PORTLAND, Ore. -- After Tuesday's deflating 114-94 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 2, the Oklahoma City Thunder are heading back home in an 0-2 series hole with Russell Westbrook taking responsibility for the team's poor performance and vowing to play better in Game 3.

"Starting with myself, I've got to play better," Westbrook said. "And tonight, the loss, I'm going to take full responsibility for tonight. Because the way I played was unacceptable. I'm going to be better, so I'm not worried one bit. My job is to make sure I continue to come out and will and lead our guys and make sure we have a chance to win the game."

Game 2 contained standard elements for the Blazers playing great: Damian Lillard was electric with 29 points; CJ McCollum poured in a game-high 33; and, like Game 1, the Thunder shot the ball miserably from 3-point range (5-of-28).

The storyline of Game 1 largely centered around Paul George's shoulder and his struggles shooting the ball, but he bounced back with 27 points on 11-of-20 shooting in Game 2, looking far more comfortable with his jumper.

It was Westbrook, though, who didn't do the complementing this time around. He finished a rebound away from a triple-double, but with six turnovers and some sloppy moments -- including a sequence where he shot an air ball in the second quarter, then didn't hustle back on defense, which led to Jerami Grant fouling Lillard on a made 3 -- Westbrook didn't make his typical impact in Game 2.

There's a history between Lillard and Westbrook, with the two sharing some trash-talking moments as longtime division rivals, and they scuffled slightly again on Tuesday. Late in the second quarter, Westbrook was corralling a loose ball as Lillard tried to tie him up. Westbrook called timeout, there was some contact and Westbrook fell back. After a review, there were no personal or technical fouls assessed.

"They're both pit bulls," McCollum said. "You've got competitive guys who play hard. Well-known All-Stars, faces of their franchises and the stakes are high, so if you're a competitor, you look forward to these moments and these opportunities to not only put yourself on the map, but you're team on the map, as well."

Lillard went on to outplay Westbrook in Game 2, leading the Blazers on a series of runs that culminated in a 60-40 second half. Lillard played a stellar defensive game, locking in on Westbrook with physical, hounding defense, knocking the ball away in post-ups and challenging Westbrook into questionable shots.

"I don't really have a choice but to embrace it," Lillard said. "That team is going to go as far as him and Paul George."

Lillard, who has hit one fewer three in this series (nine) than the entire Thunder team (10), was a plus-27 to Westbrook's minus-27. In Game 1, Westbrook was able to charge downhill at the Blazers, especially in transition, but he wasn't able to find the same kind of space in Game 2.

It's a bit of standard fare for Westbrook to sit at the podium and take responsibility or make a proclamation after a disappointing playoff performance.

For example, after Game 3 against the Utah Jazz last postseason, a contest in which Ricky Rubio had 26 points, Westbrook said, "I'm gonna shut that s--- off next game though, guarantee that." In that following tilt, Westbrook came out overaggressive and picked up four fouls in the first half.

This series turns to Oklahoma City for Game 3 on Friday, a virtual must-win for the Thunder.

"They won their first two home games, obviously wanted to try to steal one when we can, but let's just stay with it," Westbrook said. "We're a great basketball team, a lot of great guys on this team that I trust in to make shots and make plays on both sides of the basketball. And we'll be all right."

DENVER -- The Denver Nuggets, the second seed in the Western Conference, were down by 16 points to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night and about 18 minutes away from falling into a disastrous 0-2 hole in the series.

Denver coach Mike Malone called for timeout with 5:45 remaining in the third quarter with his team trailing 73-57 and conjured up the LA Clippers pulling off their big comeback win against the Golden State Warriors to motivate his team.

"I could see on some guys' faces which way is this game going to go?" Malone said. "... I reminded them what the Clippers did [Monday] night and how much basketball is left. It's only going to happen though if we believe, we commit, we fight and we attack, and the guys took it to heart -- and we closed the game out on a 57-32 run from that point on."

The Nuggets trailed by as much as 19 in the third, but with Jamal Murray erupting for 21 of his 24 points in an explosive fourth quarter, the Nuggets completed a potentially season-saving comeback. They notched their first playoff win of the postseason to even the best-of-seven series at 1-1 with a 114-105 victory over the Spurs.

Though the Nuggets didn't overcome a 31-point deficit like the Clippers did a night earlier in a 135-131 victory to shock the defending champs, their 19-point rally starting at the 4:28 mark in the third quarter was tied for the third-largest blown lead by the Spurs under coach Gregg Popovich in the playoffs.

