CONCORD, N.C. – When Chase Elliott plowed into the tire barrier in the first turn of the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL on lap 65 while leading Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400, it looked like his race was over.

As it turned out, that wasn’t the case.

Elliott stormed back through the field, taking the lead from Kevin Harvick with six laps left to win his third race of the season.

“I mean, I couldn’t believe I did that. That was just so stupid,” Elliott admitted after the race. “I don’t know that you could have done anything more stupid leading this race than what I did right there. Obviously, I was just really pissed off, and luckily our car wasn’t too bad, and our NAPA Camaro was fast enough to drive up through there, got the cautions at the right time, and just didn’t quit.

“If there’s ever a lesson to not quit, today was the example.”

Elliott’s mishap came during a restart on the 66th lap of the 109-lap race around the 2.28-mile circuit. He was leading the field into turn one when he slammed on the brakes to make the corner, but instead his Chevrolet Camaro simply slid straight into the turn one tire barrier.

The caution flag immediately waved and miraculously Elliott backed his car out of the tire barrier with surprisingly minimal damage.

“At the time I thought we were done,” Elliott said. “I could see the big screen down the back and I was look at it (the front of the car) and I was like, ‘Well, the hoods not that bad.’ But I thought the splitter was knocked up. I felt like if that was going to be the case then we were probably done.”

A visit to his pit stall gave his crew the chance to beat the hood of his No. 9 back down and check on the splitter, which was still exactly where it was supposed to be. Elliott returned to the race, albeit at the tail of the field as Harvick assumed the lead.

From their Elliott put on a passing clinic, slicing and dicing his way back up through the field as green flag pit stops shook up the field. Elliott briefly returned to the lead on lap 78 in the midst of pit stops, but gave up the spot on the next lap when he made his final stop.

Harvick returned to the lead after the pit stop cycle was complete, but Elliott was still the man on the move. He was up to fifth on lap 88, but more than 10 seconds behind Harvick when a caution flag waved for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spinning through the backstretch chicane.

Elliott was now back in the ballgame and he wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass him by. He moved up to fourth for the restart when Daniel Hemric pitted ahead of him, but he dropped to fifth on the ensuing restart with 17 laps left.

The race was halted again before a lap could be completed for a gaggle of cars spun in the infield, giving Elliott another opportunity to rebound. He moved up to fourth, but a caution period again stopped the action when Daniel Suarez had issues in the infield.

Elliott was able to pick off yet another spot on the next restart, but an incident involving Kurt Busch and Chris Buescher in turn eight slowed the field and led to a brief red flag period to clean up fluid on the track.

The race resumed with six laps remaining and Elliott made his move. He quickly dispatched second-place Martin Truex Jr. and began his pursuit of Harvick. He was all over Harvick at the exit of turn eight and stayed glued to his bumper going through the backstretch chicane, which allowed him to get to the outside of Harvick through turns 13 and 14.

Elliott had the preferred line coming out of turn 14 and into the frontstretch chicane, which allowed him to clear Harvick to take the lead. From there Elliott went unchallenged, cruising to a 3.024-second victory.

After the race Elliott returned to the turn one tire barrier, but this time he stuffed his car in the wall and performed a burnout in celebration of his victory.

“I was going back down the frontstretch and I saw that dang thing and I was like, well, I couldn’t pass this opportunity up to go out here and redeem myself a little bit in turn one,” Elliott said. “I was pretty excited about that one. Usually I’m not very quick whited but I was really proud of that. I was pretty fired up.

“It should have never been special in the first place, but since I went out of my way to make it special today I felt like I had to go back and see it one more time.”

Alex Bowman overcame a spin on the opening lap, contact with Bubba Wallace and an illness to finish second and earn the final spot in the second round of the playoffs. Harvick settled for third, followed by Clint Bowyer and Brad Keselowski.

Four drivers were eliminated from playoff contention at the conclusion of Saturday’s race. They included Aric Almirola, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Erik Jones.

For complete results, advance to the next page.

CONCORD, N.C. – Everything was working against Alex Bowman this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but somehow he found a way to keep fighting back.

Bowman finished second in Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400, scoring just enough points to lock himself into the second round of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The road was a long one for the Arizona native, but in the end he got the job done.

He started off the week not feeling well and spent Wednesday through Saturday battling an illness, but overcame that illness to qualify on the front row for Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400.

Unfortunately that second-place starting position disappeared in the final seconds of final practice Saturday when Bowman crashed between turns three and four on the infield section of the course.

