DENVER — Rockstar Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker won the Seat Concepts Boise EnduroCross, presented by Fox Racing. The win also clinched Haaker his third AMA EnduroCross championship.

The 2019 series used a three-moto format and Haaker won the Boise finale overall with 1-1-2 scores. Red Bull KTM’s Taddy Blazusiak came into the race with a two-point deficit to Haaker and needed to beat his rival to take the title but he finished second overall with 2-2-1 finishes. RPM KTM backed Trystan Hart finished third overall in the race with 4-3-3 moto results.

Haaker got the day started strong by topping the Seat Concepts Hot Lap. Cory Graffunder set the second-fastest time on his SRT Offroad Yamaha and Hart was third fastest. Blazusiak and Beta USA backed Max Gerston rounded out the top five.

Blazusiak took the Fox Holeshot in the first moto of the night with Haaker close behind. Haaker stalked Blazusiak for the entire race and made a last-lap pass to take the win. Gerston rode a strong race to barely beat out Hart at the finish line. Nick Thompson had s great finish to take fifth in the opening moto on his KTM.

For moto two, the gate picks are reversed from the moto one results and Noah Kepple came out of turn one with the lead ahead of Ty Cullins on his TM. Haaker and Blazusiak were mid-pack but quickly moved through the field and Haaker passed Kepple in the pro lane to take the lead on lap four.

Blazusiak was not far behind and worked his way to second place but could not make a dent in Haaker’s lead. Hart had another strong moto to finish third. Graffunder was fourth and Gerston was fifth.

After winning the first two motos, Haaker just needed a third-place finish in moto two to take the overall and championship. He made things easy on himself by taking the Fox holeshot and led a few laps before Blazusiak moved into the lead. From there, Haaker just managed his lead over Hart to take second in the moto and the overall win. Hart finished third in the moto and third in the championship. Geoff Aaron rode his GasGas to a fourth-place finish in the final moto and Germany’s Tim Apolle rounded out the top five on his Sherco.
Colton Haaker was happy to earn his third AMA EnduroCross championship.

“You had to win the race to win the championship and that’s why we are here,” he said. “I had a good night. That first race was great as I kept pushing and was able to make that last-lap pass. Race two was important to take the win and in the third moto, I was able to take a safe second to earn the overall. The three races this year were great and EnduroCross should be even stronger again next year.”

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Linny White earned a $5,000 payday for winning Saturday’s SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour late model feature at Kern County Raceway Park.

White, driving a throwback car honoring Gary Balough, took the lead on lap 89 from championship leader Cole Moore. He led the remainder of the distance, finishing more than a second ahead of Moore at the checkered flag.

Derek Thorn finished third, followed by Christian McGhee and Jesse Love.

The finish:

Linny White, Cole Moore, Derek Thorn, Christian McGhee, Jesse Love, John Moore, Dylan Lupton, Mark Neff, Tyler Fabozzi, Jim Wulfenstein, Tracy Bolin, Bobby Hodges, Bob Lyon, Eric Schmidt, Craig Raudman, Tanner Wattenbarger, Eric Nascimento Jr., Cody Dempster, Andy Allen, Scott Sanchez, Jacob Gomes, Kyle Neveau, Keith Spangler, Carlos Vieira, Blaine Rocha, Jack Wood.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — He came, he saw, he conquered.

Derek Kraus was the overwhelming favorite coming into Kern County Raceway Park, winning the last three events at the California half-mile in successive fashion. He added to his impressive KCRP resume and then some in Saturday’s NAPA/ENEOS 150, leading every lap from the pole and surviving an overtime restart.

“I really like this place,” he said. “It’s fast, you gotta stay right on the bottom of the race track and I kind of like places like that. It’s got a lot of grip. It’s a really great race track. I really enjoy coming here in a late model of K&N car.”

The win was the 99th overall for Bill McAnally Racing. Kraus also had to nail a handful of restarts in the second half of the race, but none more important than the green-white=checkered in overtime.

“There were definitely a lot more nerves going into that last one for sure,” he said. “I feel like whenever I’m leading a race, there’s a yellow within the last five laps, and I just had a stinky feeling something was gonna happen […] feel like I executed that restart really well. Was able to get the lead back, pull away by two car lengths and bring it home with a victory.”

The win is Kraus’ fifth this season in the K&N Pro Series West and seventh overall (two K&N East wins). It’s also his 10th career K&N West win and fourth in a row at KCRP, setting a new K&N Pro Series record.

Only two drivers in the 66-year history of the series have won four consecutive races at the same track. Six-time K&N West champion 1986 Ray Elder accomplished the feat at Gardena (Ascot Park) in 1967, 1968 (both races) and 1970 (no race in 1969) and 1986 champion Hershel McGriff won five consecutive times at Portland Speedway (1971, twice in 1972, twice times in 1973).

