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Drivers embrace attention boost they get from President Trump visiting Daytona 500

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Drivers embrace attention boost they get from President Trump visiting Daytona 500

The buzz started small and grew louder at the sold-out Daytona International Speedway about an hour before the green flag dropped to officially start Sunday’s Daytona 500.

No, it wasn’t for Pitbull, a former car owner and Cuban American rapper and singer, taking the main stage for a mini-set.

It wasn’t for Anthony Mackie, star of the No. 1 movie “Captain America: Brave New World,” who was to tell the drivers to start their engines.

It wasn’t for “Reacher” star Alan Ritchson, who was to drive the pace car.

It was for a Boeing VC-25 which was doing a flyby near the Speedway. The plane was also Air Force One.

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President Trump arrived at Daytona Beach International Airport just before noon and took the five-minute ride to the Speedway in “The Beast,” the presidential car. After Trump got out of the car, he waved to the crowd, pumping his fist. He spent time talking to drivers, both past and present, and race officials.

Trump only gave one interview, to Fox.

“I think [the Daytona 500] is fantastic, it’s great for the country,” Trump said before touting his accomplishments since taking office. He was accompanied by one of his granddaughters.

Before the race, the modified and reinforced presidential car took a couple of laps around the banked speedway. Trump was ushered to a private viewing suite in the infield.

President Trump’s presidential limousine, known as “the Beast,” takes a pace lap ahead of the Daytona 500.

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(Chris O’Meara / Associated Press)

Trump was scheduled to leave the race about 3:05 p.m. and arrive back in South Florida about 4:15 p.m.

Trump also came to Daytona in 2020 in a race that was halted because of weather and eventually rescheduled.

It was Trump’s second major sporting event in a week. He was also at the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

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“I wasn’t sitting next to him, but I saw that he was there at the game the other day,” said Chase Elliott, who has won NASCAR’s most popular driver seven years in a row. “I think having a sitting president come and be a part of one of our biggest days of the year — certainly what I would call our biggest event of the year — I think is special. It certainly brings a lot of eyes and a different perspective to what we do down here for this race.”

The idea that it is a moment when a president visits echoed throughout the garages.

“Any time you get big-name people to come to the 500 it’s pretty special,” said Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion. “I remember when [President] Reagan came [in 1984] and that was special.

“It’s not just the celebrities that do the pre-race concert. The Rock [Dwayne Johnson] was here last year and I got my picture taken with him. Any time we can bring big-name people to our sport shines a brighter light on how big a deal this is.”

There was little doubt it was a Trump-friendly crowd both on and off the track. But a lot of eyes were on Bubba Wallace, the only Black driver in the race. Wallace and Trump traded barbs in 2020, first when NASCAR banned the Confederate battle flag at races. Wallace had long been a proponent of excluding the flag from events because of its symbolic support of slavery. Trump criticized the decision by NASCAR.

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Shortly after, a noose was found in Wallace’s garage. It led to an outpouring of support from fellow drivers and many fans. Some found it a very unifying moment in the sport. An investigation found that the rope noose had been in the garage for many months and was not directed at Wallace.

Bubba Wallace points during driver introductions.

Bubba Wallace is introduced before a qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday.

(John Raoux / Associated Press)

Trump followed up with a tweet: “Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX?”

Wallace did not let it go unanswered, posting: “Always deal with the hate being thrown at you with LOVE! … Love should come naturally as people are TAUGHT to hate. Even when it’s HATE from the POTUS.”

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It was no surprise that at a media event on Wednesday, the first question to Wallace was about Trump coming to race.

“I couldn’t care less,” Wallace said quietly. “We’re here to race. Not for the show.”

It was clear Wallace wanted to move on and not create a controversy.

Wallace came up as a driver through NASCAR’s diversity program. Trump has pushed to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs from the federal government and beyond.

“There are sour apples out there who never fully appreciated the [benefits] of diversity,” Wallace said later. “It’s up to you to have that good spot in your heart and just treat everybody equal and how you want to be treated and it doesn’t matter what they look like. You just have to do things right. It’s not that hard to do things right and be respectful to human beings.”

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Two racing officials were asked to comment about the future of NASCAR’s diversity program, but neither responded to the request.

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Olympic medalist suffers serious injuries after ‘death-defying’ skateboarding stunt

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Olympic medalist suffers serious injuries after ‘death-defying’ skateboarding stunt

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An Olympic medalist and 13-time X Games winner suffered serious head injuries after a stunt went wrong.

Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in Paris in 2024, said he suffered a fractured skull and eye socket.

“A harsh reminder how death-defying skating massive rails can be…” Huston wrote in an Instagram post which included a photo of himself in a hospital bed. “Taking it one day at a time. I hope yall had a better new years then me. We live to fight another day.”

 

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Nyjah Huston of the United States competes in the men’s street prelims during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde 3.  (Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports)

The post also featured Huston being treated by first responders and friends, along with another photo showing a large black-and-blue mark on Huston’s eye.

Numerous skating legends showed their support for Huston, who is considered one of the best skateboarders in the United States today.

