Austin Dillon seeks follow-up to wreck-assisted NASCAR win at Michigan; IndyCar returns at Illinois

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NASCAR CUP SERIES

FireKeepers Casino 400

Site: Brooklyn, Michigan.

Schedule: Saturday, practice, 12:35 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 1:20 p.m.; Sunday race, 2:30 p.m. (USA Network).

Track: Michigan International Speedway.

Race distance: 200 laps, 400 miles.

Last year: Chris Buescher won the second of three consecutive starts before the playoffs, leading the final 12 laps of 52 overall after starting fourth for the victory. Martin Truex Jr. led 47 laps and finished second with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin third, followed by Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson.

Last race: Dillon brought drama and controversy to an otherwise uneventful Richmond race by spinning Logano and sending Hamlin into the wall at the end to win in overtime and clinch a playoff berth. Larson finished seventh and leads Tyler Reddick by just five points in the standings with Chase Elliott six back in third. Hamlin (three victories) finished second and stands 21 points back in fourth with Logano 15th after finishing 19th.

Fast facts: Two races remain in NASCAR’s regular season after Michigan, with Daytona and Darlington next. ... Toyota claimed four of the top six spots at Richmond with Dillon and Ross Chastain (fifth) taking the other spots in Chevys. ... Ford has won the past 10 starts at Michigan, including season sweeps from 2018-20 when the track held two races annually. ... Rochester Hills, Michigan, native Keselowski seeks his first career Cup win at his home state track after eight top-fives and 14 top-10s in 26 starts. He won in 2009-10 in the Xfinity Series in a Chevy and Dodge, respectively.

Next race: Aug. 24, Daytona Beach, Florida.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Cabo Wabo 250

Site: Brooklyn, Michigan.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 3:30 p.m.; qualifying, 4:10 p.m.; Saturday, race, 3:30 p.m. (USA Network)

Track: Michigan International Speedway.

Race distance: 125 laps, 250 miles.

Last year: John Hunter Nemechek led twice for 65 laps in a Toyota after starting 10th to earn his fifth of seven victories last season. His laps-led total included the final 23 of a dominant race he won by 1.495 seconds over Josh Berry in a Chevy.

Last race: Riley Herbst made a daring last-lap pass of Aric Almirola to earn his first victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to give Stewart-Haas Racing its second consecutive victory on July 20.

Fast facts: Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas have won the last two Michigan races. ... Reigning series champion Cole Custer holds the points lead by 55 over Justin Allgaier. ... There are six races left in the Xfinity regular season. After Michigan, comes Daytona, Darlington, Atlanta, Watkins Glen and Bristol. The 12-driver playoff starts at Kansas on Sept. 28.

Next race: Aug. 23, Daytona Beach, Florida.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

Fast Facts: Ty Majeski earned his second consecutive victory in the regular-season finale at Richmond last weekend and aims to maintain that momentum when the series resumes with the start of the seven-race playoffs at the Milwaukee Mile on Aug. 25. Majeski seized the lead on the final restart with eight laps left and held off series points leader Christian Eckes. ... Majeski and defending series champion Ben Rhodes are the only Ford drivers in the 10-driver playoff. ... Eckes claimed the regular-season championship, though Corey Heim enters with a three-point lead by virtue of his five victories this season.

Next race: Aug. 25, West Allis, Wisconsin.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

FORMULA ONE

F1 is off for most of August, returning with the Dutch Grand Prix on Aug. 25.

Last race: Lewis Hamilton took the Belgian Grand Prix on July 28 when Mercedes teammate George Russell was disqualified after crossing the line first with an underweight car. ... Russell had held off Hamilton, despite the past series champion closing in on the leader over the final laps. Oscar Piastri had finished third behind Russell and Hamilton, but was moved up to second. Fourth-place Charles Leclerc was declared third after the disqualification.

Fast facts: Series leader Max Verstappen missed out on the podium despite moving from fifth to fourth after Russell’s DQ. Verstappen has not won since taking the last of seven victories this season in Spain on June 23. ... Verstappen’s drought has not dented his championship chances as he heads into Belgium with a 76-point lead over McLaren driver Lando Norris. Leclerc sits in third, 97 points behind Verstappen. ... Hamilton, who had earned his 200th career top-three finish in Hungary two weeks ago, followed that with his record 105th F1 win.

