It's Saturday!

It's Saturday, welcome to the weekend. Here's what's happening....

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Today is August 21st, the 233rd day of 2010. There are 132 days left in the year.

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Rangers hope fixes will return them to postseason.

2010 Free Agent signings.

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Today is National Homeless Animals Day.

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Alumni voices: Craig Smith.

Gopher freshman spotlight: Tom Serratore.

Hawks name North group sales director.

Pair of Saints earn medals in Slovakia.

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On this date in 1863, 450 Confederate raiders attack Lawrence, Kansas killing 150 civilians and destroying the town. The leader of the group had previously been denied a commission in the Confederate Army because of barbaric methods. Source: The Civil War Day by Day.

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U.S. Under-17 Select Team Drops 3-2 Decision to Slovakia at 2010 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament

Osterberg, Masters Score for Team USA

HUTTWIL, Switzerland - Kyle Osterberg (Lakeville, Minn.) and Jordan Masters (Rochester, N.Y.) each scored to give the U.S. a two-goal lead, but the U.S. Under-17 Select Team fell to Slovakia, 3-2, here today at the 2010 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament.

"We generated a lot of offense, but we have to do a better job of driving to the net with and without the puck," said Sean Tremblay, head coach of the U.S. Under-17 Select Team. "If we do that, we will put ourselves in a position to win the tournament."

After a scoreless first period, Osterberg gave Team USA a 1-0 edge just 53 seconds into the second frame. Troy Donnay (Fenton, Mich.) led the rush out of the defensive zone and dropped the puck to Osterberg, who sent a one-timer over the glove of Slovakian goaltender Richard Sabol.

The U.S. extended its lead to 2-0 less than four minutes later. After applying pressure in front of Slovakia's net, Masters wrapped around the goal and poked the loose puck in behind Sabol for the score. Justin Wade (Aurora, Ill.) collected an assist on the play.

Slovakia cut its deficit in half with a four-on-four goal, and then tied the game, 2-2, with just over one minute remaining in the second period. Marko Dano scored the lone third-period goal to give Slovakia the win.

Goaltender Brandon Hope (Canton, Mich.) stopped 16 shots for Team USA in the loss, while Sabol made 44 saves for Slovakia.

The U.S. Under-17 Select Team will next face Switzerland tomorrow (Aug. 21) at 1:30 p.m. EDT. A full schedule and results are below.

NOTES: The U.S. outshot Slovakia, 46-19 ... Seven different players have scored Team USA's seven tournament goals ... Ryan Fitzgerald (North Reading, Mass.) leads the U.S. with three points (1-2) in two games, while Troy Donnay (1-1), Miles Koules (Los Angeles, Calif./1-1) and Zach Stepan (Fairbault, Minn./0-2) have each recorded two points ... Team USA currently holds a 1-0-0-1 overall record ... The 2010 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament includes teams from the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States ... Sean Tremblay is serving as head coach and Matt Herr as assistant coach. Tremblay served as the assistant coach for the gold medal-winning U.S. Under-17 Select Team at the 2006 Under-17 Three Nations Tournament in Rochester, N.Y. He serves as general manager and head coach of the Eastern Junior Hockey League's New Hampshire Junior Monarchs. Herr has been the head varsity hockey coach at the Kent School in Kent, Conn., since 2005. Tremblay and Herr are both Level 4 USA Hockey certified coaches ... For the full Team USA roster, click here ... The U.S. Under-17 Select Team was chosen following the annual USA Hockey Boys' Select 16 Player Development Camp, held June 25-July 1, at the Sports Centre at MCC in Rochester, N.Y. The camp provides top young players with concentrated on- and off-ice training and instruction as well as the opportunity to compete at a national level against other players from their age group.

GAME SUMMARY

Scoring By Period

USA 0 - 2 - 0 - 2
SVK 0 - 2 - 1 - 3

First Period - Scoring: None. Penalties: SVK, Sohajda (hooking), 1:59; SVK, Dinda (cross-checking), 2:24; SVK, Hrasko (roughing), 5:06; USA, Rowe (kneeing), 7:44; USA, Doherty (hooking), 10:46.

Second Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Osterberg (Donnay, Morgan), 0:53; 2, USA, Masters (Wade), 4:35; 3, SVK, Dano (Blasko), 15:19; 4, SVK, Rzavsky (Buri, Kucirko), 18:51. Penalties: SVK, Hrasko (interference), 1:14; SVK, Buri (cross-checking), 8:18; SVK, Sohajda (roughing), 13:53; USA, Masters (roughing), 13:53; USA, Masters (roughing), 16:41; SVK, Kolena (roughing), 16:41.

