A Sports Filled Weekend

You stare at high-speed drivers weaving and attempting to pass every day on your commute to work. Now you can watch professionals pull the same stunts but at much higher speeds and in fancy costumes festooned with sponsor patches. And they won’t be texting behind the wheel.

Yep, it’s The Great American Race – the Daytona 500. NASCAR’s season gets rolling on Sunday with rookie Chase Elliott on the pole and Joe Gibbs Racing desperate to end its 23-year drought at the revamped oval. Elliott, the son of Hall of Famer Bill Elliott (a two-time Daytona winner) drives the No. 24 Chevrolet made famous by the now-retired Jeff Gordon. Nothing says racing like Daytona.

That’s the top of the pops on our Weekend TV Six-Pack. But wait, there’s more.

Before Sunday’s race rolls around (and around and around), you might want to get back into the NBA mode. That lengthy break for the All-Star Game is over and the schedule really kicks into gear on Friday night. The Golden State Warriors-Portland Trailblazers game is only on NBA League Pass, so we’re going to suggest the Boston Celtics, who are bordering on being pretty good once again, at the Utah Jazz, who aren’t.

You can see the Warriors on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors are a ridiculous 48-4, having won their last 11. The Clips are 35-18. Should be a good one.

It’s a strong field playing in the Northern Trust Open, the PGA Tour stop in Los Angeles. Rory McIlroy is in, not waiting for the Tour to reach Florida as he normally does. He has only played twice this spring, both times in the Middle East, so here’s a chance to see the world’s No.3 player. He was tied for fifth going into the second round on Friday; Jordan Spieth likely won’t make the cut after an opening-round 79 that was 8-over par. Final round is Sunday.

On Saturday, just go to a sports bar and pick any two of these four games to complete your sixer: No. 8 Xavier at Georgetown, with the Musketeers coming off a flattening of No. 23 Providence; No. 20 Duke at No. 18 Louisville, with Duke fired up after its last-second win over North Carolina; St. Bonaventure at No. 15 Dayton, with the Flyers trying to rebound from their loss to St. Joseph’s; and No. 11 Miami at No. 5 North Carolina, which will want to take out its frustrations on someone.

Watch responsibly. Don’t watch and drive.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman