US Open finals are all-Egyptian battles after power-play spectacle
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

Two years on from their historic title triumphs at the FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships, married couple Nour El Tayeb and Ali Farag have once again reached the finals of the PSA Platinum event as all four semi-final clashes went the way of Egyptian players at Philadelphia’s Drexel University.

El Tayeb and Farag became the first married couple in sporting history to win the same major sports title on the same day when they won their first major titles in Philadelphia in 2017.

They now have the opportunity to repeat that feat after wins against women’s World No.1 Raneem El Welily and Peru’s Diego Elias. El Tayeb beat El Welily in that U.S. Open final two years ago, and the pair were meeting for the third time in as many tournaments after sharing the spoils in the China Open and Oracle NetSuite Open finals last month.

El Welily dismantled El Tayeb in just 23 minutes in the final of the Oracle NetSuite Open, but the 30-year-old saw her title defence come to an end after a masterclass of attacking squash from El Tayeb saw the younger Egyptian come out an 11-8, 11-9, 11-5 winner, marking the first time she has ever beaten El Welily in straight games.

Playing squash at a phenomenal pace and having the courage and confidence to constantly look for winning shots, 26-year-old El Tayeb was delighted with the result. She revealed: “I watched our last match from San Francisco this morning.

“I was shocked. I didn’t think I was doing a lot of things badly, but she was just unbeatable and took every chance. Today, I was laughing. When I was 6-4 up in the first game I thought ‘Yes, I’ve taken more points than I did last time’.

“Last time the most I scored was five, so after I took the first game I thought ‘Wow, I’m in this and it’s not like last time’. I was talking to Ali before the match, and I was in a good mindset and felt less pressure.

“It’s a pity it’s the semi-final because I want to play Raneem in a match like that in the final because this is it and you want to beat Raneem and go home, but I need to forget about this match now and focus on tomorrow.”

Her final opponent will be World No.5 Nouran Gohar (pictured) after an onslaught of hard-hitting squash saw her dispatch 2016 winner Camille Serme in a repeat of May’s British Open final.

Gohar, the only one of the women’s semi-finalists that hasn’t won the event, lost to Serme at the same stage of June’s PSA World Tour Finals, but this time around the French player had no answer to the sheer power of Gohar’s hitting.

The 22-year-old from Cairo was relentless as she lived up to her ‘Terminator’ moniker, surging to an 11-4, 11-6, 11-4 victory to book her spot in a third successive Platinum final.

“Before playing here, I was thinking yesterday that all the semi-finalists are U.S. Open champions and I’m the only one that isn’t,” said Gohar.

“Nour is the player to beat. She has been chopping everyone now and she’s playing really well. I’m excited about tomorrow’s match. I think it will be a great one with a lot of contrast. She likes to slow it down and plays really good shots. I like to hit hard so it’s going to be interesting and challenging, but I’m looking forward to it.”

The men’s final will pit Farag up against World No.2 Mohamed ElShorbagy in a repeat of the 2017 title decider. Farag got the better of Peru’s Diego Elias in straight games, while ElShorbagy matched that scoreline against fellow Egyptian Tarek Momen.

Farag will now appear in a seventh successive Platinum final after a composed display from the 27-year-old saw him overcome Elias by an 11-9, 11-6, 11-8 scoreline.

“If leaving the room today you would have told us that we [Farag and El Tayeb] would be leaving with two 3-0 wins tonight, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Farag said.

“He is one of those players that has so much skill in his racket, but then when he loosens up it’s even more. You could see he was firing nicks at the end. I don’t think I did much wrong, maybe I took my foot off the gas, but it’s all credit to him and I’m happy to close it down in three. We will both have solid opponents in the final now. We’re going to give it our best and if we walk away with another repeat of 2017 then we would be very happy.”

Farag and ElShorbagy played each other in the China Open final last month, with ElShorbagy winning on that occasion, while he has won 11 of 18 matches against the current World No.1.

ElShorbagy (pictured), a three-time U.S. Open champion, will line up in a fourth successive final in Philly after he disposed of Egypt’s Tarek Momen in straight games.

