There was celebration for Denny Hamlin and great concern for Ryan Newman at the end of the Daytona 500. Hamlin is the first driver to win back-to-back Daytona 500s since Sterling Marlin in 1994 and '95. But Hamlin's celebration quickly became muted as drivers awaited an update on Newman's condition following a crash at the end.
Two hours after the race, NASCAR read a statement from Roush Fenway Racing that said Newman is in "serious condition, but doctors have indicated his injuries are not life threatening." Newman had surged into the lead on the final lap when Ryan Blaney's bumper caught the back of his Ford and sent Newman hard right into the wall. His car flipped, rolled and was hit on the driver's side by Corey LaJoie's car before finally skidding across the finish line in flames. It took several minutes for his car to be rolled back onto its wheels. The 2008 Daytona 500 winner was placed in a waiting ambulance and taken directly to a hospital, and the damage to his Mustang was extensive. It appeared the entire roll cage designed to protect his head had caved. Newman's accident comes 19 years after Dale Earnhardt was killed on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt was the last driver killed in a NASCAR Cup Series race.
The 0.014 margin of victory was the second closest in race history. Chris Buescher finished third, followed by David Ragan and Kevin Harvick.
NHL
The Islanders are 0-3 on their four-game road trip after Antti Raanta stopped 25 shots and Conor Garland scored his team-leading 20th goal in Arizona's 2-1 victory over New York. Clayton Keller put the Coyotes ahead for good with a first-period goal. The Isles hadn't scored on their trip until Anthony Beauvillier beat Raanta with 13:18 remaining.
No goals for Alex Ovechkin, and no points for the Washington Capitals in the NHL standings. The Vegas Golden Knights knocked off a Metropolitan Division contender for the second straight game, carrying a 3-0 lead into the third period before holding off the Capitals, 3-2. Goals by Nick Holden, Reilly Smith and Max Pacioretty helped the Knights pull into a first-place tie with Edmonton in the Pacific Division. Marc-Andre Fleury turned back 27 shots and blanked Washington until T.J. Oshie scored twice in a 1:53 span midway through the final period. Ovechkin has failed to collect a point in five games since his hat trick against the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 4. He remains two goals shy of becoming the eighth player in NHL history with 700 goals or more. The outcome keeps the Capitals just one point ahead of Pittsburgh for first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins have two games in hand.
Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning picked up their team-record 11th straight win to pull within one point of Boston for the Atlantic Division lead. The Lightning squandered a 3-1 lead before Nikita Kucherov stole the puck from Nathan MacKinnon and scored 3:03 into overtime to push the Bolts past the Avalanche. Cameron Gaunce and Alex Killorn scored 16 seconds apart during the Bolts' three-goal second period before Colorado came back to force overtime. Steven Stamkos also scored and Curtis McElhinney stopped 24 shots for Tampa Bay. Valeri Nichuskin tied it for Colorado with 7:17 left in the third period. Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who are one point behind St. Louis and Dallas for the Central Division lead.
Andrew Mangiapane had three goals and an assist in leading the Flames to a 6-4 victory over the Ducks. Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and an assist for Calgary, which trailed 3-1 early in the third period. Sam Bennett and Sean Monahan also scored to back Cam Talbot, who made 26 stops.
Evgenii Dadonov notched his 24th goal and Mike Hoffman added his 22nd as the Panthers downed the Sharks, 5-3 in San Jose. Anton Stralman and Vincent Trochek added goals in the final three minutes to secure Florida's first win in three games. Aaron Ekblad had two assists and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 29 shots for Florida.
In NHL news, the Sabres have suspended defenseman Zach Bogosian for failing to report to the team's AHL affiliate at Rochester after clearing waivers. Bogosian now risks losing out on what's left of the $6 million he is owed in the final year of his contract. The developments come a little over a week before the NHL's trade deadline on Feb. 24, and some three months after Bogosian requested to be traded.
The Vancouver Canucks have acquired veteran scoring help. The Los Angeles Kings have shipped forward Tyler Toffoli to the Canucks for forward Tim Schaller and prospect Tyler Madden. The Kings also receiver a second-round selection in this year's draft and a fourth-rounder in 2022. Toffoli has 18 goals and 34 points in 58 games this season. The deal comes after he became the first player in NHL history to record a hat trick in an outdoor game, leading Los Angeles to a 3-1 win over Colorado on Saturday.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
The third-ranked Kansas Jayhawks have tuned up for Saturday's big matchup with No. 1 Baylor by earning a 20-point win. Devon Dotson nailed six 3-pointers while scoring 29 points to lead five Kansas players to reach double-figures in a 91-71 thumping of Iowa State. Dotson had 15 points by the break as the Jayhawks built a 50-40 lead. Chris Braun came off the bench to hit a trio of 3-pointers and score 13 points in just 12 minutes. Ochai Agbaji added 14 points, while Udoka Azubuike and Braun scored 13 apiece to help the Jayhawks improve to 23-3 overall and 12-1 in the Big 12. Baylor visits Oklahoma on Tuesday before getting the Jayhawks at the Ferrell Center in Waco.
Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas and San Diego remain the top 4 teams in the newest Associated Press men's basketball poll. The top-ranked Bears claimed 48 of 63 first-place votes, the No. 2 Bulldogs picked up 14 and the third-rated Jayhawks claimed the other No. 1 vote. Kansas and Baylor will square off Saturday in Waco. Dayton, Duke, Maryland, Florida State, Penn State and Kentucky round out the top 10, with Louisville dropping from fifth to 11th with Saturday's 15-point loss at Clemson.
In college sports news, the Atlantic Coast Conference has joined the Big Ten in saying it supports one-time transfers without sitting out for all sports. The ACC issued a statement saying the league had "unanimously concluded that as a matter of principle we support a one-time transfer opportunity for all student-athletes, regardless of sport." The conference added that it looks forward to continuing the discussion nationally. CBS Sports reported last month that the Big Ten had proposed legislation in October that would allow undergraduates in any sport to transfer without sitting out to satisfy the typical requirement that they spend a year in residence at their new school. The NCAA's Division I Board of Directors implemented a moratorium Nov. 1 on transfer-related proposals for the 2019-20 legislative cycle while additional data was gathered for review, meaning any proposals likely couldn't be adopted until 2021.
NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach John Beilein has discussed with team officials the possibility of him stepping down before the end of the season. ESPN.com first reported the possibility of Beilein leaving the team before the end of the season on Sunday night as the All-Star Game wrapped up in Chicago. The team is 14-40 amid reports that players have not been pleased with Beilein's coaching style, calling it simplistic with too much emphasis on fundamentals. Beilein went 829-468 as a college coach. He won 428 games at Michigan, leading the Wolverines to nine NCAA tournament appearances and two Final Fours in his 12 seasons. If Beilein does step down, associate head coach JB Bickerstaff would likely replace him.
Ratings for the NBA All-Star Game were up 8% over last year, with an average of 7.3 million viewers watching Sunday night's broadcast on TNT. About 8 million viewers were tuned in for the end of the game, where LeBron James' team defeated Giannis Antetokounmpo's team 157-155 in the first target-score format in All-Star history. The fourth quarter was untimed and was broadcast commercial-free.
MLB
The Atlanta Braves have extended the contracts of manager Brian Snitker and general manager Alex Anthopoulos. Anthopoulos also has been given an additional title of president, baseball operations, while his contract is extended through the 2024 season. Snitker and his coaching staff have received extensions through the 2021 season. The Braves have won two consecutive NL East titles under Anthopoulos and Snitker.
Astros pitcher Francis Martes has been suspended for the 2020 season following his second positive test for a performance-enhancing substance. The 24-year-old right-hander is on the Astros' 40-man major league roster but hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2017. He was suspended last March 12 for 80 games following a positive test for Clomiphene.
Houston backup infielder Aledmys Díaz has gone to arbitration seeking $2.6 million compared to the same $2 million salary he earned last year. Díaz hit .271 for the AL champions with nine homers and 40 RBIs in 247 plate appearances over 69 games last season.
Angels owner Arte Moreno acknowledges he scrapped the proposed trade that would have landed Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling from the Dodgers. Both veterans likely would have played immediately for the Angels, but Moreno called off the talks around the deal while the Dodgers' blockbuster deal with Boston was delayed for several days. Moreno also says the Angels can make an even bigger trade for an elite starting pitcher if they get a chance this season.
NFL
Cleveland Browns new general manager Andrew Berry cleared $13 million in salary-cap space Monday by releasing veteran cornerback T.J. Carrie and three others signed by former GM John Dorsey. The 29-year-old Carrie played in all 32 games over the past two seasons after being signed as a free agent. He had 125 tackles, two interceptions and two sacks. Along with Carrie, Cleveland terminated the contracts of tight end Demetrius Harris, guard Eric Kush and linebacker Adarius Taylor.
LPGA
Hall of Fame golfer Mickey Wright has died. Her attorney says she died Monday of a heart attack at the age of 85. She had been hospitalized in recent weeks because of a fall. Wright won 82 LPGA tournaments, including 13 majors. She joined the fledgling LPGA in 1955 and her 82 wins place her second on the all-time list behind Kathy Whitworth, who won 88. She retired from the tour in 1969 because of foot issues.
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