JOLIET, Ill. – Justin Allgaier’s hopes of a happy homecoming to Chicagoland Speedway were dashed well before the finish of Saturday’s Camping World 300.

Allgaier, a two-time Chicagoland winner who hails from nearby Riverton, Ill., hoped to rekindle the magic he brought to the 1.5-mile Illinois oval in 2017 – when he won with JR Motorsports.

However, what played out on Saturday was better described as a nightmare.

The race started strong for Allgaier, who qualified fourth and climbed up as high as second in the first 10 laps, but spun off turn two from the runner-up spot on lap 12, costing him a set of tires early on and starting his downward spiral.

Allgaier rallied back into the top 10 by the end of the second stage, but was later squeezed into the wall by the No. 81 Toyota of Jeffrey Earnhardt on lap 117 of 200, forcing him to duck to pit road shortly after with significant right-side damage to his No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet Camaro.

After a few minutes of attempted repairs, Allgaier’s crew pushed the car to the garage area, ending the 33-year-old’s afternoon by rule under NASCAR’s Damaged Vehicle Policy.

Though he ran among the top 10 for most of the day, Allgaier was relegated to 33rd-place in the final rundown after completing 127 circuits, marking his fourth DNF of the season.

“The biggest thing there was following the (No.) 81 (Jeffrey Earnhardt) and trying to get a run,” explained Allgaier. “I know Joey (Logano) had a good run to his outside after he got loose, and I thought there would be just enough of a hole to his outside that I could sneak by him … but once I got into his dirty air, there was just nowhere to go and I hit the fence.

“That really caused all the problems. We tried to fix it, but unfortunately, the right-front tire went down.”

Allgaier’s misfortune on Saturday means he’s still looking for his first Xfinity Series win of the season, after having two victories at this point in the year last summer.

He dropped from fourth back to fifth in the regular-season standings, as well, 152 points behind leader Tyler Reddick.

“I’m really bummed to finish here (in the garage). It’s a home race and such a fun track for me, but we had a rough day,” Allgaier said. “Our car wasn’t great at the beginning; we thought after practice we were good, but we were too loose in. I spun out early and everything just compounded after that.

“I hate it for our guys. This is just a really disappointing day.”

SOUTHWICK, Mass. – The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, reached the halfway point of its season Saturday at New England’s The Wick 338.

The most storied sand track in American motocross was the setting for an exceptional day of racing at the MB Tractor & Equipment Southwick National, where Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin took his second straight 450 Class victory.

Musquin picked up where he left off to start the opening 450 Class moto by grabbing the MotoSport.com Holeshot over Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac. The Frenchman dropped the hammer on the opening lap to establish a lead over the field.

Meanwhile Tomac, the reigning series champion, began to drop positions, first to Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen and then to Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne. That shuffled Tomac off the podium and into the clutches of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb.

Musquin was able to distance himself from everyone else and soon enjoyed a multi-second lead.

As the moto wore on, Roczen started to lose pace and lost his hold of second to Osborne. Tomac was able to regroup from his sluggish start and march his way back to the front. He got around Roczen to get back into podium contention in third, and continued to push his way up to Osborne.

The rookie held the champ at bay for a few laps, but Tomac made an impressive pass to return to third. However, by this point Musquin was simply too far out front.

Musquin was flawless en route to his second moto win of the season, with a wire-to-wire effort that saw him take the checkered flag 9.1 seconds ahead of Tomac.

Osborne followed solidly in third, with Webb fourth and JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Fredrik Noren earning a season-best moto result in fifth.

Roczen, who led the points multiple times this season and has two overall wins to his credit, continued to lose ground, eventually dropping outside the top 10 for a season-worst 12th-place finish.

The final moto of the afternoon saw Webb capture the MotoSport.com Holeshot, with Osborne and Musquin in tow. Tomac found himself just outside the top 10. Webb had a solid hold on the top spot, but a bobble on the opening lap opened the door for Osborne to storm into the lead, dropping Webb into second just ahead of his hard-charging teammate.