Despite some tenacious retrieving from Momen, ElShorbagy dominated the ‘T’ in a powerhouse performance to follow up his victory over the World No.3 in last week’s Oracle NetSuite Open title decider, winning 11-8, 11-9, 11-3.

ElShorbagy and Farag are currently locked in a battle for the World No.1 spot and the former sent out a stark warning sign to Farag ahead of tomorrow’s fixture.

“It would mean so much to have a shot at winning the U.S. Open title for the fourth time, but I’m up against the best player in the world right now,” ElShorbagy said.

“I’m after him and I want his ranking, but he had an unbelievable season last season, and I think it’s fitting that the first Platinum tournament of the season we have the World No.1 and No.2 in the final. Hopefully it’s a good match in front of everyone.”

If anyone is in any doubt about why Egyptian players are dominating world squash, the evening’s spectacular display of powerful, attacking squash provided plenty of clues.

The finals begin today, coinciding with World Squash Day. Coverage will be broadcast live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian subcontinent only).

Clubs around the world will be tuning in and hoping for two entertaining finals as Farag and El Tayeb aim to repeat their marital master-class.
 

FS Investments US Open 2019, Daskalakis Athletic Center, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA. (PSA World Tour Platinum: Equal prize money of $185,500 for both men and women).

Men’s Semi-Finals:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [7] Diego Elias (PER) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-8 (53m)
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt [3] Tarek Momen (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-9, 11-3 (44m)

Final:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)

Women’s Semi-Finals: 
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-9, 11-5 (35m)
[3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [2] Camille Serme (FRA) 3-0: 11-4, 11-6, 11-4 (29m)

Final: 
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v [3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) 

Report by SEAN REUTHE (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA

CONCORD, N.C. – It’s not good when you bend the chassis of your race car and unfortunately for John Force Racing, that’s a problem they’ve had to deal with a few times this year.

John Force, John Force Racing’s team owner and the 16-time Funny Car champion, said Friday that the team has been battling the problem a large portion of the year. It wasn’t just on his car either, but also the car of his two-time Funny Car champion teammate Robert Hight.

“The biggest problem we had with the car wasn’t smoking the tires or being too weak, it was really the car was undriveable and we found chassis’ that were bending,” Force said. “We couldn’t figure a lot of that stuff out.

“They were bending on a regular basis. So was Robert’s.”

The problem hasn’t seemed to slow John Force Racing down this year, as Hight has won five times and leads the Funny Car standings while Force himself has two victories, including a triumph in the U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

On the plus side, Force says they have figured out the problem and he doesn’t expect to have to fix any more bent chassis’ as Hight and Force work to bring another championship to John Force Racing.

“We just found some things that were wrong and we had to change the cars and it wasn’t because of my weight,” Force joked. “We got that fixed.”

– Reigning NHRA Funny Car champion J.R. Todd and his Kalitta Motorsports teammate Shawn Langdon got to have a little fun ahead of the NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

On Wednesday Todd, Langdon and the Kalitta Motorsports crews visited the home base of sponsor WIX Filters to meet with employees. They also brought along their Funny Cars, which they fired up for those in attendance.

“We got to take both Funny Cars out to Gastonia and warm up the cars for the folks there at WIX Filters,” Todd explained. “A lot of them haven’t seen a nitro Funny Car in person or are not able to come out to this weekend’s event. We got to warm them up side-by-side with Shawn’s team and whack the throttle back and forth.

“Between the two of us it was close to a dozen throttle whacks. That was pretty cool. Finally Jon (Oberhofer, crew chief) said that was enough, because I think we’d still be there whacking the throttle if they let us.”

– Entering the NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals, the top-five in Funny Car points are separated by 53 points. Hight leads the standings, with John Force, Jack Beckman, Ron Capps and Todd all within striking distance at the third of six races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.

“In the Funny Car division it seems like nobody wants to carry the ball,” Capps said.

– Jack Beckman visited the media center for a press conference, but there were few questions for the 2012 Funny Car champion. Instead of returning to his Don Schumacher Racing pit, Beckman hung around and watched amateur competitors make passes down the strip.