Bowman was forced to a backup car, which meant he had to start at the tail of the field. His race didn’t get off to a good start either as he wheel hopped entering the backstretch chicane on the first lap, causing himself to spin and Bubba Wallace to miss the chicane.

“I mean probably about lap 10 of the race, I was pretty done and out of it just from a physical standpoint,” Bowman said, referencing the illness he’d been battling all week. “I just tried to keep digging and obviously, I tried to give it away on lap one. As soon as I touched the brake pedal it started wheel-hopping and turned around on me.”

Two trips down pit road – one for fresh tires and another to serve a penalty for missing the chicane on the opening lap – left Bowman stuck at the rear of the field during the first stage of the race.

Things didn’t get any better at the end of the first stage, when Bowman was collected in a multi-car pileup entering turn one during a restart. His car sustained minimal damage and he was able to drive away, but he was once again at the back of the field.

Bowman kept working throughout the rest of the race, slowly moving his way back up through the field. He had a run-in with Wallace on lap 42 that saw Bowman spin Wallace at the exit of the backstretch chicane, something that led to a brief pit-road confrontation after the race that saw Wallace toss the contents of a water bottle in Bowman’s face.

“I don’t know if he was mad about the first lap, or what, but obviously that was just a mistake,” Bowman said. “And then I got flipped off every single straightaway on the entire race track for three laps. I got flipped off by him for like three or four laps in a row at Richmond, so I’m just over it.

“I’ve got to stand up for myself at some point, right? He probably wouldn’t have got wrecked if he had his finger back in the car.”

As the race neared its conclusion, Bowman was still somehow in contention to claim a spot in the second round of the playoffs despite all the hardships he’d battled throughout the day.

A call to come down pit road late in the race while many of the lead cars stayed out gave Bowman fresh tires to work with, something he would take full advantage of in the waining laps of the race.

During the final restart Bowman went from sixth to second in a matter of laps, which helped him in his quest to advance to the second round of the playoffs. His quest got a lot easier a few laps later when his playoff rival Ryan Newman missed the backstretch chicane and was assessed a penalty, allowing Bowman sneak into the second round of the playoffs by the skin of his teeth.

“I’m glad we were able to rebound and the guys obviously gave me a really strong car to get back through the field,” Bowman said.

After the race Bowman was taken to the infield car center for fluids and to be checked out, but when he emerged he told the assembled media that he’d be ready to race when the second round of the playoffs kick off next week at Dover (Del.) Int’l Speedway.

“There at the end, cautions were rough. Under green it is what it is,” Bowman said. “But under caution, when you actually have time to think about how you feel, it’s not much fun.

“I was tired and everything was real tingly, which is not a great feeling inside a race car. I got some fluids and I’m definitely feeling better. We’ll be good to go in Dover,” Bowman said.

MADISON, Ill. – Rickie Smith finished up an impressive weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway with his first victory of the season in E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service action on Sunday.

Smith beat points leader Stevie “Fast” Jackson in the final round. The series was presented by the Real Pro Mod Ass’n in St. Louis and marked the 10th of 12 races in 2019.

Smith, a three-time world champion in the class, was on top in his nitrous-powered Bahrain1 Racing Camaro all weekend, qualifying No. 1 for the second straight race and going 5.768 seconds at 252.19 mph to beat Jackson in the final round.

Sunday was also Smith’s class-best 15th career victory.

“It’s pretty awesome, at my age, to be fighting like this with these young cats,” Smith said. “I saw Stevie run a 5.77 and thought there’s no way I can run that, and then I run 5.76. Then he runs a 5.74 and I run a 5.72, so it was pretty exciting this weekend. I’ve got three awesome kids and wife that stand behind me.”

Smith, who qualified No. 1 with a 5.724 at 252.43, beat Alex Laughlin, Michael Biehle and Mike Castellana, who beat Smith in the Indy finals, to reach the championship round.

Jackson, who was the defending event winner and qualified second this weekend, advanced to his fifth final round in 2019 and 12th in his career thanks to wins against Carl Stevens Jr., defending world champion Mike Janis and Todd Tutterow.

Jackson also stretched his commanding points lead to 156 points heading into the final two events of the 2019 season.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Kirk Triplett won the Pure Insurance Championship for the third time Sunday at Pebble Beach, beating Billy Andrade with an 8-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff.

