BALTIMORE -- Justin Verlander lasted only five innings against the Baltimore Orioles and walked off the mound in position to take his first loss since early July.

His struggle foreshadowed the shocking end of both the game and Houston's lengthy winning streak.

Rio Ruiz hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth to carry Baltimore to an 8-7 victory Sunday, snapping the Orioles' five-game skid.

Houston scored three runs in the top of the ninth to go up 7-5 before the Orioles answered in the bottom half against closer Roberto Osuna (3-3). After Chris Davis hit a sacrifice fly, Chance Sisco was at first base when Ruiz launched a 2-2 pitch over the right-field wall.

"I knew that I got it," Ruiz said. "I kind of looked in the dugout, saw everybody going crazy and I went crazy. Pretty awesome feeling."

Osuna gave up a double and a homer and hit a batter in his fifth blown save.

"The guys did a great job coming back and get the lead and expected me to get the job done," Osuna said. "Not being able to do that, it's a bad day."

Coming off a 23-2 defeat less than 24 hours earlier, Baltimore took the lead in the fifth against Verlander, the 2011 Cy Young winner and an eight-time All-Star who gave up four runs and a season-high nine hits.

Baltimore's offense exploded in the ninth against Osuna, who came in with 26 saves. The loss ended the Astros' eight-game win streak and was only their fourth loss in 22 games.

"When you're playing great baseball it seems like the losses even hurt that much more," Verlander said. "We put ourselves in a position to win; our guys did a fantastic job battling back. Just one pitch early in the game, a couple pitches that I made that were mistakes.

"But I think sometimes you've got to look at the bigger picture and understand that we're playing good baseball. Don't let this be too much of a Debbie downer," he added.

Houston trailed by two runs in the seventh and 5-4 in the ninth before striking against Mychal Givens. George Springer led off with a single and went to second when Jose Altuve beat out a bunt. Michael Brantley followed with a liner that rolled into the right-field corner. Anthony Santander fumbled with the ball and botched the throw, earning an error while Brantley ended his foray around the bases with a head-first slide.

Richard Bleier (3-0) finished the inning, and turned out to be the winning pitcher in a game that concluded a homestand that featured three losses to the Yankees and two more against Houston, including that 23-2 debacle on Saturday night.

"It was a fun way to win a game, a fun way to get out of the homestand," said Jace Peterson, who had three hits and two RBI. "Obviously, this homestand didn't go as we wanted it to (but) to leave here with a win like that over a team like that is great."

Carlos Correa hit a three-run homer for the Astros, whose ninth-inning surge enabled Verlander to keep his five-game winning streak intact. The right-hander struck out 11 to reach double digits in a fifth consecutive outing but also gave up at least one hit every inning.

"Very unusual for him to go five innings and be out of the game, but they worked him tough," Astros manager AJ Hinch said.

4K DAVIS

Davis struck out four times to bring his total for the season to 118. With Davis leading the way, the Orioles struck out 16 times.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros: RHP Brad Peacock (shoulder) threw 16 pitches for Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday and was slated to throw 15-20 pitches Sunday for the same club. "We didn't want to extend him too far pitch-wise (Saturday)," Hinch said. "Just simulate a back to back, see how he feels."

Orioles: INF Renato Nunez was rested after fouling a ball off his ankle on Saturday night. X-rays were negative, but the ankle was "just really sore," manager Brandon Hyde said.

UP NEXT

Astros: Zack Greinke makes his second start with Houston in the opener of a three-game series Monday night against the host White Sox.

Orioles: A seven-game road trip begins Monday with a day-night doubleheader against the New York Yankees, who have won 12 straight against Baltimore.

NEW YORK -- Asdrubal Cabrera hit a tiebreaking two-run double against his former team and the Nationals bullpen finally locked down a lead in Flushing, lifting Washington over the streaking New York Mets 7-4 Sunday.

Nationals star Juan Soto was injured on Cabrera's bases-loaded hit in the seventh inning. Soto went from first to third but turned his right ankle after getting a late stop sign from third base coach Bob Henley. He spiked his helmet, was worked on by trainers in the outfield grass and ultimately came out of the game.

Victor Robles replaced Soto and homered off All-Star Edwin Diaz in the ninth, and Anthony Rendon had four hits.

