Time is running out on the MLS regular season, with just three weeks remaining until the playoffs get underway, and Wayne Rooney and D.C. United are traveling to Portland for a Sunday afternoon tilt on ESPN, while the Philadelphia Union take aim at LAFC, plus Eastern Conference leaders New York City FC clash with San Jose.

Can Philly pounce on LAFC's slump?

From the looks of it, the Philadelphia Union have shaken off their midsummer slump and are heading into the final weeks of the season playing some of their best soccer of the season, with four wins from their past five.

The man who has proved pivotal of late is Kacper Przybylko. The German forward has four goals in his past five games, and 13 on the season in 22 appearances to give Philly the proven goal scorer that it has needed.

The Union already passed one big test with flying colors when they downed Atlanta United 3-1 right before the international break, and they'll need to be just as prepared on Saturday against league leaders LAFC (7:30 p.m. ET, streaming on ESPN+).

It's an interesting time for Bob Bradley's bunch. The hamstring injury to Carlos Vela has made LAFC beatable, with a 2-0 loss to Minnesota United followed a 2-2 draw in Orlando last Saturday being the results without the Mexican.

Yet despite missing Vela and key players like Brian Rodriguez, Mark-Anthony Kaye and Walker Zimmerman on international duty, LAFC showed some character in rallying for a point in Orlando. If Vela is a scratch again this weekend, it would send a strong message to the rest of the league that LAFC could beat one of the Eastern Conference's top teams without Vela having played a single minute.

- Alvarez is Galaxy's breakout star and Zlatan's 'cub'
- Carlisle: MLS takes on Portland's most passionate fans
- Vela proves his commitment to LAFC is not in question

Rooney's legacy to be examined in Portland

With the international break now completed, the MLS season has reached crunch time, with playoff places and seeding up for grabs. That's especially important for D.C. United, who are fourth in the Eastern Conference and still have some work to do to secure a spot in the postseason.

There is also the matter of Wayne Rooney's D.C. legacy to consider. Nobody disputes that the Englishman's early days in the nation's capital were a big hit, with arguably the play of the 2018 season against Orlando City. But things have somewhat soured this summer for Rooney.

The abrupt news of his decision to leave at season's end coincided with a social media outburst about the league's travel policy, plus some choice words for a fourth official in Vancouver. A red card against the New York Red Bulls last month didn't help things, and by the end of August, D.C. had earned just four wins since May 15.

Yet if the former Manchester United man can deliver a strong finish and lead his team on a deep run in the postseason, his legacy in MLS will be firmly intact. The first test is Sunday against the Portland Timbers (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), who are coming off a big 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City and are right in the thick of an airtight Western Conference playoff race.

Can NYCFC solidify place atop East in brunch date with Quakes?

There is so much to like about how New York City FC's season has unfolded. Head coach Domenec Torrent was feeling the heat at the start, as the team didn't even pull down a win until Week 7, but now a full year into his reign in the Bronx, Torrent's mark is firmly stamped on this team and they have risen to the top of the Easter Conference playing some aesthetically pleasing soccer.

The 1-1 midweek draw with Toronto FC will go down as a disappointment, but that should not take away from what is a six-match unbeaten run, with five victories. Next up for NYCFC is an early Saturday kickoff with the San Jose Earthquakes (12:30 p.m. ET, streaming on ESPN+).

The Earthquakes were in action in midweek as well, a 1-0 loss at Real Salt Lake, and now venture to New York to play a match that starts when a good chunk of Northern California will still be in their pajamas. The Quakes are likely to be a bit fatigued from Wednesday night, plus their body clocks will still be on Pacific time. The chances to strike early -- and fortify their place atop the East -- should be there for NYCFC.

At the beginning of the 2018 Major League Soccer season, D.C. United found themselves in disarray. The once-proud franchise, which finished dead last the previous year, started 2W-7L-5D. Then, however, a certain ruddy English forward arrived and fortunes shifted.

