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Deadspin | Taylor Gray fends off Sheldon Creed, wins eventful race in Kansas  Apr 18, 2026; Kansas City, Kansas, USA; NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Taylor Gray (54) poses with his team after winning the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images   KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The early bird got the victory on Saturday night.  The first of the frontrunners to pit during the final 95-lap green-flag run in the Kansas Lottery 300, Taylor Gray grabbed the lead during the cycle and held off charging Sheldon Creed to score the second NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory of his career.  Crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who won at Kansas with driver David Green in 2003, called Gray into the pits on Lap 143 of 200. Creed and Brandon Jones, running first and second on Lap 146, emerged from pit road after stops on Lap 147 roughly three seconds behind Gray.  Jones, winner of the first two stages, had to serve a pass-through penalty for a tire violation during his stop and lost the chance to win. But Creed, with Justin Allgaier behind him in third, began a methodical pursuit of Gray that ultimately came up 0.718 seconds short.  “How about Jason Ratcliff?” Gray exclaimed after climbing from his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “That pit call was awesome. We had a car capable of winning. I thought the 20 (Jones) was a little better than us before the green-flag cycle started, but we just had to stay locked in, and we had to be a little bit freer.  “Jason made a really good adjustment on the car and a really good pit call and got us in clean air. It’s been a long start to the year, man — not that we’re not bringing speed to the race track. It’s just that things haven’t really gone our way. So it’s nice to finally be able to close one out.”  Gray gained three positions to ninth in the series standings.  As it turned out, Creed also had plenty of reasons to celebrate. By finishing first among four eligible drivers, he earned a 0,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus for the first time in his career. It was Creed’s fifth attempt to win the Dash 4 Cash prize money.  “It was a great day for us after starting in the back,” said Creed who dropped to the rear of the field at the beginning of the race after his No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection. “I kind of knew right away my car was really fast, and I was able to drive to the front, and I just had a lot of fun today…  “It’s just really cool to be able to bring a hundred grand back to the Haas Factory Team. I definitely wanted to win and add to it, but the 54 (Gray) did a really good job short-pitting us. He ran a really good last 40 laps there and got through traffic quick and made it where I never really got close enough.”  Allgaier came home third, followed by defending series champion Jesse Love and Brent Crews. William Byron, Cole Custer, Jones, Sam Mayer and Ryan Sieg completed the top 10 in a race that featured 11 lead changes among eight drivers.   Allgaier finished third in both stages and added one point to his series lead over second-place Creed. The margin is now 131 points.  Long before Gray took the checkered flag, there was plenty of action in the first stage.  The race wasn’t two laps old when an accident on the backstretch launched the No.1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Carson Kvapil into the air and sent it flipping down the backstretch.  Contact from Byron’s Chevy turned Kvapil’s car sideways near the front of the field. Parker Retzlaff piled into Kvapil’s car near the outside wall. The impact knocked the rear of Kvapil’s Camaro airborne, and the car proceeded to barrel-roll down the backstretch, coming to rest on its roof.  With the use of tethers and a tow truck, safety workers righted the car, and Kvapil climbed out before a mandatory trip to the infield care center.  “Maybe on dirt, I’ve flipped a few of them, but definitely never asphalt racing or a big stock car race,” Kvapil said after being evaluated and released from the care center. “It was actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be, once I realized I was going over, but it just sucks.”  On Lap 38, Jesse Love crowded Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Hill down toward the apron as the two raced side-by-side in Turn 4. Hill spun sideways, and as he fought to control his No. 21 Chevrolet, the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of William Sawalich plowed into Hill’s car.  “I’ll remember this,” Hill promised on his radio, referring to racing from his teammate he thought was unnecessarily close.  Hill fell out of the race in 34th place. Corey Day saw his streak of eight straight top 10s end with a 12th-place finish after rallying from an accident on Lap 101 and subsequent flat tire.  Gray, Creed, Allgaier and Love qualified for the third Dash 4 Cash race of the season, Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway (4 p.m. ET on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).    NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race – Kansas Lottery 300  Kansas Speedway  Kansas City, Kansas  Saturday, April 18, 2026  1. (10)  Taylor Gray, Toyota, 200.  2. (4)  Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 200.  3. (3)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200.  4. (9)  Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 200.  5. (5)  Brent Crews #, Toyota, 200.  6. (2)  William Byron(i), Chevrolet, 200.  7. (36)  Cole Custer(i), Chevrolet, 200.  8. (14)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, 200.  9. (19)  Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 200.  10. (12)  Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 200.  11. (22)  Dean Thompson, Toyota, 199.   12. (6)  Corey Day, Chevrolet, 199.  13. (16)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 199.  14. (24)  Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 199.  15. (18)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 199.  16. (11)  Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 199.  17. (30)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 199.  18. (27)  Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 198.  19. (17)  Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 198.  20. (7)  William Sawalich, Toyota, 198.  21. (13)  Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 198.  22. (29)  Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 198.  23. (21)  Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 198.  24. (32)  Nathan Byrd, Chevrolet, 197.  25. (25)  Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 197.  26. (23)  Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 196.  27. (33)  Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 194.  28. (20)  Harrison Burton, Toyota, 190.  29. (28)  Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, Engine, 120.  30. (31)  Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, Accident, 65.  31. (37)  Blake Lothian, Chevrolet, Brakes, 62.  32. (35)  Austin Green, Chevrolet, Engine, 61.  33. (34)  Mason Maggio, Chevrolet, Engine, 51.  34. (15)  Austin Hill, Chevrolet, Accident, 37.  35. (26)  Luke Baldwin(i), Ford, Suspension, 4.  36. (8)  Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, Accident, 2.  37. (1)  Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, Accident, 1.    Average Speed of Race Winner: 116.946 mph.  Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 33 Mins, 55 Secs. Margin of Victory: .718 Seconds.  Caution Flags: 7 for 37 laps.  Lead Changes: 11 among 8 drivers.  Lap Leaders: C. Kvapil 0;C. Day 1-23;B. Jones 24-48;A. Alfredo 49-54;W. Byron(i) 55;B. Jones 56-70;J. Love 71;B. Jones 72-98;S. Creed 99-146;C. Day 147-149;R. Sieg 150-152;T. Gray 153-200.  Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Brandon Jones 3 times for 67 laps; Sheldon Creed 1 time for 48 laps; Taylor Gray 1 time for 48 laps; Corey Day 2 times for 26 laps; Anthony Alfredo 1 time for 6 laps; Ryan Sieg 1 time for 3 laps; Jesse Love 1 time for 1 lap; William Byron(i) 1 time for 1 lap.  Stage #1 Top Ten: 20,17,7,2,96,54,00,19,27,88  Stage #2 Top Ten: 20,00,7,2,17,8,54,24,41,26  –By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media.   #Deadspin #Taylor #Gray #fends #Sheldon #Creed #wins #eventful #race #Kansas

