Page 8600 – CWEB

Fitch Ratings downgraded its US debt rating from AAA+ to AA+

Business

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August 2, 2023

The credit rating firm Fitch Ratings has reduced the United States’ credit rating from its long-standing AAA status to AA+, which has shocked the financial community.

The United States loses its triple-A rating with the downgrade, making it the second major rating agency after Standard & Poor’s to do so. The downgrading by Fitch, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, was “arbitrary and based on outdated data.”

Alarms have been raised about the potential repercussions for the US economy and international financial markets following the downgrading, which occurred amid growing worries about the nation’s economic health.

For many years, the US’s financial strength and stability had been represented by the AAA grade, which allowed the government to borrow money at reduced interest rates and draw in international capital. The downgrading, however, denotes a decline in confidence in the country’s capacity to successfully handle its debt and economic difficulties.

Despite the bipartisan agreement in June to suspend the debt limit until January 2025, the rating agency claimed that standards of governance have been steadily declining over the past 20 years, notably in fiscal and financial problems. The benchmark indices may open significantly lower later Wednesday, according to a decline in U.S. stock futures during European trading.

The cost of insuring U.S. sovereign debt against default remained almost steady on the day, but the yield on the benchmark U.S. Treasury note decreased by 2 basis points to 4.03%, suggesting investors’ confidence in the downgrade’s longer-term effects.

The Republican Party is being blamed by the White House and the Biden campaign for the U.S.’s credit downgrading by Fitch on Tuesday, the first such downgrade in more than ten years. We strongly disagree with this decision.

Statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the Recent Decision by Fitch Ratings

“The ratings model used by Fitch declined under President Trump and then improved under President Biden, and it defies reality to downgrade the United States at a moment when President Biden has delivered the strongest recovery of any major economy in the world. And it’s clear that extremism by Republican officials—from cheerleading default, to undermining governance and democracy, to seeking to extend deficit-busting tax giveaways for the wealthy and corporations—is a continued threat to our economy.”

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Missing 27 yr. Old Goldman Sachs Analyst John Castic Found Dead in NYC Creek

Crime

CWEB Staff

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August 2, 2023

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In a perplexing turn of events, a 27-year-old Goldman Sachs employee has mysteriously vanished. The young professional went missing early on a Saturday morning, at 2:30 a.m., after leaving a concert at the Brooklyn Mirage, which is a distant venue in East Williamsburg. The incident has drawn the public’s attention and sparked questions about personal safety and security in metropolitan settings as friends, family, and law enforcement organizations look for answers.

His friend, Jonah Shales, reported Castic’s phone went dead shortly after he disappeared, Efforts to reach him by family members and friend have not been able to reach him. According to reports, Castic attended the concert at the Brooklyn Mirage with a group of friends. As the night progressed, the group lost sight of him, and attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.

According to authorities, his last known location was close to 1133 Grand Street, which is around half a mile from the music hall. According to a missing person flyer, he was last seen wearing khaki slacks and a white and navy-blue flowery shirt.

The Brooklyn Mirage is one of three concert venues housed at the Avant Gardner, with a capacity for 6,000 people. Castic is the second individual to go missing in recent weeks after visiting one of these venues.

Law enforcement agencies worked diligently to piece together Castic’s movements and uncover any leads that may help them locate him. In the meantime, it serves as a reminder for concertgoers and individuals frequenting urban settings to exercise caution and prioritize personal safety. If you are at a concert or nightlife venue, its important to let those who are close to you know where you are and that you come home safely.

Unfortunately, this incident did not end up finding John Castic alive. He was found dead, floating in a New York City creek.

According to a statement from the police, the city medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to ascertain Castic’s cause of death. The inquiry is still ongoing.
Karl Clemente, a 27-year-old psychologist, also went missing from the same concert venue on June 11 and was found dead in Newtown Creek five days later.

