Bell expecting breakthrough season

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TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 18: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees poses for a portrait during the New York Yankees Photo Day at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 18, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

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HAMPTON, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 23: Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 DEWALT Toyota, and wife, Morgan Bell celebrate in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2025 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

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Brian Campbell, of the United States, holds the championship trophy after the final round of the Mexico Open golf tournament in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

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Bell expecting breakthrough season

Christopher Bell believes he could be headed toward a big year with Joe Gibbs Racing following what he hopes will be a breakthrough win. Bell clinched a playoff berth by winning the NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in overtime on Sunday. Bell said he would be disappointed if he doesn’t have more wins before the playoffs. Bell, 30, has big hopes for his No. 20 team following his unlikely win after qualifying only 32nd, beginning with next week’s race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. He just didn’t expect his team’s breakout win to come in Atlanta. “COTA is a good place to start,” Bell said. “We’re just getting into the bread and butter of what the 20 car likes. COTA should be a strong track. Phoenix, Vegas, Darlington, Homestead. All of these in the early season is where we think we can compete for wins and ... score a lot of points.” The win by Bell only raises the stakes for the rest of the season, according to crew chief, Adam Stevens. “It frees you up a bunch,” Stevens said. “The position that our team is in, we expect to run up front.”

Stanton in NY for more medical tests

Giancarlo Stanton wasn’t at his Yankees clubhouse locker on Sunday before, during or after any of the three media availabilities. The oft-injured slugger who’s in an indefinite holding pattern due to tennis elbow in both arms wasn’t at Steinbrenner Field or his Tampa, Florida residence. He wasn’t even in the state. Stanton instead flew to New York for a Monday morning appointment with the head of the Yankees’ medical team, Dr. Christopher Ahmad, according to reports. This visit likely included new testing and a review of Stanton’s treatment options. Surgery would be the last line of defense, but hadn’t yet been seriously considered. Given his long history of injuries, it’s very possible the 35-year-old Stanton is dealing with other issues besides damaged extensor tendons. Stanton played in 158 of the Yankees’ 162 regular-season games in 2018, the first of his seven seasons in Pinstripes. But he since appeared in only 58% (505 of 870) due to seven trips to the injured list. As of now, there’s no timetable for his return this spring or regular season.

Campbell gets 1st PGA Tour victory

Brian Campbell cashed in on a huge break Sunday when his tee shot in a playoff bounced out of the trees and back into play, leading to a birdie on the second extra hole to win the Mexico Open over Aldrich Potgieter. Campbell, who closed with a 1-under 70 at Vidanta Vallarta, won for the first time since he turned pro a decade ago and the timing couldn’t have been better. The victory sends him to the Masters, The Players Championship and the PGA Championship, along with five of the $20 million signature events left on the PGA Tour schedule. “To be in this position is just so unreal,” Campbell, 31, said after holing a birdie putt just inside 4 feet on the 18th for the win. “I can’t believe it.” Campbell said it was grit that helped him win, and that goes back further than Sunday. He played his college golf at Illinois and was the low amateur in the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. He earned a PGA Tour card in 2017 and missed the cut 13 times in 20 starts. And then it was back to the minor leagues for the next seven years until he eventually got another crack at the PGA Tour. —News services