1. Kurt Busch looking to make the final four
While little brother Kyle Busch is struggling to make it to the round of eight and defend his Cup Series title, big brother, Kurt Busch, is already locked in. In fact, he also has a good record at Kansas Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and Martinsville Raceway, which could allow the Chip Ganassi driver to make it to the final four on points alone.
As crazy as that might sound, especially with drivers like Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and Brad Keselowski all likely to nab a win in the next round, Busch just has to continue his consistency and he should be a lock for the next round. Of course, he is going to need to have better performances than Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr, and Joey Logano, but he could do it with a touch of good luck.
In the end, Kurt Busch hasn t exactly been on fire this season, but he has remained a consistent force for CGR when they need it. Furthermore, his veteran status in the sport, mixed with the bad luck from the rest of the field in the next three races, could result in Busch making the first final four of his 19-year Cup Series career.
2. Las Vegas Aces get swept in WNBA Finals
All good things must come to an end and unfortunately for the Las Vegas Aces, their season came to a screeching halt after being swept by the Seattle Storm in the finals. Keep in mind that this is the same team that went 18-4 without several of their star players, fought their way through the playoffs, and was close to capturing their first championship.
Of course, there is some upside to their season, especially since they managed to make it past the first round of the playoffs, but a sweep in the final series is just a bad way to end things. What makes it worse is the fact that the Aces were competing for Las Vegas first championship in sports history and who knows when another team will get close.
The problem with the Aces in this whole series seemed to be the fact that they couldn t contain Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart, who both put up monster numbers. The Storm also did a good job of limiting Angel McCoughtry and A ja Wilson from scoring, which made it difficult for the Aces to keep up with their white-hot offense.
In the end, the only thing to look forward to is next season, where the Aces will have Kelsey Plum and Liz Cambage back on the court to help with scoring. Maybe having a center like Cambage will also help strengthen the Aces defense as well.
3. Kyle Busch in danger of being eliminated from playoffs
Defending Cup Series Champion, Kyle Busch, is 21 points outside the final qualifying spot for the Round of Eight and now must navigate the tricky turns of the Charlotte Roval to keep his championship hopes alive. Unfortunately for Busch though, he hasn t finished better than 32nd in two tries at the course, which makes his chances of making it to the next round a virtual crapshoot.
The worst part is that Kyle Busch was doing great at last week s race at Talladega Super Speedway but just kept getting caught up in wreck after wreck. One particularly bad wreck sent his #18 Camry airborne and damaged the car s chassis. Busch was able to make up a few points throughout the rest of the race, but he was left with a 21-point deficit heading into the roval.
In the end, Kyle Busch s drop in performance over the last year is somewhat unexpected and a huge departure from the champion that stood tall at the end of last season. Furthermore, he has never let on as to whether his injuries in previous seasons are having an effect on him, or if the team just isn t where it was last year. Either way, it doesn’t look like he will get a chance to defend his championship.
4. Maurice Hurst tests positive for Covid-19
Covid-19 has already had a profound effect on the NFL this season and it looks like that is going to continue after Maurice Hurst tested positive for Coronavirus this week. The news comes only a few days after Patriots quarterback Cam Newton tested positive for the virus, ruining the Patriots game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hurst, who is a very important part of the Las Vegas Raiders’ defense, will be sorely missed this week. His absence could lead to them going 2-3 against the Chiefs. In fact, with Patrick Mahomes’ cannon of an arm and multiple weapons available to him, Sunday s game could end up being a blow-up if the Raiders don t find some way to stop them.
Just to give fans an idea of how critical Hurst is to the offense, he currently sits at eight tackles, one tackle for a loss, and four hits on the quarterback. If nothing else, Hurst is an effective pass rusher and was one of the pieces holding the defense together. How the Raiders do without him this weekend remains to be seen, but it could look ugly if the past four weeks are any indication.
5. 10 Raiders players fined for not following Covid-19 protocols at charity event
Speaking of Covid-19, 10 Las Vegas Raiders players were fined this week for not following safety protocols at a charity event hosted by Darren Waller s foundation. Waller himself was charged $30,000 for not wearing a mask at the event while quarterback Derek Carr was fined $15,000.
Nine other players were charged for not following safety protocol. Photos of the charity event surfaced online showing Derek Carr and several other players not wearing a mask in a crowded room. They were also caught mingling with guests and taking pictures with them. The point of the event was to raise money to help fight childhood addiction, but some worried the fundraiser would serve as a super spreader event.
I’m aware of that, yes,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said Monday after reports of the fines surfaced. “And I know our players are going to handle that individually and I know they regret any harm they may have caused, and they’re very sensitive about it and we’ll handle it the right way.”
At the time of this writing, no other Raiders players have tested positive for the virus, but that could easily change as their game against the Kansas City Chiefs draws closer. Hopefully, no one else comes down with the virus and the game is able to go on as scheduled, but who knows what could happen in the age of Covid-19.
