Alex Bowman's 2027 Exit Plan, the Next Gen Crash Structure, and the Math That Made It SimpleAlex Bowman Gets the Ending Almost Nobody in Cup GetsRick Hendrick handed Alex Bowman a one-year extension on Thursday and, in the same breath, announced that the deal is the last one. Bowman will retire from full-time competition after 2027, which will be his 10th season with Hendrick Motorsports and, by the team's count, will push him past 400 career Cup starts.That's the news. The interesting part is the sentence Bowman put in the release: "The sport asks a lot of you, and I've learned it's important to listen to your body and make the right choices for yourself."Nobody writes that line unless they mean it. And in Bowman's case, the body of evidence is a matter of public record some of it literally welded into the car he drives.He is a footnote in the Next Gen chassis. Twice.Here's the part of Bowman's career that gets flattened into "he's had some injuries."When NASCAR rolled out the Next Gen car in 2022, its rear structure turned out to be too stiff. Energy that should have been absorbed by crumpling tubing went into the driver instead, and the two clearest illustrations were Kurt Busch backing into the wall at Pocono in July and Bowman backing into the wall at Texas in September. Both were concussed. Both were playoff-eligible. Both were out.Related ArticlesNASCARs Trade Secrets Fight Gets a Jury Date Right Before SpeedweeksWhat a Restoration Lawsuit Against Jimmie Johnsons Brother Teaches Car OwnersThe sanctioning body's own account of the fix is worth reading if you care about how race cars actually work. For 2023, teams got new center and rear clips. Some bars were removed outright. Tubing wall thickness came down. And NASCAR added deliberate weak points engineers called them "triggers" to force the structure to fold where they wanted it to fold, while keeping the oil tank and fuel cell intact. Dr. John Patalak, NASCAR's vice president of safety engineering, described it as the cumulative effect of the whole assembly rather than any single change.Translate that out of engineering-speak: the modern Cup car's rear crash structure is partly the shape it is because of what happened to Alex Bowman's head at Texas Motor Speedway. Drivers rarely get to see their own injuries turned into design revisions. He did.Then 2023 brought a broken back from a sprint car. Then 2026 brought something else entirely.The vertigo, and what the recovery actually tells youBowman started the March 1 race at Circuit of The Americas and exited the car on lap 71. He was diagnosed with vertigo that week. He missed Phoenix, Las Vegas, Darlington and Martinsville. Anthony Alfredo drove the 48 first; Justin Allgaier took it from Las Vegas onward.Neither Bowman nor Hendrick has linked the vertigo to any prior injury, and vertigo has a long list of possible causes that have nothing to do with racing. So let's not play doctor. Let's look instead at how they cleared him, because the sequence is genuinely instructive.Per the team's own account, the process ran: laps in a street car on the Ten Tenths road course in Concord, then pit-stop practice, then simulator work, then medical clearance and a race at Bristol. Back in March, before the first missed race, he'd already done two days of medical evaluation plus street-car laps.That's graded exposure the same escalating-provocation logic used in modern return-to-play protocols across every serious sport. Each rung adds a specific stressor. Street-car laps add sustained lateral load and horizon movement. Pit practice adds rapid head-turning and quick postural changes on foot, which is exactly the sort of thing that provokes a vestibular problem if one is still lurking. The simulator adds the nastiest combination in the sport: a moving visual field with a body that isn't moving to match. Anyone who's gotten queasy in a sim rig understands intuitively why that's the last test before they let you back in a real car.The simulator, in other words, isn't just a setup tool at Hendrick. It's a diagnostic.Why four races in March mattered more this year than any year since 2013Here's a bit of rules-and-calendar math that's easy to miss.NASCAR brought back The Chase for 2026: 16 drivers by points over the final 10 races, no elimination rounds, and critically no "win and you're in." A race victory is now worth 55 points instead of 40, but it no longer buys a ticket.Under the format that ran from 2014 through 2025, a driver who missed four spring races and then won in, say, June was fine. That was the whole point of the old system. Under the 2026 rules, four DNS-level results in March are a hole you climb out of with consistency across a full regular season, or not at all.Related ArticlesKyle Busch Invitational: 51 Legends Cars Pack Bowman Grays Quarter-MileAston Martins V12 SUV Is Real, Sort Of: Inside the Call of Duty DreadnoughtNASCAR's waiver policy, updated for 2025, does carve out medical absences a driver who misses time for medical reasons, the birth of a child, a family emergency or age restrictions keeps the playoff points that a driver skipping a race for other reasons would forfeit. But a waiver preserves eligibility. It doesn't manufacture points.So the sport changed its championship math in the same winter that Bowman lost four races to a vestibular