DARLINGTON, S.C. – Ryan Blaney hopes to close his season tenure with Team Penske’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program with a bang this weekend at Darlington Raceway.

He got that mission off to a rousing start on Saturday afternoon by securing the pole for the Sport Clips Haircuts/VFW 200 at the historic 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval.

Blaney toured the track in 28.696 seconds (171.369 mph) with the No. 12 Bodyarmor Ford Mustang to earn the top starting spot on the grid. It’s his first pole in three Xfinity Series starts at Darlington.

“It’s nice,” said Blaney of having track position. “Honestly, I didn’t think I got the best lap. I got … we got through one and two pretty good, but I thought I missed (turn) three. Going back to switching between cars, I kind of drove it in like a Cup car and I thought I really hurt myself, but it slid and stuck and I was able to keep going.

“I’m really proud of this (No.) 12 group. It’s my second (and) last race for them for this year, so it’s really cool to have a good start to the day,” Blaney added. “Hopefully we can end it just as good. Thanks to Bodyarmor for being part of this deal. It should be a fun one today.”

Christopher Bell will join Blaney on the front row, after a lap of 28.828 seconds (170.584 mph) with his No. 20 Rheem/Ruud Toyota Supra. Bell is a six-time race winner so far this season.

Cole Custer and Justin Allgaier will share the second row of the grid, while Chase Briscoe completed the top five.

Reigning Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick will start sixth, followed by Brandon Jones, Noah Gragson, Austin Cindric and Michael Annett.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., making his first Xfinity Series start since Richmond (Va.) Raceway last September, will roll off 14th in the No. 8 Hellmann’s Chevrolet Camaro, throwing back to his father’s Cup debut in 1975.

To view complete qualifying results, advance to the next page.

GLENDORA, Calif – JEGS, a high-performance automotive equipment retailer, has extended its NHRA sponsorships of the JEGS Allstars program and the JEGS NHRA SPORTSnationals event.

The multi-year extensions will keep the JEGS name on these tradition-rich programs tailored for sportsman drag racers. JEGS has been the title sponsor of the Allstars competition since 2002 and came on as the title sponsor of the SPORTSnationals in 2005.

“JEGS and the Coughlin family is excited to extend our partnership with the NHRA for both of these prestigious events for competitors in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series,” Scott “Woody” Woodruff, JEGS director of media & motorsports. “We take great pride in making these events better-and-better each year with the support and dedication of the racers and the NHRA. JEGS will be celebrating our 60th anniversary next year and the racing community has been with us every step of the way for all 60-years. This is another way to say thank you and show people the JEGS way.”

The JEGS Allstars event is a race-within-a-race bonus program for the very best in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series which takes place annually at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago. It’s one of the most anticipated events of the season when these high-performing sportsman racers hit the track to face off in a battle for individual and team honors. It pits the top points earners from NHRA’s seven geographic divisions and four Top Alcohol regions against each other in the culmination of a yearlong points battle

The JEGS NHRA SPORTSnationals is a premier standalone event for competitors in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. This event awards national points to competitors and features three days of intense racing action from the top sportsman racers in the country. Widely regarded as one of the biggest and most prestigious weekends in sportsman racing, the 2019 event will take place at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, Sept. 20-22.

“We appreciate our strong relationship with JEGS and are thrilled to see the continued support of sportsman racing through these two significant events,” said Brad Gerber, NHRA vice president and chief development officer. “We look forward to the coming years and more exciting racing action thanks to JEGS.”

Ansu Fati's goal in Barcelona's draw at Osasuna on Saturday saw him become the club's youngest-ever goalscorer in La Liga.

The teenage forward opened his account for the club in Pamplona just five minutes after coming on as a substitute. He got across his marker to head home and make it 1-1, with the game eventually ending 2-2.

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Aged 16 years and 304 days, his goal sees him take the crown from Bojan Krkic, whose first league goal for Barca came when he was 17 years and 53 days old. Lionel Messi's arrived at 17 years and 331 days old.

However, Ansu is not La Liga's youngest-ever scorer. Fabrice Olinga, playing for Malaga at the time, scored the winning goal against Celta Vigo in 2012 when he was 16 years and 98 days old. Next comes Athletic Bilbao's Iker Muniain, who was 16 years and 289 days old when his first league goal arrived, with Ansu now placing third on the list.

Ansu had become the youngest player to represent Barcelona in the league since the 1940s when he came on in last week's win over Real Betis.

He began preseason with the club's U19 team and coach Victor Valdes revealed he didn't even have a decent pair of boots when he turned up for a training camp in Russia.

