fast car, all you have to do is make sure you execute, and that's what they've managed to do.”

Stage winners

Hamlin won the first stage, giving him three consecutive stage wins at Kansas going back to last fall and eight for his career. Larson snapped the streak in Stage 2 with his third stage win of the season.

Wrong way AJ

Ryan Blaney was accelerating out of his pit box during the first stage when he got into the rear of AJ Allmendinger, who was trying to pit, sending him into a half-spin. It took Allmendinger a while to get straightened out, putting him several laps down.

“Our race is done,” Allmendinger told his team over the radio.

Up next

The Cup Series heads next week to Talladega, where Austin Cindric edged Ryan Preece by 0.022 seconds for his third career win last season. In the post-race inspection, both Preece and Joey Logano were found to have infractions and were disqualified.

AP auto racing:https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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April 22, 2026

Tyler Reddick passes Kyle Larson on the final lap of OT to win NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick is riding the kind ofCup Series hot streakthat Michael Jordan once enjoyed in his ...

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Who won the Giants-Bengals trade of Dexter Lawrence? Here are the grades

Latest NFL mock draft| Big Boards:Consensus Top 75•Nate Tice•Charles McDonald

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veachexpected fireworks in the form of big deals during the NFL Draft. "There’ll probably be a lot of trades," Veach told reporters earlier this past week of the NFL's crown jewel offseason event, which begins Thursday in Pittsburgh.

We got at least one big one before the weekend finished in the form of theNew York Giants dealing star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 overall pick in this draft.

Earlier this month, Lawrence reportedly told the Giants he wanted out of town. The Giants countered that demand with talks of a contract extension, but that hit a wall and now Sexy Dexy is off to the AFC North, with that extension likely waiting for him in Cincinnati.

So who won this deal? Here are the grades:

Bengals gambling on a rebound … at a steep price

It's stunning what the Bengals gave up for Lawrence considering that in their team history, they've never surrendered a top-10 draft pick for a player,according to ESPN.

Sure, they got a two-time Pro Bowler on a defense starving for talent, particularly after the loss of Trey Hendrickson to free agency. However, Lawrence had a down 2025 season and is approaching the wrong side of 30, turning 29 midway through the 2026 season.

Is Lawrence's "down" season overblown? Here'swhat Yahoo Sports senior writer Jori Epstein wrote on the statistical downturn:

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"Lawrence followed up a career-best nine sacks in 2024 with a career-low half a sack in 17 games during the 2025 season. Lawrence’s pass-rush win rate, per ESPN, registered at 8%, per ESPN’s advanced metric, while his run-stop win rate did not rank in the league’s top 10.

And yet, Lawrence also faced more double teams (71%) than 18 of the 19 interior defensive linemen who won their pass rushes within 2.5 seconds at a higher clip than he did.

There are data points to support a dip in Lawrence’s production in 2025, which some personnel evaluators also believe was reflected in the intensity of his effort — especially in defending the run. And then there are other data points that suggest the Giants’ 28th-ranked defense and 26th-ranked scoring defense would have fallen even further without Lawrence trying to fight through midseason firings at head coach and defensive coordinator as well as a personnel deficit that may not have set the group up for success.

Perhaps the Bengals didn't believe they could've landed their needed defensive prospect in the draft at No. 10. Spending that premium pick on a proven commodity, coupled with a hefty extension for that player, was bold, but it feels like they could've gotten more than a one-for-one swap. The price looks especially bonkers considering an NFC executive told Epstein that they didn't believe the Giants could get more than a second-round pick for Lawrence.

The Bengals said otherwise, investing on an older, more expensive player who won't have as much club control contractually compared to a rookie first-rounder.

John Harbaugh is a big winner

Losing a prime talent like Lawrence hurts, but new Giants head coach John Harbaugh probably couldn't have dreamed of better compensation than the No. 10 pick of this draft.

The Giants are sitting in prime position for next week's big event, holding these picks in the top 40: Nos. 5, 10 and 37. That's a helluva hand to be dealt in Year 1 of a rebuild. And it's not like the Giants don't have talent on defense with Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux. The team's recent doldrums seemed to be more on the coaching side, which Harbaugh was brought in to fix.

New York also avoids any more offseason drama over Lawrence's contract and dodge a potential monster extension that would eat up the salary cap.

This draft isn't stocked with potential superstars, but there is high quality available. And the Giants just gave themselves a better shot at landing multiple elite players with the Bengals' unprecedented surrender of draft capital.

