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SPORTS Tuesday 17 sepTember 2019
Truex races into 2nd round with win in opening playoff race

By JENNA FRYER ed the Toyota team as the
AP Auto Racing Writer organization to beat for the
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Martin Cup in this 10-race playoff
Truex Jr. clearly had one of series. JGR has 14 wins this
the best teams this season season through 27 races.
as he rolled to four victories Truex chased down Kevin
before the end of June. Harvick, who was slowed
Then he hit a slump of by traffic, to cut into Har-
sports, nearly three months vick's lead and eventu-
without a win, but his Joe ally make the pass for the
Gibbs Racing team re- win — and the automatic
mained confident it would second-round spot — on
challenge for the champi- the outside with 20 laps re-
onship. maining.
A win in the opening race "I was able to hustle the car
of NASCAR's playoffs solidi- there at the end and get
fied their beliefs. the lead and drive away,"
Truex won for the fifth time Truex said. "These next two
this season Sunday at Las weeks are all about bonus
Vegas Motor Speedway points. This is big today to
and earned an automat- get six (points). Those are
ic berth into the second really important to get to
round of the playoffs. He's (the finale)." Martin Truex Jr. celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Las Vegas Motor
Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019.
won the playoff opener in Las Vegas was a brutal Associated Press
three of the last four sea- opener for a handful of title
sons, including 2017 when contenders, including Kurt second-place finish. dropped two laps off the Busch in later post-race in-
he won the Cup title. Busch, who crashed when "We were way off when we pace while his car was re- terviews repeated several
"Welcome back," Truex his tire went flat and he fin- got here this weekend. They paired. The regular-season times "I'm just here so I don't
screamed to his team over ished last in the field. Erik just kept working. We quali- champion finished 18th get fined," — a nod to ce-
his radio as he crossed the Jones had an earlier me- fied well," Harvick said. "I but was on track to fin- lebrity pace car driver Mar-
finish line. He later added chanical issue and finished knew the Gibbs cars would ish fourth until he ran into shawn Lynch, who used
"I feel awesome" about his four spots higher in 36th. be tough. Martin was just so the lapped car of Garrett that line throughout his NFL
chances to make the final The top 10 finishers were all much better on the second Smithley nearing the end of career.
four and race for the cham- playoff contenders as Truex half of the run. He made the race. Pole-sitter Clint Bowyer
pionship in the November was followed by Harvick, up that ground there, was "We are the top echelon in started the race by lead-
finale at Homestead-Miami Brad Keselowski, Chase able to stay close enough motorsports and we've got ing all four Stewart-Haas
Speedway. Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Alex to us. My car started to get guys out here who have Racing drivers to the green
"If we can get to Home- Bowman, William Byron, loose and push the front. never won late model rac- flag, but he never could
stead, we are going to be Kyle Larson, reigning series It was just in kind of a four es, it's pathetic. They don't clear the traffic and even-
tough to handle. But we've champion Joey Logano wheel drift. We really had know where to go," Kyle tually dropped to a 25th-
got to get there first," he and Ryan Newman. OK speed at the first stage, Busch said. Smithley has place finish.
said. Harvick credited his Stew- but I still felt like the Gibbs 11 career Cup starts, but "We just weren't very good
The Truex victory on an art-Haas Racing team with cars were better than us." has never won a race in a tonight. We were just off.
up-and-down day for Joe making massive gains all Kyle Busch hit the wall just national series, including Off in all areas," Bowyer
Gibbs Racing still cement- weekend to get him to a five laps into the race and ARCA. said.q

Nadal to open in ATP Cup in

Perth; Djokovic on east coast

SYDNEY (AP) — U.S. Open major title, moving within Greece in Group F.
champion Rafael Nadal one of Federer's record No. 3-ranked Federer's
will start his 2020 season on for men, when he held off Swiss team will open in
the opposite side of Aus- Medvedev 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, Group C against Belgium
tralia to Novak Djokovic 4-6, 6-4 in a U.S. Open fi- and Britain in Sydney,
and Roger Federer when nal that lasted nearly five where Group E — contain-
he leads Spain in a group- hours. Nadal remained at ing Austria, Croatia and
stage qualifier in the new No. 2 in the rankings, be- Argentina — will also be
ATP Cup team competi- hind Djokovic, and Medve- based. There are five spots
tion. dev moved up to career- still open in the 24-country
Spain was drawn into best No. 4. tournament which starts in Rafael Nadal, of Spain, reacts after defeating Daniil Medve-
dev, of Russia, to win the men's singles final of the U.S. Open
Group B with Japan and Djokovic's Serbia squad the three cities on Jan. 3 tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, in New York.
Georgia and will play in was drawn into Group A and will double as the sea- Associated Press
Perth on Australia's west along with France and son-opening event for the
coast, where the U.S. team, South Africa in one of men's tennis tour. in Sydney until Jan. 12. playing in the ATP Cup.
Daniil Medvedev's Russia two groups based in Bris- Eight teams from the six- The ATP says all players in The Australian Open, the
team and Italy will also be bane on Australia's east day group stage will ad- the top 10, and 27 of the first major of the season,
competing in Group D. coast, along with Australia, vance to the knockout top 30 players in the rank- is set to start Jan. 20 in
Nadal collected his 19th Germany, Canada and rounds, which will continue ings, have committed to Melbourne.q