"Ansu arrived at the camp with pain in his feet so I asked him to show me his boots," Valdes explained earlier this week. "They were a genuine disaster. The pain was coming from there. We went and bought him new ones.

"But I can't speak highly enough of him: he's strong, quick, daring... we have to give him complete freedom so that all flows. He's got character, too, and he's lethal around the box."

Ansu, who has been at the club since he was 10, is getting his chance in Ernesto Valverde's team due to injuries to Messi, Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele.

His goal at El Sadar cancelled out Roberto Torres' opener, with Arthur Melo then firing Barca into the lead. However, Osasuna grabbed a point late on when Torres added his second from the penalty spot after Gerard Pique's handball.

Barca have now dropped points in two of their opening three league games this season, following their loss to Athletic in the opening round of fixtures two weeks ago.

Hubli Tigers 152 for 6 in 20 overs (Aditya Somanna 47, Luvnith Sisodia 29, KP Appanna 2-19) beat Ballari Tuskers 144 all out in 20 overs (CM Gautam 29, Devdutt Padikkal 68; Abhilash Shetty 3-34, Aditya Somanna 3-24) by 8 runs.

Vinay Kumar may have moved on from Karnataka, but continued to make his presence felt as a leader, inspiring Hubli Tigers to their maiden IPL crown on Saturday. They beat Ballari Tuskers in the finale by eight runs in Mysore.

Tuskers started poorly in their chase of 153 but recovered through 19-year old Devdutt Padikkal (68) and CM Gautam (29), before the Tigers applied the choke through the pace duo of Abhilash Shetty (3 for 34) and Aditya Somanna (3 for 24).

Earlier in the evening, Vinay may have rued for a while his decision to bat as Prasidh Krishna and KP Appanna, the left-arm spinner, left their mark with some exceptional bowling. Tigers were then powered by a 62-run stand between Somanna (47) and Luvnith Sisodia (29). The late lift was provided by Praveen Dubey (26*) and Shreyas Gopal (14*).

Tuskers lost three wickets inside the first four overs. Then, Padikkal and Gautam added 75 in just 66 balls to come within 53 runs of victory off the last five overs, before stuttering again by losing the set pair. It proved to be costly, but Padikkal had some consolation as he walked away as the highest run-getter in the tournament with 310 runs.

French driver Anthoine Hubert has been killed in an accident during the Formula 2 feature race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.

Hubert, 22, lost control of his car on the second lap of the race at the top of the Raidillon corner, which follows the famous Eau Rouge section of the Belgian race track. Raidillon is a blind corner at the crest of a hill. After an initial impact with the barriers, Hubert's car came back onto the race track and was hit at upwards of 200 km/h by American driver Juan Manuel Correa. Hubert's car was split in two pieces by the crash.

A third driver, Giuliano Alesi, was involved but was unharmed after his car came to a halt without a rear wing and a punctured rear tyre.

TV cameras quickly cut away from the scene, and no replays were shown. The race was immediately red flagged and, once the other cars had returned to the pits, it was soon confirmed it would not restart.

F2 is the official feeder series to Formula One and the race was taking place shortly after qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday. There is also an F2 sprint race allocated on Sunday's schedule.

Just before 7 p.m. local time, the FIA confirmed Hubert had succumbed to his injuries. Correa is in stable condition in CHU Liège hospital.

"The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regrets to advise that a serious incident involving cars #12, #19 and #20 occurred at 17:07 on 31/08/19 as a part of the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps, round 17 of the season.

"The scene was immediately attended by emergency and medical crews, and all drivers were taken to the medical centre.

"As a result of the incident, the FIA regrets to inform that the driver of car #19, Antoine Hubert (FRA), succumbed to his injuries, and passed away at 18:35.

"The driver of car #12, Juan-Manuel Correa (USA), is in a stable condition and is being treated at the CHU Liège hospital. More information on his condition will be provided when it becomes available.

"The driver of car #20 Giuliano Alesi (FRA) was checked and declared fit at the medical centre.

"The FIA is providing support to the event organisers and the relevant authorities, and has commenced an investigation into the incident."

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton posted his condolances to Instagram shortly after the news was confirmed.

"This is devastating. God rest your soul Anthoine. My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family today."

In a follow-up post, he said: "If a single one of you watching and enjoying this sport think for a second what we do is safe your hugely mistaken. All these drivers put their life on the line when they hit the track and people need to appreciate that in a serious way because it is not appreciated enough. Not from the fans nor some of the people actually working in the sport.