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April 22, 2026

Who won the Giants-Bengals trade of Dexter Lawrence? Here are the grades

Latest NFL mock draft| Big Boards:Consensus Top 75•Nate Tice•Charles McDonald Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veachexpec...

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Man pleads guilty to religiously aggravated rape and assault of Sikh woman in Walsall

A sex attacker who subjected a stranger to racist and anti-Muslim abuse as he raped her at her home has changed his pleas to guilty after being verbally abused in the dock.

John Ashby admitted charges of rape, robbery, intentional strangulation and religiously aggravated assault on Tuesday at Birmingham Crown Court.

The 32-year-old, of no fixed abode, asked to see his barrister and changed his pleas around an hour after being sworn at and told to “sort your s**t out” by a member of public who approached the dock.

The outburst, which the judge described as an “ugly incident”, happened after Ashby started mumbling during the Crown’s evidence.

His victim, a Sikh woman who was hit with a stick, had been due to enter the witness box to give evidence against Ashby later on Tuesday.

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Opening the case for the Crown on Monday, prosecution KC Phil Bradley said Ashby “targeted” the woman when he spotted her on a bus and followed her to her home in Walsall on foot last October.

Adjourning the case for sentence on Friday, Mr Justice Pepperall warned Ashby that he was considering the imposition of a life sentence.

Extracts from “harrowing” body-worn police footage showing the young woman, who was in court to see Ashby change his pleas, had been played to a jury of six men and six women, during which she was comforted by a female officer and said her attacker had called her a “bloody Muslim b***h”.

The woman told police she had been raped in a bathroom by the intruder, who claimed to be a “British master”.

In a video interview played to the trial, the complainant told police: “He had a stick in his hand. I said ‘who are you’ and I started screaming.

“He switched off the light. He said ‘I just want fun with you’. He said ‘you are a f****** Muslim bitch’, I said ‘I am not a Muslim, I am a Sikh’.”

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April 22, 2026

Man pleads guilty to religiously aggravated rape and assault of Sikh woman in Walsall

A sex attacker who subjected a stranger to racist and anti-Muslim abuse as he raped her at her home has changed his pleas to guilty aft...

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Guardians' Austin Hedges proposes to girlfriend on field after win

Austin Hedgeshad the best Sunday.

Hedges scored the first run in theCleveland Guardians'8-4win over theBaltimore Orioles, then saved his best score for the postgame, when he proposed to his girlfriend, Lexi Dickinson, on the field.

With a few friends and teammates present, a "Lexi, will you marry me?" message was displayedon the scoreboardat Cleveland's Progressive Field.

"Really hoping to win that game,"Hedges said. "I was going to do it regardless, but I really wanted to win that game to make it extra special."

Hedges, 33-year-old, 12-year major-league veteran catcher, admitted to being nervous the entire day.

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"Lots of nerves, lots of nerves," Hedges said. "A lot of nerves about – I'm always nervous for baseball games. I mean, obviously that's a good team over there and we want to win the series. And just trying to stay present, knowing that there was some activities after. But special day, special day to be able to soak it all in."

Hedges said that he's had the engagement ring since spring training and was looking for the right moment to propose to Dickinson, who he has had been dating since November 2024. After the successful proposal, Hedges' teammates joined in an on-field celebration.

Hedges has played six of his 12 big-league seasons in Cleveland, and also spent time with theSan Diego Padres,Pittsburgh PiratesandTexas Rangers, with whom he was a member of the team's 2023 World Series winners.

USA TODAY's eNewspaper is here- your source for timely, relevant stories, updated continuously.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Austin Hedges gets engaged after Guardians' win over Orioles

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April 22, 2026

Guardians' Austin Hedges proposes to girlfriend on field after win

Austin Hedgeshad the best Sunday. Hedges scored the first run in theCleveland Guardians'8-4win over theBaltimore Orioles, then...

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Learner driver charged after fatal crash outside Australian Comic-Con event

A learner driver has been charged after a car struck pedestrians outside an Australian comic con event, killing one man and seriously injuring another.

Police allege aToyotasedan mounted the kerb nearMelbourne’s Supanova Comic Con & Gaming event in Ascot Vale shortly before 5pm on Saturday and hit two men as three male pedestrians were leaving the convention.

A 20-year-old man died, while another man of the same age was seriously injured and hospitalised. A third young man who was with them avoided the vehicle and was not hurt.

