Die Macht » NASCAR to take even more steps.We don

Michael van Gerwen says the ever-improving standard of darts is part of the reason for his world record average in Aberdeen last week.The Dutchman was at his blistering best to set a new highest benchmark of 123.4 in a 7-1 victory over a shell-shocked Michael Smith.The plaudits have been flying in for Van Gerwen with Sky Sports expert Wayne Mardle saying he is now setting the benchmark with his averages and title victories - the world No 1 has won three of the six UK Open qualifiers as well as defending his Masters and Dutch Masters titles already this year. Mardle marvels at MVG Wayne Mardle on MVGs record breaking night The nights average in Aberdeen was 103 and while delighted with his own mark, it is the bar being raised across the board driving him on to great heights.It was just one of them things! I got two points and a good performance of course but I need to show it again this week, van Gerwen told Sky Sports. Sky Live: Premier League We preview Thursday nights action in Exeter I cant afford any mistakes. I hope I can bring the good performance from last week through to this week. I try to put on a new level but everyone is playing on a different level now. Everyone is playing better so I have to try my best every game.The standard is getting higher and higher and you need to make sure you prepare for that and you cant make any mistakes against anyone. Van Gerwen was quick to point out he wants to be able to better his mark, joking that he would be forced to bow out at an unprecedented level had he pinned a double 18 for an average of 136: But then I would never have a chance to break my record again.Then that would be the end of the road for me! Of course you want to have the highest performance, but 123 was still a fantastic performance and I was happy with that.Up next for the world No 1 is top-of-the-table Peter Wright, but MVG admits Snakebite hasnt been at his best despite an unbeaten opening four weeks. Mystic Mardle Wayne reveals his predictions for Exeters matches He is unbeaten but he is not playing really well to be fair, van Gerwen added.He got away in two of his games, against Raymond [van Barneveld, won 7-5] and against Robert Thornton [drew 6-6] last week. Raymond should have definitely beaten him and Robert had a chance to beat him - his confidence must be high but I just need to do one thing and that is play very well.Van Gerwen has recovered well from losing his opening match to James Wade in Leeds and while he is targeting top spot, it is about being in the play-offs and final at the end of the regular league format. van Gerwen reflects on his amazing performance in Aberdeen A win takes me back where I belong! There is an extra prize to be top of the table and I have been top of the table in the last three years and I hope I can make it four in a row, the 2014 world champion added.My first game in the Premier League was a disaster, I lost two points and just gave it away but after that I have picked it up really well.It doesnt matter in the early weeks, you cant win all the games, no one has ever done that and I dont think anyone ever will. The most important things is to hold the trophy in the air in May. Doesnt matter how you win, just as long as you win. Get a Sky Sports Pass Dont miss the Darts! Watch live on NOW TV for ￡6.99. No contract.Also See:Mardles PL predictionsSky Live: PL night fiveRod recalls greatest matchWATCH: Taylor-Lewis classicDonte DiVincenzo Jersey . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. Ray Allen Bucks Jersey . The incident occurred at 19:56 of the second period of the Kings 4-2 road win over Edmonton on Sunday. Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum. http://www.nbabucksproshop.com/Authentic-Ray-Allen-Bucks-Jersey/ .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. Giannis Antetokounmpo Bucks Jersey . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Eric Bledsoe Bucks Jersey .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee.LOUDON, N.H. -- He was one of NASCARs first superstars, but Fred Lorenzens memories of his Hall of Fame career have dimmed as he battles dementia. His Daytona 500 victory, the wins he piled up to become NASCARs first $100,000 driver, his life on the road, all have been largely extinguished.Lorenzen still has flickering moments when he remembers his days as NASCARs Golden Boy -- called that for his rugged, movie-star looks. Like in recent years, when he visits Chicago Speedway, not far from his assisted living facility.His face just lights up when hes there, said his daughter, Amanda Lorenzen Gardstrom.Nearly 45 years after his last Cup race, Lorenzen hoped he could still make his mark on the NASCAR community. Inspired by Dale Earnhardt Jr.s decision to pledge his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Lorenzen became the second known driver to make the same