Latest news with #GarrettMitchell
The Drive
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Drive
Ram Could Return to NASCAR With YouTube Celebrity Cleetus McFarland: Report
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Every few months, the NASCAR rumor mill churns up some hearsay claiming that Dodge and/or Ram is returning to stock car racing. Said rumors occasionally gain real traction when someone important comments on them, like NASCAR President Steve Phelps did a few years back. Now, there's another piece of potential news claiming Ram could soon re-enter the Craftsman Truck Series with hugely popular YouTuber Cleetus McFarland behind the wheel. Here's why it might be legit. The report comes from Adam Stern at Sports Business Journal , who is especially well-sourced when it comes to NASCAR. He published the story on Sunday claiming that McFarland, whose real name is Garrett Mitchell, could be a key piece of the puzzle for Ram's NASCAR efforts come 2026. Stern cites 'four people familiar with the matter and a document seen by SBJ ' as his sources, and beyond that, the move would make a good deal of sense. Ram is a lot like Dodge in the sense that manly marketing is everything to its brand image. Whether it's talking about 'premature electrification' in high-value Super Bowl ads or playing up the ever-ballooning machismo of truck ownership, its reputation is strong—for better and for worse. It wouldn't be surprising to see Ram snag Mitchell, whose 4.4 million subscribers on YouTube triple NASCAR's own viewership on that platform. Plus, he appeals to the core demographic of horsepower-hungry 20- and 30-somethings that really kinda like the idea of burnouts and Baja trucks alike. Not only that, but Mitchell has some legit stock car racing experience. (Keyword: some .) As Stern and SBJ point out, Mitchell has made three ARCA starts so far with a pair of top-10 finishes to his credit. NASCAR made the most of that media opportunity last Sunday at Charlotte, where it dedicated a live stream to Mitchell's in-car feed while also blasting out his post-race interview on every social channel it has. Neither Mitchell nor NASCAR is a dummy when it comes to this. Still, it could be risky for Stellantis, Ram's parent company, to bet so much on a relatively new driver. It's in the middle of a CEO change as we speak, and you don't need me to tell you that isn't a sign of a thriving business. The claim that Ram is seriously considering a NASCAR return isn't unique to SBJ 's latest story. Instead, a supposedly leaked dealer memo sparked a fresh batch of headlines saying as much back in March. Importantly, there hasn't been any news since then saying those plans are off, and the idea that a new celebrity driver could lead the way seems to add credibility to it all. Either way, nothing has been officially announced yet, so we'll just have to see what comes of this. I'll be poking around in the meantime. Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@
Washington Post
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Slumping at the plate, Jackson Chourio makes a game-saving catch for the Brewers
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio has gone through some adversity this season as the 21-year-old tries to follow up a standout rookie year. The game-saving catch he made Sunday might just be the spark he needs. Chourio raced to his right, reached his gloved hand over the wall in left-center field and robbed Royce Lewis of a potential tying homer in the eighth inning of the Brewers' 5-2 victory that snapped the Minnesota Twins' 13-game winning streak. 'That's the first home-run robbery I've ever had,' said Chourio, who indicated through an interpreter that he hadn't even accomplished that feat during his meteoric run through the minor leagues. 'Just to be able to show the ability to do that, I'm happy about that.' Chourio played center field in the minors but typically was a corner outfielder last year, when he batted .275 with 21 homers and 79 RBIs to finish third in the NL rookie of the year balloting. His big season came after he signed an eight-year, $82 million contract, the largest given to a player without any major league experience. He has played center more often this year because of injuries to Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell. It hasn't been an entirely smooth transition. Chourio committed his first error in the majors on May 9 as Tampa Bay's José Caballero hit a single that got past him, enabling Taylor Walls to score from first and Caballero to end up on third in a game the Brewers lost 4-3 . Three nights later, Chourio misplayed a drive from Cleveland's Gabriel Arias and allowed the ball to go over his left shoulder, resulting in a three-run double that opened the scoring in a 5-0 defeat . He came through on Sunday, helping the Brewers get a needed win after they were shut out four times in a five-game stretch. 