by Julian Spivey
Redemption stories are almost always a great thing in sports – and in life in general – and what Kyle Larson has been doing in the NASCAR Cup Series thus far in the 2021 season is certainly a redemption story. However, it’s one – though seemingly popular with much of the NASCAR fan-base – I just don’t find myself caring about or wanting to see.
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Larson has dominated the NASCAR Cup Series so much in the last month that it hasn’t for one second during the last three points races and the $1 million to the winner exhibition All-Star Race seemed like anybody else would find themselves in Victory Lane on the circuit.

Over his three straight points race wins at Charlotte, Sonoma and Nashville Larson has led 82 percent of the laps (648 of 792) and that number would’ve been higher without some differing strategies at the Sonoma road course.

His first season racing for Hendrick Motorsports has certainly shown the star capabilities those within the sport and watching from the stands or at home thought he was capable of for a long time, and it appears lesser quality running for Chip Ganassi Racing really held him back over his first six seasons and change in the Cup Series. Larson has won four of the 17 races held thus far this season. He won six races in 223 attempts with Ganassi. There’s a probably chance Larson wins as many or more races this season than he did in his entire run in Ganassi’s No. 42.

There’s a good chance this was always going to happen for Larson. His contract with Ganassi was set to end at the end of the 2020 season and Hendrick Motorsports was always the front-runner to sign him.

But anybody who follows the sport of NASCAR remembers what happened during the sport’s COVID-19 hiatus in April of 2020. While the sport was off on the track for a couple of months it became popular for drivers to compete in online simulation racing that was streaming online (and in some cases on television) and Larson was caught using the “N-word” on a stream when he didn’t realize his mic was on. Larson was quickly fired by Ganassi Racing and indefinitely suspended by NASCAR and ordered him to complete sensitivity training before being allowed to race again.

Larson spent the remainder of 2020 dominating the world of dirt track racing around the country. It seemed like racing again in the biggest series of motorsports in the United States might be a longshot, because of how important sponsorship is within the sport and many companies not wanting to be associated with the driver who casually dropped a serious racial slur.

But Rick Hendrick took a chance on Larson anyway and that chance has paid off in Larson being the current favorite for the 2021 Cup Series championship.

I used to root for Larson’s success, now I find myself not caring about it and frankly a little annoyed by his success so quickly after his return to the sport. I thought’s NASCAR punishment of Larson was appropriate and that it fit in line with similar punishments before in both NASCAR and other professional sports leagues. I didn’t think it warranted anything more serious like an extended suspension or even a lifetime ban. I was, however, a bit surprised that a team and sponsors would touch him as quickly as they did. I hope the sensitivity training Larson underwent has changed his behavior and that he no longer uses racist language in any manner, even if not intended to be racist.

I think my biggest issue with Larson’s success is that so many fans within the sport stood up for him when they should’ve been disappointed in him like I was. And those fans are reveling in his success this season. They’re treating it like Larson shouting a giant “F-you” to NASCAR and any of us who felt Larson deserved what he got from both NASCAR and Ganassi Racing, even if it’s not necessarily a feeling Larson shares – even if he did, he’s probably too smart now to admit it.

I also have a problem that Larson failed upward when seemingly nobody else who’s ever found themselves in a similar position has (at least I can’t recall it ever happening). Larson got fired for problematic language and behavior and ended up with a better job afterward than he ever had before. That’s some privilege.

Larson is having a career year and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be slowing down any time soon, but I just can’t bring myself to root for him. Maybe that’ll change one day. But right now, his massive success is just too soon for me.

by Julian Spivey
We are just a month away from the 2021 Major League Baseball All Star Game from Coors Fields in Denver and I’ll be sharing my current All Star game ballot of players from each league that I believe are most worthy of starting that game.

There are two ways to fill out your MLB All Star ballot: 1) choose the players you believe to be the worthiest based on their play in the first half of the season (which is the method I prefer and use) or 2) simply select your favorite players.

The interactive MLB All Star game ballot, which can be found HERE, shows each players numbers thus far this season in these four statistical categories: batting average, home runs, RBI and OPS. These four categories are all the research I used to make my choices.

