MONTEREY, Calif. – Braden Eves had only one thought on his mind entering Sunday’s Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca: He needed to win.

Eves trailed New Zealander Hunter McElrea by 12 points entering the season finale. He was well positioned on the starting grid, lining up third, while the unfortunate McElrea was 18th and last after being hobbled in qualifying by a broken throttle position sensor.

While many of the front-runners had the advantage of a fresh set of Cooper tires on a track that is notoriously hard on tires, Eves would have to make do with used rubber.

Undaunted and completely fired up, Eves vaulted from third to first on the opening lap, then held off a series of challenges throughout a thrilling 20-lap contest to claim the victory – his sixth of the season – and put the championship beyond the reach of McElrea, who could manage no better than seventh.

Saturday’s winner Christian Rasmussen drove another excellent race to climb from 10th on the grid to second for Jay Howard Driver Development, while McElrea’s Pabst Racing teammate, Colin Kaminsky, capped a strong season with another third-place finish.

Remarkably, Eves’ crown was the record-extending ninth in a row for Florida-based Cape Motorsports, although Pabst Racing gained some consolation by securing its third-straight team championship.

The initial start was clean with Kaminsky – on pole for the third time this season – maintaining his advantage as the field headed downhill toward Turn Three. Eves tucked in behind Kaminsky, edging ahead of first-time front row starter Eduardo Barrichello, then dived boldly to the inside in the middle of the corner to wrest away the lead. It was a forceful maneuver but crucial to Eves’ title aspirations. Kaminsky was forced to run wide over the exit curbs which enabled Barrichello to regain second place.

The yellow flags waved shortly thereafter following an incident in turn three involving Jak Crawford, who had started fifth but was obliged to restart well adrift of the field. After one more lap behind the Pace Car, Eves continued to lead from Barrichello and Kaminsky, although it wasn’t long before Rasmussen entered the picture, too, after a typically bold opening few laps which saw him gain four positions on the opening lap and then two more at the restart.

Eves remained under intense pressure, initially from Barrichello and then from Kaminsky, who dived past the Brazilian under braking for turn two on lap eight, with Rasmussen also following suit. Two laps later, Rasmussen displaced Kaminsky from second and then posted the fastest lap of the race as he closed onto Eves’ tail. It seemed to be only a matter of time before the Dane would make his move but Eves was up for the challenge and Rasmussen held enough respect not to attempt anything too rash.

Kaminsky, though, remained right behind in third, and on Lap 14 managed to sneak back past Rasmussen at Turn three. By now there were five cars in the lead train, with Eves battling for his life to fend off Kaminsky, Rasmussen, Barrichello and Zach Holden, who had made good progress from eighth on the grid.

Rasmussen was the next to make a move, diving past Kaminsky under braking for turn two. The pass initially cost him a little ground to Eves, but he was back on the leader’s tail with three laps still remaining. Eves, though, was up to the task. The Ohioan was inch perfect, despite the pressure, never allowing Rasmussen to get close enough to make a late lunge, and the victory – and the championship – was his.

“That was the hardest race of my life, without a doubt. Everyone around me [at the start] had new tires. I had used tires, but I had to win to win the championship,” said Eves. “I had to go for the lead in the first corner, and the guys behind put pressure on me the entire race. I’m so happy to finish with the form we had earlier in the season. We started off so well, but it felt like it was slipping away, which put so much pressure on me. I got a stroke of luck, with the issue he had in qualifying, but Hunter did an incredible job. I have so much respect for him, he really pushed me. This was the hardest year of my life by a mile.

”This is everything I’ve dreamed about all my life. I have to pinch myself, to make sure I’m not still dreaming! I’ve been trying to make a career in racing and the Road to Indy is how you do it, it gives opportunities to people with talent who earn their way up the ladder. All that matters now is that I’ll be racing next year in Indy Pro 2000.”

Second place for Rasmussen – his seventh podium in the last eight races – was enough to secure third place in the championship over Kaminsky on a tie-break.

BARRE, Vt. – Scott Dragon won the battle on Barre Granite Ass’n Championship Day on Sunday, but Jason Corliss won the war.