'Mistakes that happened in the past are mistakes,' Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta said. 'As a player, you should just work and get better, and then you can do something big in the next couple of days. That's exactly what happened. Today, he saved the game.' The Twins trailed 4-2 and had a runner on second when Chourio made his remarkable play, prompting Lewis to tip his helmet on the way to the dugout. 'If he doesn't catch that, I think we win the game for sure,' Lewis said. Chourio also showed he isn't letting his struggles at the plate carry over to the field. He's hitless in his last 18 at-bats and had grounded out just before the catch. Chourio is batting .242 with a .260 on-base percentage, seven homers, 25 RBIs and just four walks. That's not the type of start that was expected of Chourio after he closed his rookie season by hitting .455 with two homers in the Brewers' NL wild card series loss to the New York Mets. He continues to come through in big moments — this time with his glove. 'For him to come up with that is pretty darn special and shows you what we've got,' Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. 'He's 21 years old and going through the ups and downs of being in the big leagues, the pressure, everything that's been put on him. And for him to do that, it just goes to show you. That's huge.' ___ AP MLB:
Associated Press
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Slumping at the plate, Jackson Chourio makes a game-saving catch for the Brewers
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio has gone through some adversity this season as the 21-year-old tries to follow up a standout rookie year. The game-saving catch he made Sunday might just be the spark he needs. Chourio raced to his right, reached his gloved hand over the wall in left-center field and robbed Royce Lewis of a potential tying homer in the eighth inning of the Brewers' 5-2 victory that snapped the Minnesota Twins' 13-game winning streak. 'That's the first home-run robbery I've ever had,' said Chourio, who indicated through an interpreter that he hadn't even accomplished that feat during his meteoric run through the minor leagues. 'Just to be able to show the ability to do that, I'm happy about that.' Chourio played center field in the minors but typically was a corner outfielder last year, when he batted .275 with 21 homers and 79 RBIs to finish third in the NL rookie of the year balloting. His big season came after he signed an eight-year, $82 million contract, the largest given to a player without any major league experience. He has played center more often this year because of injuries to Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell. It hasn't been an entirely smooth transition. Chourio committed his first error in the majors on May 9 as Tampa Bay's José Caballero hit a single that got past him, enabling Taylor Walls to score from first and Caballero to end up on third in a game the Brewers lost 4-3. Three nights later, Chourio misplayed a drive from Cleveland's Gabriel Arias and allowed the ball to go over his left shoulder, resulting in a three-run double that opened the scoring in a 5-0 defeat. He came through on Sunday, helping the Brewers get a needed win after they were shut out four times in a five-game stretch. 'Mistakes that happened in the past are mistakes,' Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta said. 'As a player, you should just work and get better, and then you can do something big in the next couple of days. That's exactly what happened. Today, he saved the game.' The Twins trailed 4-2 and had a runner on second when Chourio made his remarkable play, prompting Lewis to tip his helmet on the way to the dugout. 'If he doesn't catch that, I think we win the game for sure,' Lewis said. Chourio also showed he isn't letting his struggles at the plate carry over to the field. He's hitless in his last 18 at-bats and had grounded out just before the catch. Chourio is batting .242 with a .260 on-base percentage, seven homers, 25 RBIs and just four walks. That's not the type of start that was expected of Chourio after he closed his rookie season by hitting .455 with two homers in the Brewers' NL wild card series loss to the New York Mets. He continues to come through in big moments — this time with his glove. 'For him to come up with that is pretty darn special and shows you what we've got,' Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. 'He's 21 years old and going through the ups and downs of being in the big leagues, the pressure, everything that's been put on him. And for him to do that, it just goes to show you. That's huge.' ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brewers 1, Reds 0: Sal Frelick's early RBI single puts Milwaukee in front
