HOMESTEAD, Fla. – After one of the most memorable battles in the history of the elimination-playoff era, Cole Custer came up one spot short of the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship Saturday night.

With a spirited drive at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Custer rallied back from a loose wheel that put him a lap down during the second stage of the Ford EcoBoost 300, roaring into contention in the waning moments.

However, he ended up second to race winner and champion Tyler Reddick for the second year in a row.

Custer actually raced his way back onto the lead lap after his lap-61 pit stop, passing stage two winner Austin Cindric down the backstretch moments before a stage-ending caution froze the field.

That set the stage for his furious charge back to the front, with Custer restarting 14th for the final stage and wasting no time racing through traffic.

In less than 20 laps, Custer had moved forward 11 spots to third, and he never left the top three again with the exception of the final round of green-flag pit service.

After those stops inside of 40 to go, Custer dispatched Christopher Bell for the race lead on lap 167 and appeared to have just enough to keep Reddick at bay, despite running the middle groove at the time.

But when Reddick climbed the banking all the way to the wall, Custer attempted to do the same in an attempt to match lap times with the No. 2, and he just couldn’t quite replicate what Reddick was capable of.

In the end, Reddick traded slide jobs with Custer for a lap and a half before finally seizing the point for good with 19 to go, driving away and forcing Custer to settle for runner-up honors.

Custer ended up being sucked into the wall with nine laps left, a mistake that ended any hope he had at making one final rally as it dropped him more than two seconds adrift of Reddick down the stretch.

Upon climbing from his car, Custer was complimentary of Reddick’s skills at running the extreme high line, a skill that has rewarded Reddick with back-to-back titles and left Custer searching for answers.

“Tyler can just rip the fence here. I don’t know,” Custer lamented when asked what more he could have done. “I could match his lap time there at the end, but he was just a tick better (to) where he could be on my bumper when he was behind me and do a slide job, and I could keep up with him but didn’t have quite what I needed.

“There at the end, I felt like I needed to find a way to close the gap,” he added. “I was just three car lengths back the whole time, so I knew I needed to try and figure out a way to close the gap, and I just got in the fence a little bit. It’s been a great year, and we have a lot to hang our hats on. It sucks running second again, but we can still stay positive about how great of a year we had.”

During his extended media obligations, Custer circled back to his rally to get back on the lead lap, noting it as “pivotal” in his title quest.

Without it, he said, he might not have even had a chance at Reddick at the end.

“That was pretty huge for sure. If we were a lap down there or even had to take the wave‑around, we’d have probably still gotten up there, I guess, but it definitely would have made our day a lot harder,” Custer noted. “We were up there a lot faster and got to adjust on our car more and stuff like that because we got the lap back the hard way, I do know that. We were rewarded for that effort.

“It definitely would have made our day a much bigger challenge if we didn’t get it back at that point, so it was for sure a key point in our race.”

Custer ended his year Saturday night with seven wins, 17 top fives and 24 top 10s in 33 races, with his second-place points finish tying his career-best Xfinity Series effort from the 2018 season.

The statistical improvement, however, earned Custer a promotion to the NASCAR Cup Series for 2020, where he’ll do battle with Reddick and Bell for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors at the sport’s top level.

Custer admitted there wasn’t one specific area where his improvement was centralized, but that he’s looking forward to continuing his growth despite missing out on his ultimate goal this year.

“I think it’s been a little bit of everything, honestly,” he explained. “I think Mike (Shiplett, crew chief) brought a lot of experience this year in what he wanted to do with the car and what worked and what didn’t. So, when I’d say something stupid during practice, he’d usually know what to do with the car.

“I think I worked traffic probably a little bit better this year, just through gaining experience and knowing how I wanted to work my line and everything coming to the race track, so it’s just a combination of everything, honestly,” he added. “I don’t think you can really pinpoint one thing.

“It’s definitely been a cool year. I think we all (himself, Reddick and Bell) made each other better.”

POMONA, Calif. – Defending world champion and Top Fuel points leader Steve Torrence made a statement during the final qualifying session on Saturday at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, vaulting to the No. 1 spot at the Auto Club NHRA Finals.

Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are all No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the last race of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

After struggling on Friday, Torrence unleashed an outstanding run to close out qualifying on Saturday, jumping to the top with a run of 3.686 seconds at 329.99 mph in his Capco Contractors dragster. Looking to win his second straight world title, Torrence earned his fifth No. 1 qualifier this year and 24th in his career and will face Cameron Ferre to open eliminations.

He takes a 22-point lead over Brittany Force into race day, and the past two world champions could meet in the second round. Force qualified eighth with a 3.726-second pass at 331.69 mph and races Antron Brown in the first round. If Torrence and Force both win, they would face off in the second round.

“It’s a little bit disturbing how relaxed I’ve been coming into this weekend,” said Torrence, who has nine wins in 2019. “I’ve been in this situation before and come here with the lead, and it didn’t pan out the way we wanted it to. We came here last year and were already the champs, but you just have to step back and look at what we’re doing here. It’s the final race of the year and you need to go four rounds. Tomorrow, it’s going to be sudden death. You’ve got Brittany and I, and we’ll try to keep Doug (Kalitta) from jumping on us, and try to keep my dad from getting there, too.”

Leah Pritchett qualified second and Clay Millican is third. Doug Kalitta, who is 63 points behind Torrence, sits sixth, while Billy Torrence is 89 points back of his son heading into race day.

Hagan continued to impress on Saturday with a pair of solid runs, taking the No. 1 spot on the strength of his 3.872-second pass at 333.58 mph from Friday in his MOPAR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody. He earned his second No. 1 qualifier this season and 36th in his career, matching up with Jonnie Lindberg in the opening round. Thanks to his performance in qualifying, he’ll head into eliminations 44 points back of leader Robert Hight, who qualified fifth.

“We’ve had a great race car for a while and now it’s really shining,” Hagan said. “I’m feeling really good about things and you can’t ask for too much more. I’m excited and we’re hungry for it. We all live to be in this position to have the opportunity to win world championships, and we’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing to get here. I feel no pressure right now, but that’s why you race on Sunday. I’m really excited about it and I feel really confident in my guys. They’re going to put a great racecar underneath me, and I’m going to drive my butt off and see what happens.”

Jack Beckman shot up to the second position on his final run, going 3.876 seconds at 332.43 mph. He’ll start Sunday 38 points back of Hight. Tim Wilkerson took the third spot in qualifying. John Force trails Hight by 76 points going into eliminations.

Coughlin’s 6.533-second run at 210.70 mph in his JEGS.com Chevrolet Camaro from Friday gave him his third No. 1 qualifier this year. The five-time champ impressed on Saturday, making the quickest qualifying run of the final qualifying session, getting within 81 points of leader and Elite Motorsports teammate Erica Enders heading into eliminations on Sunday.

Coughlin faces off with Joey Grose to open race day, while Enders, who qualified second for the third straight race, meets No. 15 qualifier Greg Anderson in the first round. Enders is seeking her third world title.

“We’re just trying to make good quality runs tomorrow,” said Coughlin, who has 32 career No. 1 qualifiers. “Erica’s had a good season and a great Countdown. We’re working hard to get every point we can and see if we can parlay this into something exceptional, which would be a Pro Stock championship or at least the top two in points. There’s a lot of racing left. Pomona is a fun place to be and I like where I’m sitting. Sunday is going to be a fun day.”

Jason Line qualified third. He is 110 points behind Enders, while Bo Butner qualified fourth and sits 111 points behind Enders. Should Enders knock off Anderson on Sunday, everyone but Coughlin would be eliminated. From there, Coughlin would need to win the race and Enders would have to lose in the second round to slip past her.

Defending Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ Smith earned his third straight No. 1 qualifier on his Denso Auto Parts/Stockseth/MSR EBR thanks to his 6.815-second pass at 197.33 mph from Friday. It’s his seventh top spot this year and 38th in his career, and he’ll head into eliminations 106 points behind leader Andrew Hines knowing he’ll need something incredible to happen to defend his championship.

“I feel good about tomorrow,” Smith said. “We were basically low of every round but one and we’ve been good all weekend long. I’m just going out there to run my race and try to turn on a win light each round. If I get lucky enough and turn four of them on, and Andrew loses in the first round then we become the champion. I’m really just going to go do my job and see what happens.”

Karen Stoffer qualified second, and Jerry Savoie, who trails Hines by 116 points, will start from third. Hines can clinch his sixth world championship by simply winning in the first round tomorrow. He’ll meet Jianna Salinas to open eliminations after qualifying fourth.