Deadspin | Taylor Gray fends off Sheldon Creed, wins eventful race in Kansas
Deadspin | Taylor Gray fends off Sheldon Creed, wins eventful race in Kansas  Apr 18, 2026; Kansas City, Kansas, USA; NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Taylor Gray (54) poses with his team after winning the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images   KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The early bird got the victory on Saturday night.  The first of the frontrunners to pit during the final 95-lap green-flag run in the Kansas Lottery 300, Taylor Gray grabbed the lead during the cycle and held off charging Sheldon Creed to score the second NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory of his career.  Crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who won at Kansas with driver David Green in 2003, called Gray into the pits on Lap 143 of 200. Creed and Brandon Jones, running first and second on Lap 146, emerged from pit road after stops on Lap 147 roughly three seconds behind Gray.  Jones, winner of the first two stages, had to serve a pass-through penalty for a tire violation during his stop and lost the chance to win. But Creed, with Justin Allgaier behind him in third, began a methodical pursuit of Gray that ultimately came up 0.718 seconds short.  “How about Jason Ratcliff?” Gray exclaimed after climbing from his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “That pit call was awesome. We had a car capable of winning. I thought the 20 (Jones) was a little better than us before the green-flag cycle started, but we just had to stay locked in, and we had to be a little bit freer.  “Jason made a really good adjustment on the car and a really good pit call and got us in clean air. It’s been a long start to the year, man — not that we’re not bringing speed to the race track. It’s just that things haven’t really gone our way. So it’s nice to finally be able to close one out.”  Gray gained three positions to ninth in the series standings.  As it turned out, Creed also had plenty of reasons to celebrate. By finishing first among four eligible drivers, he earned a 0,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus for the first time in his career. It was Creed’s fifth attempt to win the Dash 4 Cash prize money.  “It was a great day for us after starting in the back,” said Creed who dropped to the rear of the field at the beginning of the race after his No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection. “I kind of knew right away my car was really fast, and I was able to drive to the front, and I just had a lot of fun today…  “It’s just really cool to be able to bring a hundred grand back to the Haas Factory Team. I definitely wanted to win and add to it, but the 54 (Gray) did a really good job short-pitting us. He ran a really good last 40 laps there and got through traffic quick and made it where I never really got close enough.”  Allgaier came home third, followed by defending series champion Jesse Love and Brent Crews. William Byron, Cole Custer, Jones, Sam Mayer and Ryan Sieg completed the top 10 in a race that featured 11 lead changes among eight drivers.   Allgaier finished third in both stages and added one point to his series lead over second-place Creed. The margin is now 131 points.  Long before Gray took the checkered flag, there was plenty of action in the first stage.  The race wasn’t two laps old when an accident on the backstretch launched the No.1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Carson Kvapil into the air and sent it flipping down the backstretch.  Contact from Byron’s Chevy turned Kvapil’s car sideways near the front of the field. Parker Retzlaff piled into Kvapil’s car near the outside wall. The impact knocked the rear of Kvapil’s Camaro airborne, and the car proceeded to barrel-roll down the backstretch, coming to rest on its roof.  With the use of tethers and a tow truck, safety workers righted the car, and Kvapil climbed out before a mandatory trip to the infield care center.  “Maybe on dirt, I’ve flipped a few of them, but definitely never asphalt racing or a big stock car race,” Kvapil said after being evaluated and released from the care center. “It was actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be, once I realized I was going over, but it just sucks.”  On Lap 38, Jesse Love crowded Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Hill down toward the apron as the two raced side-by-side in Turn 4. Hill spun sideways, and as he fought to control his No. 21 Chevrolet, the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of William Sawalich plowed into Hill’s car.  “I’ll remember this,” Hill promised on his radio, referring to racing from his teammate he thought was unnecessarily close.  Hill fell out of the race in 34th place. Corey Day saw his streak of eight straight top 10s end with a 12th-place finish after rallying from an accident on Lap 101 and subsequent flat tire.  Gray, Creed, Allgaier and Love qualified for the third Dash 4 Cash race of the season, Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway (4 p.m. ET on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).    NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race – Kansas Lottery 300  Kansas Speedway  Kansas City, Kansas  Saturday, April 18, 2026  1. (10)  Taylor Gray, Toyota, 200.  2. (4)  Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 200.  3. (3)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200.  4. (9)  Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 200.  5. (5)  Brent Crews #, Toyota, 200.  6. (2)  William Byron(i), Chevrolet, 200.  7. (36)  Cole Custer(i), Chevrolet, 200.  8. (14)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, 200.  9. (19)  Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 200.  10. (12)  Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 200.  11. (22)  Dean Thompson, Toyota, 199.   12. (6)  Corey Day, Chevrolet, 199.  13. (16)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 199.  14. (24)  Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 199.  15. (18)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 199.  16. (11)  Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 199.  17. (30)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 199.  18. (27)  Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 198.  19. (17)  Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 198.  20. (7)  William Sawalich, Toyota, 198.  21. (13)  Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 198.  22. (29)  Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 198.  23. (21)  Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 198.  24. (32)  Nathan Byrd, Chevrolet, 197.  25. (25)  Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 197.  26. (23)  Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 196.  27. (33)  Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 194.  28. (20)  Harrison Burton, Toyota, 190.  29. (28)  Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, Engine, 120.  30. (31)  Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, Accident, 65.  31. (37)  Blake Lothian, Chevrolet, Brakes, 62.  32. (35)  Austin Green, Chevrolet, Engine, 61.  33. (34)  Mason Maggio, Chevrolet, Engine, 51.  34. (15)  Austin Hill, Chevrolet, Accident, 37.  35. (26)  Luke Baldwin(i), Ford, Suspension, 4.  36. (8)  Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, Accident, 2.  37. (1)  Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, Accident, 1.    Average Speed of Race Winner: 116.946 mph.  Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 33 Mins, 55 Secs. Margin of Victory: .718 Seconds.  Caution Flags: 7 for 37 laps.  Lead Changes: 11 among 8 drivers.  Lap Leaders: C. Kvapil 0;C. Day 1-23;B. Jones 24-48;A. Alfredo 49-54;W. Byron(i) 55;B. Jones 56-70;J. Love 71;B. Jones 72-98;S. Creed 99-146;C. Day 147-149;R. Sieg 150-152;T. Gray 153-200.  Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Brandon Jones 3 times for 67 laps; Sheldon Creed 1 time for 48 laps; Taylor Gray 1 time for 48 laps; Corey Day 2 times for 26 laps; Anthony Alfredo 1 time for 6 laps; Ryan Sieg 1 time for 3 laps; Jesse Love 1 time for 1 lap; William Byron(i) 1 time for 1 lap.  Stage #1 Top Ten: 20,17,7,2,96,54,00,19,27,88  Stage #2 Top Ten: 20,00,7,2,17,8,54,24,41,26  –By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media.   #Deadspin #Taylor #Gray #fends #Sheldon #Creed #wins #eventful #race #KansasApr 18, 2026; Kansas City, Kansas, USA; NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Taylor Gray (54) poses with his team after winning the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The early bird got the victory on Saturday night.

