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Metro
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson dies aged 79 after Alzheimer's diagnosis
Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson has died (Picture:for Texas Motor Speedway) Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson has dies aged 79, his family have confirmed. The reality star's loved ones have confirmed his sad death five months after revealing he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in December. His son Jase Robertson wrote on X: 'My dad has gone to be with the Lord today! 'He will be missed but we know he is in good hands, and our family is good because God is very good! We will see him again!' Robertson's granddaughter Sadie Robertson Huff shared a piece of Bible scripture from Corinthians, which read: 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.' She added: 'As I was sitting with Papaw Phil today, I thought about this verse… he has already experienced this on earth—going from dead to alive by the power of Christ! Robertson's family confirmed his Alzheimer's diagnosis in December 2024 (Picture:) He rose to fame with his family on reality show Duck Dynasty, which ran until 2017 (Picture: Art Streiber/THA/Shutterstock) 'It was his testimony that changed his life, our families life, and thousands of others. Now he is experiencing it in the fullness. Fully alive in Christ. The new has come. 'One of the last things he said to me was 'full strength ahead!' Amen!' And the late star's son Willie Robertson and his wife Korie said in a joint Instagram post: 'We celebrate today that our father, husband, and grandfather, Phil Robertson, is now with the Lord.' They also reference the Bible, saying the reality star 'reminded us often of the words of Paul'. The show sparked plenty of spin-offs (Picture: Karolina Wojtasik/THA/Shutterstock) They quoted: 'You do not grieve like those who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.' They thanked fans for their 'love and prayers', and anyone who has been 'impacted by his life saved by grace, by his bold faith, and by his desire to tell everyone who would listen the Good News of Jesus'. They continued: 'We know so many of you love him and have been impacted by his life. 'We're having a private service for now, but we'll share details soon about a public celebration of his life.' Robertson's family quoted scripture in their tributes (Picture:) His family made him 'comfortable' for his final weeks (Picture: Karolina Wojtasik/THA/Shutterstock) In April, months after his diagnosis, Jase confirmed his father was 'not good'. 'We're making him comfortable, and we're doing the best we can. I think that's just what you do,' he said on the Unashamed with the Robertson Family podcast. Phil and his wife Kay Robertson rose to fame on Duck Dynasty, which aired for 11 series until 2017, followed by plenty of spin-offs. In January, it was confirmed a reboot was in the works as Duck Dynasty: The Revival. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. Arrow MORE: Injured WWE star returns after 6 months to join 'unstoppable' group Arrow MORE: 'I'm a buff WWE wrestler but I've always struggled with body image' Arrow MORE: Race Across the World fans share their biggest problem with new season
Reuters
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
For Josh Berry, competitive performance is antidote to frustration
May 17 - After his victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the fifth NASCAR Cup Series race of the season, Josh Berry's luck went from bad to worse. On March 30 at Martinsville Speedway, Berry led 40 laps before electrical problems in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford -- necessitating a battery change -- dropped him to 32nd at the finish. A week later, a crash on Lap 195 ended a promising run at Darlington Raceway. After a 12th-place finish at Bristol, Berry drew a speeding penalty at Talladega that dropped him to a 26th-place result. He led 41 laps with an extremely fast car on May 4 at Texas Motor Speedway, before the bumps in the final corner upset his car and shot the No. 21 Mustang into the outside wall. After he scraped the wall during qualifying last Sunday at Kansas Speedway, Berry's fortunes began to improve. He drove from his 38th starting position to finish sixth, despite a pit road speeding penalty that sent him to the back of the field for a second time. Rather than becoming frustrated by his series of misfortunes, Berry has been buoyed by the speed in his cars. "The frustration is considerably less compared to last year," Berry said of his lame-duck season at Stewart-Haas Racing. "Being competitive is the biggest thing. That's the hardest thing to figure out is how to be fast and lead these races and get yourself in contention, and we've done that a lot. "It's frustrating to make mistakes and those mistakes fall on me, but all we can do is just continue to put me in that position and keep working on those things and getting better and the finishes will come. We're fortunate to have that win in the bank and, like I said, I'm not very frustrated with how it's been going. "Last week (at Kansas), I think we had a chance at that one if I didn't speed on pit road, so that one stung a little bit more, but all in all, our whole team is doing a great job. Our cars are fast, and we've just got to do the little things a little bit better, and we'll be up there." --Christopher Bell needs more speed on intermediate tracks After winning three straight NASCAR Cup Series races early this season, Bell hasn't fallen off the face of the earth -- but at times it might feel that way to the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. The reason? A lack of optimal performance at intermediate speedways. The finishes may not show the deficiency, because Bell acknowledges that he and his team have been outperforming the potential in the cars. In the three most recent downforce races, Bell ran third at Darlington Raceway, ninth at Texas Motor Speedway and a fast-closing second at Kansas Speedway, but to the driver, those results are somewhat illusory. "Well, I wouldn't say that I'm not surprised that we haven't won (since the three-race streak) because winning is very hard, but I've definitely been surprised about just lacking pace on the intermediate tracks," Bell said. "At the end of last year, we did really well at the intermediates, and (were among) the strongest contenders. "And then the last couple of weeks, week-in and week-out, we