Dragon captured his fourth win of the season in the 60-lap Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model feature a Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl while Corliss did just enough to edge Dragon to claim the King of the Road title.

Corliss entered the final feature of the regular season with a 10-point edge over Shelburne’s Trampas Demers and 19 points over Dragon, who was aiming to continue his reign as track champion.

However, both Corliss and Demers were caught in the wrong lane early on and got shuffled to the back. Corliss was eventually able to find his way into clear traffic but already found himself needing to make a run through the field.

At the front, Phil Scott grabbed the lead from Ricky Roberts on lap seven. Kyle Pembroke and Dragon followed him around the outside two laps later for second and third. As Corliss tried to fight his way out of the back and Demers remained stuck there, the top-three pulled away in what ended up being a caution-free race.

Pembroke eventually got his nose inside Scott and took the lead just prior to the halfway point and took the lead. Dragon filled the hole for the second spot, then swung to the outside of Pembroke, swiping the lead away for himself on lap 34.

One circuit later, Corliss moved into the eighth position, putting him into a tie with Dragon as they ran – but with Dragon holding the potential tiebreaker on account of more point-counting wins. Corliss kept it rolling on the outside groove, passing Matthew Smith with 20 laps to go for the spot he needed. The veteran got around Marcel J. Gravel for sixth seven laps later to get some insurance. Dragon pulled away from Pembroke down the stretch, and he and Corliss eventually crossed the line in those positions, unofficially giving Corliss the championship by just four points.

Pembroke finished second and unofficially moved up to third in the final standings as Demers struggled to a 12th-place result. Scott completed the podium in third. Brendan Moodie, Matt White, Corliss, Gravel, Smith, Joel Hodgdon and Nick Sweet rounded out the top-10. Hodgdon’s result came in a substitute driving role for Cody Blake.

Jason Woodard took home all the marbles in the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers with his third victory of the season. Woodard, who only needed to start the 60-lap main event to clinch his third Flying Tiger track championship, had charged from 19th on the starting grid to third just past the 40-lap mark. However, he was well behind Colin Cornell and Sid Sweet, and the veteran needed a caution in order to have a shot at the race victory.

Woodard got the help he needed when Kevin Streeter spun to the turn-two infield with four laps to go and was unable to re-fire, bringing out the event’s only caution. When the green came back out, Woodard went underneath Sweet for second, then went to the outside of Cornell and grabbed the lead as they took the white flag. The soon-to-be champion then won a scramble back to the checkered and yellow flags after three cars tangled entering turn one on the final lap.

Cornell settled for second after leading the first 58 laps. Rookie Logan Powers made a late charge of his own to take third. Danny Doyle, Brett Wood, Micheal MacAskill, Sam Caron, Sweet, Brandon Lanphear, and Mike Martin completed the top-10. Despite being involved in the last-lap accident, Stephen Martin clinched the Rookie of the Year Award.

Tyler Pepin capped the Allen Lumber Street Stock regular season with his fourth win of the year. Pepin started on the pole of the 30-lap feature and led a three-car breakaway with Kyle MacAskill and Dean Switser Jr. for much of the event. MacAskill made a run at Pepin late in the going but could not catch him by the time the checkered flag flew.

The rookie MacAskill finished runner-up for the second straight event while Switser took third. Gary Mullen, Juan Marshall, Tim Hunt, Jamie Davis, Kasey Beattie, Bryan P. Wall, and Tommy Smith finished fourth through 10th.

Jeffrey Martin secured his first Allen Lumber Street Stock championship with an 11th-place finish. An emotional Martin thanked Pepin in victory lane, has Pepin had voluntarily done a last-minute substitution for Martin earlier in the season to help keep his title hopes alive. Meanwhile, Keegan Lamson earned enough point to be the Street Stock Rookie of the Year

Chris Davis picked up his first feature victory in the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors. Davis grabbed the lead from fellow Dan Garrett Jr. on lap nine of the 30-lap feature and was never headed from there. James Dopp came from 13th on the starting grid to make a run at Davis late in the event, but Davis was able to keep Dopp in his rear-view mirror for the win.

