The NASCAR Cup Series cruises into the Lone Star State for an afternoon race at Texas Motor Speedway.

It will be the only race at the 1.5-mile track in Fort Worth, Texas, this season, and the first of two consecutive races on intermediate tracks (the series heads to Kansas Speedway next weekend) before the NASCAR All-Star Race on May 18.

Hendrick Motorsports has celebrated in victory lane in three of the past four Texas races, with Kyle Larson winning in 2021, William Byron in 2023 and Chase Elliott in 2024. Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing has also found success in Fort Worth in recent years, winning the 2022 race and finishing fourth last season.

Who will dance the Texas two-step on Sunday? Here’s all the information you need to get ready for the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway:

Watch NASCAR race at Texas on Fubo (free trial)

What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Texas start?

The Würth 400 starts at 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. local) at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Texas on?

FS1 is broadcasting the Würth 400 and has a pre-race show beginning at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local).

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Texas?

The Würth 400 can be live streamed on Max and the FoxSports app. Viewers can also stream the race on Fubo, which is offering a free trial to new subscribers.

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Texas?

The Würth 400 is 267 laps around the 1.5-mile oval for a total of 400.5 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 80 laps; Stage 2: 85 laps; Stage 3: 102 laps.

Who won the most recent NASCAR Cup race at Texas?

What is the lineup for the Würth 400 at Texas?

(Car number in parentheses)

(77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
(24) William Byron, Chevrolet
(2) Austin Cindric, Ford
(5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
(71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
(54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
(21) Josh Berry, Ford
(11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
(23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
(16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
(48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
(17) Chris Buescher, Ford
(38) Zane Smith, Ford
(43) Erik Jones, Toyota
(7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
(20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
(45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
(4) Noah Gragson, Ford
(3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
(41) Cole Custer, Ford
(35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
(19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
(10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
(12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
(99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
(8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
(22) Joey Logano, Ford
(42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
(9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
(6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
(1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
(34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
(60) Ryan Preece, Ford
(47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
(62) Jesse Love, Chevrolet
(51) Cody Ware, Ford
(88) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
(66) Chad Finchum, Ford

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The second round of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs will start Monday night when the defending champion Florida Panthers visit the Toronto Maple Leafs.

That will be followed by two games on Tuesday night as the Carolina Hurricanes visit the Washington Capitals and the Edmonton Oilers visit the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Florida-Toronto and Edmonton-Vegas series are repeats of 2023 matchups won by the Panthers and Golden Knights before they eventually met in the Stanley Cup Final.

The fourth series won’t be determined until after Sunday night’s Game 7 between the Winnipeg Jets and the St. Louis Blues. The winner will face the Dallas Stars.

Here are the playoff matchups, schedule and results for the second round of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs (all times p.m. ET, series are best of seven):

How to stream NHL playoffs

Fubo carries ESPN games. Sling carries TNT games.

Eastern Conference NHL playoff schedule

Key: M-Metropolitan; A-Atlantic; x-if necessary

Toronto Maple Leafs (A1) vs. Florida Panthers (A3)

Monday, May 5: Florida at Toronto,, 8, ESPN
Wednesday, May 7: Florida at Toronto 7, ESPN
Friday, May 9: Toronto at Florida, TBD
Sunday, May 11: Toronto at Florida, TBD
x-Wednesday, May 14: Florida at Toronto, TBD
x-Friday, May 16: Toronto at Florida TBD
x-Sunday, May 18: Florida at Toronto TBD

Washington [M1] vs. Carolina [M2]

Tuesday, May 6: Carolina at Washington, 7, ESPN
Thursday, May 8: Carolina at Washington ESPN
Saturday, May 10: Washington at Carolina, TBD
Monday, May 12: Washington at Carolina, TBD
x-Thursday, May 15: Carolina at Washington, TBD
x-Saturday, May 17: Washington at Carolina, TBD
x-Monday, May 19: Carolina at Washington, TBD

Western Conference NHL playoff schedule

Key: C-Central; P-Pacific; WC-wild card, x-if necessary

Winnipeg (C1) or St. Louis (WC2) vs. Dallas (C2)

The schedule for this series will be announced after Sunday’s Game 7 between St. Louis and Winnipeg

Vegas (P1) vs. Edmonton (P3)

Tuesday, May 6: Edmonton at Vegas, 9:30, ESPN
Thursday, May 8: Edmonton at Vegas, 9:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, May 10: Vegas at Edmonton TBD
Monday, May 12: Vegas at Edmonton TBD
x-Wednesday, May 14: Edmonton at Vegas TBD
x-Friday, May 16: Vegas at Edmonton TBD
x-Sunday, May 18: Edmonton at Vegas TBD

Long-hitting Jim Dent, known as one of the best Black golfers of his era after going from the caddie yard at Augusta National Golf Club to winning a dozen times on PGA Tour Champions, died on May 2, according to his family. He was 85.

