ON THE TRACKS Auto racing results

xfinity

Chastain edges Allgaier for first win

LAS VEGAS

Ross Chastain held off Justin Allgaier for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory Saturday, pulling away on the final restart.

Chastain led 180 of the 200 laps, but had to dig in on several restarts to stay in front of Allgaier, the regular-season Xfinity champion. Cole Custer was third, followed by Christopher Bell and Elliott Sadler.

Chastain swept all three stages at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Allgaier clinched the overall regular-season series title during the second stage.

IRL

Rossi changes perceptions

SONOMA, Calif.

It was just assumed that Alexander Rossi didn’t want to be an IndyCar driver when he joined the series. His career had been aimed at making it in Formula One, and when that didn’t come together, IndyCar was the only thing left.

So he became the villain, which doesn’t at all fit Rossi.

“I don’t think perception was accurate or fair,” Rossi said about his IndyCar arrival. “That’s not who I am. I am a very introverted person and that’s not the personality one needs to have to be a villain.”

In his third season now in IndyCar, Rossi has proven he does indeed want to be part of the series and perhaps may become its next champion.

Rossi trails four-time series champion Scott Dixon by 29 points going into today’s season finale at Sonoma Raceway. It would be an impossible margin to overcome but the finale is worth double points and any sort of error by Dixon would open an opportunity for Rossi.

All he’s needed since he got his seat was an opportunity, proven his rookie year when he won the Indianapolis 500 in his first try. It was the 100th running, no less, and Rossi had to flawlessly save fuel to snatch the career-making victory. His transition to the series has been swift and this year he’s become a breakout star and the new face of the Andretti Autosport organization.

NASCAR

Busch, Harvick tied atop Cup standings

LAS VEGAS

Seven months into the NASCAR Cup series season, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are dead-even atop the standings. Defending champion Martin Truex Jr. is right behind them, and the other 13 drivers in the playoff field are desperate just to keep up.

Even after the occasional predictability of a regular season dominated by the Big Three drivers, the stage is set for an intriguing playoff push. It all starts today in the 98-degree heat of Las Vegas, where every event just seems bigger.

“You can feel the energy from the teams and the drivers before this playoff, even more so than you have in years past,” said Kurt Busch, a Las Vegas native. “There’s so much energy and so much attention with it being in Vegas for the first time. It just makes everything more exciting.”

NASCAR’s playoff stretch is kicking off for the first time at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which also got a second race for the first time this season after years of strong public support for the sport.

“I’m just focusing on winning the race,” he said. “That’s all I can focus on, that’s all I can do. I’ll race like I always do, go for a win. That’s our only objective. That’s my only objective. That’s the only reason why I’m here.”

Rossi has lagged behind Dixon in every practice and qualifying session at Sonoma and his team is trying to play strategy in their favor. He gambled on tire selection for the final round of qualifying and felt it backfired.

Reigning champion Josef Newgarden qualified third and was followed by Marco Andretti and Patricio O’Ward, who qualified fifth for his IndyCar debut.

Associated Press