Third Period - Scoring: 5, SVK, Dano (Blasko, Mancak), 15:48. Penalties: USA, Webermin (roughing), 1:22; SVK, Blasko (high-sticking), 7:08; USA, Donnay (roughing), 16:00; SVK, Kucirko (roughing), 16:19; USA, Doherty (slashing), 17:06; SVK, Kolena (roughing), 19:58; USA, Donnay (roughing, game misconduct), 20:00; SVK, Kucirko (roughing, game misconduct), 20:00; SVK, Dano (match penalty), 20:00.

Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total
USA 14 17 15 46
SVK 10 5 4 19

Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total
USA, Hope, 59:37 10-10 5-3 4-3 19-16
SVK, Sabol, 60:00 14-14 17-15 15-15 46-44

Power Play: USA 0-7; SVK 0-5
Penalties: USA 9-39; SVK 12-70

2010 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament • Team USA Schedule
August 18-22 • Huttwil, Switzerland

Date Opponent Time (Local/EDT)/Result

Mon., Aug. 16* Switzerland W, 6-3
Wed., Aug. 18 Czech Republic W, 5-3
Fri., Aug. 20 Slovakia L, 2-3
Sat., Aug. 21 Switzerland 7:30 p.m./1:30 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 22 Germany 11:30 a.m./5:30 a.m.
*Exhibition

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Today is Senior Citizen's Day. (Here's the official Presidential proclamation from 1988.)

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The 5-2 Saskatchewan Riders return to game action next Saturday, August 28th at Edmonton against the 1-6 Eskimos, with kickoff set for 7:00pm EDT on 620CKRM and the Rider Radio Network. Listen links are to the right on this blog.

Check out Riderville.com for the latest on "Canada's (And Clearwater, Florida's) Team."

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Today is (World) Daffodil Day. (Linky Linky)

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Today in Sports History:

1929 - The Chicago Cardinals traveled out of town for training camp. They were the first professional football team to do this.

1971 - Laura Baugh, at the age of 16, won the United State's Women's Amateur Golf tournament. She was the youngest winner in the history of the tournament.

1984 - Victoria Roche, a reserve outfielder, became the first girl to ever compete in a Little League World Series game.

2006 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) hit his 725th career homerun.

2009 - The Dallas Cowboys played their first game at their new stadium in Arlington, TX. During the preseason game, against the Tennessee Titans, the Titans' kicker hit the scoreboard hanging in the center of the stadium.

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The Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 began this day and continued until October 15th.

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OAKLAND -- The Tampa Bay Rays missed an another opportunity to tie the Yankees for first in the A.L. East last night, losing to the Oaklan Athletics 5-4, in front of another typically small Oakland crowd of 13,207 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

The Rays jumped in front 3-0, scoring two runs in the first on a two-out single by Matt Joyce that scored Ben Zobrist and Carl Crawford, then adding a run in the second when B.J. Upton scored on John Jaso's sacrifice fly.

Oakland scored twice in the third. Both runs came on a one out, line-single up the middle by Daric Barton, that chased home Cliff Pennington and Coco Crisp. The Atletics tied the game in the sixth when Jack Cust's 9th homer of the season led off the inning, tying the game 3-3.

With two out in the top of the seventh, Zobrist homered to left. His 7th long fly of the season put the Rays back on top, 4-3. However, Oakland would rally in the eighth. Kevin Kouzmanoff singled, then moved to second on a throw that attepted to retire pinch-runner Gabe Gross at third. A Rajai Davis single brought home Gross with the tying run. After a two-out walk to pinch hitter Mark Ellis, Zobrist couldn't handle a ground ball off the bat of Pennington, allowing Kouzmanoff to score what proved to be the winning run in the Athletics' 5-4 win.

Oakland's Henry Rodriguez, who pitched a perfect eighth with one strike out, picked up the win, his first decision of 2010. Craig Breslow struck out two in a perfect ninth, notching his 2nd save of the season in the process. Tampa Bay's Joaquin Benoit, who allowed 2 runs, 1 earned on 1 hit in the eighth with 1 strike out and 2 walks, not only was tagged with his second blown save of the season but took the loss as well, slipping to 0-2.