Dopp finished second while Garrett held off another Berliner, Eric Chase, for a season-best third-place effort. Kylar Davis, Anthony Campbell, Brian Putney, Fred Fleury, Mike Mitchell, and Josh Vilbrin also earned top-10 finishes.

MONTEREY, Calif. – Josef Newgarden is a two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion.

By virtue of a series-high four wins, seven podium finishes and two poles, including a eighth-place finish in Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Newgarden drove the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet to his second championship in three years.

Newgarden’s first title came in 2017, his first season driving for Team Penske. Newgarden’s title is the 16th NTT IndyCar Series championship for team owner Roger Penske.

The 28-year-old native of Hendersonville, Tenn., started his run to the championship with a decisive victory in the season-opening race on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. Newgarden went on to score victories in race one of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, Texas Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway.

He led the point standings the entire 17-race season except for leaving Indianapolis after the Indianapolis 500 was won by teammate Simon Pagenaud. Newgarden quickly regained the top spot following his victory in race one in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix and never looked back.

“My team did such a great job today and all year long.  Tim (Cindric) called a great race,” said an elated Newgarden. “I tried to be as smart as I could today. Team Chevy has done a great job. Won the Indy 500 with Simon (Pagenaud) and now this championship. It’s about all you can ask for in one season. I’m just so thankful to everyone who has helped me. It’s been a heck of a year.”

Colton Herta earned his second NTT IndyCar Series victory of his rookie season in Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. A complete report will be available soon.

VIRGINIA WATER, England – If ever you wanted to see the content look of relief and self-realization it was painted across Danny Willett’s face in good times and bad Sunday at the BMW PGA Championship.

It was there when he teed off tied for the lead with Jon Rahm in a cold, steady drizzle at the biggest tent in the European Tour circus. It was there when his title hopes were ping ponging off the towering trees on Wentworth’s 11th hole. And it was unmistakably there when the 31-year-old spied his family adjacent the 18th green with victory in hand.

Perspective means so much to so many it’s impossible to completely explain its elements for a player like Willett, but the picture was worth a thousand words as he savored the moment of his seventh European Tour victory. 

After everything Willett has been through remaining upright for 72 holes would have been worth celebrating not that long ago, so by comparison his triumph at the circuit’s flagship event was nothing more than another step in the process, albeit a healthy move back toward becoming a world-class player.

For Willett, beating one of the deepest fields ever at Wentworth is more the byproduct of his remarkable transformation. He missed the cut last year on the West Course, and Sunday he was asked if that event was a “false bottom” following what he stoically refers to as “the dark times.”

“I don't think it was the lowest I've been. I've been lower,” he admitted.

The truth is, last year’s missed cut was because of a vasectomy Willett had just days before the championship. “It hurt to walk,” he explained. For the Englishman, rock bottom had been reached long before that 2018 BMW PGA Championship.

After winning the 2016 Masters, Willett seemed poised to take his place among the game’s best players until an assortment of injuries intervened. There was a shoulder ailment followed by a knee issue. There was a wrist injury and a bad back. It all added up to one of the most rapid plunges in golf.

From ninth in the world to 462nd in a little over two years of non-stop pain and poor play.

This is where the perspective begins to interject. Willett and his wife, Nicole, have had two children since that Sunday at Augusta National in 2016, and he’s learned that what happens on a golf course doesn’t define him away from the golf course. But that didn’t complete the transformation. Not for a competitor like Willett.

“Obviously when [his first son] was born, the perspective of good days, bad days were different,” Willett said. “But still very hard to separate it because a bad day on the golf course, when this is what you're longing to do, day in, day out, is a pretty strange one.”

Professionally, he embraced change with swing coach Sean Foley and, perhaps most importantly, he found a way to stay out of the doctor’s office and off the physio’s table.

Some would say Willett’s epiphany moment came last fall when he won the DP World Tour Championship on the European Tour, but it was difficult to ignore the moment, if not the degree of difficulty, Sunday at Wentworth.

After pulling away from Rahm early with birdies at Nos. 2 and 3, Willett made the turn two strokes clear in what had essentially become a two-man race. If you’re inclined to search for perspective it was at the 11th hole that Willett’s play transformed this victory into something special.

