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CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Larson raced to his Cup Series-high sixth victory of the season Sunday to easily advance to the third round of NASCAR’s playoffs, winning on The Roval — the hybrid road course/oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Larson led a race-high 62 laps in the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports to win in a runaway. He beat longtime rival and title contender Christopher Bell by 1.511 seconds.

“It was good to have a little bit of a stress-free weekend,” Larson said.

It was Larson’s second victory of the playoffs, but he’s the first championship-eligible driver to win in the round of 12. The elimination race cut the field from 12 drivers to eight, and those knocked out of title contention were the Team Penske drivers of Joey Logano and Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing and Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing.

All four Hendrick drivers — Larson, William Byron, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott — advanced into the round of eight. Joining them for the next three-race series are reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney of Penske, Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin and Bell in Toyotas, and Tyler Reddick, the regular-season champion who squeezed through in a Toyota for 23XI Racing.

There is only one Ford driver still eligible for the Cup title in Blaney.

Reddick won the first stage but was involved in a spin with Austin Dillon in the second stage that dropped him to 37th in position and below the cut line. He had to scramble the rest of the race to finish 11th and preserve his spot in the playoffs.

Michael Jordan, Hamlin’s business partner in ownership of 23XI Racing, embraced both Hamlin and Reddick on pit lane for advancing.

Logano, meanwhile, finished eighth and was eliminated by four points from advancing to the next round. Two of three Penske cars being eliminated came a day after Team Penske won the IMSA sports car championship at Road Atlanta.

First driver eliminated

Briscoe was eliminated when he went to the garage with 66 laps remaining with mechanical damage that officially ended Stewart-Haas Racing’s shot at a championship. The team is scaling back from four cars to one next year without Tony Stewart as part of the ownership group, and Briscoe will drive for Gibbs in 2025.

“I wish we were racing for a championship still. It stings,” Briscoe said. “Not even really for myself, just all the employees at Stewart-Haas. They were all kind of living through the 14 car, and the environment we have had these last few weeks has been really exciting to be a part of.

“I hate that it is coming to an end. I know what that means for Stewart-Haas not to be racing for a championship anymore. That was keeping a lot of people, honestly, in the building.”

Vance stops by NASCAR race

The race was attended by Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, who was accompanied by Donald Trump Jr. in both the prerace driver meeting and on the starting grid. Former President Donald Trump attended the Coca-Cola 600 at the same track in May.

Turtles changed

NASCAR announced another course change ahead of the Sunday race when Charlotte officials replaced the 4-inch “turtles” on the track with 2.25-inch curbing.

The smaller curbing should help lessen the impact Cup Series drivers feel when going over the speed bump with the car bottoming out when it lands.

Some drivers complained Saturday after practice and qualifying that the impact after their car launched over the turtle was too hard, with Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch saying they felt like they suffered a concussion when the car landed.

NASCAR also sent out a reminder about track limits when it comes to penalties for cutting the chicane. NASCAR reiterated that cars must run the full course at all times and going straight at the chicane(s) may result in a stop-and-go penalty in an assigned location for the violation.

Up next

NASCAR opens the third round of the playoffs Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Kyle Larson is not only the defending race winner but also won in the spring.

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Ohtani has shoulder surgery after dislocation

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Ohtani has shoulder surgery after dislocation

Shohei Ohtani had surgery Tuesday to repair his shoulder after partially dislocating it during the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced.

The arthroscopic procedure was to repair a labrum tear and was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, the team said.

Ohtani dislocated his left shoulder while attempting to steal in Game 2 against the New York Yankees.

The Dodgers said he is expected to be recovered by spring training.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Knight’s Choice salutes in Melbourne Cup boilover

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Knight's Choice salutes in Melbourne Cup boilover

Knight’s Choice has won the 2024 Melbourne Cup, defeating Warp Speed and Okita Soushi in a thrilling finish at Flemington on Tuesday afternoon.