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Building Inspectors Remove X Sign Above San Francisco’s Twitter Building Over Complaints

Business

CWEB Staff

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August 2, 2023

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Building inspectors remove x sign above San Francisco’s twitter building. The unpermitted structure was the subject of twenty-four complaints, according to the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, which reported this on Monday. Concerns about the building’s illumination and structural safety were among the complaints.

The Twitter sign and recognizable blue bird emblem were taken from the structure by the Elon Musk-owned company, which has changed its name to X, last week. Due to the lack of the required approvals, the company had to temporarily halt that activity.

The enormous “X” sign, which Musk erected on top of the downtown skyscraper on Friday as part of his ongoing rebranding of the social media platform, is the subject of a complaint and an investigation by the city of San Francisco.

Our HQ in San Francisco tonight pic.twitter.com/VQO2NoX9Tz

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2023

Elon Musk certainly grabs attention and headlines wherever he goes. His amusing posts grab the attention of millions.

On social media sites like Twitter, where he constantly posts updates, ideas, and opinions, Elon Musk is highly active. His tweets frequently gain traction online, garnering attention and igniting debates. Musk is involved in many large-scale projects, such as renewable energy, space exploration, and electric vehicles. His businesses, Tesla, and SpaceX, have brought ground-breaking ideas and technologies, which inevitably generate a lot of press attention and public interest.

High-profile events are frequently held by Musk’s businesses to introduce new products, such as introducing new Tesla cars or showing SpaceX’s space flights. These occasions draw media interest and the public’s attention.

Memes and Internet Culture Participation

Musk has demonstrated a propensity for sharing memes and interacting with online communities. His popularity has grown as a result of winning over a younger audience.

Philanthropy and Social efforts

Elon Musk’s interest in philanthropy has also attracted good attention and improved his public image. Examples include his contributions to renewable energy research and educational efforts.

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Angus Cloud Star of HBO Series “Euphoria” Dies at 25

Celebrity

CWEB Staff

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August 2, 2023

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On the HBO series “Euphoria,” Angus Cloud played the part of drug dealer Fezco “Fez” O’Neill. He passed away at the age of 25.

According to Cloud’s publicist, Cait Bailey, the musician passed away on Monday at his Oakland, California, residence. The reason of death was not disclosed. At approximately 11:30 a.m., the Oakland Fire Department reported that it went to a medical emergency; however, the patient was “already deceased.” The fire department reported that there was no confirmed cause of death. The Oakland Police Department has stated that it is still an “active death investigation.”

Cloud’s family released a statement in which they paid tribute to “an artist, a friend, a brother, and a son.” “Last week he buried his father and intensely struggled with this loss,” the family said. “The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend. Angus was open about his battle with mental health, and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence.” “We hope the world remembers him for his humor, laughter and love for everyone.”

Before being cast in “Euphoria,” Cloud hadn’t done any acting. He was observed by casting scout Eléonore Hendricks as she passed him on the street in New York. Cloud initially resisted, thinking it was a con. After a meeting with the casting director Jennifer Venditti, the show’s creator Sam Levinson eventually added him as a co-star for the first two seasons of the show with Zendaya.

Cloud was an extraordinarily talented actor and was recently cast to co-star in “Scream 6.”

RIP Angus Cloud

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RHONJ celebrity Teresa Giudice calls celebrity Sofia Vergara ‘rudest woman’, web fans are shocked

Celebrity

CWEB

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August 2, 2023

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Celebrity Teresa Giudice recently commented once again on celebrity Sofia Vergara. The Real Housewives of New Jersey (RHONJ) star described the Modern Family alum as one of the rudest persons ever. The discussion took place with her co-host in a podcast as they had earlier been discussing celebrity Sofia Vergara’s divorce from celebrity husband Joe Manganiello.

The 51-year-old reality star who cohosts the podcast Namaste B$tches with Melissa Pfeister was discussing trainers and more when Melissa moved on to the topic of the recent divorce announcement between the celebrity couple Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello and Melissa said that Teresa had an acquaintanceship with Sofia Vergara.

The Bravo reality star said that both she and celebrity Sofia Vergara had attended an event together, way back in 2017. Their publicists decided that both the celebrity stars should take a picture together.

Teresa Guidice said that she heard Sofia Vergara telling her PR person, “Why are you making me take a picture with that lady?” The RHONJ star also sort off put on an accent as she mocked a Colombian/Spanish accent when she said the words.

Teresa said that she had not wanted to take a picture with Sofia Vergara and that she had not asked her to take a picture with her.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sofia Vergara (@sofiavergara)

Teresa also said that she was like, “How rude. You’re not a humble person. You forgot where you came from.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TERESA GIUDICE ® (@teresagiudice)

The Real Housewives of New Jersey star also mentioned Sofia Vergara’s native place Colombia and said she was not “down to earth” and more and also called her “the rudest (sic) woman” she had ever met.

While RHONJ celebrity Teresa Giudice repeated an incident that happened in 2017, celebrity Sofia Vergara has remained silent. However, her web fans have called out Teresa Giudice for her unbecoming behavior and comments.

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WTA News: Venus Williams awarded wild card for Western & Southern Open

CWEB

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August 2, 2023

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WTA News: Venus Williams awarded wild card for Western & Southern Open

Venus Williams was awarded a wild card for the 2023 Western & Southern Open.

Williams lost her opening match at Wimbledon, where the seven-time Grand Slam champion entered as a wild card but lost momentum when she slid to her back at the net and tweaked her knee before losing to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the opening round.

The 43-year-old Williams has 49 career singles titles.

Play begins Aug. 15 on the hard courts at the Western & Southern Open with five current or former World No. 1-ranked women, including Williams, in the field. Last year, she lost in straight sets in the opening round to Karolina Pliskova, another former No. 1.

Williams received a wild-card entry to next week’s Canadian Open in Montreal.

–Field Level Media

ATP News: ATP roundup: Frances Tiafoe advances in Washington

CWEB

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August 2, 2023

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ATP News: ATP roundup: Frances Tiafoe advances in Washington

United States countrymen Frances Tiafoe and Brandon Nakashima showed off their tiebreaker prowess on Tuesday at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, winning their matches by taking back-to-back tiebreakers in Washington.

Tiafoe, the second seed, got past Russia’s Aslan Karatsev 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) in second-round action. Neither player broke serve in the match, with Tiafoe saving four break points and Karatsev saving two.

In the first-set tiebreaker, Tiafoe jumped out to a 4-1 lead before prevailing on his third set point. In the second-set tiebreaker, Karatsev led 5-3 before Tiafoe won the final four points.

Nakashima edged Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic 7-6 (5), 7-6 (9) in a first-round match. Vukic had two set points in the second-set tiebreaker before Nakashima wrapped it up on his third match point.

Russia’s Alexander Shevchenko knocked out eighth-seeded Sebastian Korda of the U.S. 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-4 in a second-round match.

Other second-round winners were fifth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, Chinese qualifier Juncheng Shang, Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori and the United States’ Michael Mmoh.

Japanese lucky loser Sho Shimabukuro, U.S. qualifier Zachary Svajda and Australians Thanasi Kokkinakis and Jordan Thompson earned first-round victories.

Generali Open

Eighth-seeded Daniel Altmaier of Germany rallied for a 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 win over Switzerland’s Marc-Andrea Huesler in the first round at Kitzbuhel, Austria.

Altmaier came through in the match’s key moments, saving three of the four break points that he faced and converting all four of his break opportunities.

Fifth-seeded Laslo Djere of Serbia downed Australia’s Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 7-6 (4), but seventh-seeded Serbian Dusan Lajovic lost 6-3, 6-2 to China’s Zhizhen Zhang. Austria’s Dominic Thiem, Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild and France’s Arthur Rinderknech also logged opening-round wins.

Mifel Tennis Open

Fifth-seeded Alex de Minaur of Australia overcame an inconsistent serving performance to beat Tunisia’s Skander Mansouri 6-4, 6-4 in the first round at Los Cabos, Mexico.

de Minaur put just 47 percent of his first serves in play, but those serves were effective when they were accurate, as he won 22 of 26 points. He failed to save any of the three break points on his serve, but he broke Mansouri’s serve on five of 11 opportunities.

Seventh-seeded Dominik Koepfer of Germany cruised to a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Chile’s Tomas Barrios Vera. Also winning their openers were sixth-seeded Nicolas Jarry of Chile, Belarus’ Ilya Ivashka, Croatia’s Borna Gojo, Australia’s James Duckworth and Taiwanese lucky loser Jason Jung.

–Field Level Media

OTHER News: Michael Guest gets 1st win, improbable eNASCAR playoff berth

CWEB

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August 2, 2023

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OTHER News: Michael Guest gets 1st win, improbable eNASCAR playoff berth

Michael Guest survived a pair of overtime finishes, a wreck-filled final lap and a wild rush to the checkered flag to book a spot in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series playoffs with his first career win at a virtual Pocono Raceway on Tuesday night, the final race of the regular season.

In winning for the first time in 106 career starts, Guest earned a playoff berth he otherwise would not have gotten on points. He led at each of the final three restarts, jumping out in front each time. In the final restart, however, his No. 45 Toyota was neck-and-neck with Nick Ottinger’s No. 25 Chevrolet coming to the white flag — even trailing at the line.

As the teams made it down the second straightaway and entered Turn 3 at the three-cornered “Tricky Triangle,” the No. 7 Ford of Malik Ray got a big run and split the two lead cars, allowing Guest to pull away slightly with the break of the side draft. As the cars came out of the turn, Matt Bussa got into the back of Ottinger, his teammate. None of the contact resulted in a wreck, but all of the bumping allowed Guest to remain clear as the checkered flag dropped.

“It feels great. I definitely wanted to win one of these before I stopped,” the Brownsburg, Ind., resident said. “I’m like six years in so, I’m glad it finally paid off. …

“I feel like I should have made (the playoffs) the last two years, I just didn’t get the win.”

As for teammates tangling and all of the aggressive driving at the finish (multiple accidents took place back in the field on the final lap), there was good reason. All four of the second- through fifth-place finishers also entered the race without a win, so they were battling to make the playoffs on points.

The only driver to come out of the chaos with any happiness was Ottinger, who entered the race with the most points of any driver without a win, and two spots in the playoffs up for grabs. As Guest took one of them with the victory, Ottinger grabbed the 10th and final postseason berth on points.

Officially, Ray finished second, 0.184 seconds behind Guest, followed by three cars within four-hundredths of a second of one another: Dylan Duval in the No. 41 Ford, Ottinger and Bussa in the No. 97 Chevrolet.

“I could have just had no regard and just try to drive through Mike (Guest) like other people were doing,” said Ray, the Greer, S.C., resident who started from the back of the field and actually lost contact with the server at one point during the race. “I’m just not going to race like that.”

The playoffs begin in two weeks, on Aug. 15 at a virtual Michigan International Speedway.

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series playoff field
Rank, Driver (Car No.), Manufacturer
1. Bobby Zalenski (18), Toyota
2. Michael Conti (8), Chevrolet
3. Tucker Minter (33), Chevrolet
4. Casey Kirwan (95), Chevrolet
5. Jordy Lopez (3), Chevrolet
6. Steven Wilson (10), Ford
7. Garrett Lowe (15), Ford
8. Michael Guest (45), Toyota
9. Jimmy Mullis (46), Chevrolet
10. Nick Ottinger (25), Chevrolet

–Field Level Media

CSGO News: ENCE, G2 win groups, earn byes at IEM Cologne

CWEB

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August 2, 2023

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CSGO News: ENCE, G2 win groups, earn byes at IEM Cologne

The playoff field for the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne event in Germany is set, and ENCE and G2 Esports have the most coveted spots in the field.

