In what has become the most common occurrence during her rookie season, Caitlin Clark broke another record Sunday during the Indiana Fever’s game against the Dallas Wings. 

Clark, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, became the all-time rookie scoring leader on — what else? — a deep 3 with 2:51 to play in the third quarter, surpassing former Minnesota Lynx standout Seimone Augustus, the No. 1 pick in 2006.

Augustus scored 744 points that season and won the Rookie of the Year. After Sunday’s career-high 35 points in Indiana’s 110-109 win over Dallas, Clark is now at 761 points with one more regular season game to play.

Indiana wraps up the regular season Thursday at Washington.

Clark leads all rookies in scoring per game (19.5) and leads the entire league in assists per game (8.4). She has also made more 3s (120) than anyone this season. In July she became the first rookie in the history of the WNBA to record a triple-double; she now has two in her professional career. Additionally, earlier this season she set a single-game league record for assists (19) and broke the rookie record for assists in a season. 

After a record-breaking college career at Iowa, Clark has more than lived up to the pressure and hype surrounding her as she entered the league, already helping Indiana secure a playoff spot for the first time since 2016. She is the overwhelming favorite to win Rookie of the Year, likely to beat her biggest rival, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, who set WNBA rebounding records all season but is missing the final few games with a wrist injury. 

The two of them have driven unprecedented interest in the WNBA’s 28th season and could help the players’ association fight for a significant increase in salaries in the next collective bargaining agreement. 

Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson’s added another piece of WNBA history to what has been a remarkable 2024 season.

The two-time WNBA MVP became the first player in league history to score 1,000 points in a season. She achieved the feat Sunday at home against the Connecticut Sun. With just a few minutes left in the fourth quarter, Wilson knocked down a fadeaway jumper from the elbow of the key as her teammates and and the home crowd erupted.

The celebration continued after the Aces got a convincing 84-71 win over the Sun. Wilson danced with her teammates, and she was presented with the game ball alongside her parents.

Wilson’s milestone came days after she set the single-season record for the most points scored in a season. On Wednesday against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, she passed Jewell Loyd’s record of 939 points, which th Seattle Storm star set last season.

It’s widely expected Wilson will be named the WNBA’s most valuable player this season after winning the award in 2020 and 2022. She averages a league-high 27 points and 2.6 blocks per game. Her 12 rebounds per game are second in the WNBA behind Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese. Reese set the WNBA single-season record for rebounds in a season, but Wilson can also claim that record as well; she just needs three rebounds in the final two games to take it over.

Should Wilson win MVP, she win be the fourth player in league history to win it three times, joining Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson.

A’ja Wilson’s coach, Olympic teammate offer praise

Aces head coach Becky Hammon said she wanted Wilson to eclipse the 1,000-mark in front of the home crowd so she could ‘get the love that she deserves.’

‘She’s dominant on both ends, and that is a rare player. She’s just a super humble human being, and she’s about the right things all the time. She’s always about her teammates, and she’s always about winning,’ Hammon said. ‘I think A’ja is a great example of making everybody great around her.’

Phoenix Mercury guard and fellow Olympic gold medalist Diana Taurasi said Sunday following the Mercury’s win over the Chicago Sky that Wilson is ‘changing the evolution’ of a post player and continues to get better on all facets on the floor.

‘I’ve gone back and forth, and I can probably say she’s the best rebounder I’ve ever seen. Hands down. And when you can secure the ball for your team, you’re always going to give your team a chance to win,’ Taurasi said. ‘She’s just playing out of her mind, and she’s going to continue to do it because she loves the game.

The new US LBM Coaches Poll is out, and the top looks a wee bit different.

Georgia retains the No. 1 spot, but the Bulldogs’ grip is more tenuous after grinding out a one-point win at Kentucky. UGa received 42 of 55 first-place votes cast this week, more than enough for them to keep the lead but down a few from a week ago. Most of the top votes that changed hands went to Texas, which edged ahead of idle Ohio State for the No. 2 position. The Longhorns picked up 10 No. 1 nods, while the Buckeyes retained the remaining three.

