FORT WORTH, Texas – It was a decidedly Stewart-Haas Racing kind of day during Friday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice sessions at Texas Motor Speedway.

Both 50-minute rounds were led by a Stewart-Haas driver, with Clint Bowyer topping the overall time sheets at 28.620 seconds (188.679 mph) in his No. 14 Mobil 1/Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang.

Bowyer’s fast lap around the 1.5-mile quad-oval came in the first of two practice sessions on the afternoon. He’s seeking his first Cup Series victory in the Lone Star State.

Bowyer’s teammate, Aric Almirola, was just a whisker off the leading pace for the day but had enough steam to top final practice on Friday at 28.638 seconds (188.561 mph) in the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang. That lap was good enough for third overall.

Sandwiched in between the two SHR drivers was Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kurt Busch, second in first practice and runner-up on the day with a lap of 28.636 seconds (188.574 mph) in the No. 1 Monster Energy Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick – a third Stewart-Haas driver – were fourth- and fifth-fastest on the combined rundown, respectively.

Harvick is the defending fall race winner at Texas.

Of note, playoff contenders Joey Logano and Chase Elliott both struggled to find speed on Friday, landing outside the top 10 in both practice sessions in Fort Worth.

Logano was 15th and 21st, respectively, in the two rounds, while Elliott ended up 26th and 15th.

Qualifying for the AAA Texas 500 is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Saturday night, with live coverage on CNBC, the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda – Brendon Todd birdied his last four holes Friday for an 8-under 63 and a share of the lead with Harry Higgs and Scottie Scheffler after the second round of the PGA Tour's inaugural Bermuda Championship.

Todd finished on the front nine at hilly Port Royal Golf Club, also birdieing Nos. 2 and 4. Higgs shot a 65, closing with a birdie on the par-4 18th. Scheffler, the first-round leader after a 62, had a 69. They were at 11-under 131.

Todd won the 2014 HP Byron Nelson Championship for his lone PGA Tour title. He regained his tour card in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

Higgs and Scheffler each won last season on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Aaron Wise (65), Boo Weekley (66) and Wes Roach (69) were a stroke back.

Tickets for the MLS Cup final between hosts Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC at CenturyLink Field sold out in twenty minutes, the Sounders announced on Friday.

- Watch the MLS Cup on Nov. 10 (ABC, 3 p.m. ET)

It will be the third matchup in four years between the two sides for the championship. Tickets went on sale on Friday morning, with an attendance of over 69,000 expected for the game on Nov 10. The club is saying it will be largest crowd for a soccer game in the Seattle's history.

It will also be the second-largest MLS Cup attendance ever, following the 73,019 who were on hand at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta last year to watch the home team beat the Portland Timbers.

Seattle beat Supporters' Shield winner LAFC last week to claim their third Western Conference title since joining MLS in 2009. Toronto ousted Atlanta to secure a third Eastern Conference crown since 2007.

The previous two MLS Cup matches between the finalists were at Toronto's BMO Field. Seattle (2016) and Toronto (2017) each won one apiece.

The Sounders are co-tenants with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Other MLS clubs who share a stadium with a NFL franchise include Atlanta, Chicago, and New England.

Prior to Atlanta's entry to MLS, Seattle held several records for most attended matches across the league. Their previous record was 67,385 -- set in 2013 against Portland.

MIAMI -- The Marlins have declined their $16 million option on infielder Starlin Castro for 2020 and will pay him a $1 million buyout, allowing him to become a free agent.

The move, confirmed Friday, had been expected as the Marlins rebuild.

Castro, 29, batted .270 while playing all 162 games this year and had career-high totals of 22 homers and 86 RBI.

Castro is a 10-year veteran who spent two seasons with Miami.

Back from a knee injury, Nour wins world title and $61,000 in prize money 
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini celebrated her 24th birthday in style as she captured her fourth World Championship trophy after overcoming compatriot and World No.1 Raneem El Welily in front of Cairo’s spectacular Great Pyramid of Giza to win the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship.

