OUICK LAPS THE FASTEST NEWS ROUND-UP

Scott Mclaughlin sealed the 2019 Supercars title by recovering to ninth in the Sandown 500 after being put to the back of the grid as a retrospective penalty for engine irregularities in his Bathurst 1000 qualifying car that were discovered in post-race checks. His DJR Penske team was also fined $30,000 for the breach. It followed a series record $250,000 fine for using Mclaughlin’s team-mate Fabian Coulthard to hold the pack up during a safety car period. Mclaughlin and co-driver Alex Premat’s Bathurst race win still stands… Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch will join Martin Truex Jr and Kevin Harvick in the NASCAR title shootout at Homestead this weekend after finishing first and second at Phoenix. That gives Joe Gibbs Racing three of the four places in the championship quartet, with Stewart-haas’ Harvick the only interloper. Reigning champion Joey Logano was among those eliminated at Phoenix, having slumped to ninth after leading much of the race… The WEC’S return to Interlagos next year is in jeopardy due to issues with the promoter, some of which are believed to be financial. The series last raced at F1’s Brazilian GP venue in 2014 and had been due to hold a round there on February 1. Austin has been mooted as a replacement... Max Mcrae, the 14-year-old son of 1995 British Rally champion Alister and nephew of the legendary Colin Mcrae, will race in Australia’s Formula 1000 single-seater series next year. Mcrae has secured a prize drive by winning the Arise Racing Driver Search in Perth, where he lives.