“I’m going to pretend I’m still up here,” joked Beckman as he stepped away from the microphone to watch the cars run down the strip.

– Justin Ashley, attempting to qualify for his first National event in the Top Fuel class, impressed with a solid day that left him 10th overall in the Top Fuel field heading into rounds three and four of qualifying on Saturday at zMAX Dragway.

– A strong field of Pro Stock entries are on hand for the NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals, with 19 cars fighting for a place in the 16-car field. Eighteen competitors took time in the Funny Car and Top Fuel classes, meaning two racers from each of those divisions will not get to compete during eliminations on Sunday.

– Speaking of the Pro Stock division, fans looking over the qualifying results from Friday may have noticed the same last name appearing a few times. The Cuadra family is represented in the Pro Stock class by father Fernando Cuadra and his sons, Fernando Cuadra Jr. and Cristian Cuadra.

As expected, Mexico kicked off its start to the CONCACAF Nations League with a dominant victory over a regional minnow. Although Bermuda gave the North American giants a few scares through a high-pressing approach on Friday night, Mexico eventually took charge of the away match with an eye-catching 5-1 result in its favor.

Positives

Keeping in mind that manager Gerardo "Tata" Martino brought a number of backups and young options into his Nations League roster, a 5-1 win is the exact kind of boost in confidence that many of the new faces needed. Speaking of which, the two goals for 20-year-old Jose Juan Macias will surely ease some worries for Mexico fans who are eager to see more strikers in the national team's depth chart.

Negatives

Let's not forget that Bermuda made things difficult in the first 15-20 minutes. Through a high-pressing approach, the opposition flustered Mexico's back line and goalkeeper as they fumbled the ball around, nearly allowing an early goal.

- CONCACAF Nations League: All you need to know

Manager rating (out of 10)

8 -- No significant complaints about Martino. Despite the fact that it looked as though he was about to lose control of the game early on, the manager was able to take back the momentum of the match as he continued to guide his players forward. It's also good to see that there is a defined formation and structure Martino is sticking with through his aggressive 4-3-3 formation.

Player ratings (1-10, with 10 the best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Rodolfo Cota, 7 -- Had some scary moments when he had the ball at his feet, but otherwise had a good game. No real trouble from Bermuda's attack Friday.

DF Jorge Sanchez, 8 -- When Bermuda began to grow tired, Sanchez began to step up even more on the right flank with his daring runs. The full-back also earned a penalty for his team in the second half after a dangerous cross.

DF Carlos Salcedo, 6 -- There's still room for improvement in the central defensive partnership between Salcedo and Nestor Araujo. The Tigres player provided a few important clearances, but also looked uneasy when needing to distribute the ball quickly out of the 18-yard box.

DF Nestor Araujo, 6 -- Similar to Salcedo, Araujo needs to perfect some of his decision-making in defense. It's still unclear whether he is better suited as a right-center-back or a left-center-back.

DF Cristian Calderon, 7 -- A fairly average game for the left-back, who should be given credit for his assist in the first half. At just 22, he'll have plenty of time to make a name for himself.

MF Hector Herrera, 8 -- His golazo late into the match will go down as one of the goals of the year for Mexico. Herrera was a crucial playmaking defensive midfielder who also provided an assist for Hirving Lozano's first goal.

MF Carlos Rodriguez, 7 -- Quiet yet diligent, Rodriguez highlighted his tactical flexibility through his ability to shift between an attack-minded role in the midfield and a more defensive one when Herrera stepped forward.

MF Sebastian Cordova, 7 -- The 22-year-old looks like a perfect fit for Martino's three-man midfield. Although fans would have likely wanted to see him be more proactive, Cordova's speed and (occasionally) dangerous shots were on display during his 63 minutes on the field.

FW Uriel Antuna, 7 -- On paper, Antuna should still be a backup's backup on either wing for Mexico. Nevertheless, he scores far too frequently to be ignored. His goal against Bermuda is his sixth in 10 games for Mexico, all of which have come in the current calendar year.

