AVONDALE, Ariz. – Justin Allgaier’s timing was impeccable.

After a pit road speeding penalty and a subsequent spin ended Christopher Bell’s chances of winning, Allgaier took full advantage, leading the final 66 laps of Saturday’s Desert Diamond West Valley 200 to win for the first time this season and advance to next week’s NASCAR Xfinity Series championship event at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Allgaier joins Saturday’s runner-up Cole Custer, third-place finisher Tyler Reddick and Bell in the title race. Custer clinched his spot after running third in the second 45-lap stage. Reddick, the defending series champion, earned his spot on points after saving fuel over the final 79-lap green-flag run.

Allgaier won the race wearing a helmet designed by his six-year-old daughter, Harper.

“This is the first time I’ve won with Harper’s helmet in the car, and it means a lot,” Allgaier said. “To have the speed that we’ve had (this year) and not be able to pull it off has been disappointing. These guys have rallied behind it. We said when we came here that we need to come here and get a win so we could go to Homestead, and we did that…

“We had a hotrod today. I don’t think we could have beaten the 20 (Bell), but when he made his mistake, we capitalized on it. That’s what it’s all about… No question (not winning) is a weight on your shoulders, man. You can’t even begin to describe it.”

Custer was closing fast at the finish and cut Allgaier’s lead of more than three seconds to .810 seconds at the checkered flag on lap 200.

“I was giving it all I had,” Custer said. “I was really struggling with the brake pedal. I kind of lost it at the start of the run. I had to save the whole run until like 15 laps to go, and then I just let it happen. I just came up a little bit short, but I think that was the best run we’ve had at Phoenix in a long time.

“I’m looking forward to Homestead, and hopefully we can do one spot better.”

The top four drivers in the Playoff standings entering Saturday’s race were the four who will compete for the championship at Homestead. Missing out on points were sixth-place finisher Austin Cindric, eighth-place Chase Briscoe, ninth-place Michael Annett and 10th-place Noah Gragson.

John Hunter Nemechek ran fourth behind Reddick followed by Zane Smith, who tied his career-best result in his 10th Xfinity Series start.

Bell won the first two stages, bringing his total of stage victories for the season to 22, but was flagged for speeding .03 mph over tolerance under caution at the end of Stage 2. After restarting from the rear, Bell climbed to eighth before spinning out while trying to cut the apron off turn two.

“I feel like I gave up a winner,” said Bell, whose focus nevertheless has been on next weekend’s race at Homestead, where he turned in a disappointing performance in the title event last year.

“This is what it’s all about,” Bell said. “It all comes down to this one next week. I’m ready for it. I feel really good about where we’re at, and our car is going to be extremely strong next week.

“We’ve prepared a ton for this. Ever since we left Homestead last year, we knew that this race was where we needed to improve. Pretty much all year long, we’ve been focused on Homestead.”

For complete results, advance to the next page.

SEATTLE -- Just how crazy is the city of Seattle about Sunday's MLS Cup final (3 p.m. ET, watch live on ABC) between its beloved Sounders and Toronto FC? All 69,000-plus seats at CenturyLink Field were snapped up less than three hours after they went on sale. As of Saturday morning, tickets on the aftermarket could still be found -- for more than $1,000 apiece.

But at Friday's training session, the focus was on the number 20 rather than 69,000. That's about how many former Sounders and other Seattle soccer luminaries gathered to take in the team's penultimate training session in suburban Tukwila.

Alan Hinton, who managed the Sounders in their NASL days, organized the gathering, and it offered a peek into the club's past. Former defender Jimmy McAlister was there. So was Wade Webber, he of the A-League vintage Sounders. There was Danny Jackson and Chance Fry and Seattle University men's coach Peter Fewing, who toiled for the Seattle Storm after the demise of the NASL. They may not be household names, mind you, but they are part of the fabric of the sport in Seattle. It's not that unusual either to see Sounders alumni stop by at training. Just about every time I've been to Seattle, you can see them taking in practice, although Sunday's occasion is no doubt special.