James Pattinson is out of the first Test against Pakistan at the Gabba after receiving a one-game suspension from Cricket Australia for a code of conduct breach during Victoria's Sheffield Shield match with Queensland that concluded on Friday.

He has been found guilty of a level two breach of Article 2.1.3 of Cricket Australia's code of conduct for personal abuse of a player. The charge was driven by umpires John Ward and Shawn Craig who felt that Pattinson overstepped the mark with his language towards a Queensland player.

"I made a mistake in the heat of the moment," Pattinson said. "Straight away I realised I was in the wrong, and I apologised immediately, both to the opponent and to the umpires. I have done the wrong thing and accept the penalty. I'm gutted to miss a Test match, but the standards are there for a reason and the fault is mine."

Pattinson and Victoria were visibly frustrated throughout the match with some of the umpiring decisions, including his own lbw in the first innings on day two when he was part of Mitchell Swepson's hat-trick.

Pattinson had previously been found guilty of two level one code of conduct breaches over the past year for which he received a reprimand and a 100% match fee fine, the latter for showing dissent at the umpire's decision in a Shield game against South Australia.

"He knows he's let himself down, he's let the group down," Tim Paine told ABC Grandstand. "We actually had a chat last night about the fact we hold ourselves to really high standards with our behavior. That's not just when we're playing [international] cricket, we've got to go back to domestic cricket and lead the way on that front as well, so we're disappointed in that, but James has owned up and knows he's made mistake and has apologised for it and he will come back bigger and better."

Sean Carroll, Cricket Australia's head of integrity and security, said "We have a duty to uphold the highest standards of behaviour and the action taken in this matter demonstrates that. On this occasion, James acknowledges he fell short of that expectation."

It means he is unavailable for selection for the first Test and it appears highly likely now that Mitchell Starc will be the third fast bowler chosen alongside Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Pattinson did not think he would be selected in any case.

While Pattinson has been suspended, Steven Smith only received a fine of 25% of his match fee for dissent during New South Wales' Shield match against Western Australia. Smith, like Pattinson, also had a prior record, his 12-month suspension by Cricket Australia in March 2018 was a code of conduct charge, and he is still serving a two-year leadership ban until the end of March 2020.

Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper slammed an opponent to the ice after Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau cross-checked Arizona's Jason Demers while Demers was down on the ice, setting off a brawl that resulted in a combined 14 penalty minutes during Arizona's 3-0 win over the Flames on Saturday.

Kuemper put the Flames' Matthew Tkachuk in a headlock and flipped him off his feet following the cross-check by Gaudreau in the second period. Tkachuk came up swinging and landed a few blows on Kuemper in a dustup that included Calgary goaltender David Rittich barreling in from the other side of the rink.

You could say things got heated at the end of the second period. pic.twitter.com/cC5GZZ4rE2

— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) November 16, 2019

"It happens. A little bit of fun, but then we got back to work," Kuemper said. "That's a big part of our success is how tight we are as a group. We want to have each other's back out there."

The crowd chanted Kuemper's name as he returned to the net. The 14 combined penalty minutes for three Flames and two Coyotes included Vinnie Hinostroza serving Kuemper's four-minute roughing penalty and Rasmus Andersson sitting for two minutes on Rittich's behalf.

"It's nice having my security guard back there: Darcy," Demers said. "We've been building toward something the last couple of years, and this season feels different for us."

Demers said he thought the Flames thought he went down too easily on a hit that preceded the fracas.

"Just trying to give it to him a bit. We didn't like that too much," Tkachuk said. "Whenever something happens when Johnny's involved, you've got to stick up for him."

Kuemper, who played in his 200th career NHL game Saturday, stopped 35 shots in posting his second shutout of the season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES -- The LA Clippers will have to wait a little longer before seeing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George play in their first game together this season.

Leonard was ruled out of Saturday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks due to a left knee contusion. It will be his second straight missed game after he also sat out the tail end of a back-to-back set Thursday due to left knee injury management.

Patrick Beverley, who has a sore left calf, also will miss Saturday's game.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers said Leonard suffered the left knee contusion Wednesday during the Clippers' 102-93 loss at Houston. Leonard is considered "day-to-day," Rivers said, adding that there was "no concern" that it could be longer than that.