The first of the frontrunners to pit during the final 95-lap green-flag run in the Kansas Lottery 300, Taylor Gray grabbed the lead during the cycle and held off charging Sheldon Creed to score the second NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory of his career.

Crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who won at Kansas with driver David Green in 2003, called Gray into the pits on Lap 143 of 200. Creed and Brandon Jones, running first and second on Lap 146, emerged from pit road after stops on Lap 147 roughly three seconds behind Gray.

Jones, winner of the first two stages, had to serve a pass-through penalty for a tire violation during his stop and lost the chance to win. But Creed, with Justin Allgaier behind him in third, began a methodical pursuit of Gray that ultimately came up 0.718 seconds short.

“How about Jason Ratcliff?” Gray exclaimed after climbing from his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “That pit call was awesome. We had a car capable of winning. I thought the 20 (Jones) was a little better than us before the green-flag cycle started, but we just had to stay locked in, and we had to be a little bit freer.

“Jason made a really good adjustment on the car and a really good pit call and got us in clean air. It’s been a long start to the year, man — not that we’re not bringing speed to the race track. It’s just that things haven’t really gone our way. So it’s nice to finally be able to close one out.”

Gray gained three positions to ninth in the series standings.

As it turned out, Creed also had plenty of reasons to celebrate. By finishing first among four eligible drivers, he earned a $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus for the first time in his career. It was Creed’s fifth attempt to win the Dash 4 Cash prize money.

“It was a great day for us after starting in the back,” said Creed who dropped to the rear of the field at the beginning of the race after his No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection. “I kind of knew right away my car was really fast, and I was able to drive to the front, and I just had a lot of fun today…

“It’s just really cool to be able to bring a hundred grand back to the Haas Factory Team. I definitely wanted to win and add to it, but the 54 (Gray) did a really good job short-pitting us. He ran a really good last 40 laps there and got through traffic quick and made it where I never really got close enough.”

Allgaier came home third, followed by defending series champion Jesse Love and Brent Crews. William Byron, Cole Custer, Jones, Sam Mayer and Ryan Sieg completed the top 10 in a race that featured 11 lead changes among eight drivers.

Allgaier finished third in both stages and added one point to his series lead over second-place Creed. The margin is now 131 points.

Long before Gray took the checkered flag, there was plenty of action in the first stage.

The race wasn’t two laps old when an accident on the backstretch launched the No.1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Carson Kvapil into the air and sent it flipping down the backstretch.

Contact from Byron’s Chevy turned Kvapil’s car sideways near the front of the field. Parker Retzlaff piled into Kvapil’s car near the outside wall. The impact knocked the rear of Kvapil’s Camaro airborne, and the car proceeded to barrel-roll down the backstretch, coming to rest on its roof.

With the use of tethers and a tow truck, safety workers righted the car, and Kvapil climbed out before a mandatory trip to the infield care center.