problem. That's rotten timing, and it's the backdrop against which a 33-year-old with a documented injury history sat down and did some arithmetic about what the next decade looks like.The 48, and how he got itBowman's route through Hendrick Motorsports is one of the odder career paths in the modern garage, and the team's release lays it out: 10 starts in 2016 filling in for an injured Dale Earnhardt Jr., then a full season in 2017 as the organization's primary simulator testing driver, then the full-time seat.Read that again. Bowman got his shot at NASCAR's most powerful organization because the sport's most popular driver was sidelined by concussion symptoms and he spent a year as the guy strapped into the simulator before he got a real car. Both of those facts now rhyme uncomfortably with how his own career has gone.He inherited the No. 48 for 2021, taking over the number Jimmie Johnson used to win seven championships, and he'll hand it off after 2027 having carried it for seven seasons. Hendrick counts 307 starts for the organization so far, sixth-most in team history, with eight points-paying Cup wins and seven playoff appearances since 2018.Ally has backed him since 2021, and chief marketing officer Andrea Brimmer's statement about getting "one final season" is doing real work here. A retirement announced 18 months out isn't sentiment it's inventory. Farewell tours are activation gold for a sponsor, and a one-year extension gives Ally a full season of countdown content it can plan around instead of scrambling to react to a driver change.What "full-time" is quietly not sayingThe word doing the heavy lifting in this announcement is "full-time." Bowman is retiring from full-time competition. He is 33. He is not retiring from racing, and nothing in the release suggests he is.Related ArticlesThis Dodge Daytona Spent a Decade in a Missouri Junkyard as Fraud Evidence Bidders Still Wouldnt Clear $355,000Toyota Sued Over Claims Its Website Kept Tracking Visitors Who Clicked DeclineRecent history says that distinction matters. Drivers who step out of a 36-race Cup grind routinely turn up in sports cars, in selected superspeedway entries, in dirt cars, in broadcast booths and in ownership. If Bowman wants a Daytona 500 attempt in 2029 or a run at the Rolex 24, nothing announced Thursday closes that door.The other unsaid thing: Hendrick now has 18 months of runway to sort out a seat in one of the four best-funded operations in the sport, with a sponsor already committed to the number and a development pipeline that has been visibly stocked. That's not an accident of timing. That's the reason the extension is one year instead of three.Whatever you think of Bowman's win total, the ending is the rare one. Most Cup careers end when a sponsor moves, a charter changes hands, or a phone stops ringing. Rick Hendrick's line in the release that Bowman gets to finish "on his terms" is the kind of thing teams say all the time, and almost never means anything. This time the paperwork actually backs it up.

Jul 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins catcher Victor Caratini (37) and relief pitcher Yoendrys Gomez (94) celebrate the win over the Athletics at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn ImagesMuch like last night, scoring in the middle innings and reliance upon great pitching led to a 2-0 victory. Except tonight, the shoe was on the other foot. And brother, the shoe fit. Minnesota evened the series with a 2-0 win over the Athletics, one night after falling victim to the same score.First, it was Kendrys Rojas getting the last-minute call to action after presumptive starter Mike Paredes was a late warmup scratch with an oblique injury. Rojas, no stranger to curveballs (AAAA HE DOESNT THROW ONE STUPID STUPID STUPID) strapped on the gear (GAHHHH IM THINKING OF CATCHERS STUPID STUPID STUPID) and chucked four shutout, one-hit innings on minimal notice.From there, Minnesotas fearsome 2026 bullpen went four deep, with Taylor Rogers, Tommy Nance, Andrew Morris, and Yoendrys Gomez proving that you dont just have to have a cool Canadian nickname to actually close by committee. The staff went nine shutout, allowing just three hits and three walks against 10 strikeouts to shut down the As.And while Athletic opener Brady Basso held the line, also-real pitcher Mason Barnett surrendered a two-run single to Alan Roden, who put the Twins up 2-0 after a Josh Bell walk and a Royce Lewis double set up the scoring opportunity.The series will finish tomorrow, and as long as the Twins can hold on for the series victory, the chances of an interesting final pre-deadline week will remain alive.STUDS:SP Kendrys Rojas (4 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 5 K)Bullpen (5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K)C Victor Caratini (2-for-3)RF Alan Roden (1-for-3, 2 RBI)