Sean Doolittle pitched a perfect ninth for Washington two nights after blowing a three-run lead in the final inning. The Nats bullpen had blown five consecutive save chances at Citi Field prior to Sunday, and its ERA of 6.07 ranked last in the NL. Doolittle got his 26th save.

The Mets ended an eight-game winning streak and lost for the second time in 17 games. Jeff McNeil had two hits and two RBI. New York dropped 1 1/2 games behind Washington for the top NL wild card.

Adam Eaton began the seventh-inning rally with a one-out single off Robert Gsellman (2-3). The pesky right fielder moved to second on Rendon's single and advanced to third when McNeil briefly overran the ball.

After a pitching change, Soto walked to load the bases and Cabrera lined Justin Wilson's first offering into right field to drive in Eaton and Rendon. Soto was tagged out to end the inning.

Cabrera spent 2 1/2 seasons with the Mets before being traded to Philadelphia in 2018.

The Mets threated against the beleaguered Washington bullpen in the seventh. McNeil doubled to lead off the inning and moved to third on Amed Rosario's single. Michael Conforto delivered a sacrifice fly to draw the Mets within one, but Daniel Hudson, Wander Suero and Dootlittle combined for 2 1/3 hitless innings to preserve the win. Matt Grace (1-2) pitched one-third of an inning to earn the win.

New York ace Jacob deGrom allowed three unearned runs with seven strikeouts over five innings. He failed to reach the sixth inning for the first time in five starts but lowered his ERA in day games to 1.84, which is the best mark in baseball since at least 1913.

The Nationals went ahead 3-0 in the first inning on a bizarre bases-loaded error. Cabrera hit a two-out grounder that first baseman Pete Alonso dived to stop, and Alonso threw toward first base. The feed would have hit deGrom in stride, except the pitcher paused momentarily a few feet from the base and then let the ball bounce off his glove. It rolled to near the Mets' on-deck circle, where deGrom chased it down and threw to home plate. Catcher Wilson Ramos dropped the throw, allowing Soto to come in with the third unearned run of the play. Alonso was charged with an error.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Nationals: RHP Max Scherzer (back) "felt really good" following Saturday's bullpen session, according to manager Dave Martinez. He is lined up for a simulated game on Tuesday. ... 2B Brian Dozier (rest) was held out of the lineup for the second straight game, although Martinez also noted that Dozier's wife is expecting the couple's first child "any time soon." He flew out as a pinch-hitter in the sixth.

Mets: There is still no timeframe for a rehab assignment for ailing OF Brandon Nimmo (neck) and IF Jed Lowrie (knee), although manager Mickey Callaway noted that the pair is "progressing."

UP NEXT

Nationals: Washington returns home to open a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday. RP Erick Fedde (2-2, 4.20 ERA) pitches for the Nationals. He's opposed by RHP Anthony DeSclafani (7-6, 4.20 ERA).

Mets: After a day off, RHP Zack Wheeler (9-6, 4.20 ERA) pitches for New York as the Mets open an important three-game series with the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves. Wheeler has won his last three starts, allowing just three earned runs over 20 1/3 innings (1.33 ERA), but the Georgia native has struggled at Sun Trust Park, allowing 12 earned runs over 17 2/3 innings (6.11 ERA). Atlanta has not named a starter.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Carlos Santana hit a grand slam in the 10th inning, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 7-3 on Sunday to win the four-game series and forge another tie for the AL Central lead.

The Twins tied the game with four hits in a two-run ninth against Brad Hand (5-3), using a single by Luis Arraez and a double by Marwin Gonzalez to extend the game.

As pinch-runner Ehire Adrianza tried to score the winning run from first base, left fielder Tyler Naquin grabbed the ball off the bounce from the wall and zipped a throw to shortstop Francisco Lindor, whose relay home was in perfect position for catcher Kevin Plawecki to tag Adrianza with ease.

That was Naquin's 10th outfield assist, moving into a tie for third in the majors.

Twins closer Taylor Rogers (2-3) allowed a single, a walk and another single on a bunt by Greg Allen to load the bases with none out for Santana, who quickly erased the late-inning drama with one big swing. The All-Star first baseman has reached base at least once in 53 of his last 57 games since June 4, the exact date when the Indians began their surge. They're 42-17 during that span, the best record in the majors.

Aaron Civale contributed another solid performance in his third major league start, tossing six smooth innings after Allen homered and Yasiel Puig hit an RBI double in the first inning to get the Indians going against All-Star Jose Berrios. Santana added an RBI single in the third for a 3-1 lead, before Berrios settled in to retire 11 straight batters.