Born on May 9, 1939, in Augusta, Georgia, Dent grew up caddying at both storied Augusta National, home of the Masters, and nearby Augusta Country Club. At the 1956 Masters, Dent caddied for Bob Rosburg, who went on to win the 1959 PGA Championship and become best known as a TV commentator after his playing days. “We shot 41 on the back nine or we might have won,” Dent recalled.

As a child, Den’ts father, Tom, drove a pulpwood truck and owned wooded farmland not far from Augusta Country Club. The fourth of six children, Dent’s job on the farm was to make the fire in the morning.

“I was big enough to do that,” Dent told the USGA. “I was still real young when my parents died, but there was my aunt. Her name was Mary Benton, a great lady in my life.”

Dent’s mother, Carrie, died when he was six. His father died when Jim was 12. Benton, a housekeeper at one of Augusta’s big houses, raised Jim and three of his siblings with a firm hand.

“The first time I caddied, I got a whuppin’,” Dent told USA Today in 1990. “My (Aunt) had told me not to. She said if I hung around with caddies, I’d learn how to gamble and drink. You know, a lot of those guys had those brown paper bags in their back pockets.

“But you know how it is. If your mother tells you not to cross the street, not to go to a certain place, if you’re an adventurous kid, sooner or later, you’ll go there.”

In another retelling of this story, he added, “Second thing I learned how to do when I learned how to caddie was shoot dice and play cards. She was dead right.”

For Dent, every loop was an opportunity to closely study elite players and apply their techniques to his own swing. By the time he was 15, Dent started to excel at the sport. He and his buddies would sneak on the back nine of Augusta Country Club late in the afternoon and play until dark. Later, he would be allowed to play there on Friday morning in exchange for cutting crabgrass out of the greens.

“There was also Augusta Municipal Golf Course, where we could play,”Dent recalled. “And I had a friend of mine who would take me to Fort Gordon, an Army base with a good course.”

Dent stood 6-3, 225 pounds, and was a talented tight end. He attended Paine College, a small, Methodist school in Augusta, on a football scholarship, although he didn’t stay long. A year later, his urge to play golf led him to Atlantic City, where he made ends meet caddying at local clubs and as a waiter.

‘I played every day until 3 or 3:30, because I didn’t have to be to work until 4:30 (p.m.),’ Dent said. ‘I was young then, I never got tired.’

He did get tired of that life, however. ‘I felt like I was in jail, working inside and looking out the window,’ he says. “I wanted to work outside. I was lucky. I met a guy, Mo Stevens, who offered me a job in Los Angeles. Every morning, we’d go to Compton College’s football field and hit balls until school started.”

Dent cut his teeth playing in events hosted by the United Golfers Association, a tour that attracted the top Black golfers from across the country before the Tour integrated. He turned pro in 1966. Dent won three times on mini tours, including the $100,000 Queen Mary event. He failed qualifying school four times before making it in 1970 at age 31. Only once ($55,095 in 1982) did he win more than $50,000 or finish among the top 60 money-winners. 

‘In his career on the PGA Tour, Dent was known for one thing, and one thing alone: driving the golf ball,” wrote Jeff Williams in Newsday. “No one came to see Jim Dent putt. No one came to see Jim Dent chip. You came to see Jim Dent hit it a mile and see if the ball was in one piece.”

Dent hung around for more than 16 years without a victory while earning more than $560,000. 

“To have caddied and now be out playing with these guys, you don’t think that’s a big thrill?” he once said.

Despite facing racial barriers that limited opportunities for Black golfers during his early career, Dent said he faced little discrimination on the Tour.

“You know, I never had any problems because Charlie Sifford, Pete Brown and Lee Elder, those guys just kind of paved the way,” he said. It was Brown, the first Black golfer to win a PGA-sanctioned event at the 1964 Waco Turner Open, who took Dent under his wing.

‘Pete kind of took me around the first six weeks when I was on Tour, you know,’ Dent told The Augusta Chronicle. ‘That was a blessing. Here was a man already established and he can let me hang around and learn some of the ropes there.’

Dent was reborn at age 50 when he became eligible for the Champions Tour, winning 12 tournaments between 1989 and 1998. He finished in the top 10 on the season-long money list seven times on the senior circuit, winning more than $9 million.

‘I didn’t work on what it took to beat ’em back then,’ said Dent, explaining his senior success. ‘Chipping, putting, patience. Those are the greatest things.’