"It's almost like an anniversary, really," Hinton said. "I came to coach the Sounders in November of 1979. We had a very good year, and we've had many good years. So it's sort of appropriate that in November of 2019, not only are we going to the final in our own field, but our coach is the boy I drafted at 17 years of age in November of '79. He's still here, and he's doing a great job. For me it's happy days in Seattle."

The "boy" of course is Seattle manager Brian Schmetzer, who more than anyone epitomizes all things Sounders. He played for the team in its NASL days, managed it at second-tier level, served as an assistant under Sigi Schmid and then took over midway through the 2016 season and led the team to that year's MLS Cup. Maintaining the connections to the team's past is what sets the Sounders apart from much of their MLS brethren. There's a momentum, a force of will that goes beyond the first team. It's what has kept the Sounders alive, even through the darkest moments in the sport's history.

"I think it's massively important because this franchise wouldn't be where it's at had Alan Hinton not stayed around, Pepe Fernandez not stayed around, Dave Gillett, Frank Barton, Neil Megson, Bernie James, I know I'm going to miss about 12 other names," Schmetzer said. "We have that connection, that bond that they were players, then they go out and they reinforce in their little parts of the world about how great the Sounders are and what it means to be a pro soccer player."

Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan recalled how the immersion into the Sounders history started right away during his rookie season.

"Schmetz would pull me aside and ask me, 'You know who this guy is?' and he puts me on the spot," he said. "I had to learn all of these guys' names to feel like I was part of the club."

There's also an acknowledgement of just how much the league has grown. Webber spent the 1998-99 MLS seasons with the Miami Fusion. He calls what's happened since, both in Seattle and elsewhere, "dizzying."

"When I left MLS in '99 I thought it was dying," said Webber, now an assistant coach with the Tacoma Defiance. "There's proper glitter now, not the fake stuff of the '96 era. There's a proper buzz in the city. It's been out of this world."

For all the attention on who is taking the week in, more than a passing thought is being spared for a man who isn't. It was Schmid who took the Sounders into the MLS era, giving them instant credibility by winning four U.S. Open Cups and the 2014 Supporters' Shield. He was fired midway through the MLS Cup-winning season in 2016, and passed away last December. There is no danger of him being forgotten.

"[Schmid's] impact on this club was significant, his impact on Brian," Hinton said. "Sigi would have been very proud. I still miss him."

Schmetzer has long since made the job his own, and reaching his third MLS Cup final means his spot in Seattle is secure. Game day will no doubt be fraught with tension for Schmetzer, but he admitted he'll take time to give a silent nod to his former mentor.

"Once the game starts, I've got to focus," Schmetzer said. "But when [goalkeeper coach] Tommy Dutra and I walk out on the field, we'll think about [Schmid]."

This is the third time in four years that Toronto and Seattle have squared off in the final. The prospect of playing before such a huge crowd isn't something that the Reds will find particularly daunting. This is a team that has played in big games and hostile environments, especially during its run to the final of the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League, when it dispatched the likes of Mexican giants Tigres and Club America. In 2019, Toronto has already knocked out higher-seeded New York City FC and Atlanta United on the road.

"We understand what these days are like. We're battle tested," Toronto captain Michael Bradley said. "It's not to say that everything goes perfectly, not even close, but we know how to pull through certain moments."

Much of the focus for Toronto is the status of injured striker Jozy Altidore. He admitted to ESPN that it would take "a miracle" to play. Toronto hasn't exactly struggled in his absence, with Alejandro Pozuelo causing plenty of problems for opponents by operating as a false 9. That doesn't stop the assembled press from watching Altidore's every move during Friday's warm-up or peppering manager Greg Vanney with questions about the forward's health.

Vanney not only takes such queries in stride, he can even afford to laugh about his impact on MLS playoff fashion. While the leather jacket that then-FC Dallas manager Schellas Hyndman wore during the team's run to the 2010 final still sits atop the MLS Managerial Fashion table, Vanney's scarf has gained some notice, especially after he wore it indoors in the Eastern Conference final win against Atlanta United.

