Buescher plays spoiler at Watkins Glen in chaotic NASCAR playoff race

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) — William Byron's Chevy skidded down the track and came to rest tilted against the wall with a tire jammed into Brad Keselowski's driver-side window in a late fight for position between two NASCAR playoff drivers.

Ryan Blaney never got so lucky to remain in the second playoff race long enough to gobble playoff points. The 2023 NASCAR champion was knocked out at Watkins Glen International on the opening lap Sunday, his Ford towed to the garage against his wishes.

Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Harrison Burton. The list of playoff drivers that took a beating on the track — and in the standings — dwarfed the ones that escaped the road course unscathed.

Already set to retire from full-time racing at the end of the season, Truex had seen enough of the demolition derby that sabotaged his championship push.

“I just don't understand how guys can call themselves the best in the world when they just drive through everyone on restarts at the end of the races,” Truex said. “It is what it is, these days. I'm out of here.”

With championship contenders succumbing to late wrecks, shredded tires, and aggressive driving, Chris Buescher played spoiler and won Sunday at Watkins Glen International, leading a string of five non-playoff drivers to the finish.

“We would have liked to have won a couple of weeks ago, but this is huge,” Buescher said.

The chaos on the 2.45-mile course at The Glen — in the playoffs for the first time before it returns to an August date next year — shook up the playoff standings heading into the cutoff race.

Buescher held off Shane van Gisbergen in the thrilling two final overtime laps and won for the first time this season for RFK Racing. The 31-year-old Texan, who started 24th, has six career victories.

Chase Briscoe, who entered 16th in the playoff standings and 21 points behind the cutline, was sixth and the highest-finishing playoff driver in the field in the second race in NASCAR’s postseason. Four drivers will be cut from the field Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“I did what we needed to do,” Briscoe said. “Just need to go do that same thing next week. Just hit singles and doubles. Don't do anything crazy.”

Briscoe shot to 11th in the standings, six points above the cutline. Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Truex, and Burton are the bottom four drivers.

Austin Cindric was 10th, only the second playoff driver in the top 10. Want to find the contenders? Look all the way to the bottom of the race results. Ten playoff drivers were dumped in the bottom 21 finishers.

The race was bedlam for the contenders from the start, when a wreck on the opening lap that knocked out Blaney also slowed fellow playoff drivers and Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Hamlin and Christopher Bell.

At least 11 playoff drivers ran into some sort of issue, including a rough scene late in the race where Keselowski and Byron crashed battling for position. Byron’s Chevrolet landed on top of Keselowski’s Ford with six laps left in the scheduled 90-lap race.

There was no way this thriller wasn't going to end in regulation.

One by one, playoff drivers took a beating on the track — and in the standings.

Joey Logano raced his way into the second round of NASCAR’s playoffs by winning the opener last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He finished 15th There was no automatic qualifier at The Glen into the second round.

Bell finished 14th and holds a 46-point lead in the standings.

Kyle Larson, Byron, Briscoe and Ty Gibbs are the final four drivers above the cutline. Hamlin is six points out, Keselowski 12, Truex 14 and Burton is 20 points out of the final spot.

Blaney, the 2023 Cup champion, had his race ended on the opening lap after he was collected in a wreck that also involved playoff drivers Hamlin and Bell.

Blaney went from 45 points above the cutline to 29.

NASCAR rules dictated the No. 12 Ford must be towed to the garage, while Blaney argued his team should have been allowed to try and repair the car on pit road, giving him a shot at staying in the race.

“They didn’t give us a chance to fix it,” Blaney said. “How are they going to dictate if we are done or not? They have no idea of the damage. They said we were done because I couldn’t drive it back to the pit box, but if you have four flats, you get towed back to the pit box. You can’t drive that back. I don’t know what is going on or why they won’t give us a shot to work on it but I don’t agree with.”

NASCAR rules say cars can remain in the race for mechanical issues, not for damage.

Juan Pablo Montoya finished 32nd driving for 23XI Racing in his first Cup race in 10 years.

A two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Montoya never quite reached the heights in NASCAR that he did in his IndyCar, sports cars and Formula 1 careers. He won the Cup race at The Glen in 2010.

NASCAR heads to its playoff cutoff race at Bristol where Hamlin is the defending race winner.

“I feel like we can go there and win," Hamlin said. "We are going to an oval, back to a normal track. We can control our own destiny there.”

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

Ross Chastain (#1) drives into turn one during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lauren Petracca)

Ross Chasten (1) drives into Turn One during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lauren Petracca)

Shane Van Gisbergen (16) competes during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lauren Petracca)

Ross Chasten (1) competes during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lauren Petracca)

Chase Briscoe (14) drives through the during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lauren Petracca)

Chris Buescher (17) competes in a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lauren Petracca)

Chris Buescher (17) celebrates winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lauren Petracca)

Chris Buescher (17) celebrates winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lauren Petracca)

MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid rebounded from its first loss in nearly 10 months by beating Villarreal 2-0 at the possible cost of injured right back Dani Carvajal in La Liga on Saturday.

Federico Valverde and Vinícius Júnior scored for the defending champions four days after they lost at Lille 1-0 in the Champions League to halt a 36-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.

Madrid remains unbeaten in 41 consecutive Spanish league games. Beating third-placed Villarreal gave Madrid the same 21 points as Barcelona, which visits Alaves on Sunday.

Carvajal was hurt in second-half stoppage time at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, going down in pain after kicking the leg of an opponent. He appeared to make a gesture showing something snapped in his leg. The Spain international was crying when he was carried off the field on a stretcher.

“It looks like it's a very serious knee injury," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “Everyone is sad and worried. It's something that happens very often because of the calendar and it has happened to a very important player in out squad.”

Ancelotti said Carvajal will undergo tests. Madrid's reserve right back is Lucas Vázquez.

“Carvajal is a key player for us because of his experience and his attitude,” Ancelotti said of the 32-year-old defender who started in Madrid's youth squads and joined the main team in 2013-14.

Villarreal, which was coming off two straight wins, had only one attempt on target. Madrid had two, scoring on both of them.

Valverde scored in the 14th minute with a long-range shot that deflected in off a defender. Vinícius struck from outside the area in the 72nd into the top corner.

Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas was sent off in a 1-0 win at last-placed Las Palmas after being issued consecutive yellow cards for protesting.

He complained about the referee’s decision to show a red card to teammate Ilaix Moriba and received the first yellow in the 54th minute. Aspas' second came in the 56th. The striker was seen briefly asking his teammates to leave the field after he was sent off.

Celta held on despite playing two men down to the end of the match. Borja Iglesia scored a 28th-minute winner in the visitor's only attempt on goal.

The result ended a three-game winless streak for Celta.

Las Palmas, the only team yet to win in the league, hasn’t won in 23 straight league matches going back to last season, when it barely avoided relegation.

Jorge de Frutos scored a pair of second-half goals for Rayo Vallecano to win at Valladolid 2-1, while Espanyol defeated Mallorca 2-1 at home and Osasuna drew at Getafe 1-1.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Villarreal's Alex Baena holds Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga during the La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Villareal in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga falls in front of Villarreal's Alex Baena during the La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Villareal in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid players celebrate after a goal during the La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Villareal in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal receives the ball during the La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Villareal in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid's Federico Valverde celebrates after he scored during the La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Villareal in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid's Lucas Vazquez checks on his teammate Dani Carvajal during the La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Villareal in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal is carried off the pitch during the La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Villareal in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal grimaces in pain during the La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Villareal in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)