The next three slots remain unchanged as No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Mississippi and No. 6 Oregon hold steady. Tennessee vaults to No. 7, moving ahead of Missouri and Penn State, who are tied for eighth. Utah again rounds out the top 10.

HIGHS AND LOWS: Winners and losers from Week 3 in college football

The rest of the poll shows only minor shifts with few actual upsets. Arizona falls from the rankings after a decisive loss at No. 14 Kansas State, and Washington drops out following a loss to Apple Cup rival Washington State.

Texas A&M rejoins the rankings at No. 24, and UNLV claims the No. 25 position, its first appearance in the coaches poll in program history.

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Nobody should be surprised that the Los Angeles Chargers look like an improved team.

Jim Harbaugh turn Stanford into a Pac-10 power, the San Francisco 49ers into Super Bowl contenders and made Michigan a national champion. He’s now coached the Los Angeles Chargers to their first 2-0 start since 2012 after a 26-3 rout over the Carolina Panthers in Week 2.

“Great team play. Great effort again. By the talent and by the effort you will be known as a football player. I always thought that. That’s biblical to me,” Harbaugh said postgame. “A football player should be known by his talent and effort. Our guys continue to be really good at both. All three phases just came out ready and came out hitting on all cylinders. Very impressive.”

The Chargers look more polished on both sides of the football at the start of the season. The defense has only allowed one touchdown through two games and the rushing offense amassed 395 yards. Running back J.K. Dobbins is playing healthy and revitalized. But one player that epitomizes the Chargers’ early season improvement under Harbaugh is second-year wide receiver Quentin Johnston.

The Chargers drafted Johnston No. 21 overall in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, but the wideout had a subpar first year under ex-coach Brandon Staley. Johnston had a 56.7% catch rate, which ranked 171st out of 197 qualifying receivers and had three drops during his rookie campaign.

All things Chargers: Latest Los Angeles Chargers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

This year, Johnston’s role increased after the Chargers released Mike Williams and traded Keenan Allen. He expressed to USA TODAY Sports that he was entering the season a more confident wide receiver.

“I feel good,” Johnston said to USA TODAY Sports early this month. “Coming off of last season was a lot of curves, ups and downs, and a lot of learning experiences for me. So, just taking all that from last year and kind of correcting a lot of stuff.

“All of my drop balls, was just me looking off before I actually caught the ball. I don’t have a problem catching. I just got to be more focused at the catch point. …A lot of my drops were me trying to hurry up and have some run after catch — just working on the details.”

While the head coach at Michigan, Harbaugh witnessed Johnston at TCU torch the Wolverines for six catches, 163 yards and a touchdown as the Horned Frogs won the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.

Johnston had plays reminiscent of his TCU’s days in Charlotte on Sunday. He compiled five catches, 51 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the Chargers’ Week 2 victory. He had two touchdowns all of last season.

“It was awesome to see. We believe in him so much and we’ve seen that from him in camp and OTAs. He’s gone up and made plays. It was only a matter of time before we saw it on the big stage,” Chargers QB Justin Herbert said. “I’m happy for him, really excited for him and I know it’s only the beginning for him.”

Johnston routes are crisper and he’s playing with more confidence. It’s all part of the Harbaugh effect. The 60-year-old coach is a proven winner, and he puts his players in the best position to succeed. Johnston and the Chargers are the latest examples.

“Nobody more excited for than Quentin Johnston. Everybody on the team really likes Q. Loves him and respects him,” Harbaugh said. “Probably most of all because he’s kind of been picked on by a lot of people. It doesn’t faze him. He just keeps doing him. He works on stuff that he needs to get better at and most important part he doesn’t ever get a big head. Just keep doing you, Q. It’s working.”

It is for “Q” and the rest of the Chargers through two weeks.