"We've started calling him 'Vanney Vice,'" said Dylan Doyl, 35, who in addition to being a fundraiser for a Canadian nonprofit, is one of the leaders of the TFC supporters' group, Lions in the North. "At the start of the year he was wearing a tracksuit in Panama. Now he's got the grizzled beard, the hair back, and with the scarf he looks like he's graduated from junior detective to chief detective."

Of course, at the beginning of the playoffs, with games in Toronto and New York, the scarf was practical. It certainly wasn't so in Atlanta, but Vanney didn't want to break one of the cardinal rules of sports and mess with a winning streak.

"In Atlanta, I looked at the other coaches and said, 'Can I really wear the scarf indoors? Does that really make sense?' They were like, 'You gotta do it.' So I wore it," Vanney said. "But about three-quarters of the way through the game, I'm like, 'It's hot in here, I'm getting sweaty. I'm going to pass out.' So I took it off for the latter part of the game. I'm not super-superstitious. It's a routine that I just stuck with and the coaches talked me into as well."

- Twellman: Home-field factor | Lodeiro the key
- N. Davis: MLS Cup all that's missing from Pozuelo's debut
- Carlisle: Spotlight on Schmetzer, Seattle's canny coach
- Road to MLS Cup: Toronto | Seattle
- Alternative 2019 awards | Tickets

For fans like Doyl, the fact that this final is in Seattle as opposed to Toronto is, on one level, more enjoyable. There's less logistical work and scrambling for tickets, although the group did see fit to donate almost $400 to a Seattle-area food drive. While he admits that among him and his friends there's been "a spectrum of nerves," now there's just excitement.

"It's like group therapy, you're working through your nerves ahead of time. It talks the nerves out," he said over breakfast. "And obviously you're nervous in the sense of you don't know how it's going to play out. But I'm excited to get in the stadium and start going. Away days as a fan are just the best."

For Seattle, there seems to be more at stake, at least emotionally. The players don't want to let down their fans, and given the crowd, there's almost an obligation to win. That tension is felt even among the Sounders alumni.

"My wife had an anxiety dream last night," Webber said. "She got up thinking we lost. She woke up in a cold sweat. It's weird that 70,000 people are having night sweats."

There's now less than 24 hours to go for that nervous energy to be unleashed.

Despite the public unrest amongst some New York Jets fans and the repeated calls for coach Adam Gase's job, team owner Christopher Johnson is expected to remain patient, per sources familiar with his thinking. Circumstances always could change, but ownership is not inclined to make any head-coaching moves.

The Jets are eight games in, with eight games left, and the team will not rush to any decisions, even if their fans seem to have made one on Gase. Furthermore, Gase and GM Joe Douglas -- who was brought in to upgrade the roster and provide stability -- have had only five months together without a full offseason. The Jets believe the situation will sort itself out.

A segment of the Jets' fan base on social media wants Gase fired, the sooner the better, but the team is not inclined to acquiesce to those wishes at this time, as the New York Daily News also reported. It still wants to judge Gase over a larger body of work than half the season, one that has been plagued with injuries.

The Jets signed running back Le'Veon Bell in the offseason to pair with quarterback Sam Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft. But after a one-point loss to the Bills in Week 1, Darnold missed the next three games, all losses, with mononucleosis. The Jets (1-7) defeated Dallas in his return on Oct. 13, but are currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

The chatter surrounding Gase is reminiscent of the situation with the Cowboys earlier this season, when fans were calling for coach Jason Garrett's job before the team won two games in a row and quieted some of that talk. The Jets are hoping to do the same.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Joe Burrow passed for 393 yards and three touchdowns and No. 2 LSU (No. 1 in AP) snapped an eight-game losing streak to No. 3 Alabama (No. 2 in AP) with a 46-41 victory Saturday.

