WELCOME, N.C. – Covert Auto Group, a leading automotive sales brand in Austin, Texas, will serve as a sponsor of Bubba Wallace and the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 next month.

The No. 43 entry driven by Wallace will carry the Covert Auto Group brand as the primary partner in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 3.

“Our family has been delivering new Chevrolets across Texas for years,” Dan Covert Jr., co-owner of Covert Auto Group, said.  “What better brand to associate with than Richard Petty Motorsports and driver Bubba Wallace when it comes to quality and supporting fans!”

Covert Auto Group opened their first automotive dealership in central Texas in 1909 with the Austin Buick Sales Company, now the oldest Buick franchise in Texas.

“Richard Petty Motorsports, and Covert Auto Group, both have rich histories, and are leaders in the community,” Brian Moffitt, chief executive officer for Richard Petty Motorsports, said. “We look forward to coming together at the Texas Motor Speedway to be a leader on the track.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump awarded Roger Penske with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor available in the United States, on Thursday during a ceremony at the White House.

Penske is a successful businessman who fields race teams in NASCAR, the NTT IndyCar Series and IMSA, as well as internationally in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. He was also a successful driver prior to retiring in 1965 to focus on his business endeavors.

Through the years Penske has won the Indianapolis 18 times as a car owner, most recently in May with driver Simon Pagenaud. Josef Newgarden captured the NTT IndyCar Series championship in September for Penske.

He’s won the Daytona 500 twice as an owner and is a two-time Cup Series champion as a car owner, most recently with Joey Logano in 2018 and in 2012 with Brad Keselowski.

In addition to his racing endeavors, Penske is the owner of Penske Corp., which owns a number of businesses including Penske Truck Rental, the Penske Automotive Group and Penske Logistics, among others.

“It’s a wonderful honor to receive this award,” said Penske, who was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame earlier this year. “It’s amazing. Many years ago my mother and father invested in me and told me to love and (of) the passion of our great country. To think that I am standing here today in the Oval Office with the president, vice president and all of you here today and especially my family, to receive this wonderful award, just hard to believe that would happen.”

The Medal of Freedom was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1963. According to the official White House website, the Medal of Freedom is awarded by the President of the United States to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the security or national interests of America, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

“From racing to business to philanthropy, you have moved from one great victory to another,” President Trump said. “You’re a truly a great champion and truly a winner. No matter what you do it turns to gold. You’re a legend at the speedway and you’re a legend in business. Your name is revered everywhere the checkered flag flies and beyond that.”

Lauren Kim of Los Altos, Calif., shot to the top of the leaderboard in the second round of LPGA Q-Series Thursday equaling the low score of the day.

Kim’s 5-under-par 66 moved her to 8 under overall at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, a shot better than Kim Kaufman (70) and two shots better than Elizabeth Nagel (67) and Lindsey Weaver (68).

Celine Herbin is three back after shooting 69 and fellow Frenchwoman Karine Icher moved among five players who are four back by posting a 66. Yealimi Noh, the 18-year-old from Concord, Calif., is also four back after shooting 69.

The third and final stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament will be contested over 144 holes with the first 72 played at Pinehurst No. 6. A minimum of the top 45 and ties will win LPGA status at the end of the competition. There are 98 players in the field.

A complete list of scores can be found here. 

Julian Gressel's early goal and Josef Martinez's late one led Atlanta United to a 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Union on Thursday night, sending the home team into Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference final.

Second-seeded Atlanta United, the 2018 MLS Cup defending champions, will play host to fourth-seeded Toronto FC on Wednesday. The game will feature the reigning MLS Cup champion, Atlanta, and the 2018 champion, Toronto.

The third-seeded Union (17-12-7) saw their season end four days after the first playoff win in franchise history.

"We were secure with our passing, but also our opponent gets more tired and they have to run more behind the ball," Atlanta coach Frank de Boer said after the match.

"Also, what we showed today in playing four in the back is that we can adjust very quickly to another system, and that's difficult for an opponent. It was a very mature game."

Gressel scored after a series of passes with Gonzalo "Pity" Martinez delivering the ball that Gressel put away in the 10th minute of the match. It was Gressel's first career postseason goal in his eighth playoff game.

Brad Guzan made three saves in keeping the Union scoreless. Guzan robbed Philadelphia's Brenden Aaronson of a 17th minute goal with an athletic stop.