The Dallas Cowboys’ previous season ended with a stunning blowout at AT&T Stadium when the team fell to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round.

After launching their 2024 campaign last week with a rout of the Cleveland Browns, the team suffered a setback Sunday in a familiar – and unwelcome – fashion.

The Cowboys saw their 16-game regular-season home winning streak come to an end as the New Orleans Saints rolled to a 44-19 victory. It had been the longest active home win streak in the NFL, and tied for the fourth-longest of any team since 2000.

“This is early,’ Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters after the game, according to ESPN. ‘This is very, very early And we certainly didn’t see it coming. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of room for improvement here.”

The Saints scored touchdowns on all five of their first-half drives, tying the record for most points scored in the first two quarters of a game against the Cowboys. Alvin Kamara tallied four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) and 180 yards from scrimmage on the day.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

One game after flustering Deshaun Watson to the tune of six sacks, the Cowboys were unable to generate consistent pressure against Saints quarterback Derek Carr. The 11th-year veteran passer threw for 243 yards with two touchdowns while taking just one sack.

It wasn’t until Carr’s fourth-quarter interception to Donovan Wilson that the Cowboys were able to generate a stop. Carrying over his hot start from the Saints’ 47-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, Carr engineered scoring drives on his first 15 drives of the season before the turnover.

Outside of a CeeDee Lamb 65-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown, the Cowboys struggled to match the Saints’ spark after falling in an early hole. Dak Prescott threw two interceptions, and the run game netted just 68 yards on 21 carries.

‘(The media) may have put this team on a high more than we should have been, and now we simply reset,’ Prescott said after the game. ‘We’ve got to respond.’

The Los Angeles Rams have another injured star receiver as Cooper Kupp is doubtful to return to the Week 2 game against the Arizona Cardinals with an ankle injury.

Kupp appeared to be injured late in the second quarter at Arizona. He hauled in a reception and was tackled by two Cardinals players. He played the remainder of the half, but he had a noticeable limp and was with the training staff when the two teams headed to the locker room for halftime.

When Los Angeles came out for the second half, Kupp did not come out and was continuing to be monitored. He did not return for the remainder of the game with Los Angeles taking a big 41-10 loss to the Cardinals.

Cooper Kupp injury latest news

The extent of Kupp’s injury is currently unknown. Head coach Sean McVay didn’t address the injury postgame. The Athletic reported Kupp was in a walking boot on his left leg as he left the locker room.

All things Rams: Latest Los Angeles Rams news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Regardless of the injury significance, it is another blow to a Rams team that is already missing Puka Nacua. The rookie sensation from 2023 was injured in the Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions after he injured the same knee he had issues with in training camp. It was determined Nacua has a knee sprain and he was placed on the injured reserve list, sidelining him for at least a month.

When Nacua got injured, Kupp stepped up and had a monster game with 14 catches for 110 yards and one touchdown. Prior to his injury against the Cardinals, Kupp had four catches for 37 yards.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson suffered an apparent leg injury in the second half of his team’s Week 2 game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Jefferson was banged-up while blocking on a running play in the third quarter. He came across the field to try to get in the way of 49ers defenders, but he crashed into Fred Warner on the play.

Jefferson eventually limped off the field with assistance from Minnesota’s training staff. He was brought into the blue medical tent for treatment before walking back to the locker room under his own power for further evaluation.

The Vikings later announced that Jefferson was questionable to return with a quad injury. The veteran wide-out led the team with 133 yards and a touchdown on four catches before exiting the game.

Justin Jefferson injury update

Following the game, head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed that Jefferson suffered a quad contusion, and that ‘hopefully’ the wideout can be considered day-to-day.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Jefferson’s injury occurred with 52 seconds left in the third quarter. It came while he was serving as a decoy on a Ty Chandler run.

Chandler ran around the left end for a five-yard gain while Jefferson came from his outside receiver position to help block. He ran into Warner while doing so, and fell to the ground in pain. He remained down after the play, as did 49ers star Nick Bosa, who was also hurt during the run.

