wrestle yet thats certainly gonna happen at some point

NEWTON, Iowa -- You dont often see a superior performance like the one Josef Newgarden and Ed Carpenter Racing put on in the Iowa Corn 300.?Whether you were sitting in the grandstands on a beautiful afternoon at Iowa Speedway or following the action on television or the internet from home, Newgardens dominance over the Verizon IndyCar Series field was obvious.?The No. 21 ECR Chevrolet led an IndyCar record 282 of 300 laps, losing the top spot only during green-flag pit stops. At one point before halfway, Newgarden and pole winner Simon Pagenaud had lapped the rest of the 23-car field.?The combined might of Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing was unable to overcome the flying 25-year-old from Nashville, who won by 4.28 seconds over Penskes Will Power and Ganassis Scott Dixon, with IndyCar Series championship leader Pagenaud dropping to fourth.?It was Newgardens first win of the 2016 season and the third of his IndyCar career. More importantly, it moves him up to second place in the season standings, 73 points behind Pagenaud.?His accomplishment Sunday was made even more impressive when you realize that, just four weeks ago, Newgarden broke his clavicle and right wrist in a jarring accident at Texas Motor Speedway.?It was a lot of fun; the car was amazing, Newgarden remarked after his latest win. Some stints it was like a video game. You put on new tires, catch people at the right point, and you could just slice and dice. Thats a lot of credit for what weve built at this team with Ed Carpenter Racing.?We had a good car here last year, he added. We had a good shot at winning it then. We had a great race, but we were disappointed we couldnt get it done last year. We really wanted to get it done this year, and we finally got it done.?Newgarden led more than 100 laps at Iowa in 2015 but had to settle for second place in the race.?This year, with a helping hand from part-time IndyCar driver J.R. Hildebrand, Newgarden and ECR were able to be in front at the finish after running pretty much unchallenged all day.?Newgarden gave credit to Hildebrand, who stepped in after Newgardens Texas crash to run the No. 21 car in tests at Road America and Iowa. At Road America, less than two weeks after screws and plates were installed to repair the fractured clavicle, Newgarden drove from the back of the grid to an eighth-place finish.?At Iowa, he was in a league of his own.?I dont think we realize how lucky we are to have someone like him at our disposal whenever we need it, Newgarden said of Hildebrand. He put some extra spice in the setup, and we took what I think was a race-winning car last year; he made it better with his input.?Weve got a great crew and great people, he added. Im happy to get my first oval win for the team.?Remarkably, he did it while driving injured at what most drivers believe is the most physical oval on the IndyCar Series schedule. The 0.875-mile Iowa track gives drivers almost no time to rest because there really isnt much of a straight to speak of.?Newgarden admitted that he knew before the start that he might not last the 300-lap distance. Instead, he stayed in front for more than 90 percent of the laps and rarely had to extend himself.?I was really nervous coming into the race, but I didnt want to tell anybody that, he said. I cant express to you how physical this place is.?Having a great car made it easier, he continued. Man, I was surprised I could hold on. But in the first stint, I was like, This car is so good, we can clearly win it with this car. Im going to feel like an idiot if I dont get to the end. That was enough motivation for me just to get through it.?The car was so good that I couldnt let my guys down. I just tried to focus on gritting it out and getting the most out of the thing.?Dixon and Power, with five IndyCar Series championships between them, were impressed with what they saw Sunday.?I dont think anybody really had anything for Josef today, Dixon said. Huge credit to that team. They did a hell of a job. Josef deserved that big-time. Good to see him get a win.?He was on his own on another planet, Power added. They just nailed it absolutely.?Theyre a top-class team. They generally do a really good job with their resources, so full credit to them, and when you have a shunt like he had, to come back from injuries, to a physical place like this and win, full credit. He didnt test here, either.?Questions about Newgardens future have been whirling around for the past couple of years, and it seems inevitable that, at some point, Penske or Ganassi will come calling for his services.?Whether he actually will be or not, Newgarden also should be given strong consideration for a role with the Haas F1 team. Although Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi already has some limited F1 experience, Newgarden -- who also spent time racing junior formula cars in Europe -- looks like a better bet for the long term.?Jumping to a superteam such as Penske or Ganassi seems like a logical career move, but Newgarden has shown that he is capable of winning races with the tight-knit team