Atlanta had two chances within seconds of each other to add to its lead in the 60th minute, but Union goalkeeper Andre Blake, who finished with three saves, stopped both direct shots on goal.

In the 80th minute, Josef Martinez, who led Atlanta United with 27 regular-season goals, ran down a long ball from Gressel. He then used his speed to put enough distance between himself and Union defenders to get off a shot that soared past Blake and into the top corner of the net.

Josef Martinez has seven goals in seven career games against Philadelphia. He was close to scoring just before halftime but missed wide right on a header off a cross from Gressel.

Atlanta United had won its playoff opener 2-0 over the seventh-seeded New England Revolution on Saturday. Philadelphia edged the sixth-seeded New York Red Bulls 4-3 after extra time on Sunday.

Carlos Vela scored two goals in the first half and set up Diego Rossi's tiebreaking goal in the second half, and LAFC advanced to the MLS Western Conference final with a wild 5-3 victory over the LA Galaxy on Thursday night in the first postseason edition of this city rivalry.

Adama Diomande added two goals in the second half as top-seeded LAFC earned the 2-year-old franchise's first postseason victory.

- MLS playoffs: All you need to know

LAFC also beat the Galaxy for the first time in the sixth chapter of the lively crosstown derby dubbed El Trafico.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a goal and an assist in perhaps his final game for the Galaxy, while both teams put on a dazzling offensive show in front of a raucous sellout crowd near downtown Los Angeles.

LAFC advanced to face the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference final on Tuesday night (watch on ESPN, 10 p.m. ET) at Banc of California Stadium. The winner faces Toronto FC or Atlanta United for the MLS Cup on Nov. 10.

After Vela staked LAFC to an early lead with a dominant performance befitting the forward who just set the MLS single-season record with 34 goals, Diomande scored twice as a second-half substitute in his first game in a month.

LAFC needed all that offense to hold off Ibrahimovic. The 38-year-old Swedish superstar set up Cristian Pavon's goal and then drilled home a tying goal early in the second half, his ninth against LAFC in less than two MLS seasons.

Galaxy star Romain Alessandrini then set up a header by Rolf Feltscher in the 77th minute to trim LAFC's lead to 4-3, but Diomande rampaged downfield to chip home the clinching goal in the 80th minute.

LAFC posted the best regular season in MLS history in just its second year of existence, reaching the league records for points, goals and goal differential. But LAFC needed this win to shake free of the shadow cast by the five-time champion Galaxy, who were 2-0-3 against LAFC.

The Galaxy were revitalized this season by the arrival of coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Argentine star Pavon, returning to the playoffs after a two-year absence behind the imperious Ibrahimovic, who scored 30 goals.

After setting an MLS record with 34 goals in his spectacular regular season, Vela opened the postseason with his first career MLS playoff goal. The Mexican star has scored in all six editions of El Tráfico.

Scotland 204 for 4 (MacLeod 74, Munsey 51) beat Bermuda 8 for 158 by 46 runs

Calum MacLeod's career-best T20I knock of 74 off 37 balls took him past 1000 career runs in the format and also to the first 200+ score of the tournament laying the platform for a commanding 46-run win over Bermuda in the first match of the Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier at Dubai International Stadium on Thursday night.

Though it's his best T20I score, it's not his best score at a T20 World Cup Qualifier as he previously scored 104 not out against Oman in Sharjah at the 2012 event. The result meant Bermuda became the first team eliminated from playoff contention while Scotland moved a step closer to securing a place in the knockout stages.

MacLeod seized on a fantastic foundation laid by George Munsey, who notched his first fifty of the tournament in a relatively slow 40 balls. After five overs of pace to start the match, which resulted in the wicket of Kyle Coetzer caught at deep square leg, Dion Stovell finally brought himself on in the sixth and it provided the opening for Munsey to correct his scoring rate. Having made just 4 off his first 11 balls, he reverse swept Stovell twice in the sixth for a pair of boundaries.

After heaving Delray Rawlins over the leg side for a pair of sixes, Oli Hairs fell in the eighth driving Stovell to long-off for Okera Bascome's second catch. It brought MacLeod to the crease to commence the first of two half-century stands, first with Munsey before another with Richie Berrington.

Munsey continued to play the reverse, swatting Onias Bascome over third man for six. Another six over slog swept the traditional way over midwicket off Rodney Trott in the 15th brought up his half-century before he fell next ball, sweeping too fine to pick out Onias at short fine leg to make it 131 for 3.