The Tigers (9-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) are no longer second fiddle in the SEC West, or maybe in the playoff rankings. And Burrow stamped himself as the Heisman Trophy front-runner with a gutty performance when he answered every challenge from `Bama.

And the challenges were plentiful.

The Crimson Tide (8-1, 5-1) rallied from a 33-13 halftime deficit to three times to pull within a touchdown in the fourth quarter. It seemingly kept going from game seemingly over to game on.

The showdown lived up to its billing as a duel between two high-powered offenses and star quarterbacks with President Donald Trump attending. Tua Tagovailoa launched an 85-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith with 1:21 left after the Tigers' own scoring march.

Justin Jefferson recovered the onside kick and LSU ran out the clock.

Burrow completed 31 of 39 passes and ran for 64 yards and was carried most of the way off the field by two teammates.

"He's one of the best we've had here," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. "But we've still got four games left and we're going down the road, we're going to try to win every game and we're going to bring a championship back to Louisiana."

That's what Burrow sought when he transferred to LSU from Ohio State.

"We're not done yet," the two-year starter said. "It's Game 9. We've got three more regular-season ones and the SEC championship. This was never our goal. We've got bigger goals than this."

Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for three touchdowns and caught a scoring pass, getting emotional on the sideline after a late touchdown that appeared once again to put the game away.

Tagovailoa, 20 days removed from ankle surgery, was 21 of 40 for 418 yards and four touchdowns with an interception and a fumble. He was called a "game-time decision" all week, looked shaky early and appeared to be limping after the game, but he kept Alabama in it.

Smith had 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns on seven catches for Alabama.

THE TAKEAWAY

LSU: The Tigers have eight wins over Top 10 teams in the past two seasons, none bigger than this. Burrow & Co. faced down a 101,000-plus mostly hostile fans and a strong pass rush. Scored two touchdowns in the final 26 seconds of the first half in a pivotal flurry that threatened to be overshadowed by the second half drama.

Alabama: Didn't wilt under the adversity of a season previously characterized lopsided wins over teams currently unranked. Could be shut out of the playoffs barring some upsets elsewhere, mostly because of that schedule. Tagovailoa had a fumble and an interception in the first half.

TOUGH TAILBACKS

The running backs delivered. Edwards-Helaire ran for 103 yards on 20 carries and had nine catches for 77 yards. Alabama's Najee Harris, who didn't have a carry in the second quarter, finished with 146 rushing yards and a touchdown and added a receiving score.

UP NEXT

LSU: At Mississippi on Saturday night.

Alabama: At Mississippi State on Saturday.

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- Kawhi Leonard may be a man of very few words, but he said his experience in Canada with the Toronto Raptors was so positive and memorable that he could "keep going on and talking about it."

On Monday, Leonard will face his former Raptors team for the first time since leaving Canada and deciding to return home to Los Angeles and play for the Clippers in free agency. And he looks back fondly on his short but successful time in Toronto.

"It's going to be fun to see the guys," Leonard said of being reunited with the Raptors. "And just congratulate them and be able to shake hands and compete."

"The guys, the journey," Leonard added of what he will also remember of his one season in Toronto. "Also the country. The city was amazing. And it's just so much, you can keep going on and talking about it."

Leonard says it's been "shocking" how many Canadians he has run into while in Southern California and that they often thank him for helping deliver Canada its first NBA title.

"It's not like he left in bad terms, really," coach Doc Rivers said. "It's one of those leave-good situations, not one of those leave-awful situations, and let's be honest, in our league it's usually the other way. He's had the rare benefit of being able to leave in a happy state. Has it happened? If it is, it's rare."

Leonard says he didn't go into Toronto after being traded by San Antonio with any preconceived notions about living in Canada.

"I never went in with a negative mindset," Leonard said. "Playing with Cory Joseph in San Antonio, him being from that area in Toronto, I knew what the city kind of brought. ... I always felt positive with the trade and the front office. I knew it was great already with Masai [Ujiri] being in there. So it was never a negative thing, always open-minded about it."

