BROOKLYN, Mich. – Putting his disappointing Knoxville Nationals showing behind him, Kyle Larson went back to his day job on Sunday and captured a third-place finish at Michigan Int’l Speedway.

Larson copped a speeding penalty in the opening stage of the Consumers Energy 400, but stayed on the lead lap and rallied back for the remainder of the afternoon with his No. 42 McDonald’s Chevrolet.

He was the beneficiary of several drivers running out of fuel inside the final 15 laps, jumping up from the fringes of the top 10 to the podium by the time the checkered flag waved on lap 200.

“I guess if you’re going to get a speeding penalty, the first run of the race is the time to do it,” said Larson, who was sitting ninth with 12 to go. “I was surprised when they said I was speeding, because I hadn’t hit a red light at all until after leaving my pit stall. That was the only time I hit a red.

“I was conservative on my lights the rest of the day … and maybe we just misjudged a little bit, or maybe I just was a little too fast; I don’t know. But our race was good and our car handled really well, so I was happy about that. We definitely came back through there pretty nicely. The last I knew, I was ninth … so to end up third is a great day for us.”

It was a far cry from how Larson started the week on the dirt Wednesday night. He was never a factor during his Knoxville Nationals preliminary event with Silva Motorsports, failing to lock into the championship A-main and leading him to withdraw from the Saturday finale at Knoxville Raceway.

That ended a two-year string of finishing on the podium at the world’s biggest sprint car race, but Larson refused to give up as he returned back to stock cars and back to the asphalt.

Sunday afternoon, Larson had solid speed and ran toward the front for much of the day, particularly in the final stage. His end result continued a run of four top-10s in the last seven Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.

“I feel like we’ve been showing a lot of speed here the last two to two and a half months now, so we contended for a win in Chicago and have had some good runs since then,” Larson noted. “We’ve made some mistakes that have put us in backup cars, but all in all we’ve done a good job to bring fast race cars to the track every week.  It just says a lot about our team and how we’re fighting through the season

“It’s a good time of year to get the speed and get some rhythm, so hopefully we can keep it going.”

With three races remaining before the playoff reset, Larson gained some breathing room over the cutoff line, leaving Michigan 71 markers clear of 17th-place Daniel Suarez.

That’s good news for the California driver, as he seeks to both make the postseason and snap a near two-year winless drought.

“We had a great points day,” Larson explained. “We saved just enough fuel there at the end to get to the finish line and now we’re well above the cut line. I’m happy about our day.

“We want that win, but we want to be able to chase a championship too.”

And as for those Nationals Larson is pursuing, there will be another year to claim that win.

DUBUQUE, Iowa – The water flew and T.J. Fortmann reveled in the shower from his crew.

The Dubuque driver celebrated after he led all 15 laps of the Peosta Warehousing Logistics IMCA SportMod feature Sunday evening during Drew Cook & Sons Repair and Fluid Back to School Night at Dubuque Speedway.

“I can’t believe it. My first win in a stock car,” Fortmann said in C&W Trucking/Hoker Trucking/Kam Koncepts Victory Circle. “We continue the tradition of a Fortmann winning in the No. 32 at Dubuque.”

The hometown driver, who also serves in the military, took off from the front row and paced the green-to-checkered run.

“I got a thumbs up on the backstretch, so I knew I was clear on that final lap,” Fortmann added and laughed. “(I was) scared. I didn’t want to mess up.

Point leader Tyler Soppe and last week’s winner Jason Roth finally cleared traffic, but finished about a straightaway behind. Jake Murphy and Wes Digman rounded out the top five.

Point leader Bryce Garnhart launched from eighth, trusted the high groove and won the 20-lap Merfeld Brothers Automotive IMCA Modified main.

He took the lead on lap seven and held off several challenges and two-wide battles behind him with Matt Gansen, Timmy Current, a charging Tyler Madigan and Jason Schueller finishing next.

Several early top five drivers were victims of bad luck, including a late caution for Jed Freiburger and Mark Schulte.

Cole Mather took another K Motorsports IMCA Stock Car 12-lap main. Jarod Weepie, Jason Brimeyer, Chase Zaruba and Reece Norton followed.

Point leader Daniel Wauters passed Shane Oberbreckling about halfway through and won another Kinsella Concrete IMCA Hobby Stock 12-lap finale. Daryl Moss, Leah Wroten and Roger Winkers came next.

The teams of Austin Heacock/Justin Becker and Corey Rupp/Brandon Ehrisman put on a show in the visiting 2-Man Cruisers. The teams swapped the lead multiple times in the 12-lap feature, with Rupp/Ehrisman getting to the checkers first.

Kerry Davis/Cory Davis, Thomas Thompson/Dylan Elledge, and Justin Hansel/Paul Fleming completed the top five in an entertaining event.

Caleb Slouha visited from Newhall, Iowa for his first race in a year and won the 4 Cylinder feature. In only his second race ever on dirt, Slouha beat point leader Jacob Welter, visitor Rylie Mullin, Cody Brundage and Dylan Kuhl.