Berrington worked to rotate the strike for MacLeod, who used the pace of Kamau Leverock to glide a series of open-faced fours through third man to bring up his fifty off 27 balls. He had been dropped on a sharp chance at deep square leg on 41, then again in the 19th over at long-on by Leverock on 64.

The extra lives allowed him to strike a boundary over midwicket off the penultimate ball of the innings, which took him past the 1000-run mark, before he fell on the final ball scooping Leverock to short fine leg. By that time, he had accounted for 63 of the 128 runs scored by Scotland across the final 10 overs, leaving Bermuda deflated after they had done well to contain Scotland to 76 for 2 at the halfway stage.

Two wickets fell in the first four overs of the chase to Safyaan Sharif, bringing Rawlins to the crease. The Sussex star quickly showed a global TV audience why he was snapped up by Southern Brave for £50,000 in the Hundred draft, smashing three sixes in his first 12 balls over midwicket and long-on. He reverse swept, swept and pulled a trio of fours in the ninth over to put Scotland on the back foot at 91 for 3 as Bermuda were way ahead of Scotland's first innings rate.

But just as he did against Papua New Guinea, Mark Watt helped turn the tide in the field with a three-run 10th over that claimed Allan Douglas bowled flicking across the line. Onias Bascome was bounced out by Alasdair Evans next over as pressure built with Rawlins off strike. When he finally got back on, he swatted a full toss from Watt to Sharif at deep midwicket to go for 46 off 21 balls, making it 104 for 6 in 12. A wicket maiden by Hamza Tahir in the 13th concluded a four-over stretch in which Bermuda scored just 13 runs and lost four wickets.

Leverock provided some thrills through the rest of the chase with three powerful straight drives for six and also scooped a few boundaries. He ended unbeaten on 43 off 24 and showed he had perhaps come in too low at No. 7. Bermuda have one more chance to play spoiler against Netherlands while Scotland's last group match also comes against Netherlands.

Saturday is taking far too long to come, but while we wait for the All Blacks to have better luck than the Black Caps and therefore completely erase everything that happened one July evening at some random cricket ground let's focus on a sport that is totally devoid of contact and insists on going on for days on end. Here are the highlights from the opening round of Plunket Shield matches.

Kane misses the run train

The New Zealand first-class season got underway earlier this week and it offered us a truly rare sight indeed. Kane Williamson got out for 26 in a match where 888 runs were scored in the space of two innings. Hagley Oval didn't so much lay out a pitch as a bright and shiny welcome mat for batsmen and was even cool enough to entertain members of the opposition too. A Test series against England starts soon and their media manager was at the ground taking in the sunshine and quite possibly the coordinates of the Matt Henry ball that hit the deck and generated the extra bounce necessary to get Williamson to nick off to second slip. It later emerged that Williamson has a recurrence of a hip problem and will miss the T20Is against England.

WICKET | Henry snares the big scalp of @BLACKCAPS captain Kane Williamson.

Scorecard | https://t.co/4gsyPZysfP#wearecanterbury #cricketnation pic.twitter.com/RJXpgGGcm3

— Canterbury Cricket (@CanterburyCrick) October 22, 2019

Henry's hundred

There were four centuries in that game - a career-best 170 from Daryl Mitchell, a free-flowing 119 from Tim Seifert, a sturdy 107 from Cole McConchie but Henry Nicholls' 103 might have been the most relevant of them all, at least when seen from the point of view that he'll be facing Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer soon and that he's prepared for it by smacking around Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner. The innings contained all his trademarks - not caring that the scoreboard read 29 for 2 when he came in and waiting for the bad ball. Most of his 10 boundaries were punches down the ground when the bowlers straight too straight and cuts and pulls when he had the width to free his arms.

Henry Nicholls has his at Hagley Oval for @CanterburyCrick! His 10th in first-class cricket coming off 188 balls. LIVE scoring v @ndcricket | https://t.co/19fEl1HTrl #PlunketShield pic.twitter.com/LsddWvcRSm

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) October 21, 2019

Side note: Boult picked up his 100th first-class wicket for Northern Districts. Mitchell Santner fell four short of his third first-class hundred.

The customary Eden Park thriller

It all went down at the Outer Oval but there was enough of that pixie dust that turns simple cricket matches at Eden Park into hair-raising roller-coaster rides. Auckland went into the final session of the game needing five wickets. Central Districts were 80 runs off their 231-run target, and they had a set batsman in the middle.