Leonard may not have Paul George playing alongside him on Monday, but George is nearing his Clippers debut. After having surgeries on both shoulders in the offseason, George went through his first live practice on Saturday.

Rivers said there's a possibility George could make his return against Toronto but that it was likelier George will make his debut after Monday's game.

"It's going to take time for conditioning," Rivers said of George, who was pushed during his first 5-on-5 practice. "You don't not play -- when did they lose? -- yeah, he hasn't played since April and then you walk in a game in November ... it's just not done."

"I don't know, I doubt he plays [Monday], but it's a possibility," Rivers added. "It's possible I may play, too, for that matter. I don't know the answer. I really don't."

After facing Toronto, the Clippers play a back-to-back set at Houston and New Orleans on Wednesday and Thursday. It's possible George could return for one of those games, potentially against the Rockets.

George said his conditioning is "the least of concern" for him right now. The All-Star is looking to regain his rhythm after undergoing surgery in May to repair a partially torn tendon in his right shoulder and then a month later repairing a partial tear of his left labrum.

"I still got some stuff," George said when asked if he feels ready to return. "From a health standpoint, I feel great. But I think just rhythm, especially where these guys are at right now in their season, they're flowing right now. So I just want to come in with an easy transition."

Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward will visit a hand specialist Monday to determine if he'll need to have surgery on the fractured left hand he suffered in Saturday's 135-115 win over the San Antonio Spurs, his agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

If he does need surgery, that will take place Monday, as well, Bartelstein told Wojnarowski. Celtics coach Brad Stevens said that if Hayward does undergo surgery, it could lead to a quicker return.

"I just told him to keep his head up," Stevens told reporters after the game. "At the end of the day, that's all you can do. He's worked hard. He'll be in good shape. He'll keep himself in good shape and he'll be ready to go when he gets back. But now he needs to help encourage some of our wings off the bench to be ready to be called upon to add value to winning every night."

The injury occurred when Hayward collided with Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who was trying to set a screen from behind that Hayward didn't see coming. Aldridge was called for an offensive foul on the play, and Hayward, whose left arm got caught between his body and Aldridge's, immediately began shaking his hand and went straight to Boston's locker room.

A short time later, the Celtics announced that an X-ray had confirmed Hayward had suffered the fracture in his left hand, and wouldn't be returning to the game.

Hayward, who scored nine points in 15 minutes Saturday, is averaging 18.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists in eight games this season for the Celtics, while shooting 55.5 percent overall and 43.3 percent from 3-point range.

That play has translated into rave reviews from scouts who have seen Hayward early on this season, as he's clearly benefitted from a full offseason that was solely dedicated to working on his body and game. After missing all but six minutes of his first season with the Celtics after suffering gruesome leg and ankle injuries in the opening game of the 2017-18 season against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hayward looked tentative at times throughout last season.

But after Hayward spent the summer living in Boston and working out at the team's facility, the Celtics privately were excited about his progress, and multiple people around the team thought he was close to playing like the player he was with the Utah Jazz again. Through eight games, he'd made them look right. But now the Celtics will wait and find out how long it will be before they have him back in the lineup again.

"You can talk to him about it but, ultimately, yeah, sure," Stevens said, when asked if it was disappointing to lose Hayward when he's playing so well. "Every year you go through stuff, where different things happen, and different guys go down. We've already seen some guys, some really good players in this league, get hurt, and it's up to everybody else to pick up the slack and do their jobs. This one doesn't feel nearly as bad as it did two years ago. He'll be back. He'll be off for a few weeks or a month or whatever he is."

The Celtics, who are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the best record in the NBA after Saturday's win, play again Monday back in Boston against the Dallas Mavericks.

On fire Abdulla Al Tamimi powers through into the top 16
By ALEX WAN – Squash Mad Asian Bureau Editor

Abdulla Al Tamimi rewrote his own history today when he broke a record he made barely 24 hours ago at the Khalifah Tennis and Squash Centre in Doha. After being the first Qatari to reach the second round of the World Championships, the 24-year old played brilliantly once again to oust yet another Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet to make the last sixteen.