FW Jose Juan Macias, 8 -- At the right place at the right time for his two goals Friday. The Leon striker positioned himself perfectly for the pass from Calderon in the first half, then followed up on the rebound of a blocked shot from Antuna in the second half.

FW Hirving Lozano, 9 -- If he had scored off of the penalty late into the match instead of hitting the post, Lozano would have had a perfect night. He'll still be able to hold his head up high with his goal and two assists for Mexico in the victory. Instrumental in everything positive going forward for Mexico.

Substitutes

MF Erick Aguirre, 7 -- Substituted in for Cordova during the 63rd minute. Aguirre looked comfortable as one of the attack-minded midfielders and nearly scored through a powerful shot from distance shortly after entering the pitch.

FW Diego Lanez, N/A -- Substituted in for Lozano during the 72nd minute.

MF Jose Ivan Rodriguez, N/A -- Substituted in for Carlos Rodriguez during the 77th minute.

WASHINGTON -- In Friday night's 7-0 victory against Cuba to open the United States' CONCACAF Nations League campaign, Josh Sargent earned his 10th cap. He became just the 10th male American teenager to do so, joining a list of U.S. soccer luminaries including Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley and Christian Pulisic, as well as a few players who had, shall we say, slightly less decorated careers (Juan Agudelo and, yes, Freddy Adu).

Sargent's career remains in the early stages. That's the whole point, really. But the Werder Bremen teenager looks more and more like he's trending toward the former group as opposed to the latter. At the very least, he's close to cementing his spot as a first-choice starter on Gregg Berhalter's U.S. squad.

- CONCACAF Nations League: All you need to know

While Sargent had only one goal in the U.S. domination of the visitors, his presence was felt all over the attacking half of the field (and even occasionally in the defensive third). In the opening seconds, his smart run drew two Cuban defenders, leaving Weston McKennie alone to receive Jordan Morris' cross for the game's first goal.

"It's my job to go to the first post, and if he comes with me, then [McKennie] is going to be open every time," he said of the tally.

Sargent started the sequence that led to the third goal, checking to midfield, calling for the ball, turning beautifully, and delivering a pass to McKennie that the Schalke midfielder then gave to Morris in stride.

"His link-up play tonight was very good," said U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who was mostly a spectator on the night.

Sargent just missed connecting on the fourth goal -- McKennie would latch onto a ball just out of the forward's slide at the near post -- while his 24th-minute header off Reggie Cannon's free kick went inches wide. He smartly pulled off his run and was wide open for a Morris pass on the fifth goal. (The Seattle Sounders winger shot instead, forcing an own goal.) And Sargent's pressing also resulted in dangerous giveaways from goalkeeper Nelson Johnston and center-back Dario Ramos on the few occasions when Cuba possessed the ball.

The 19-year-old finally got his late in the first half. While Morris did the work of controlling a ball over the top, Sargent's run and one-time curling finish with his off foot were beautiful. Seconds later, there was nearly a second, on a similar play from the opposite side, but Johnston saved the right-footed blast.

"I thought Josh did well as a point of the attack, as someone you can play into," Berhalter said after the game. "I think his movement inside the penalty box was OK. On his goal it was good. He had a chance right after that which was good as well. We want to continue to work with him on making dynamic runs in the penalty box, beating their defenders and making space for other players. But the kid is 20 years old. To me, he's a real bright spot."

Which isn't to say that his rise has been simple and straightforward. Berhalter left the teenager off the Gold Cup roster, a shocking decision meant to send a message. "We have to remember that he's 19 years old and he has a bright future ahead of him," the coach said at the time. "When I talked to him and gave him the news, I mentioned that he is the striker for the national team in the future. We're sure of that."

Berhalter wants his charge to push harder, to work for everything, to gain a little edge. These are qualities many young players need, but Berhalter hasn't been shy about vocalizing his instructions to his young forward. Sargent's teammates see his ability, and his need to improve as well.

"There's a reason why he's playing in the Bundesliga," Guzan said. "There's certainly quality there. There's a talent there. And now it's about him finding confidence when he's in this group, when he's on the field for the national team that allows him to go and be successful. He's got loads of talent. His mentality, his work rate, is very good. It's just about finding that little bit where he feels the most comfortable playing for our team."