Next race: Aug. 25, Zandvoort, Netherlands.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

INDYCAR

Bommarito Automotive Group 500

Site: Madison, Illinois.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 12:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.; qualifying, 4:20 p.m.; Saturday race, 6 p.m.

Track: World Wide Technology Raceway.

Distance: 260 laps, 500 kilometers (310.7 miles).

Fast facts: Drivers will be well rested nearly a month after Colton Herta won the season's final street race in Toronto. Saturday night's race outside St. Louis begins a closing stretch on ovals, followed by a stop at Portland, Oregon, two races at the Milwaukee Mile and the finale at Nashville Superspeedway on Sept. 15. ... Alex Palou has a 49-point lead over Will Power. Scott Dixon is in third, four points behind Power.

Next race: Aug. 25, Portland, Oregon.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

NHRA DRAG RACING

Lucas Oil Nationals

Site: Brainerd, Minnesota.

Last event: Antron Brown won in Top Fuel and Bob Tasca III won in Funny Car at Sonoma, California, on July 28.

Fast facts: Brainerd hosts the regular-season finale before the circuit heads to Indianapolis for the 70th U.S. Nationals over the Labor Day weekend. ... Brown won the Top Fuel trophy at this track last year. ... Past champion Jack Beckman will race in place of Funny Car legend John Force, who continues his recovery from a horrific crash in Virginia two months ago. NHRA rules allow a substitute driver to earn points for the original pilot in up to eight races. Force is sixth in the standings, 430 points behind John Force Racing teammate and leader Austin Prock. ... Doug Kalitta has a 125-point lead over Shawn Langdon in the Top Fuel race.

Next event: Aug. 28-Sept. 2, Indianapolis.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Fendt Jackson Nationals

Site: Jackson, Minnesota.

Last events: NASCAR Cup Series regular and former champion Kyle Larson led all 50 laps for another victory at the prestigious Knoxville Nationals in Iowa last Saturday before racing his full-time job at Richmond on Sunday. It marked Larson's second consecutive Knoxville win and third in four years. Larson also won a preliminary event on Thursday, sandwiched between victories by Donny Schatz and Giovanni Scelzi. Schatz led all but one lap to win the Friday night feature.

Fast facts: David Gravel leads the drivers' standings with 5,986 points, 98 ahead of Donny Schatz with Carson Macedo 130 back in third.

Next events: Aug. 23, Grand Forks, North Dakota; Aug. 24, West Fargo, North Dakota.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

FILE - Denny Hamlin is introduced before a NASCAR Cup Series race, Sunday, June 23, 2024, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, in Loudon, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

FILE - Joey Logan poses with the pole award in victory lane after earning the position for the NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, April 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Larry Papke, File)

Austin Dillon seeks follow-up to wreck-assisted NASCAR win at Michigan; IndyCar returns at Illinois

FILE - Austin Dillon during the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race media day Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

Austin Dillon seeks follow-up to wreck-assisted NASCAR win at Michigan; IndyCar returns at Illinois

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper homered twice, Cal Stevenson hit a two-run, go-ahead double in the seventh and made a run-saving, highlight-reel catch in the eighth and the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies rallied to cool off the New York Mets with a 6-4 victory on Saturday.

J.T. Realmuto added an RBI double for the Phillies, who have won 10 of 13 and lead the Mets by eight games in the division. The teams will wrap up the three-game series on Sunday afternoon before the Mets host the Phillies for four games Sept. 19-22.

“Really good team win today,” Harper said. “It's a big win. That's a good team over there, and they're playing well.”

Starling Marte singled, tripled and drove in three runs and Luisangel Acuña had a pair of singles in his major-league debut for the Mets, who lost for just the third time in the last 15 games. New York began play Saturday holding the final wild card spot in the National League, one game ahead of the Braves.

With his team down 4-0, Harper launched the first of his two drives off starter Luis Severino with one out in the fourth, a 397-foot opposite-field drive off an 85-mph changeup. He pulled Philadelphia within 4-3 in the sixth with a two-run shot off an 87-mph slider that came on a 3-2 count. The two-time NL MVP, who hadn't homered since Aug. 9, has 28 home runs on the year.