Nyjah Huston of Team USA reacts at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park on July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

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“Been watching @nyjah grow up into one of the best skaters to ever do it and it amazes me the amount of grit this kid has,” Shaun White shared on his Instagram story, via Pro Football Network. “You got this brother. Heal quick!”

Even Tony Hawk shared well-wishes on Huston’s Instagram post.

“Heavy. Stay strong; we know you’ll be back,” the skateboarding legend wrote.

“Man.. prayers for healing brother!” added Ryan Sheckler.

It is unknown whether Huston was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.

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Nyjah Huston, of the United States, celebrates during the men’s skateboard street final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France.  (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Huston has seven gold medals and five silvers in world championships. He has not competed since the 2024 Olympics, but the California native has his eyes set on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

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Prep talk: JuJu Watkins returns to Sierra Canyon on Friday

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Prep talk: JuJu Watkins returns to Sierra Canyon on Friday

JuJu Watkins is returning to Sierra Canyon High on Friday, the place where she was a high school basketball All-American.

The school will hold a ceremony retiring her jersey at halftime of the boys’ basketball game between Sierra Canyon and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

She will be presented with a framed jersey.

Watkins is sitting out this season at USC while recovering from a knee injury.

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Sierra Canyon girls’ basketball coach Alicia Komaki said, “She raised our standards, which was hard to do because we had won four state championships. She was an incredibly talented player.”

Watkins was also making a huge impact in the college game until her injury last season during the NCAA playoffs.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

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Miami beats Ole Miss behind Carson Beck’s game-winning touchdown to reach CFP National Championship Game

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Miami beats Ole Miss behind Carson Beck’s game-winning touchdown to reach CFP National Championship Game

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The Miami Hurricanes are heading to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, coming away with a narrow victory over Ole Miss, 31-27, in an all-time postseason contest. 

The Hurricanes will now await the winner of the other semifinal between the Indiana Hoosiers and Oregon Ducks to see who they will play on Jan. 19. But Miami will do so on their home turf, with the National Championship Game being played at Hard Rock Stadium – the site of their home games. 

The game began slowly for both teams, with only Miami getting on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a field goal on their 13-play opening drive. But the fireworks came out from there for the Rebels thanks to the speed of running back Kewan Lacy.

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Charmar Brown of the Miami (FL) Hurricanes celebrates a run in the first quarter of the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Steve Limentani/ISI Photos)

On just the second play of the second quarter, Lacy was off to the race, finding a seam and busting out a 73-yard touchdown run to go up 7-3 after the extra point.

But this game was back and forth for quite some time, including the ensuing Hurricanes drive as quarterback Carson Beck led the way on a 15-play touchdown series with a CharMar Brown rushing score from four yards out.

The game was deadlocked at 10 apiece when Beck decided to air it out to Keelan Marion, and it was worth the risk. Marion made the grab for a 52-yard touchdown to help Miami go up 17-13 at halftime.

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The third quarter was an odd one for both squads, as their opening drives resulted in a missed field goal apiece. Then, after Beck threw an interception, the Rebels were able to cut the lead to 17-16 in favor of the Hurricanes heading into the fourth quarter for the ages.

There was no absence of electric plays when it mattered most in the final 15 minutes, as Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss got his team downfield enough to take a 19-17 lead with a field goal.

But the speed of Malachi Toney changed the scoreboard for Miami in the best way possible, as he took a screen 36 yards to the house, capping a four-play, 75-yard answer drive for the Hurricanes right after Ole Miss took the lead.

Trinidad Chambliss of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the second quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

With a 24-19 lead and five minutes left to play in the game, Chambliss and the Rebels’ offense had quite enough time to retake the lead. He did just that, finding trusty tight end Dae’Quan Wright for 24 yards to send the Rebels faithful ballistic.

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Ole Miss wanted to go for two in hopes of making it a three-point lead, and Chambliss came through again, finding a wide open Caleb Odom for the key score.

It was up to Beck and the Miami offense to keep the game alive with at least tying the game at 27 apiece. On a crucial third-and-10 just inside field goal range, Beck was confident with his pass to Marion to get well within range. Another pass to Marion made it first-and-goal, and it was clear Miami wasn’t trying to force overtime. They wanted to win it all.

How fitting was it that Beck, scanning the field, found a seam to his left and just sprinted for the colored paint to score the game-winner with 18 seconds left.

But things got fascinating at the end, with Ole Miss going 40 yards in just a few seconds to set up a Hail Mary for the win. Chambliss had the space to loft a pass to the end zone, and though it hit off the hand of a teammate, it landed incomplete for the Miami victory. 

Carson Beck of the Miami Hurricanes passes the ball against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona.   (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

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In the box score, Beck was 23-of-37 for 268 yards with his two passing touchdowns and an interception. Marion was a key player in the victory with seven catches for 114 yards, while Mark Fletcher Jr. set the tone in the ground game with 133 yards rushing on 22 carries. Toney also tallied 81 receiving yards for Miami.

For Ole Miss, Chambliss also went 23-of-37 for 277 yards with his touchdown to Wright, who finished with 64 yards on three grabs. De’Zhaun Stribling was five for 77 through the air, while Lacy rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.

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