"A lot of things happened at once last year," James Lambert, president of the Screaming Eagles supporters' group, said. "[Wayne] Rooney showed up the same day they opened Audi Field, really at the same time they were making major changes in the front office with leadership there as well."

From that point on, United -- who take on the Portland Timbers on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) -- accumulated 11 wins and four draws against just two loses, going unbeaten in their final 10 regular-season games. Although they lost their first playoff game in a penalty shootout to Gregg Berhalter and Zack Steffen's Columbus Crew, the prospects for 2019 looked strong.

- Alvarez is Galaxy's breakout star and Zlatan's 'cub'
- Carlisle: MLS takes on Portland's most passionate fans
- Vela proves his commitment to LAFC is not in question

"The combination of all the changes, Rooney coming in, and how well they played on that streak last year, there was generally a feeling of optimism around the club," Lambert said. "There were a number of us, I would count myself among them, that thought this was the first team we had talent-wise in a decade that could really compete."

A victory over reigning MLS Cup holders Atlanta United in the season's opening game, followed by seven wins and just three losses in the season's first 12 games, only added to the hype. Then, disaster. Ben Olsen's squad managed only two wins in the 13 matches between mid-May and early August, victories over lowly expansion team FC Cincinnati and perpetually floundering Orlando City.

The underlying numbers were even worse. Heading into the weekend, United sit tied for 18th in shots per game at 12.3, putting only 3.7 of those on target (20th in the league). They have the second-worst total-shots ratio, according to American Soccer Analysis, and the difference between their expected goals for and expected goals against is minus-14.7. Two teams -- Cincy and the Vancouver Whitecaps -- have a worse differential. In other words: Not. Good.

Oh, and in August, Rooney announced he's leaving the team at the conclusion of the 2019 season to take a spot as player/manager of Derby County. The forward hasn't been bad this year with 11 goals and seven assists in 25 games, but it's far from his electric 2018 performance. Earlier in the summer, he sang Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" at a Georgetown piano karaoke bar, which just about sums things up.

"It was a long summer," Olsen said with typical understatement. "It was a grind for us."

But hey, this is MLS, and despite the struggles and the chaos, United have managed to eek out a couple of results, including a 3-0 away win against the Montreal Impact in their last match, and sit tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Make the playoffs and who knows?

"I've seen so many different roads to winning an MLS Cup as a player and as a coach," Olsen said. "The offensive stuff, if we can get that to click a little bit more over the next month, I wouldn't want to play us if we got in."

During the transfer window, United brought in reinforcements, including Felipe Martins, Emmanuel Boateng and Ola Kamara. (Olsen on the Kamara addition: "Do we need a No. 9? Not necessarily. We have a guy named Wayne who is filling that role. But with the Wayne situation for next year, Ola's name came across. He's a guy who can not only give us a bit of a boost in the short term, but he's a long-term play as a starting No. 9 going forward.") Those three, combined with a break for the international window, provided Olsen and his charges a chance to reset and rest up for the stretch run. Rooney and Luciano Acosta, another player in the midst of a lost season, played 90 minutes in a friendly against Puebla, the Englishman nearly tallying a spectacular free kick in the dying stages.

Rooney vowed to continue pushing toward the playoffs, and Olsen sees no reason not to believe the forward.

"Wayne doesn't differ too much emotionally," the coach said. "He shows up and he goes about his business. That's always been the case with him. He's low-maintenance with that stuff as far as being at training and doing what he's always done: competing, training and being an overall good influence."

Four games left -- home against Seattle and Cincy, away at Portland and New York Red Bulls -- to determine the success or failure of 2019. A weird, difficult year; an ending unwritten.

"There's been drama," Olsen said. "No question. A little bit more than I would have liked, but I do feel like we're past a lot of this, and the focus is now about the last month of the season. I think the guys have good blinders on about what the task is. I'm looking forward to it as well."

PCB chairman Ehsan Mani reiterated his confidence in Pakistan hosting Sri Lanka later this month, saying neither he nor his board was looking to shift the series to a neutral venue.