Having played nearly flawlessly off the tee the entire day, Willett’s drive sailed into the woods left of the fairway and an overly-bold recovery shot clipped a tree and burrowed into the deep grass. His next shot came out awkward and he winced and grabbed his right wrist.

“It was a little bit funky for 20 minutes, so I popped a couple [Advil] and did some stretches that would somewhat ease it off, but it was a little sneaky for a little bit there,” Willett said.

Willett avoided injury at No. 11 and he also avoided a potential two-stroke swing when he converted from 45 feet for bogey and Rahm missed his birdie attempt.

“I believe that 11th hole was the key moment of the match,” Rahm said. “That was at least a one-shot swing right there and if he doesn't make it, I'm putting more relaxed without the whole crowd going crazy. That was a key moment of the match.”

If you’re scoring at home, this victory with all of the elements, from potential injury to style points, felt like a mission accomplished moment in the arch of Willett’s comeback. But then that ignores all the little victories that added up to Sunday’s big triumph.

“The comeback for me wasn't complete when I won. It was complete for me when I didn't have to lie on a physio bed for two hours a day. When I stood on a tee box and didn't have all sorts of things going on in my head and this and that,” Willett smiled. “The comeback happened a long time before I won, within myself.”

It was a smile of conviction and the look of content relief.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Rocco Mediate birdied his last two holes for a 6-under 64 and won the Sanford International on Sunday when Ken Duke took double bogey on the final hole.

Mediate won by two shots for his first PGA Tour Champions title in three years.

Duke was tied for the lead until taking four shots to reach the green on the closing hole at Minnehaha Country Club. He closed with a 69 and tied for second with Colin Montgomerie and Bob Estes, who each shot 67.

Mediate finished at 9-under 201. It was his fourth PGA Tour Champions victory, and first since the Senior PGA Championship in 2016.

Duke started the final round tied for the lead with Kirk Triplett, who faded to a 71.

A towering header from Karim Benzema gave Real Madrid an impressive 1-0 win at Sevilla to go level on points at the top of La Liga on Sunday, offering the perfect response to their recent humiliating Champions League defeat at Paris Saint-Germain.

Benzema gave the visitors the lead against former Real coach Julen Lopetegui's Sevilla midway through the second half in a tense game, timing his jump to perfection to meet a cross from Dani Carvajal on the byline and send the ball high into the net.

Sevilla's former Madrid striker Javier Hernandez put the ball in the net for the hosts late in the game but his effort was correctly ruled out for offside and Real hung on to claim their first win at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in five seasons.

The victory saw Madrid climb into second place on 11 points after five games, level with leaders Athletic Bilbao, while Sevilla tumbled from top spot at the start of the weekend to fifth on 10 points.

"Real Madrid never loses its hunger or its desire to win," captain Sergio Ramos told reporters.

"We knew how difficult this game would be, we hadn't won here for many years, but we arrived with a very strong mentality and intent on committing as few errors as possible. Apart from a couple of set pieces, we had the game under control."

Real had lost their last four league visits to Sevilla's home ground and were thrashed 3-0 there last season, a game that spelled the beginning of the end for Lopetegui, who was sacked by the club little more than a month later.

Real coach Zinedine Zidane travelled to Seville facing serious questions about his own leadership of the team after they were hammered 3-0 by PSG in the Champions League, a game in which his side failed to have a shot on target.

"It's the game which leaves me the most satisfied since I came back, everyone on the pitch helped out," he said.

"We had difficult moments but we showed great solidarity with each other in those moments. We played 90 minutes at a top level at a very difficult stadium. This is a victory for the group and I'm delighted for everyone."

Sevilla's entire squad had recently returned from a gruelling 12,000-km round trip to Baku to face Qarabag in the Europa League and lacked their usual aggression and intensity as a scrappy game ensued.

Real right back Carvajal had the visitors' best chance before the interval, firing straight at goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik from inside the area, while Gareth Bale also tested the Czech with a stinging free kick.

Neither side looked willing to take a risk to try and take the lead but the deadlock was finally broken thanks to some clever teamwork from the visitors, as Bale released Carvajal down the right wing and Benzema produced the perfect finish.

