panalo.999 C.J. Leary is set to pull double, full-season duty for Team AZ Racing on multiple USAC trails throughout 2025. Leary, the 2019 USAC National Sprint Car champion, will compete on the 50-race USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship docket with Team AZ in partnership with Curb-Agajanian. He also will take on the 13-race USAC Silver Crown slate with Team AZ in association with Jerry Petty of Avanti Windows & Doors. “It just makes sense having everything under one roof,” Leary said. “When (car owner) Mike (Burkhart) originally called me, he just wanted to do the Silver Crown thing, and I was calling him to want to do the sprint car. I think we found a way to make both work, but he was worried about being good at both and not taking away from either program. It’s a lot of work doing both series with one group of guys. I think it’s really good to get that chemistry once they figure out what I like.” Toward the end of the 2024 campaign, Leary had an opportunity to make his first two USAC CRA Sprint Car starts for Team AZ/Curb-Agajanian Racing during the Western World Championships at Arizona’s Mohave Valley Raceway, finishing fourth and third across the two nights. “Getting our feet wet was super beneficial to get those trial runs out of the way before we roll into Florida where it’s a national points race,” Leary explained. “I don’t feel like we’d have any time to learn each other (in Florida). In Arizona, it was low pressure, and I’ve been friends with the 21AZ guys for four or five years, but we’ve never raced together. There’s a little bit of a learning curve there, and I think it went really smoothly those two nights out there.” The process of it was discovering what works and what doesn’t work between the driver’s seat and the wrenches, all while figuring out how to work together, communicate and become a team. “We learned that I don’t like the same things Daison [Pursley] likes,” Leary revealed. “But we have the same engine builder I’ve been using and the same cars. It should be an easy jell coming together. The big thing is having a full circle and surrounding myself with good people is really important. We’ve got good guys working on the cars and good guys sponsoring the car, so hopefully, it’s going to be a powerhouse team.” Team AZ Racing, meanwhile, has captured six career USAC National Sprint Car wins, four with Jake Swanson between 2021-2023, and two more in 2024 with Daison Pursley at the wheel. Pursley’s late-race heroics also provided Team AZ its first ever Silver Crown victory in June of 2024 at Pennsylvania’s Port Royal Speedway. Leary is one of the sport’s premier drivers, amassing 23 career USAC National Sprint Car feature wins and 55 fast qualifying times. With the Silver Crown series, Leary has compiled three career wins and seven pole positions. Now Leary is ready get rolling into it, back to championship form. “When we start racing, I think it’s going to be really good,” Leary foretold. “I’ve driven for some good guys, but I haven’t had a full team where we have a tire guy and a crew chief besides myself and where I don’t drive the truck and trailer. Now I get to focus a little bit more on driving. That’s going to be super helpful to me, where I can take some of the weight off my shoulders and just drive.” The quest for a USAC National Sprint Car championship begins in February 2025 with six consecutive events in Florida during Winter Dirt Games. Both Leary and Team AZ have enjoyed victory in recent years during the Sunshine State tour. Leary won in both 2019 and 2024 at Ocala Speedway while Team AZ scored at Volusia Speedway Park with Jake Swanson in 2023. The 2025 USAC Silver Crown season begins at Indiana’s Terre Haute Action Track for the 21st running of the Sumar Classic. Leary’s first career USAC national victory of any kind came during the 2016 edition of the Sumar. Leary will be behind the wheel of the Curb Records/Apache Transport OakCraft Elegant Cabinetry No. 21AZ Sprint Car powered by 1 Way Technologies between the frame rails of a DRC chassis on both dirt as well as the first ever DRC pavement chassis. The Avanti Windows & Doors, Apache Transport, OakCraft Elegant Cabinetry No. 21 Silver Crown car driven by Leary will feature Stanton Racing Engines power under the hood of their DRC chassis.

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Keir Starmer warned elderly people ‘going to die’ as he is confronted on radio show over winter fuel cuts