The Rays are 74-48, and trail the Yankees by 1 game in the A.L. East. Tampa Bay leads the Wild Card race, leading the Red Sox by 6 1/2 games and the White Sox by 7. Game three third of 4 games at Oakland is tonight, starting at 9:05pm EDT. You can follow the Rays this evening on 970AM WFLA, with tomorrow's game back on 620AM WDAE and the Rays Radio Network. After tonight, Tampa Bay has one more game in Oakland, at 4:05pm EDT tomorrow. The Rays then move on to Anaheim for 3 games with the Angels starting Monday. All games through Friday, September 3rd, can be seen on Sun Sports.

Notes: Jeremy Hellickson pitched 7 1/3 innings last night, allowing 3 earned runs and 7 hits, with 7 strike outs and 1 walk. It was his first no decision. He's expected to head back to Triple-A Durham when Davis and Niemann officially return to active duty....Oakland ran their 2010 record with the lead after eight innings to 53-0....Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis both threw simulated games yesterday. Barring any unforseen circumstances, Davis is expected to start Tuesday against the Angels, with Niemann going in Wednesday's game....Durham clinched their fourth-straight International League South Division title last night, beating Norfolk 3-1. Rocco Baldelli homered and Ramon Ortiz allowed 1 run over 5 1/3 innings in his Durham debut. The Bulls will face either Columbus or Louisville in a best-of-five series starting September 8th.. Durham beat Scranton/Wilkes Barre to win the IL crown last September....David Price(15-5, 2.85) goes to the hill tonight for the Rays. He'll be opposed by Oakland's Brett Anderson(3-4, 2.89)....Tonight's game at Oakland airs in the Tampa Bay area on 970AM WFLA, as WDAE carries Buccaneers pre-season football.

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Erachus becomes bishop of Luik on this date in 0959. (No, I don't remember it well. I'm not THAT old!)

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The Yankees remain alone in first in the A.L. East, 1 game ahead of Tampa Bay. Boston is 6 1/2 back(The Red Sox trail by 5 1/2 games in the Wild Card chase) and Toronto is 10 1/2 back(They trail in the Wild Card race by 9 1/2) and Baltimore is 32 1/2 games out of first.

In the A.L. Central, Minnesota leads the White Sox by 4 1/2 games(Chicago trails by 7 1/2 games in the Wild Card race), they're 12 games ahead of Detroit, with Kansas City 19 1/2 back and Cleveland 21 games behind.

Out in the (not-so)wild A.L. West, Texas leads Oakland by 7 games and the Angels by 8, with Seattle trailing by 19 1/2 games.

In the N.L. East, Atlanta leads Philadelphia by 2 1/2 games(The Phillies lead the Wild Card chase), Florida trails by 10 1/2 games, the Mets are 11 behind, and Washington is 20 out.

In the N.L. Central, Cincinnati is 4 1/2 games up on St. Louis(The Cards are 3 games behind in the Wild Card race). Milwaukee is 13 behind, Houston is 17 1/2 back, the Cubs are 21 1/2 behind and Pittsburgh is 31 games off the pace.

San Diego leads the N.L. West by 5 games over San Francisco(The Giants trail Philadelphia by 1 game in the N.L. Wild Card chase). Colorado sits in third, 11 games out, with the Dodgers trailing by 12 games and Arizona by 26.

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I love my Mommy, my Daddy, my Gramma and Grampa and my Snoopy and Smokey too!










There's my wife Kim, the prettiest girl in the history of girl!










There's one of those KFC "Double Down" sammiches. Let's see 'em grill that sucker!

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St. Louis -- Maybe the Giants' charmed life last month wasn't a mirage after all.

With a 9-9 August record, they've already exceeded their total of defeats during their idyllic 20-8 July. But for the second night in a row, they sustained the balanced effort that typified their better days, which bodes well for them as they approach the season's stretch drive.

Friday's result was a 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals that hushed the remnants of a sellout crowd of 43,822 after Brian Wilson retired Matt Holliday for the final out. The spectators had little to say as they filed out of Busch Stadium, because the Giants already had captured the evening's sound and fury.

Read more here.