The Indians leaned on their trusty bullpen, with a baseball-best 3.19 ERA entering the game, to create a tie in the division race for the second time in three days. The Twins had sole possession of first place from April 27 until Friday, before bypassing the Indians again Saturday with a 4-1 victory. Their lead was as big as 11 1/2 games on June 3 and still 7 1/2 games on July 13.

Nick Goody record three straight outs in the seventh after the first two batters reached base. Oliver Perez pitched a perfect eighth. After Hand hit the big bump in the ninth, Hunter Wood pitched a perfect 10th inning to end the game.

The Twins and Indians play seven more times, all in September.

TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

Berrios was aiming to bounce back from the worst start of his four-year career, having surrendered nine runs in 5 2/3 innings Tuesday as the Twins fell behind Atlanta 11-0 in a 12-7 loss. He was charged with three runs and six hits in six innings against the Indians.

STELLAR SCOUTING

Civale permitted one run and four hits. Civale, the third-round pick in 2016 who came from the same draft class as fellow rotation members Shane Bieber (fourth round) and Zach Plesac (12th round), has allowed only nine hits, four walks and two runs with 18 strikeouts in 18 innings in the majors.

ALLEN'S DAY

Allen batted second and played center to give Oscar Mercado a break, just the second time this season he has taken one of the top five places in the lineup. In two games in the second spot, Allen is 6 for 11 with two homers, four runs, and three RBI.

RESTING

The Twins have Monday off, one of just five left over the final seven weeks of the season.

UP NEXT

Indians: Plesac (6-3, 3.13 ERA) will start Monday at home against Boston to begin a three-game series, having thrown six shutout innings in his last appearance. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (13-5, 4.17 ERA) pitches for the Red Sox.

Twins: LHP Martin Perez (8-5, 4.80 ERA) will take the mound to start a two-game interleague series Tuesday in Milwaukee, following an 11-hit, seven-run, six-inning performance in his last turn that put his spot in the rotation in question. RHP Chase Anderson (5-2, 3.70 ERA) pitches for the Brewers.

Hosts Poland take Super League title as Britain finish fifth after mixed weekend in Bydgoszcz

Poland stormed to victory in the European Team Championships in front of their home fans in Bydgoszcz. The hosts were literally poles apart as they crushed Germany, France and Italy to take the Super League crown.

In fifth, Great Britain enjoyed some great results on the final day of the event as Ben Williams won the triple jump and Richard Kilty the 200m. But they also endured a few poor moments, the most notable being an administrative cock-up in the men’s 4x400m which left them unable to start the race.

Poland held the overnight lead going into the final day on Sunday (Aug 11) with 193 points from France (181.50), Italy (171), Great Britain (160.50) and Germany (160). But after an eventful session in the Polish city the final scores were:

1 Poland 345 points; 2 Germany 317.5, 3 France 316.5, 4 Italy 316, 5 Great Britain 302.50, 6 Spain 294.5, 7 Ukraine 225, 8 Czech Republic 219.5, 9 Sweden 210.5, 10 Greece 197, 11 Finland 190, 12 Switzerland 175.

With the European Team Championships Super League being streamlined in future to eight teams instead of 12, it meant the bottom five here were relegated, with Portugal promoted from the First League match in Sandnes, Norway.

The British performance of the weekend came from triple jumper Ben Williams. The 27-year-old from Stoke began with a modest 14.69m before improving to 16.37m in round two, but he then bounded out to a huge PB of 17.14m in the third round to leapfrog his rivals and take maximum points.

Williams, whose PB was 16.74m beforehand, went to No.9 on the UK all-time rankings with his jump in Bydgoszcz. Ten years ago he won the world youth title in Italy and this weekend, after years of injury problems, finally came of age as a senior athlete.

Ben Williams on his 17.14m triple jump PB to win in Bydgoszcz, a mark which moves him to No.9 on the UK all-time rankings, plus his change in coaching set-up #ETCH2019 @stuartweir @BritAthletics pic.twitter.com/5KZnztnXqj

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) August 11, 2019

“I’m completely over the moon and bringing home 12 points for the team is great,” he said. “It’s a World Championship standard too (and also an Olympic qualifier). I knew it was coming. I looked surprised but I wasn’t! There’s more to come, I’m sure.”

