Motorsports

Amazon’s NASCAR broadcasts are already putting Fox’s efforts to shame

Amazon Prime is already setting the standard for NASCAR broadcasts. Hopefully Fox is taking notes. Sunday’s Cup Series race at Nashville — won by Ryan Blaney — was the second Amazon race of the season after the internet behemoth made its NASCAR broadcasting debut at the Coca-Cola 600. So far, its two telecasts have been […]

Published

1 month ago

June 2, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Amazon Prime is already setting the standard for NASCAR broadcasts. Hopefully Fox is taking notes.

Sunday’s Cup Series race at Nashville — won by Ryan Blaney — was the second Amazon race of the season after the internet behemoth made its NASCAR broadcasting debut at the Coca-Cola 600. So far, its two telecasts have been sharp, professional, devoid of nonsense and informative. Simply put, it’s the type of coverage that NASCAR fans deserve.

Look, complaining about TV coverage is rote. Fans of every sport can easily nitpick broadcasts and there are significant subsets of every fan base that thinks broadcasters are biased against their favorite team.

But NASCAR fans have been dealt a tough hand in recent years. As Fox is in its third decade of covering NASCAR, it’s felt all too often like the network is mailing it in.

Nearly 25 years ago, Fox was in the same position Amazon is in. The network’s first NASCAR Cup Series race was the fateful 2001 Daytona 500. Fox’s entry into the NASCAR world was a pivot point for the sanctioning body. It had officially gone mainstream.

The early Fox years were glorious. Especially compared to other broadcasts. Fox set the standard for what NASCAR coverage should be, even if you weren’t a fan of “Digger” and the embedded camera on the apron in the corners of racetracks across the country.

But something has changed in recent years. We’re not the only ones who have noticed, either. NBC’s coverage has put Fox’s to shame since the network took over the second half of the season from ESPN, and Fox hasn’t upped its game. Kevin Harvick is an insightful analyst. But he can’t overcome the hokeyness that permeates Fox’s broadcasts.

To be fair, Amazon isn’t starting from scratch. Like Fox, the streamer acquired NFL rights before it jumped into NASCAR. And its booth of Adam Alexander, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte have plenty of experience calling races. Alexander has been a main Xfinity Series play-by-play voice for years, and Junior and Letarte form the best analyst pairing in NASCAR from their years at NBC. The two worked together as driver and crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports and their chemistry is apparent on screen.

But Amazon is nailing the production details that Fox isn’t. The broadcast is all about the race and doesn’t feature myriad cutaways to children watching in the grandstands. The camera shots follow what the booth is talking about. The graphics and picture quality are markedly better. There are no full-screen commercial breaks during green flag racing. And Amazon hasn’t gone to commercial with less than 10 laps to go.

It’s been a breath of fresh air for the NASCAR fans who have been able to watch. It’s no secret that NASCAR’s audience skews older than most other professional sports and the viewership gains that NASCAR saw in the 18-49 demographic during the 600 came at the vast expense of those 50 and over.

But it’s also no secret that streaming is the new cable and how we’ll consume most of our sports content in the near future. NASCAR was smart to add Amazon to the mix with its new media rights deal. Trading fewer younger viewers for more older viewers is the right play, especially as Formula 1 is the trendy motorsport among those not eligible for Medicare.

Ideally, Amazon will continue to build off how good its first two race broadcasts were and Fox, NBC and TNT — back in the NASCAR game this year — will aspire to meet Amazon’s standard.

But we won’t blame you if you’re pessimistic about that ideal world ever happening. We’re all worn down by the past decade of Fox’s NASCAR broadcasts.

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Motorsports

Santangelo stays hot with Stock victory at South Georgia Motorsports Park

The following are final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park: COMPETITION ELIMINATORGlen Treadwell, Eustis, Fla., ’23 23T, M/AA, 19.869, no speed def. James Hill, Fayetteville, Ga., ’23 T, G/EA, broke. SUPER STOCKKevin Helms, Plant City, Fla., ’95 Achieva, SS/BM, 9.001, 145.16 def. Don Barber, […]

Published

17 minutes ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The following are final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park:

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
Glen Treadwell, Eustis, Fla., ’23 23T, M/AA, 19.869, no speed def. James Hill, Fayetteville, Ga., ’23 T, G/EA, broke.