The Milwaukee Brewers will try for a fourth straight win Friday night at American Family Field when they take on the Cincinnati Reds. The Brewers handed the Reds their third straight 1-0 loss in the series opener Thursday. Advertisement Tyler Alexander will start on the mound for Milwaukee against Cincinnati's Nick Martinez. Tyler Alexander gets the start for the Brewers against the Reds in Game 2 of their four-game set Friday night at American Family Field. Garrett Mitchell gets rewarded Garrett Mitchell had yet to see much hard contact get rewarded this season, but a two-out line drive to left to drive home Sal Frelick in the second bucked that trend. It was Mitchell's first RBI of the season and got the Brewers ahead, 1-0. Tyler Alexander strikes out two in first inning, including Elly De La Cruz In his first start with the Brewers, lefty Tyler Alexander carved up the Reds in a 12-pitch first inning in which he struck out two. After TJ Friedl hit a warning-track flyout to open the game, Alexander got Spencer Steer to swing through a cutter and capped the inning off with a three-pitch punch out of Elly De La Cruz. What time is the Brewers game? Time: 7:10 p.m. CT What channel is the Brewers game on tonight? TV, stream TV channel: FanDuel Sports Network Advertisement Stream: Streaming is available on the FanDuel Sports Wisconsin app. Brewers lineup Brice Turang 2B Jackson Chourio LF Christian Yelich DH William Contreras C Sal Frelick RF Rhys Hoskins 1B Oliver Dunn 3B Garrett Mitchell CF Joey Ortiz SS Reds lineup TJ Friedl CF Matt McLain 2B Elly De La Cruz SS Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1B Jeimer Candelario DH Blake Dunn RF Gavin Lux LF Santiago Espinal 3B Austin Wynns C Brewers schedule Brewers vs. Reds, Saturday 6:10 p.m: Milwaukee RHP Elvin Rodríguez (0-1, 9.00) vs. Cincinnati RHP Brady Singer (1-0, 0.00). TV – FanDuel Sports Extra/FS1. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ. Brewers vs. Reds, Sunday 1:10 p.m: Milwaukee RHP Chad Patrick (0-0, 0.00) vs. Cincinnati RHP Carson Spiers (0-1, 1.50). TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – 620 AM WTMJ. Off-day Monday. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Brewers vs Cincinnati Reds channel, score, live game updates
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How to Watch PRO Superstar Shootout Drag Racing Spectacular at Bradenton
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." A blend of ground-pounding, side-by-side drag racing and a casual, festival-like feel marks the second edition of racer-organized, non-NHRA-sanctioned event A concert, more autograph sessions set as Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock drivers shake off-season cobwebs before Gatornationals Tony Stewart says chip draw 'adds another level of excitement to it' With social-media-savvy Garrett Mitchell (a.k.a. Cleetus McFarland) purchasing 50% of Florida's Bradenton Motorsports Park in late December, a bunch of elite drag racers cooped up all winter, and a concert at the end of the race Saturday featuring alternative/indie rock-pop artist and American Rebel CEO Andy Ross, the SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout Feb. 6-8 promises to be one big full-throttle entertainment experience. This second edition of the non-NHRA-sanctioned event organized by Professional Racers Owners Organization will showcase the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series' top drivers in the uniquely formatted event that starts with one round of qualifying Thursday night. Three rounds of qualifying follow Friday, with the non-traditional chip draw for Saturday's first round of eliminations. Saturday's action will feature three rounds of nitro eliminations for the quickest eight qualifiers and four rounds of Pro Stock (which fields 16 qualifiers), as well as the Top Fuel vs. Funny Car exhibitions for drivers outside the Top 8. Reigning NHRA champions Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Austin Prock (Funny Car) are among the competitors. Prock won this event last year. Scheduled to race in the Top Fuel class also are Justin Ashley, Doug Foley, Brittany Force, Josh Hart, Doug Kalitta, Shawn Langdon, Shawn Reed, and Tony Stewart. Mike Salinas will make his first appearance since last March as he gets back in the groove after undergoing heart surgery. And he'll do it with a twist: possibly racing against daughter Jasmine Salinas for the first time. Funny Car racers who are treating this race as a warm-up for the NHRA season-opening Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway are Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, Chad Green, Matt Hagan, Paul Lee, Dave Richards, Bob Tasca III, J.R. Todd, and Dan Wilkerson. Tasca was the talk of last year's event for—unofficially, as far as the NHRA was concerned—breaking the 340-mph barrier. 