Williams works as a personal trainer but cancelled appointments with clients this month and moved to Loughborough in an effort to train and compete at a higher level this summer. Now he hopes he can maintain the routine to the Tokyo Olympics.

Richard Kilty also impressed as he took the men’s 200m in 20.66 despite feeling a sore hamstring halfway through the race. “I was going to stop coming around the bend,” he said. “I felt my hamstring nip and I continued to run through. Not sure I should have done that but I wanted to get the full points for the team.”

He added: “If the hamstring didn’t seize up I think I would have gone quicker. I’m only a year out of having Achilles surgery and last time I was here in Bydgoszcz I was eliminated in the 200m heats at the World Juniors so I’ve come a long way. I’m really proud of myself.”

It was a good weekend for the Kilty family generally as his wife, Dovilė (née Dzindzaletaitė) won the triple jump on Saturday for Lithuania with a PB of 14.28m at the First League match in Norway.

Poland stamp their class

The host nation did not waste time imposing their superiority on their rivals on Sunday. After fellow Polish middle-distance man Marcin Lewandowski won the 1500m on Saturday, team-mate Adam Kszczot delivered in the 800m with 1:46.97 as Britain’s Jamie Webb battled into second place in a challenging, tactical affair.

.@jamiewebb800 talks to @stuartweir after his European Team Champs 800m runner-up finish in 1:47.25. Had medical attention after the race but said: “They wanted to take me to hospital but I said I am old school – let me throw up and I'll be fine.” #ETCH2019 pic.twitter.com/MPgdE4lSc2

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) August 11, 2019

The Polish juggernaut continued in the women’s 1500m when Sofia Ennaoui took victory in 4:08.37 after Britain’s Jess Judd made a bold long run for home but faded to sixth in the home straight in 4:09.89.

There was more home nation success in the men’s pole vault, too, as Piotr Lisek (main image, above) took top points with 5.81m from Melker Svärd Jacobsson of Sweden and Renaud Lavillenie of France as Britain’s Charlie Myers was 10th with 5.31m.

An exciting end to the men’s discus saw Poland extend their lead further when Piotr Malachowski threw 63.02m with his final effort to overtake Martin Weirig of Germany and Daniel Stahl of Sweden. Behind, Greg Thompson was 10th for Britain with 55.71m.

Historyczny moment na stadionie @cwzs_zawisza . A sukcesu reprezentacji Polski @PZLANews gratulowal m. In. minister sportu i turystyki @WitoldBanka . pic.twitter.com/rRWsgAibBX

— TVP3 Bydgoszcz (@tvpbydgoszcz) August 11, 2019

The closest event of the weekend was the women’s 100m hurdles as Luminosa Bogliolo of Italy pipped Cindy Roleder of Germany and Karolina Koleczek of Poland in a blanket finish. The first two were given the same time of 12.87 (-1.2) with Koleczek one hundredth of a second behind as Cindy Ofili – back in a British vest after serious Achilles problems – was fourth in 13.12.

In the relegation battle, Ukraine just escaped the drop partly thanks to Yuliya Levchenko, who was the class act in the women’s high jump with 1.97m as Britain’s Emma Nuttall was 11th with 1.80m.

Other highlights

Malaika Mihambo of Germany produced one of the performances of the weekend when she took the women’s long jump with a slightly wind-assisted 7.11m (+2.2m/sec) as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru impressed in second with 6.75m (2.2m/sec).

Alexandra Tavernier of France took the women’s hammer with 72.81m as Britain’s Sophie Hitchon endured a bad day with an under par 63.23m (and two fouls) for 10th.

Orlando Ortega of Spain clocked 13.38 to beat France’s Pascal Martinot-Lagarde in the men’s sprint hurdles as Cameron Fillery of Britain was seventh in 13.83m.

Spain enjoyed victory over the barriers in the men’s steeplechase too when Fernando Carro sprinted to victory in 8:27.28 as Britain’s Zak Seddon was fourth in 8:30.89.

Christina Schwanitz of Germany took the women’s shot put with 18.93m. It proved one of Britain’s best events, too, as Sophie McKinna took third with 17.94m. “It was really close to being good (18 metres) today but I didn’t quite ‘catch it’,” she said.

The women’s 200m was also good for Britain as Jodie Williams led for much of the race before being passed in the closing stages by Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland – the pair clocking 22.72 and 22.89 into a headwind.