The Vikings announced Jefferson had suffered a quad injury on the play, which was reaffirmed by O’Connell following the game

Who is Justin Jefferson’s backup on Vikings depth chart?

Trishton Jackson is listed as Jefferson’s direct backup on the Vikings’ depth chart. Jackson starred for Minnesota in the preseason and showcased good deep speed and chemistry with the Vikings quarterbacks.

Jackson, Jalen Nailer, Trent Sherfield and Brandon Powell would be the only healthy receivers on Minnesota’s roster. Jordan Addison missed the Vikings’ Week 2 game because of an ankle injury.

Justin Jefferson stats

Jefferson recorded four catches for 133 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers before exiting the game. He was Sam Darnold’s favorite target and made an impressive, 97-yard scoring grab that saw him show off his after-the-catch ability.

Jefferson entered the game coming off a four-catch, 56-yard performance against the Giants with one touchdown.

A mere two weeks ago, Chris Buescher dealt with the heartbreak of just missing the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. On Sunday at Watkins Glen International, Buescher was able to get some redemption.

Buescher had surged to the lead during the closing laps of the final stage, but a series of caution flags forced him to try keep his car out front on restart after restart. When the race headed to overtime after yet another multi-car incident with three laps to go, the RFK Racing driver needed to shoot to the lead one final time. Instead, he lost it when Shane Van Gisbergen gave his No. 17 Ford a shove after the green flag waved before the New Zealand native pulled his No. 16 Chevrolet alongside Buescher and Carson Hocevar, who had restarted first and second. Van Gisbergen, a three-time Australian Supercars Champion who will make the jump to full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver in 2025, pulled away from Buescher and seemed to be heading for victory.

But Buescher wasn’t done. He gathered himself and chased down Van Gisbergen before finally getting to his rear bumper on the white-flag lap. After getting bumped on the restart, Buescher gave Van Gisbergen a bump of his own in the carousel, pulled alongside and retook the lead, then held over the final few turns to earn his first road course win in 36 starts.

‘I thought we lost it there on that last one and to stay right there with him – that was the spot he was better than us and he missed it, so I tried a crossover.  He went to cut and just hard racing there, ‘Buescher said. ‘It’s just such an awesome finish.  To be that good for so much at the end of the race, all race, to get a win is good.  We came here to be a spoiler and we’re gonna do that.”

The victory was Buescher’s first of the season and the sixth of his Cup Series career, and prevented a playoff driver from clinching an automatic berth into the second round.

The top five finishers in Sunday’s race were all non-playoff drivers, with Van Gisbergen finishing second, Hocevar third, pole winner Ross Chastain fourth and Zane Smith fifth.

‘I gave him a little bump to get the spot, and I knew it was going to come back,’ Van Gisbergen said. ‘So, I was just pushing the entries and trying to get away and just made an error. … (Our Carmaro) was really good, fastest car all day, and it just didn’t work out.”  

Chase Briscoe led playoff drivers, finishing sixth, while Austin Cindric was the only other playoff driver to finish in the Top 10, coming home 10th in a race where most of the 16 playoff drivers were involved in at least once incident. Michael McDowell finished seventh, Corey LaJoie eighth and Ryan Preece ninth.

Watkins Glen proves rough for most NASCAR playoff drivers

The second race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs was a turbelent one for most of the 16 drivers in the playoff field. Only two – Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric – finished in the Top 10, while another – reigning series champion Ryan Blaney – finished last after a first-lap crash that ended his day.

William Byron, who won last year’s race at Watkins Glen, finished 34th out of 38 drivers after a late crash nearly totaled his Chevrolet, while Denny Hamlin had his second consecutive misfire in a playoff race and now sits below the 12-driver cutline along with former series champions Marin Truex Jr (2017) and Brad Keselowski (2012).

The bottom four drivers in the standings after next week’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway will be eliminated from championship contention.

