Cole Custer on Friday won the final race of the Xfinity Series regular season to seal the regular-season championship, with the triumph at Bristol Motor Speedway giving him the drivers’ championship over Justin Allgaier and bonus points to carry into the playoffs.
“Huge gift of momentum, because our confidence was really going down the last month,” Custer said of his second win of the season.
Custer is the reigning Xfinity Series champion and although Stewart-Haas Racing are closing at the end of the season, team owner Gene Haas is keeping one Cup Series charter to run Custer next year.
Photo: AFP
Sheldon Creed finished second for the 11th time in three seasons as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver remained winless in his Xfinity Series career.
Chandler Smith finished third and was followed by Jesse Love, Ryan Truex and Sam Mayer.
Dale Earnhardt Jr, in what might be his final NASCAR national series race until at least 2026, had an issue with the radio in his headset for the entire first stage. He had no access to team communications and needed to pit for four fresh tires “and a new helmet” when Earnhardt made his stop.
Photo: AFP
The helmet exchange was far from smooth — Earnhardt’s eyeglasses were pulled off his face inside the first helmet and handed to the crew without anyone realizing he did not have his spectacles. His radio also fell, which caused a volume adjustment that was so loud the Hall of Famer told his spotter it was hurting his ears.
At least he does not have to do it every week.
Earnhardt’s deal with sponsor Hellman’s Mayonnaise for JR Motorsports requires him to run an Xfinity Series race a year and Bristol on Friday fulfilled the obligation. The clause does not exist next year, and Earnhardt, who turns 50 later this year, does not expect another Xfinity Series race before 2026.
He finished seventh.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
RSS