"We gave up [39] points in the fourth quarter, end of story," Popovich said after the loss. "... Paul [Millsap] and Jamal had a lot to do with that, obviously. They both hurt us badly, and we didn't have any answers for either one of them."

With much of the Nuggets team experiencing the postseason for the first time, Denver came out and fell behind by 19 in the second quarter. Millsap, one of the few Nuggets with playoff experience, scored 15 points in the first half and kept Denver from falling behind by much more.

Murray and Will Barton couldn't get a shot to fall in the first three quarters, combining to go 1-for-18 during that span.

After shooting 8-for-23 and missing all six of his 3-point attempts in Game 1, Murray remained an hour after that contest to get shots up on the team's practice court late into night on Saturday following Denver's 101-96 loss. In the final 57.7 seconds of Game 1, Murray missed a 3-pointer, misfired on an open 18-footer that would have put the Nuggets ahead and turned the ball over.

"Just mental bounce back," Murray said of what the two days between games were like for him emotionally. "Obviously wasn't happy with myself, frustrated. The way I played ... I rushed everything. I was excited. I let the crowd, the amazing energy, get to me.

"I wanted to go into Game 2 relaxed."

Murray tried to set off the Pepsi Center at the start of Game 2 but missed what would have been a thunderous dunk early. At halftime, Malone told Murray to calm down and to breathe.

"He was so frustrated at halftime, not making shots, shots that he's made his whole career," Malone said. "I just grabbed him and told him take a deep breath. Every shot right now is like the end of the world."

Meanwhile, Murray's point guard counterpart, Derrick White, was following up his breakout Game 1 performance by making 7 of 10 shots on Tuesday and scoring all 17 of his points for the Spurs in the first three quarters.

Gary Harris scored 14 of his 23 points in the third to keep the Nuggets within striking distance entering the fourth. Murray, who had missed all eight of his shots and had only three points after three quarters, walked onto the floor at the start of the fourth and looked at the sold-out crowd of 19,520.

Murray said seeing all the fans waving their playoff towels reminded him of his childhood dream of playing in front of a sold-out playoff crowd.

Then Murray caught fire. He hit eight straight shots coming in all kinds of variety -- pullups, fadeaways, 3-pointers. Then in a 19-second span, Murray delivered a one-two punch that knocked the Spurs out. He hit a fadeaway 3-pointer. And after Spurs forward Rudy Gay lost the ball, Murray came down and drilled a pull-up 3 in front of Popovich and the Spurs' bench to give the Nuggets a 110-101 lead with 2:12 remaining as the Pepsi Center erupted.

Murray pumped his fist and pulled out his trademark "Blue Arrow" celebration by the scorer's table as the playoff towels were waving everywhere.

"Pretty perfect," Murray said about that moment. "Just the way I imagined it. When I get into the zone, everybody knows I get in a zone. ... I go crazy. I have a lot of fun. I love the game with a passion. I was hot, and I decided to pull up."

The series is tied 1-1, and now the young Nuggets go to San Antonio looking to steal home-court advantage back.

"He needs this," Malone said when asked if there was any consideration to benching Murray in the fourth because he was cold. "... I didn't foresee the fourth quarter he was going to have, but I knew in my heart he needed to get these minutes, he needed to be out there, I needed to show him that I believed in him."

"First of many for Jamal Murray," Malone added of the point guard's playoff performance. "I have no doubt."

TORONTO -- Just over a minute into Game 2 against the Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry sniffed out a mismatch against center Nikola Vucevic and went to work.

Lowry, who had been held scoreless in Game 1, collected the dribble-handoff from teammate Marc Gasol and drove into the body of the Magic's big man, hurling the ball over his shoulder at the rim as he tumbled toward the baseline.

As Lowry ambled to the line, the Toronto crowd cheered in anticipation of his first point of the series. After his first free throw attempt missed, the applause reached a crescendo, climaxing as the second shot fell through the net. The moment was a portrait of Raptors fanhood -- a combination of encouragement for a player who has built an All-Star career over seven seasons in Toronto, with a pinch of salt mined from years of postseason anxiety.

Over the next 47 minutes, Lowry would tack on another 21 points, and Kawhi Leonard led all scorers with 37, as the Raptors roared back with a dominant 111-82 victory to square the first-round series at 1-1.