SUPER STOCK
Kevin Helms, Plant City, Fla., ’95 Achieva, SS/BM, 9.001, 145.16 def. Don Barber, Hohenwald, Tenn., ’96 Avenger, FGT/E, 9.160, 150.83.

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Joe Santangelo, Marlborough, Conn., ’69 Camaro, B/SA, 10.445, 118.26 def. Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’23 Copo, FS/C, 9.522, 136.46.

SUPER COMP
Chris Childress, Spartanburg, S.C., ’00 Horton, 8.911, 176.77 def. Ashley Childress, Spartanburg, S.C., ’04 Racetech, foul.

SUPER GAS
Jim Perry, Niota, Tenn., ’00 S-10, 9.934, 167.20 def. Keith Mayers, Ellendale, Del., ’88 Spider, 9.929, 151.29.

SUPER STREET
Keith Mayers, ’92 968, 10.874, 146.54 def. Michael Ruff, Orlando, Fla., ’92 Camaro, 10.862, 134.11.

TOP SPORTSMAN
Thomas Schmidt, Lakeland, Fla., ’10 GXP, 7.018, 198.38 def. Jeremy Hancock, Commerce, Ga., ’63 Corvette, 7.575, 179.73.

TOP DRAGSTER
Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’14 American, 6.342, 205.47 def. Robert Houston, Newland, N.C., ’23 Race Tech, 7.156, 183.44.

FIRDAY

The following are Friday’s final qualifying results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park:

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
1) Glen Treadwell, Eustis, Fla., ’23 23T, M/AA, 7.832 seconds, -0.548 (under index)
2) David Eaton, Merritt Island, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/AA, 7.761, 0.611
3) James Hill, Fayetteville, Ga., ’23 T, G/EA, (no time)

SUPER STOCK
1) Mark Alvey, Chesterfield, Va., ’04 Sunfire, GT/GA, 9.423 seconds, -0.977 (under index)
2) John Fogle, Norway, S.C., ’05 Cavalier, GT/HA, 9.562, -0.938
3) Don Barber, Hohenwald, Tenn., ’96 Avenger, FGT/E, 9.091, -0.909
4) Russell Ghent, Mooresville, N.C., ’94 Camaro, SS/JA, 10.095, -0.905
5) Dan Starko, Nashville, Tenn., ’16 Copo, FSS/C, 8.766, -0.884
6) Marion Stephenson, Williamsport, Ind., ’06 Cobalt, GT/FA, 9.382, -0.868
7) Frank Beasley, Taylorsville, N.C., ’08 Cobalt, GT/JA, 9.935, -0.865
8) James Schaechter, Cumming, Ga., ’03 Cavalier, GT/H, 9.493, -0.857
9) Jarrod Granier, Labadieville, La., ’66 Nova, SS/F, 9.524, -0.826
10) Mike Crutchfield, Montgomery, Ala., ’08 G5, SS/DM, 8.956, -0.794

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1) James Marshall, Indian Land, S.C., ’79 Malibu Wagon, G/SA, 10.955 seconds, -1.045 (under index)
2) Thomas Mace, Jacksonville, Fla., ’90 Corvette, G/SA, 10.981, -1.019
3) Anthony Hughes, Mcdonough, Ga., ’66 Nova, K/SA, 11.747, -0.903
4) Mike Trumble, Pasadena, Texas, ’71 Chevelle, D/SA, 10.671, -0.879
5) Joel Warren, Clinton, N.C., ’94 Formula, H/SA, 11.294, -0.856
6) Orion Riley, Longwood, Fla., ’74 Nova, I/SA, 11.454, -0.846
7) Blake Hickman, Laurinburg, N.C., ’83 Camaro, J/SA, 11.633, -0.817
8) Joseph Santangelo, Marlborough, Conn., ’69 Camaro, B/SA, 10.439, -0.811
9) Timothy Fletcher, Selma, N.C., ’69 Camaro, F/SA, 11.065, -0.785
10) Darrell Bargeron, Jesup, Ga., ’72 Duster, E/SA, 10.922, -0.778

