ISM Raceway President Bryan Sperber is set to leave the venue this year, according to sources, after a more than 15-year tenure at the Arizona venue. Sperber yesterday informed his staff that he is set to leave after the track’s $178M renovation is completed this November. He said that he wants to move on to new projects after a more than 20-year career with ISC that included stops at Daytona, Watkins Glen, Auto Club Speedway and eventually Phoenix. Sperber’s successor was not immediately clear.

Richmond Raceway today will announce a deal with Mars that will see the company's M&M’s brand buy naming rights to a part of the track’s updated infield. M&M’s will get the rights to brand a shade structure and nearby areas as part of ISC's $30M infield renovation. The area, located near the track’s victory lane, will have M&M’s signage and branding decked out on the shade structure, plus the ground surrounding it. M&M’s also will get signage on all four turns of the track, as well as the opportunity to sell its confections and other products at concession stands throughout the venue. Financial terms were not disclosed. Mars’ global HQ is in McLean, Va., and Mars VP/Sponsorships & Family Properties William Clements, who heads up the M&M’s Racing program, is from Richmond.

The Nashville Metro Council today will take up the MLS stadium issue after a key committee voted yesterday to "recommend disapproval of a pair of ordinances needed to sign off" on the project, signaling a "potentially tough road ahead for passage in the full council." The committee recommended "disapproval of an ordinance backed by Mayor David Briley to demolish existing expo center facilities and other buildings at the fairgrounds." The committee also recommended that the council "reject a ground lease with Nashville's MLS ownership group led by John Ingram that would let the team build a 10-acre private development on the fairgrounds site next to the stadium" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 8/21).

SOCCERAMERICA.com goes with the header, "Nashville MLS Stadium A Done Deal? Not So Fast."

credit one bank

Golden Knights sponsor Credit One Bank is unveiling new "Vegas Born" credit cards that will be "available to existing Las Vegas-area Credit One Bank members in late September." The card "features the team logo and the slogan 'Vegas Born' and is available in midnight black, pearlescent white, and metallic gold." The bank said that members "will receive exclusive offers with partnering Golden Knights sponsors, with a full list of perks to be announced prior to the start of the NHL season in October" (LASVEGASSUN.com, 8/21).

The Jets will take the wraps off of a content alliance with Def Jam Recordings later today during the team’s annual “Game Day Upfront” at MetLife Stadium. Under the arrangement, Def Jam will create music -- including a team anthem -- to be played at home games, along with hype videos and other content that will be seen on Jets social media. The collaboration kicks off with Jets S Jamal Adams and S Marcus Maye visiting Jadakiss’ studio in Yonkers.

Several astronauts today will stage a tennis match that will "take place in zero gravity" aboard the Int'l Space Station, and Juan Martin del Potro will "help prepare" NASA's Drew Feustel for the competition. Del Potro will "video chat from Arthur Ashe Stadium" with Feustel as he orbits on the ISS early this afternoon, "several hours before the match takes place." The conversation "will be broadcast live on the U.S. Open's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts." The event is being held in partnership with the USTA to "increase public interest in the sport" (MLIVE.com, 8/20).

roush fenway racing

Kraft Heinz Co. this morning announced a deal with Roush Fenway Racing that will see the food giant deploy its Oscar Mayer brand as the primary paint scheme on the No. 6 Ford driven by Matt Kenseth for the Southern 500 NASCAR Throwback race at Darlington Raceway in two weeks (Adam Stern, Staff Writer).

Two Wall Street analysts yesterday "raised their rating" on Nike, as shares then jumped 3.1% to $82.18. That is an "all-time high" for the company (N.Y. POST, 8/21).

The Reese's Senior Bowl yesterday launched the "Ambassadors Club," a group of nearly 50 former football players from Mobile and Baldwin Counties and the Univ. of South Alabama that will "represent the Senior Bowl at various football and non-football special events throughout the year" (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 8/21). 

California Gov. Jerry Brown yesterday signed "legislation into law" that makes surfing the state's official sport (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 8/21).

Indians P Trevor Bauer last night apologized to ESPN on social media for alleging that the net cited a joking tweet by The Ringer's Michael Baumann making light of his recovery process from a leg injury (TWITTER.com, 8/20).

Dear @espn pic.twitter.com/SPyzR5oU1X

— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) August 20, 2018

"We just did a TV deal with ESPN for $1.5 billion for five years. Now the company is worth $7 billion" -- UFC President Dana White, in an interview with self-help celebrity Tony Robbins, on the MMA outfit's valuation (MMAWEEKLY.com, 8/21).

"I feel sad about it, you know, not to have the Davis Cup as it used to be. It will never be the same" -- Roger Federer, on the Int'l Tennis Federation transforming the event into a one-week, 18-team competition (TENNIS.com, 8/21).

"My phone’s off the hook now. I’m getting calls here and there for tickets. It’s like a D.C. United game is the hottest ticket in town right now" -- DC United G Bill Hamid, on the team's increased popularity after going 4-0-1 in their last five matches. The club also added F Wayne Rooney this summer and are in their first season at Audi Field (WASHINGTON TIMES, 8/21).

"You guys are allowed to kneel. You can do whatever the hell you want. There's no old white man that can stop it. Do it" -- Comedian Kevin Hart, addressing the audience at the VMAs last night ("VMAs," MTV, 8/20).

UConn journalism professor Mike Stanton in a special to the BOSTON GLOBE writes under the header, "Goodbye, Rhode Island: Elegy For The PawSox." For "nearly half a century," prospects from the top Red Sox farm team have "patrolled McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket." Now the Triple-A club is "moving to Worcester," and the departure will "leave a void greater than the sinkhole upon" which the ballpark was constructed during the Great Depression.

Also:

• Inside the "big money -- and community -- of NHL practice facilities."
• Luke DeCock on why he won't be joining The Athletic. 
• A look at the Raiders' "road trip back in time" to L.A. over the weekend.

INSIDER SOURCE --
Urban Meyer pushing back hard against even a short suspension. Both AD and President politically weaker than public thinks. Messaging I'm hearing floated in response to the likely backlash is that Meyer has already been punished by "time served."

— RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) August 21, 2018

Why don’t they just put Booger McFarland in the booth?? I don’t get it.

— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) August 21, 2018

And how's that Kawhi press conference in Toronto coming along? The Royal Wedding took less time to plan.

— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) August 21, 2018

The Giants’ slide & the normal broadcast crew’s greatness means fill-in PXP guy Rich Waltz isn’t going to get much love, but I’m so happy he’s back in the booth. Spent so many nights of a prior life listening to Rich & Tommy Hutton call the Fish — it’s travesty they were canned.

— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) August 21, 2018

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ESPN+ beginning today at 11:00am ET will have coverage of U.S. Open qualifying. Streaming will cover five courts over all four days leading up to the event in N.Y. (Aug. 21-24). This is the first time ESPN has covered qualifying.

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Greek Mythology.”

“In one version Thetis killed six of her children in her attempts to make them immortal; this warrior was her seventh.”

“Who was Achilles?”