The two teams completed unbeaten runs through the group brackets on Tuesday, earning byes and landing a spot in the semifinals of the $1 million event. Team Vitality will face Cloud9 in one quarterfinal, while Heroic and Astralis square off in the other.

The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament began last Wednesday with 16 teams competing in the double-elimination play-in stage. Opening matches were best-of-one, with all additional matches best-of-three.

Eight teams advanced to the group stage, which also featured eight teams that previously qualified: G2 Esports, FaZe Clan, Team Vitality, ENCE, Heroic, Cloud9, Natus Vincere and GamerLegion.

A pair of group stages, both double-elimination with matches best-of-three, completed play Tuesday. Each group winner earned a berth in the playoff semifinals while the upper-bracket runners-up and lower-bracket winners got the four quarterfinal slots. The single-elimination playoffs run Friday through Sunday, with the quarterfinals and semifinals best-of-three and the grand final best-of-five.

The championship side will receive $400,000 and a berth in the 2024 IEM Katowice event. The runner-up will get $180,000.

On Tuesday, Group B play began with a pair of lower-bracket semifinal matches.

Natus Vincere swept FaZe Clan, winning 16-6 on Mirage and 19-17 on Overpass, while Astralis swept MOUZ with a 16-8 win on Ancient and a 16-11 victory on Nuke.

From there, Astralis beat NAVI in three games to earn a playoff spot. The first map, Ancient, was an overtime marathon, with Astralis ultimately winning 25-23. NAVI responded with a 16-9 win on Nuke, but Astralis took the winner-take-all map, Overpass, 16-12 to earn a playoff spot.

In the upper-bracket final, G2 pulled off a reverse-sweep of Vitality by taking Vertigo 16-10 and Mirage 16-8 after dropping Inferno 19-17 in overtime.

In Group A, Cloud9 sat one map from elimination but won the final two maps to survive the lower-bracket final and send GamerLegion home. GamerLegion won 16-11 on Inferno to open the contest, but Cloud9 responded with a 16-11 win on Ancient and a 19-17 victory on Mirage in overtime to take the match.

ENCE earned the Group A bye with a 2-1 win over Heroic in the upper-bracket final. ENCE won 16-12 on Nuke to open the contest, but Heroic answered with a 16-8 win on Overpass. ENCE then took Mirage 16-14 to take the match.

Intel Extreme Masters Cologne playoff quarterfinals:
Friday
–Team Vitality vs. Cloud9
–Heroic vs. Astralis

Semifinals:
Saturday
–Vitality-Cloud9 winner vs. ENCE
–Heroic-Astralis winner vs. G2 Esports

Intel Extreme Masters Cologne prize pool
1. $400,000, 2024 IEM Katowice berth
2. $180,000
3-4. $80,000
5-6. $40,000
7-8. $24,000 — GamerLegion, Natus Vincere
9-12. $16,000 — Fnatic, Monte, FaZe Clan, MOUZ
13-16. $10,000 — The MongolZ, 9INE, OG, Ninjas in Pyjamas
17-20. $4,500 — FURIA Esports, Apeks, Team Liquid, Imperial Esports
21-24. $2,500 — Into the Breach, Complexity Gaming, BIG, Grayhound Gaming

–Field Level Media

NAS News: Weekend Preview: Richmond Raceway & Road America

CWEB

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August 2, 2023

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NAS News: Weekend Preview: Richmond Raceway & Road America

RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond (Va.) Raceway has long been called the “Action Track.”