Notes: The Giants' win last night was their second straight. They're 5-5 in their past 10....Two-time defending N.L. Cy Young winner Big Time Timmy Jim, as he's known in the ESPN promos, Tim Lincecum(13-4, 2.95), starts tonight against the Cardinals. He'll be opposed by Chris Carpenter(7-7, 4.48)....Pat Burrell, since failing miserably with Tampa Bay, has revived his career with the Giants. Burrell has homered in 5 of his last 9 games, with 14 of his last 21 hits going for extra bases....Since the start of 2007, San Francisco is 15-7 against St. Louis....The Giants are 62-20 when scoring at least 3 runs, which is second best in the majors....After tomorrow's 2:15pm EDT series wrap in St. Louis, San Francisco will be home for 9 games starting Monday. They'll play 3 games each against Cincinnati, Arizona and Colorado.

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Ted Lyons of the White Sox no hit Boston on this date in 1926, winning 6-0 in a game that took just 67 minutes at Boston's Fenway Park.

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In this week's NFL action, Buffalo beat Indianapolis 34-21 and New England topped Atlanta 28-10 in games played Thursday. Last night, Cincinnati clubbed Philadelphia 22-9. There's 11 games on the slate tonight: Baltimore at Washington, Pittsburgh at the Giants, Kansas City at Tampa Bay, Miami at Jacksonville, St. Louis at Cleveland, Houston at New Orleans, Jets at Carolina, Oakland at Chicago, Dallas at San Diego, Detroit at Denver and Green Bay at Seattle. Minnesota is at San Francisco on Sunday. And, on Monday, Arizona is at Tennessee.

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Hawaii became the 50th state on this date in 1959.

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Today in Elvis History:

1954 - In Gladewater, TX, Elvis Presley performed his first show outside Tennessee.

1971 - Elvis Presley's single "I'm Leavin'" hit #36 in the U.S.

1971 - Elvis Presley's reissued single of "Heartbreak Hotel" hit #10 in the U.K.

1976 - It was announced by RCA Victor records that the sales of Elvis Presley records passed the 400 million mark.

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Ti-Cats claw way to win in Toronto.

Calvillo has bruised sternum.

Printers practices as Leos aim to turn season around.

Visit the league's official website: CFL.ca.

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Today in Beatles History

1966 - In Cincinnati, OH, Lou Rawls opened for the Beatles.

1982 - Paul McCartney's single "Take It Away" hit #15 in the U.K.

1982 - Paul McCartney's single "Take It Away" hit #10 in the U.S.

1998 - In London, Ringo Starr performed solo at Shepherd's Bush Empire.

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From http://www.tampabaystorm.com

Spokane - The Tampa Bay Storm (13-6) fell short in their attempt to claim its sixth Arena Bowl title on Friday night, falling to the Spokane Shock (16-3) in Arena Bowl XXIII by a score of 69-57. Spokane’s victory marked the franchise’s very first ArenaBowl championship after winning two titles in af2.

Tampa Bay was plagued by turnovers throughout the night, as quarterback Brett Dietz threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Despite the offensive mistakes, Dietz still concluded a record-breaking season by out-throwing his passing counterpart in terms of yards with 306, while also adding seven touchdowns in the championship game. He was countered by Spokane signal caller Kyle Rowley, who set a new Arena Bowl record by tossing nine touchdowns and 237 yards. Shock receivers Huey Whittaker and Markee White also turned in big games for Spokane, both collecting four touchdowns apiece. The duo was contested by the Storm’s Eric Ortiz, who led Tampa Bay’s offense with three scores, and Hank Edwards who caught a pair of touchdowns and led the team with 132 receiving yards.

Both teams came out with a sputtering offense from the start of the contest, causing Spokane to use its defense to put points on the board. After Shock quarterback Kyle Rowley found Huey Whittaker in the endzone to counter the game’s opening score by Tampa Bay’s Eric Ortiz, Spokane’s defense consistently harassed Storm passer Brett Dietz, forcing a pair of turnovers that its offense converted into touchdowns.

Spokane wasted no time in taking advantage of Tampa Bay’s miscues, recovering a forced fumble and punching it in for the score after Dietz was sacked in the pocket. The Storm signal caller then threw an errant pass that was picked off by Mervin Brookins on Tampa Bay’s next offensive series, leading to a 20-7 lead in favor of the Shock following a touchdown by receiver Markee White. Dietz, however, recovered from the pair of mistakes to rally the Storm down from two touchdowns, re-gaining the lead within the half’s final minute. After an additional score by White, Dietz hooked up with DeAndrew Rubin to bring Tampa Bay within six points before Terrence Royal cashed one in to make it 28-27 in the Storm’s favor. However, Spokane found the endzone once more before the buzzer, at which Garret Rivas’ field goal try was blocked, allowing the Shock to re-take its six point lead into the intermission.