"Anthoine is a Hero as far as I'm concerned, for taking the risk he did to chase his dreams. I'm so sad that this has happened. Let's lift him up and remember him. Rest in peace brother."

Hubert, the reigning GP3 champion, was part of the Renault F1 team's junior driver academy.

Born in Lyon, France, he started karting at age 12. Once he made his debut in single-seater racing in the French F4 championship in 2013, he rose through the ranks quickly. He won the French F4 series at the first attempt, before spending two seasons in Formula Renault 2.0. He stepped up to Formula 3, claiming a race win at the Norisring.

He moved up to GP3 with ART in 2017. His first season in the series was winless, but he followed it up with a championship-winning campaign in 2018. This year he stepped up to F1's official feeder series and claimed victories at sprint races in Monaco and France. Arriving at Belgium, hosting the 17th and 18th rounds of the 2019 season, he was eighth in the championship.

The last fatality caused by injuries sustained at a Formula One event was Jules Bianchi, who suffered severe head injuries at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix and died in July 2015.

In the first of our series in which Stuart Weir speaks to reigning world champions, pole vault winner Stefanidi shares her experience of striking gold in London two years ago

What do you remember about the London 2017 World Championships?

I remember the whole stadium dancing with great songs playing – both when I was jumping and during the ceremony the next day. That is definitely my No.1 memory. I remember very much the feeling of confidence. I went into the competition and I almost knew that I would win. I think that’s very important in any event but especially in the pole vault when it is such a mental event. And now I’m finally getting that feeling back.

What does it mean to you to be world champion?

That’s a hard one. It is something that you dream of as a kid and I think for me maybe more than other people because I started so young – I started pole vaulting aged 10 and even before that I was already doing track and field. The idea of being Olympic champion, world champion, European champion was this big goal and my dream from a very early age. Even at 12 years old I would cross the road and I would say “you need to be very careful because if you get hit by a car, how can you be world champion and break the world record?” I mean, a 12-year-old doesn’t think that way. My parents and coach at the time pushed me so much to think that way and that’s probably why I care so much more about medals right now than I do about records. It’s hard to say exactly what it feels like but I think that gives you an idea of how important it is for me.

“I almost knew that I would win”

As world champion, Olympic champion and European champion do you feel unbeatable?

I don’t! My coach would like me to, but I don’t. Every year is new and I think you build that confidence, of going into the meeting feeling like you will win no matter what, throughout the season. So for me, every year is new. I was European champion last year but now I need to come out and jump good again and build that confidence. And kind of catch up mentally with where I am physically. But there is definitely some confidence and it is not just me being confident, it’s about the other girls thinking ‘she has been able to perform well when it mattered’ but at the end of the day I still need to do it again.

How do you peak for Doha when it is such a long season?

I would almost say that it is an advantage for me because every year it takes me a little while to get used to the longer poles because I mostly only use them in competition. With having an extra month to the season I think it would allow me to do a few more competitions, be a little more consistent and maybe be able to raise my grip. I’ve said in the last three years that the only thing I think I’m missing from breaking the world record is the grip. I have pushed as far as (three-time world champion Yelena) Isinbayeva has, I’m just gripping lower on the same poles. Every year by the end of the year I slowly raise my grip but now I have an extra month or maybe a little more and I think it can definitely get us a little closer to those five-metre or five and above heights.

Wales coach Warren Gatland says he faces a major decision on whether to take Dragons captain Cory Hill to the World Cup after the lock suffered a small fracture in his leg.

The 27-year-old will miss the World Cup opener against Georgia on 23 September and is a major doubt against Australia six days later.

Wales select their 31-man squad on Saturday evening and name it on Sunday.

"Our big discussion is with Cory Hill," said Gatland.

"He has got a really small fracture in his leg which we got scanned yesterday.

"It could keep him out until game two or three [of the World Cup] so there will be a big discussion point whether we take him or not."

After Wales face Australia on 29 September they have a break before they play Fiji on 9 October and Uruguay four days later.

Hill, who can also play in the back-row, has not played since scoring a try against England in February 2019 during the Six Nations victory.

Captain Alun Wyn Jones, Adam Beard, Jake Ball and Bradley Davies are the other specialist second-rows in the extended 40-man squad, with flanker Aaron Shingler also capable of playing at lock.

Gatland played down fears over Dragons back-rower Ross Moriarty, who was a late withdrawal from the bench for Saturday's 17-22 loss against Ireland because of a hip problem aggravated in training.