George made his season debut on Thursday night in New Orleans and had 33 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes during a 132-127 loss to the Pelicans.

The Clippers had been hoping that Saturday's game could be their first glimpse of Leonard and George playing together after the Clippers signed Leonard in free agency and traded five first-round picks, the rights to swap two first-round picks and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari for George.

The Clippers, who entered Saturday on a two-game slide, have been riddled by injuries of late. Shooting guard Landry Shamet will miss his third straight game with a high ankle sprain, while Beverley will miss his second straight.

"There's no way we can have continuity right now," Rivers said of the Clippers, who play Oklahoma City next when Gilgeous-Alexander and Gallinari return on Monday. "We've had one live practice with Pat, Kawhi, Sham, Paul George on the floor. One. This season. I'm talking training camp as well. So you're not going to have any continuity right now."

Portland Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey had tried to get Carmelo Anthony in trades with the New York Knicks, tried to get him as a free agent post-Oklahoma City. Now, they were together on a call Thursday morning. Time had passed; circumstances had changed.

"You need us," sources said Olshey told Anthony. "And we need you."

Out of basketball for a year, one of the game's great scorers needed someone to believe in him again. This time, Portland made an offer Anthony couldn't refuse -- a non-guaranteed contract, a chance to revitalize a reigning Western Conference finalist fighting injury and inconsistency, an NBA job.

Anthony is 35 years old and the Trail Blazers can't be confident in what he has left -- nor in how much he can impact them after a sluggish 4-8 start with a six-game road trip looming. Of what Portland can be confident: Anthony was probably the best of limited options.

After six straight trips to the Western Conference playoffs -- including two conference semifinal runs and a West finals appearance a season ago -- Olshey knew this: The Blazers needed a player capable of commanding the respect of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. They needed a presence to roust the spirit of an unnerved locker room.

The Blazers wouldn't find that in the NBA's G League, nor with a journeyman veteran out of a job. Trades are difficult. Approximately 40% of NBA players are signed to offseason free-agent deals -- including several Blazers. Those players are ineligible to be moved until Dec. 15.

Olshey and coach Terry Stotts had heard McCollum say throughout the summer that his New York workouts were convincing, that Anthony could still be useful to a franchise. Yes, circumstances changed for Portland, too. Like the rest of the NBA, the Blazers wouldn't sign Anthony to sit on the end of the bench.

They'd sign Anthony only to play -- and they need that now.

Zach Collins, the starting power forward, is out until March with shoulder surgery. Center Jusuf Nurkic is still rehabilitating a fractured leg. It remains unclear when Pau Gasol will make his debut. Fourth-quarter Trail Blazers leads have kept disappearing as teams blitz and trap Lillard and McCollum -- and those two guards need someone they trust to deliver passes for big shots. The Blazers are No. 2 in volume of offensive isolation plays this season, and that fits Anthony's style.

Olshey had stayed in touch with Anthony's agent, Leon Rose of CAA Sports, and in recent days they started to talk more seriously about the possibility of Anthony joining the Trail Blazers. The reasons kept piling up, and Olshey kept discussing the possibility with Stotts. The non-guaranteed contract gives the relationship a chance to evolve, because the Trail Blazers won't owe the full-season minimum salary unless Anthony remains on the roster after early January.

Portland had nothing to lose, except time. It's dangerous to fall back too far in the Western Conference. Anthony flew from Los Angeles to New York, took a physical on Saturday and could be on the court as soon as Tuesday night in New Orleans, league sources said.

The Trail Blazers need a threat on the floor, a player with poise who can get to the free throw line late in games. Anthony is a long way from a decade of All-Star seasons, but no one expects that anymore -- and that needs to include him, too.

Anthony still considered himself a star upon arrival in Oklahoma City two years ago -- that played a part in his resistance to embrace what was expected of him. His stint in Houston was different. There was still Knicks scar tissue with Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni, which left little benefit of the doubt after a slow start.

Anthony's no victim, though. He contributed to the circumstances -- the perceptions -- that kept him out of the league. Unless Anthony accepts that he needs to adapt to stay in the NBA, there's no guarantee this stop with the Trail Blazers has staying power.