The manner in which the Qatari number one carried himself through the match was commendable. Save for short lapse of concentration at the start of the third, he was disciplined throughout the match and kept errors to a minimum for most parts of the match.

While it was a straight games victory, it was by no means an easy win as Mathieu, a former world number 6 back in 2016, is known to be a work horse on court. The 32-year old was going point-for-point with his younger opponent and drew first blood when he got to game ball at 10-9. That was duly cancelled out with an attack off the serve into the front forehand corner. Abdulla then crafted two nice rallies and finished off the first game much to the delight of the crowd.

The next saw Abdulla coming back from 0-3 down and turning it around for a healthy 2-0 lead. In the third, he seem to have lost a little concentration and went short a little too early. He manages to regroup however, was a little more patient and finished off the match with a beautiful backhand volley that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Abdulla dropped his racket, raised both his arms to the crowd, before dropping onto his knees to kiss the floor.

“I was definitely not as relaxed as yesterday and in fact, I was a little nervous at the start. I was glad I managed to get that out of the system and I had to play really well to beat Mathieu in three. I thought I played really well again and I definitely wasn’t expecting such a performance today.”

“After every rally, from the first point, they were jumping and cheering from their chairs. I was trying to really focus on the match so I wasn’t really looking outside. After the match, I saw my family and friends who I didn’t realise were there. I’m really looking forward to see them again on Monday”, Abdulla added when asked if the crowd helped push him today.

Earlier in the day, the German tree chopper Simon Rosner was first to book his place in the last sixteen after seeing off the tough challenge of Englishman Declan James in a lengthy 70-minute battle. The performance of Declan today was a stark opposite of yesterday as the 26-year old matched Simon for virtually the entire match.

“It was a tight match. I think we both played really well and I’m certainly very happy with how I played. I didn’t have the vest results the last few weeks, so very happy to get off to a good start here at the World Champs. It’s never easy playing Dec – he’s just as tall and loves to volley a lot. I am happy to have won the crucial points in the three games I won. Just glad that I got through.

“I’ve not had the best results here before last year. But overall I am having good memories of this place after getting into the final here a year ago. So, it’s always good to have these positive memories about a tournament and that put me in a good spirit coming into match today”, Simon Roesner said

Next up was Welsh number one Joel Makin who was made to slog for 74 minutes in the longest match of the day. Joel, who mentioned he had never played Mohamed before and that he was wary of his skills and even more so on a dead court, got off to a flying start to lead 11-3. But that turned around in the next game as Mohamed drew level.

The third and fourth were close, with Joel taking the match on an awkward final point on the tie-break where Mohamed had asked for a review but the pair had shook hands before the referee responded. The appeal for a review was not allowed.

James Willstrop ensured English interest in the last sixteen after stopping the run of Egyptian Youssef Ibrahim. The lanky Yorkshire-man won in straight games and while their score line might suggest otherwise, it was quite competitive. James was also aided by the fact that Youssef was not as match fit as he normally is.

Having rolled over his ankle the day before in his match against Daryl Selby and judging from the way he was hobbling away in the morning, it was a surprise he managed to complete the match.

“It felt pretty intense in the head. It makes it almost harder to play him. I really didn’t know what level he would be, if he would compete halfway or at all. I just didn’t know what to expect. I just had to get him moving and it was very hard to do that – I couldn’t really do it for a lot of the period of the game. I just tried to keep the intensity on and challenge his movement.

“If you’re not careful, you start thinking about all that and not think about the match, you can get into a very dangerous situation. You just have to attack it very mentally and strongly and I think that is probably how I came through this today”, James said when asked how he felt playing an injured Youssef Ibrahim.