The accused, Awer Dau, 33, was named in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Sunday evening after being charged with dangerous driving causing death and culpable driving causing death, news.com.au reported.

He appeared by video link from Melbourne West Police Station. He was not required to speak and sat hunched over with his arms on his knees. His lawyer said there would be no application for bail.

Magistrate Jarrod Williams remanded Mr Dau in custody until 15 September.

Police said the man was unlicensed and held only a learner permit.

A prosecutor was granted 16 weeks to prepare the case, saying substantial inquiries remain outstanding. Those include a toxicology report, forensic examination of the vehicle, mechanical reconstruction of the crash, and review of CCTV and witness statements.

Victoria Policesaid the car continued east along the footpath after the impact before an off-duty officer and a member of the public intervened and detained the driver.

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“The circumstances surrounding the collision are yet to be established and the ⁠investigation remains ongoing,” police said on Saturday.

Detective Inspector Craig McEvoy said the vehicle’s path was highly unusual.

“It’s extremely unusual that the car has travelled across an entire lane before getting up onto the footpath,” he said.

“The footpath is not in the same direction as he was travelling … so to get across the lane, up onto the footpath and then travel 120 metres along the footpath in between a 2-metre-high fence, trees and power poles, is extremely rare.”

A witness toldThe Agehe restrained the alleged driver and stopped him leaving before police arrived. He said his wife, a paramedic, treated one of the badly injured men for about 20 minutes until emergency crews took over.

Victoria premier Jacinta Allan called it a “tragic incident that should never have happened”.

“My heart goes out to the family and loved ones of the individual who has been tragically killed … it would have been an incredibly distressing incident,” she told the reporters.

At the convention on Sunday, organisers held a minute’s silence.

“We here at Supanova Comic Con & Gaming are deeply saddened and distressed by the incident that occurred outside the Melbourne Showgrounds,” organisers said.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the unspeakable tragedy that has happened on our doorstep.”

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April 21, 2026

Learner driver charged after fatal crash outside Australian Comic-Con event

A learner driver has been charged after a car struck pedestrians outside an Australian comic con event, killing one man and seriously i...

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Warriors’ Steph Curry, 38, sees ‘multiple’ seasons still ahead of him

PHOENIX — The knee injury that sidelined Steph Curry for a large chunk of this season isn’t going to end his career. Not anytime soon, anyway.

Curry, 38, was asked after theWarriors’ 111-96 play-in loss to the Suns on Fridaywhether he still hoped to play “multiple” seasons.

“Multiple, for sure,” he said. “That’s more than one?”

It was, perhaps, an obvious answer to a nevertheless worthwhile question after Curry slogged through one of the most injury-plagued of his 17 seasons in the NBA. Most troublesome being the bout of runner’s knee that he has said will require a “new normal” to manage while remaining on the court.

Curry worked his way back from a two-month absence to play 36 minutes in both of the Warriors’ play-in games. But after a 35-point explosion in their comeback against the Clippers, he suffered a bit of a letdown with 17 points on 4-of-16 shooting in their season-ending loss to the Suns.

“For us to have that moment we did in LA, the highs of that and the lows of tonight, it’s just what basketball — what sports — is about,” Curry said. “For us to have had these last three, four days and the whole play-in situation, I’m proud of the way we finished it. Because it could’ve been very sleepy. Like I [don’t] come back and we get blown out in the first game and everybody kind of just goes into the summer with no real direction. It was a fun ride these last four days.”

In all, Curry appeared in only 43 games, the third fewest of his career. He could only watch as the Warriors went 9-18 over a 27-game stretch he missed with the knee issue in January and February.

The Warriors also lost Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody to season-ending knee injuries, shipped out Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield, and welcomed Kristaps Porzingis into the fold.

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“It was a roller coaster ride, to say the least,” he said. “You see just momentum slipping away. But there was still this underlying belief that when it comes to the Warriors, you’re always talking about championships. That’s what we’ve established as a goal. But we had to reshape that, like can we just make something out of this year? Get a playoff experience and a playoff berth. That felt like the right goal and why I forced my way to try to get back.”

Going forward, Curry said he didn’t expect the injury to be a long-term issue. However, it will have to be carefully managed. Runner’s knee is an overuse injury, and Curry runs more miles per game than anybody in the NBA.