Germany were also successful in the women’s 5000m as Hanna Klein kicked to victory in 15:39.01. Britain’s Sarah Inglis ran well in third in 15:45.23.

British middle-distance man James West put up a similarly plucky run as he came third in 8:02.97 in a 3000m won by Adel Mechaal of Spain in 8:02.51. West beat, among others, the last two European Cup 10,000m winners Yeman Crippa and Richard Ringer.

As the weekend drew to a close in the relays, Poland were already safe and clear but showed their rivals no mercy in the women’s 4x400m as anchor runner Justyna Święty-Ersetic brought them home in 3:24.82 ahead of a GB quartet of Emily Diamond, Jodie Williams, Zoey Clark and Jessica Turner as the Brits clocked 3:27.12 to hold off Italy.

There were no points for Britain in the men’s 4×400, though, as Youcef Zatat, a reserve in the throws, was incorrectly named to run the first leg instead of Rabah Yousif.

“It’s absolutely gutting for the athletes in particular,” said British Athletics performance director Neil Black. “There was a technical error with the declaration process. But the athletes took it on the chin.”

It did not affect the team scores either, although that did not stop a torrent of criticism on social media.

Results can be found here.

Athletes impress as many warm up for the European event in Venice

Older athletes stole the show as nearly 700 masters ranging in age from 35 to over 90 gathered at the Alexander Stadium for the British Masters Championships while honing their preparations for the European veterans’ championships in Venice next month.

Five years ago, 1970 Commonwealth Games discus champion Rosemary Chrimes entered the W80 category and promptly set a series of world age-group records and here, after sitting out the intervening years, she returned to set three British records in the W85 class.

Evaun Williams took Chrimes’ W80 shot record when posting four world bests in Malaga last summer and here was again on form, with four W80 golds, albeit not quite up to the standard she set in those world championships.

With her first throw in the discus, Chrimes’ 17.90m added to her British record tally before improving to 18.61m with her final effort, just shy of a world record.

A dozen or so more British records came and W80 Kathleen Stewart took three – in the 200m, 400m and 800m – whilst there were more in the 2000m steeplechase.

1956 Olympic Games steeplechase eighth-placer Eric Shirley won the M90 200m after setting a British record of 1:54.92 in the 400m before also winning the 800m.

Elsewhere, the W65 sprints saw a double from Helen Godsell but the weather thwarted her attempts to set a legal European 200m record, after being denied earlier in the season due to the absence of a wind gauge.

There was a good M45 sprint double from Jason Carty but he also felt affected by the wind.

Neil Tunstall, Jane Horder and Joe Appiah were on form in the hurdles races.

Great Britain's wheelchair rugby team have won a third successive European Championship title with victory over Denmark.

Having led by just two points at half-time, a dominant fourth quarter saw them secure a 55-45 win against the hosts in Vejle.

In reaching the final, GB secured a place at next year's Paralympic Games in Tokyo. They finished fifth in Rio.

GB have now won seven European titles since the inaugural tournament in 1995.

France won this year's bronze medal after beating Sweden 45-43.

Wales have injury worries over fly-half Gareth Anscombe and scrum-half Tomos Williams after their World Cup warm-up defeat by England.

Anscombe and Williams will both have scans on Monday, for knee and shoulder injuries.

Anscombe 28, had to come off because of his knee in the 33-19 loss at Twickenham, while Williams, 24, was a late withdrawal.

Flanker Justin Tipuric, 30, limped off with an ankle problem but should be OK.

Ospreys' Anscombe was helped off late in the first half and later seen on crutches on the sidelines.

Wales coach Warren Gatland said Anscombe will undergo a scan to determine the extent of the damage.

"We're not sure about Gareth," said Gatland.

"He's going to get a scan tomorrow [Monday] so we'll see how that turns out.

"I've spoken to the physios. If it's just a strain of the ligament, he'll be out for a few weeks. We'll know more details after the scan."

Gatland said the medical advice during the game was to allow Anscombe the chance to overcome the injury after the initial blow.

"The message from the medics was just to see how it goes. He didn't do any further damage to it. He's already done that," Gatland added.

"Sometimes players like to run off a knock - he wasn't able to do that.

"That's why with Justin Tipuric we made the change as soon as we saw him limping a little bit.

"There's a risk, but you have to be battle hardened as well, and the guys want to play. You have to balance that against the injuries you may pick up."