"That is [Lowry] at his finest," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "Tonight he was charging up the floor and pushing the ball, passing, shooting, driving, kicking, made steals, hands on everything, rebounded. He was doing it all."

Lowry wasn't alone. On Tuesday, the Raptors embodied the best version of themselves -- a versatile, veteran-savvy team featuring five elite defenders who can also slice you up offensively in the half court.

In the intervening days between Games 1 and 2, the Raptors' players and staff emphasized the need to decongest a long Orlando defense that afforded them no half-court elbow room in Saturday's loss. On Tuesday night, the Raptors executed that design to perfection with snappy ball reversals and relentless penetration resulting in either close-range shots or kickouts to open shooters.

"You get to kind of marinate on Game 1 for a couple of days," Gasol said. "[Then] you come out with a lot of energy and discipline and execute the game plan like we did."

Leonard hummed along at maximum efficiency -- 15-for-22 from the field (4-for-8 from beyond the arc), four rebounds, four assists, a couple of steals and only a single turnover. He appeared spry, inexhaustible and entirely comfortable in the confines of a Toronto offense that flowed effortlessly.

Though Leonard reveals virtually no emotion in his postgame remarks, his sparse comments offer insights into how he assembles the sort of performance that paced the Raptors on Tuesday night. Asked how he was able to exploit Orlando forward Aaron Gordon, Leonard replied that the effort wasn't a mastery of a specific defender so much as a result of good judgment.

"Just playing within the offense," Leonard said. "Just reading angles, reading the backside of the defense. Just trying to get into the paint. They're a good defensive team. They help each other. Really, just trying to play team basketball, get to my spots, see if I draw two [defenders]. If I do -- just pass it."

In a series of sentence fragments with little expression, Leonard verbally sketched the tactical decision-tree that empowered him, and the Raptors, to maintain control of a game in which they never trailed.

Gasol is another case study in how the Raptors can dice up opponents this spring through smarts and precision. The Raptors' veteran center, acquired midseason from the Memphis Grizzlies, posted a 3-for-5 shooting line in 22 minutes -- every make was from deep -- but that belied his overall net effect. As an example, Gasol orchestrated two gorgeous possessions from the top of the floor: the first when he darted a bounce pass to Lowry on a baseline basket cut for an easy layup in the second quarter, the next a fluttering lob to Leonard for an alley-oop and-1 just after intermission. Both were emotional touchstones Tuesday night.

With the arrival of Leonard and Gasol, the maturation of Pascal Siakam (19 points and 10 rebounds on Tuesday), the perpetual motion of Danny Green, the Raptors have, in a few short seasons, evolved from an iso-heavy outfit to one that can beat teams with the pass.

On the other end of the floor, Gasol effectively took Vucevic out of the game, leaving the Magic's offense groping in the half court against a more physical Raptors defense.

"I got the ball in some decent spots in the post a few times and they double-teamed me early," Vucevic said. "It makes it hard for me to create anything and they do a good job taking away a lot of my strengths. I've just gotta figure it out, find a way to be more aggressive and more efficient offensively."

Toronto held Orlando to an anemic effective field goal percentage of 42.6, and surrendered only 21 attempts at the rim all game. In Game 1, the Raptors produced a decent performance against the Magic's pick-and-roll attack (yielding 1.02 points per direct pick), but in Game 2, the Toronto's schemes stifled D.J. Augustin and the rest of the Orlando ball handlers.

The Magic generated only 0.78 points per direct pick, with Augustin following a 25-point outing in Game 1 with only nine points on one field goal made in Game 2.

"It was just more being locked in on every coverage, everything we wanted to do, just being on the same page and communication," Lowry said. "We made sure we helped each other and made sure that if someone went to help, that someone helped the helper, and helped the helper's helper."

Few teams in the 2019 NBA playoff field can activate that chain reaction like the Raptors can. They're loaded with savvy veterans who understand how to manufacture both stops and shots, how to counter length, as they did in Game 2, and how to shrink the floor against an opponent with offensive limitations.

The Raptors have found their desired intensity, if one game late. All that's required now is its maintenance.

VALENCIA, Calif. -- A Los Angeles Dodgers fan sued the team on Tuesday, alleging he was roughed up by security guards and broke an ankle during a game last year while trying to use the bathroom.