No one signed Anthony after the 2019 trade deadline, nor in the buyout market, nor during a long summer of free agency. Olshey and Stotts took turns talking to Anthony on Thursday, and were told what they needed to hear. Olshey has known Anthony since his days as a camper at the old ABCD All-American camp in northern Jersey, and knew he had always been a gym rat.

This hadn't changed in the past year, and that was important, because the Trail Blazers need him to get into game shape rapidly.

They want him on the court as soon as Tuesday's game in New Orleans. Before agreeing to a deal on Thursday, Olshey needed to hear that Anthony is eager to play ball and impact winning -- not simply reenlist into the NBA lifestyle or take a goodbye lap.

Sources briefed on the call suggested that Olshey's message was this: Anthony needed a home where he could have a definitive role for a winning organization, needed the best players to respect and embrace him. And the Blazers needed someone with stature to walk in the door and shake up the locker room.

This isn't a perfect partnership, and this sure isn't five years ago. For a franchise and a declining superstar, there's an unmistakable desperation in the air. That's reality. And so is this: Once more, the Portland Trail Blazers needed Carmelo Anthony. Finally, he needed them, too.

YORK HAVEN, Pa. – Danny Dietrich put an end to the Pennsylvania sprint car season with a victory Saturday afternoon at BAPS Motor Speedway.

Dietrich marched past World of Outlaws regular Daryn Pittman on the 19th circuit and then led the remainder of the 30-lap distance to score his 15th victory of the season aboard the No. 48 entry for Gary Kauffman Racing.

The triumph was worth $10,000 for Dietrich.

Pittman settled for second after winning the dash and starting from the pole. Anthony Macri was third, followed by Shark Racing’s Jacob Allen and Logan Schuchart.

Ryan Smith, Freddie Rahmer and Chase Dietz each won heat races.

Doug Hammaker won the companion 358 sprint car feature.

The finish:

Danny Dietrich, Daryn Pittman, Anthony Macri, Jacob Allen, Logan Schuchart, Freddie Rahmer, Dylan Cisney, Ryan Smith, Chase Dietz, Gerard McIntyre Jr., Brandon Rahmer, Lucas Wolfe, Billy Dietrich, Tony Fiore, Brett Michalski, Kyle Moody, Robbie Kendall, Landon Myers, Brian Montieth, Dallas Schott, Bradley Howard, Dylan Norris, Brie Hershey, Jon Stewart.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli TA2 class season finale at Daytona Int’l Speedway was dramatic from start to finish in the 65-minute finale on Saturday.

After the dust settled with post-race reviews and technical inspections, Thomas Merrill, in the No. 99 Mike Cope Racing Ford Mustang, scored his third TA2 powered by AEM victory of the season. His teammate Tony Buffomante staged a massive comeback to score second ahead of Dillon Machavern, who claimed third in the No. 77 Liqui-Moly/Prefix Ford Mustang.

“The last few laps were pretty busy, pretty aggressive, but fair – fair both ways,” said Merril of his battle with pole sitter Mayer. “Our car was very good, and I felt his car was very good, so it was a very good race for the lead there at the end. The Big Diehl Racing/Mike Cope Race Cars crew was unbelievable. They gave me the best car in the field. It was my job to bring it home in first place.”

Sixteen-year-old NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion Sam Mayer started on pole, but it was Merrill that shot to the front of the pack at the start ahead of Rafa Matos and TA2 champion elect Marc Miller. Tony Buffomante slotted in to third as Mayer looked to move up from fourth.

Under braking for turn one, Mayer and Buffomante made contact, sending the No. 34 Mustang back down the order to 24th position. Mayer was issued a drive through penalty and fell back to eighth.

Merrill built a seven-second lead before debris on the track forced the first of four caution periods and grouped the field back up. Miller and Jacob Mosler fell victim to the flying wreckage. Miller pitted to change two flat tires and continued the race. Mosler wasn’t as lucky. His day ended with pierced transmission.

On the restart, Merrill held off the challenging 2018 TA2 champion Rafa Matos for the lead. Again building his lead, Merril’s gap was erased once again after another full course yellow following an issue that ended Matos’ strong run.

After a pair of back-to-back cautions, Mayer caught Merrill following a late restart and the two swapped the lead several times. Mayer made his final bid entering the NASCAR oval on the 26th lap, but a two-car incident on the front straight brought about a race-ending caution as Merrill closed out his 2019 season on a high note. Following post-race inspections, Mayer’s entry was found to be out of compliance and was disqualified from the race.