First Base

American League: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has certainly been living up to the hype for the Toronto Blue Jays thus far this season. He’s currently leading the American League in all three Triple Crown categories with a .344 batting average (seven points higher than the next closest), 21 homers (four more than the next closest) and 55 RBI (six more than the next closest). He’s the current American League M.V.P. in my opinion. This choice was a no-brainer.

National League: Max Muncy (Los Angeles Dodgers)

The choice for first baseman in the National League is a bit wider open than it is right now in the American League. I ultimately went with Max Muncy of the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers, but his case to make the game will likely be hampered by the fact that he was just placed on the injured list with a right oblique strain. Muncy is hitting .264 with 14 homers and 33 RBI this season.

Second Base

American League: Marcus Semien (Toronto Blue Jays)
I likely would’ve chosen Chicago White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal for this spot if I had done this a week ago, but unfortunately, he’s likely out for the season with a recent hamstring tear. Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Marcus Semien is not a shabby replacement though with a .294 average, 15 homers and 37 RBI this season. The Blue Jays lineup is certainly scary and Guerrero and Semien won’t be the last Jays to make my ballot either.

National League: Jean Segura (Philadelphia Phillies)
This was a toss-up for me between Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Jean Segura and Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier. The numbers of the two are very similar. Ultimately, I gave Segura the advantage because he plays for the better team. The Phillies are currently 32-31 as of this writing, whereas the Pirates are 23-41.

Third Base

American League: Rafael Devers
I’m staying in the American League East Division for my third baseman pick and taking Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox. Devers is hitting .272 on the season with 15 homers and his 49 RBI are tied for second in the league.

National League: Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs)

There are a handful of good choices that could be made at third base in the National League, but I’m going with 2016 N.L. M.V.P. Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs. Bryant is hitting .298 this season with 13 homers and 39 RBI. He’s helped lead the Cubs to a 37-27 record thus far, which has them just a half game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central Division.

Shortstop:

American League: Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox)

The entire American League infield on my ballot comes from the A.L. East with Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts taking the final spot. Bogaerts is hitting .325 this season with 12 homers and 39 RBI. Bogaerts is also one of the best defenders in baseball.

National League: Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres)

Fernando Tatis Jr. is a human highlight real for the San Diego Padres both at the plate and in the field. He’s the type of personality that should be playing in primetime during the All Star game and his numbers back it up. Tatis is hitting .279 this season with 19 homers (which leads the league), 44 RBI and a 1.008 OPS.

Catcher

American League: Salvador Perez (Kansas City Royals)

Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals has been far and away the best catcher in the American League so far this season. Perez is hitting .286 with 16 home runs and 42 and is no stranger to being the Royals representative at the midsummer classic.

National League: Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants)

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, the 2012 National League M.V.P., has had quite the resurgence this season after a handful of years where it seemed like his best play was behind him. He’s played a huge role in the Giants having possibly the most surprising season of any team in baseball. Posey is hitting .329 with 11 homers and 23 RBI.

Outfield:

American League: Byron Buxton (Minnesota Twins), Aaron Judge (New York Yankees), Teoscar Hernandez (Toronto Blue Jays)

The Minnesota Twins have been a big disappointment this season, but Byron Buxton hasn’t been hitting .370 (he doesn’t have enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title yet) with nine home runs and 17 RBI. Aaron Judge has always shown that when he’s healthy he’s a beast and one of the best players in all of baseball. This season he’s stayed mostly healthy and is hitting .289 with 15 bombs and 35 RBI. Teoscar Hernandez is my third representative from the Toronto Blue Jays. He’s hitting .294 with 10 home runs and 40 RBI.

National League: Nick Castellanos (Cincinnati Reds), Jesse Winker (Cincinnati Reds), Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta Braves)

The Cincinnati Reds have potentially the two hottest hitters in all of baseball thus far this season with Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker one and two in batting average for all of baseball. Castellanos is hitting .361, in a season when the league average is done severely, and Winker is hitting .344. Castellanos has 13 homers and 36 RBI this season with a 1.051 OPS. Winker is third in the N.L. with 17 homers. He has 40 RBI and an OPS of 1.056. The Atlanta Braves have been a huge disappointment so far in 2021, but Ronald Acuna Jr. certainly has not hitting .282 with 18 homers (second in the N.L.) and 39 RBI. Acuna is on 40/40 watch this season, as he also has 12 stolen bases too.