According to the original schedule, both teams will be playing three T20Is and three ODIs in Lahore and Karachi between September 27 and October 9. But doubts over those matches actually taking place surfaced earlier this week when the Sri Lankan government received news of a "possible terrorist threat on the Sri Lanka team". This development came two days after SLC named their touring squads without ten frontline players who refused to travel.

Mani, addressing the press in Lahore on Friday, said the PCB is in discussion with the SLC and that he expected to tour to continue as planned. "Our decision is very clear and we are not exploring any other neutral venue. We don't have the time to shift or lookout for any other option right now. Our default position is that it is Pakistan's home series and it will be played in the country. This has been the understanding right from the start and we are in discussions with the Sri Lanka board and they are also very positive about sending their team."

SLC had committed to the tour after a thorough security assessment, but with less than two weeks for the first match, their government has asked for another round of checks to be made. It is also understood that the Pakistan ambassador in Colombo met with the Sri Lankan defence secretary on Thursday and that the SLC has prompted the Sri Lankan defence ministry for an updated threat assessment.

"We didn't get any negative feedback from their board and they never said that they are not coming," Mani said. "All they are seeking is their government's permission and they are engaging with them. There are speculations that they are sending their under-strength team but it's their prerogative. But what is important that international cricket will be played in Pakistan, and Sri Lanka is fulfilling their commitment."

Comprising six games, this will be the longest international series in Pakistan for a decade. It will also mark the first international action in Pakistan in 18 months. The tour was supposed to include two Test matches as well but they have been postponed to December. The PCB wants to host them in Pakistan as well and see this limited-overs series as a trial run towards that ultimate aim.

On a different note but directly relevant is the appointment of the ICC officials for the series. ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB has already informed them about the schedule but the ICC will carry out its own assessment of the security situation prior to sending match officials.

The National Stadium in Karachi will host the ODIs, while the T20Is will be held in Lahore. These will be the first ODIs to take place in Pakistan since Zimbabwe toured for a three-match ODI series in 2015; all the international cricket since the 2017 PSL final has been in the form of T20Is.

Warwickshire 517 (Lamb 173, Hain 82, Patel 51, Sibley 51, Harmer 6-143) drew with Essex 324 (Westley 141, Browne 65, Patel 6-73) and 158 for 2 (Westley 97, Cook 57*)

Tom Westley led the way with 237 runs in the match as Essex batted out for a draw against Warwickshire in the Specsavers County Championship Division One at Edgbaston.

Having been bowled out for 324, 193 behind, Essex followed on and closed the final day on 158 for two as the match petered out in the Birmingham sunshine.

Westley added a second innings 97 to his first innings 141 (266 balls, 18 fours) as he and Alastair Cook added 157 in 54 overs to shepherd their side to safety.

The draw secured Warwickshire's Division One status, condemning Nottinghamshire to relegation, but meant that Essex relinquished the initiative to Somerset in the race for the title. On the back foot throughout the match, the visitors never recovered from their decision to bowl first which backfired spectacularly as Warwickshire piled up 517.

After resuming on the final morning on 278 for six in their first innings, Essex added just 46 as Warwickshire captain Jeetan Patel took six for 73. Patel struck twice in three balls as Adam Wheater was smartly caught by Sam Hain at short leg and Simon Harmer's leg-stump was knocked out.

To compound Essex's frustration, they fell one run short of a third batting point. When the last ball of the 110th over (the bonus points cut off) arrived, they were 299 for 8 but Aaron Beard drove Olly Hannon-Dalby straight to short extra cover so a potentially vital point slipped away.

Westley's skilful resistance ended when he left one from Henry Brookes which flattened his off-stump before Patel removed Beard thanks to Liam Banks' catch at third slip.

Following on, Essex lost Nick Browne from the fourth ball of the innings when he edged George Garrett into the slips, but Cook and Westley made measured progress on a flattening pitch. The pair reached their half-centuries from 98 and 101 balls respectively as the game headed for stale-mate.