Daniel Antunez, 31, is seeking $2 million in a lawsuit that contends six to 10 security guards jumped him during a Dodger Stadium game against the Miami Marlins last April 24, KCBS-TV reported.

The lawsuit follows criticism of Dodgers security earlier this month after a man was attacked while leaving a March 29 game. Previously, a 2011 assault drew national attention and led to increased security at the stadium.

Antunez's lawsuit said he went to the game with a woman who accidentally spilled beer on another fan. The irate fan called security, and Antunez's friend was asked to leave.

According to the negligence and battery lawsuit, Antunez said he accompanied her, but on the way out, he tried to use a restroom and was grabbed by security, who had told him to use another restroom much farther away.

Cellphone and surveillance video shows a number of security personnel grabbing Antunez while his friend yells: "Hey! He's going to the restroom!''

Antunez wound up on the ground. He ended up with bruises and a fractured ankle. Antunez eventually was handcuffed and taken from the stadium in a wheelchair.

Several screws were implanted in Antunez's ankle to repair the break, said his attorney, Peter diDonato.

"[It] hurts him when it's cold [or when] he stands for a long period of time. These are permanent injuries,'' the attorney told KCBS-TV.

The Dodgers declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Dodgers security was criticized earlier this month for not doing enough to keep fans safe.

Rafael Reyna's skull was fractured when he was punched and knocked down in the Dodger Stadium parking lot during an argument while leaving a March 29 game between the Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

On April 2, attorneys for Reyna accused the team of failing to do enough to improve security since a similar attack occurred eight years earlier.

San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow was assaulted by Dodgers fans in the same lot on March 31, 2011. His brain was severely damaged, and he was left disabled. The assault drew national attention and led to increased security at the stadium.

Two fans, Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood, ultimately pleaded guilty to beating Stow and were sent to federal prison. They also were ordered to pay a share of an $18 million judgment against the Dodgers.

Most teams have played at least 16 games so far, or one-tenth of the schedule. It's early. Heck, players are still wearing ski masks in some parts of the country, and it was so cold and windy Monday night in Philadelphia that Noah Syndergaard had to tie his flowing mane into a ponytail to prevent it from whipping into his face.

So don't overreact to your team's start just yet -- hot or cold. Things can turn around with one good (or bad) week. It's worth noting, however, that leaguewide rates tend to stabilize pretty quickly, and so far home runs and runs scored are up from 2018 (so are walks and strikeouts). Through Monday's games, the MLB average of 1.31 home runs per game would break the 2017 record of 1.26. The average of 4.68 runs per game would be the highest since 2007, even though the leaguewide batting average of .244 would be the lowest since 1972.

(Note that, contrary to popular belief, runs are not less scarce in April. Over the past 10 seasons, the MLB average is 4.37 runs per game. The April average? 4.37 runs per game.)

Anyway, with offense up in the early going, let's take a look at what we've seen from some of the lineups across the majors. (All stats through Monday.)

Scariest Lineup So Far: Seattle Mariners (6.84 runs per game)

The Mariners homered at least once in each of their first 19 games, although the bats slowed down the past few matchups -- facing Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer in succession will do that. Still, that's a record for home runs from the beginning of the season; they have a ways to go to catch the 2002 Rangers, who homered in 27 consecutive games. Entering Tuesday, the Mariners had more home runs than the Tigers, Giants, Pirates and Indians combined.

Want a few keys to their early success? First, they have the fifth-lowest chase rate, so they're swinging at strikes. Second, they have the highest average launch angle in the majors, so home runs. Third, they faced the White Sox and Royals.

The question: Can Dan Vogelbach & Co. keep things going? How predictive is a hot April for an entire lineup? I checked the three best offenses in each league over the past five seasons:

We'll see where the Mariners end up, but only two teams in this stretch averaged even six runs per game in April, the 2017 Nationals and 2016 Cubs (both made the playoffs). As you would expect, only three of our 30 hot lineups improved from April over the course of the season, with the average drop 0.58 runs per game by the end of the seasons (meaning the average runs per game from May 1 on was even larger than 0.58 runs).

How unusual is a stretch of 130 runs at any point in the season? Looking only at the past three seasons (with offensive levels similar to 2019), it's not that crazy, but it's still impressive. Not counting overlapping streaks, it happened four times in 2018, eight times in 2017 (including two different stretches by the Astros) and three times in 2016. The top stretch last season was 137 runs by the Rangers from July 22 to Aug. 10. The Rangers lost 95 games and finished just seventh in the American League in runs scored.