Buescher wins NASCAR playoff race at Watkins Glen in overtime

Chris Buescher passed Shane Van Gisbergen on a thrilling final lap of overtime to win the Go Bowling at The Glen Sunday at Watkins Glen International in a battle of non-playoff drivers.

NASCAR playoff race at Watkins Glen headed to overtime

Tyler Reddick and Kyle Busch made contact on a restart with three laps to go, sending both cars spinning and bringing out the caution flag.

Kyle Larson blocked Todd Gilliland as both were trying to protect their positions in the Top 15 sending Gilliland into Chase Elliott and Josh Berry in the eases. During the stack-up, Martin Truex Jr. crashed into the outside wall, while Reddick and Busch spun in Turn 3 making heavy contact.

Chris Buescher and Carson Hocevar will lead the field during the overtime restart.

Bryon, Keselowski crash into each other during late restart at Watkins Glen

William Byron got launched into the catchfence on a restart with six laps to go in The Go Bowling at The Glen before landing on the driver-side window of Brad Keselowski. The two playoff drivers were racing against fellow playoff driver Joey Logano for position on the restart when Logano and Keselowski got together in Turn 4, sending Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford into William Byron. Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet slammed into the wall then came down on top of Keselowski’s car with his hood poking into the window of the No. 6.

Both drivers were uninjured, but each car suffered big damage.

Chris Buescher led the restart and pulled away from Carson Hocevar and Shane Van Gisbergen before the caution came out. Buescher will once again lead the field to green with three laps to go in what could be the final restart.

Playoff drivers get tangled up in Stage 3 of NASCAR playoff race at Watkins Glen

Denny Hamlin got three-wide with fellow playoff drivers Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski on Lap 47 of The Go Bowling at The Glen. Keselowski got squeezed on the narrow road couse and turned Hamlin who hit outside barrier, bringing out the caution flag.

Keselowski, Larson and Hamlin all hit pit road during the yellow flag along with playoff drivers Austsin Cindric, Harrison Burton and Joey Logano. Zane Smith, Kyle Busch, Todd Gilliland and Daniel Hemric also came down pit road for fuel and tires.

Chastain wins Stage 2 of NASCAR race at Watkins Glen as more playoff drivers have issues

Pole winner Ross Chastain, who gave up a chance to win the opening stage by pitting early, won the Stage 2 – despite planning to pit before the end of the segment. But playoff driver Daniel Suarez spun and brought out a caution moments before Chastain and second-place driver Shane Van Gisbergen planned to to take fuel and tires on pit road.

When the stage began, Suarez and Tyler Reddick were in involved in an incident with a number of other drivers, causing Reddick to spin out. The 23XI Racing driver was able to turn his car around and the race stayed green, but both drivers lost multiple positions on track. Suarez was running near the back of the lead lap when he spun again on Lap 38 of 40.

Before Suarez’s caution, playoff driver Brad Keselowski came down pit road for gas and tires but was penalized for an uncontrolled tire. Kyle Larson was penalized at the end of the stage for interference.

Here are the results from Stage 2:

Ross Chastain
Shane Van Gisbergen
Joey Logano
Ty Gibbs
William Byron
Harrison Burton
Chase Briscoe
Alex Bowman
Ryan Preece
Denny Hamlin

Truex wins Stage 1 of NASCAR playoff race at Watkins Glen

After a rough opening race, Martin Truex Jr. rebounded Sunday to win the opening stage of the Go Bowling at The Glen. Pole winner Ross Chastain led the first 18 laps of the 20-lap stage but elected to pit before the segement ended, handing the lead to Truex, who held on for the final two laps. Truex had finished 35th last weekend at Atlanta.

Playoff drivers took the top 8 spots in Stage 1. Alex Bowman finished second, Chase Briscoe third, Daniel Suarez fourth and Austin Cindric fifth. Chase Elliott finished sixth, followed by Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Erik Jones and Daniel Hemric.