The 57-year-old Triplett also won the PGA Tour Champions event in 2012 and 2013. He has eight senior victories, also winning a playoff in March in the Hoag Classic down the coast in Newport Beach.

"I started hitting the ball pretty good about the middle of last summer and that's given me new life," said Triplett, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour. "I've had a lot of chances to win and I feel very competitive and I'm pretty thankful for that."

Playing four groups ahead of Andrade, Triplett birdied the 18th in regulation for a 5-under 67 and 9-under 206 total. Andrade, playing in the final group, also closed with a birdie, holing a 7-footer after hitting his second shot through the green.

The 55-year-old Andrade missed a birdie try before Triplett holed the winning putt in the event that pairs tour players with juniors from The First Tee programs around the country.

Triplett helped Sam Sommerhauser of the First Tee of Greater Sacramento win the junior boys' title at 23 under.

"From the individual perspective, I was really more focused on my junior today because we were in good shape," Triplett said. "We got off to a good start and I was just kind of all day playing more to help him. The leaders were at 10 and I was at 6 or 7. I just never really felt in touch with that aspect of the tournament, I was really trying to help Sam. Boy, the guys came back a little bit and I made some birdies. It changes fast out here, especially here."

Andrade won four PGA Tour titles and teamed with Joe Durant for his one senior title four years ago.

"You give yourself opportunities and you can't win all of them, but this one's going to hurt a little bit," Andrade said. "I had opportunities on the back nine, I made a couple mistakes and made a couple bogeys. If I didn't do it, then I would have been in a different situation."

Triplett jumped from ninth to fourth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.

"I don't really think about all of that stuff too much," Triplett said. "I just try and play the tournaments that are in front of me. I'm 57 years old. Anything you get after 54, 55, I think is kind of gravy out here."

Triplet improved to 3-0 in playoffs and matched Jeff Sluman's tournament record with his third victory. Andrade is 1-3 in playoffs.

"This is all gravy. We're out here playing old-man golf and we've got great sponsors and great places like Pebble Beach," Andrade said. "There's really not more you can say about how great this place is and how great these tournaments are. In this situation, you don't want to lose, you want to win. Disappointing."

Paul Broadhurst was a stroke out the playoff, shooting a 68. Tom Gillis (69) was 7 under, and Tom Lehman (69), Tom Byrum (69), Billy Mayfair (69) and Marco Dawson (71) were 6 under. Second-round leader Steve Flesch had a 75 to tie for ninth at 5 under.

Ashley Menne of the First Tee of Phoenix won the girls' title.

Cameron Champ won the Safeway Open on Sunday at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif., about an hour away from his hometown of Sacramento, where his grandfather was battling cancer. Here’s more on the emotional victory:

Leaderboard: Champ (-17), Adam Hadwin (-16), Marc Leishman (-14), Justin Thomas (-13), Charles Howell III (-13), Zac Blair (-13), Dylan Frittelli (-12), Cameron Percy (-12), Xinjun Zhang (-12)

What it means: This one was for Pops. While Champ’s grandfather, Mack, was about an hour away at the Champ family's home doing hospice for terminal stomach cancer, Champ was putting the finishing touches on his second PGA Tour victory with a 3-foot birdie make on his 72nd hole. With “PaPa Champ” written on his shoes, Champ started the final round with a three-shot lead and made few mistakes on his card despite not hitting a fairway until the 12th hole. He carded just four birdies (all on the front nine), but he fought for several hard-earned pars and bombed a 369-yard drive ­– the longest of the tournament – at the par-5 18th hole to set up birdie, which sealed his fourth round in the 60s this week (3-under 69) and a one-shot victory over Hadwin, who birdied each of his final three holes to challenge Champ.

Rounds of the day: Marc Leishman, who withdrew two weeks ago from the Greenbrier, carded eight birdies to fire a closing 65 and earn himself a third-place finish. Corey Conners also shot 65, climbing inside the top 10.

Best of the rest: Dylan Frittelli notched his second straight top-7 finish after capping his week in 66.

Biggest disappointment: Sebastian Munoz’s chance at winning in back-to-back weeks came to an end with a final-round, 4-over 76.

Shot of the day: Champ made some crucial par saves Sunday, but none was bigger than his chip-in at the par-3 11th hole.

Quote of the day: "No matter if I win one more tournament, 10 more tournaments, whatever it may be, this will be the greatest moment of my golf career." –Champ

After a disaster of a start to the season, the New England Revolution are in the playoffs. Teal Bunbury's second-half tally provided the lead, and Gustavo Bou iced it on the verge of stoppage time to push the Revolution to a 2-0 home win over New York City FC on Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.