Cook resisted the temptation to accelerate in search of his first championship century against Warwickshire (he has scored two first-class tons against them for MCC and England) but Westley advanced to within three runs of recording a second century in a match for the first time before chipping Matt Lamb to midwicket.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- You might see Aaron Rodgers do something he's never done before in an NFL game on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings: wear a playcalling cheat sheet on his wrist.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback experimented with one during Friday's practice as a way to help get first-year coach Matt LaFleur's playcalls relayed more quickly. The Packers have talked all week about trying to increase their offensive tempo after a sluggish start in their 10-3 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 1.

LaFleur wouldn't say for sure whether Rodgers will use it against the Vikings, but he thinks it could help.

"It gets [the play] out of my mouth a lot faster, I'll tell you that much," LaFleur said Friday. "So yeah, maybe it helps me get him the play a little bit quicker."

Rodgers said earlier this week that the Packers need to get out of the huddle and to the line of scrimmage more quickly, but that's tough sometimes because of how long LaFleur's plays are.

"We do have some long calls in the plan -- that's just the way the offense is," Rodgers said Wednesday. "There's a number of checks for different plays. It's getting that call in and repeating it and going out there and trying to execute as quickly as possible. The great thing about this offense and the communication is we had a great debrief Monday and Tuesday about everything. We made some subtle changes to hopefully help with some of that tempo."

This is Rodgers' first time in a new offense since he became the starter in 2008. He had one head coach during that time, Mike McCarthy, until last December, when McCarthy was fired with four games left in the season. Rodgers had three years as a backup -- two under McCarthy -- to learn the offense before he became a starter.

Rodgers said this offseason that learning LaFleur's offense was like learning a foreign language. The wrist band could help the translation process.

"I don't know, we're just trying something new," LaFleur said. "We'll figure out where we are going with that."

One other issue that's up in the air is the availability of All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, who returned to practice after missing Thursday because of a back injury. The Packers listed him as questionable.

Bakhtiari said he expects to spend much of the next day and a half with the medical staff "to do whatever I need to do that's necessary to open up my back, keep it from regressing to where it was. If we do that, I think I can have a good chance to play."

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- New York Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams refuted Odell Beckham Jr.'s accusations that he coaches his players to injure opponents, claiming Friday, "We don't do that. Never done that anywhere I've been."

Williams also seemed to scoff at the perception that Beckham is a "dynamic" player, suggesting the New York Giants traded him because they feel the same way he does.

It made for a contentious interview session three days before the Jets face Beckham's current team, the Cleveland Browns, at MetLife Stadium.

The polarizing Williams got testy and tried to change the subject when, as a follow-up to his claim that he doesn't teach dirty tactics, he was asked about the New Orleans Saints' Bountygate scandal. He was suspended for a year by the NFL for his role.

"Was that right or wrong?" he asked. "Again, I don't want to talk about that. Do you want to talk about Cleveland? Next!"

Williams said he teaches his players to play within the rules, but he refused to answer when it was mentioned he was caught on tape telling his players to injure former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

Williams' past became an issue Thursday, when Beckham told reporters in Cleveland that Williams teaches "cheap shots" and "dirty hits." The receiver blamed Williams for his preseason ankle injury two years ago that impacted his career.

At first, Williams responded to the charge with humor, saying, "Odell who?" -- a joking reference to Dallas Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones' recent remark about Ezekiel Elliott. Williams defended himself, then blamed the media for making it a story.

"You guys are cooperating, giving him attention," he said. "Just don't give him attention."

When a reporter prefaced a question by referring to Beckham as one of the most "dynamic" players in the league, Williams interrupted.

"That's your opinion. What's New York's opinion?" he said, alluding to the controversial trade. "The Giants' opinion? What did the Giants do? That's not a question for me."