run by owner-driver Carpenter. Newgardens belief in whether ECR can carry him to IndyCar championships likely will be a key factor in deciding his future.?Although he is well placed in the title contest this year, Newgarden knows he is likely to lose significant ground when the IndyCar Series returns to Texas on Aug. 27 to complete the race he crashed out of.?Im kind of bummed about Texas, he said. We know its coming. Thats going to push us down, and its going to be tough to swallow when we get there because thats really the only one that Im prepared that were going to lose a lot of points.?Im not too concerned about it yet, he added. Its all about making hay when you can. You have to win races. Thats the only way were going to challenge Simon, and at the end of the day well see where were at. Hopefully were close enough at Sonoma that we can challenge for a championship. Ron Jaworski Eagles Jersey .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Clayton Thorson Eagles Jersey . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. https://www.eaglessportsgoods.com/Womens-Wes-Hopkins-Inverted-Jersey/ . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Brian Westbrook Youth Jersey . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. Chuck Bednarik Eagles Jersey . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. WWE world champion AJ Styles has been on a whirlwind ride over the last 10 months. Since making his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble in January, hes had memorable showdowns with Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, John Cena and Dean Ambrose?--?to say nothing of James Ellsworth.The most shocking element is how quickly hes accumulated a massive following in the WWE, after decades in the wrestling industry working for every other major company in the world, and risen to the top of the ranks in the company.With Tuesdays release of WWE 2K17, ESPNs Tim Fiorvanti had?the chance to talk with the face that runs the place on SmackDown Live about his love of all things video games, his incredible run over the last year, dream opponents and much, much more.ESPN: AJ, its pretty well documented that youre a big gamer. I saw a video from about 10 years ago where you had a PlayStation 2, an Xbox, a GameCube and a SEGA Dreamcast with a video screen attached, among a great many other things in your game room at home. Whats the setup like these days?AJ Styles: If were talking about my setup now we could talk about all the retro games that I have, like my collection of hand-held systems that most people have forgotten about, but I also still have systems that can play the old games like a RetroN 5 and other craziness. I also have my arcade machines, and then we can move on to the PS4, and the Xbox One, but I like to play my Xbox 360 as well. So I have pretty much everything, man -- I have an addiction, and I admit that.ESPN: When youre on the road, how much of that do you end up taking with you? Is it more about the consoles or the handhelds when youre done wrestling for the night?AJ: Well I actually take my Xbox 360 on the road. I still enjoy playing my 360 because the last game that they made for college football was 2014, so I have it just so I can play that game. There are also some games [for that system] that I never really got into, but now I really enjoy them, like this game called Bullet Storm. I didnt realize how fantastic this game was at the time, but Im rocking it right now and its awesome. Its to a point where a lot the guys will go, What game is that dude? Im like, Dude its actually kind of old. So yeah I still like rocking the 360.ESPN: You have three kids -- are they as enthusiastic as you are when it comes to video games? Have you instilled that in them?AJ: Theyre not as well rounded as I am. My oldest son likes Madden. Thats the one he wants to play, or baseball on the PS4. My second-oldest son, he cant wait for me to get home and take him WWE 2K17. My third son, hes on the Wii U, enjoys Mario Maker and whatnot. So theyre all involved, but theyre all in different age groups.ESPN: Lets talk about WWE 2K17 for a little bit. I think its pretty cool, at least for somebody whos followed your career, that in 2016 in a WWE video game you can have AJ Styles face Samoa Joe. What is that like for you, considering all the different places both of your careers have been?AJ: Its pretty neat. I remember Joe telling me when he signed with WWE, and how cool I thought it was that my buddy is going to come in and make a difference, and I knew he would. Then he makes it in time to be in the game this year, which was unbelievable. I dont know how many people made me in 2K16, but Ive seen a lot of different AJ Styles, and the fact that they dont have to do it this year Im sure is a relief to them. Its just really neat being a part of it all, man.ESPN: In terms of some of the guys who you faced prior to signing with WWE, like a Joe, like a Nakamura, how much are you looking forward to the opportunity to showcasing those kinds of matches for a WWE audience in the future?AJ: Absolutely, I am. I mean, the chemistry I have with both those guys, and