El Sherbini is only the fourth – and youngest – female player to win four World Championship trophies, while she is the first person to win a World Championship trophy in front of the Pyramids since Australia’s David Palmer in 2006. Her latest triumph, which comes after an 11-4, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6 win, is made all the more incredible given the fact she is appearing at her first tournament of the season after suffering with a knee injury.

That knee injury has seen El Sherbini fall to World No.4 in this month’s PSA Women’s World Rankings, but she has been in ruthless form throughout the past week in Cairo and didn’t drop a game until the final, where she was meeting El Welily in a third World Championship title decider.

El Welily beat El Sherbini at the 2016 Al Ahram Open as she became the first woman to win a professional squash title in front of the Pyramids, but she looked overawed by the occasion as a number of errors in the opening game handed the lead to her opponent.

She struck back in the second, but from there it was all about El Sherbini as she attacked all areas of the court to complete the win in 41 minutes to capture the biggest title in women’s squash. El Sherbini takes home $61,000 in prize money and also qualifies for the season-ending PSA World Tour Finals, which will take place in June.

“The last couple of months for me have been really hard,” said El Sherbini after the 20th PSA Tour title of her career.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do… but I took the risk and took the decision that I wanted to play this tournament badly, and I wanted to come and try and see how it goes. I was getting better every match and I’m very grateful and happy to be standing here right now.

“I missed playing with all the top players and especially Raneem. She is closest to my heart and it’s very hard to play her mentally and emotionally, but we try to leave the emotions and focus on squash once we get inside the court. I think because today is my birthday, I was making sure not to be sad. I was very relaxed and it took a lot of pressure off thinking about the messages, so it helped me a lot.

“We are very happy to have this tournament back and playing in front of the Pyramids was always a dream of mine. I would really like to thank I-Events, Amr Mansi and his team, and especially CIB for hosting and helping the women’s game get bigger and for giving the women the chance to have a prize money bigger than the men’s.

“It is a big risk and hopefully we deserved that and played matches that were worthy of that. All of the players are very grateful.”

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Rivals since the age of seven, Gawad foils Farag in straight games

The women’s World Championship final followed on from the men’s CIB Egyptian Squash Open, PSA Platinum event, where World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad got the better of World No.1 Ali Farag in a repeat of the men’s 2016 Al Ahram Open final.

Gawad became the first man in a decade to win a trophy in front of the Pyramids when he beat Farag in straight games three years ago, and he matched that 3-0 scoreline to continue his 100 per cent record at the iconic landmark.

Gawad was firing on all cylinders during the 61-minute match and, while Farag stayed in the rallies well, he was unable to fight off a masterclass from Gawad, who captures his 22nd PSA Tour title. He joins El Sherbini in qualifying for the World Tour Finals, while he wins $25,000 in prize money.

“Playing Ali is always very tough for me, he is the World No.1,” said Gawad. “He’s always been my competitor since we were seven years old until now. I know how hard it is. We played in the final [in front of the Pyramids] in 2016 and now we’re playing again in the final here.

“He’s dealing with a lot of hard moments and he is just a champion to be on court with and he fights until the end with this amazing spirit. Best of luck to him and his family.

“I talked a lot with my coaches, Omar Abdel Aziz, Mahmoud Abdel Kader and Ahmed Faragallah. We talked a lot and put together different plans, with the World No.1 it’s very difficult, so you have to have different plans and more than a plan to just win. Winning in three today means a lot to me in such an amazing venue for me and for everyone.”

The next stop on the PSA World Tour will be Doha, Qatar for the 2019-20 PSA Men’s World Championship, which takes place at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex between November 8-15. 

2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship.