GEARY, New Brunswick – The McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 and SpeedWeekend 2019 are fast approaching and the field of pro stocks is beginning to assemble for the final Maritime Crown Jewel race of the year.

More than 20 of the top talents from New Brunswick and some big names from outside provincial borders are getting ready to gather for the 19th annual edition of the 250 on Sunday. Qualifying heat races for the $15,000-to-win McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 will begin on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Ryan Messer led an all New Brunswick podium in the 2018 edition of the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 and all three drivers have signaled their intentions to compete for the win again. Messer took the lead in last year’s 250 with 16 laps to go over two-time podium finisher Steve Halpin to lock down the biggest win of his young racing career. Lonnie Sommerville finished third in that race and the two-time 250 champion will look to add a third to his resume coming up this Sunday.

Joining Messer and Sommerville as former McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 champions in the field are three time event champions Cassius Clark and Shawn Tucker. Clark is looking to sweep all three Maritime 250-lap races after winning the IWK 250 at Riverside International Speedway in July and the Toromont Cat 250 at Scotia Speedworld earlier this month. Tucker returned to the driver’s seat earlier this season and has split the season in the Geary woods driving with his son, Dustin. Both will look to break the tie Sunday and become the most decorated driver in the race’s 19 year history with four titles.

The RE/MAX East Coast Elite Pro Stock division track championship came down to Brent Roy, Greg Fahey and Ian Rasmussen. While Roy and Fahey each have multiple championships at their home track, neither have a 250 win on their resume. Rasmussen, in his third year as a Pro Stock driver, has continued to improve each and every lap on the track and will look to impress on Sunday in the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250.

Cole Butcher is readying his car for Sunday’s McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250. Butcher is a two-time Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour champion, two-time Toromont Cat 250 winner and a former Parts for Trucks Tour feature winner at Speedway 660. The two-time Kulwicki Driver Development Program finalist and the sixth place finisher from last Sunday’s Oxford 250 has one previous McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 start.

Matt Harris and Chris Duncan are both familiar faces to Speedway 660 and have a long list of accomplishments at the track. Both are looking to crack Riverview Ford Lincoln Victory Lane on Sunday to put the cherry on the top of their storied careers with a 250 win. Kevin Moore is always a factor in extended distance races and brought a strong No. 88 car home to a top five finish last season in the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250. Robert Tomlinson has been in the RE/MAX East Coast Elite Realty Pro Stock division and will look for a big night on Sunday. Robert Lee has also filed an entry for Sunday’s marquee attraction for SpeedWeekend 2019.

With the experience in the field also come a youth movement. Ashton Tucker has a podium finish in the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 on his resume and was a podium finisher earlier in the year on the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour at Petty Raceway in May. He and Ben Pelletier are former Bandolero graduates and will be looking to notch their first extended distance Pro Stock feature on Sunday.

Devin Snell and John Rankin have both proven themselves in Late Model competition in Geary and would be popular winners with their home track fans should they be able to pull a victory out in the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250. Andrew Rodgers has split his time in 2019 between racing on the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour and competing in a Late Model Sportsman, with his most recent resulting being a top five finish in last weekend’s River Glade International Sportsman 100.

Robbie MacEwen enters his first McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 on a career season. MacEwen scored his first Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour win at his home track at Oyster Bed Speedway in August. Like MacEwen, Wyatt Alexander is making his first McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 start on Sunday. Alexander, the winner of Valvoline’s Fast Track to Fame contest in 2018, has several starts between the CARS Tour and the Pro All Stars Series on his resume. The 19-year old finished fourth at Speedway 660 in a RE/MAX East Coast Elite Realty Pro Stock division race on Aug. 17.

STAVELOT, Belgium – Charles Leclerc continued Ferrari’s strong form this weekend at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday by winning the pole for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix.

Leclerc, who led two of the three Formula One practice sessions ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session, earned his third pole of the year thanks to his 1:42.519 lap in Q3.

Ferrari swept the front row, with Leclerc’s teammate Sebastian Vettel qualifying second with a fast time of 1:43.267.

Lewis Hamilton qualified third for Mercedes, overcoming a practice crash earlier in the day that had his Mercedes crew scrambling to get his car ready as Q1 began.

An engine failure in Williams’ of Robert Kubica early in the first round of qualifying gave Mercedes extra time to get Hamilton’s car ready, allowing him to make it on track for qualifying.

Valtteri Bottas qualified fourth in the second Mercedes, followed by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the Renault duo of Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg, Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen, Racing Point’s Sergio Perez and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.