MEXICO CITY – Max Verstappen secured his second Formula One pole of the season in an upset performance Saturday at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

It appeared as if one of the Ferrari cars – driven by Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc – would sit on the pole for Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix, but Verstappen made sure that wasn’t going to happen.

During the final qualifying session Verstappen roared to a stunning 1:14.758 lap, which gave him the track record by a scant .001 seconds. Shortly thereafter Valtteri Bottas crashed his Mercedes in the final corner, bringing the qualifying session to a premature end.

That meant Verstappen, the two-time and defending Mexican Grand Prix winner, had earned his second pole of the season for Red Bull.

Behind him, Leclerc qualified second for Ferrari with his best lap of 1:15.024. He was closely followed by his teammate Vettel, with championship leader Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Alexander Albon fourth and fifth.

Bottas ended up sixth despite his crash in Q3, followed by the McLaren duo of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris. Toro Rosso drivers Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly completed the top-10 in qualifying.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – After three years of waiting, close calls and excruciating heartbreaks, Todd Gilliland finally christened himself as a NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series winner on Saturday at Martinsville Speedway.

Gilliland, who started 11th and wasn’t a factor for much of the NASCAR Hall of Fame 200, found himself in position on a restart with 10 laps to go and wasted no time in taking advantage of the shot.

Restarting third behind leader Ross Chastain, Gilliland forced his way up the inside in turn three on lap 191, powering past the Truck Series playoff contender and never looking back en route to victory.

Despite a subsequent caution with five laps left and an overtime restart which pushed the race one lap beyond its scheduled distance, Gilliland held off Chastain’s best efforts and pulled away on the final circuit to finally reach victory lane in his 46th series start.

“What a race,” Gilliland said. “I’d say we just didn’t have the speed overall at the start of the race; we were just really tight. We made our truck a ton better throughout the race, though, despite being involved in a wreck there part of the way through.

“Man, this has been a long time coming. Most short tracks, on a late restart, third is where you want to be, and I knew … I knew when we restarted up there with 10 to go that we had to take our shot at it. To end up here is an amazing feeling,” he added. “Hopefully this will help us build some momentum for the final couple of races and open up some doors for next year.”

Though he had a little help from teammate Harrison Burton to escape from Chastain during the overtime restart, Gilliland didn’t feel that it was specifically he and Burton teaming up to win the race.

“It was both of us trying to win on our own. My spotter was telling me to let him do the work, but I wanted to do the work and win for myself,” Gilliland noted. “Harrison isn’t the guy you want to move, because he’s my teammate and my friend, but I’m just proud to be able to get through there at the end and win one for this team after they’ve worked so hard for me all year long.”

Chastain attempted to get back to Gilliland’s bumper through turns one and two on the final lap, but ended up nearly being spun by Burton and had to fight just to hang on to second in the end.

“I’m living my dream right now. To go head to head against (Kyle Busch Motorsports) and hold my own is great, but I just wish I could have fought them one at a time,” Chastain noted. “I couldn’t take two of them though. They took turns beating my back bumper off.

“I wish I could have gone blow for blow with them. They just had the numbers there at the end.”

Johnny Sauter crossed the line third, followed by Grant Enfinger and Timmy Hill, who secured his first top-five finish driving for his self-owned Truck Series operation.

Stewart Friesen, John Hunter Nemechek, Danny Bohn, Jeb Burton and Codie Rohrbaugh completed the top 10.

Three of the six playoff contenders – Tyler Ankrum, Austin Hill and Brett Moffitt – all failed to finish as a result of various crashes during the 201-lap slugfest on Saturday afternoon.

As a result, Moffitt heads into ISM Raceway in two weeks’ time with a 45-point margin over the elimination cut line, with Friesen 35 points clear, Chastain 20 markers up and Hill five points to the good.

Matt Crafton and Tyler Ankrum go into the final race of the semifinal round at risk of elimination.