BALTIMORE (AP) In less than a year at the major league level, Dylan Beavers has already delivered three walk-off victories for the Baltimore Orioles.The latest came at a time when every win feels big.Beavers' RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Orioles over the Atlanta Braves 3-2 on Saturday night, pulling Baltimore within 2 1/2 games of a postseason spot. Beavers, who made his debut last August, also had a walk-off single and a walk-off home run in September.Only Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers (four) has had more walk-off plate appeareances than Beavers since the start of last season although several other players have three.It's exciting to help the team win, whether it's a walk-off or in the fifth inning, Beavers said. It's exciting when your whole team gets behind you and everyone's fired up.Just more than a week before the trade deadline, the Orioles are one of baseball's most intriguing teams. Outfielder Taylor Ward and left-hander Trevor Rogers could be worth something on the trade market, but Baltimore is by no means out of contention and could well end up being a buyer.So each day has the potential to push the Orioles in one direction or another. They lost in 10 innings to the Braves on Friday, then rebounded with Saturday's win.It's time for us to bear down and win some games here, said Jackson Holliday, who scored the winning run Saturday. Obviously we want to make a push for the playoffs, and these wins are really important. We unfortunately got to see what the other side of everything looks like last year (when the Orioles were sellers and missed the postseason.)Although the game ended on a happy note, Holliday admitted he could have run harder from first base in the seventh when Pete Alonso's popup was dropped with two outs. Holliday ended up on third but might have been able to score.I definitely didn't give the effort to have a chance to score something that won't happen again," he said. "That can't happen.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

When youre a power-punching southpaw with an impressive amateur background, but without an Olympic medal around your neck, you cant expect breaking into the pro ranks to be easy.For Albuquerques Yoruba Moreu Jr., its been, if anything, more difficult than expected.To be clear, Moreus difficulties havent come in the ring; hes 3-0 with three knockouts as a pro. The hard part has been getting fights.Moreu and Yoruba Moreu Sr., his sons trainer, are hoping thats about to change. The younger Moreu, 21, is scheduled for his fourth pro fight on Aug. 8 on a card in Indianapolis against an opponent yet to be announced; Moreu Sr. texted the Journal the boxrec.com listing for a prospective opponent but said that fighter had yet to sign a contract.Moreu Jr. made his pro debut on a Christy Martin Promotions card in Nashville, Tennessee on Aug. 2, 2025 with a victory by second-round TKO, flooring an inept Ndira Spearman seven times (or maybe it was nine; it was easy to lose count).Moreu was back in the ring just 18 days later, traveling to Rosarito, Baja California and defeating Mexicos Bernardo Solis by third-round knockout.Since then, progress has been slow.Almost five months passed before, on Jan. 9 on a Tapia Promotions card at Albuquerques Cananas Night Club, Moreu made it 3-0 with a first-round TKO of Jonah Cahill.Now another six months have gone by.Moreu Sr. said in a phone interview that hed hoped to get his son on new Albuquerque promoter Donald Sanchezs debut card, scheduled for Aug. 8 at the Embassy Suites. The two parties could not come to an agreement on financial terms.The opportunity in Indianapolis came about, Moreu Sr. said, when his son was training at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada in front of the right eyes, people who wanted to put money up for him to fight.We actually had (an opportunity) in Miami as well, but we chose to do this one in Indianapolis. This is a good opportunity for my son to get seen in a different market, especially when were trying to step him up to where he can get signed to one of these promotional companies.The Indianapolis card is being staged by Indiana-based 4 Champs Promotions, headed by Damon Howard, who promotes regularly in Indianapolis and in Hammond, Indiana, a suburb of Chicago.The Moreus also have engaged a manager, Sam Garcia of Salinas, California. Garcias clients, according to his listing on boxrec.com, include Colombian lightweight Ruben Cervera (20-4, 17 KOs) and Oakland, California lightweight Tony Hirsch (9-0-2, five KOs).Moreu Jr. meanwhile, just wants to fight.Its been a wait, he said of the process, It sucks, because we had dates fall through. But now weve fully locked in, so I definitely cant wait. Im excited.DSP DEBUT: Sanchezs inaugural card on Aug. 8 is taking shape, as he has said, as a springboard for some of New Mexicos young boxers. All fights listed thus far are scheduled for four rounds.Kaleb Medina, among the states better amateurs of recent years, is scheduled to make his pro debut on the DSP (Donald Sanchez Promotions) card. Medina is from Las Vegas, New Mexico but lives and trains in Albuquerque.Also on the card: Albuquerques. Jorge Villarruel (3-0, two KOs) and Santa Fes Aiseah Achesah (3-0, one KO).The listed main event matches Santa Fes Leanna Martinez (5-5, three KOs) against Albuquerques Amanda Lovato (1-4-1, no KOs).BLESSED EVENT: Welcome to the world, Analeia Irene Perez.Albuquerque boxer Abraham Perez and his partner, Megan Almager, have a new daughter born just days ago.Its Perezs first. Almager has two sons by a previous relationship.Perez (15-0, seven knockouts), who defeated Puerto Ricos Jonathan Gonzalez by split decision for the IBF interim world flyweight title on June 14, is expected back in the ring later this year.