TOP SPORTSMAN
1) Douglas Crumlich, Douglasville, Ga., ’63 Corvette, 6.610 seconds, 211.00 mph
2) Paul (jackie) Robison, Greer, S.C., ’66 Nova, 6.714, 208.84
3) Thomas Schmidt, Lakeland, Fla., ’10 GXP, 6.964, 199.46
4) Jeff Windholz, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., ’63 Corvette, 7.208, 197.91
5) James Hinkle, Danville, Ky., ’05 Grand Am, 7.273, 189.90
6) John Gifford, Naples, Fla., ’10 Cobalt, 7.395, 185.82
7) Frank Altilio, Longwood, Fla., ’02 S 10, 7.404, 184.02
8) Bruce Thaxton, Butler, Ga., ’03 Mustang, 7.457, 185.56
9) Jeremy Hancock, Commerce, Ga., ’63 Corvette, 8.012, 180.31
10) Daniel (danny) Leibham, Tomball, Texas, ’01 Camaro, 12.400, 69.51

TOP DRAGSTER
1) Robert May, Kinsey, Ala., ’24 Nelson Racecra, 6.128 seconds, 225.97 mph
2) Wayne Brooks, Monroe, Ga., ’19 Worthy, 6.168, 226.77
3) Casey Spradlin, Ranburne, Ala., ’14 Miller, 6.214, 228.15
4) Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’14 American, 6.253, 223.69
5) Darryl Childress, Spartanburg, S.C., ’25 Maddox, 6.615, 200.47
6) Tisha Wilson, Salisbury, N.C., ’25 Racetech, 6.704, 200.74
7) Alexis Whitaker, Telford, Tenn., ’21 Mike BOS, 6.808, 196.02
8) Chad Taylor, Laurens, S.C., ’19 Maddox, 6.846, 195.76
9) Jeremy Hancock, Commerce, Ga., ’19 M&M, 6.948, 196.02
10) Kelsea Hinkle, Danville, Ky., ’11 Miller, 6.983, 191.81

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Motorsports

From Denny Hamlin to Ryan Blaney, and where’s SVG?

Might as well lead off with who’s not here in our humble Top 10. It’s tough to win two straight races, and three of the past five, and stay on the outside looking in. But such is the disparity between Shane van Gisbergen on road courses and Shane van Gisbergen everywhere else. Given that one-sixth […]

Published

18 minutes ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Might as well lead off with who’s not here in our humble Top 10.

It’s tough to win two straight races, and three of the past five, and stay on the outside looking in. But such is the disparity between Shane van Gisbergen on road courses and Shane van Gisbergen everywhere else.

Given that one-sixth of the Cup schedule is on road courses, should SVG get at least a cursory visit to that 10th slot on our board this week? If not now, for Pete’s sake, when? Fair question.

Here’s another fair question: Should Denny Hamlin still be on the far-north end of our top 10? He’s had two clunkers in the past three weeks, sandwiched around a rare quality finish on a road course, maybe because that road course was actually a street course.

But with the other three-time winners (Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell) bogged down a bit, who else would you put there? So it remains Denny, for now.

1. Denny Hamlin

Grip on our top spot is weakening, as is his grip on the 23XI charter, if NASCAR decides to play hardball.

2. Chase Elliott

Keeps piling up points and conserving room in the trophy case.

3. Kyle Larson

Played some pinball at Sonoma as his Summer of Shove continues.

4. Christopher Bell

A fifth at Sonoma slowed his recent mini-slump.

5. Chase Briscoe

Made SVG work on the late restarts at Sonoma and got a rare good road-course finish.

6. Chris Buescher

Wonders why he’s never found the White Cliffs of Dover.

7. William Byron

Not back on eight cylinders yet, but probably back to 7½.

8. Alex Bowman

A win and five top-5s in his last seven Dover starts.

9. Tyler Reddick

Made some hay at road courses the past two weeks, but right-hand turns at Dover aren’t recommended.

10. Ryan Blaney

Wine country delivered sour grapes. Raise your hand if you didn’t irritate Blaney at Sonoma.

— Email Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com

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Motorsports

Watch: Unexpected Pit Crew Fight Breaks Out During NASCAR Cup Race at Sonoma

An unexpected fight broke out between the pit crews of RFK Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of Stage 2 of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma after Ty Gibbs and Brad Keselowski pitted. The unexpected clash was caught on camera, which helped NASCAR look into the incident. The pit stalls of […]

Published

36 minutes ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

An unexpected fight broke out between the pit crews of RFK Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of Stage 2 of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma after Ty Gibbs and Brad Keselowski pitted.

The unexpected clash was caught on camera, which helped NASCAR look into the incident. The pit stalls of both drivers in question were next to each other. Just as Keselowski’s crew was waiting for his arrival, Gibbs arrived before him and drove through the RFK Racing stall, grazing tire changer Telvin McClurkin.

