Elliott dominates NASCAR Clash

NASCAR returned to its roots with a fight-free preseason exhibition at Bowman Gray Stadium and a popular victory with Chase Elliott winning The Clash on Sunday night. Elliott dominated on the quarter-mile track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where NASCAR’s Cup Series last raced in 1971. NASCAR’s reigning most popular driver and 2020 Cup champion won The Clash for the first time in his career and joined his father, Bill, as winners of the unofficial season-opener. Bill Elliott won The Clash in 1987 and then parlayed that victory into a win in the Daytona 500 one week later. Chase Elliott gets his chance to repeat his father’s dominance when NASCAR’s season officially opens Feb. 16 at Daytona. The Clash is a non-points event that was held at Daytona from 1979 to 2021 as the warmup act to the Daytona 500. NASCAR stepped outside the box in 2022 and moved it to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for three seasons. NASCAR this year moved it to Bowman Gray in a throwback to grassroots racing. The Cup Series ran at Bowman Gray from 1958 to 1971.

FSU’s Hamilton plans to step down

Longtime Florida State basketball coach Leonard Hamilton is stepping down at the end of the season. Hamilton, who’s being sued by six former players over allegations he failed to deliver on name, image and likeness promises, announced his decision Monday following a team meeting. The 76-year-old Hamilton is the third Division I head coach to step down this season — all of them in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia’s Tony Bennett stepped down just before the season began, and Miami’s Jim Larrañaga left the program in late December. Hamilton ranks 10th on the NCAA’s list of winningest active DI coaches. He coached at Miami and then with the NBA’s Wizards before joining Florida State in 2002. He led the Seminoles to 16 postseason appearances and a dozen 20-win seasons. FSU won the ACC Tournament title in 2012. The Seminoles also won the 2019-20 regular-season conference title before the pandemic halted postseason play. FSU is 13-9 this season. Hamilton led FSU to Sweet 16 appearances in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Kelly leaving OSU to be Raiders’ OC

Chip Kelly is returning to the NFL as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, according to reports Sunday night. Kelly was the offensive coordinator on Ohio State’s national championship team this past season after previously serving as the head coach at Oregon and UCLA as well as the Eagles and 49ers. This was the second major personnel decision made by new Raiders coach Pete Carroll. He also retained defensive coordinator Patrick Graham last week. In hiring Kelly, the Raiders will try to spark an offense that was fourth worst this season with 303.2 yards per game and last in rushing with a 79.8-yard average. Among the priorities will be trying to find a quarterback in an AFC West that includes Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix — all who took their teams to the playoffs this season. Kelly established himself as a creative offensive mastermind as Oregon’s offensive coordinator in 2007 and 2008 and then as the Ducks’ head coach the following four seasons. He went 46-7, appearing in the Bowl Championship Series national championship game in 2010 season. —AP