“Maybe on dirt, I’ve flipped a few of them, but definitely never asphalt racing or a big stock car race,” Kvapil said after being evaluated and released from the care center. “It was actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be, once I realized I was going over, but it just sucks.”

On Lap 38, Jesse Love crowded Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Hill down toward the apron as the two raced side-by-side in Turn 4. Hill spun sideways, and as he fought to control his No. 21 Chevrolet, the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of William Sawalich plowed into Hill’s car.

“I’ll remember this,” Hill promised on his radio, referring to racing from his teammate he thought was unnecessarily close.

Hill fell out of the race in 34th place. Corey Day saw his streak of eight straight top 10s end with a 12th-place finish after rallying from an accident on Lap 101 and subsequent flat tire.

Gray, Creed, Allgaier and Love qualified for the third Dash 4 Cash race of the season, Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway (4 p.m. ET on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race – Kansas Lottery 300

Kansas Speedway

Kansas City, Kansas

Saturday, April 18, 2026

1. (10) Taylor Gray, Toyota, 200.

2. (4) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 200.

3. (3) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200.

4. (9) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 200.

5. (5) Brent Crews #, Toyota, 200.

6. (2) William Byron(i), Chevrolet, 200.

7. (36) Cole Custer(i), Chevrolet, 200.

8. (14) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 200.

9. (19) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 200.

10. (12) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 200.


11. (22) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 199.

12. (6) Corey Day, Chevrolet, 199.

13. (16) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 199.

14. (24) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 199.

15. (18) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 199.

16. (11) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 199.

17. (30) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 199.

18. (27) Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 198.

19. (17) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 198.

20. (7) William Sawalich, Toyota, 198.

21. (13) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 198.

22. (29) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 198.

23. (21) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 198.

24. (32) Nathan Byrd, Chevrolet, 197.

25. (25) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 197.

26. (23) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 196.

27. (33) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 194.

28. (20) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 190.

29. (28) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, Engine, 120.

30. (31) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, Accident, 65.

31. (37) Blake Lothian, Chevrolet, Brakes, 62.

32. (35) Austin Green, Chevrolet, Engine, 61.

33. (34) Mason Maggio, Chevrolet, Engine, 51.

34. (15) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, Accident, 37.

35. (26) Luke Baldwin(i), Ford, Suspension, 4.

36. (8) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, Accident, 2.

37. (1) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, Accident, 1.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 116.946 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 33 Mins, 55 Secs. Margin of Victory: .718 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 7 for 37 laps.

Lead Changes: 11 among 8 drivers.

Lap Leaders: C. Kvapil 0;C. Day 1-23;B. Jones 24-48;A. Alfredo 49-54;W. Byron(i) 55;B. Jones 56-70;J. Love 71;B. Jones 72-98;S. Creed 99-146;C. Day 147-149;R. Sieg 150-152;T. Gray 153-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Brandon Jones 3 times for 67 laps; Sheldon Creed 1 time for 48 laps; Taylor Gray 1 time for 48 laps; Corey Day 2 times for 26 laps; Anthony Alfredo 1 time for 6 laps; Ryan Sieg 1 time for 3 laps; Jesse Love 1 time for 1 lap; William Byron(i) 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 20,17,7,2,96,54,00,19,27,88

Stage #2 Top Ten: 20,00,7,2,17,8,54,24,41,26

–By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media.

#Deadspin #Taylor #Gray #fends #Sheldon #Creed #wins #eventful #race #Kansas

Apr 18, 2026; Kansas City, Kansas, USA; NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Taylor Gray (54) poses with his team after winning the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The early bird got the victory on Saturday night.

The first of the frontrunners to pit during the final 95-lap green-flag run in the Kansas Lottery 300, Taylor Gray grabbed the lead during the cycle and held off charging Sheldon Creed to score the second NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory of his career.

Crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who won at Kansas with driver David Green in 2003, called Gray into the pits on Lap 143 of 200. Creed and Brandon Jones, running first and second on Lap 146, emerged from pit road after stops on Lap 147 roughly three seconds behind Gray.

Jones, winner of the first two stages, had to serve a pass-through penalty for a tire violation during his stop and lost the chance to win. But Creed, with Justin Allgaier behind him in third, began a methodical pursuit of Gray that ultimately came up 0.718 seconds short.

“How about Jason Ratcliff?” Gray exclaimed after climbing from his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “That pit call was awesome. We had a car capable of winning. I thought the 20 (Jones) was a little better than us before the green-flag cycle started, but we just had to stay locked in, and we had to be a little bit freer.

“Jason made a really good adjustment on the car and a really good pit call and got us in clean air. It’s been a long start to the year, man — not that we’re not bringing speed to the race track. It’s just that things haven’t really gone our way. So it’s nice to finally be able to close one out.”

Gray gained three positions to ninth in the series standings.

As it turned out, Creed also had plenty of reasons to celebrate. By finishing first among four eligible drivers, he earned a $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus for the first time in his career. It was Creed’s fifth attempt to win the Dash 4 Cash prize money.

“It was a great day for us after starting in the back,” said Creed who dropped to the rear of the field at the beginning of the race after his No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection. “I kind of knew right away my car was really fast, and I was able to drive to the front, and I just had a lot of fun today…

“It’s just really cool to be able to bring a hundred grand back to the Haas Factory Team. I definitely wanted to win and add to it, but the 54 (Gray) did a really good job short-pitting us. He ran a really good last 40 laps there and got through traffic quick and made it where I never really got close enough.”

Allgaier came home third, followed by defending series champion Jesse Love and Brent Crews. William Byron, Cole Custer, Jones, Sam Mayer and Ryan Sieg completed the top 10 in a race that featured 11 lead changes among eight drivers.