To view complete race results, advance to the next page.

PORT ROYAL, Pa. – Persistent rain showers at Port Royal Speedway have forced World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and track officials to cancel Saturday’s event at the speedway.

There is no rain date.

As a result, Brad Sweet will enter the Can-Am World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte on Nov. 7-9 with an eight-point lead over Donny Schatz in the battle for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship.

Those who purchased a ticket in advance to Saturday’s event at Port Royal Speedway will receive a face value credit to their MyDirtTickets.com account to be used towards any World of Outlaws event available at WorldofOutlaws.com/tix.

If a credit to your account does not work for you, then you have until Nov. 25 to request a refund. For more details call 844-DIRT-TIX to speak with a customer service representative about your options. The office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Denny Hamlin continued his present-day mastery of Martinsville Speedway on Saturday by securing the provisional Busch Pole Award during qualifying for the First Data 500.

Hamlin toured the .526-mile paper clip in 19.354 seconds (97.840 mph) to garner his 33rd career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole, third of the season and fourth at Martinsville.

The Chesterfield, Va., native will seek his sixth Ridgeway grandfather clock trophy – and first since 2015 – on Sunday afternoon with the No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry.

“I did an OK job (as a driver), but this FedEx Camry has been good all weekend,” Hamlin noted. “It was pretty fast in practice. The feel hasn’t always been great, and we didn’t expect to run that fast … but I drove it to its capability and that was all we had. To have the pole here is great, obviously, in a lot of ways.

“I look forward to 500 more laps of this on Sunday, and hopefully punching our ticket to Homestead.”

The official lineup will be confirmed following pre-race technical inspection on Sunday morning. One failure will cause a driver’s qualifying time to be disallowed, while two or more will lead to additional penalties.

Chase Elliott would have joined Hamlin on the front row after a lap of 19.383 seconds (97.694 mph) with the No. 9 Mountain Dew Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, but will have to drop to the rear of the field due to an engine change following the opening practice session on Saturday morning.

Martin Truex Jr. qualified third, followed by Aric Almirola, who will move up to the outside of the front row after timing in fourth fastest. Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell completed the top five.

Ryan Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez and Joey Logano were the balance of the top 10.

Kevin Harvick will start lowest among the eight remaining playoff drivers after qualifying 22nd.

The First Data 500 is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start on Sunday afternoon, with live coverage on NBCSN, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Provisional starting lineup for the First Data 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway:

1. Denny Hamlin
2. Chase Elliott
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Aric Almirola
5. Michael McDowell
6. Ryan Blaney
7. Clint Bowyer
8. Erik Jones
9. Daniel Suarez
10. Joey Logano
11. William Byron
12. Matt DiBenedetto
13. Kyle Busch
14. Kyle Larson
15. Brad Keselowski
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
17. David Ragan
18. Daniel Hemric
19. Alex Bowman
20. Chris Buescher
21. Ryan Preece
22. Kevin Harvick
23. Austin Dillon
24. Jimmie Johnson
25. Kurt Busch
26. Bubba Wallace
27. Ryan Newman
28. Corey LaJoie
29. Ty Dillon
30. Paul Menard
31. Matt Crafton
32. Landon Cassill
33. BJ McLeod
34. Reed Sorenson
35. JJ Yeley
36. Ross Chastain
37. Timmy Hill
38. Garrett Smithley

Christian Pulisic had a magical night for Chelsea on Saturday, netting a hat trick in a 4-2 win at Burnley for his first three Premier League goals in a man-of-the-match performance, but he needed a different kind of assist from his teammates after the game.

The 21-year-old was so excited on his first league start since Aug. 31 to have bagged his first goals for Chelsea that he had to be reminded to take the match ball home.

"It's my first professional hat trick, so I nearly forgot the match ball, luckily my teammates helped me out," Pulisic said.