The massive outsider saluted for Irish-born jockey Robbie Dolan, who claimed victory in what was his first ever ride in the “race that stops a nation”.

In what was a gripping 164th staging of Australia’s most-watched thoroughbred race, Knight’s Choice proved too strong in a sprint to the finish, pulling over the top of Okita Soushi and holding off Warp Speed by the barest of margins.

Trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon on the Sunshine Coast, Knight’s Choice was well down the betting across all markets. It was Laxon’s second Melbourne Cup triumph after she trained Ethereal to victory 23 years ago.

“This is the pinnacle of all pinnacles, this is the Melbourne Cup,” Symons said.

Zardozi rounded out the first four.

As the field approached the final few hundred metres it appeared as though Jamie Kah, aboard Okita Soushi, would become just the second woman to ride the winner in the Melbourne Cup. But Okita Soushi was swallowed up as the winning post neared, with Knight’s Choice beating Warp Speed to the line after a peach of a ride from Dolan.

“We’ll be singing tonight after a few beers,” Dolan, who was a contestant on the 2022 edition of “The Voice”, told Channel 9.

“It is amazing and a lot of people doubted this little horse. Doubt me now.”

Laxon was more than happy with the ride, with Dolan threading his way through the field from near last on the bend.

“He started the race, and he knew how to ride him. We didn’t give him instructions, he knew what to do,” she said.

“I love it being down for the Australians. The Australian horse has done it, and Robbie is Australian now as well, so I’m thrilled to win the Cup, and it is the people’s Cup, and that’s what it is all about.”

Knight’s Choice is just the sixth Australian-bred horse to win since 1993, and the first since Vow and Declare back in 2019.

The five-year-old gelding carried only 51kg to victory and was making its first start over the 3200m trip. It had most recently come off a fifth-placed finish in the Bendigo Cup, but had showed sparing little form this preparation otherwise.

“I watched every Melbourne Cup for the last 40 years. I thought my best chance was to get him to stay the trip and, hopefully, he can run home and do the quick sectionals he can on a good track and he proved everybody wrong,” Dolan said.

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Brewers’ Montas, Rea headed to free agency

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Brewers' Montas, Rea headed to free agency

MILWAUKEE — The Brewers‘ starting rotation could have a new look next season with right-handers Frankie Montas and Colin Rea heading into free agency.

The Brewers announced Monday that Montas had declined his part of a $20 million mutual option for 2025. The Brewers turned down the $5.5 million club option on Rea’s contract.

Montas receives a $2 million buyout and Rea gets a $1 million buyout.

In other moves Monday, right-hander Kevin Herget was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets, and left-hander Rob Zastryzny was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs. First baseman Jake Bauers and right-hander Bryse Wilson cleared waivers and were sent outright to Triple-A Nashville.

Montas, 31, had a combined 7-11 record with a 4.84 ERA and 148 strikeouts over 150⅔ innings in 30 starts for the Cincinnati Reds and Brewers this season. He was 3-3 with a 4.55 ERA in 11 starts for the Brewers, who acquired him just before the trade deadline.

Rea, 34, was 12-6 with a 4.28 ERA this season in 32 appearances, including 27 starts. He struck out 135 in 167⅔ innings. Rea had an 8.31 ERA in September and was left off the Brewers’ NL Wild Card Series roster.

Herget, 33, had no record with one save and a 1.59 ERA in seven appearances with Milwaukee this year. He was 5-1 with four saves and a 2.27 ERA in 38 relief outings with Triple-A Nashville.

Zastryzny, 32, was 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in nine appearances with Milwaukee. He pitched in 30 games with Nashville and went 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA.

The 29-year-old Bauers batted .199 with a .301 on-base percentage, 12 homers and 43 RBIs in 116 games this season. He also hit a seventh-inning homer that broke a scoreless tie in the decisive Game 3 of the Wild Card Series with the Mets, who rallied in the ninth to win 4-2.

Wilson, who turns 27 on Dec. 20, went 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA in 34 appearances, including nine starts.

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