Mumbai: BEST general manager Anil Diggikar on Saturday announced that the undertaking will continue operations of 12m-long buses outside railway stations and in congested areas. "There is no plan to withdraw long buses from congested routes...There are no diversions anywhere in the city," he told TOI. On Saturday morning, the BEST resumed service of its long electric AC bus on route A-332 from Kurla station. This is the same route where a BEST bus, driven by wet-lease driver Sanjay More, crashed into several vehicles and pedestrians, resulting in seven fatalities last Monday. The undertaking also resumed another 12m-long electric AC bus on route A-311 from Kurla West station to Santacruz East station. A senior official said that with A-332 and A-311 being reintroduced from Kurla West station, the BEST has now resumed 100% operations in the area. This was shut down for 3-4 days after the fatal crash, inconveniencing commuters who were at the mercy of autorickshaws demanding hefty fares outside Kurla station. The BEST has also positioned vigilance officers to ensure orderly queues at bus stops and police bandobast, including a riot control police van, at Kurla station. A senior official from BEST's traffic wing said that a five-member committee was scrutinising all documents submitted by the six wet-lease bus contractors. "They have furnished details of existing recruitment processes for contract drivers and their training protocols. They have also suggested modifications and enhancements to the training programme following the recent incident at Kurla," he elaborated, adding that these recommendations were being documented alongside the new measures announced by Diggikar. "We shall compile all measures to finalise a comprehensive SOP for wet lease drivers' training — to be announced next week," the official added. Diggikar has announced mandatory simulator-based training for all drivers alongside introducing breathalysers at all bus depots for drivers beginning and concluding their shifts from next week. The BEST GM also questioned the private contractor for the Kurla bus, demanding comprehensive details about the driver More, including his training prior to assignment on the e-AC bus, which is a larger vehicle with sophisticated technology. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .The Pittsburgh Steelers made a couple of big changes in the 2024 offseason to try and fix their awful offense. It started with bringing in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith . Then, the Steelers signed Russell Wilson to a veteran one-year minimum deal. After that, they traded for another quarterback, acquiring Justin Fields . Both quarterbacks have helped the offense improve, but Wilson was riding high with four straight wins before losing 24-19 to the Cleveland Browns on "Thursday Night Football." Before the Browns game, NFL insider Albert Breer revealed that Smith and Wilson had to have some difficult conversations to get the veteran quarterback to buy into the new system. From TNF Tonight—What’s worked for the @Steelers and Russell Wilson, and what’s next. pic.twitter.com/h367En6cEF According to Breer, Smith laid out a vision for the Steelers' offense that focused on discipline and efficiency, elements Wilson struggled with during his time with the Denver Broncos. The uncomfortable conversations reportedly revolved around Smith demanding that Wilson adapt his playing style to fit the team’s system, including quicker decision-making and greater reliance on the run game. While Wilson initially resisted, Smith’s no-nonsense approach eventually won him over, leading to a revitalized offense and the Steelers' surprising early success. "A huge part of this has been getting buy-in from Russell Wilson himself and that has happened from Smith and Wilson having a series of very hard, honest one on one conversations away from the other players and away from the other coaches," Breer said. Despite the recent loss to Cleveland, Wilson’s play has been noticeably more controlled, and the Steelers’ offense has shown flashes of the consistency fans have been waiting for. Smith’s ability to get Wilson on the same page has been pivotal, and his leadership has created a sense of accountability throughout the team. With Fields also in the mix , the Steelers now have multiple options under center, giving the offense a chance to continue evolving as the season progresses. Here was the infamous Russell Wilson miss to a wide open Pat Freiermuth that was talked about last night... Actually a great call by Arthur Smith with a play action Flood look, which gets both safeties to bite down Can see Freiermuth's exasperation pic.twitter.com/w3OxmGqQUb A viral clip from the Browns game highlighted one of those missed chances, showing Wilson not looking at a wide-open Pat Freiermuth on what could have been a likely touchdown. The humbling loss to Cleveland served as a reality check for the Steelers and Wilson. However, at 8-3, the team remains in control of its playoff destiny, and Wilson is expected to rebound with his usual poise. Wilson facing some adversity in Pittsburgh The progress that Steeler Nation had been celebrating came to a screeching halt when the offense failed to score any touchdowns in a win over the Baltimore Ravens. That lack of production carried into the game against the Browns, where touchdowns were hard to come by for most of the night. Though the Steelers scored twice late to take the lead, the missed opportunities left plenty to be desired. Despite the offense's struggles for most of the night, Wilson made some incredible throws to help the Steelers take the lead. The Steelers will need that resilience from their quarterback because the schedule ahead is unforgiving. Dropping a winnable game to the Browns adds pressure to an already brutal stretch, making every remaining matchup even more critical as Pittsburgh fights to stay on top. This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.

The defence ministry on Friday sealed a contract with Larsen & Toubro Ltd for procurement of K9 Vajra artillery guns for the Indian Army at a total cost of Rs 7,628 crore that is expected to significantly bolster the force's strike capability. The gun, equipped with cutting-edge technology, is capable of delivering long-range lethal fires with high accuracy. It is learnt that the ministry is procuring around 100 Vajra guns largely for deployment along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). "The defence ministry signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro Ltd for procurement of 155 mm/52 calibre K9 VAJRA-T Self-Propelled Tracked Artillery Guns for the Indian Army under Buy (Indian) category at a total cost of Rs 7,628.70 crore," an official readout said. The procurement of K9 Vajra-T will catalyse the artillery modernisation and enhance overall operational readiness of the Indian Army, it said. "This versatile artillery gun, with its cross-country mobility, will play a pivotal role in enhancing the firepower of the Indian Army, enabling deeper strike with precision and its lethal firepower will bolster the capability of artillery in all terrains," the ministry said. The gun being equipped with cutting-edge technology is capable of delivering long-range lethal fires with high accuracy and higher rate of fire and will be able to operate in sub-zero temperature in high-altitude areas to its full potential, it said. "The project will generate an employment of more than nine lakh man-days over a period of four years and encourage active participation of various Indian industries including MSMEs," the ministry said. "The project will be a proud flag-bearer of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' in consonance with the 'Make-in-India' initiative," it added. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan’s missile program is ‘emerging threat’Dolby Laboratories executive sells $841,907 in stock