What's interesting here is the Mariners might have hit a couple lottery tickets in Jay Bruce and Tim Beckham, who were good in 2017 and awful last season. But both have been terrible on defense and we'll see how the Mariners realign things once Kyle Seager returns and when and if they call up J.P. Crawford to play shortstop (he's off to a good start at the plate in Triple-A). Those changes could mean less offense, but better defense to help a shaky pitching staff.

Anyway, of that list of 30 teams, 16 made the playoffs. That's much better odds than FanGraphs gives the Mariners of making the playoffs -- just 8.7 percent. The site projects the Mariners to average a more reasonable 4.68 runs per game the rest of the way. I'm optimistic: I'll take a slight over on that, buying into some of the early improvements.

Scariest Lineup the Rest of the Way: Los Angeles Dodgers (6.28 runs per game)

The Dodgers blasted a record eight home runs on Opening Day and scored 29 runs in a three-game sweep at Coors Field, but then they lost six in a row to the Cardinals and Brewers, erasing their air of invincibility. The Dodgers hit 235 home runs last season, third-most in National League history, and the early returns suggest they can break the 2000 Astros' National League record of 249.

Cody Bellinger has been an absolute monster, hitting .433/.513/.925 with nine home runs through 18 games. The scary development for opposing pitchers is Bellinger has more walks than strikeouts and has cut his K rate from 23.9 percent to 11.5 percent. Note that strikeout and walk rates stabilize much earlier than other statistics for hitters, so if Bellinger's strikeout rate is going to take a big dip, that means more balls in player and a higher average than his .260 mark from last year. He was hit in the knee with a pitch Monday and left the game, but X-rays were negative and he should be back in the lineup Wednesday.

Can the Dodgers score six runs per game for an entire season? Unlikely. Since the extreme rabbit-ball season of 1930, the only NL team to do that was the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers, who averaged 6.16 runs per game. Only three other NL teams have averaged 5.75 runs per game -- the aforementioned 2000 Astros and two teams that played in Coors Field. Still, with Max Muncy looking like 2018 wasn't a complete fluke, Joc Pederson locked in, Enrique Hernandez thriving in an everyday role and Austin Barnes hitting well so far, the lineup goes eight deep -- and Corey Seager, Justin Turner and A.J. Pollock haven't even done much yet (just three home runs combined).

Scarier Than You Think Lineup: Chicago Cubs (6.20 runs per game)

This one might surprise you since it's all gloom and doom out of Wrigleyville with the under-.500 start and the struggles on the pitching side of things. They're doing this even though Anthony Rizzo (.182), Kris Bryant (one home run) and Kyle Schwarber (.192) are off to slow starts. Willson Contreras and Jason Heyward have been the team's best hitters, with OPS totals north of 1.100. Yes, the offense left a bad taste at the end of 2018 for Cubs fans when it scored two runs over 22 innings in the division tiebreaker and wild-card game, but this was good offense with some obvious bounce-back candidates for better seasons in Bryant, Contreras and Rizzo.

Here's something interesting for my fellow baseball nerds to follow: The National League teams have outscored the American League teams so far, 4.72 runs per game to 4.65. The last time that happened was 1974, as the designated hitter (instituted in 1973) gave the AL an obvious edge to scoring more runs. Seven of the top 10 offenses so far are NL teams.

Most Interesting Lineup: New York Mets (6.12 runs per game)

You start with Big Pete Alonso, he of the Saturn rocket exit velocities. Brandon Nimmo has transformed into a prototypical yet valuable Three True Outcomes kind of player. He gets on base and scores runs. Michael Conforto is off to a good start and this could be the season he puts up 35 home runs. Jeff McNeil is the opposite of Nimmo, a throwback who puts the ball in play without much power, but he's hitting .404. Wilson Ramos gives the Mets some offense at catcher and Amed Rosario is starting to show potential at the plate. J.D. Davis has taken advantage of some injuries and looks like an effective platoon bat against left-handers.

The Mets haven't finished in the top three in the NL in runs since 2008 and they haven't led the league since 1990, but this looks like their best offense in a decade. Now if only Robinson Cano can get going ...