decision.Gardstrom made it official Friday with a pledge to Legacy co-founder Chris Nowinski. As auto racing grapples with the issue of concussions and head trauma, one of NASCARs pioneers is now alongside Earnhardt in the donation queue.As a family, we decided we wanted to support Dale Junior and all work together toward a healthy future for these drivers, she told The Associated Press.Earnhardts concussion history -- he missed two races in 2012 -- spurred his decision to pledge his brain to the Legacy, a group that works with Boston University on research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative disease that doctors believe is caused by repeated blows to the head.Gardstrom is convinced the 81-year-old Lorenzen has CTE as a result of years of brutal wrecks and hits in the 1960s, one of the most dangerous eras in racing history. Lorenzen won the Daytona 500 in 1965.He never stopped to heal, she said.She wants to help, and knows her father does, too, and to advance the understanding of concussions and their treatment in NASCAR.Its the younger generation that we really need to educate, she said. Theyre young, theyre hungry, but when they get in a wreck and get a concussion, they know if they dont get back in the car, someone else is going to take it. We want to change the culture of the sport.Earnhardt has become the face of concussion awareness in sports and will skip Sundays Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway because of concussion symptoms. There is no timetable for when NASCARs most popular driver might return.The 41-year-old Earnhardt had already intended to be an organ donor, so he said in April that giving up his brain made sense. Earnhardt said he was motivated by reading about three former Oakland Raiders who donated their brains in honor of teammate Ken Stabler, who died in 2015. The quarterbacks brain showed signs of CTE.I think the protocols and the advances that we have made in trying to protect ourselves are great things, Earnhardt said at his pledge announcement. IIm excited about what NASCAR has done.dddddddddddd They have really taken this head-on.Gardstrom felt the same sense of motivation when she read about Earnhardts pledge. She said Lorenzen, inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015, first showed signs of dementia about a decade ago. He has memory loss and uses a wheelchair at Oak Brook Healthcare in Illinois.The Elmhurst, Illinois, native was one of NASCARs first stars to hail from outside the sports Southern roots.The hardest part right now is that his racing memories are starting to go, Gardstrom said. That was the one thing that was really wonderful, to connect and see him light up when he talked about racing.Shed like to see others in the sport talk more about concussions.That hasnt necessarily been a hot topic of conversation in any of our meetings, Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch said.Six-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson was part of a 54-member panel that picked Lorenzen for induction into the hall. Johnson has yet to consider donating his brain to the Legacy.I am an organ donor so it wouldnt bother me to do that, but its something Ive not taken steps in and have not discussed at all, he said.In the 15 years since the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. at the 2001 Daytona 500, NASCAR has introduced a series of measures designed to keep drivers safe, from helmet and restraint systems to impact-absorbing barriers along concrete walls, all designed to cushion high-impact blows.NASCAR also mandated in 2013 that drivers submit to baseline neurocognitive assessment. When a driver in NASCAR cant return his damaged car to the garage, a trip to the care center is required. Under a new three-step process, a driver showing any indication of a head injury must go immediately to a hospital. Concussed drivers must be cleared by an independent neurologist or neurosurgeon before they can get back in a race car.Gardstrom wants NASCAR to take even more steps.We dont have to wait until more drivers brains are studied to make a better concussion protocol, she said.Former athletes in other sports have sued their leagues, contending that the risks of concussions were hidden from them so they could return to competition. Gardstrom has no interest in a lawsuit.No money is going to bring my dad back, but what my goal now is, is to make sure the NASCAR family doesnt have to go through the similar things were going through now, she said.Lorenzen hasnt been forgotten by todays racing stars -- they appreciate a driver who won 26 times in the Cup series. Tony Stewart introduced Lorenzen at his hall induction. Jeff Gordon leaned in for a chat with Fearless Freddie last year at Chicagoland before the race.He was such a humble guy, that I dont think he ever realized what an impact he had on the sport, Gardstrom said. ' ' '