Following Kraus across the finish line as the runner-up was Roseville winner Jagger Jones, who rebounded from a flat tire on Lap 55 to earn his second-best finish of the season.

Kraus’ Bill McAnally Racing teammates Hailie Deegan and Brittney Zamora, as well as Todd Souza, completed the top five. Travis Milburn, Dylan Garner, Trevor Huddleston, Brad Kossow and Zach Telford rounded out the top 10.

With the win, Kraus all but clinched the 2019 championship. All he has to do at ISM Raceway is start the race, as Sam Mayer did for the K&N East season finale, and the title will officially be his.

The finish:

Derek Kraus, Jagger Jones, Hailie Deegan, Brittney Zamora, Todd Souza, Travis Milburn, Dylan Garner, Trevor Huddleston, Brad Kossow, Zach Telford, Takuma Koga, Taylor Canfield, Jack Wood.

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – Mat Williamson continued his career season with a $15,000 victory in Saturday’s 100-lap small-block modified feature as part of Eastern States weekend at Orange County Fair Speedway.

Williamson started from the pole and only briefly gave up the lead to Super DIRTcar Series championship leader Matt Sheppard as they raced through traffic.

Not to be denied, Williamson soon got the lead back and proceeded to lead the remainder of the distance to pick up the $15,000 victory at the five-eighths-mile dirt oval.

Sheppard settled for second, followed by Brett Hearn, Tim McCreadie and Billy Decker.

The finish:

Mat Williamson, Matt Sheppard, Brett Hearn, Tim McCreadie, Billy Decker, Michael Maresca, Erick Rudolph, Larry Wight, Anthony Perrego, Ronnie Johnson, David Schilling, Mike Gular, Billy Dunn, Dave Marcuccilli, Louden Reimert, Michael Storms, Billy VanInwegen, Mike Mahaney, Tyler Boniface, Lance Willix, Dillon Steuer, Gary Edwards Jr., Corey Cormier, Craig Mitchell, Chris Stevens, Kenny Tremont Jr., Bob Hentschel, Chris Curtis, Danny Creeden, Michael Parent, Pat Ward, John Ferrier, Yan Bussiere, Max McLaughlin, Jimmy Spellmon, Jerry Higbie, Stewart Friesen.

PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia — Marc Marquez made history in Australia as he became Honda’s most successful rider after clinching his 55th premier class win at the end of an incredible Australian Grand Prix at the Phillip Island GP Circuit.

Sunday in Australia got off to a solid start for Marc Marquez as he lined up on the front row for the eighth straight year at Phillip Island. The world champion found himself in the heart of an incredible nine-rider battle during the opening laps as the field fought for early position. With perfect precision, Marquez carved his way forward to join Cal Crutchlow and Maverick Viñales at the front.

Lap 10 saw the race enter its second stage, Viñales trying to break away from the chasing pack. But both Marquez and Crutchlow responded with low 1:29s to keep Viñales within just a few tenths. Lapping consistently in the 1:29s, Marquez stalked Viñales and used the RC213V’s superior top speed to blast into the lead on the last lap and eventually cross the line for an 11th win in 2019.

The victory is Marquez’s 55th in the premier class and makes him Honda’s most successful rider as he moves ahead of Mick Doohan’s 1998 record of 54 wins. Now only Valentino Rossi (89) and Giacomo Agostini (68) have more premier class victories to their names.

Marquez has now achieved five-straight premier class wins for the first time since 2014 and continues his run of 14 straight top-two finishes intact.

“It has been a crazy weekend with the weather and everything,” Marquez said. “Maverick was very fast today, but I was able to follow him and start slowly cooking the victory. Viñales started to push very hard and very fast at the front, but I knew that if I could stay with him for four or five laps then the victory was possible. The Repsol Honda Team have done a great job with the limited track time we have had. We had to gamble a little bit with the soft rear tyre and it was on the limit in the end, but we were able to win! It’s really special to take this 55th win with Honda, I feel incredible with the Honda family and I’m excited to enjoy this moment with them and the team.”

As a result of the win, the Repsol Honda Team are just a single point behind the Ducati Team in the Team Championship as Honda aim to complete the coveted triple crown.

Cal Crutchlow returned to the MotoGP podium with a well-earned second place, the first Honda one-two finish since the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix where Marquez won to take a seventh World Championship ahead of Cal Crutchlow.

Pramac Racing teammates Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia were third and fourth, while Team Suzuki Ecstar rider Joan Mir completed the top five.