Allgaier finished third in both stages and added one point to his series lead over second-place Creed. The margin is now 131 points.

Long before Gray took the checkered flag, there was plenty of action in the first stage.

The race wasn’t two laps old when an accident on the backstretch launched the No.1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Carson Kvapil into the air and sent it flipping down the backstretch.

Contact from Byron’s Chevy turned Kvapil’s car sideways near the front of the field. Parker Retzlaff piled into Kvapil’s car near the outside wall. The impact knocked the rear of Kvapil’s Camaro airborne, and the car proceeded to barrel-roll down the backstretch, coming to rest on its roof.

With the use of tethers and a tow truck, safety workers righted the car, and Kvapil climbed out before a mandatory trip to the infield care center.

“Maybe on dirt, I’ve flipped a few of them, but definitely never asphalt racing or a big stock car race,” Kvapil said after being evaluated and released from the care center. “It was actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be, once I realized I was going over, but it just sucks.”

On Lap 38, Jesse Love crowded Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Hill down toward the apron as the two raced side-by-side in Turn 4. Hill spun sideways, and as he fought to control his No. 21 Chevrolet, the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of William Sawalich plowed into Hill’s car.

“I’ll remember this,” Hill promised on his radio, referring to racing from his teammate he thought was unnecessarily close.

Hill fell out of the race in 34th place. Corey Day saw his streak of eight straight top 10s end with a 12th-place finish after rallying from an accident on Lap 101 and subsequent flat tire.

Gray, Creed, Allgaier and Love qualified for the third Dash 4 Cash race of the season, Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway (4 p.m. ET on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race – Kansas Lottery 300

Kansas Speedway

Kansas City, Kansas

Saturday, April 18, 2026

1. (10) Taylor Gray, Toyota, 200.

2. (4) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 200.

3. (3) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200.

4. (9) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 200.

5. (5) Brent Crews #, Toyota, 200.

6. (2) William Byron(i), Chevrolet, 200.

7. (36) Cole Custer(i), Chevrolet, 200.

8. (14) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 200.

9. (19) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 200.

10. (12) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 200.

11. (22) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 199.

12. (6) Corey Day, Chevrolet, 199.

13. (16) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 199.

14. (24) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 199.

15. (18) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 199.

16. (11) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 199.

17. (30) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 199.

18. (27) Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 198.

19. (17) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 198.

20. (7) William Sawalich, Toyota, 198.

21. (13) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 198.

22. (29) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 198.

23. (21) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 198.

24. (32) Nathan Byrd, Chevrolet, 197.

25. (25) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 197.

26. (23) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 196.

27. (33) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 194.

28. (20) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 190.

29. (28) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, Engine, 120.

30. (31) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, Accident, 65.

31. (37) Blake Lothian, Chevrolet, Brakes, 62.

32. (35) Austin Green, Chevrolet, Engine, 61.

33. (34) Mason Maggio, Chevrolet, Engine, 51.

34. (15) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, Accident, 37.

35. (26) Luke Baldwin(i), Ford, Suspension, 4.

36. (8) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, Accident, 2.

37. (1) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, Accident, 1.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 116.946 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 33 Mins, 55 Secs. Margin of Victory: .718 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 7 for 37 laps.

Lead Changes: 11 among 8 drivers.

Lap Leaders: C. Kvapil 0;C. Day 1-23;B. Jones 24-48;A. Alfredo 49-54;W. Byron(i) 55;B. Jones 56-70;J. Love 71;B. Jones 72-98;S. Creed 99-146;C. Day 147-149;R. Sieg 150-152;T. Gray 153-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Brandon Jones 3 times for 67 laps; Sheldon Creed 1 time for 48 laps; Taylor Gray 1 time for 48 laps; Corey Day 2 times for 26 laps; Anthony Alfredo 1 time for 6 laps; Ryan Sieg 1 time for 3 laps; Jesse Love 1 time for 1 lap; William Byron(i) 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 20,17,7,2,96,54,00,19,27,88

Stage #2 Top Ten: 20,00,7,2,17,8,54,24,41,26

–By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media.

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#Deadspin #Taylor #Gray #fends #Sheldon #Creed #wins #eventful #race #Kansas

TOSS

India won the toss and opted to bat first.

India vs Afghanistan Playing XIs:

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Afghanistan: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik , Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Afsar Zazai (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rahman, Mohammad Saleem

MATCH PREVIEW

A one-off Test against Afghanistan, beginning at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh on Saturday, will be an ideal reconvening point for India before it squabbles up for a late charge at the World Test Championship final.

Left with a daunting path to the summit clash after the home series loss to South Africa, preparation for the upcoming must-win tours to Sri Lanka and New Zealand is already on the agenda.

Nowhere does India need to clean house more than its feeble batting order. Despite playing in home conditions, India averaged a paltry 15.23 across the four innings in that series. Only two batters, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja, scored fifties in that series.

But the early indicators in New Chandigarh suggest India is banking on continuity. Head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed on match eve that India’s under-fire No. 3 choice Sai Sudharsan will continue in the role. Handing the vice-captaincy to KL Rahul appears to be another move borne from the urge to give more chances to Rishabh Pant.

Read the full preview here: India’s struggling batting order in focus against spirited Afghanistan

INDIA vs AFGHANISTAN LIVE STREAMING INFO:

When and where will India vs Afghanistan be played?

The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan will be played at the Maharaja Singh PCA Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. The match is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am IST.

How to watch India vs Afghanistan one-off Test?

The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan will be telecast on the Star Sports Network. It can also be live-streamed on JioHotStar.