Buffomante also had a strong drive through the field following the early incident, taking third on the final green-flag lap, and later promoted to second. The run was Buffomante’s Trans Am swan song, as the five-year veteran driver will step away from competition as he prepares to pass the torch to his 11-year-old son who is continuing the family tradition and pursuing a racing career.

“He [Mayer] just drove right through us,” Buffomante explained. “At a track like Daytona, a drive-through penalty is not big enough, especially when you get a caution, those guys just drive right back up there. It’s unfortunate for us. We had a good car, and spent a bunch of time backwards after I spun out. Then I had to work back through the pack. I would have liked to have had the last couple of laps not run under the caution. I think we would have made it interesting. We were hoping for another win here, but it is great to end up here on the podium. ”

Lawless Alan, the 19-year-old TA2 Rookie of the Year, finished fourth after an early pit due to loose wiring forced him to the pits early in the race and Misha Goikhberg took fifth.

Miller, aftre hitting debris,  ran fifth before retiring late in the race due to a coolant leak.

“This was not the way we wanted to end the season,” said a deflated Miller. “Our car was very, very good. We had contact at the beginning of the race that put us back. Then we were able to put on a good showing. I had a good car until I found myself driving in my own antifreeze. I thought it might have been a tire, but then I saw the temperature gauge. I got hit a few times, but it was fun.”

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – One year ago, Tyler Reddick left Homestead-Miami Speedway as an underdog champion, but Saturday night he celebrated as a back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series titlist.

Reddick won out in the season finale for the second-straight year, topping a thrilling Ford EcoBoost 300 after battles with both Christopher Bell and Cole Custer down the stretch at the 1.5-mile Florida oval.

Though both Bell and Custer controlled the event at various times during the night, when it mattered most, Reddick was able to take his performance to another level and pull away from the field.

The decisive battle for the win and the championship came during and after the final round of pit stops, which came under green with 41 laps to go when Bell and Allgaier made moves to come in for service.

A miscommunication on the radio actually caused Bell to miss pit road the first time around, but he made it back safely with 40 to go, setting the stage for strategy by Reddick and Custer that ultimately decided the outcome.

Reddick and Custer both dove to the pit lane with 37 to go, taking four fresh tires that were roughly four laps newer than the other title contenders, then racing one another back onto the track as Bell and Allgaier stormed into the picture again for a few brief, tense moments.

Allgaier faded out of a three-wide battle in a hurry, while the slightly-fresher rubber allowed Custer – who slipped past Reddick in the wild exchange – and Reddick to run down and pass Bell on lap 167.

From there, Reddick went to the fence as Custer worked the middle groove, each one trying to pressure the other into a mistake as the laps wound down on the scoreboard.

Custer eventually moved higher and higher, with both he and Reddick tagging the wall at various points inside of 25 to go, but finally Reddick had enough of waiting and powered low with a turn-one slide job at lap 182.

The move stuck and Reddick was able to both clear Custer and pull away, opening up almost three seconds after Custer tagged the wall with nine laps left before easing off the gas in the final moments.

Reddick took the checkered flag 1.038 seconds clear of Custer for his ninth career win and sixth of the season, putting the cap on a remarkable season that included 24 top fives and 27 top 10s in 33 races.

In victory lane, an emotional Reddick was quick to pass the appreciation off to his race team as he celebrated his second championship in as many years.

“It’s all about this race team, man, and I was just honored to pilot this Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet all year long,” Reddick said. “This Tame the Beast Chevrolet was just so, so fast all weekend long. Hats off to Team Chevy and all those guys for working on this new Chevrolet, and all the guys at ECR for giving us great power. I’m losing my breath, I’m that excited.

“This one means so much more (than 2018). It was a lot better year and so cool to go back‑to‑back.”

Of his decisive pass for the win, which came after trading crossovers with Custer in successive laps, Reddick admitted that he didn’t have a plan but had to race Custer for all it was worth at the end.

“I wouldn’t say I had it planned out, but I made a lot of mistakes around Cole tonight and he wasn’t happy about it, so I knew he was going to race me hard tonight,” Reddick noted. “I knew I had to get around him before he got good enough up top that I couldn’t get back to him. It stuck better than I thought it would, and he tried to get me back there … but we were able to hold on and pull away.