On Sunday, for only the 19th time in recorded sports history, we have a "Sports Equinox," where there are games in NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB all in the same day. Since this is a rare feat, we decided to join in the fun and pick a "Sports Equinox Parlay." ESPN Sports Betting analysts Doug Kezirian and Preston Johnson, ESPN.com Senior Writer Greg Wyshynski and Vegas Sports and Information's Matt Youmans give us their thoughts on which games to take.

Put all four picks together for a "Sports Equinox Parlay," and it returns 13-1 on your money.

MLB - World Series Game 5

Houston Astros (-145) at Washington Nationals (+135)

Johnson: Everybody was afraid to back the Astros in Game 3 down 2-0 in the series and traveling to Washington. Now everybody will be tentative to -- checks notes -- back Max Scherzer priced +135 at home? This line is inflated, especially considering Houston used five different bullpen arms in Game 4. To break even at the price of +135, the Nationals only need to win this game 42.6% of the time. I project them to win the game 45.2%, or a true line of +121. The value is on the Nats.

Pick: Nationals (+135)

NBA

Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder (Pk, 223)

Kezirian: The Warriors were beat up on national television in the worst possible way. There is no way to sugarcoat it. However, they faced arguably the league's best team in the Clippers, and that is to be expected. Somewhat buried in that headline is the nature of Golden State's play. Stephen Curry and D'Angelo Russell led the way on a team that can score a lot and also give up points. Golden State is not worried about its offense so this gameplan will be about defense. Additionally, OKC does not have the playmakers that most teams do. 223 feels like way to many points.

Pick: Under 223 (-110)

NHL

San Jose Sharks (-160) at Ottawa Senators (+145)

Wyshynski: The Sharks have lost three of four games, and this is a chance to set things right against a team that's on a 1-4-1 skid. They live and die on the power play, clicking at 25 percent, and Ottawa has given up at least one PP goal in three of their last four.

Pick: Sharks (-160)

NFL

Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers (-5.5, 41)

Youmans: In the 2018 draft, Buffalo took Josh Allen with the seventh overall pick and Kyle Allen never heard his name called. So, which Allen is the better quarterback? Kyle Allen is 4-0 SU/ATS with seven touchdown passes and no interceptions as Carolina's starter this season. Line up his recent numbers next to Cam Newton's, and there is no comparison. The turnaround is startling considering the Panthers had lost eight straight with Newton as their starter. San Francisco ranks No. 1 in pass defense (133.5 ypg) and No. 2 in scoring defense (10.7 ppg). Fortunately for Allen, he can lean on Christian McCaffrey, who's tied for the league lead in touchdowns (nine) and ranks second in all-purpose yards (923). McCaffrey has 35 receptions to make him an every-down threat in the passing attack, too. Kyle Shanahan is an offensive wizard, but the 49ers coach is not working wonders with Jimmy Garoppolo, who has seven touchdown passes and six interceptions. The Panthers are in a good spot off a bye, and every riverboat gambler would like coach Ron Rivera's track record as an underdog: 17-8 ATS in his past 25.

Pick: Carolina +5.5

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has said the club has supported him in his decision to drop midfielder Mesut Ozil.

Ozil has been absent from Arsenal's last five matchday squads, but recently said he wants to stay at the club until at least 2021.

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"Here, we have one agreed strategy as a club and as a team, because the most important thing is the club, the team and finding a performance," Emery said.

"Previously we were all speaking between us to take that decision.

"I know all the supporters want to know something, but now is not the moment. I think it is not the moment to speak about him.

"We are going to play on Sunday and in the next matches and we are going to decide, and when we can speak about him something differently we will look."

Ozil was linked to MLS side D.C. United this summer despite his desire for game time at Arsenal.

Emery also explained his decision to deploy the defensive-minded Lucas Torreira in a more attacking position -- one in which Ozil prefers to play -- at times this season.

"I was speaking with him about his best position to help us in our shape," Emery said.

"It depends on the shape. Last season his best position was playing as a deep midfield two alongside [Granit] Xhaka or Matteo [Guendouzi].

"This year we are playing also sometimes with just one, and he can achieve with his quality to get to the box and get closer to score, and is very intelligent about getting space around the box and taking chances.

"Then also, when we prepare the team to do high pressing, for us he is very important, because he is very intelligent tactically, but he can play in the two positions."

England's national selector Ed Smith has said it is "crucial" to prioritise players' wellbeing, and suggested that "rest and rotation will be a central part" of his selection process going forward as cricket catches up with other sports.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Smith said that the senior players rested for the T20 tour of New Zealand - including Jason Roy, Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes - were told, rather than asked, to rest after a draining home summer.

"With the T20s in New Zealand, it wasn't a case of, 'What do you think about resting?' It was, 'You're rested.' It's crucial we attend to players' wellbeing," Smith said. "We're fortunate that Eoin Morgan, having won the World Cup, saw an opportunity to look at new challenges and that we have a lot of depth in white-ball cricket.

