​WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (Monterrey, Calif.) — Scott McLaughlin had not won in two years, so he’d take a win any way he could get it. The Team Penske driver delivered a dominating performance, leading 87 of the 95 laps Sunday to capture the INDYCAR season finale and snap his 35-race winless streak. McLaughlin noted it was his first win since his daughter, Lucy, was born 23 months ago. "[It’s] a little bit of relief because I've been promising Lucy a long time a race win," McLaughlin said in his post-race news conference. "She has no idea. She gave me nothing on FaceTime [earlier]. That’s part of it." Here are my takeaways. 1. Palou Has Human Day Alex Palou clinched his fifth series title (and fourth consecutive) a week before Laguna Seca, and the prevailing wisdom was he would be the one dominating at one of his best tracks — especially because he had no points on the line. But his team opted for used, soft tires for its first two stints, and that didn’t seem to be the right call. He wound up eighth. But he's still the champion, by 86 points over Kyle Kirkwood. Kirkwood ended up 10 points ahead of Christian Lundgaard and 23 points ahead of Pato O’Ward in the battle for second. Palou won six of the 18 races this year, and the Chip Ganassi Racing driver was set to be honored at the year-end awards banquet Sunday night. "We made some mistakes on our tire decisions," Palou said in his post-race news conference. "We wanted to gamble a little bit. ... It’s tough to win even when you have nothing to lose." 2. McLaughlin Feels Good McLaughlin had a new engineer and strategist, albeit his strategist is long-time Penske employee (and former executive) Tim Cindric. It took a while for them to mesh, and McLaughlin saw the victory as a culmination of their work. "Basically, since June, July — I think we've been really, really good," McLaughlin said. "It's just getting some car pace to control like we did today. It was awesome." McLaughlin finished sixth in the season standings, while his Penske teammate David Malukas was fifth and Josef Newgarden was eighth. 3. Dixon's Emotional Last Day At Ganassi Scott Dixon won six titles over 25 years driving cars for Chip Ganassi Racing, now he's heading to Arrow McLaren for 2027. His final season at Ganassi was not a fun one. He finished 17th on Sunday and wound up 12th in the overall standings. Dixon admitted he was close to tears before the race. Earlier this week, he was given a Rolex desk clock by Ganassi, who had offered him a contract extension. But Dixon opted to leave. "Close [to tears] a couple of times for sure," Dixon told me and other reporters on pit road. "The pre-race and in the team meeting. [It was] not too bad. ... How Chip has dealt with it has been amazing." 4. Schumacher Falls Short Before Moving On Former Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher had a chance to win the Rookie of the Year award when Dennis Hauger got taken out by Sting Ray Robb on the opening lap. But Schumacher finished 22nd to end up 23rd in the overall standings (out of 25). He will move from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to Meyer Shank Racing in 2027. "Today was not amazing, but overall it’s all about learning and that’s what we did this year," Schumacher told me and other reporters on pit road after the race. "Ultimately, I’m very grateful to RLL. ... I’m looking forward to 2027." Schumacher said MSR and his management had conversations earlier in the season and when RLL sold a charter, and it appeared he likely wouldn’t have a ride, it was clear that was the best place for him to go. "I’m just so excited to start working with that group next year," Schumacher said. 4 ½. What’s Next — Testing The 2026 season is over. The testing, though, for the new 2028 INDYCAR will continue. Alexander Rossi will test Wednesday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, while Alex Palou will test Thursday. They both tested on the road course last month and will be able to give feedback with the knowledge of how the car handled on the road course. "The oval test is a hugely different program and a different set of goals they want to accomplish because, obviously, that’s the most important place that car is ever going to race," Rossi told me and other reporters Friday. "Some more performance metrics will be analyzed." Read More

​Telstar goalkeeper Ronald Koeman Jr. has again displayed his penalty-taking skills, including an equalizer deep into second-half stoppage time. The 31-year-old Koeman, who is the son of former Dutch star Ronald Koeman, scored twice from the penalty spot on Sunday. He converted a penalty kick in the 63rd minute and another 11 minutes into stoppage time to salvage a 2-2 home draw for Telstar against Cambuur in the Dutch league. Koeman Jr. had already attracted attention last season after converting a late penalty that helped the club avoid a relegation playoff. Koeman Sr. starred for Barcelona and the Dutch national team, and also coached the Netherlands at the 2026 World Cup. Reporting by The Associated Press. Read More

​Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is expected to play in the team's Week 1 opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, head coach Sean McVay announced. Nacua has been managing psoas soreness while also facing potential discipline under the NFL's personal conduct policy for off-field behavior. The wide receiver suffered the injury during an August joint practice against the Dallas Cowboys. The Rams took a cautious approach with his workload throughout the remainder of training camp. "Yeah, absolutely," McVay told reporters when asked about Nacua's status to face the Niners in Australia. "That's what I've heard. I haven't heard anything different." McVay noted last week that Nacua made progress with vice president of sports medicine and performance Reggie Scott. "Been hitting some high-speed yards at a really good clip with Reggie and his group," McVay said. "And when we get back out there, it'll be fun to have him." In addition to his injury recovery, Nacua remains under review by the league office regarding previous off-field behavior. However, with no league discipline issued ahead of kickoff, he is cleared to take the field. Nacua is entering a pivotal season as he approaches free agency next spring. He is coming off an All-Pro campaign in 2025 in which he led the league with 129 receptions and racked up 1,715 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. His presence in the lineup gives the Rams offense an extra option in an already potent offense looking to contend for a championship. Read More

​Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith is coming back for a 15th season. The Vikings announced Saturday that they had agreed to terms on a deal with the six-time Pro Bowl selection who has spent his entire career in Minnesota. Terms weren’t disclosed. Smith had indicated at the end of last season that he wasn’t sure whether he would retire or play again in 2026, and his future was the subject of speculation thoughout the offseason. The 37-year-old Smith is one of only four players ever to have 50 tackles for loss and 100 passes defended while playing at least 200 career games. The others are Charles Woodson, Brian Dawkins and Ronde Barber. Smith has 21.5 career sacks and 39 interceptions. Barber is the only other NFL player to ever have at least 38 interceptions and 21.5 sacks. Smith’s 207 career games played are the most ever by a Vikings defensive back and rank him fifth in franchise history, behind Jim Marshall (270), Mick Tingelhoff (240), Fred Cox (210) and Carl Eller (209). He has made 203 career starts to rank third in team history, behind Marshall’s 270 and Tingelhoff’s 240. Smith made the Pro Bowl five consecutive years from 2015-19. He also reached the Pro Bowl in 2021. He earned All-Pro honors in 2017 and was a second-team selection in All-Pro balloting in 2018. Reporting by the Associated Press. Read More