The outspoken Williams, 61, the Browns' interim coach for the final eight games of the 2018 season, said he doesn't consider Beckham's comments a personal insult.

"No, I don't. This is not part of what we do, OK?" he said. "You believe what you believe. The people that know me know me. I don't have to defend it."

Williams and Beckham have a history. Williams was the Rams' defensive coordinator in 2014, when the Rams and Giants played a fight-marred game in which Beckham complained that he was targeted.

"We play hard, fast, physical," Williams said. "We play tougher for longer. We do that. It's not professional flag football, OK? This is what we do. We play very, very hard and we have to do everything not to hurt the team. Attack, that's what we do."

Defensive end Leonard Williams said Williams doesn't coach players to injure opponents, but he acknowledged there's a delicate balance.

"He tells us to get the ball out, impose our will, be nasty on defense, hit the ball carriers," Williams said. "He always says play on the edge, live on the edge, but don't hurt the team. It is a fine line. You can play on the edge, you can play nasty, but don't hurt the team. Don't get penalties and don't try to hurt guys intentionally and do stuff that's going to hurt our team. It's like playing on a fine line."

Browns coach Freddie Kitchens, who was on the Cleveland staff last season with Gregg Williams, wanted no part of the story on Friday.

"I don't have anything to say about that," he said of Beckham's accusations. "I haven't seen anything, and I coached with the guy for a year."

Kitchens said Beckham hasn't expressed any concerns about Williams to him.

MILLINGTON, Tenn. – The Great American Guaranteed Million just keeps getting bigger.

Already the first guaranteed-to-win $1 million purse for bracket racers, the massive race added another exciting layer on Wednesday, as promoters Britt Cummings and Gaylon Rolison announced a special Factory Stock Showdown race at the event.

The race, which takes place May 20-25, 2020 at Memphis Int’l Raceway, will include the popular class as one of the marquee attractions on Saturday, May 23, with Cummings already receiving commitments from many of the top names in the class.

“We’ve already got 15 verbally-committed entries and I only called 16 people,” Cummings said. “With the million-dollar race finishing up earlier in the day on Saturday, we wanted to keep the show going and have people in the stands.

“For me, this is the class I want to highlight. It’s a badass class, I love what it’s all about and I think the fans and everyone in the bracket racing world will dig it.”

The class has grown – both in popularity and participation – at an incredible rate in recent years, and will be given marquee billing and a marquee payout at the Great American Guaranteed Million in Memphis.

Cummings will keep the same $3,000 entry fee that is in place for the million-dollar bracket race, and it will be a 16-car qualified field.

He noted that 85 percent of the entry money will go back into the purse, meaning the greater number of entries, the bigger the purse. Though he’s still working through the final details, Cummings envisions the payout going to the winner and runner-up.

“With 24 entries, the purse I would like to see is $50,000 to the winner and $11,200 to the runner-up. That’s what I would like to see,” Cummings said.

That makes for a massive payout to the racers in the class, and whatever rules package in place at the time will be used at the event.

Cummings said certified NHRA tech people will also be on-site in Memphis and the class will race quarter-mile.

As far as names, Cummings has received verbal commitments from the likes of Leah Pritchett, the 2018 NHRA champ in the class, Mark Pawuk, Bo Butner, David Barton, Stephen Bell, Arthur Kohn, the Skillman family and several others.

With an impressive list of star power already, Cummings is excited to see it all come to fruition next year as the class gets major billing at one of the top events of 2020.

“These drivers were all excited. They’ve got a lot invested in these cars, running for $2,000, so this is something they want to do,” Cummings said. “They’re excited and it’s going to be great.

“I was 100 percent committed to doing this after watching this class race in Gainesville this year. I saw them go down and nobody in the bleachers left. That’s when I was sold. To see what they’re doing with these cars is phenomenal and I think it’s a great fit for this event.”

Cummings believes it adds another thrilling layer to what will be one of the most anticipated races of the year. But Cummings hints the Factory Stock Showdown won’t be the only major addition to the race, noting there will be plenty of surprises leading up to Memorial Day.