INDIA vs AFGHANISTAN SQUADS:

India

Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper)

Afghanistan

Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmanullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafudin Ashraf, Nangyal Kharotai, Qais Ahmad, Bilal Sami, Zia Sharifi, Saleem Safi.

Published on Jun 07, 2026

#IND #AFG #Live #Score #Day #Oneoff #Test #India #Washington #Suthar #resume #lunch">IND vs AFG Live Score Day 2, One-off Test: India 500/6; Washington, Suthar resume after lunch  TOSSIndia won the toss and opted to bat first.India vs Afghanistan Playing XIs:India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh KrishnaAfghanistan: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik , Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Afsar Zazai (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rahman, Mohammad SaleemMATCH PREVIEWA one-off Test against Afghanistan, beginning at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh on Saturday, will be an ideal reconvening point for India before it squabbles up for a late charge at the World Test Championship final.Left with a daunting path to the summit clash after the home series loss to South Africa, preparation for the upcoming must-win tours to Sri Lanka and New Zealand is already on the agenda.Nowhere does India need to clean house more than its feeble batting order. Despite playing in home conditions, India averaged a paltry 15.23 across the four innings in that series. Only two batters, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja, scored fifties in that series.But the early indicators in New Chandigarh suggest India is banking on continuity. Head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed on match eve that India’s under-fire No. 3 choice Sai Sudharsan will continue in the role. Handing the vice-captaincy to KL Rahul appears to be another move borne from the urge to give more chances to Rishabh Pant.Read the full preview here: India’s struggling batting order in focus against spirited AfghanistanINDIA vs AFGHANISTAN LIVE STREAMING INFO:When and where will India vs Afghanistan be played?The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan will be played at the Maharaja Singh PCA Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. The match is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am IST.How to watch India vs Afghanistan one-off Test?The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan will be telecast on the Star Sports Network. It can also be live-streamed on JioHotStar.INDIA vs AFGHANISTAN SQUADS:IndiaShubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper)AfghanistanHashmatullah Shahidi (C), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmanullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafudin Ashraf, Nangyal Kharotai, Qais Ahmad, Bilal Sami, Zia Sharifi, Saleem Safi.Published on Jun 07, 2026  #IND #AFG #Live #Score #Day #Oneoff #Test #India #Washington #Suthar #resume #lunch

India’s struggling batting order in focus against spirited Afghanistan

INDIA vs AFGHANISTAN LIVE STREAMING INFO:

When and where will India vs Afghanistan be played?

The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan will be played at the Maharaja Singh PCA Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. The match is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am IST.

How to watch India vs Afghanistan one-off Test?

The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan will be telecast on the Star Sports Network. It can also be live-streamed on JioHotStar.

INDIA vs AFGHANISTAN SQUADS:

India

Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper)

Afghanistan

Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmanullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafudin Ashraf, Nangyal Kharotai, Qais Ahmad, Bilal Sami, Zia Sharifi, Saleem Safi.

Published on Jun 07, 2026

#IND #AFG #Live #Score #Day #Oneoff #Test #India #Washington #Suthar #resume #lunch">IND vs AFG Live Score Day 2, One-off Test: India 500/6; Washington, Suthar resume after lunch

TOSS

India won the toss and opted to bat first.

India vs Afghanistan Playing XIs:

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Afghanistan: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik , Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Afsar Zazai (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rahman, Mohammad Saleem

MATCH PREVIEW

A one-off Test against Afghanistan, beginning at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh on Saturday, will be an ideal reconvening point for India before it squabbles up for a late charge at the World Test Championship final.

Left with a daunting path to the summit clash after the home series loss to South Africa, preparation for the upcoming must-win tours to Sri Lanka and New Zealand is already on the agenda.

Nowhere does India need to clean house more than its feeble batting order. Despite playing in home conditions, India averaged a paltry 15.23 across the four innings in that series. Only two batters, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja, scored fifties in that series.

But the early indicators in New Chandigarh suggest India is banking on continuity. Head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed on match eve that India’s under-fire No. 3 choice Sai Sudharsan will continue in the role. Handing the vice-captaincy to KL Rahul appears to be another move borne from the urge to give more chances to Rishabh Pant.

Read the full preview here: India’s struggling batting order in focus against spirited Afghanistan

INDIA vs AFGHANISTAN LIVE STREAMING INFO:

When and where will India vs Afghanistan be played?

The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan will be played at the Maharaja Singh PCA Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. The match is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am IST.

How to watch India vs Afghanistan one-off Test?

The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan will be telecast on the Star Sports Network. It can also be live-streamed on JioHotStar.

INDIA vs AFGHANISTAN SQUADS:

India

Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper)

Afghanistan

Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmanullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafudin Ashraf, Nangyal Kharotai, Qais Ahmad, Bilal Sami, Zia Sharifi, Saleem Safi.

Published on Jun 07, 2026

#IND #AFG #Live #Score #Day #Oneoff #Test #India #Washington #Suthar #resume #lunch

For the Vegas Golden Knights, the talk after Thursday night’s 4-3 overtime meltdown loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final centered around head coach John Tortorella’s questionable decision to challenge a goal by Ivan Barbashev that had been quickly waived off for goalie interference.

The score was tied, 2-2, with just five minutes remaining when Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen dove on top of a Barbashev wraparound try. The puck eventually dribbled in by the far post thanks in part to Barbashev’s poke-jam at Andersen’s glove inside the crease.

Referee Jean Hebert, watching the play unfold right behind the net, immediately signaled no goal on the play. Chances of the call being overturned by the Situation Room in Toronto were minuscule at best, but Tortorella, in true Las Vegas fashion, decided to roll the dice and go ahead with a challenge and a potentially costly delay of game penalty.