When the NASCAR Cup Series visits for Sunday’s Cook Out 400 (3 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), it may also be the “Re-action Track” — with emotions still high from a drama-filled day at Pocono, Pa., last week and Playoff positions on the line with only five races remaining in the regular season.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson, who finished 21st after battling Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin in a door-to-door feud for the Pocono checkered flag, won at the three-quarter mile Richmond track in April.

The normally mild-mannered 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson — who is close friends with Hamlin off the track — was visibly upset with the aggressive move Hamlin used to take the lead from him — and cruise to victory — in the closing laps at Pocono. Larson suggested afterward he would start racing drivers in the same manner as they race him; more aggressively if warranted.

Whatever method he uses, a win on Sunday would make Larson only the 12th driver to win consecutive races at Richmond.

“All of our wins this year have been on short tracks; Richmond, Martinsville (Va.) and (the All-Star Race) North Wilkesboro (N.C.),” Larson said. “We were good at Loudon (N.H.) — even compared to the teammates. Honestly, we have been pretty good everywhere this year.

“I’m excited about going to Richmond this weekend and going back to a track that we won at earlier this year,” the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet continued. “As the season progresses, set-ups change, and the weather is going to be different than it was earlier in the year. It’s not going to be the same, but I’m confident because we have been good at all the short tracks.”

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick — the 2014 series champion who is retiring at the end of the season — is the defending winner of Sunday’s race. He’s still looking for his first victory of 2023, although he is the highest-ranked driver in the points standings without a win. His 18 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes are best among active drivers.

Primed to rally after a disappointing showing at Pocono last week is two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, whose six Richmond wins are most among drivers. He has been running at the finish in all 35 NASCAR Cup Series races he’s competed in at the track and completed all but a single lap in that span — 14,208 of 14,209 laps possible. That equals 10,521 miles or 21 round trips from his Richard Childress Racing shop in Welcome, N.C., to Richmond Raceway.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott is still competing for his first trophy of the year, however, after missing six races (five recovering from injury and one for a NASCAR penalty), the 2020 series champ is still 56 points from the 16-driver cutoff line (21st place in the standings) and will most likely need to win a race to extend his perfect career Playoff record to eight years.

Elliott’s Hendrick teammate Alex Bowman also finds himself in a need-to-win situation after missing three races while recovering from an accident he suffered in a mid-week sprint car race back in April. He has qualified for the Playoffs all five of his preceding years with the Hendrick team, winning races in each of the last four seasons.

And then there is the more obvious drama for those surrounding that all-important 16th-place points position in the championship standings. Going into Richmond 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace is 15th in points, 27 points above postseason cutoff, and Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell is in 16th — just 17 points up on the cutoff.

There are three others within reasonable striking distance. Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger has moved into that 17th place slot — only 17 points behind McDowell. Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez is 23 points behind Front Row Motorsports’ McDowell. Joe Gibbs Racing rookie Ty Gibbs is now 28 points out of earning a Playoff bid in his first full NASCAR Cup Series season.

Among these five drivers, Suarez (16.1) has the best average finish at Richmond, followed by Allmendinger (22.1), Gibbs (22.5), Wallace (23.6) and McDowell (30.4).

Of note, Allmendinger is making a rare competitive double. He’s also racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Elkhart Lake, Wis., on Saturday so will have Derek Kraus practice and qualify his No. 16 Kaulig Chevrolet on Saturday before returning to race it in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race.

Of the six previous short track races, current NASCAR Cup Series driver standings leader Martin Truex Jr. (Dover, Del. and New Hampshire) and Larson (Martinsville, Va., and Richmond, Va.) are multi-time short track winners already in 2023, joining William Byron (Phoenix) and Christopher Bell (Bristol, Tenn., dirt track) on the list. All four of these drivers ranked among the top-10 in the Cup Series driver standings.

Truex, who leads the championship by 30 points over Byron, boasts the best average short-track finishing position (6.6) this season and Byron holds the best average start (6.5) at the previous short-track stops.