The goal kicked Sevilla into life and they spent most of the remaining minutes pressing for an equaliser, but Real dug deep and stood firm to record their most significant victory since Zidane returned to the club as coach in March.

"We did what we came here to achieve and now we can relax again after everything that was said about us this week," added Ramos.

"This team is always optimistic, and we are going to get better. It's a long season and we're already joint-top of the league."

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said that Video Assistant Referee (VAR) "changes the atmosphere" of matches after his side saw a goal disallowed in their 2-1 loss to league leaders Liverpool on Sunday.

Down early against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, the Blues initally thought they had an equaliser from Cesar Azpilicueta was ruled out by VAR after Mason Mount was adjudged to be offside in the build-up.

- Liverpool ratings: TTA, Firmino, Adrian impress in win
- Chelsea ratings: Kepa, Abraham stellar but come up short
- VAR in the Premier League: Ultimate guide

Liverpool then hit the Blues with a second goal by Roberto Firmino and while N'Golo Kante pulled a goal back in the second half, Chelsea were unable to find the second they needed.

"We have to get on with it. It is a sad thing for the celebration and the moment but if we are looking for correct decisions that is where we are at," Lampard said after the match. "It changes the atmosphere in the crowd, on the pitch. We are slightly deflated and they get a boost. We deserved to be level at that point.""

Chelsea managed to create chances despite the VAR call and consistently put the Liverpool defence under pressure. Lampard, who has yet to win a home match in his first season as manager, said his side matched up well with undefeated Liverpool.

"It was about what spirit and mentality can we show in the second half. It's not easy to be 2-0 down at half-time," Lampard said. "You can take it on the chin and say 'this team's too good, we can't turn this around,' but we did the opposite which I'm proud of. But we need points too."

Lampard praised Kante for his performance, who has been battling fitness issues all season.

"We end up being not surprised with Kante, which is not fair on him really. He did it in the [UEFA Super Cup match in August] without training, he did it today with probably not match-fit training, but he's so important for us you put him in the team and he showed his qualities."

TAMPA, Fla. -- New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley needed to be helped to the locker room with an ankle injury late in the second quarter Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and later was ruled out for the game.

Barkley was injured after his ankle bent awkwardly while being tackled by Bucs safety Mike Edwards. Barkley limped to the sideline where he was immediately attended to by trainers.

The All-Pro running back went to the locker room with the help of trainers. He couldn't put much pressure on the ankle. He was later seen on the sideline in the second half on crutches and with a boot on his injured foot.

It's a big blow for a Giants offense which had first-round pick Daniel Jones making his first career start. The Giants were already without two of their top receivers in Golden Tate (suspension) and Cody Latimer (concussion).

Barkley entered Sunday second in the NFL with 227 yards rushing. He was averaging 7.8 yards per carry.

The second-year back had eight carries for 10 yards and four catches on five targets for 27 yards before exiting Sunday's game with the injury.

The Tampa Bay Rays, seeking their first playoff berth since 2013, have activated All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe from the 60-day injured list.

Lowe, 25, was in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Boston Red Sox, batting fifth.

He has not played since July 2, when he suffered a bruised right shin against the Baltimore Orioles. The injury also knocked him out of the All-Star Game.

Prior to the injury, Lowe was hitting .276 with 16 home runs and 49 RBIs in 2019.

The Rays entered Sunday one game ahead of the Cleveland Indians for the second wild-card spot in the American League.

ATLANTA -- Braves star Freddie Freeman is remaining in Atlanta for treatment on his sore right elbow instead of joining the team for its next series at Kansas City.

Freeman, an MVP candidate for the NL East champions, left Sunday's game in the eighth inning against San Francisco after a recurrence of a bone spur in the elbow.

Manager Brian Snitker said the first baseman would've been in the lineup if Atlanta's NL division series began on Monday. Instead, off days on Monday and Thursday, sandwiched around the two-game series against the Royals, give Freeman four days to undergo treatment on the elbow.

The Braves plan on Freeman joining the team in New York for Friday night's first game of the final regular-season series against the Mets.

Freeman is hitting .296 with 38 homers and leads the NL with 121 RBIs.