With a goal and some strong Bundesliga performances up top and on the wing to start the season, Sargent played his way into his national-team coach's starting lineup. It's not a spot he's likely to give up soon. Sure, Jozy Altidore, another member of the "Teenage 10-Cap Club," could earn time if he can stay healthy, but that grows increasingly unlikely. Gyasi Zardes, another forward option, is a known quantity. It's Sargent's job to take, and hold. He's nearly there, getting ever closer.

Just as important, there's a growing connection among him, Morris, Pulisic, McKennie and the other attackers as well.

"Every camp we come into we try to build off of our chemistry," Sargent said. "Obviously, there are very talented players around me, and combining that with chemistry every time we come into camp will only help us."

He can also do it himself. In the 90th minute, Sargent stole the ball near midfield and sprinted toward goal. He easily outpaced two trailing defenders, leaving himself in alone with Johnston. A goal would have tied the American record for the largest margin of victory, a perfect cap on a near-perfect evening.

It wasn't to be. Sargent skied his shot over the crossbar, then buried his face in his hands. "I missed," he said simply afterward.

"On another night, he could have had a few more goals," Guzan said. "It's certainly something that he can look back on and build from."

He got one. It could have been more. It won't be his last.

WASHINGTON -- The winners of the 2019 Little League World Series flew home from Washington to Louisiana in style -- aboard Air Force One.

President Donald Trump met with the Eastbank All-Stars on Friday at the White House. At the meeting, Trump asked the team members' parents if the team could hop on Air Force One for the ride back to Louisiana since Trump was already headed to the state for a campaign rally.

The team then met again with Trump at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, on the tarmac near Air Force One, and they all ascended onto the presidential plane together.

The champs are flying back to Louisiana on Air Force One with @realDonaldTrump after celebrating their Little League World Series Championship victory at The @WhiteHouse!

What an amazing day! I'm so proud of this team! ⚾️? pic.twitter.com/k27et9lBCR

— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) October 11, 2019

The Eastbank All-Stars are based in suburban New Orleans. In August, Louisiana shut out Curacao 8-0 to win the state's first Little League World Series title.

The team fought its way back through the losers bracket after dropping its first game to Hawai'i. Louisiana won six games in eight days, becoming the first team to win the LLWS after losing its first game since the tournament expanded in 2001.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the first time in its nearly 100 years of participation in college football, BYU will start a black quarterback. Jaren Hall, a redshirt freshman, will start Saturday at USF in place of Zach Wilson, who is out with a thumb injury.

"I am very proud of my ancestors, very proud of my ethnicity and all the things that come with that," Hall said this week. "So it is an honor and a privilege to be here and to be playing this sport at this wonderful university."

BYU is a private university owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The school began playing football in 1922 and did not have an African American player until 1970. Until 1978, the church did not allow black people to enter temples for specific ordinances, and black men were not eligible for the priesthood.

Hall, whose father, Kalin, also played at BYU, is a member of the church, as are 99% of the students at BYU.

BYU is coached by Kalani Sitake, who is of Tongan descent.

"He's extremely confident, and I think he's ready for this moment," Sitake said of Hall. "I'm really excited for him -- I know he's excited. The players are responding to him well."

Hall is also an outfielder on the baseball team.

NEW YORK -- The price of qualifying offers for Major League Baseball free agents dropped for the first time, falling by $100,000 to $17.8 million.

Determined by the average of the top 125 major league contracts this year, the figure announced Friday reflects a flat market last offseason.

In addition, large signing bonuses in the contracts of Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Mike Trout had an impact on the drop, because the signing bonuses are prorated over the length of the contract rather than the year they were received. The trio had relatively low 2019 salaries, and if their 2020 salaries had been included instead, the qualifying offer figure would have risen to $18.3 million.

Harper's salary increases from $10 million this year to $26 million in 2020, Machado's from $10 million to $30 million and Trout's from $16 million to $36 million.

Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, Didi Gregorius and Jake Odorizzi are among the players eligible for free agency. They could be joined by Stephen Strasburg, Aroldis Chapman and J.D. Martinez, who all have the right to opt out of their deals.