Designated Hitter:

American League: J.D. Martinez (Boston Red Sox)

I really want to see Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels in the All Star Game and I’m sure he’s going to make it (and I really want to see him both hit and pitch in the game, which he deserves), but I had to go with J.D. Martinez as the DH for the American League right now. Martinez and Ohtani’s numbers are even in most categories, but Martinez’s batting average is 40 points higher than Ohtani’s now and as an old school fan that means a lot to me.  

A new racing series called Superstar Racing Experience is debuting this weekend on Saturday, June 12 and I can’t wait to check it out because it looks like almost every thing a stock car racing buff could want from a series – short track showdowns on Saturday nights.
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The series, which was announced last June, was founded by NASCAR Hall of Fame three-time champion Tony Stewart, former NASCAR crew chief and team owner Ray Evernham, former NASCAR executive George Pyne and sports agent Sandy Montag.

The main selling point for me for SRX, which will be sponsored by Camping World for its debut season, was when Stewart compared it to the old International Race of Champions (IROC) series that ran from 1974 through 2006 (with a three-year hiatus in the early ‘80s) and featured drivers from the biggest racing series around the world competing against each other typically in a four-race season. In the early years of the series IndyCar drivers like Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Al Unser were successful, but for much of the series run it was dominated by NASCAR drivers, like Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough and Mark Martin, more used to running stock cars around mostly oval tracks. Martin won a record five IROC titles, while SRX co-founder Stewart won the final championship of the series in 2006.

The great thing about IROC that will be featured in SRX is all the cars are prepared the exact same way, meaning each event is solely based on driving ability and talent – which is something I’ve been longing to see in a racing series since IROC folded a decade and a half ago. The cars in SRX were completely designed by Evernham and are said to have high horsepower and low downforce, according to an article in Racing News.
Another thing I’m excited for is seeing some of the drivers I pulled for as a younger racing fan who will be competing full-time in the inaugural season of SRX like Stewart and other former NASCAR Cup Series champions Bill Elliott and Bobby Labonte. The series will also feature former IndyCar stars like Paul Tracy, Marco Andretti and Helio Castroneves, who’s less than two weeks removed from his historic record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory. Other drivers featured in the series include two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip and former Trans-Am stars Willy T. Ribbs and Ernie Francis Jr.

IndyCar star Tony Kanaan was set to run the full season, but due to other priorities that include running IndyCar oval tracks, will only compete part-time. The series will feature former Rallycross champion Scott Speed, dirt track legend Scott Bloomquist and former NASCAR star Greg Biffle as cameo drivers, as well.

Each track will also feature a local star trying to take the checkered flag from the SRX regulars like six-time Whelen Modified Tour champ Doug Coby at Stafford Motor Speedway in the season opener this weekend and five-time USAC Silver Crown winner Kody Swanson at Eldora Speedway on June 26.

The inaugural season will consist of six races on every Saturday night between June 12 and July 17 and will be broadcast on CBS with a fantastic broadcast crew that includes Allen Bestwick as lead commentor and Lindsay Czarniak, Brad Daugherty and Matt Yocum in other facets. Bestwick will be joined for two races each in the broadcast both by Dario Franchitti, James Hinchcliffe and Danica Patrick as analysts.

There are two things that have me slightly worried about this new series – the first is that I believe there’s a good chance most of the races could be dominated by the local drivers more used to the tracks and the second is that SRX could quickly be seen as the “old-timers” or “has-been” series based on the average age of 50, with that honestly being brought down quite about by the fact that Francis Jr. is only 23. Ribbs is the oldest driver in the series at 66.

For SRX to truly become similar to IROC it would have to bring in more active drivers from series like NASCAR and IndyCar in the future, which might not be quite so easy when it comes to NASCAR especially as it’ll be somewhat of a competitor to the series and it just might not be feasible for an active NASCAR driver to run a SRX race in one location and then make it to another race the next day in their full-time job. The perk of IROC is that it was almost always held, especially in its later years, on a NASCAR track during a weekend the sport was in town.

These are worries that won’t matter as much if the product on the track beginning Saturday night is good racing. I can’t wait to check it out – I’m hoping for good old fashioned, beating and banging stock car Saturday nights.