The rain, it turns out, did not go away.For the second time in as many days, New Mexico Uniteds match at Birmingham Legion FC has been postponed, the clubs announced Saturday. A makeup date is still to be determined.United and Legion were initially scheduled to play at Dunnavant Valley Fields a 50-acre public sports complex in Shelby County, Alabama, outside Birmingham on Friday. That was pushed to Saturday due to inclement weather. But the weather didnt abate and led to a waterlogged playing surface, which made Saturday a no-go as well.Legion usually plays its home matches at the city-owner Protective Stadium, a 47,000-seat turfed facility best known for hosting UAB home football games and the Alabama high school state football championships. The stadium, however, was unavailable for the United-Legion matchup in order to set up for an Usher and Chris Brown concert Tuesday and Wednesday.United (7-3-4) entered Saturday looking to extend its unbeaten match streak to 10. The club will instead look to reach that number next Saturday when it hosts Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at 7:20 p.m. It will be New Mexicos first home match in almost a month.United also entered Saturday third in the 12-club Western conference table. Legion (2-5-8) began the day 10th in the 13-team East.David Glovach covers New Mexico United and other sports for the Journal. Reach him at dglovach@abqjournal.com or via X @DavidGlovach.More New Mexico United reading*NM United, Girl Scouts team up for 'girls in the game' eventAn old patch helped serve as the catalyst for the partnership*NM United match in Alabama postponedSquad will play Birmingham Legion FC on Saturday*Match day: New Mexico United at Birmingham Legion FCNMU gets to play at unique site to close road swing*NM United routs Lexington, extends unbeaten streak to nineSimplifying a short week paid off as NMU tied its season high in scoring with a dominant road win*NM United stadium at Balloon Fiesta Park clears another legal hurdleCourt of Appeals rules in soccer club's favor against neighborhood associations*Match day: New Mexico United at Lexington SCNMU is on an 8-game unbeaten streak and doing better in road matches*For NM United, keeping unbeaten streak intact outweighs USL Cup exitNMU out on tournament tiebreaker, but win over El Paso means 8 straight without a loss*Match day: New Mexico United at El Paso Locomotive FCNMU still has chance to advance in USL Cup with some help*A nice ring: Nol made most of NM United's break by proposingNMU midfielder popped the question to now-fiance Kate Levitt on June 26*Starr, Mata latest to sign academy contracts with NM UnitedAlbuquerque natives now eligible to play for NMU's first team

We are officially entering MLB trade deadline season, with the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals executing a notable swap late Saturday night.The Red Sox are dealing young starting pitcher Connelly Early to D.C. in exchange for third baseman Curtis Mead, according to ESPNs Jeff Passan.BREAKING: The Boston Red Sox are trading left-hander Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for infielder Curtis Mead, sources tell ESPN. Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 26, 2026This article will be updated with more information.

Julius "Dr. J" Erving believes that LeBron James is the most unique player in NBA history originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.With LeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2026 offseason, he now has some shared history with Julius "Dr. J" Erving. For the longest time, Erving has been quite complimentary towards James because he sees him as one of the greatest players in NBA history.They are now superstars for the same franchise more than 40 years apart. However, it seems Dr. J has always been a LeBron fan, so he will be ecstatic with his arrival. Across NBA history, Dr. J has seen many players and superstars, but he thinks that LeBron is incomparable.Julius "Dr. J" Erving is a big LeBron James fanAcross NBA history, there have been many top-tier small forwards. Back in the day, Dr. J was the absolute pinnacle of the position. Larry Bird then came and became the best in the position, but everything changed when 2003 rolled around because that was the time LeBron James entered the league.Since then, LeBron has redefined both the position and the sport. He has become one of the most unique players in NBA history because he is not only a small forward, but he can also play multiple roles from his position. That is what caught Dr. J's eye.MORE:LeBron James has chosen the 76ers over teams like the Warriors, Heat, and CavaliersFor the longest time, there have been players who are similar to each other. With the shooting guard position, many players want to be like Michael Jordan. The best example of that is Kobe Bryant, who modeled his game after the Chicago Bulls legend. While Kobe is great, that is the exact reason why Dr. J is a big LeBron fan."I think LeBron is one-of-one; Kobe's another sort of imitation of Michael Jordan. There have been plenty of imitations of Michael and Kobe and me, and other people. LeBron's like one of one, so I'm going to give him his pick," Erving said in an interview with The Schmo.Now that LeBron is playing in Philadelphia, Dr. J will have a closer look at him. Erving loves the 76ers, so he will be supporting a team that has one of the greatest players on it once again for a shot at winning the title for the first time since 1983, back when Dr. J was on the floor.More NBA news:How Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid fit into LeBron James' list of greatest teammatesSome reasons why Bronny James is a player the Lakers should believe inLeBron James was looking forward to a reunion with Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie IrvingDillon Brooks speaks about the reason behind his meme with LeBron JamesThe reason why the Lakers have not traded for Jonathan Kuminga

