Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but wh

Erik Jones, 20, considered the top young prospect in NASCAR racing, had spent the two weeks before the Chicagoland Speedway race weekend away from home.That meant he had no practice for one of his competitions Saturday, namely the event where he was on a stage competing in the game NASCAR Heat Evolution against a member of the esports team Evil Geniuses.But Jones is used to performing without a whole lot of practice. NASCAR only allows a couple hours of practice each week before an event.About nine hours before winning his fourth Xfinity Series -- NASCARs version of triple-A baseball -- race of the season, Jones was playing against fellow driver Darrell Wallace Jr. and Evil Geniuses Justin Roy Brown in a virtual race.The two worlds were brought together Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway, site of the NASCAR races for the weekend. Through their mutual sponsorship by Xfinity, the idea came about of pitting NASCAR drivers against the Evil Geniuses as well as having the Evil Geniuses play against fans.Beyond maybe the difference in practice time and the danger factor, though, Jones could see a lot of similarities between his career path and skills and those of the Evil Geniuses pros he played against.Its just as tough to break into and its not easy to get that shot and theres only so many people who get to do it, Jones said. To be that good at video games, you have got to have some pretty good reaction time.Jones technically won at the NASCAR game, although he admitted he won because Wallace had started celebrating early.Anyway, it was a fun respite during what would be a high-intensity day. It was the same for the Evil Geniuses who got to play recreationally for a change.This is a great distraction, said 26-year-old Jason Lunchbox Brown. We played the best team [OpTic] in the game [Halo] yesterday and beat them, so that was a huge series for us so this is a really nice getaway for us.We practice Sunday [to] Thursday for our [Halo Championship Series] Pro League matches. This is a great time.The competitors in the NASCAR and esports worlds dont get many distractions. They cant afford to have them.There are literally thousands of drivers who compete around the country at their local tracks, dreaming of making it big one day. Just like there are literally thousands of people at home playing video games dreaming of what it would be like to do it for a living.I would love to drive a car 195 miles an hour, said 25-year-old John Harvey, a fan who lives near the track and attends the races annually. But Id also love to play video games all day.Lets face it. The competitors have cool jobs. But they have made the most of their opportunities.Jones earned his big shot by beating NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch in a race in Pensacola, Fla., and Busch urged Toyota to sign him. Evil Geniuses players Jason and Justin Brown finished fourth in a major tournament at age 16 in 2007 to get noticed.If we didnt place in the top in our first event ... we might not be where we are at today, Jason Brown said.Thanks to winning championships and races at every level, Jones will race at the top NASCAR level next year. He probably doesnt have to start looking over his shoulder yet.But he will soon, and the Evil Geniuses know what that is like.There is always that young gun that is coming up playing how many hours a day to try to be that next top dog and so youve got to put in an equal amount of time or even more to kind of maintain your level of competition and skill level, 26-year-old Justin Brown said. Youre thinking what you can do better as a player [and] as a teammate.Its just constantly evolving. Youve got to keep with the times and be able to adapt and evolve.There also is the intense preparation. While racecar drivers cannot practice much during the week -- typically rules prohibit testing to keep costs down -- they often use simulators to help prepare for major events.So, sometimes they will play iRacing or other video games to just stay mentally sharp.On weeks I do play video games, for whatever reason, it helps me be more focused during the race weekend, said NASCAR driver Brennan Poole. Youre just so focused on what youre doing and reaction speeds and all that stuff in the first-person shooter games, that when I show up in the weeks I did play the game, I have a better race.I play all the time.Poole described his race preparation to the fans at the event, and it was the same answer EG coach and player Ryan Towey Towey would have given.[He answered] first and it mirrored what I was thinking [for] how to answer the question, Towey said.[The similarity] was very eerie to me. We review hours and hours of film, before and after major matches. Well practice five or six nights a week, three or four hours at a time through all of our game types. Well watch the competitions film. And we spend time taking and going over notes.Towey enjoyed a chance to play with no pressure. He still didnt enjoy losing.We do play games recreationally for fun in the offseason, but its difficult because we always want to win, Towey said.It was fun for the drivers, too. They signed autographs, as did the Evil Geniuses. Jackson Baldwin, a 15-year-old from Illinois, came over to the race track just to play Lunchbox in Halo - of course Baldwin didnt win -- and left before any of the races.He missed a good show put on by Jones on the race track. For Jones, it was fun to play the Evil Geniuses before embarking on his real job the rest of the day.I didnt know them before this, Jones said. Theyve been pretty successful. It is pretty neat to meet them and play against them for a second. Alex Smith Jersey . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. Russ Grimm Womens Jersey . 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James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Former?Tennessee?running back Jalen Hurd says he had multiple injuries this season, including a concussion, and that he left the Volunteers in part to play for an offense that better suits his talents.Hurd tweeted Sunday night to explain his decision to leave Tennessee. Vols coach Butch Jones announced last Monday that Hurd intends to transfer.Tennessee officials didnt immediately respond to a message seeking comment.Hurd had rushed for 2,638 yards in his three-year Tennessee career, putting him 4400 yards shy of Travis Henrys 16-year-old school record.dddddddddddd. Hurd ran for a team-high 451 yards while averaging 3.7 yards per carry this season.He finished his Tennessee career with 26 total touchdowns (20 rushing, six receiving). Hurd had 67 career catches for 492 yards, including 10 receptions for 81 yards this season.Tennessee (6-3, 2-3 SEC) hosts Kentucky (5-4, 4-3) on Saturday. ' ' '