“Steph’s still got it. It’s just harder for him to be healthy and out there game after game,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s gonna be 39 next year. This is just how it works.”Curry said he wasn’t considering surgical options over the offseason. The No. 1 treatment is rest. And, Curry joked, “they say a lot of golf helps my knee.”

“I think big picture, you have to be mindful of how it showed itself this year, knowing there was a clear [difference] how I prepared pre-injury and post-injury,” Curry said. “It is kind of touch and go, just knowing hopefully rest will get me right, go into training camp feeling good and be able to manage it early in the year and kind of see where I’m at. That’s kind of the idea. But I don’t feel there’s going to be any kind of real long-term symptoms or anything.”

As far as his future is concerned, Curry is signed through next season, along with Draymond Green and Butler.Kerr’s contract, up for renewal, is considered to be the Warriors’ top priority.

But if Curry wants to commit to his age-39 season or beyond, add one item to their checklist.

Curry was asked if he was interested in an extension.

“For sure,” he said. “But none of those conversations have happened. Be a busy summer for the Warriors.”

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April 21, 2026

Warriors’ Steph Curry, 38, sees ‘multiple’ seasons still ahead of him

PHOENIX — The knee injury that sidelined Steph Curry for a large chunk of this season isn’t going to end his career. Not anytime soon, ...

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'She keeps getting better and better': Umpire Jen Pawol stands tall in first MLB ABS game

WASHINGTON –Jen Pawolwas behind the plate for her first major league game in the automated balls and strikes challenge system era. And the first woman to serve as an ump in a Major League Baseball game stood her ground against the so-called robots.

Pawol called balls and strikes for theSan Francisco Giants-Washington Nationalsgame Friday, April 17 and withstood a pair of challenges from Giants catcher Daniel Susac, with a pair of ball calls upheld quickly by the ABS system.

By the third inning, the Giants were out of challenges, while the Nationals successfully appealed a pair of calls during San Francisco’s 10-5 victory.

To be sure, this was a solid standoff early in this ABS era.

Entering Friday’s game, players were successful on 54% of their challenges to umpires, and the typical game averaged 4.05 challenges. Pawol saw exactly four challenges and won two of them.

Of course, ABS is relatively old news for those umpiring in Class AAA in recent years, where ABS was first deployed on a trial basis.

Pawol is technically still in the Class AAA ranks. She is on MLB’s list of call-up umpires who are based in Class AAA yet work major league games as fill-ins in the event of injuries, illnesses, vacations, or other forms of absence by the 76 full-time umps.

And her strong performance was no surprise to Susac, who caught several games at Class AAA that Pawol umped. As Susac assumes more of the Giants' catching duties as incumbent Patrick Bailey struggles at the plate, Friday was a big game for both of them.

"In my opinion, she keeps getting better and better," Susac tells USA TODAY Sports. "And I thought she did a really good job. She’s always great to have back there. We always have a good conversation, especially at the start of games and I thought she did a great job tonight."

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Pawol debuted as an MLB fill-in in 2025 and on Aug. 10became the first woman to call balls and strikesfor a major league game. She called six games behind the plate last season and, according to the umpire tracking website Umpire Scorecards, maintained a 92.9% accuracy rate.

Susac tried and failed twice in the early innings, challenging a full-count ball call to Luis Garcia Jr. He was off by an inch and the Giants were out of challenges by the third inning.

"The second one, I probably had a little more emotion to it. Probably knew it was a ball, but wanted to get one there," he says.

Nationals third baseman Brady House successfully challenged a strike call in the bottom of the eighth, while a strike call in the top of the ninth was successfully overturned to a ball.

In the meantime, Pawol punched out Nationals slugger James Wood twice on called third strikes and did the same to Giants first baseman Rafael Devers in the seventh. Both retreated to the dugout rapidly.

While the more in-depth scorecards of Pawol’s first big league foray behind the plate in 2026 will have to wait, she withstood the rigors of ABS just fine: Two wins, two losses, a little better than average.

And another step toward making the notion of a woman calling balls and strikes in a big league game a little more unremarkable.

"It’s a good way that she blends in," says Susac. "She’s done a great job and she keeps getting better, which is awesome to see."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Giants catcher Daniel Susac loses both ABS challenges vs ump Jen Pawol

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April 21, 2026

'She keeps getting better and better': Umpire Jen Pawol stands tall in first MLB ABS game

WASHINGTON –Jen Pawolwas behind the plate for her first major league game in the automated balls and strikes challenge system era. And ...

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