A.J. Ewing took the league by storm, playing his game to open his rookie campaign.After raking through the minors, the 21-year-old quickly settled in at the big leagues, establishing himself as a regular in the Mets outfield and atop their lineup.He did so by utilizing his speed and being his usual on-base machine.Like every rookie, though, Ewing was bound to go through his fair share of tough stretches at the plate as the grind of the regular season stretches on.Thats been the case for the youngster of late.With an 0-for-5 showing in Saturday nights loss to the Dodgers, he is now hitless across nine at-bats over the first two games against the defending champs.Ewing was also punched out two more times, giving him a whopping 26 this month.Hes currently tied with Francisco Alvarez for the second-worst K-rate on the team (26.7), trailing Brett Baty by percentage points for the highest (26.8).Despite the rough stretch, interim manager Andy Green isnt concerned.Every hitter goes through situations where things happen in bunches, he said.Its just about getting back to his strength -- when he first showed up it was laying off pitches out of the zone -- but its easy when you get into a situation where youve struck out more than youre comfortable you think you just have to swing, which typically makes it worse, the skipper continued.But hes going to be fine -- he has more punchouts than I know he is comfortable with right now, but hes learning and thats part of it -- I see him plenty capable that hes going to respond, but at this moment its time to punch back.The Mets certain need Ewing to punch back soon after losing a massive piece in the middle of their lineup this weekend, with Juan Soto landing on the IL due to a Grade 2 left calf strain.

MONTREAL (AP) Luis Surez scored on a penalty kick in the 81st minute after Germn Berterame was fouled, knocked unconscious and taken away in an ambulance in Inter Miami's 1-0 win over CF Montreal on Saturday night.Berterame was injured when he banged heads with Montreal defender Efran Morales. There was no immediate word on the extent of the 27-year-old forward's injuries or his condition.Surez sent a soft shot past Sbastian Breza for his ninth goal of the season and his sixth in the last three matches to give Inter Miami its sixth straight victory.Rocco Ros Novo saved two shots for Inter Miami (11-2-4) in his third start and second clean sheet this season. Breza had one save in his second start this season for Montreal (4-10-3) and the 37th of his career. He has never had a shutout.Lionel Messi has not played in Inter Miami's first two matches following the World Cup after Argentina's runner-up finish. However, Carlos Casemiro, who played for Brazil in the event, made his MLS debut for the team after a successful career with Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid.Inter Miami has won three straight against Montreal.Montreal has scored one goal in three matches since the World Cup break, going 0-2-1.Up nextMiami: Hosts the Columbus Crew on Saturday.Montreal: Hosts the New England Revolution on Saturday.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass The defensive line proved to be a major area of strength for the New England Patriots last season, with Milton Williams anchoring down the middle. But among them, many players emerged and made names for themselves, including Cory Durden.That's someone in particular who truly impressed Williams."Man, just a guy who came in and took advantage of this opportunity," Williams told reporters on Saturday after training camp. "Vrabes said you're going to get everything you work for on this team, and ever since he came in, he started on scout team, doing what he's doing on scout team. Started get reps with us. Kept handling his business, and he just kept getting more and more opportunities. And now he's where he's at. But he's got a chip on his shoulder. He's still trying to prove who he is and that he belongs."Durden's journey in the NFL was not an easy one, as he was cut by the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, and New York Giants across three seasons before ultimately landing with the Patriots. But it was a perfect match. And with that, Durden will now take on a bigger role, as he is expected to be the team's starting nose tackle after they lost Tonga to the Chiefs in free agency. "Just his energy. His length, he's a big guy. But he's athletic and smooth as well. Just having a guy like that in the middle," Williams highlighted. We're going to miss (Khyiris) Tonga. He was here last year. He was that big guy we had. But Cory's stepping in and trying to fill that void."Follow Patriots Wire onTwitterandFacebook.This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Former practice squad hopeful earns Patriots' Milton Williams' praise