The event was called following the fifth caution in four laps for a Brundage rollover. Only three of the seven competitors made it to the finish line.

A total of 55 race teams hit the track for 15 total events, plus Back to School Night activities sponsored by Drew Cook & Sons Repair and Fluid at intermission.

Racing was completed about 9 p.m.

SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — Thomas Meseraull completed a clean sweep, winning Sunday night’s 25-lap Zimbrick Chevrolet of Sun Prairie Badger Midget Racing Series feature at Angell Park Speedway.

Earlier in the evening, Meseraull topped the 26-car field with a qualifying lap of 14.403 seconds and captured his eight-lap heat race.

Point leader Jack Routson took the lead at the start, with Meseraull passing four cars on the opening lap. Two laps later Meseraull passed Scott Hatton for second place. Meseraull cut into Routson’s lead and took over the top position on lap eight entering turn three.
Two laps later, Meseraull began lapping the back of the field. Meseruall held a 1.3 second lead over Justin Peck at the race’s midway. Two caution flags for spun out cars slowed the race on laps 14 and 16.
Peck challenged Meseruall for the lead on both restarts but couldn’t make a successful pass for the lead. Meseruall increased his lead to five car lengths with five laps remaining.
Meseruall, driving the RMS Racing owned Spike/Honda No. 7, finished 2.08 seconds ahead of Peck. Routson, Chase McDermand and Zach Boden.

“This was my kinda race track tonight, the car was fantastic, this team has worked hard the last few week’s I’m so happy to finally win a feature at Angell Park,” said Meseruall, who became the 165th different midget feature winner in the track’s 73-year history.
The finish:

Feature (25 laps): 1. Thomas Meseraull; 2. Justin Peck; 3. Jack Routson; 4. Chase McDermand; 5. Zach Boden; 6. Scott Hatton; 7. Jeff Zelinski; 8. Ryan Probst; 9. Mike Stroik; 10. Tristan Koenings; 11. Kevin Olson; 12. Jeremy Douglas; 13. Jim Fuerst; 14. Kyle Brinkmann; 15. Kevin Douglas; 16. Kurt Mayhew; 17. Harrison Kleven; 18. Denny Smith; 19. Shay Sassano; 20. Matt Rechek; 21. Jordan Mattson; 22. Kyle Koch. 

Paul Pogba has admitted there is still a "question mark" over his Manchester United future but has promised to "give everything" while he remains at Old Trafford.

The Frenchman has been linked with moves to Real Madrid and Juventus after saying he wants "a new challenge" earlier this summer.

Sources have told ESPN FC that the 26-year-old will not be sold despite the European transfer window remaining open until Sept. 2.

But after starring for United during the 4-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday, Pogba left the door open for a move away.

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"I am always good whenever I play football," the midfielder told French reporters in the mixed zone. "It is what I love -- it is my job. I give the maximum each time I am on a green pitch.

"Obviously there have been things said, but only time will tell. This question mark remains.

"However, as I said, I am here in Manchester. I enjoy playing with my teammates and I always want to win every game. I always give it everything."

Focusing on Sunday's match, Pogba said that he was delighted with United's performance against rivals Chelsea and was effusive in his praise of new teammate Harry Maguire.

"I call him 'The Beast'," Pogba said. "Honestly, as you saw, he was really impressive. He is a leader. He fit right in with us in training. We talked about controlling the defence well and he has a good understanding with Victor [Lindelof]. It was a very good match to start with from the whole team.

"In the first half, we were dominated in terms of chances and possession, but we reacted in the second. Our changes enabled us to take over. We were better in possession and in terms of chances. We were lucky to have the lead through the penalty in the first half, but after a bad start, we finished the match well. We are satisfied with our performance."

Pogba was pivotal in setting up Manchester United's third and fourth goals against Chelsea -- laying on assists for Marcus Rashford and Daniel James -- and says that the squad is developing a good understanding within Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's system.

"That [position change] has been there for a while now -- since before this season," he said. "In terms of organisation, it is a bit more like how I play with the French national team. It does not bother me where I play, whether it is higher or lower, we adapt and enjoy. The team too, we were much better coming out of the back and that is something to keep going with in the coming games.

"Rashy and I understand each other well. We try to do a maximum number of passes like that. I am starting understand his calls for the ball too and that enables me to find him like I did."

Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Youssoufa Moukoko scored six goals on his under-19 debut on Sunday.

After a record 50 goals in 28 matches for Dortmund's U17s last season, the 14-year-old was promoted to Borussia's U19 team this summer, and his debut performance against Wuppertaler SV was enough to suggest that he could continue to break records.

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Moukoko, who also plays for the Germany U16 side, had completed a hat trick within 17 minutes of the first half and ended the match with six goals as Dortmund won 9-2.

"Hats off," a statement on Wuppertaler's official website read after the young player's stunning debut.

"We were warned! But what can you do? The lad's just so good."

United States youngster Gio Reyna, 16, was also on target for reigning U19 champions Dortmund, scoring just one minute into his competitive debut for BVB.

Moukoko could make his Bundesliga debut in the 2021-2022 season, once he has turned 17.