- Chelsea ratings: Pulisic hat trick nets perfect 10
- Pulisic watch: U.S. star makes huge impact vs. Burnley
- VAR in the Premier League: Ultimate guide

Pulisic had failed to hit the ground running at Chelsea after finally joining from Borussia Dortmund but staked a strong claim for a first-team spot with a magnificent performance on Saturday.

The U.S. international became the youngest Chelsea player to score a Premier League hat trick, beating Tammy Abraham's record which had stood for just 42 days.

Pulisic, who stayed at Dortmund on loan after signing for Chelsea in January for £55 million, has struggled to earn a start at Stamford Bridge ahead of Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Willian and Mason Mount.

When given the chance at Turf Moor by manager Frank Lampard, however, the American impressed with a dazzling display that was garnished by sublime close control and lethal finishing on his way to a perfect hat trick.

"I just want to be on the field, help the team and make an impact," Pulisic said. "I didn't think it would be super easy. But I have come on a few times the past few weeks and was happy to start today, it was a special day.

"There are young guys in the team, but we forget about that when we go out there. It's a fun team to play with now, and we just want to keep this run going."

Pulisic, who has scored 14 goals in 34 senior appearances for the U.S., joined Dortmund at youth level in 2015 after netting 20 in 34 for his country's Under-17 side.

He turned professional in 2016, and in his first three full seasons at the Bundesliga club, he quickly caught the eye with his electrifying pace and dribbling skills.

But a wealth of talented forwards at Chelsea meant Pulisic endured a tough start in London, with Lampard explaining that he had shunned the American for a reason after he played for the U.S. in their Gold Cup final defeat by Mexico in July.

"He had a week's break this summer. He arrived for a big price and wanted to come straight back in, but at the same time why am I going to throw him in?," Lampard said after the match.

"So I have to do it in the right way and get the best out of him. I'm delighted for him."

If Pulisic's performance on Saturday is anything to go by, he will leave Lampard spoilt for choice up front after steering Chelsea to their seventh successive win in all competitions and solidifying their spot in the Premier League's top four.

Information from Reuters was used in this story.

JACKSONVILLE -- After an eight-day standoff with Kelechi Osemele, the New York Jets decided Saturday to release the former Pro Bowl guard, who filed an injury grievance last week against the team.

But the battle isn't over.

One of Osemele's agents, Andrew Kessler, said in a statement to ESPN that they will continue with the grievance process in an attempt to have Osemele's fines rescinded.

The Jets had been fining him for conduct detrimental to the team because he refused to practice and underwent unauthorized shoulder surgery Friday. Osemele was being fined the maximum amount allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. In his case, it was $579,000 per week, the amount of each game check.

According to Kessler, the Jets owe Osemele the balance of his contract under both the standard-injury guarantee provision of the player contract and under termination pay.

Osemele was due to make $5.2 million over the final nine weeks of the season. His base pay for 2019 was to be $9.85 million.

The Jets had no comment on the release. They have yet to comment since the dispute came to light last week, when Osemele revealed he had a torn labrum and needed immediate surgery because he couldn't play in pain any longer.

The Jets could have placed Osemele on injured reserve, but they opted to cut ties completely. Because of injuries at linebacker, they needed a roster spot. They used it to sign linebacker James Burgess from the practice squad. It would've been questionable roster management if they had kept Osemele -- an injured player -- on the 53-man roster.

Earlier Saturday, the Jets downgraded Osemele to out on the official injury report for Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On Friday, he was designated as doubtful even after undergoing surgery in Boston, which the Jets deemed an unexcused absence.

Also Saturday, Osemele's agents told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the surgery went well, but damage to the shoulder was more extensive than anticipated. Osemele's representatives and the NFL Players Association are now considering specific action against the Jets' team doctors for violations of state medical board regulations.

Sources said the Jets opposed Osemele's position because they felt it was a preexisting injury and that he could've played through it, waiting until after the season to have surgery.