Simply put, Tortorella, who has rightly garnered his share of plaudits for his role in a 20-5-1 Golden Knights turnaround since replacing Bruce Cassidy as head coach on March 28, crapped out.

“He waived it (off) immediately,” NHL executive vice president and director of officiating Stephen Walkom said. “He believed it was under the goalie and the Vegas player went after the puck and interfered with the goalie and his ability to freeze the puck and waived it off immediately.”

The call stood, the Hurricanes went on the power play, and Jordan Stall scored to give Carolina its first lead, 3-2.

“I’d challenge it 10 out of 10 times,” Tortorella said defiantly afterward.

Mark Stone got Tortorella off the hook briefly with a 6-on-5 goal with 1:21 remaining to force overtime. The Hurricanes then won it at the 3:56 mark on a Seth Jarvis one-timer to cap the dramatic comeback.

Carolina, which trailed 2-0 with just 9:40 remaining in the third-period when Logan Stankoven scored, became the first team since the Montreal Canadiens in 1944 that was trailing by multiple goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation to rally for a victory in a Stanley Cup Final.

Time will tell whether Carolina’s victory, fueled in part by Tortorella’s costly gamble to challenge the no-goal call, will be the turning point in the series. The Golden Knights acted as though they weren’t fazed by the loss on Friday afternoon before making the long flight back to Las Vegas for Game 3 on Saturday night.

“It is what it is,” center William Karlsson said. “We would have loved to win that game. We didn’t, but it’s in the past. There’s nothing we can change, so now we just look ahead.”

Perhaps even more devastating than the no-goal call was a Hurricanes’ shot that didn’t go into the net.

Nikoloaj Ehlers blasted an 87 mph slap shot midway through the first period that hit defenseman Brayden McNabb in the middle of his face. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound McNabb, the franchise leader in blocked shots (1,417) and hits (1,469) who is also a key member of the team’s penalty-kill unit, skated off immediately covering his face and went to the hospital for treatment.

Tortorella refused to give an update on McNabb’s condition on Friday but did say he was well enough to fly back with the team later that day. McNabb had three assists in the Golden Knights’ 5-4 victory in Game 1.

“I think he’s a vital part of this team,” Karlsson said. “Of course, it was tough not to have him for the remainder of the game.”

#John #Tortorellas #Gamble #Backfires #Hurricanes #Stun #Golden #Knights #Game #Deadspin.com">John Tortorella’s Gamble Backfires as Hurricanes Stun Golden Knights in Game 2 | Deadspin.com   For the Vegas Golden Knights, the talk after Thursday night’s 4-3 overtime meltdown loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final centered around head coach John Tortorella’s questionable decision to challenge a goal by Ivan Barbashev that had been quickly waived off for goalie interference.The score was tied, 2-2, with just five minutes remaining when Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen dove on top of a Barbashev wraparound try. The puck eventually dribbled in by the far post thanks in part to Barbashev’s poke-jam at Andersen’s glove inside the crease.Referee Jean Hebert, watching the play unfold right behind the net, immediately signaled no goal on the play. Chances of the call being overturned by the Situation Room in Toronto were minuscule at best, but Tortorella, in true Las Vegas fashion, decided to roll the dice and go ahead with a challenge and a potentially costly delay of game penalty.Simply put, Tortorella, who has rightly garnered his share of plaudits for his role in a 20-5-1 Golden Knights turnaround since replacing Bruce Cassidy as head coach on March 28, crapped out.“He waived it (off) immediately,” NHL executive vice president and director of officiating Stephen Walkom said. “He believed it was under the goalie and the Vegas player went after the puck and interfered with the goalie and his ability to freeze the puck and waived it off immediately.”The call stood, the Hurricanes went on the power play, and Jordan Stall scored to give Carolina its first lead, 3-2.“I’d challenge it 10 out of 10 times,” Tortorella said defiantly afterward.Mark Stone got Tortorella off the hook briefly with a 6-on-5 goal with 1:21 remaining to force overtime. The Hurricanes then won it at the 3:56 mark on a Seth Jarvis one-timer to cap the dramatic comeback.Carolina, which trailed 2-0 with just 9:40 remaining in the third-period when Logan Stankoven scored, became the first team since the Montreal Canadiens in 1944 that was trailing by multiple goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation to rally for a victory in a Stanley Cup Final.Time will tell whether Carolina’s victory, fueled in part by Tortorella’s costly gamble to challenge the no-goal call, will be the turning point in the series. The Golden Knights acted as though they weren’t fazed by the loss on Friday afternoon before making the long flight back to Las Vegas for Game 3 on Saturday night.“It is what it is,” center William Karlsson said. “We would have loved to win that game. We didn’t, but it’s in the past. There’s nothing we can change, so now we just look ahead.”Perhaps even more devastating than the no-goal call was a Hurricanes’ shot that didn’t go into the net.Nikoloaj Ehlers blasted an 87 mph slap shot midway through the first period that hit defenseman Brayden McNabb in the middle of his face. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound McNabb, the franchise leader in blocked shots (1,417) and hits (1,469) who is also a key member of the team’s penalty-kill unit, skated off immediately covering his face and went to the hospital for treatment.Tortorella refused to give an update on McNabb’s condition on Friday but did say he was well enough to fly back with the team later that day. McNabb had three assists in the Golden Knights’ 5-4 victory in Game 1.“I think he’s a vital part of this team,” Karlsson said. “Of course, it was tough not to have him for the remainder of the game.”   #John #Tortorellas #Gamble #Backfires #Hurricanes #Stun #Golden #Knights #Game #Deadspin.com

Golden Knights turnaround since replacing Bruce Cassidy as head coach on March 28, crapped out.