McClurkin quickly approached crew members from JGR before things escalated to a fight. The video shows other JGR members eventually joining. McClurkin confirmed later that Gibbs made contact with the tire in his hand as he passed by.

NASCAR officials reportedly intervened but decided to clear Gibbs of any penalties, despite Keselowski’s team putting forward their case with the footage offering an overhead view of the incident. However, NASCAR did not accept RFK’s argument. Reports suggest the sport may levy a penalty after revisiting the clips of the incident by Tuesday.

Sonoma, California — Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Delta Ford, Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, and Ty Gibbs, driver of the #54 SAIA LTL Freight Toyota, race during the NASCAR Cup Series…

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

NASCAR’s Todd Gordon and Kyle Petty sided with the sport’s decision not to levy a penalty on Gibbs, hinting that the tire changer should have left some space in front of him. Gordon said:

“I see two cars coming to green flag pit in some of the shortest boxes we’ve got on pit road. I always talk about pit crew guys: you’re playing in traffic and that’s where you’re at here.

“One tire carrier has to carry two tires and he’s standing kind of sideways and that leaves his tires out, exposed… Ty comes through, makes a little contact with the outboard tire. It kind of spins the tire carrier’s wrist around and puts him a little behind.

“I think the tire carrier actually could stand to not be so wide, understanding that he’s got the car that’s in the box in front of him coming in right in front of his car. He’s got to make himself a little skinnier so that he isn’t put behind in that situation.

“As most everybody does, the carrier that carries two tires, you’re allowed to have two feet in the box, but you’ve got to be close to the wall. You’ve got to be in a position that’s as close to the wall as you can be but be down in the box. That’s where he was.

“But he was standing looking down pit road and he’s two tires wide, which is half a pit box. And Ty Gibbs is trying to get in and get close to his fueler. The boxes are short, so you’ve got to kind of use up the box behind you to get yourself pointed in the right direction.”

Petty said that the crew members have to adjust to a small pit box. He added:

“People get bumped, people get moved, people have to adjust. And I think it’s just the timing. It’s the perfect storm here. Ty had to be in his pit box, had to get in straight. When you’ve got a short pit box, the only way to get in your pit box straight and close for fueling and give the tire guys room is to come in the back door, to come in that back line completely straight. And when you see Ty come in, he comes through the 6’s box and into his box straight.

“No, I don’t have an issue with what Ty did. Now, I don’t really have an issue with what the tire carrier did either because he’s a little upset. He should have maybe kept his tire out of the way.”

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Motorsports

23XI, Front Row seek urgent court order to retain charters

The two race teams suing NASCAR over antitrust allegations filed for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction Monday to be recognized as chartered organizations for the remainder of 2025. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are locked in a lengthy legal battle over the charter system, which is the equivalent of the franchise model […]

Published

58 minutes ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are locked in a lengthy legal battle over the charter system, which is the equivalent of the franchise model in other sports. 23XI, owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, last September rejected NASCAR’s final proposal on extensions and instead filed an antitrust suit.

The case is winding its way through the court system but now with urgency: the teams are set to lose their charters Wednesday and in the latest filing, they allege NASCAR has indicated it will immediately begin the process of selling the six tags that guarantee entry into every race as well as monetary rewards and other benefits.

Should the teams have their six combined charters revoked, the drivers would have to qualify on speed to make each week’s race and would receive a smaller percentage of the purse. They may also have to refund money paid out through the first 20 races of the year.

NASCAR accused 23XI and Front Row of filing “a third motion for another unnecessary and inappropriate preliminary injunction” and noted it has made multiple requests to the teams “to present a proposal to resolve this litigation.

“We have yet to receive a proposal from 23XI or Front Row, as they have instead preferred to continue their damaging and distracting lawsuit,” NASCAR said in a statement. “We will defend NASCAR’s integrity from this baseless lawsuit forced upon the sport that threatens to divide the stakeholders committed to serving race fans everywhere.

“We remain focused on collaborating with the 13 race teams that signed the 2025 charter agreements and share our mutual goal of delivering the best racing in the world each week, including this weekend in Dover.”

Later Monday, Rick Ware Racing and Legacy Motor Club had a scheduled court date in North Carolina over their fight for a charter. Legacy, owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, contends it had an agreement with RWR to lease one of its two charters in 2026.