Karim Abdel Gawad also got through today, but was truly tested by the acrobatic retrieval skills of Mexican Cesar Salazar. While it may easy to blame his notorious slow starts for losing the opener, it wasn’t the case today as Cesar was particularly lethal at the start when he had a fresh pair of legs. Every winner that the baby-faced assassin tried to put away, he was always, or almost there each time.

“Cesar is one of my best friends on the tour. It’s always tough to play a friend and you have to leave your feelings outside the court. He’s always a very tough opponent for me and he played really well today. I couldn’t see his shots very well in the first game. We both played very clean and it was a good win for me”, Karim said after his hard fought win.

Sixth seed Diego Elias edged Greg Lobban in a thriller that could’ve gone either way. It has to be said that the Scot played well above his usual self to trouble the Peruvian Puma and in fact, looked the better bet to finish strong. But at 4-3 up in the decider, his backhand short game had deserted him and a string of tins into the same corner saw him gave away 8 points in a row in a disappointing finish.

Egyptians Tarek Momen and Fares Dessouky were the last two to go through after they won in straights games. Tarek won against the tricky Mazen Hesham in 35 minutes while Fares had a much easier time against Spaniard Edmon Lopez in the shortest match of the day.

“Mazen is a very tricky and he is arguably one of the most, if not the most talented player on tour. It’s always tough to go into a match knowing you can play your best squash and carry out your best game plan and just lose out to his ridiculous winners. So, I’m very pleased to get through this in three games. I think the first two games, they were highly contested and could have gone either way. I’m glad I managed to close out those two and fly away with the third”, a relieved Tarek said.
 

2019 Men’s World Championships – second round (upper half)

[5] Simon Rosner (Ger) 3-1 Declan James (Eng) 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9 (70m)
[11] Joel Makin (Wal) 3-1 Mohamed ElSherbini (Egy) 11-3, 6-11, 11-9, 14-12 (74m)
James Willstrop (Eng) 3-0 Youssef Ibrahim (Egy) 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 (24m)
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) 3-1 Cesar Salazar (Mex) 10-12, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 (44m)
[6] Diego Elias (Per) 3-2 Greg Lobban (SCO) 6-11, 11-3, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4 (59m)
Abdulla Al Tamimi (Qat) 3-0 Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) 12-10, 11-8, 11-8 (43m)
[2] Tarek Momen (Egy) 3-0 Mazen Hesham (Egy) 11-9, 12-10, 11-5 (35m)
[13] Fares Dessouky (Egy) 3-0 Edmon Lopez (Esp) 11-5, 11-3, 11-5 (23m)

Pictures courtesy of Qatar Squash

AVONDALE, Ariz. – In a Saturday qualifying session that proved that the cream rises to the top, Kyle Busch earned his first pole of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

In all, seven Cup Series playoff drivers claimed the top seven positions on the grid.

Navigating the one-mile ISM Raceway in a blistering 25.693 seconds (140.116 mph), Busch edged Joey Logano (139.752 mph) by .067 seconds for Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500, the race that will determine which four drivers will race for the series championship.

Busch is currently third in the playoff standings, two points ahead of defending series champion Logano in fourth and 22 points better than Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin in fifth, the first driver below the cut line for the Championship 4.

Hamlin qualified third on Saturday at 139.394 mph, one spot ahead of teammate Martin Truex Jr., who already is locked into the Championship 4 by virtue of his victory in the opening race of the Round of 8 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

“I think this is actually the first race all year we made a mock (qualifying) run in practice,” said Busch, who won his first Busch Pole Award of the season, his fourth at ISM Raceway and the 32nd of his Cup Series career. “Maybe there’s something to that. The guys did a great job. We fight hard every week trying to figure out what we need to do to continue to improve and get better, and a lot of others guys have certainly done that over the year.”

Track position is of paramount importance at Phoenix, as is the No. 1 pit stall, which Busch earned with his qualifying run.

“Hopefully today bodes well for tomorrow,” he said. “I really don’t know. The schedule is all different with all practice all in one day and then just qualifying today. Overall, proud to start out front in this very important race. It’s very important with track position and such.”