The win gave the Revolution (45 points) their first playoff berth since 2015, despite a 2-8-2 start to the season. The addition of head coach Bruce Arena, the most storied coach in MLS history and twice manager of the United States men's national team, aided the Revolution's rise up the standings.

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With a result, NYCFC (61 points) would have clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time in club history. They still could, depending on the Philadelphia Union's result later Sunday.

In the 66th minute, Bunbury got on the end of a nice feed from Cristian Penilla to break the deadlock. Controlling the ball down the right channel, Penilla drove into the penalty area and then fed Bunbury, who had split the centerbacks with his run. Bunbury one-touched Penilla's feed from eight-yards out, powering a shot past Sean Johnson in NYCFC's goal.

Just two minutes prior, Bunbury had gotten on the end of a cross, but his header went well wide.

There were a handful of good opportunities to get on the scoreboard for NYCFC, including a Gary Mackay-Steven left-footed shot from distance that forced Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner to dive fully to his right and push the ball wide.

There was no opportunity better than in the 63rd minute for NYCFC. A free kick by Alexandru Mitrita from near the touchline was well saved by Turner, who pushed aside the acute shot to ensure that it didn't cross the goal line.

Turner would save his best for late in the match. In the 85th minute, he again denied Mitrita, this time denying the Romanian international from point-blank. Four minutes later, Bou scored his ninth of the season to seal the win for New England.

Western Australia batsman Ashton Turner has been ruled out for at least a month with a broken finger which means he is unlikely to be in contention for Australia's T20Is against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Turner, who returned from shoulder surgery at the beginning of the season, picked up the injury during training ahead of the Marsh Cup game against New South Wales.

"Ashton sustained a fracture to his right index finger at training this week," WACA sports science medicine manager, Nick Jones, said. "After reviewing the injury with specialists, he will require a period of approximately four-six weeks before being able to return to play."

Turner was part of Australia's most recent T20Is, against India in February and his renowned finishing skills - which he showed during Australia's record ODI run chase in Mohali on the same tour - would have put him firmly in the frame to be included for the Sri Lanka and Pakistan series as Australia plan for the T20 World Cup next year.

The first of three T20Is against Sri Lanka is on October 27 in Adelaide with that series followed by three matches against Pakistan in early November.

Turner had started the season in promising style with a brisk half-century in the opening Marsh Cup match against Victoria.

After being left out of Australia's World Cup squad he took the decision to undergo significant shoulder surgery to enable him to field and eventually bowl to full capacity.

New South Wales were also forced into an injury change for their first home match of the season after Kurtis Patterson picked up a quad injury playing grade cricket at the weekend.

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Ravens are wondering why wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. wasn't ejected for throwing a punch Sunday, and the Cleveland Browns have the same question about cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

With 3 minutes, 35 seconds left in the third quarter, Beckham threw a right-handed punch at Humphrey's helmet on a running back screen. Humphrey then responded by putting Beckham on his back and choking him with both hands.

"I saw what you saw," Browns coach Freddie Kitchens told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio. "He was getting choked on the ground. They get away with that because it's Odell. I'm going to be on the phone with Al (Riveron, NFL senior vice president of officiating) when I get on the bus."

After the Browns' 40-25 win, Humphrey followed Beckham into the tunnel and apologized.

"It's not really the brand of football I want to represent," Humphrey said. "The whistle blowed. It has to be over with."

Did Beckham apologize?

"I don't think he did," Humphrey said. "But I definitely told the refs he should've been ejected. It is what it is. Emotions flare."

Beckham, who was held to a career-low two catches for 20 yards, was upset for a different reason.

"It's hot out there. We're just competing," Beckham said. "I'm just upset that I lost my earring."

Referee Shawn Hochuli explained why there were no ejections by saying, "We didn't see anything on the field that rose to the level of a disqualifying foul. When New York looked at it, they didn't see anything, either, that rose to the level of a qualifying foul."

A few plays before the incident, Humphrey was pulled down to the ground by the back of his neck by Beckham. Humphrey approached the officials to complain about the lack of a penalty.

With the victory, Cleveland (2-2) takes sole possession of first place in the AFC North over Baltimore (2-2). The Ravens and the Browns will face each other again on Dec. 22 at Cleveland.