Musquin gave chase, but just after the completion of the opening lap Roczen, who was looking to rebound from his tough first moto, passed him for third.

Roczen didn’t stop there. He kept his charge going and after a persistent chase of Webb, he successfully made the pass for second. Not long after that, Musquin took advantage of an opportunity to pass Webb for third.

The intense battle between Roczen, Musquin and Webb allowed Osborne to open a gap of more than three seconds. Roczen briefly settled into second, but Musquin was able to attack and take away the position.

As all this action unfolded, Tomac quietly moved his way up into the top five and had the lead group in his sights. Roczen started to lose pace again a little more than 10 minutes into the moto, and quickly fell from third to fifth as both Webb and Tomac got around.

The German continued to drop back deep into the top 10.

Tomac proceeded to stalk Webb for third as they approached the halfway point of the moto. The KTM rider was able to hold off the champ for several laps, but Tomac eventually made the pass and move into podium position.

At this point, Tomac went to work to try and chip away at his deficit to the lead duo. He sat about three seconds behind Musquin for second, and after several laps he closed to within a few bike lengths of his longtime rival.

Musquin responded by picking up his pace, which allowed him to stop the threat.

Out front, Osborne managed the moto with the poise of the veteran racer he is, despite being a rookie in the 450 Class.

The 29-year-old rider took his first moto win in the premier division by 11.1 seconds over Musquin, who capped off his winning afternoon with a second. Tomac came home in third.

Musquin’s 1-2 effort asserted himself as the hottest rider in the championship, where he became the first rider to claim back-to-back victories this season.

He also successfully defended his Southwick win from a year ago.

“Winning Southwick means a lot. Last year I kind of got lucky because Eli [Tomac] crashed out, but this weekend Zach [Osborne] and I were on it,” said Musquin. “Eli was coming on strong at the end, but I responded and eventually he gave up, thankfully.

“It was a rough start to the season, and it’s hard mentally when you’re not on the podium, but I’ve still got it.”

In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo added to his dominant start to the season with his fifth victory in six rounds.

Cianciarulo’s 1-2 effort gave him the sixth overall victory of his career, five of which have come this summer alone.

He also became the 27th different winner in 34 seasons of 250 Class racing in Southwick.

CANTON, Ill. – Despite starting 11th, Tennessee’s Anthony Nicholson methodically marched his way through the field to win Saturday night’s POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League event at Spoon River Speedway.

Nicholson charged into contention for the lead by halfway of the 25-lap main event, sneaking by Mario Clouser and Kory Schudy, to assume the lead on lap 13 and holding on for his second-career series victory.

A four-car inversion pulled by Mitchell Davis lined the feature field up with Mario Clouser and Joe B. Miller on the front row.

Clouser claimed the initial lead aboard his Yokahoma Tires No. 6, but his control was short-lived, as Kory Schudy made a wild four-wide move down the backstretch and slid underneath Clouser to take the lead on the second circuit.

Schudy started to run away, in firm command before a caution on lap 12 bunched the field up and changed the entire narrative.

On the ensuing restart, Clouser took a peek to the inside of Schudy into turn one, but slight contact created a bobble and Nicholson took advantage by slipping into second.

He didn’t stop there, however, as coming out of turn four Nicholson dipped inside of Schudy and drove by him down the frontstretch to assume the lead on lap 13.

Checking out as the laps wound down, Nicholson’s lead only grew until a lap-23 caution set up a nail-biting green-white-checkered restart to decide it all.

Determined to break through for his first Spoon River triumph, Clouser showed his nose and dove into turn one looking to squeeze by Nicholson for the lead. However, as Clouser caught Nicholson’s left rear, the No. 6 went spinning.

Clouser saved his car with a quick 360 recovery, but faltered to the tail of the field in heartbreaking fashion.