Spokane’s defense continued to dictate the pace of play, forcing yet another Dietz turnover after the Shock padded its lead on the first offensive possession of the second half. With the Storm offense nearing the endzone, Dietz had receiver Hank Edwards open downfield as the pass left his hand, but Spokane defensive back Travis Williams jumped the route to intercept the ball, leading to an additional touchdown for the National Conference champs. Tampa Bay, despite the turnover, re-grouped to gain seven points back as Eric Ortiz rushed in a touchdown to cap the third quarter’s scoring.

Spokane shifted the momentum in its favor in the fourth quarter, scoring three times in the final period and maintaining a relentless presence on defense. Rowley found Huey Whittaker in the paint on two separate occasions, despite Hank Edwards matching the Shock receiver touchdown for touchdown in the quarter. Tyrone Timmons also reeled in a touchdown pass from Dietz, closing the scoring gap, but it was not enough as the American Conference champions could not overcome the deficit.

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Today, apparently, is Spumoni Day, in honor of the under-appreciated ice cream. Spumoni Day in Canada is celebrated on November 13th. (And you thought you had nothing to look forward to.)

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Rivals.com recognizes Beavers' talent on Day 11 of fall camp features the team's first scrimmage.
Vote for '4th Quarter Song' starting Monday.

Here's the 2010 Oregon State Beavers' football schedule.

The Beavers begin the 2010 season against TCU on Saturday, September 4th at Cowboys Stadium. Kickoff is 7:45pm EDT, with TV from ESPN, online video stream at ESPN3.com and radio from the Beaver Sports Network.

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And you thought Boise State's blue "Smurf Turf" football
field was bizarre? Well, you ain't seen nothin' 'til you've seen the new football field at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, just West of Spokane.

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From http://www.nascar.com

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- After spinning his strongest challenger on Lap 219, Kyle Busch held off Jason Leffler and pole-sitter Elliott Sadler through a spate of cautions in the closing laps to win Friday’s Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Busch won his 10th Nationwide race of the year, tying the single-season record he already shared with Sam Ard. The victory was Busch’s 40th in the series, but it was not without controversy.

Brad Keselowski and Busch battled ferociously for the lead during the final quarter of the race, and that heated contest produced the sixth caution of the event. On Lap 219, Busch slid past Keselowski for the lead off Turn 2 but bobbled slightly down the backstretch.

Busch’s No. 18 Toyota clipped the wall after contact from Keselowski’s Dodge, and as the cars rolled through Turn 4, Busch spun his adversary in the corner, forcing Keselowski to pit to repair the damage to his car. Keselowski finished 14th.

“It is what it is,” Keselowski said. “I’m going to go to work -- and work on beating his [butt].”

Busch admitted he spun Keselowski on purpose.

“I thought I had him cleared on the back, and I moved up in front of him, and instead of him doing an Earnhardt crossover move, he just decided that he would run into the back of me and put me in the fence,” Busch said. “That’s Brad Keselowski. So I went into the next corner and dumped him.

“He does it to everybody else. Why can’t I do it to him?”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. rallied from a lap down to finish fourth behind Leffler and Sadler. Carl Edwards ran fifth. Trevor Bayne, Clint Bowyer, Reed Sorenson, Parker Kligerman and Joey Logano completed the top 10.

Edwards, second in the series standings, trimmed Keselowski’s lead to 313 points. On the strength of his 10 victories in 20 starts, Busch remained third in points, 434 behind Keselowski, despite having competed in four fewer races than either Keselowski or Edwards.

The race featured a wild accident on Lap 83, when contact from Justin Allgaier’s Dodge sent Kasey Kahne’s Toyota sliding on its side along the outside wall for approximately 200 yards.

Busch can complete an unprecedented sweep of three races at one track in NASCAR's top three touring series with a victory in Saturday’s Cup Series Irwin Tools Night Race. Busch won Bristol’s Truck Series race Wednesday night.

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Coming up:

Tonight --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals 7:15pm EDT

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol Tennessee 7:30pm EDT

NFL Football: Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7:30pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland Athletics 9:07pm EDT

Sunday --

Baseball: San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals 2:15pm EDT

Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland Athletics 4:07pm EDT

Indy Car: Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, California 5:00pm EDT

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That's all for today. See you tomorrow