Charlotte, n.c.
Patrick will drive for Premium Motorsports in next month’s Daytona 500, her final NASCAR race. She also plans to race in the Indianapolis 500 in May.
The one-race deal for next month’s NASCAR showcase will put Patrick in the seat of the No. 7 GoDaddy Chevrolet, the same number she drove when she entered stock-car racing in 2010.
Her former crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., will return to Patrick’s pit box for her finale.
“I keep saying, ‘I couldn’t have written a better story about how this would all fall into place’ … Going with the flow is working out beautifully,” Patrick said. “I’ll be back in GoDaddy green, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet with Tony Jr. in my ear again. It all makes my last NASCAR race just that much sweeter.”
Premium Motorsports recently bought assets from Tommy Baldwin Racing. The No. 7 car will use Premium’s charter (the No. 15 car last year) to have a guaranteed spot in the Feb. 18 season opening event at Daytona International Speedway. The team will receive engineering support from Richard Childress Racing.
Source: Cubs, Darvish in Talks
Chicago
The 31-year-old Darvish is one of the top remaining players available in a slow-moving market this winter. He finished last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, helping them reach the World Series.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday night because there was no agreement in place. The Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees also have expressed interest in signing the Japanese pitcher.
Darvish was 10-12 with a 3.86 ERA in 31 starts for the Rangers and Dodgers last year. The right-hander went 2-2 with a 6.14 ERA in four postseason starts.
CF Jackson Joins Giants
San Francisco
San Francisco announced the acquisition just a week after the Giants traded for right fielder Andrew McCutchen.
Jackson will earn $3 million per season, two people with knowledge of the contract told the Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because no terms were announced. Jackson could also earn up to $2.5 million in bonuses.
San Francisco finished a surprising last in the NL West in 2017 and was seeking an offense-producing center fielder who also plays stellar defense.