Osemele, acquired in an offseason trade with the Oakland Raiders, started the first three games, then missed the next three with injuries. The coaches were unhappy with his play and were on the verge of benching him when the injury dispute emerged.

Osemele said he was hurt Aug. 5 during a training camp practice and had been receiving treatment for his shoulder. He said he took painkilling injections before the first three games.

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- There was never a moment of uncertainty on Kansas State's sideline when fifth-ranked Oklahoma raced to an early lead, or when the wounded Sooners began to mount a frantic fourth-quarter comeback.

There might have been just a bit when they recovered an onside kick.

"It was a little anxious," Wildcats defensive end Wyatt Hubert said.

Anxiousness that soon gave way to elation.

Officials reviewed the recovery with 1:45 left in the game and determined the ball hit an Oklahoma player a yard early, giving it to the Wildcats. They ran out the rest of the clock to finish off a 48-41 victory that dealt the Sooners' national title hopes a major blow.

"Oklahoma isn't a team that is used to facing adversity very well," said Hubert, who along with the rest of the Kansas State defense did just enough to hold Heisman Trophy contender Jalen Hurts in check.

"If you can put their backs against the wall," he said, "things are going to go more smoothly."

Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) tried to make the case that its player was blocked into the ball on the onside kick. But by the time the Sooners headed for the bus, the scoreboards inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium still read the same.

"We had a similar situation at Baylor my first year. They engaged our player and it definitely hit him before the 10-yard," Sooners coach Lincoln Riley said, "but I was under the impression if they engage our player into it that there's no illegal touching. It was a 50-50 call that didn't go our way."

It was the first home win for the Wildcats (5-2, 2-2) over Oklahoma since 1996, and just their fourth win ever over a top-five team. It also snapped the Sooners' nation-leading 22-game road win streak -- a span of five years and 22 days since their loss at TCU.

Skylar Thompson had 213 yards passing while running for four touchdowns, and James Gilbert added 105 yards rushing and a score.

"I don't have any idea on the lines and spreads, thank God," said Wildcats coach Chris Klieman, whose team was a 21.5-point underdog. "I mean, yeah, it was a statement win for our guys. I told the seniors, `How many more opportunities are you going to have to play in front of your home crowd?"

It was the third consecutive week a top-10 team lost to an unranked foe, with Oklahoma joining Georgia and Wisconsin.

"We've got to be more appreciative, cherish every moment and attack every moment with the right intent," Hurts said. "We've got to learn from this and appreciate this lesson."

Hurts threw for 395 yards and a touchdown while running for 95 yards and three more. But despite his big game, the Sooners couldn't overcome a multitude of mistakes: two turnovers, costly penalties and the ejection of one of their defensive leaders.

Last week, it was the Sooner Schooner that crashed.

This week, it may have been Oklahoma's chances of reaching the College Football Playoff.

It didn't look that way early, though. The Sooners breezed downfield for a field goal, forced a quick punt, then scored again in a matter of minutes to take a 10-0 lead. And after Kansas State scored, Hurts answered with another touchdown to give the Sooners a 17-7 lead.

That's when the unraveling began.

In the first half alone, Oklahoma twice fumbled the ball or dropped a snap. Penalties on third-and-long on each of the Wildcats' first two scoring drives gave them first downs. The most egregious error came on a wide receiver pass in the final minute, when Nick Basquine's throw bounced off Charleston Rambo and into the hands of A.J. Parker to set up the Wildcats' third touchdown of the first half.

"That was a huge play," Parker said.

That deficit swelled during the third quarter.

Kansas State marched for a field goal to open the half. Then, after a pooch kick, Eric Gallon forced a fumble on the return -- and sustained a severe knee injury requiring a cart to take him from the field -- that the Wildcats recovered to set up another touchdown run.

When they forced a three-and-out and scored again, they had built a 41-23 lead.