Six different drivers have won the last six races at Richmond. Among those still needing to race into the Playoffs, Bowman (2021) is the only one with a former Richmond trophy.

Practice and Busch Light Pole Qualifying take place Saturday and will air on USA network from 12:35-2:30 p.m. ET.

XFINITY Series different winners are the norm at Road America.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to the Midwest for Saturday afternoon’s Road America 180 (3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the historic Elkhart Lake, Wisc., road course where there has never been a repeat winner to date — 13 race winners in as many Xfinity Series races.

It’s the longest active streak among series’ tracks to go without a repeat champ, but there are three drivers that could change that this weekend. Allmendinger (2012), Jeremy Clements (2017) and Justin Allgaier (2018) are all former Road America winners competing this weekend.

Allgaier, who will be making his 450th NASCAR Xfinity series start this weekend, currently boasts the best road-course record of the season among series regulars with four finishes of seventh or better, including a runner-up showing at Portland, Ore., and a third-place at the Chicago Street Course.

Fans — and competitors — can typically expect excitement on the series’ road course venues and it comes after a dramatic weekend in Pocono, Pa., where Austin Hill took the lead on an overtime restart to beat the day’s most dominant driver JR Motorsports’ Josh Berry for the victory. Hill is now tied with his closest championship rival, John Hunter Nemechek, with four wins each.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver Nemechek holds a 13-point advantage over Richard Childress Racing’s Hill atop the championship standings — the pair having separated themselves from the field. Allgaier is 55 points behind Nemechek.

It’s reasonable to expect some movement in the championship standings with seven regular-season races remaining and only seven race winners with a lock on a Playoff berth.

Currently challenging for that 12th and final Playoff transfer position, 13th-ranked Parker Kligerman is only 26 points behind 12th-place Riley Herbst. Kligerman is 2-for-2 in Top-10s at Road America scoring a third-place (2013) and a 10th-place (2017) in his only starts there. Herbst also has a pair of Top-10s at Elkhart Lake, including back-to-back seventh-place finishes in the past two seasons.

Practice (5 p.m. ET) followed by qualifying for the Road America 180 is set for Friday and will be televised on USA Network and streamed on the NBC Sports App.

–NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series to Decide Regular Season Champion, Playoff Field at Richmond

This is it. After 15 races, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Regular Season Champion will be crowned and the 10-driver Playoff field formalized following Saturday’s Worldwide Express 250 at Richmond Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Six drivers have already earned their Playoff position by virtue of wins and a seventh, Ty Majeski has clinched a spot based on points. That leaves three Playoff openings to be decided. A regular-season champion will also be crowned this weekend, TRICON Garage driver Corey Heim, 20, is currently the points leader and will need to collect 19 points to clinch the title and the additional 15-point Playoff bonus awarded the Regular Season Champion.

Reigning series champ Zane Smith, Grant Enfinger, Ben Rhodes, Christian Eckes and Carson Hocevar have also already secured their positions in the Playoffs with a win.

Matt DiBenedetto, Nick Sanchez and Matt Crafton currently hold the remaining Playoff-eligible positions based on points. The three-time series champion Crafton holds a nine-point advantage over 11th-place Stewart Friesen. Sanchez is 21 points up on Friesen.

Of course, there is the very real chance that a driver below the cutoff line wins a race and bypasses a competitor currently in the Playoffs on points. Enfinger, however, is the only full-time driver competing this weekend to have a previous Richmond victory (2020).

Not only is Sanchez hoping to secure that Playoff position, but he also goes into Saturday night’s race with an impressive lead on the rookie standings — more than 100 points up on Jake Garcia. Last week at Pocono, the two young talents started alongside one another on the front row. Should Sanchez qualify for the Playoffs he would automatically earn the series’ Sunoco Rookie of the Year award.

The 2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs will begin Aug. 8 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

–By Holly Cain, NASCAR NewsWire, Special to Field Level Media

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