Keeping the DHR Suspension/Razor Edge Graphics No. 16 Maxim under control, Nicholson remained calm, cool and collected as he survived the final two laps to pick up the victory.

Miller brought the McGarry Motorsports No. 31B home with a second-place finish, while Riley Kreisel snuck his way on the podium with a sixth-to-third burst on the final restart.

Current point leader Schudy finished in fourth and Logan Faucon rounded out the top five.

Wesley Smith crossed the line in sixth, followed by Korey Weyant, Don Droud Jr., Jack Wagner and Trey Gropp.

The finish:

Feature (25 laps): 1. 16-Anthony Nicholson (11); 2. 31B-Joe B. Miller (2); 3. 90-Riley Kreisel (5); 4. 28-Kory Schudy (3); 5. 52F-Logan Faucon (8); 6. 12-Wesley Smith (6); 7. 99-Korey Weyant (12); 8. 1M-Don Droud Jr. (15); 9. 77-Jack Wagner (9); 10. 54-Trey Gropp (13); 11. 6-Mario Clouser (1); 12. 2A-Austin Archdale (16); 13. 77K-Katlynn Leer (20); 14. 22S-Slater Helt (14); 15. 6B-Andy Baugh (10); 16. 4-Braydon Cromwell (7); 17. 7C-Craig Campton (18); 18. 20-Steve Thomas (19); 19. 56-Mitchell Davis (4); 20. 29-Mitch Wissmiller (17); 21. N2-Nic Harris (DNS).

Lap Leader(s): Clouser 1, Schudy 2-12, Nicholson 13-25.

Hard Charger: Nicholson (+10)

JACKSON, Minn. – Brad Sweet has stepped on the gas going into the summer stretch of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

Sweet stormed to his seventh win of the year and fourth in the last five races with a dominant performance during Saturday night’s finale to the 41st annual AGCO Jackson Nationals.

The driver of the No. 49 NAPA Auto Parts machine started from the pole, but didn’t take command of the 35-lap feature until a lap-12 restart, passing second-starting Daryn Pittman and never looking back en route to a $41,000 victory.

After Pittman elected the outside lane following a red-flag period for Austin McCarl’s flipped car in turn two, Sweet made him regret the choice by virtue of a deep dive into turn one as racing resumed.

The Big Cat’s big move paid big dividends at that point, as Sweet grabbed control at the four-tenths-mile oval by the throat and crushed the opposition from there, holding off Donny Schatz in the closing laps.

“This is awesome. These big-money races are hard to win, and it didn’t surprise me at all when the 15 (Schatz) was there on me,” Sweet said. “He had me chasing my tail a little bit, so we either need to work on the car a little bit or I need to do a little better job of driving, but either way … we were able to hold him off.

“I’m just really excited to get this NAPA Auto Parts car back in victory lane, because we’re on a bit of a run here and it’s a lot of fun to drive right now.”

Though Sweet made his dance through traffic look effortless in the second half of the race, it didn’t come without some pressure from the 10-time and defending World of Outlaws champion.

Schatz followed Sweet past Pittman on the same lap-12 restart where Sweet took the lead and chased his championship rival for the remaining distance, cutting the gap down to as little as two tenths of a second at times and sliding alongside Sweet at one point during the closing stages.

A caution with five to go however, after Kerry Madsen tagged the wall in turn two, gave Sweet clean track that he capitalized on – running the two fastest laps of the race on laps 31 and 32 to gap Schatz.

Sweet ultimately took the checkered flag in front by a full second over Schatz, with Pittman hanging on to complete the podium in third.

Schatz said there simply wasn’t much more he could do once Sweet got back in clean air.

“We were there, doing everything we could, but I think that last yellow with five to go really killed us,” lamented Schatz. “When you get a clean race track, everyone’s going to run in the same groove at that point. Hats off to my guys, though. They’re digging. We’ve got an awesome race car right now; the driver just has to step up to the plate a little bit more and start swinging a bit bigger bat.”