Oklahoma tried to rally in the fourth quarter, getting a 70-yard score from CeeDee Lamb, rolling downfield for Hurts' third TD run and a 2-point conversion, then getting a field goal from Gabe Brkic to draw within one possession with 1:45 to go.

Then came the onside kick, the review -- and the celebration in Aggieville.

"The guys just continued to believe throughout the game," Klieman said. "I saw a sideline full of guys who really felt they had a chance to win this football game."

THE TAKEAWAY

Oklahoma: The Sooners could still reach the playoffs by winning out and getting some help, but the task become much more challenging. And the road doesn't get any easier with games against No. 23 Iowa State and No. 14 Baylor.

Kansas State: The Wildcats have won back-to-back Big 12 games after dropping their first two, and they gave Klieman a signature win as he tries to build on longtime coach Bill Snyder's success.

KICKING AWAY

Oklahoma cornerback Parnell Motley was ejected early in the second quarter when he kicked Kansas State tight end Logan Long along the Sooners' sideline. It came after Youngblood's touchdown run trimmed the Wildcats' deficit to 17-14 and occurred right in front of an official.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma gets a week off before facing Iowa State on Nov. 9.

Kansas State heads down I-70 to face Kansas next Saturday.

Closers Aroldis Chapman of the New York Yankees and Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers were named relievers of the year on Saturday.

Hader won the National League award, which is named for Trevor Hoffman, for the second straight season, while Chapman earned the American League award, named for Mariano Rivera. Both Hall of Famers were on the panel that voted for the awards, along with former relievers Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Lee Smith, John Franco and Billy Wagner.

Both Chapman and Hader finished with 37 saves in the regular season, tied for third in the majors behind the 41 of San Diego's Kirby Yates and the 38 of Houston's Roberto Osuna.

Hader helped the Brewers go 51-10 in games in which he pitched, finishing with 138 strikeouts -- the most of any reliver -- and a 2.62 ERA. He joins Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen as the only two-time winners since the awards debuted in 2014.

Chapman posted a 2.21 ERA while earning more than 25 saves for the seventh consecutive season.

Yates and Giants closer Will Smith were the runners-up in the NL, while Oakland's Liam Hendriks and Osuna came in after Chapman in the AL.

WASHINGTON -- Former major league umpire Chuck Meriwether, who was behind the plate when the Boston Red Sox ended their championship drought in 2004, died Saturday. He was 63.

Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement hours before Game 4 of the World Series. Meriwether had been ill with cancer and died at home in Nashville, Tennessee.

Meriwether called his first big league game in 1987, was promoted to the full-time American League staff in 1993 and worked for 18 years. He then became a major league umpire supervisor for nine years.

Meriwether had the plate in Game 4 when the Red Sox ended their 86-year title absence by beating St. Louis at Busch Stadium. He also did the 2007 World Series when Boston swept Colorado.

In addition, Meriwether got eight assignments in the Division Series, two in the League Championship Series and two All-Star Games.

"Chuck Meriwether was an accomplished umpire on the field, a role model for our staff and a true gentleman in life," Manfred said in a statement. "Chuck will be remembered for his genial manner and the outstanding example he set for others, particularly for African American umpires who followed him."

Earlier this month, major league umpire Eric Cooper died at 52, two weeks after working the ALDS between the New York Yankees and Minnesota.

Athletes push themselves to the limit to produce PBs, but it is possible to push too hard. John Shepherd talks to Scott Laidler about how to avoid overtraining

Athletes need to push through barriers in order to adapt and there is always going to be some degree of overtraining, in fact
it is needed. However, health and fitness expert Scott Laidler clarifies this by introducing the notion of overtraining versus overreaching: “Overtraining is a condition we might find ourselves in when our bodies become over-compromised …. from over-exercise or under recovery from exercise,” he says. “It’s actually a syndrome comprised of a series of symptoms. Over-training ostensibly is a negative.”