​The first race of the NASCAR Cup postseason will get the green flag this Sunday, Sept. 6 at Darlington. Drivers will take the track for the Cook Out Southern 500 as The Chase makes its comeback. It's fitting that Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin are tied atop the board. Reddick secured his fourth win of the 2026 season at this very track; Hamlin enters the weekend as the favorite to win the title and also as the regular-season champion. Let's take a look at the oddsboard as of Sept. 6 at DraftKings Sportsbook. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Cook Out Southern 500 Tyler Reddick: +380 (bet $10 to win $48 total)Denny Hamlin: +380 (bet $10 to win $48 total)Chase Briscoe: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)Kyle Larson: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)Christopher Bell: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)Ryan Blaney: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)William Byron: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)Ty Gibbs: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)Chris Buescher: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)Brad Keselowski: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)Bubba Wallace: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)Joey Logano: +2800 (bet $10 to win $290 total)Erik Jones: +2800 (bet $10 to win $290 total)Chase Elliott: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)Austin Cindric: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)Corey Heim: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)Carson Hocevar: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)Ryan Preece: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total) Daniel Suárez: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)Ross Chastain: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)Alex Bowman: +7500 (bet $10 to win $760 total)Josh Berry: +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total)Michael McDowell: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)Shane van Gisbergen: +11000 (bet $10 to win $1,110 total)Austin Dillon: +11000 (bet $10 to win $1,110 total)Zane Smith: +15000 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)John Hunter Nemechek: +15000 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)Connor Zilisch: +15000 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)Riley Herbst: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)Austin Hill: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)AJ Allmendinger: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)Todd Gilliland: +30000 (bet $10 to win $3,010 total)Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: +30000 (bet $10 to win $3,010 total)Noah Gragson: +50000 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)Cole Custer: +50000 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)Ty Dillon: +70000 (bet $10 to win $7,010 total)Cody Ware: +100000 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)Chad Finchum: +100000 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total) Here's What To Know About The Oddsboard: The Favorite Reddick and his team started the 2026 season off with a magical run. He won the first three races and added two more to the tally before losing momentum. At one point, Reddick boasted a 100-point lead in the overall standings. Looking ahead to this weekend, the driver of 23XI's No. 45 Toyota should feel relatively confident, considering he won at this track when Cup raced here in March for the Goodyear 400. One To Watch Denny Hamlin — who's at the top of the early oddsboard along with Reddick — is one to watch in this race and throughout the entire postseason. In fact, FOX Sports motorsports insider Bob Pockrass put Hamlin at the very top of his Chase contenders rankings, and he also notes that Denny has won at all 10 tracks on The Chase schedule. That, of course, includes Darlington. When the series raced at this track earlier this year in March, Hamlin got an 11th-place finish after starting ninth. Hamlin goes into Darlington as the points leader in The Chase. Read More

​The confetti has already dropped for Alex Palou, who secured his fifth INDYCAR title and fourth consecutive at Milwaukee. However, one more race remains on the INDYCAR schedule before the 2026 season comes to an end. This weekend, the series goes to Laguna Seca for the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 2:30 p.m. ET (FOX). Will reigning champion Alex Palou add another exclamation mark to his already dazzling track record or should bettors keep their eyes on another driver? Here are the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Sept. 6. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. INDYCAR Series: Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey 2026 Alex Palou: 20/31 (bet $10 to win $16.45 total)Scott McLaughlin: 4/1 (bet $10 to win $50 total)Christian Lundgaard: 7/1 (bet $10 to win $80 total)Kyle Kirkwood: 8/1 (bet $10 to win $90 total)Felix Rosenqvist: 8/1 (bet $10 to win $90 total)David Malukas: 12/1 (bet $10 to win $130 total)Pato O'Ward: 18/1 (bet $10 to win $190 total)Marcus Ericsson: 20/1 (bet $10 to win $210 total)Alexander Rossi: 20/1 (bet $10 to win $210 total)Will Power: 35/1 (bet $10 to win $360 total)Scott Dixon: 40/1 (bet $10 to win $410 total)Marcus Armstrong: 40/1 (bet $10 to win $410 total)Josef Newgarden: 40/1 (bet $10 to win $410 total)Rinus Veekay: 50/1 (bet $10 to win $510 total)Louis Foster: 80/1 (bet $10 to win $810 total)Kyffin Simpson: 80/1 (bet $10 to win $810 total)Nolan Siegel: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)Mick Schumacher: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)Graham Rahal: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)Christian Rasmussen: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)Caio Collet: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)Santino Ferrucci: 150/1 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)Romain Grosjean: 200/1 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)Dennis Hauger: 200/1 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)Sting Ray Robb: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total) Here's What To Know About The Oddsboard: The Favorite This weekend should be a relatively enjoyable one for Alex Palou because, regardless of what happens on the track, he's already wrapped up the 2026 INDYCAR championship. His road to his fifth INDYCAR title (and fourth consecutive) was paved with eight poles, six wins and 673 laps led. When the series raced here in July 2025, Palou got into Winner's Circle, holding off Christian Lundgaard (second) and Colton Herta (third). One To Watch Pato O'Ward comes into this weekend after sweeping both races at Milwaukee. His electric run in the Midwest was exactly what he needed to add some glimmer to an otherwise disappointing year. Before the series stopped at the Milwaukee Mile, Pato had just one other win under his hood this season and that came at Mid-Ohio. Last year at this track, O'Ward just missed the podium, finishing fourth. Read More