Monday, 23 February 2026
JUAN FANGIO KIDNAPPED | 1958 | CUBAN GP
📆 On This Day in 1958 📆
Juan Manuel Fangio was kidnapped before the Cuban GP. Two gunmen associated with Fidel Castro entered his Havana hotel and took him at gunpoint. They wanted the race to be cancelled to put pressure on President Fulgencio Batista, but the race went ahead and Fangio was allowed by his captors to listen to it on the radio. He was released after 29 days and the Cuban Revolution took place a year later.
- GPFans Global
TYLER REDDICK WINS AT ATLANTA TO GIVE MICHAEL JORDAN SECOND STRAIGHT NASCAR VICTORY
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| Tyler Reddick rebounded from a crash to become the first driver in 17 years to sweep the first two races of a NASCAR Cup Series season, winning in double overtime Sunday at Echo Park Speedway. David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire |
HAMPTON, Ga. — Whether on or off the racetrack, all Michael Jordan does is win in NASCAR.
For the second consecutive Sunday to open the season, the basketball great and co-owner of 23XI Racing celebrated in victory lane with driver Tyler Reddick. This time, after a thriller at Echo Park Speedway.
Jordan’s team now has the top two drivers in the Cup Series points standings with Reddick and Bubba Wallace. The six-time NBA champion already added a ring last week with Reddick in the Daytona 500, the crown jewel of stock-car racing.
Oh, and Jordan also settled a federal antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR in December, a major legal victory that secured a permanent franchise-style model and ensured his team would remain in business for the long-term.
“The guys worked hard all summer, and I know we had our little ordeal,” Jordan said after Reddick’s victory Sunday, referring to the bruising court battle that ended with him making peace with NASCAR CEO and chairman Jim France. “They kept working hard and this is the fruit of their labor. They put forth the effort, and for us to come out and win the first two races says a lot about our whole team.”
It especially says a lot about Reddick, who put on another dazzling performance the week after he became the fourth driver in history to win the Daytona 500 by leading only the final lap.
This time, he led a race-high 53 laps on the 1.54-mile oval south of Atlanta – including the final two in a double-overtime restart. He snatched the lead from Wallace despite the right-front fender of his No. 45 Toyota being damaged in a nine-car crash on the 224th of a scheduled 260 laps. Reddick fell two laps down for repairs but came roaring back from 27th for his 10th career victory.
“I mean, that’s crazy, ain’t it?” said Reddick, who became the first driver since Matt Kenseth in 2009 to win the first two NASCAR Cup Series races of the season. “I just found a way to get back in the top five, and I tried to stay committed to somebody.”
He got a helpful push from runner-up Chase Briscoe. Ross Chastain finished third, followed by the Spire Motorsports tandem of Carson Hocevar (who triggered a large crash in the first overtime) and Daniel Suarez.
“Tyler had like another gear,” Chastain said. “(He had) no fender, and he pulled us so fast.”
In a race that featured a track-record 57 lead changes, Wallace was first entering the final restart but shuffled to eighth. He still gained the second-most points (48) by winning the second stage and leading 46 laps.
“Tyler did an unbelievable job,” Jordan said. “I feel bad for Bubba because he had an unbelievable day. But Tyler drove his ass off. I’m very happy for Tyler. I’m very happy for 23XI.”
Green turns to yellow
Austin Cindric took advantage of a stretch of 61 green-flag laps to open the race, winning the first stage after starting 30th.
It was the second consecutive year that the first stage in the February race was completed without a yellow flag – an oddity for a track known for chaos since its 2022 reconfiguration into a high-banked drafting oval.
The cautions quickly picked up pace in the second stage with three yellow flags in 40 laps that collected 16 cars and eliminated notable drivers Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch. The 160-lap middle segment ended under another yellow when defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson slammed the outside wall after a collision with Shane van Gisbergen.
No Las Vegas love lost
Busch was perturbed after his No. 8 Chevrolet “got rammed” exiting Turn 2 by the No. 4 Ford of Noah Gragson on the 125th lap.
Though both drivers hail from Las Vegas, Nevada, the 40-year-old Busch felt little kinship in taking issue with the aggressive style of Gragson, who is 13 years younger.
“He didn’t give me an opportunity to make sure I was straight before hitting me or get into me gently to try and get the momentum back,” said Busch, who finished 33rd. “He just drove right through me.”
Up next
The NASCAR Cup Series will race at the Circuit of the Americas, the first road course of the 2026 season, on Sunday, March 1. Christopher Bell outdueled Kyle Busch and William Byron to win at the Austin, Texas, track last year.
- Associated Press
Sunday, 22 February 2026
RONDALE MOORE.FOUND DEAD AT HOME
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore was found dead at his home on Sunday.
Police in Moore's hometown of New Albany, Indiana were called to a property on Saturday night, when the 25-year-old was found in a garage.
The American was transferred to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A post-mortem examination will take place on Sunday.
USA BEATS CANADA IN OT FOR FIRST MEN'S HOCKEY OLYMPIC GOLD IN 46 YEARS
Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Jack Hughes took a hockey blade to the teeth in the third period, but found revenge with a dramatic one-timer in overtime to lead Team USA past Canada for the Americans' first men's hockey Olympic gold medal in 46 years Sunday in Milan, Italy.
"This is all about our country right now," Hughes said on the NBC broadcast. "I love the USA. I love my teammates. It's unbelievable. The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong. We have so much support amongst players. "I'm so proud to be American today."