Pittman, who led the first 11 laps from the outside pole, was quick to note that his car was unaffected despite contact with the slower car of McCarl just before the latter driver turned over to stop the field with 11 laps in the books.

His frustration is mounting, however, as a four-month winless drought dating back to the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in February got one race longer on Saturday night.

“The red flag stopped the pace of the race, and ultimately gave us a restart where we found another way to lose a race,” said Pittman. “It is what it is, though. It’s frustrating, but Roth Motorsports is working hard and giving me cars capable of winning. I just have to sit up in the seat and get it done.”

David Gravel crossed the line fourth and David Gravel completed the top five.

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

MACON, Ill. – After missing two consecutive shows due to rain, Macon Speedway jumped back into high gear with the 95Q/Dynagraphics Firecracker 40s on Saturday night.

The program featured 40-lap features for the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models as well as the BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds. Both of these 40-lappers saw an insane amount of drama and surprise over who would take the checkered flag.

Dakota Ewing got off to a rocky start in the Pro Late Model feature and started to fall backwards in the field of cars, while Jake Little cruised ahead with the lead.

As the race got off to a solid green-flag start, running 26 consecutive green-flag laps to start the race, Ewing was able to close the gap and took advantage of the caution.

As the race got bumper to bumper on the restart, Ewing made the pass for the lead two laps later. Jake Little tried to make a return, but slid up into the backstretch wall and slammed into the concrete.

With the green flag waving, Little was finished. Ewing held on and won.

The BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds not only raced a 40-lap feature, they did it topless. The battle of the night was definitely an exciting one, with Tommy Sheppard Jr. and Rodney Standerfer going at it.

Sheppard and Standerfer were matched up in the heat race, which saw Sheppard win with the help of the slide job in the fourth turn. Sheppard and Standerfer were mixing it up again in the feature and were on pace for another exciting who-can-win event.

Sheppard appeared dominant through the first 34 laps on the bottom of the track.

Following a restart, Sheppard tried the top groove and allowed Standerfer to close the gap and eventually pass for the lead. Sheppard came fighting right back and retook the lead with two laps remaining.

Standerfer gave Sheppard all he could handle with a slide job attempt for the lead and win coming out of the fourth corner, but it didn’t hold and Sheppard’s car went blasting into the wall and down the straightaway into victory lane.

As Standerfer’s modified was spinning out of control, 13th-starting Tim Hancock made the most of the opportunity and took the runner-up position away from Standerfer, who finished third.

Rudy Zaragoza took the win in the Archer’s Alley Street Stocks. Starting sixth and running strong, Zaragoza got the lead after some issues with Brian Dasenbrock, Terry Reed and Wes Biesenthal.

Once the cars were placed either off the track or at the tail of the field, Zaragoza ran away to take his first Macon Speedway feature of the season.

Zaragoza, a hearing-impaired racer, dedicated the race to his sister through sign language during the victory lane interview.

Scott Landers was game to take on Dennis Vandermeersch in the Sportsman division Saturday evening. Unfortunately, Vandermeersch had a little more working for him than Landers did and came out with another feature victory.

Tim Hancock started up front in the Neal Tire & Auto Pro Modified class, and when that happens, he usually takes the checkered flag. And it did indeed happen on the final Saturday of June.

Hancock got out ahead of Rob Timmons and Nick Justice and stayed that way for the full 15 laps.

The evening was capped off with the Hornets and Mike Eskew took the victory.

Eskew took on all comers in this 15-lap feature. Brady Reed, Anthony Sunshine and Steven Stine were all over the chance for the lead, but Eskew put on the blockers and kept everybody behind him for the the finish.

The Dallas Stars have placed former first-round draft pick Valeri Nichushkin on waivers to buy out the final year of his contract, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.

The Vancouver Canucks also announced that they had placed center Ryan Spooner on waivers to buy out the final year of his two-year, $8 million contact.