Dane Cleaver was batting on 72 when the magic happened. He fell lbw to a guy nearly seven feet tall. Kyle Jamieson - high-arm action and all - has to be the least likely bowler to trap people in front of a set of stumps that must look like stray twigs to him but he did. And you know what, he has a history of doing stuff like this. Last year, he took 6 for 7, the third best figures in all T20 cricket.

That strike left Central Districts with 47 more to get and three wickets in hand. The other new-ball bowler Matt McEwan made sure that didn't happen, finishing the game off and walking away with eight wickets from the two innings.

Side note: Martin Guptill, who tried batting in the middle order the last Plunket Shield season, was opening for Auckland and made a battling half-century on a pitch that reportedly offered plenty of help to the bowlers.

Devon Conway in Chilly Welly

So apparently, for a little while right over the Basin Reserve, the sky started to fall.

After that rogue hailstorm this morning the weather has cleared ahead of Day Two of the #plunketshield between @wgtnfirebirds & @OtagoVolts pic.twitter.com/gmbbSOci7L

— Basin Reserve (@BasinReserve) October 21, 2019

And that was good because people not in the know could watch Devon Conway and realise why people in the know are raving about him. The left-handed top-order batsman is on the fast track to playing for New Zealand... except for the fact that he hasn't completed his residency period yet (three years per ICC rules). Conway was born in Johannesburg and has to wait until next September to get into the national side, but the wheels have started turning. Earlier this month, he attended New Zealand's T20 training camp.

"We like the skills that he has as a player," head coach Gary Stead was quoted as saying by stuff.co.nz. "And this gives us an opportunity to see a little bit more of him at a level up from first-class cricket. He looks like he could have the goods to play international cricket and that's part of these camps, is finding out more."

Not a bad return considering Conway had to cut short a five-week trip back home to be in Lincoln for a winter training camp in June.

The 28-year old was named the men's domestic player of 2018 having finished as the top scorer in the Plunket Shield, with 659 runs at an average of 82. And now, in the 2019 season opener, he struck a vital first-innings 96 that helped Wellington seal victory over Otago.

Conway and Blundell humming along for the @wgtnfirebirds. 100 run partnership up after lunch at the @BasinReserve against the @OtagoVolts. Lead now 70. LIVE scoring | https://t.co/fz2mdw8KQu #PlunketShield pic.twitter.com/5rZ9fcyP84

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) October 22, 2019

"That is a dream to wear that black cap," Conway was quoted as saying by stuff.co.nz in April. "But it's going to take time and it's quite nice knowing that because there's no real pressure. It's a matter of working hard and improving and seeing where that takes me."

Conway has impressive T20 numbers as well. He hit a chart-topping 363 runs at a strike-rate of 144 for Wellington in the last Super Smash season and it so happens that he will be available to play for New Zealand a month before next year's World Cup.

Toss Karnataka chose to bowl v Tamil Nadu

In a final pitting two star-studded sides against each other, Karnataka opted to bowl first against Tamil Nadu on an overcast day, sticking to the template that has seen them win their last five matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20.

Manish Pandey had no hesitation in opting to stick Tamil Nadu in when the coin fell in his favour. Dinesh Karthik, the Tamil Nadu captain, said he would have bowled first as well.

Karnataka made one change to the side that swept aside Chhattisgarh in the semi-finals, handing a List A debut to left-arm pacer Prateek Jain and leaving out Ronit More.

Tamil Nadu, who won a nervy contest against Gujarat in their semi-final, opted to keep their side unchanged.

Among recently capped international players in action, Tamil Nadu have R Ashwin, Vijay Shankar, M Vijay and Washington Sundar besides Karthik. Karnataka have KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair, alongwith Pandey.

Karnataka are three-time winners of the trophy, while Tamil Nadu have won it five times. Karnataka have the more recent triumph, lifting the title in 2017-18. Neither team has lost a final in the Vijay Hazare Trophy yet, which is likely to change today, unless the match is abandoned - in which case the trophy will be shared.

Karnataka XI: KL Rahul (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey (capt), Karun Nair, Rohan Kadam, Praveen Dubey, K Gowtham, Abhimanyu Mithun, Prateek Jain, V Koushik.

Tamil Nadu XI: Abhinav Mukund, M Vijay, B Aparajith, Dinesh Karthik (capt, wk), Vijay Shankar, Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, R Ashwin, M Mohammed, M Ashwin, T Natarajan