FORT WORTH, Texas – Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 wasn’t a truly dominating Kevin Harvick performance, but it was still more than enough to lock him into the Championship 4 for the third straight year.

Harvick started from the pole and led a race-high 120 of 334 laps en route to victory at Texas Motor Speedway, winning for the 49th time in his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career and the fourth time this season.

More importantly, Harvick’s third straight playoff win at Texas – all in the last three years – gave him a guaranteed spot alongside Martinsville (Va.) Speedway winner Martin Truex Jr. in the title decider on Nov. 17 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.

The Bakersfield, Calif., native took control of the race during the final restart of the race, following a lap-242 spin by Bubba Wallace that drew the 11th caution flag on the day.

He restarted outside the top four but wasted no time slicing his way back to the front, using a nifty two-for-one move to pass a pair of cars and go to third on lap 250, before moving inside of teammate Daniel Suarez for the runner-up spot a lap later.

Finally, on lap 255, Harvick got underneath Aric Almirola for the top spot and never looked back after that, opening up a lead of as much as four seconds at times down the stretch and only giving up the point again from laps 307 to 313 when he made his final green-flag pit stop for fuel and tires.

Once he cycled around to the lead again on the 314th rotation, Harvick was unchallenged in taking home the trophy – which tied him with boss Tony Stewart in terms of all-time Cup Series victories.

“Texas has always been so great to us, and what a race track the last few years,” noted Harvick. “These guys brought a great Ducks Unlimited/Busch Beer Ford to the race track this weekend. … It’s just been a lot of work put into this race. We knew this was a good one for us and we felt like it fit the style of our cars, and man … did it ever today.

“We got put back in the back there for a pit road violation (under caution at lap 193), and I didn’t really know what was going to happen. We had a bad restart after that, and then all of a sudden we got on a different set of tires and got on a different cycle, and wound up making our way back to the front,” Harvick added. “It was a fast car and we made it all work today.”

Harvick’s secret weapon may have been son Keelan, who helped the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing crew set the air pressures prior to Sunday’s race before Harvick drove on to victory in commanding fashion.

“I think he’s three for three or four for four,” said the elder Harvick of his son. “I think all four races (we’ve won) he’s set the air pressure this year, so if anything, we’re at least helping him with math.

“It’s fun to have him at the race track and this has been a fun weekend.”

Harvick led the second-career top-three sweep for Stewart-Haas as an organization on Sunday, with Almirola finishing 1.594 seconds adrift in second after making a late charge when Harvick was hung up by the slower car of Ryan Newman.

Suarez completed the SHR trifecta by earning a third-place finish.

Joey Logano crossed fourth and Alex Bowman was fifth. Truex and Kyle Busch followed in sixth and seventh, respectively.

Busch, 22 points clear of elimination, and Logano, 20 points ahead of fifth place, are the two drivers in the Championship 4 on points with one race at Arizona’s ISM Raceway remaining in the semifinal round.

Denny Hamlin, who entered the day above the cut line, lost control of his car off turn four on lap 81 and spun through the frontstretch grass – sustaining damage to the front splitter as a result of the incident.

Hamlin finished 28th, and along with eighth-finishing Ryan Blaney, 12th-finishing Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott – who crashed nine laps in and ended up 32nd – will likely need a win next week to advance to Homestead with a shot at the Cup Series title.

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

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Colin Montgomerie won the Invesco QQQ Championship on Sunday with a par on the first hole of a playoff after Bernhard Langer took four strokes to get out of a greenside bunker.

With Langer finally on the par-4 18th green in six shots, Montgomerie two-putted for the victory, with the 56-year-old Scot tapping in from 2 feet to end the second of three events in the PGA Tour Champions' Charles Schwab Cup playoffs.

Playing five groups ahead of Langer, Montgomerie made a 40-foot birdie putt in regulation on 18 for a tournament-record 9-under 63. Langer parred the final four holes in regulation for a 67, leaving a 15-foot birdie try short on 18. They finished at 15-under 202.