“We’re trying to keep it fresh and we’re excited with all the other things we’re working on for this race,” Cummings said.

Pre-entries open for the Great American Guaranteed Million on Oct. 11.

The race will also include a trio of $40,000-to-win races on Thursday, Sunday and Monday, with parking starting on Tuesday, May 19. Testing kicks off the event the following day, with the first of the Triple 40s taking place on Thursday. On Friday, each racer will get a timed entry and then they will run the opening round and the re-entry round before finishing for the night. Racing for $1 million will start Saturday morning with a time run before the winner is crowned.

CONCORD, N.C. — Justin Haley was the surprise winner of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona Int’l Speedway in July.

It was a great story — an underdog making his third series start for a low-budget team in Spire Motorsports steals the victory from the top stars of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series thanks to the timely intervention of Mother Nature.

However, instead of joy and excitement, many on social media lambasted NASCAR’s decision to call the event when persistent rain storms prevented officials from restarting the race.

A joke some called it. Ridiculous others said. Many others used words that wouldn’t make it past our editor.

Why the hate?

Justin Haley and Spire Motorsports played the game perfectly.

Everyone on the track had the opportunity to do what Haley and Spire Motorsports. Any lead-lap driver ahead of Haley could have stayed out during the final caution period.

Instead, they all played it safe, came down pit road for fuel and tires and came back out on track behind Haley, who was declared the winner when rain engulfed the massive 2.5-mile track.

Haley was not the first driver to steal a race at NASCAR’s top level in this particular fashion.

In the aftermath of Haley’s upset win at Daytona, we dug through the archives to find some of NASCAR’s other big upsets for a historical feature on SPEEDSPORT.com. Here are just a few that caught our attention.

Remember when Chris Buescher won at Pennsylvania’s Pocono Raceway?

During his rookie season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2016, Buescher was the leader of the Pennsylvania 400 during a round a pit stops when fog moved in over the track.

The horrendous fog forced first a caution flag, then a red flag. With no lights at the track and the race past halfway, NASCAR officials declared the race over and awarded Buescher his only Cup Series victory.

How about David Reutimann’s upset victory in the 2009 Coca- Cola 600?

Rain was a factor in the Florida driver earning his first series victory. Driving a race car with damage on the right side from a previous meeting with the wall, Reutimann was the leader when rain brought out a caution flag on lap 227 of the 400-lap event. He spent the next hour waiting patiently until NASCAR pulled the plug, awarding him his first of two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories.

Then there is fuel strategy. How many drivers have stolen NASCAR Cup Series victories because of fuel mileage? Two particular instances come to mind.

The first came during the 2007 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway when Casey Mears used a fuel mileage strategy to score what would turn out to be his only victory at NASCAR’s top level in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Then there was Paul Menard, who stole a victory in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from Jeff Gordon thanks to a brilliant fuel strategy call from his crew chief, Richard “Slugger” Labbe.

Because these drivers used the timely intervention of Mother Nature or fuel strategy gambles, does that mean they aren’t as deserving of being called a NASCAR Cup Series race winner as the likes of Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson or Brad Keselowski?

The answer is no.

The Spire Motorsports team and Haley gambled on Mother Nature helping them out and they got lucky. That doesn’t mean they didn’t deserve the victory, it just means they played the game better than 39 other drivers and teams that Sunday afternoon at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

If you don’t like it? Too bad. Sometimes life isn’t fair and things don’t work out for your favorite driver or team. But sometimes, just sometimes, things go exactly right for that one driver and that one team you never thought would be in position to win a race.

On July 7, 2019, at Daytona Int’l Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., everything went perfectly for Haley’s No. 77 Spire Motorsports team. They took home the trophy and the prize money and Haley is a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race winner.

No one will be able to take that away from him. It’s a title, whether you like it or not, that the 20-year-old from Winamac, Ind., has earned and will carry with him the rest of his life.