“It felt like a playoff atmosphere, felt like a big situation,” Harper said. “I love that.”

Philadelphia went ahead in the seventh. Danny Young (4-1) surrendered a pair of singles to Bryson Stott and Realmuto to start the frame, with both advancing on Brandon Marsh’s sacrifice bunt. Young slammed his glove and hat into the bench in New York’s dugout in frustration after being lifted by manager Carlos Mendoza for Reed Garrett.

Garrett struck out pinch-hitter Weston Wilson before Stevenson clubbed a 3-2, 92-mph cutter to the wall in right to score Stott and Realmuto.

“Just a huge at-bat by him,” Harper said.

Jeff Hoffman pitched a scoreless eighth, and Carlos Estévez finished it in the ninth for his 26th save in 31 chances and sixth in eight tries since joining the Phillies prior to the trade deadline.

Hoffman got some help from Stevenson in center field when he robbed J.D. Martinez of a home run with a leaping catch at the wall for the first out of the eighth.

Orion Kerkering (5-2) worked a 1-2-3 seventh after Taijuan Walker tossed three scoreless innings in relief of starter Kolby Allard.

New York gave Severino a four-run cushion. Marte worked a bases-loaded walk in the first before hitting a two-run triple off Allard in the Mets’ three-run third inning to continue his success against Philadelphia. Marte is batting .375 in his career against the Phillies.

Allard, the fourth different No. 5 starter used in as many trips through the rotation, lasted just three innings, surrendering three earned runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Walker, whom the Phillies signed to a four-year, $72 million free-agent deal prior to the 2023 season, excelled in his new role after getting demoted to the bullpen due to ineffectiveness as a starter.

“He's a great teammate,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of Walker. “He's handled this like a pro.”

Walker was happy to contribute in a positive way.

“It feels good,” he said. “I feel like I haven't done a good job of helping the team this year. Today was the best I felt all year."

Acuña recorded his first hit with a single to center field off Walker leading off the fourth and started the ninth with a single to center off Estévez. Acuña, a younger brother of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr., is one of the organization’s top prospects. He hit .258 with 40 steals while splitting time among second base, shortstop and center field with Triple-A Syracuse.

“Good to see him fight and get us going in the ninth,” Mendoza said. “I thought he was good.”

Acuña, 22, started at shortstop and batted ninth. He came over when the Mets traded Max Scherzer to Texas in July 2023. Acuña was promoted one day after All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor left Friday night’s 11-3 victory against the Phillies in the seventh inning because of lower back soreness. Mendoza said the move was precautionary following the game and made the decision to give Lindor another day of rest and recovery.

Severino gave up three runs on six hits with five strikeouts and a walk in six innings. The 30-year-old right-hander made two All-Star teams with the Yankees before signing a one-year, $13 million deal in the offseason with the Mets after struggling to an injury-plagued season and 6.65 ERA in 2023.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: 3B Alec Bohm (left hand strain) and INF Edmundo Sosa (back spasms) played for Triple-A Lehigh Valley in rehab assignments on Saturday. ... Harper winced while batting in the eighth, flexing his right arm. He recently told MLB.com that he was playing with a sore wrist and sore right elbow.

Mets: Marte was drilled on the left forearm by a 95-mph sinker from Hoffman in the eighth but stayed in the game.

UP NEXT

Mets LHP David Peterson (9-2, 2.98) opposes Philadelphia LHP Cristopher Sánchez (10-9, 3.33) in the finale of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

New York Mets' Mark Vientos, left, scores past Philadelphia Phillies' J.T. Realmuto, right, during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

New York Mets' Jose Iglesias, left, scores after Philadelphia Phillies' Kolby Allard, right, walked Mets' Starling Marte with the bases loaded during the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

New York Mets' Brandon Nimmo, right, high-fives Francisco Alvarez (4) after scoring during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Philadelphia Phillies' Cal Stevenson reacts after hitting a two-run double off New York Mets' Reed Garrett during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Philadelphia Phillies' Cal Stevenson, right, watches his two-run double off New York Mets' Reed Garrett during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper, right, watches his two-run home run off New York Mets' Luis Severino during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper reacts after hitting a two-run home run off New York Mets' Luis Severino during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)