Denny Hamlin, who went a lap down after being involved in the incident on the opening lap, got the free pass and will get back on the lead lap.

Blaney among NASCAR playoff drivers involved in early incident at Watkins Glen

Before the first lap was even completed, multiple cars were involved in an incident after Kyle Busch was spun in the inner loop following contact from Corey LaJoie. Ryan Blaney, the reigning series champion, took the biggest hit and his No. 12 Team Penske Ford had to be towed off the track, ending his day early and putting a dent in his playoff ranking. Denny Hamlin also had damage but was able to drive his car to pit road, where his Joe Gibbs Racing team attempted to make repairs on his No. 11 Toyota.

Christopher Bell also spun into the grass during the incident, but appeared to escape major damage. Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece were also involved.

Green flag waves for NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen

The second playoff race is off and running on the road course at Watkins Glen International with pole istter Ross Chastain and playoff driver Martin Truex Jr. leading the field.

What time does the NASCAR playoff race at Watkins Glen start?

The Go Bowling at The Glen starts at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York.

What TV channel is the NASCAR playoff race at Watkins on?

USA Network is broadcasting the Go Bowling at The Glen and has a pre-race show beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR playoff race at Watkins Glen?

The Go Bowling at The Glen can be live streamed on the NBC Sports website and the NBC Sports app. The race is also available to stream on Fubo.

How many laps is the NASCAR playoff race at Watkins Glen?

The Go Bowling at The Glen is 90 laps around the 2.45-mile road course for a total of 220.5 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage):

Stage 1: 20 laps
Stage 2: 20 laps
Stage 3: 50 laps

What is the weather forecast for the NASCAR race at Watkins Glen? 

Expect sunny skies with a few clouds – just about perfect weather – at Watkins Glen this afternoon with temperatures in the mid-80s and light winds out of the south at 5 mph.

There’s a 0% chance of rain throughout the day.

Who is starting on the pole in the NASCAR playoff race at Watkins Glen?

Ross Chastain posted the fastest time in Saturday’s qualifying and will start on the pole in Sunday’s race. Martin Truex Jr. qualified second and will also start on the front row.

What is the lineup for NASCAR’s Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen?

Car number in parentheses; (P)=playoff driver

1. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
2. (19) Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota
3. (16) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
4. (48) Alex Bowman (P), Chevrolet
5. (2) Austin Cindric (P), Ford
6. (13) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
7. (22) Joey Logano (P), Ford
8. (99) Daniel Suarez (P), Chevrolet
9. (10) Noah Gragson, Ford
10. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford
11. (24) William Byron (P), Chevrolet
12. (14) Chase Briscoe (P), Ford
13. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
14. (9) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet
15. (54) Ty Gibbs (P), Toyota
16. (45) Tyler Reddick (P), Toyota
17. (20) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota
18. (7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet
19. (71) Zane Smith, Chevrolet
20. (5) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet
21. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford
22. (11) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota
23. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
24. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
25. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
26. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
27. (31) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet
28. (6) Brad Keselowski (P), Ford
29. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
30. (12) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford
31. (4) Josh Berry, Ford
32. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
33. (21) Harrison Burton (P), Ford
34. (50) Juan Pablo Montoya, Toyota
35. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
36. (51) Justin Haley, Ford
37. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford
38. (15) Kaz Grala, Ford

Who won the most recent NASCAR Cup race at Watkins Glen? 

William Byron started second and led 66 of 90 laps, including the final 33, before pulling away from Denny Hamlin by 2.632 seconds on Aug. 20, 2023. 

What are the driver standings heading into the NASCAR playoff race at Watkins Glen? 

The bottom four drivers after the third playoff race next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway will be eliminated. 

x-clinched spot in second round.