Montgomerie won for the seventh time on the 50-and-over tour. The 62-year-old Langer has 40 senior victories, winning a playoff at Sherwood in 2017.

Retief Goosen and Tommy Tolles were a stroke back. Goosen, the second-round leader, shot a 69. He missed a 12-foot birdie try on 18. Tolles closed with a 66.

The top 36 in the season standings advanced to the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship next week in Phoenix. Points leader Scott McCarron closed with a 77 to tie for 43rd at even par.

Miguel Angel Jimenez, the winner two weeks ago in the playoff opener in Virginia, closed with a 69 to tie for fifth at 11 under with Billy Andrade (64) and Ken Tanigawa (65).

Fred Couples, a stroke behind Goosen entering the round, had a 72 to tie for eighth at 9 under. The 60-year-old Couples won the last of his 13 Champions titles in 2017.

DENVER -- There's waiting your turn and then there's waiting 42 months for your turn as Denver Broncos quarterback Brandon Allen did.

Allen, who took the first regular-season snaps in his NFL career Sunday, filled in for the injured Joe Flacco and led the Broncos to a 24-19 victory over the Cleveland Browns at Empower Field at Mile High.

The win nudged the Broncos to 3-6 heading into their Week 10 bye as Denver equaled its best scoring output of the season -- they scored 24 in a Week 4 loss to Jacksonville. Allen finished 12-of-20 passing for 193 yards and two touchdowns.

Allen was forced into duty when the 34-year-old Flacco suffered a herniated disc in his neck, an injury Flacco said he believed he aggravated in the team's loss to the Indianapolis Colts last week. Flacco was placed on injured reserve this past week, and Allen, who had been claimed on waivers from the Los Angeles Rams just before the start of the regular season, was pushed into the starting lineup.

The Rams play a similar scheme on offense, which was one of the reasons the Broncos claimed him in the first week of the regular season. That comfort level showed, at least after some initial jitters, as Allen led the Broncos to three touchdown drives.

"[I'm] very comfortable, it's a very a similar offense from where I came from, even when I first got here I was fairly comfortable,'' Allen said this past week. "... Here and there every week there's a couple plays they give me [in practice] just to be able to get in with the first O.''

The Broncos' 95-yard scoring drive in the third quarter -- their third of the game -- meant Allen was the first quarterback to lead his team on a touchdown drive of 95 yards or more in his first career game since Marc Bulger in 2002.

The Broncos kept much the same playcalling for Allen with plenty of three-wide receiver sets mixed in with the two-tight end and two-back sets. The Broncos the first-career 100-yard receiving game from rookie tight end Noah Fant, which included a 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the first quarter, and a big-play outing from running back Phillip Lindsay.

Lindsay had a key 40-yard run to go with a 30-yard touchdown run that gave the Broncos a 24-12 lead with 1 minute, 6 seconds left in the third quarter. Add in another good defensive effort -- the Broncos have held four of their opponents to 20 or fewer points -- and the Broncos escaped with a much-needed win.

Allen became the second Broncos quarterback to start his first game and see the Broncos win. John Elway made his NFL debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1983, a game the Broncos won, 14-10, but Elway was pulled from that game after he was 1-of-8 for 14 yards and an interception.

All of the quarterback questions will come later. Allen will start the Broncos' Week 11 game in Minnesota and the Week 12 game in Buffalo. Broncos coach Vic Fangio said rookie quarterback Drew Lock, who is on injured reserve at the moment recovering from a right thumb injury he suffered in the preseason, is expected to return to practice in Week 11 after the team returns from the bye.

Lock can practice for up to three weeks before the Broncos must decide whether to keep him on injured reserve or put him on the roster. Lock was a second-round pick -- the 42nd pick overall -- in this past April's draft.

DENVER -- The NFL told Cleveland Browns wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry to change their cleats at halftime or they wouldn't be allowed to play the second half, according to the CBS television broadcast.