other guys that are coming up through NXT or a part of NXT, its kind of one of those things where you cant rush it. But all this stuff is gonna eventually happen. We just have to be patient.ESPN: As the WWE World Champion, you are playing a pretty massive role in whats going on in Smackdown Live right now, where everythings been very well received. For you in particular, we have as our No. 1 in our Power Rankings and were certainly not alone. What is it like to have your work recognized and your level of performance recognized to the degree it has since you joined WWE?AJ: Its huge. Thats what you work for, is to be recognized. Its nice to know that the hard work that youve put in all these years is finally getting the, I dont want to say praise, buut you know.dddddddddddd I busted my tail for so long, Im just glad its getting recognized now as part of the WWE. Because lets face it, the WWE is the biggest company out there when it comes to wrestling. Im just happy that Im being recognized as somebody who works hard, I guess.ESPN: Ten or 15 years ago, maybe even further back, when you thought about having a career in the WWE, is this sort of what you imagined? How does it compare in terms of what your dreams were and how its actually playing out?AJ: I dont think you really can compare this to anything. Who would have thought that Hey man, by the way, as soon as you get to the WWE, youre gonna get a rocket attached to you. Its gonna be unbelievable. The Royal Rumble being as crazy a night as it was for me, and then within nine months Im the world champion. Thats huge. I dont think anyone expected that, including myself. Time has everything to do with that. I dont think that would have happened years ago. The WWE has changed so much since then as well. Who knows -- if there had been no Daniel Bryan, would there have been no AJ Styles here in WWE? So theres a lot of factors that come into play when talking about the past and where I would see myself in this situation years ago.ESPN: Im curious, do you feel like theres a match or a series of matches that really helped you raise your game, raise your profile, and really put you over the top in terms of actually coming to the WWE?AJ: I dont know. I dont know that they go out and look at other matches and go Thats a guy we need in the WWE. I dont know how that process happens. I think there are definitely guys I worked with before that now work here in the WWE, and they might go This guys great, lets give him a shot.ESPN: What about from your side? Is there something you feel like you picked up while you were in Japan thats really kind of been key to your success that youve had here in the WWE?AJ: I think that I made a lot of noise in my career, and with my work ethic when I was in Japan. I think a lot of people were noticing what was going on. Especially with Tanahashi and Nakamura, having so many amazing matches with those guys. Whos to say? Do I think Vince McMahon was looking at my matches in Japan going We need him? No. He wasnt, hes too busy. Theres no way. But somebody may have been looking and going all right, I like this guy. Lets give him a shot.ESPN: For people who havent watched New Japan or dont really know what its like, what was your experience like being able to main event a Wrestle Kingdom show in front of a Tokyo Dome crowd?AJ: I was also a fan of Japanese wrestling [before I went there]. I watched a lot of VHS tapes from Japan, and to be able to wrestle in the Tokyo Dome at one of the biggest shows of the year was really cool for me. It was my Wrestlemania moment before I had a Wrestlemania moment. And to be able to say that I did a WrestleKingdom and a Wrestlemania in the same year, I dont think theres too many people that can say theyve done that. And I love that. I love being one of those guys that can say that I was on two of the biggest shows of the year.ESPN: Given the chance, whether you have three or five or 10 Wrestlemanias ahead of you, is there a list you have, like a must-face guy or a dream opponent that you would like to face at some point?AJ: I always say when it comes to dream matches that is not up to me, thats up to the WWE Universe. Thats up to the fans. But there is a guy on SmackDown that I have yet to wrestle yet thats certainly gonna happen at some point, and thats Randy Orton.ESPN: My very last question, Ill swing back to WWE 2K17. If you have to choose one of your greatest opponents to face in the game ...AJ: Sting.ESPN: Okay, Ill make it harder -- one of your great opponents who has never been in a WWE video game to be in a future edition of WWE 2K, in an AJ Styles story mode or just to be able to use them in the game.AJ: Oh man. Thats never been in the WWE. Wow, thats tough, man. That may be the most difficult question Ive ever had. I mean think about that, who would you love to see in there that hasnt been there at least in one of the games, because theyve had so many legends in there before. Phew.How about Jushin Thunder Liger. When you think about all the maneuvers and stuff that hes come up with and what hes done in the ring, thats a pretty big gap to fill. So thatd be pretty cool. ' ' '