"I work closely with people who are intimately involved with the pastoral care of the England team. They respect confidences, however there are times when people have said that this person might benefit from a break. Moving forward, rest and rotation will be a central part of good selection. Players must be well mentally and physically, and capable of performing at their best when we need them to."

Smith, who became England's national selector in April 2018, used the example of the Rugby World Cup to show that other sports were ahead of cricket in their attitude towards resting players. England coach Eddie Jones used fly-half George Ford off the bench rather than starting in his team's quarter-final win against Australia, and in his press conference after the game said that he had "changed his role" rather than dropping him. "Come into modern rugby - join us," Jones said. "Rugby has changed, it's a 23-man game."

"Baseball got there in 1880, football in 1990, rugby in the 2010s, and cricket's moving in that direction," Smith said. "You have a strong core based around a strong leader, but there's got to be room for people taking time out when they need a physical and mental - or technical - recharge. Then there's always a way back."

Perhaps Smith's most high-profile recent selection decision was to drop Jonny Bairstow from England's Test squad for their tour of New Zealand, but he suggested that the wicketkeeper/batsman will be back in contention very soon.

ALSO READ: Challenge clear for Bairstow as axing marks start of England's new Test focus

"I remember sitting with Jonny when he'd missed a game in Sri Lanka [in last year's Test series] and I said, 'it won't be long, not because I'm predicting somebody will get dropped but because you're a very good player and very good players come back'. A week later he was raising his bat having scored a Test hundred.

"That will be one way selectors can really contribute to successful teams - thinking about the person and having a strong sense of care, supporting them emotionally and psychologically, so if a crunch point is coming you manage it the best way.

"He's a key player who has played well in all formats. Jonny was selected in 2012 as an outstanding young batsman and since then his first-class average outside Tests is 57. That's how good he is and Jonny at his best would be a huge asset."

Smith also revealed that he will give new head coach Chris Silverwood the final say regarding England's final XI. Smith's official role is to pick the squad from which the coach and captain pick the team, but he admitted he has "been involved in discussions around final XIs on tour".

"Chris [Silverwood] is very organised and likes to have a clear process that happens every time," he said. "So we will have a call two days out before every Test match between me and Chris, or James [Taylor] and Chris.

"We'll look at the options … if it's these conditions that guy [plays], in those conditions that guy [plays]. Two days out you have that discussion, so everyone is in the loop. I'm very comfortable with that.

"If the question is who should have the final say on the final XI, it should be the captain and coach, because you've got to go with what you want. That's as it should be."

Virat Kohli's suggestion to limit the Test venues in India to just five has found support in former captain and coach Anil Kumble, who felt having fixed centres for Test cricket would help promote the sport better in India.

Kumble also wanted Tests that coincided with festive holidays or significant dates, while calling for facilities in various stadiums across the country to become a lot more fan-friendly.

"I think that has certainly been one of the ways of promoting Test cricket," Kumble told CricketNext about Kohli's proposal. "It is also important to choose the time of the Test match. We all remember that during the festival of Pongal, a Test match used to happen in Chennai. And the start of the season used to be in Delhi. Bangalore would have a Test match, Mumbai would have a Test match, Kolkata of course.

"I think it is important for Test cricket to promote these centres where people would know that these are the centres where you are going to play Test match cricket prior to the start of the season, so that you can market Test cricket and you can make sure that the crowds come in. When I was the coach, I think we played in six different centres. They were all new centres and the one centre it was packed was Indore. The atmosphere was brilliant. It [the stadium in Indore] is in the heart of the city. That was one of the reasons that the crowd could come in irrespective of the time of the day."

During India's recent 3-0 sweep of South Africa, there had been some fingers pointed at uneven crowds at the three venues - Pune, Vishakhapatnam and Ranchi - though there were mitigating circumstances at all three cities with the stadiums being at a considerable distance from the city, and the process of getting to the venue not always being straightforward.

Kumble said that was an aspect that needed to be looked at.

"What we need to also do is to create better facilities for the spectators to come and view the game," he said. "You know, they need to have comfortable seats, the access to the stadium, ticketing… I think use of technology is something that we need to look at when it comes to issuing tickets and then of course the basic comfort like food and water and toilet facilities. If we can provide all of that, make the spectator really comfortable, then I think you will see a lot of people coming in to watch Test match cricket."

Kumble also echoed Sourav Ganguly, his former team-mate and current BCCI president, in holding that day-night Test cricket would take place in India.

"I think day-night Test cricket will certainly bring in the crowds towards the latter half of that game," he said. "You also need to choose the right time of the year because we've seen in day-night ODIs, the ball gets really wet because of dew."