In 2020, the road leading to Augusta Municipal Golf Course, aka “The Patch,” was renamed Jim Dent Way in his honor. Dent also was inducted into the Caddie Hall of Fame in 2022 as well as the African-American Golfers Hall of Fame. His journey in the game was a testament to what’s possible when passion meets persistence. 

‘Roundball Rock,’ the NBA anthem written by John Tesh and popularized during the NBA on NBC from 1990-2002, will return to NBC when the network begins broadcasting games next season as part of the NBA’s new TV deal.

NBC announced the renewed partnership with Tesh and the song Saturday during its coverage of the Kentucky Derby.

“It’s a thrill to announce that ‘Roundball Rock’ is coming home,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said in a news release. “ ‘Roundball Rock’ is one of the greatest pieces of theme music in sports history. Hearing it immediately conjures images of NBC Sports’ coverage of one of the golden ages of the NBA, from Magic (Johnson) to Michael (Jordan) to Kobe (Bryant) and many others. It was a pleasure working with John Tesh to bring ‘Roundball Rock’ back to NBC, and we’re equally excited to hear its debut on Peacock. We couldn’t imagine beginning our coverage any other way.”

Said Tesh: “I’m truly honored to be back with my friends at NBC Sports. From our first meeting, Rick Cordella had a powerful vision for bringing ‘Roundball Rock’ back to its one true home. Along with millions of other fans, I’ll be front row center for the epic launch in the fall.”

The idea for ‘Roundball Rock’ came to Tesh in the middle of the night, and without a recorder to remember the song, he left a voice mail of himself doing the song a capella.

The Los Angeles Clippers have been tabbed as having one of the best home-court advantages throughout the 2024-25 season.

The Clippers moved into the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, this season.

The new arena cost $2 billion to build and is owned by Steve Ballmer, who also owns the Clippers. The arena features a 38,000-square-foot halo-like video board over the court and a 51-row section known as ‘The Wall,’ which is reserved for some of the team’s rowdiest fans.

Denver Nuggets interim coach David Adelman spoke about the impact of ‘the Wall’ before Game 3 of the series.

‘It’s just really loud… I love what they’re doing here,’ Adelman said. “The NBA needs more of that. More creativity. That’s what we used to know when I grew up… I miss that, so it will be cool to be a part of it.”

What Adelman likely didn’t expect was to see members of the Wall in Denver during the series.

With the Clippers on the road for Game 7 of the Western Conference first-round series, Ballmer decided to bring fans to Denver.

The team owner reportedly paid for flights and at least 120 seats in a single section at the Ball Arena.

ESPN reporter Ramona Shelburne pointed out that the seats are located right next to the Clippers’ bench and under the basket where the Nuggets are expected to shoot during the second half of the game.

The Clippers split the first two games against the Nuggets in Denver. Those two games were decided by a combined total of five points. The Nuggets managed to blow out the Clippers, 131-115, in Game 5.

Steve Ballmer greets Clippers fans in Denver

While it remains unclear how Ballmer managed to get access to a section of seats, Ballmer was spotted before Game 7 asking the fans to ‘bring it today.’

Ballmer has been featured on the broadcast of Clippers’ games in recent years for providing high energy and enthusiasm. These are attributes that aren’t commonly seen from NBA team owners sitting courtside at games.

For the fans who didn’t make the trip to Denver, the Clippers are hosting a free watch party outside of the Intuit Dome.

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Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado entered their names in the horse racing history books after winning the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 3.

The race was completed in 2 minutes and 2.31 seconds on a fairly wet track.

Citizen Bull led a majority of the race before Neoequos took over before the final turn. Journalism briefly pulled ahead with the lead before Sovereignty pulled ahead down the final stretch to win the race. Journalism entered the race as the favorite.

Alvarado was set back by an injury in the weeks leading up to the derby that included a trip to the hospital. He also fell off his horse but was not injured during the Thurby race earlier in the week.

‘I can’t even describe it,’ Alvarado said in a post-race interview in the moments after the derby. ‘I’m pretty sure (my family is) way over the moon right now.’

2025 Kentucky Derby official results

Sovereignty
Journalism
Baeza
Final Gambit
Owen Almighty
Citizen Bull
Neoequos
American Promise
Admire Daytona
Luxor Cafe
Burnham Square
Flying Mohawk
East Avenue
Publisher
Tiztastic
Render Judgment
Coal Battle
Sandman
Chunk of Gold
Rodriguez — SCRATCHED
Grande — SCRATCHED

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Veteran sportscaster Mike Tirico is a late scratch at the 2025 Kentucky Derby.