He then talks about the more positive other side of the coin – overreaching: “Whereas overreaching is actually a necessary element of progression in training – and can be considered stage one overtraining – or functional overreaching – it means taking your body to a point just past what you were previously capable of, creating an adaptive response, where this and adequate recovery are present we can expect performance gains.”

Signs of overtraining

Many athletes come to training tired or less motivated – are those red flags? “Overtraining feels like the flu,” says Laidler. “Symptoms include muscle aches, joint pain, fatigue, headaches, lack of energy, reduced sex drive and lowered immunity.”

Can this vary between the athletics events? “Some events are especially gruelling in their nature,” says Laidler, “heavy weight training often leads to over training because of the inherent micro damage to tissue, but any gruelling event can push an individual beyond their ability to recover from an instance of overreaching.”

I know that endurance athletes in particular are prone to overtraining and also to REDS (Relative Energy Deficiency – Sports). How so? “Endurance events are often gruelling and can push athletes into overtraining very easily,” says Laidler.

“Sprinting has the physical requirement to push an athlete into overtraining, the difference being that because of the obvious performance drop off in sprint training when fatigue sets in, athletes are less likely to push this activity alone beyond recovery, of course there are numerous other variables to consider.”

Should athletes train in an overtrained state? “Well, it’s a question of scale,” says Laidler. “Plenty of people train when moderately overtrained, which is why you need to keep a close eye on your performance, too many unexplained poor performances are a big warning sign.

“Also, you should keep an eye on your heart rate variability or at the very least your daily resting heart rate as a good indicator of how fatigued you are upon waking up. If you are too heavily overtrained you simply won’t be able to train.”

(To monitor resting heart rate (RHR) take it regularly a few minutes before rising and if it is increased by a couple of beats from your norm subsequently, then chances are you are overtrained.)

Are there stages of overtraining which athletes and coaches should look out for? “Yes,” replies Laidler. “Stage one is called ‘functional overreaching’ and it’s a necessary part of progress from working out.

“Stage two is ‘non-functional overreaching’, this is where you have pushed a little bit too far with minor symptoms like a drop in performance and fatigue, you can typically recover from this state within 2-4 weeks.

“The third stage is the actual ‘overtrained state’, and this is where fatigue and poor performance can last up to one month … prolonged overtraining can lead to long lasting inflammation and compromised immunity.”

If you do become overtrained, what are the ways to return to training safely? “Depending on how overtrained you are the length of time it will take to reach normality will vary,” answers Laidler. “It can take a month or more if you are severely compromised. Rest, adequate food intake and hyperthermic treatments, such as sauna use, are the best way to bring yourself back from a state of overtraining.”

Are the symptoms likely to be different between males and females? “The symptoms are likely to be the same between men and women mentally and performance-wise,” says Laidler. “However men will experience a decreased libido due to lowered testosterone and being in the state of over training can interfere with menstrual cycles in women, even causing a woman to temporarily halt the menstrual cycle.”

Nutrition

What role does nutrition play in terms of combatting overtraining – REDS is very much a consequence of under eating? “Well, you need to be bringing in adequate calories to fuel and recover from your workouts, too few calories for too long will lead to burnout and an inability to recover from your workouts,” says Laidler.

“You also need to have a good macronutrient balance, consume too few carbs for too long and you may borrow from muscles stores for glycogen, this can lead to overtraining. You also need to make sure that you have enough protein to maintain your muscle mass. Healthy fats are also important for maintaining energy and a healthy hormone balance.”

When athletes have reached close to ‘stage three overtraining’, there are big psychological factors at play. “It is all about bringing yourself back to equilibrium,” says Laidler. “Meditate, take time for active rest but not hard training.

“Do things that allow you to rest, recover and spark joy,” he continues. “You will know when your mind is not right in training and or competition.”

Hopefully the comments made in this article will assist both athletes and coaches when it comes to understanding and identifying the signs of overtraining.

Athletes need to push hard but knowing when to back-off and recover is crucial for long-term success.