Kyle Larson, tied for sixth in the standings with Ryan Blaney, qualified fifth and starts one position ahead of Chase Elliott, who is eighth among the playoff contenders and must win on Sunday to advance to the Championship 4.

Kevin Harvick, locked into the final race with last Sunday’s win at Texas, will start seventh on Sunday.

Blaney qualified 10th. All eight playoff drivers will start within the top five rows on Sunday.

POMONA, Calif. – Robert Hight has been in this situation before and it’s one that never gets old.

The Funny Car standout is competing at his home track, at his sponsor’s race with the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world title on the line, and it’s a moment where Hight has often thrived.

With a possible third world title in reach, Hight hopes to again come through in the clutch at the 55th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals, Nov. 14-17 at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

He’s been a near wire-to-wire points leader in his 11,000-horsepower Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS this year, entering the final race of the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship and 2019 NHRA season with a 46-point lead on Jack Beckman. Two other world title drivers – John Force and Matt Hagan – are also title threats to Hight, but this is a moment he has always reveled in throughout his championship career.

“This year, it’s a lot like 2017 and I’m going in as the leader,” said Hight, who won his second world title that year. “It’s a lot of pressure, but it’s exciting and I can’t wait. I want to get going and it doesn’t get better than a shot at winning a championship at your home track in front of your sponsors. This is what it’s all about and we’re not going to change how we race. We can’t go there and protect points. That’s not how we got here. We’ll go into Pomona swinging and be aggressive.”

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Tanner Gray (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the race. It is the final event of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs the last of 24 races in a season that has arguably been Hight’s best from start to finish.

His year started with a victory in Pomona back in February and he hopes to end it there on what could be a Funny Car showdown for the ages. The points-and-a-half scenario is in play at the Auto Club NHRA Finals as well, which means Hight still needs to perform at a high level. Hagan is just 56 points out of first after back-to-back wins, while Force is 72 points off the lead. Hight, though, remains driven to win after falling just short of the title on the final day last year.

“I just believe losing the championship on the last day kind of motivated everybody,” said Hight, who has 51 career Funny Car wins. “We didn’t make a lot of crazy changes to the combination or the car. We really looked at how we lost last year and we really focused on those things. We raced smarter and worked on the things that give you consistency. The trick is to be quick and fast, and consistent. It’s about going down the track and being consistent, and that’s what we’ve focused on. I think the results have showed from start to finish this year.”

It’s certainly been evident that Hight and crew chiefs Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham have been locked in from the outset. He’s recorded six wins and advanced to eight finals, racking up eight No. 1 qualifiers along the way. Hight has been the points leader at 22 of the 23 races thus far, an impressive mark considering the standouts in Funny Car. In Hight’s mind, that leaves only one thing remaining to close out his dream season at his home track.

“If I go to the final it’s over, and if we go to the final we might as well win the race, too,” Hight said. “This is a dream year for me. I’ve had years where I led all year and we lost in the Countdown. I’ve had years where we were horrible until we got to the Countdown and we ended up winning a championship. This is what I’ve dreamed about, having a year where you’ve got the most wins and you’ve been in the lead all year. Now we’ve got to finish it off.”

Lionel Messi scored a hat trick, two of which came from free kicks, to help Barcelona climb back atop La Liga with a 4-1 victory over Celta Vigo at the Camp Nou on Saturday.

His first of the night came from the penalty spot after Joseph Aidoo handled in the area -- the Argentine calmly sending Ruben Blanco the wrong way from 12 yards on 23 minutes.

Lucas Olaza equalised via free kick in the 42nd minute, but Messi topped his effort with one of his own four minutes later, leaving Blanco no chance with a sweet strike from 25 yards.

Messi outdid himself three minutes after half-time with another superlative spot kick, this time from a more central position as he again left Blanco well-beaten in the Celta goal.

Sergio Busquets added another in the 85th minute to complete the comprehensive win on the night.

The win gives Barca 25 points from 12 matches, while Celta remain in the relegation zone with nine points.