RWR contends the agreement was for 2027 and it already has a contract with RFK Racing to lease that team a charter next season.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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Motorsports

Jake Finch making Xfinity Series debut with Hendrick Motorsports at Dover

This weekend is a big one for Jake Finch. The 20-year-old is going to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Dover Motor Speedway. Finch is suiting up for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 17 car in a somewhat surprising move. Jake Finch has a history at Dover. He won the 2023 ARCA East race […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Jake Finch has a history at Dover. He won the 2023 ARCA East race at the track. Finch also has an ARCA national series win from Talladega in 2024. But he’s mainly driven Toyotas up to this point.

Finch’s father, James Finch Sr., was the owner of Phoenix Racing. His family has experience at the highest levels of NASCAR. Now, Jake is getting a major opportunity at a track where he’s had success. Hendrick Motorsports has had Corey Day primarily in the 17 car this season. Now, Finch takes over for a week.

Jake Finch is a bit of an unknown. He has done well in ARCA competition. But we haven’t seen anything that jumps off the page. Even though he races in Venturini equipment most of the time, he hasn’t had the strength of a Jesse Love, William Sawalich, or Connor Zilisch.

This is a very interesting pairing. It could also be risky for Finch. Hendrick Motorsports won’t be the ones to blame if Finch has a poor showing at Dover. No one is expecting him to win, but if he can’t at least have a decent finish in this car, then it could do more harm than good.

Dover is a really challenging track. When Finch won that race, William Sawalich was still 16. Landen Lewis was 17. Luke Fenhaus was 19. Big names like Jesse Love were not in the race that week, and Finch took advantage of that to win.

Dale Jr. spilled Jake Finch Hendrick Motorsports news

All the way back in April, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was talking about the Hendrick Motorsports Xfinity Series program. It was after Kyle Larson had raced in the Xfinity Series race at Bristol. While talking about that team, he let it slip that Jake Finch was going to have a start in the 17 car.

So far, Earnhardt has been accurate. He also mentioned Rajah Caruth at the time.

“Hey, he’ll [Larson] tell us, ‘Well, the Hendrick car’s full – they got Day, Rajah, Finch, they got a season full.’ Well, there’s other Chevrolets out there,” Earnhardt explained. “He won’t be in that sweet, sweet Hendrick equipment carrying him around that racetrack, but hey, he’s the difference maker, right?

“And the CARS Tour would love for him – that’s one box he ain’t checked. He went to the CARS Tour and raced our car, a good car, at Caraway and finished 7th. So, there’s some mountains he ain’t climbed yet.”

Rajah Caruth races in the No. 71 Chevy for Spire Motorsports in the Truck Series. He won earlier this season at Nashville, his second career win. Caruth has raced in the 17 car before. He finished P14 at the Phoenix season finale in 2023. If I had to guess, Caruth could race this Hendrick Motorsports car at Gateway or Kansas later this season.

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Motorsports

NASCAR in-season tournament bracket down to 4 drivers after Sonoma

SONOMA, Calif. — The NASCAR Cup Series’ in-season tournament bracket is down to four drivers after the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. Tyler Reddick vs. Ty Gibbs Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE With a sixth-place finish at Sonoma, Tyler Reddick eliminated Ryan Preece from the NASCAR in-season tournament. Preece finished 12th. Ty Gibbs […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

SONOMA, Calif. — The NASCAR Cup Series’ in-season tournament bracket is down to four drivers after the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

Tyler Reddick vs. Ty Gibbs

With a sixth-place finish at Sonoma, Tyler Reddick eliminated Ryan Preece from the NASCAR in-season tournament. Preece finished 12th.

Ty Gibbs finished seventh and eliminated Zane Smith, who finished 27th after starting 12th at Sonoma.

MORE on Gibbs: ‘Nothing wrong’ for Ty Gibbs in NASCAR Cup top-10 finish at Sonoma

After Sonoma, Reddick and Gibbs will face off on the “East Coast” side of the NASCAR in-season tournament bracket at Dover.

Ty Dillon vs. John Hunter Nemechek

Ty Dillon literally moved Alex Bowman out of the NASCAR in-season tournament in the final corner at Sonoma. Dillon bumped Bowman, boosting himself to a 17th-place finish and dropping Bowman to 19th and continuing his miracle run in the tournament.

John Hunter Nemechek finished 28th, one spot ahead of Legacy Motor Club teammate Erik Jones in 29th. Jones finished 1.779 seconds behind Nemechek.

After Sonoma, Nemechek and Dillon will face off at Dover.

Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.

A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.

Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.

Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com

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