Tirico, who has led NBC Sports’ Triple Crown coverage since 2017, was on the call Saturday for the network ahead of ‘The Run for the Roses’ on a rainy and cold day at Churchill Downs, but eagle-eyed viewers noticed that Tirico appeared to be less than 100%. Tirico had to step away from the Kentucky Derby coverage in Louisville shortly after 3 p.m. ET due to feeling ‘under the weather.’

Although it wasn’t clear if Tirico would return for the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby, which has a post time set for 7:02 p.m. ET, Fareed later shared around 6 p.m. ET that Tirico wouldn’t return after suffering from an allergic reaction.

‘We want to tell you that (Mike) does have a nut allergy. He had a reaction earlier today,’ announced NBC Sports host Ahmed Fareed, who took over for Tirico on the NBC Sports desk on the racetrack. ‘He is feeling fine now, but he is just going to stay on the sidelines. Mike, I know you are listening right now. I hope you are feeling better and get back to yourself very soon.’

Social media users pointed out Tirico didn’t appear to be his usual self during the broadcast. ‘Mike Tirico sounds like he should be in bed sleeping, not covering the Derby,’ one social media user wrote, while another added, ‘Why are we pretending like Mike Tirico is ok. Something is very wrong.’ Others pointed out that Tirico’s legendary voice that has become a staple on NBC Sports airwaves was not up to par today: ‘Mike Tirico’s voice might not make it to the end of the Kentucky Derby telecast.’

What happened to Mike Tirico? Social media reacts

Here’s how social media reacted to Tirico’s departure from Kentucky Derby coverage.

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The Fever fan base has another reason to love its team, and the anti-Fever contingent found another reason to complain. Her name: Sophie Cunningham. She was trending nationally during her Fever debut.
Cunningham scored a game-high 21 points Saturday against the Mystics, and was thrown to the court by two different Mystics players in the second quarter as fans online loved it … or hated it.
The Fever beat the Mystics 79-74 in overtime with Caitlin Clark (leg) in street clothes. New players DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard and Cunningham combined for 41 points and 20 rebounds.

INDIANAPOLIS – Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen threw Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham to the ground, and then Brittney Sykes shoved Cunningham to the ground. It was only the first half of the first preseason game for the 2025 Indiana Fever, but you had to wonder: Could the noise around our city’s WNBA franchise, which reached a fever pitch last season, get even more … feverish?

Olympian Simone Biles may be the GOAT in gymnastics, but she found herself horsing around at the 2025 Kentucky Derby.

Biles gave the ‘Riders Up’ call ahead of the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, a legendary command that informs jockeys to mount their horses. The Olympian donned a lavender ensemble from The Hat Girls, a three-time featured milliner of the Kentucky Derby. Biles paired her lavender strapless mini dress adorned with diamonds with a fascinator and matching eyeshadow.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, the city of Louisville, the commonwealth of Kentucky and sports fans from around the world have been waiting for this moment, Riders Up!’ said Biles, who then blew a kiss.

Biles follows in the footsteps of A-list stars and athletes that have given the ‘Riders Up’ call at the Kentucky Derby, including Martha Stewart (2024), Patrick Mahomes (2023) and Jack Harlow (2022). Other superstars to give the command include Hall of Fame horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas (2021), Baker Mayfield (2019), Laila Ali (2018), Jeff Bridges (2017), Sean Payton (2016), Teddy Bridgewater (2015), Julius Erving (2014), Charlie Strong (2013) and John Calipari (2012).

Biles is in town with her husband, Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens, and her mother, Nellie Biles. Like Biles, Owens was also dressed in lavender on Derby Day and paired a purple fedora and suit jacket with white trousers. The couple arrived in Louisville on Friday and even enjoyed their ‘first mint julep’ at Churchill Downs.

‘We love being able to do event together, because it’s not super common when we are in the same room at the same time celebrating something so special,’ Biles told the USA TODAY Network from the Derby red carpet.

As for Biles’ Kentucky Derby pick? She fittingly selected Chunk of Gold out of Gate 17 — She does have seven Olympic gold medals to her name, after all. But Chunk of Gold is going to need some luck. Starting gate No. 17 is still looking for its first champion since the post started being used in 1930.

Watch: Simone Biles gives ‘Riders Up’ call

Livvy Dunne gives ‘Riders Up’ call at Kentucky Oaks

Biles isn’t the only gymnast milling around at Churchill Downs. LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne gave the ‘Riders Up’ command at the Kentucky Oaks, which is held annually on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby.

Who performed the national anthem at Kentucky Derby?

Grammy-nominated artist Grace Potter was tapped to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Churchill Downs ahead of the Kentucky Derby.

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