just haven't been there yet. Hopefully, we make gains on it. I feel like Kansas was a little bit better than what we had at Texas and Darlington, so if we can make another step like that going into Charlotte, maybe we will be contending for the win, but we are definitely lacking a little bit at this point in time." Charlotte was good to Bell last year. He led 90 laps and won the Coca-Cola 600, which was shortened from 400 laps to 249 because of rain. --North Wilkesboro brings a new experience to modified driver Tim Connolly News of his selection as one of the top 40 drivers in the history of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour left Connolly speechless -- a rarity for the popular, garrulous competitor. Connolly was driving from his home in New York to North Wilkesboro Speedway when he got the news. "Pretty big surprise," Connolly said of his selection as one of the first 10 drivers revealed during the 40th anniversary of the series. "A lot of great company out there. It's like race weekend -- it's a tough field. "It's just very flattering, very honored and also humbling." A former star quarterback at Ithaca College, Connolly found his calling in racing. His career blossomed when he landed a ride in the iconic "Mystic Missile," the No. 4 car owned by Robert Garbarino. In 1997, driving Garbarino's car, Connolly claimed four of his nine career victories and finished second in the series standings. Connolly ran three races in 2002 and subsequently left the tour, only to return in 2023 at age 62 with his own car. But Connolly faces a new experience in Sunday's Whelen Modified Tour race at North Wilkesboro. Ryan Newman, not Connolly, will be driving the car. "I miss the seat horribly-I won't lie to you," said Connolly, who is on his third back surgery. "The problem is I keep forgetting I'm 64. I'm not making any promises to anyone about anything right now. I'm going to keep my mouth shut and my options open." Even with a fierce competitor like Newman in his car, Connolly said it will be difficult to spend the race as a spectator. "I want to kick Ryan out and get back in my car," Connolly quipped. "You've got a lot of big names in the show. It's not going to be a lot of fun being on the sidelines, honestly. I'd rather be out there. "This will be my first time, having somebody else drive my car. I don't even let people drive my passenger car. I don't let anyone drive my hauler other than me." By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media
Forbes
11-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Texas Ride-Alongs Bring Back Nostalgic Thrills Of Years Gone By
NASCAR Racing Experience setting up for business at Texas Motor Speedway, May 10, 2025. Tim Bovasso It was 22 years back that I had run laps at Texas Motor Speedway. I was younger then, and had set up a test to clock an average lap in an Indy car at over 200 mph, a pretty daunting task for a journalist who is not a pro race-car driver. Put into perspective, the average speed the real-deal IndyCar drivers turn laps is around 220 mph. To achieve my 200-mph dream, which was hatched in 1977 when Tom Sneva first broke the 200-mph barrier at Indy, I would need to run a lap in under 27 seconds on the 1.5-mile-long Texas oval. With the help of race team owner Sam Schmidt and NASCAR Racing Experience (NRE) founder and CEO Bob Lutz, I raised $25,000 for two charities - the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation and Racing For Kids - to stage the test. As preparation, I ran more than 100 lead-follow laps in Lutz's Indy cars at Texas. Forbes writer Jim Clash prepares for a 200-mph test at Texas Motor Speedway, October 16, 2002. Steve McNeely When the big day arrived, I was given 10 laps to hit the 200 mph average in a Sam Schmidt Indy car that had competed in the big Texas Indy race the previous day. Sure enough, on the 10th lap, I hit 201.2 mph (see video). I had achieved my dream, and two charities were $25,000 richer. Win-win, but a real nail-biter. Fast forward to this past weekend where I returned to the speedway for the first time since 2002, except now I was not in an Indy car, but a slower (albeit safer) stock car. And I wasn't running laps by myself. I was giving rides to NRE customers. That meant that I had someone else's well-being in my hands. I was a bit nervous beforehand. The track had been reconfigured in 2017, lowering the banking in Turn 1 and 2 to 20 degrees versus 24 degrees in the past. That meant I would have to back off somewhat going into Turn 1. Turns 3 and 4 were still 24 degrees. Tornado chaser Tim Bovasso (left) and cave explorer Bill Steele, Texas Motor Speedway, May 10, 2025. Jim Clash Mostly I give rides at Daytona International Speedway, a longer oval at 2.5 miles. So I wasn't used to driving at a shorter, tighter track. But there would be some muscle memory from 2002, I was thinking. Some of the Daytona support crew were at Texas as well, so that gave me an additional layer of comfort. My first laps were eye-opening. While the speeds are slightly lower at Texas than at Daytona, I found that things come at you much more rapidly, and the G-forces in the car are higher due to a tighter turning radius. You have to focus 100 percent of the time running on a 1.5-mile track. But once I settled in and began giving rides to NRE customers, I felt right at home. Two friends came over in the morning - cave-diver Bill Steele and tornado hunter Tim Bovasso. They had a blast on their rides. Later on, it was packed. Between three drivers, myself one of them, we gave in excess of 170 rides due to a number of unscheduled walk-ups. It wasn't 200 mph - more like 160 - but it felt good to be giving out bucket-list experiences. There were folks there from countries including Australia, Puerto Rico, France and England who had come to Texas just for a ride. After having been in the car from 8:30 am to 4:30 p.m., I was exhausted. Later, though, I thought about my 200-mph run in 2002 and realized how special it was. I was running laps in the high 30-second range in the stock car, whereas it was a blistering 26 seconds in the Indy car. Huge difference. Dinner at a Roanoke, Texas, barbecue restaurant after a busy day at the racetrack. (L-R) Texas Motor Speedway track operations manager Todd Bell, ride-driver Marc Ludwick and spotter Wade Messina. Jim Clash That said, I would never attempt that 2002 test again. Crazy fast and exceedingly dangerous. But what did I know back then? I was fearless in my youth, as I'm sure is the case with many folks.