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske … 2,071 

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing … 2,066 

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing … 2,059 

William Bryon, Hendrick Motorsports … 2,059 

x-Joey Logano, Team Penske … 2,054 

Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports … 2,053 

Austin Cindric, Team Penske … 2,053 

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports … 2,050 

Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing … 2,048 

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports … 2,041 

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing … 2,028 

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing … 2,027 

Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing … 2,026 

Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing … 2,011 

Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing … 2,008 

Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing … 2,006 

How do the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs work? 

Sixteen drivers earned berths in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs – 14 by virtue of a regular season victory and two winless drivers who made the playoffs on points. 

There are 10 total races in the playoffs, including the championship race at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 10. The playoffs feature three rounds with three races per round before the final race. The four drivers with the fewest points will be eliminated after the third, sixth and ninth races, leaving a final four to race for the title. 

If a playoff driver wins a race in one of the three rounds, he will automatically advance to the next round. If non-playoff drivers win those races, however, playoff drivers will advance based on points accumulated during each of the three rounds. 

What is the full schedule for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs? 

Here is the schedule with dates, tracks, times and TV for each of the 10 races of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs (All times Eastern) 

Sunday, Sept. 8: Atlanta Motor Speedway. Winner: Joey Logano 

Sunday, Sept. 15: Watkins Glen International, USA, 3 p.m. 

Saturday, Sept. 21: Bristol Motor Speedway, USA, 7:30 p.m. 

Sunday, Sept. 29: Kansas Speedway, USA, 3 p.m. 

Sunday, Oct. 6: Talladega Superspeedway, NBC, 2 p.m. 

Sunday, Oct. 13: Charlotte Roval, NBC, 2 p.m. 

Sunday, Oct. 20: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NBC, 2:30 p.m. 

Sunday, Oct. 27: Homestead-Miami Speedway, NBC, 2:30 p.m. 

Sunday, Nov. 3: Martinsville Speedway, NBC, 2 p.m. 

Sunday, Nov. 10: Phoenix Raceway, NBC, 3 p.m. 

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LEBANON, Tennessee – Alex Palou had an easy path to his second consecutive championship but also a clear-eyed view of how tough it’ll be to stay on top of the IndyCar Series.

The Chip Ganassi Racing star finished a pedestrian 11th in the Music City Grand Prix, but the closing laps at Nashville Superspeedway still were no easy Sunday drive. As he cruised to his third title in four years, Palou found his No. 10 Dallara-Honda a lap down and unwittingly mired in the middle of a frenzied battle for the victory between Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward.

“It wasn’t great to be there in the mix without being able to do much,” Palou said.

It also was a niggling reminder that even though he’s been the series’ best driver for three of the past four seasons, the waves of contenders seem never-ending despite his dominance.

“I’m not ruling anybody out, man,” he said. “It was (Will) Power heading into this weekend. Now we talk about Colton and (Scott) McLaughlin, Pato. I mean, it’s everybody. I think that’s the beauty of this series. You cannot count somebody down.

“Yeah, it will be an exciting next year.”

The only weakness on Palou’s resume might the lack of an oval victory – a void that Herta filled Sunday with a daring pass of O’Ward.

 The first career oval win boosted the Andretti Global star to a career-best second in points, making Herta a prime threat to break the Ganassi/Team Penske championship stranglehold (one of those teams has won the title in 12 consecutive seasons).

“We’ve got a lot to do to catch up to those guys, though,” Herta, 24, said after his second victory this season and ninth of his career. “I think there’s been multiple times where I thought we could have won or should have won (on an oval), and numerous things would have happened to stop us from doing that. Luckily, today we got it all right.”

Herta posted career bests in podiums (six) and average finish (7.4) in ‘24, and he also spent the majority of the season ranked top five in points.

“There’s a whole bunch of things we could have done to win the championship this year,” Herta said. “I think we’ll reflect on that going into the offseason. It does hurt a little bit when you think about winning the last race, and (Palou) didn’t have a particularly strong one, so we could have made up a lot of points today if we needed to in that championship fight. That’s something that we’ll look into in the off-season, how to shallow out the lows and make them a little bit better.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by O’Ward, who also will be high on the list of challengers to Palou’s supremacy in 2025. The Arrow McLaren driver tied for the series lead with three victories, but he was bit by the three races that he failed to finish (two for mechanical problems).