Nichushkin, 24, is from Russia and was selected by Dallas with the 10th pick in the 2013 draft. The forward had zero goals and 10 assists in 57 regular-season games last year and appeared in just one playoff game.

Overall, Nichushkin had 23 goals and 51 assists in 223 games with Dallas over four seasons. He was set to count $2.95 million against the Stars' salary cap next season.

Spooner, a seven-year veteran, had three goals and nine points in 52 games with the Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers last season. He began his career with five-plus seasons in Boston after the Bruins selected him in the second round in 2010.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have dealt right wing Phil Kessel to the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes, who are getting a fourth-round pick and defenseman Dane Birks in the deal, are sending center Alex Galchenyuk and defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph, the team announced Saturday.

After being swept by the New York Islanders in the first round of the playoffs this past season, the Penguins have been looking to get younger and faster around star Sidney Crosby. They recently traded defenseman Olli Maatta to the Chicago Blackhawks for young forward Dominik Kahun.

Kessel, 31, is coming off a season in which he had 27 goals and 82 points, but he has a reputation for not being nearly as good defensively. He had 34 goals and a career-best 92 points the season before. The three-time All-Star has not missed a game in nine seasons.

"Phil Kessel is a proven winner, an elite goal scorer and one of the most productive point producers in the NHL for a sustained period of time,'' Arizona general manager John Chayka said. "His dynamic scoring ability fits a specific need for this team and instantly elevates us to another level.''

Kessel has three years remaining on an eight-year deal, originally signed with Toronto, that carries a cap hit of $6.8 million per season.

He joins a Coyotes team that missed the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.

"I'm just coming in to do what I do best and help them win as many games as possible," Kessel said of the Coyotes. "They're an up-and-coming team with a lot of great pieces. I'm coming in to help them take the next step."

Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford and Kessel were very much in disagreement on his alleged trade requests out of Pittsburgh. Rutherford said Saturday that Kessel asked to be traded numerous times but changed his mind. Kessel didn't agree with that statement.

"I'm not sure that's exactly what happened," Kessel said. "Jim came to me, one time, and said to me that I'll never be a Penguin again. I think he's mistaken a little bit there. But I'm not here to tell what really happened and the real truth. So whatever Jim wants to say."

Rutherford recently confirmed that Kessel, who had a no-trade clause as part of his contract, earlier vetoed a trade that would have sent him to the Minnesota Wild.

"First and foremost, I want to thank Phil Kessel for his contributions to the Penguins. He was a key component to our success in winning back-to-back Stanley Cups. We couldn't have done it without him, and for that, we are grateful,'' Rutherford said Saturday. "With that being said, we are excited to welcome a young, skilled player in Alex and add depth to our defense with first-round draft pick Pierre-Olivier Joseph.''

Galchenyuk had 19 goals and 22 assists in 72 games last season, his first in Arizona after six years with the Canadiens. Joseph and Birks have yet to play in the NHL.

After years of rumors -- and one deal that fell through thanks his own veto -- Phil Kessel has finally been traded. He will make his new home with the Coyotes, as they acquire the 31-year-old, two-time Stanley Cup champ, reuniting him with former Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet.

The deal:

Coyotes get: RW Phil Kessel, D Dane Birks, 2021 fourth-round pick
Penguins get: C Alex Galchenyuk, D Pierre-Olivier Joseph

Arizona Coyotes: A-

When I spoke with Coyotes general manager John Chayka at the NHL draft, it was pretty clear what his offseason plan of attack was: Get more scoring in his forward group, and target teams in salary-cap trouble to find it.

"Yeah, we'd like to score some more goals next year. That would be pretty good," Chayka told me. "Ultimately, teams that are over the cap have to get under. If there's an opportunity to add to our group, we will."

Hence, the Phil Kessel trade.

Kessel makes $6.8 million against the cap through 2022, but Alex Galchenyuk's $4.9 million this season that the Coyotes just shipped out to Pittsburgh makes up a chunk of that. They are a team that can take the full hit now and in the coming years.