The NFL rulebook states that "a player may wear shoes that are black, white or any constitutional team color, or any combination of black, white and a constitutional team color."

Beckham's white cleats included blue and red colors in a face resembling the character from the recent movie "Joker." Landry's were a lighter shade of orange closer to Denver's jersey color than Cleveland's.

Both players came out of the locker room after halftime wearing different cleats that conformed to the rules.

This is not the first time the league has had issues with Beckham's uniform. The league confronted Beckham after he wore a $190,000 watch during Cleveland's season opener. Beckham was also fined $14,000 for wearing pants that did not cover his knees in the Browns' loss to Seattle on Oct. 13.

NFL officials did not immediately respond for comment.

Nolan Arenado extended his streak of winning a Rawlings Gold Glove Award in every season of his career on Sunday, when the Colorado Rockies star captured the award for National League third basemen for the seventh consecutive year.

Arenado has won the award each year since he debuted in 2013. With this year's win, he moved into sole possession of fourth place for the most Gold Gloves among third basemen and just one behind Scott Rolen for third place all time.

Only Baltimore Orioles legend Brooks Robinson, who won 16 Gold Gloves in a row from 1960 to '75, and Mike Schmidt, who won 10, have more than Arenado. Robinson has the most Gold Gloves among all position players, but at just 26 years old, Arenado has a chance to catch him.

Kansas City Royals veteran Alex Gordon also won his seventh career Gold Glove on Sunday, claiming the AL left fielder award for the third straight year to move into a tie for 14th-most among outfielders.

The Arizona Diamondbacks had four Gold Glove winners on their team this season, including both pitchers, Mike Leake and Zack Greinke, though the two never played with each other. Leake won the American League pitcher's award for his time with the Seattle Mariners before Arizona acquired him at the trade deadline on July 31, the day the Diamondbacks dealt Greinke to the Houston Astros.

Shortstop Nick Ahmed, who won his second straight Gold Glove, and left fielder David Peralta were the other Diamondbacks honored Sunday. Peralta was one of three National League outfielders who won their first Gold Gloves, joining Milwaukee's Lorenzo Cain and the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger.

The Oakland Athletics had a pair of winners as first baseman Matt Olson and third baseman Matt Chapman both won for the second straight season. The Cleveland Indians had two Gold Glovers in shortstop Francisco Lindor, who won the second of his career, and catcher Roberto Perez, a first-time winner.

The second baseman awards went to the White Sox's Yolmer Sanchez and the Cardinals' Kolten Wong, who both won for the first time.

Also in the American League, Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts won for the fourth straight season, and Tampa Bay center fielder Kevin Kiermaier won his third career Gold Glove after a two-year absence.

In the National League, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo won his third career Gold Glove and second in a row, while catcher J.T. Realmuto earned his first award in his first season with the Phillies after a preseason trade from the Marlins.

LAKE OZARK, Mo. – Lucas Oil Speedway celebrated the 2019 season on Saturday night with its annual Championship Banquet and Awards at Camden on the Lake Resort.

Division champions from the four Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series classes honored were Robbie Reed of Mexico (Pitts Homes USRA Modifieds), Kris Jackson of Lebanon (Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods), Appleton City’s Johnny Fennewald (Warsaw Auto Marine & RV ULMA Late Models) and Toby Ott of Wheatland (O’Reilly Auto Parts Street Stocks).

Three special awards also were announced, including veteran announcer Kevin Fletcher as recipient of the 3rd annual Forrest Lucas Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to the sport on and off the track. He joins previous winners Rex Merritt (2017) and Jim Ruble (2018).

“This is the biggest thing I’ve ever received from announcing,” Fletcher said. “It means a lot to me.”

Fletcher began announcing races at Lucas Oil Speedway a year after Forrest Lucas bought the old Wheatland Raceway and opened the modern facility in 2006. The Springfield native has announced at several dirt tracks in Missouri and the four-state area for a little more than 30 years, starting at the Airport Speedway in Springfield.