“If I hadn’t hit the wall on the frontstretch there while we were battling, I wouldn’t have touched it all night, I don’t think,” Reddick added with a chuckle. “But it was fun. This one was a lot of fun.”

Reddick became the first Xfinity Series driver to win back-to-back titles with different teams, backing up his maiden championship with JR Motorsports by earning one with RCR this time around.

“It’s awesome to set that mark, one that no one else has done before us,” Reddick noted. “I think everything I’ve been through the last two years made me a more well-rounded driver, and we were able to earn the regular-season championship and close out the playoffs in great shape here in Miami.

“This one is all about Richard (Childress), though,” he added. “He’s the one who believed I could be a champion before I won the first one, and I was just glad to keep him true to his promise.”

Custer ended up second in the race and in the season standings, while Bell faded to fifth in the final rundown and was credited with third in points for the year.

Allgaier, who snuck into the Championship 4 with a win in the penultimate race of the season a week earlier at ISM Raceway, cut a tire late and ended up worst of the quartet, one lap down in 14th.

Of note, Chase Briscoe rallied from contact with the wall and a flat right-front tire to clinch Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors, finishing third in the race ahead of fellow rookie Noah Gragson and Bell.

RIVERDALE, Ga. -- Free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who completed a 40-minute workout in front of representatives from eight NFL teams, said he's ready for another opportunity and wants the league to "stop running'' from him.

Kaepernick saluted about 250 fans then addressed the media after his workout, which was moved from the Atlanta Falcons' facility to Charles R. Drew High School. Kaepernick, who once quarterbacked the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl, took a stand against police brutality and social injustice by kneeling during the national anthem and has been out of football since 2016.

"I've been ready for three years,'' Kaepernick said. "I've been denied for three years. We all know why I came out here: showed it today in front of everybody. We have nothing to hide. So we're waiting for the 32 owners, 32 teams, Roger Goodell, all of them stop running. Stop running from the truth. Stop running from the people.

"We're out here. We're ready to play. We're ready to go anywhere. My agent, Jeff Nalley, is ready to talk any team. I'll interview with any team at any time. I've been ready.''

Kaepernick showed he still has an arm in completing deep balls to Brice Butler, Bruce Ellington, Jordan Veasy, and Ari Wertz. Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid, who supported Kaepernick going back to their days with the 49ers, was at the beginning off the workout but had to leave, with a game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Kaepenerick looked bulkier up top during his playing days and appeared to impress with his accuracy, although not all his throws were perfect.

The workout originally was slated to take place at the Falcons' facility in front of more than 20 NFL teams, but Kaepernick's camp switched venues after the NFL declined to have cameras in to record the workout. Kaepernick's camp wanted "transparency" regarding the workout, and wanted the media to have access.

In a statement, the NFL said it was "disappointed that Colin did not appear for his workout.'' The league referenced recent negotiations with Kaepernick's representatives over the workout and citing, among others, media availability and a liability waiver.

"Colin's decision has no effect on his status in the league. He remains an unrestricted free agent eligible to sign with any club,'' the NFL said.

Nalley, Kaepernick's agent, was asked about his thoughts on the process as a whole.

"I think myself, I think all of you all had questions about it all week,'' Nalley said. "Something didn't smell right. Again, nothing like this has ever happened. Roger Goddell said that the league does not get involved in player workouts, team decisions. So why did they do this? So I think from the beginning it seemed odd. And so that's why we had to protect him in this whole process.''

Nalley seemed skeptical about Kaepernick getting a chance to sign on a team anytime soon when asked if he expected Kaepernick to receive a legit opportunity.

"I hope so, but I don't know,'' Nalley said. "I'll be honest, I'm a little bit pessimistic because I've talked to all 32 teams. I've reached out to them recently and none of them have had any interest. I'll tell you this: No team asked for this workout. The league office ask for this workout. And, I've got to tell you what, I've got to hand it to Colin. He stepped up, showed his in shape. I talked to the NFL people out here today. They said his arm talent is elite, that it's the same as when he came out of college. I even asked them if you want to get him on a scale, see what he weighs, they said, 'We don't need to. He looks ripped. He looks in great shape.' ''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.