Final:
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) 3-1: 11-4, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6 (41m)

2019 CIB Egyptian Squash Open.

Final:
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [1] Ali Farag (EGY) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-8 (61m) 

Pictures courtesy of PSA

SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. — Being fast during the Jan. 11-19 Keyser Manufacturing Wild West Shootout presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts at FK Rod Ends Arizona Speedway will have a just reward for a super late model driver, courtesy of Premier Waste Services.

New for the 2020 edition of the six-race miniseries, the Premier Waste Services Shock the Clock Challenge offers a $1,000 bonus to the super late model competitor who posts the fastest overall qualifying lap during the mid-winter meet at the three-eighths-mile oval.

The company is expanding its support of the Wild West Shootout after joining the event in 2019 as the sponsor of the Premier Waste Services Start Zone, which will continue to carry that designation come January.

“Phoenix-area residents Larry and Jeni Henk from Premier Waste Services are big supporters of their nephew Bobby Pierce (a six-time Wild West Shootout feature winner from Oakwood, Ill.) and enjoy being on board as an event sponsor for the one time a year that Bobby comes and races in front of them,” said Wild West Shootout marketing coordinator Jason Babyak. “This will be their second year with us sponsoring the Start Zone and they wanted to offer something back to the drivers as well.

“The $1,000 Shock the Clock Challenge was just what they were looking for.”

Based in Phoenix, Ariz., Premier Waste Services is a roll-off dumpster service provider offering waste removal and trash bin container rental in all of Maricopa County and most parts of Pinal County. The firm serves both residential and commercial needs.

The super late model portion of the Wild West Shootout mini-series will once again boast the Keyser Quarter-Million Challenge, a lucrative program that offers a $250,000 bonus for sweeping all six features; $100,000 for winning five; $25,000 for capturing four; and $10,000 for claiming three.

A driver able to pull off the sweep would depart Arizona with more than $293,000.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Denny Hamlin confirmed Friday at Texas Motor Speedway that he will undergo surgery during the offseason to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

The recovery time for the surgery is roughly 10 weeks, which means it should not impact Hamlin’s readiness to defend his victory in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona Int’l Speedway on Feb. 16.

Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press first broke the news on Twitter before Hamlin addressed the shoulder issue during an afternoon media conference.

“I really don’t know how it happened to be honest with you, but it’s something that has been nagging (me) really for years,” said Hamlin. “I’ve had shoulder issues; it just got to the point where it was really bad and (I) got it scanned and (we) figured out what it was.

“It hadn’t really affected me in the car at all. That part has really been fine.”

Hamlin said that contrary to what some might believe, his shoulder issue hasn’t affected him very much in his normal life outside of the race car, either.

“It really has not limited me to be honest with you. It’s uncomfortable while sleeping. I can’t sleep on that side, but it really hasn’t limited me to be honest,” he noted. “I got a Cortisone shot in it, which really, really helped. That’s been my saving grace, when things start hurting. So that really changed. It went from being immobile to feels like there is nothing wrong with it right now to be honest.

“I can still lift weights. I can just only do them a certain way,” Hamlin continued. “I have to limit my mobility on that part, but it hasn’t affected anything in my everyday life.”

Hamlin also explained that the Cortisone shot he received was meant to get him through to the offseason, when he can have the surgery, though he didn’t specify exactly when the shot was administered.

“It was weeks ago, but it was just progressively getting worse over the late summer to early fall,” said Hamlin. “So just a few weeks ago the doctors came and gave me a little bit of relief with that just kind of to get me into the offseason where I can fix it.”

Hamlin comes into the Texas race weekend second in the playoff standings and best among the drivers currently in the Championship 4 on points, with a 24-point cushion over the elimination line.

“I feel pretty good about where we’re at,” said Hamlin. “We gained on the cutoff line.” Obviously, we had one of our competitors win, which is not what you want to happen. We go to every race track thinking we are going to win, and so, when we come here this weekend, and next, we are locked in on what do we need to do to win. That’s my focus. I don’t want to have to count on points, but if we do, we are in the best spot of anyone thus far.