Included was an assignment to do a NASCAR Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway. He also was voice of the Midwest Late Model Racing Association for several years and also called some drag races, motorcycle races and truck and tractor pulls.

Fletcher is a member of the Ozarks Area Racers Foundation Hall of Fame as a Pioneer and also a past president of the organization. He even drove race cars himself for a couple of years before staring his announcing career.

“Through racing he has made many lifetime friends over the year and many memories,” Fletcher’s wife, Barb.

Other award winners included Robbie Reed for Best Appearing Race Car as selected by track photographer Kenny Shaw and speedway staff. For the third straight year, ULMA Late Model driver Kaeden Cornell of Willard was named Most Popular Driver after online fan voting.

Fennewald captured his third straight ULMA Late Model track championship while Jackson earned his fourth Lucas Oil Speedway B-Mod crown. Ott captured his second Street Stocks championship and Reed his first USRA Mod track title.

AUSTIN, Texas – Valtteri Bottas chased down his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in the waining laps to win Sunday’s United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas.

Despite failing to win Sunday’s race, Hamilton’s runner-up result was more than enough for Hamilton to claim his sixth Formula One world championship.

“This is overwhelming if I’m very honest,” Hamilton said moments after climbing from his car.

The battle for the win throughout the day came down to the Mercedes pair, with Bottas starting from the pole while Hamilton started from fifth after a disappointing qualifying effort on Saturday.

The pair were on two different pit strategies, with Hamilton opting for a one-stop strategy while Bottas went for a two-stop strategy. Bottas made his second stop of the day on the 36th lap, elevating Hamilton to the point by roughly 10 seconds after Bottas exited the pit area in second.

Utilizing the medium tires, Bottas quickly and efficiently cut the gap to Hamilton lap after lap and with 10 laps left he was within striking distance of his British teammate. By lap 49 the gap was only 1.5 seconds and Bottas was still closing.

On lap 51 of the 56-lap contest Bottas got a run on Hamilton in the DRS zone down the long straightaway between turns 11 and 12. Hamilton blocked the inside, forcing Bottas to take the long way around into the turn.

The move didn’t work and Bottas was forced to get back in line behind Hamilton, but Bottas was now right behind Hamilton and primed for another attack.

On the next lap Bottas took another shot in the DRS zone between turns 11 and 12. This time Bottas got his run much earlier and went to Hamilton’s inside, easily clearing his teammate before they made it to turn 12 to take the lead.

Once out front Bottas checked out in a hurry, taking the checkered flag more than four seconds ahead of Hamilton to earn his career-best fourth victory of the Formula One season.

“It’s a nice win. Feels good,” Bottas said. “We had a strong pace and we’re very, very happy about the win. Basically (it was) the only I could really focus on and do this weekend in terms of the championship. It was not enough and Lewis got the title.

“I wasn’t quite sure which strategy was going to end be ending up the better one. My pace was good, so I could make that two-stop happen, which wasn’t planned initially.”

Bottas entered the race weekend with a slim chance at winning the Formula One title, but Hamilton’s performance prevented that from happening.

“A big congrats to him,” Bottas said. “I personally failed at my task this year, but there is always next year. He deserves it, he had a strong season.”

Hamilton finished second, holding off a fast-closing Max Verstappen to claim the second step on the podium as well as his third-straight Formula One title. Hamilton is now one championship away from tying all-time Formula One championship leader Michael Schumacher, who won seven championships during his career.

“My dad told me when I was like 6 or 7 years old never to give up. That’s kind of the family motto,” Hamilton said. “I was pushing as hard as I could. I was hopeful that I might be able to win today, but we didn’t have it in the tires unfortunately.”

Hamilton said despite having the championship locked up, he wants to keep pushing and chasing victories in the final two races of the year in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

“I’m ready for the next race. These next races we won’t let up, we’ll keep pushing,” Hamilton said.

Verstappen finished third to complete the podium. Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari, while Alexander Albon overcame an opening lap mishap to finish fifth.