Harvick earns spot
Kevin Harvick rocketed past pole-sitter Ryan Blaney in overtime, after the third restart in the final 35 laps, to win NASCAR’s Texas fall race for the second year in a row and take one of the four championship-contending spots for the season finale in two weeks.
Harvick, who led 177 of 337 laps, opted to start from outside for the green-white-checkered finish. By time they got to the backstretch, Harvick had pushed his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Ford in front of Blaney and raced to his eighth win of this season and 45th overall.
With Harvick and Martinsville winner Joey Logano locked in, the series goes to Phoenix next week with two spots up for grabs for the championship run at Homestead.
Marc Marquez overcame a sixplace grid penalty and took advantage of rival Valentino Rossi’s late crash to win the Malaysian MotoGP. With Marquez’s ninth win of the season and 70th of his career, Honda has an unassailable lead in the team championship.
Kansas told football coach David Beaty, who’s 6-39 in threeplus seasons with only two Big 12 wins, he will not return next season . ... Minnesota fired defensive coordinator Robb Smith and replaced him with defensive line coach Joe Rossi . ... No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Notre Dame stood pat in the Associated Press college football poll, and No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Georgia and No. 6 Oklahoma each moved up a spot while West Virginia surged to No. 7. ... Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman will miss the rest of the season with a leg injury. He threw for 1,984 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Wayne Rooney will make his 120th and final England appearance against the U.S. at Wembley Stadium on Nov. 15. Rooney, 33, retired from international duty in 2017 as his country’s leader in goals (53) and appearances . ... Gyasi Zardes scored his 20th goal of the season as Columbus beat the Supporters’ Shield holder New York Red Bulls 1-0 in the opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Other semifinal winners: Atlanta, 1-0 over New York City FC behind Eric Remedi’s first MLS goal, and Portland, 2-1 over Seattle. Kansas City and Real Salt Lake tied 1-1.
Bill Brown, the Minnesota Vikings fullback who was a four-time Pro Bowler, has died. He was 80 . ... Former offensive lineman Vince Manuwai, who played eight seasons for the Jacksonville Jaguars, collapsed and died in Hawaii at 38.