“We are going to do everything we can to keep that and just keep having solid weeks, really, from start to finish,” he continued. “Through the playoffs, our first round was not so great, but after that we have just had solid practices, we are qualifying where we think we should and the races have been really good for us.

“We just want to continue that trend and not change anything, even though the stakes are higher now.”

This is not the first time that Hamlin has raced injured. He finished the 2015 season with a torn ACL in his right knee, suffered during a pick-up basketball game. He had surgery to repair that injury during the ensuing offseason and returned at full strength in 2016.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Ross Chastain ruled the roost during a pair of practice sessions for the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Friday at Texas Motor Speedway.

Chastain, making his final appearance of the year in Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro, turned a lap of 28.733 seconds (187.937 mph) on his final lap of the day to lead a 38-car field ahead of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300.

The Alva, Fla., native and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series playoff leader made 27 trips around the 1.5-mile quad-oval during the second of two 50-minute sessions on the day.

Chastain’s fast time came in final practice.

Second overall for the day and fastest in first Xfinity Series practice was defending series champion Tyler Reddick, who took the No. 2 Alsco Chevrolet to a time of 28.801 seconds (187.493 mph) on his 12th of 15 laps in that practice round.

Reddick is seeking a victory this weekend to advance him back into the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway in two weeks’ time.

Third on the combined time sheets was Christopher Bell (28.846/187.201), followed by Justin Allgaier and Austin Cindric.

Aside from Reddick, the top five’s fastest laps all came in final practice.

Defending event winner Cole Custer was sixth-quick in the second session, which also left him sixth overall for the day.

Qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Texas Motor Speedway is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.

PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers have been fined $75,000 and coach Mike Tomlin has been fined $25,000 for violating the NFL's Injury Report Policy, a league source confirmed.

The team did not accurately list quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on the practice report prior to the team's Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks, the league found. He was only listed on the report that week as not practicing Wednesday for reasons that were "not injury related." The Steelers typically gave Roethlisberger that day off. He fully practiced Thursday and Friday.

Roethlisberger exited the Seahawks game before halftime with a non-contact elbow injury and subsequently had season-ending elbow surgery.

The week after Roethlisberger's injury, some of his teammates told reporters they had heard of the quarterback dealing with some elbow issues prior to the game.

"Really the first I heard of it was this past week," quarterback Mason Rudolph said then. "I guess right after the New England game, expressing some pain, but that was the first I have heard. You'd have to ask him or Coach Tomlin if it was preexisting before that, but I have no clue."

Center Maurkice Pouncey also told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that Roethlisberger had been dealing with elbow soreness "for the last few years."

NFL Network was first to report the fines.

The Seattle Seahawks have claimed former New England Patriots receiver Josh Gordon off waivers, coach Pete Carroll confirmed Friday.

"He's a unique talent," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Friday. "Next week, we'll take a look and see what he looks like. He's done a lot of good stuff, made a lot of good plays and all that, so we'll find out more next week."

"... He's a big-play guy. He's been able to really stretch the field. And those I know that have worked with him and coached him, they rave about his talent and play-making ability."

Carroll said he was surprised that another team didn't claim Gordon ahead of the Seahawks.

Gordon was released off injured reserve by the Patriots on Thursday. He had been playing through a left knee injury and was knocked out of the team's Oct. 10 win over the New York Giants when he injured the knee while attempting to make a tackle after a Patriots fumble.

The Patriots used the minor designation for his placement on injured reserve, signifying a lesser injury. That meant the team had to release him upon his return to health.

"I don't know physically how he's doing right now other than that he's OK, is what we've heard," Carroll said.

Carroll said Gordon would not play in Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Through six games, Gordon totaled 20 catches for 287 yards and one touchdown.

In December, Gordon was suspended indefinitely for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement under the NFL's drug policy. His suspension was lifted in August by commissioner Roger Goodell.

To make room for Gordon on the roster, the Seahawks released linebacker Dekoda Watson, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

ESPN's Brady Henderson contributed to this report.