The New Jersey Devils forward beat Canadian net minder Jordan Binnington for the golden goal 1:41 into the 3-on-3 bonus period of the 2-1 gold medal game triumph at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
The score sealed the 2026 Winter Olympics title exactly 46 years to the day of the Americans' Miracle on Ice victory from the 1980 Winter Olympics
It also resulted in the first men's and women's hockey gold medal sweep for the United States at the same Olympics.
Teeth-cracking physicality was matched only by scintillating speed in the rivalry matchup, with the world-class rosters foiling vicious offensive assaults.
Canada, who played without its injured captain, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, for the second consecutive game, outshot Team USA 41-26. Team USA goalie Connor Hellebuyck totaled 41 saves.
"He was our best player by a mile," Hughes said of Hellebuyck. "Unbelievable game."
Binnington made 26 stops, but allowed first blood on his first save opportunity six minutes into the finale. Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy brought the initial lamp lighting.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews found Boldy behind the Team USA blue line to start the breakaway. Boldy flipped the puck up with his blade and juggled through Canadian traffic. He then faced up with Binnington and slid the puck by the St. Louis Blues goalie's right knee pad.
Canada proceeded to launch a deluge of daggers at Hellebuyck in the American net, with seven of the next eight shot attempts. But the Canadians couldn't beat the Winnipeg Jets goalie until Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar equalized with 1:44 remaining in the second period.
The deep red sweaters swarmed Hellebuyck down the stretch and increased their physicality, including a high stick from Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett to Hughes' teeth, but could not find an opening against the American goaltender, resulting in overtime.
Hellebuyck proceeded to use every inch of his frame to deny Canada's Connor McDavid-led attack until Hughes beat Binnington to end the finale.
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski received the puck behind the American net at the start of the final play. He poked a pass forward to Hughes, who stabbed the puck away from Canada.
Werenski recovered the possession along the right boards as Hughes skated wide left. Werenski then found him again with a feed inside the left circle.
Hughes pulled back his stick shaft and unloaded, pelting a screamer by Binnington's for Team USA's third men's hockey Olympic gold medal.
"Unreal game by our team," Hughes said. "Just a ballsy, gutsy win. That's American hockey right there. That's a great Canadian team, but we're USA. We are so proud to be American. Tonight was all for our country."
Hughes finished the tournament as Team USA's top goal scorer, with four over six appearances in Milan. His brother, Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, logged an assist in the victory to push his total to a team-leading seven.
Hellebuyck's 95.65% save percentage was the best among Olympic goaltenders.
McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) finished the 2026 Winter Olympics with a tournament-best 13 points, from 11 assists and two goals.
Winning moments from the 2026 Winter Olympics
- Alex Butler
CRISTIANO RONALDO FINALLY BREAKS SILENCE ON FUTURE IN SAUDI ARABIA AFTER £488K-PER-DAY STAR SCORES BRACE FOLLOWING SHOCKING STRIKE
Cristiano Ronaldo has finally broken his silence on his dramatic Saudi strike.
The 41-year-old returned to action last week for Al-Nassr and scored a brace in their 4-0 victory over Al-Hazem on Saturday having previously made major waves with his high-profile strop.
Ronaldo, who earns £488,000-a-day, had been furious with what he perceived to be a lack of transfer backing for Al-Nassr from PIF compared to their rivals.
The situation was exacerbated further when Karim Benzema was granted a transfer to Al-Hilal and Ronaldo went on strike for three games.
His behaviour led to serious questions over his future in the league - despite his position as the biggest and most marketable name.
But when asked about the situation on Saturday, Ronaldo said: 'I’m very happy. As I say so many times, I belong to Saudi Arabia.
'It’s a country that welcomed me, my family and my friends very well. I’m happy here. I want to continue here.
'And the most important thing, it’s we keep pushing. We are there at the top.
'Our job is to win, make pressure [on our title rivals], and let’s see. We are on track.
'We’re back, we are good, we are confident. Game by game. We are in good shape. Let’s see what’s going to happen.'
Ronaldo's actions had irritated the Saudi Pro League, with the top flight releasing a statement warning 'no individual determines decisions beyond their own club'.
Title rivals Al-Hilal have a net spend £180million higher than that of his own team since the 2022-23 season, when he arrived.
And that's despite both clubs, as well as Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli, all being majority owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).
But Ronaldo is in an eye-watering wage and many feel he is in no position to complain about the finances of his opponents.
A recent statement shared with Daily Mail Sport from the league suggested that Ronaldo's grievances were unfounded.
'The Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: every club operates independently under the same rules,' they said.
'Clubs have their own boards, their own executives and their own football leadership. Decisions on recruitment, spending and strategy sit with those clubs, within a financial framework designed to ensure sustainability and competitive balance. That framework applies equally across the league.
'Cristiano has been fully engaged with Al Nassr since his arrival and has played an important role in the club's growth and ambition. Like any elite competitor, he wants to win. But no individual - however significant - determines decisions beyond their own club.'
The spokesperson added that recent transfer activity had 'demonstrated that independence clearly'.
Ronaldo wore the captain's armband on his return to action last week and is still popular with the club's fanbase despite his three-game exile; they were waving flags in his honour in his absence.
Al-Nassr are now top of the league by one point and Ronaldo will be desperate for his side to achieve glory this season, especially given that he is yet to win the title in Saudi Arabia.
- WILL GRIFFEE