The "Relying on the B Team" Offense: New York Yankees (4.87 runs per game)

My projected best offense in the majors heading into the season, the Yankees played the Red Sox on Tuesday without Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, Aaron Hicks, Miguel Andujar, Greg Bird or Didi Gregorius. They still beat up on Chris Sale and Erasmo Ramirez in an 8-0 victory. Andujar has been hitting in a cage, Hicks and Stanton have started some soft-toss work, and Sanchez's stay on the injured list with a calf strain should be short. In another two weeks, the Yankees should be much closer to full strength. Watch out.

The Mookie Betts Needs To Start Hitting Lineup: Boston Red Sox (4.35 runs per game)

It hasn't been just the pitching that has the Red Sox off to a slow start. The offense has struggled as well, as they're down more than a run per game from last year's 5.41. To be fair, Betts actually hasn't been awful, hitting .222/.324/.413 entering Tuesday. Jackie Bradley Jr. has been much worse (.149/.196/.170) and the Red Sox are getting very little from catcher and nothing from second base (.145/.197/.161). Things took a turn for the worse against the Yankees as James Paxton destroyed them on two hits and 12 strikeouts over eight shutout innings.

The They Haven't Been Clutch Yet Lineup: Houston Astros (4.19 runs per game)

That Astros rank just 20th in the majors in runs per game, but when you dig deeper, they have fewer concerns about their lineup than the Red Sox. They actually lead the majors in batting average (.280), rank sixth in OBP (.349) and fourth in slugging (.471). They've just hit poorly with runners in scoring position (.215). Based on their offensive output, they should be scoring 5.29 runs per game. (Yes, baseball doesn't exist in a theoretical "should have" world. The point is the Astros are a good bet to start scoring a lot more runs. Considering they still entered Tuesday with a nine-game win streak, all is fine in Astroland.)

Obligatory Bad Marlins Lineup Mention: Miami Marlins (2.82 runs per game)

They were last in runs in 2018 and are a good bet to finish last again. The sad thing is it's not even that young of a lineup: Lewis Brinson is 25 and he's the youngest regular. Based on Baseball-Reference.com's average age formula (weighted for games played and at-bats), the Marlins have the 10th-oldest lineup in the majors (older than the Red Sox, Yankees or Dodgers). So there isn't even much future upside to dream on.

"They Used To Be Good" Bad Offense: San Francisco Giants (2.76 runs per game)

The Giants have been next-to-last in the NL in runs scored each of the past two seasons, and while some of that is playing in a tough hitters' park, bringing back essentially the same group of players means a turnaround is unlikely. They were hitting .199 entering Tuesday's game, with Buster Posey, Evan Longoria, Brandon Crawford and Gerardo Parra combining for a .207 average and one home run in 213 at-bats. Ouch. (Longoria did hit his second home run Tuesday.)

Least Scary Lineup So Far: Detroit Tigers (2.67 runs per game)

Through 15 games they're hitting .201/.283/.312 with seven home runs. Somehow they still went 8-7. Miguel Cabrera and Nicholas Castellanos are both seeking their first home runs and, shockingly, signing the 2018 Pirates middle-infield combo has not provided a jolt to the lineup.

Honorable Mention Least Scary Lineup So Far: Colorado Rockies (3.00 runs per game)

OK, they've played only five of their 17 games at home, but three runs per game isn't going to work at Yellowstone. They've scored 51 runs, which isn't the worst 17-game performance in Rockies history -- they scored 41 runs in a stretch during July of 2013 -- but given the preseason expectations and the hole they've dug, it qualifies as maybe the most disheartening start to the season west of Boston.

Early in 1992, Steve Earwood went from promotional guru to track owner when the veteran NHRA pitchman utilized some creative financing to purchase North Carolina’s Rockingham Dragway.

“I had made an inquiry a few years before that about Rockingham Dragway because I had heard it could be bought. I was just a working stiff, I didn’t have any money, but just for fun I called to see if in fact the track was for sale, and it wasn’t at the time,” Earwood explained. “Then Mr. L.G. DeWitt, the owner of the drag strip and the speedway, passed away in 1991. The DeWitt family sent word to me – I was working at the Texas Motorplex at the time – that they wanted to talk to me about buying Rockingham Dragway.

“They didn’t want the drag strip. They were concentrating on the speedway because they had the two NASCAR Cup Series races and, at the time, those races were like winning the lottery,” Earwood continued. “They were offering a price for it that I thought was reasonable, but not for me. I was just a working stiff and I couldn’t raise that kind of money.”

But a friend and eventual partner convinced him otherwise.