Sports
Justin Allgaier wins sixth race, clinches No. 1 Chase seed
Jul 11, 2026; Hampton, Georgia, USA; Jarrett Logistics driver Justin Allgaier (7) drives his car onto victory lane after a victory at the Focused Health 250 at EchoPark Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images HAMPTON, Ga. — In a nearly four-hour race ending in double overtime, it was still a familiar name ultimately hoisting the trophy — with the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship leader Justin Allgaier making a last lap pass to claim his sixth win of the season in Saturday night’s Focused Health 250 at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway.
Just after taking the white flag signaling one lap to go, race leader Brennan Poole and defending race winner Nick Sanchez collided in a final frantic charge to the checkered flag. As their cars went into the outside wall at the 1.5-miler, Allgaier’s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet motored by below with his JRM teammate Carson Kvapil giving chase in hopes of claiming his first ever win.
But the 2024 series champion Allgaier was too good at just the right time, holding off Kvapil by a slight .139-second to secure a personal high single-season six-win tally and formally earn the 2026 regular season championship.
Their work also put the JR Motorsports team within one top 10 of equaling a record 79 consecutive race streak of having one team car finish in the top 10. Roush Fenway Keselowski currently holds the mark.
“This team, I’m so proud of everyone here at Junior Motorsports,” a rather emotional Allgaier said immediately after the checkered flag. “Great Chevrolets today. I knew at the end, there would be some guys close on fuel. You just never give up … That’s what this team is all about.”
All the storylines provided a fitting ending to a long, thrilling night of competition that included a track record 13 caution flags and four red flags — nearly a half hour of stoppage in just red flag time. There were 11 different race leaders and 19 lead changes — including nine lead changes in just the final 70 laps of the 172-lap race.
Five caution periods including two red flags in just the last 11 laps were indicative of the stop-and-go ending to the night that never really saw any consistent long runs in the closing laps. A huge 11-car accident near the front on a restart with 11 to go in regulation eliminated some of the evening’s best cars, including Allgaier’s teammate Sammy Smith, who led a race best 34 laps in the No. 8 JRM Chevy and reigning series champion Jesse Love’s No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevy.
“Definitely disappointing,” Love said, adding, “It was going to be a tough mountain to climb with all the JRM cars doing a really fabulous job working together so it was going to be tough.
“I could hear my amazing spotter’s voice that we were going to tear some stuff up and we sure did.
“Overall, honestly not a terrible points day, we got some good stage points, so try to do our best Tony Stewart in the Chase and win some races,” he added of NASCAR Hall of Famer Stewart’s amazing five-win run in the playoffs to win the 2011 championship despite being winless in the regular season.
“We’ve got some really good speed and our team is clicking really well,” Love said. “Shame what happened tonight, but your going to land on that side of it sometimes on this style of race tracks.”
Love’s RCR teammate, five-time Atlanta winner Austin Hill, also looked to have a good day — moving forward amidst all the crashes. The Georgia native was making a run at the trophy with three laps remaining when he was involved in a seven-car melee bringing out the final red flag and eliminating yet another group of legitimate contenders including JR Motorsports’ Rajah Caruth who led 18 laps and was among the top-five all night.
In the end, Viking Motorsports’ Parker Retzlaff, Joe Gibbs Racing’s William Sawalich and Viking driver Anthony Alfredo survived the action-packed final laps and rallied to complete the top five on the scorecard.
Garrett Smithley, Brandon Jones, Kyle Sieg, Caruth and Jeremy Clements rounded out the top 10.
The race definitely impacted the points standings with only three races remaining now to set the 12-driver championship field. Allgaier extended his lead to a massive 240-point edge on the winless Love atop the standings.
On the other side, Brent Crews and Taylor Gray — both eliminated in crashes — are ranked 11th and 12th in points. Gray holds only a 17-point advantage on Caruth and a 21-point edge on William Sawalich as the series moves into a rare off-weekend.
Teams return to action Saturday, July 25, with the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (4 p.m. ET, The CW, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Connor Zilisch is the defending race winner.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race — Focused Health 250
EchoPark Speedway, Atlanta
Saturday, July 11, 2026
1. (16) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 172.
2. (2) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, 172.
3. (22) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 172.
4. (4) William Sawalich, Toyota, 172.
5. (17) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 172.
6. (26) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 172.
7. (12) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 172.
8. (20) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 172.
9. (8) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 172.
10. (14) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 172.
11. (28) Mason Maggio, Chevrolet, 172.
12. (34) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 172.
13. (10) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 172.
14. (23) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 172.