Blues scrum-half Williams was initially named as a replacement for the Twickenham match but was pulled out after suffering an injury in training on Friday.

Wales have a rematch with England in Cardiff on Saturday, 17 August followed by another double-header against Ireland in Cardiff on 31 August and 7 September in Dublin as they prepare for the World Cup in Japan.

In the build-up to the game, Gatland said criticism of Wales playing four warm-ups was "fair".

After the defeat at Twickenham that denied Wales top spot in the World Rankings, he told BBC Sport: "There's a risk, but you have to be battle hardened as well, and the guys want to play.

"You have to balance that against the injuries you may pick up."

In Japan, Wales' Pool D campaign begins against Georgia in Tokyo on Monday, 23 September followed by games against Australia, Fiji and Uruguay.

Mobil 1 – the best choice for your Truck or SUV. Learn more about Mobil 1 Truck & SUV oil and enter for a chance to win a Toyota pickup or SUV at dirtgiveaway.com.

KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Though he put on a Herculean charge through Saturday night’s NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals finale, Logan Schuchart came up one spot short of victory after 50 laps.

Aiming to do what his grandfather, legendary driver-turned-owner Bobby Allen, did in 1990 when Allen upset the field to win the Nationals title, Schuchart charged from 22nd on the grid into contention to win it all at the legendary Marion County Fairgrounds black-dirt half mile.

The Hanover, Pa., native was quiet about it during the first half of the feature, sneaking up to ninth when the yellow waved for the halftime break at lap 25, but made plenty of noise in the second half.

He charged from ninth to fifth in just four laps following the restart, then methodically spent the next 11 circuits picking his way up into a podium position. By that point, however, Schuchart was six seconds adrift of race leader David Gravel, who dominated the proceedings for most of the night.

Still, there was no quit in Schuchart or the Shark Racing team, as the 26-year-old continued to push and eventually latched onto second-running Daryn Pittman’s rear nerf bar at Doug Clark’s white flag.

When Pittman made a small misstep in turns one and two on the final lap, Schuchart was there to pounce in traffic, driving past Pittman to secure the runner-up spot at the finish and a $75,000 payday.

It easily marked Schuchart’s best-career Knoxville Nationals performance in four Saturday A-main appearances. His previous high-water mark was eighth a year ago, after rolling off 17th in that one.

“To start off the week the way we did was tough, but I said after Friday night, when you put this team on the ropes they come back swinging,” Schuchart said. “Second at Eldora (during the Kings Royal) hurt, but I’m really proud of this one. Congratulations to David and Jason Johnson Racing, though … to win this race and overcome what they have is really cool to see.

“This is one of those things that you dream about as a little kid, and it’s a dream come true to get to drive these things,” Schuchart added. “I’m just happy to be a part of such a great sport. We didn’t quit.”

Schuchart and company’s perseverance extended far beyond just making adjustments to the car he was driving on Saturday night. It included a complete car swap on Friday prior to the Hard Knox program, from the new chassis they debuted at the Nationals back to the old one they’d been using coming in.

That mount, by the way, was the same car Schuchart won his four World of Outlaws races this year in.

“I can’t say enough about this team. I know that’s a pretty common thing to say, but since we started this deal, there’s been so many times when we’ve been knocked down and had to get back up,” Schuchart noted. “It’s what this team is all about and it’s something that my grandfather was built on when he raced and taught me as a little kid, as well. We actually had a bad night Sunday (in the Capitani Classic), and that made me really nervous. I didn’t have the confidence I felt that I should have had.

“Wednesday we just sat in the trailer and decided we were going to switch back to the car that was running well, and it seemed to play out (in our favor).”

As he was leaving Eldora Speedway in July after running second to Brad Sweet in the Kings Royal finale, Schuchart was glum and “didn’t have too much to be upbeat about.”

Saturday night, departing the Sprint Car Capital of the World, Schuchart sang a vastly different tune.

“To start 22nd and run second at the Knoxville Nationals is awesome,” Schuchart said. “There’s good and bad second-place finishes. Eldora was a tough one; I wasn’t smiling much after that one.

“Tonight, I’m smiling. That was pretty awesome, what we did out there.”

Mobil 1 – the best choice for your Truck or SUV. Learn more about Mobil 1 Truck & SUV oil and enter for a chance to win a Toyota pickup or SUV at dirtgiveaway.com.