“He waived it (off) immediately,” NHL executive vice president and director of officiating Stephen Walkom said. “He believed it was under the goalie and the Vegas player went after the puck and interfered with the goalie and his ability to freeze the puck and waived it off immediately.”

The call stood, the Hurricanes went on the power play, and Jordan Stall scored to give Carolina its first lead, 3-2.

“I’d challenge it 10 out of 10 times,” Tortorella said defiantly afterward.

Mark Stone got Tortorella off the hook briefly with a 6-on-5 goal with 1:21 remaining to force overtime. The Hurricanes then won it at the 3:56 mark on a Seth Jarvis one-timer to cap the dramatic comeback.

Carolina, which trailed 2-0 with just 9:40 remaining in the third-period when Logan Stankoven scored, became the first team since the Montreal Canadiens in 1944 that was trailing by multiple goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation to rally for a victory in a Stanley Cup Final.

Time will tell whether Carolina’s victory, fueled in part by Tortorella’s costly gamble to challenge the no-goal call, will be the turning point in the series. The Golden Knights acted as though they weren’t fazed by the loss on Friday afternoon before making the long flight back to Las Vegas for Game 3 on Saturday night.

“It is what it is,” center William Karlsson said. “We would have loved to win that game. We didn’t, but it’s in the past. There’s nothing we can change, so now we just look ahead.”

Perhaps even more devastating than the no-goal call was a Hurricanes’ shot that didn’t go into the net.

Nikoloaj Ehlers blasted an 87 mph slap shot midway through the first period that hit defenseman Brayden McNabb in the middle of his face. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound McNabb, the franchise leader in blocked shots (1,417) and hits (1,469) who is also a key member of the team’s penalty-kill unit, skated off immediately covering his face and went to the hospital for treatment.

Tortorella refused to give an update on McNabb’s condition on Friday but did say he was well enough to fly back with the team later that day. McNabb had three assists in the Golden Knights’ 5-4 victory in Game 1.

“I think he’s a vital part of this team,” Karlsson said. “Of course, it was tough not to have him for the remainder of the game.”

#John #Tortorellas #Gamble #Backfires #Hurricanes #Stun #Golden #Knights #Game #Deadspin.com">John Tortorella’s Gamble Backfires as Hurricanes Stun Golden Knights in Game 2 | Deadspin.com

For the Vegas Golden Knights, the talk after Thursday night’s 4-3 overtime meltdown loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final centered around head coach John Tortorella’s questionable decision to challenge a goal by Ivan Barbashev that had been quickly waived off for goalie interference.

The score was tied, 2-2, with just five minutes remaining when Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen dove on top of a Barbashev wraparound try. The puck eventually dribbled in by the far post thanks in part to Barbashev’s poke-jam at Andersen’s glove inside the crease.

Referee Jean Hebert, watching the play unfold right behind the net, immediately signaled no goal on the play. Chances of the call being overturned by the Situation Room in Toronto were minuscule at best, but Tortorella, in true Las Vegas fashion, decided to roll the dice and go ahead with a challenge and a potentially costly delay of game penalty.

Simply put, Tortorella, who has rightly garnered his share of plaudits for his role in a 20-5-1 Golden Knights turnaround since replacing Bruce Cassidy as head coach on March 28, crapped out.

“He waived it (off) immediately,” NHL executive vice president and director of officiating Stephen Walkom said. “He believed it was under the goalie and the Vegas player went after the puck and interfered with the goalie and his ability to freeze the puck and waived it off immediately.”

The call stood, the Hurricanes went on the power play, and Jordan Stall scored to give Carolina its first lead, 3-2.

“I’d challenge it 10 out of 10 times,” Tortorella said defiantly afterward.

Mark Stone got Tortorella off the hook briefly with a 6-on-5 goal with 1:21 remaining to force overtime. The Hurricanes then won it at the 3:56 mark on a Seth Jarvis one-timer to cap the dramatic comeback.

Carolina, which trailed 2-0 with just 9:40 remaining in the third-period when Logan Stankoven scored, became the first team since the Montreal Canadiens in 1944 that was trailing by multiple goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation to rally for a victory in a Stanley Cup Final.

Time will tell whether Carolina’s victory, fueled in part by Tortorella’s costly gamble to challenge the no-goal call, will be the turning point in the series. The Golden Knights acted as though they weren’t fazed by the loss on Friday afternoon before making the long flight back to Las Vegas for Game 3 on Saturday night.

“It is what it is,” center William Karlsson said. “We would have loved to win that game. We didn’t, but it’s in the past. There’s nothing we can change, so now we just look ahead.”

Perhaps even more devastating than the no-goal call was a Hurricanes’ shot that didn’t go into the net.

Nikoloaj Ehlers blasted an 87 mph slap shot midway through the first period that hit defenseman Brayden McNabb in the middle of his face. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound McNabb, the franchise leader in blocked shots (1,417) and hits (1,469) who is also a key member of the team’s penalty-kill unit, skated off immediately covering his face and went to the hospital for treatment.

Tortorella refused to give an update on McNabb’s condition on Friday but did say he was well enough to fly back with the team later that day. McNabb had three assists in the Golden Knights’ 5-4 victory in Game 1.

“I think he’s a vital part of this team,” Karlsson said. “Of course, it was tough not to have him for the remainder of the game.”

#John #Tortorellas #Gamble #Backfires #Hurricanes #Stun #Golden #Knights #Game #Deadspin.com

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