'We have a new crew chief and a new guy working on the bottom end of the race car coming into Bradenton. We'll view the event as one big test session to get back into the groove of things and make sure the guys are a well-oiled machine. Everything is about routine, so it'll be good to get that down,' Hagan said. Six-time champions Greg Anderson and Erica Enders will lead the Pro Stock class that's full of family feuders—the three Cuadra brothers (Fernando, Cristian, and David), father-son duo Chris and Mason McGaha, and uncle-nephew tandem Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Troy Coughlin Jr. Dallas Glenn, Eric Latino, Cory Reed, and Aaron Stanfield are entered. Tony Stewart, driver of the Johnson's Horsepowered Garage Dragster and PRO board member, said the event is 'exciting because you have teams and drivers that got together and decided to hold their own race and you know all the work that everyone has done. There's a real core group of about three people that have been really digging in and handling all the details of the event for PRO. It's great for all of us to be able to go down [to Florida] and get our season started off with some testing and then have an event at the same time and place. 'The event had such a great feel last year. I'm really excited about going back. The atmosphere was extremely laid back. It's a great opportunity to get the rust knocked off from the off-season and get back in the car and do what we love the most,' he said. PRO spokesman Elon Werner said, 'Customer service is key. We went into last year wanting to have an event with a different feel than a national event, and we succeeded. We wanted to give fans more access and provide new access for the broadcast (streamed on FloRacing). There will be a few more autograph sessions, and everyone is focused on making the fan experience even better both in person and for the viewing audience on FloRacing. 'The fans love the Top Fuel vs. Funny Car, and they love the access to the drivers. It is more relaxed than a national event. Drivers and crew chiefs are in the staging lanes. Also, the show on Saturday is pretty compact and exciting,' Werner said. He said PRO will highlight some Sick Week (the popular drag-and-drive event) competitors throughout the event. It's too early to tell what impact influencer Mitchell's (McFarland's) presence, with his four million-plus followers on social media, might have on the event or the sport in general, but Werner said, 'PRO is dedicated to growing the sport. We aren't really worried about who gets the credit. All the teams have been actively promoting the event and reaching out to fans of all ages.' After qualifying reveals who will advance to Saturday's eight-car field for eliminations, those drivers will participate in a random chip draw to determine who they'll line up against in Round 1. And Stewart said, 'I've never been part of a chip draw like that, especially in drag racing, so I think it adds just a different element to it. Instead of having the No. 1 qualifier go up against No. 8 on Saturday, you don't know who you will get. It could be 1 versus 2, and it could be 7 versus 8. 'But that's the exciting part about the chip draw—it's a wild-card factor,' he said. 'It can really change the complexion of a race day. It's not something that I think we want to do all the time, but for a special event like the PRO Superstar Shootout, I think it's an awesome element that just adds another level of excitement to it.' PRO invites its members and full-time professional teams to participate. Thursday, February 6 (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on Nitro qualifying session (Q1): 7:30 p.m. ET Friday, February 7 (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on Nitro qualifying session (Q2): 12:30 p.m. ET Nitro qualifying session (Q3): 4 p.m. ET Nitro qualifying session (Q4): 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, February 8 (Nitro Eliminations, streamed live on Round 1: 1:45 p.m. ET Round 2: 4 p.m. ET Finals: 7 p.m. ET