“We’ve got some work to do to catch up to (Palou) with Ganassi,” O’Ward said. “I think they’ve really set the bar where they’ve been leaders in terms of consistency. As a team, we have a lot of work to do to be in the conversation, to be fairly honest.

“We’re going to work for that and try and just truly be there to fight until the end because I think this year we fell a little bit short like we have the last couple years. I’d love to see that take a different place next year and really give them that fight.”

O’Ward, 25, knows he needs to raise his game because he will be facing a Hall of Fame-level rival for likely the rest of his IndyCar career.

At 27, Palou became the second-youngest three-time champion (just a few months behind Sam Hornish Jr.) in series history.

The first Spanish champion in IndyCar also is the first back-to-back champion since Dario Franchitti in 2009-11.

And Palou became the 12th driver with at least three IndyCar championships, joining an illustrious list that also includes legends such as A.J. Foyt (seven titles), Scott Dixon (six), Dario Franchitti (four), Mario Andretti (three), Rick Mears (three) and Bobby Rahal (three)

“He’s in pretty rarefied air right now,” said Chip Ganassi., whose team has employed Palou Dixon and Franchitti “His name has to be among and certainly in the conversation of the great drivers. He’s certainly in the conversation of the greatest.”

Palou now has more championships than Team Penske stars Josef Newgarden and Will Power, whose longshot bid of beating Palou for the title ended on Lap 13 of 206 when his lap belt came undone. He lost five laps while a team member fixed the problem under green.

“I’m like, ‘Man, that was weird,’” said Power, who finished 24th and fell to fourth in the points standings. “That’s a very abnormal thing. I just don’t know what went wrong. We’ll have to send it back to the manufacturer. Very strange failure. Disappointing but big congrats to Alex. Tough guy to beat.”

Lilia Vu was 2 down with two holes to play. The Europeans were making a push. The World No. 2 slammed the door shut.

The American ended their drought in the Solheim Cup thanks to Vu’s late heroics. She birdied the par-4 17th hole to extend her match against Albane Valenzuela, and then she hit a dart on 18 to a couple feet to win both holes, tie the match and earn a half point to give the United States its first win in the Solheim Cup in seven years, coming out on top at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.

‘I can’t even put it into words,’ Vu said. ‘I felt like I didn’t do my part this week and I wanted to get something done. I said to my caddie on 16, I felt like I haven’t done anything for this team, and then 16 comes, and I’m in the back bunker.

‘I feel like, ‘oh, no, I have to make up-and-down,’ and she’s been making one-putts on almost every single green so I thought she was going to birdie that hole too. She didn’t, and the then I ended up making up-and-down from the bunker and somehow birdied 17 and got it done on 18 to get the half point.’

Solheim Cup: Sunday singles scores, results for U.S. vs. Europe

Andrea Lee and native Virginian Lauren Coughlin also earn important half points Sunday afternoon, while Megan Khang, Rose Zhang and Allisen Corpuz won their matches for the U.S. to bounce back.

‘I fight, that’s kind of what I do. I don’t give up on a round ever,’ Coughlin said. ‘As long as I’m still in it, I’m going to keep playing.

‘So I kind of just kept pushing and eventually started hitting shots how I normally do and finally started making some putts at the end.’

For Khang, it’s her second straight Solheim Cup going undefeated.

‘The atmosphere is just electric,’ she said of the week at Robert Trent Jones Golf club. ‘I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting the crowd very much involved. My voice can clearly be the victim of that. But I’d do it a million times over.’

The U.S. now leads the all-time series 11-7-1. The next Solheim Cup is scheduled for Sept. 7-13, 2026, at Bernardus in Netherlands.