15. (31) Glen Reen, Chevrolet, 172.
16. (19) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 172.
17. (30) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 172.
18. (5) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 172.
19. (18) Nick Sanchez, Chevrolet, 171.
20. (37) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 171.
21. (32) Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 169.
22. (11) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, Accident, 159.
23. (27) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Accident, 159.
24. (7) Brent Crews #, Toyota, Accident, 153.
25. (6) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, Accident, 152.
26. (3) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, Accident, 151.
27. (38) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Accident, 151.
28. (24) Leland Honeyman Jr.(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 151.
29. (29) Nick Leitz(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 151.
30. (15) Jake Finch, Chevrolet, Accident, 143.
31. (1) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, Accident, 119.
32. (13) Corey Day, Chevrolet, Accident, 112.
33. (9) Taylor Gray, Toyota, Accident, 112.
34. (25) Harrison Burton, Toyota, Engine, 101.
35. (35) Logan Bearden, Ford, Fuel Pump, 69.
36. (36) Carson Ware, Chevrolet, Suspension, 63.
37. (33) Joey Gase, Ford, Engine, 2.
38. (21) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, Brakes, 0.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 89.06 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 58 Mins, 27 Secs. Margin of Victory: .139 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 13 for 76 laps.
Lead Changes: 19 among 11 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C. Kvapil 1;S. Mayer 2-34;C. Kvapil 35-48;B. Crews # 49-53;H. Burton 54-55;S. Smith 56-89;J. Allgaier 90-93;R. Ellis 94;J. Allgaier 95-98;R. Caruth 99-100;S. Creed 101-109;R. Caruth 110;S. Creed 111-128;R. Caruth 129-143;A. Hill 144-150;J. Allgaier 151-156;C. Kvapil 157-170;B. Poole 171;J. Allgaier 172.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Sammy Smith 1 time for 34 laps; Sam Mayer 1 time for 33 laps; Carson Kvapil 3 times for 29 laps; Sheldon Creed 2 times for 27 laps; Rajah Caruth 3 times for 18 laps; Justin Allgaier 4 times for 15 laps; Austin Hill 1 time for 7 laps; Brent Crews # 1 time for 5 laps; Harrison Burton 1 time for 2 laps; Brennan Poole 1 time for 1 lap; Ryan Ellis 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 1,8,2,88,00,51,17,7,18,26
Stage #2 Top Ten: 7,8,88,1,17,51,2,99,00,21
–Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service
Sports
Tempo upbeat on playing in Montreal, but seek different outcome vs. Liberty
Jul 10, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard (32) and Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey (3) in the second half at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images The Toronto Tempo aim to use the energy from another big Montreal crowd Sunday afternoon against the New York Liberty to end a four-game losing streak.
The expansion Tempo (9-13) lost the first of two home games at Montreal, 108-95 to the Dallas Wings before a WNBA regular-season record crowd of 20,966 fans on Friday night at the Bell Centre. The previous record of 20,711 was set in 2024 in Washington.
“Being the only team in Canada, it’s a responsibility for us and how cool is that,” Tempo coach Sandy Brondello said. “We get to be seen all over Canada.”
Marina Mabrey scored 34 points for the Tempo on Friday despite early foul trouble, but the Wings dominated the fourth quarter 24-10.
Rookie forward Laura Juskaite added a career-best 25 points.
“I thought the atmosphere was fantastic,” Brondello said. “It’s great to be up here and have the fans come out and support the WNBA and the Tempo.”
The Tempo will be facing a team also trying to get back on the winning track. New York (13-10) lost its second straight Saturday afternoon 90-85 to the Minnesota Lynx to open a four-game road trip. The Liberty lost for the sixth time in their past eight games despite 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists from Sabrina Ionescu.
The Tempo’s fourth-quarter struggles could be the result of injuries to some key players. Nyara Sabally (left knee) joined the list on Friday. Already out were Temi Fagbenle (concussion protocol), Kiki Rice (left ankle) and Brittney Sykes (left foot).
“We had four of our main players out, but we fought hard,” Brondello said. “We just ran out of gas, didn’t have enough in the tank to finish it off. But credit to Dallas.”
The Liberty were without Leonie Fiebich (left foot) and Satou Sabally (concussion protocol) on Saturday.
They trailed by 15 with 5:14 left in the third quarter before rallying to take a one-point lead into the fourth quarter.
“We just have to stop digging ourselves these very big, very deep holes that we have to get out of,” said New York center Jonquel Jones, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds. “If we could stop doing that and mitigate that and then put our second half together that we’ve been doing, we’ll be great.”