A qualifying offer can be made through the fifth day after the World Series, and a player has a week after that to accept. If a team makes a qualifying offer to a player who signs a major league contract with another club before the June amateur draft, his former club would receive a draft pick as compensation at the end of the first round.

A free agent can be made a qualifying offer only if he has been with the same team continuously since Opening Day and has never received a qualifying offer before.

Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and only three of 80 offers have been accepted: New York Mets second baseman Neil Walker and Philadelphia pitcher Jeremy Hellickson after the 2016 season and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu last offseason.

The qualifying offer price started at $13.3 million in 2012, rose to $14.1 million in 2013, $15.3 million in 2014, $15.8 million in 2015, $17.2 million in 2016 and $17.4 million in 2017.

ALTON, Va. – Ten drivers collected championships during the first day of racing for the SCCA National Championship Runoffs on Friday at Virginia Int’l Raceway.

Nick Leverone, of Mednon, Mass., opened the 56th SCCA National Championship Runoffs by winning the Touring 4 class race over Tyler Quance and Stephen Blethen.

Leverone started second and chased defending class champion John Heinricy before the two went side-by-side on lap 10 for the lead. Leverone took the lead in turn 14 and led the remainder of the 15-lap distance.

Van Steenburg, from New Smyrna, Fla., captured his second E Production championship after holding off John Hainsworth and Jesse Prather.

Prather jumped to a lead at the start, but his advantage was cut down when Greg Amy spun his fire-engulfed No. 33 Honda Civic to a stop in turn one to bring out the caution.

During the restart Van Steenburg briefly took the lead, but missed a shift at the exit of turn one, giving the lead back to Prather. Prather didn’t stay in the lead for long after sliding off the track in turn 10, handing the lead and eventually the win back to Steenburg.

In Protoype 1, pole sitter Todd Slusher took the lead on the start and drove away from runner-up and teammate Chip Romer to take the class victory by roughly 13 seconds.

The Spec Racer Ford Gen3 race saw a three-wide finish at the checkered flag, with Roberson Clay Russell edging Denny Stripling and Brian Schofield to take the SCCA National Championship Runoffs victory. The podium finishers were separated by .127 seconds.

In arguably the most competitive class at the 56th SCCA National Championship Runoffs with the second-largest field size of any class made up of 54 qualifiers from all around the country, the Spec Racer Ford Gen3 (SRF3) national championship was decided by 17 thousandths of a second with a three-wide battle to the checkered at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) on Friday.

When the dust settled Roberson Clay Russell, of Spartanburg, North Carolina, held on to take the checkered over Denny Stripling, of McKinney, Texas, in second. Brian Schofield, of Lakeland, Florida, finished in a close third. The podium finishers were only separated by .127-second.

Clint McMahan drove away from the field in the Formula 500 class after starting from the pole, easily claiming the second Runoffs championship of his career by more than 30 seconds.

Danny Steyn spun during the Super Touring Lite class race, but still managed to lead every lap to win his second-straight championship in the division. Steyn had already built a gap on the field at the time of his spin, allowing him to quickly recover and return to the track.

The American Sedan class belonged to Gregory Eaton, who claimed a flag-to-flag victory in the 15-lap race to earn his first Runoffs championship.

Jeff Dernehl outlasted the GT-3 field to earn his first victory in SCCA National Championship Runoffs competition. The race was chaotic, with Dernehl actually spinning at one point to drop him to third.

However, bad luck by race leaders Tony Ave and Joe Kristensen that saw both men suffer engine failures in their race cars elevated Dernehl to the lead and eventually the victory.

Rhett Barkau claimed top honors in Formula Enterprises 2, surviving a battle with Liam Snyder on the last lap that saw Barkau take the lead from Snyder in the final corners.

To close out the day, James Libecco topped the Formula Enterprise finale via a photo finish over Mark Snyder. The duo crossed the finish line in a dead heat, with the scoring monitor showing the margin of victory to be .000 in favor of Libecco.

The SCCA National Championship Runoffs continue on Saturday at Virginia Int’l Raceway.