Well done Justin Haley, well done.

MISANO ADRIATICO, Italy – Maverick Viñales put his Monster Energy Yamaha bike on the top of the MotoGP practice charts Friday at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Viñales led the way overall and during the second practice with a fast lap of 1:32.775, which was just enough to give him the top spot over Fabio Quartararo, who was fastest in the first practice.

“Honestly, today I tried to keep the good feeling from the test going, because we worked in a really good way,” Viñales said. “For sure it was very difficult because the track was very slippery today, but somehow I was still able to hit the lap times, so I’m quite happy and enthusiastic for that reason. Anyway, there’s still a lot of work to do. For sure we, with two or three riders, are a little bit ahead of the competition, but they will come to our level, so we need to keep working and see what we can improve. The track felt difficult today because it’s very slippery, especially on the initial laps on the tire, but we’ll see. We only tried the medium tire, never the hard or a long run on the softs, so tomorrow we will see more properly.”

Championship leader Marc Marquez was third fastest, .396 seconds off the pace set by Viñales. Valentino Rossi was fourth on the second Monster Energy Yamaha, followed by Franco Morbidelli in fifth to give Yamaha four of the top-five spots in practice.

Pol Espargaro was sixth for Red Bull KTM, followed by the Ducati duo of Michele Pirro and Danilo Petrucci, Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro and the Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso.

INDIANAPOLIS – A week from IndyCar’s return to historic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi is convinced that NTT P1 Award qualifying on Sept. 21 will play a key role in determining which driver wins the NTT IndyCar Series championship.

With the field of 24 competitors as close in performance as any group in Indy car history and all four title contenders capable of winning the 90-lap race, scoring the pole’s bonus point and getting early track position on the 11-turn, 2.258-mile permanent road course figures to be critical.

Then there’s the fact that 14 times in the 22 Indy car races at Laguna Seca the pole winner went on to win the race. Twelve drivers contributed to that distinction.

The Firestone Fast Six qualifying, a 75-minute, three-round knock-out format, will be televised live on NBCSN beginning at 4:35 p.m. ET (1:35 p.m. PT local).

“I’ve been saying for a while this championship very well could be decided in qualifying at Laguna,” Rossi said. “It’s no secret that we’re expecting it to be a challenging race to pass just because of (the track’s) history.

“So, yeah, it’s 100 percent going to be a critical qualifying session that you’re going to have to be inch perfect and nail it through all three rounds,” Rossi said. “The guy that’s on pole, if he’s one of the guys that is in the championship fight, it’s going to make their job to win the thing a whole lot easier.”

Series leader Josef Newgarden of Team Penske leads Rossi by 41 points and teammate Simon Pagenaud by 42 points. Newgarden can clinch his second career title by finishing in the top four. Rossi and Pagenaud likely need to win the race to win the title, and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon is in a must-win situation if he hopes to claim his sixth series championship.

In terms of one of the contenders taking the pole position, Team Penske has dominated the season with Newgarden, Pagenaud and Will Power sitting on the pole in nine of the 16 races. Newgarden earned poles at Belle Isle (second race), Pocono and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway while Pagenaud collected his at the Indianapolis 500, Toronto and Iowa.

Rossi has been one of the few to break through the Penske dominance with a pair of poles, the first at Long Beach and most recent at Belle Isle (first race). Dixon has yet to win a pole this season, but has started on the front row three times (Long Beach, Indianapolis Grand Prix, Texas).

Dixon is the only one of the four title contenders with Indy car experience at this track, but those two starts came in 2001 and ’02. This will be the first Indy car race at the track since 2004, which means this generation of competitors and equipment face a variety of unknowns heading into the four days of track activity.

The first action is Thursday, Sept. 19 with six hours of testing beginning at 9:15 a.m. PT local.

“It’s a blank slate for everyone, (and) that’s exciting,” Rossi said. “It will definitely reward the team and the drivers that come to grips with everything the quickest. It will probably reward them in a championship.”