Breanna Stewart added 17 points and seven rebounds for New York.
The Liberty defeated the Tempo 97-82 on June 3 at New York.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Argentina oust Switzerland in extra time, advance to semifinals
July 11, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.; Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez celebrates scoring their third goal. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Julian Alvarez scored the tiebreaker in the 112th minute and Lautaro Martinez added an insurance goal in stoppage time as defending champion Argentina defeated 10-man Switzerland 3-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals on a hot and humid Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo.
Alexis Mac Allister also tallied, off an assist from Lionel Messi, for Argentina, which will face England in the semifinals Wednesday in Atlanta. England defeated Norway 2-1 in extra time earlier Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Dan Ndoye scored for Switzerland, which played short-handed from the 72nd minute on after Breel Embolo received a second yellow card and was ejected.
Alvarez’s winner came after Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel knocked away an 18-yard strike from Messi, whose streak of scoring in nine straight World Cup matches came to an end.
Jose Manuel Lopez tracked down the rebound in the left wing corner and passed to Alvarez, who was just outside the top left corner of the penalty area. Alvarez took a couple of strides toward the center of the field before unleashing a curling, right-footed shot that found the far upper corner of the net, just out of Kobel’s reach.
Martinez clinched the victory in the first minute of stoppage time, converting a rebound after Kobel stopped a shot by Thiago Almada.
Kobel and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez both made four saves.
Switzerland got the tying goal in the 67th minute following a sustained push.
Ndoye played a give-and-go with Ricardo Rodriguez near the top left corner of the penalty area. Ndoye got the ball back and dribbled to the edge of the 6-yard box before putting a low shot between Martinez’s legs as the goalie started to go down.
Switzerland’s momentum didn’t last long as Embolo received a second yellow card in the 72nd minute, this time for simulation. Referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro originally was going to issue a yellow to Argentina’s Leandro Paredes for a foul on Embolo, but a video review determined the Swiss attacker was hardly touched and the booking was changed. Embolo received his first card in the 44th minute for a late foul on Paredes.
Kobel’s lone save in regulation came in the final minute of second-half stoppage time as he dove to his left to knock away a sidewinding, 15-yard shot from Lisandro Martinez following a Messi corner kick.
Argentina opened the scoring in the 10th minute as Messi’s corner kick from the left wing found Mac Allister at the top of the 6-yard box just outside the near post. Mac Allister’s glancing header into the far side netting left Kobel flat-footed. It was Messi’s record 10th career World Cup assist.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ty France powers Padres past Blue Jays in back-and-forth game
Jul 11, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France (25) celebrates with right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images Ty France’s solo homer snapped a tie in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday night as the San Diego Padres outlasted the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 8-7.
France cracked his 11th homer of the season an estimated 377 feet into the second level of the Western Metal Supply building in left field off Mason Fluharty (4-1). It broke the game’s third tie.
San Diego’s bullpen held the line from there. Bradgley Rodriguez (2-2) fired a 1-2-3 seventh, Adrian Morejon pitched the eighth and closer Mason Miller took care of the ninth for his 24th save in as many chances.
Neither starter made it past the second inning, both undone by wildness. Toronto’s Trey Yesavage lasted only 1 2/3 innings, giving up one hit and four runs thanks to his seven walks. The Padres’ Walker Buehler pitched only two innings, yielding three hits and four runs with four walks and a strikeout.
Yesavage gifted San Diego two runs in the bottom of the first with four walks, the last to Gavin Sheets with the bases loaded. France accounted for the other run via a sacrifice fly.
The Blue Jays erased that deficit quickly in the second with four runs, fueled by Buehler’s four walks. Alejandro Kirk doubled down the right field line for an RBI, followed by Andres Gimenez’s run-scoring groundout and Jonatan Clase’s two-run homer to right, his second of the year.
Three more walks by Yesavage in the second teed up Manny Machado for a two-run single that made it 4-4. The Padres regained the lead in the third on a two-out, two-run single by Sung-Mun Song.
Jake Cronenworth increased the lead to 7-4 in the fourth by grounding a two-out RBI single up the middle that scored Sheets. But Vladimir Guerrero Jr. erased that lead in the sixth when he belted a three-run homer to left. The 385-foot shot was his sixth of the year.
The teams combined for 17 walks, 11 by Toronto’s five pitchers. The teams drew 11 walks in the first two innings, the most in a major league game this year.
–Field Level Media
Tempo upbeat on playing in Montreal, but seek different outcome vs. Liberty
Argentina oust Switzerland in extra time, advance to semifinals
