Line loses race but still clinches title

Jason Line lost to Richie Stevens Jr. in the pro-stock final in the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals on Sunday but picked up enough points in the preliminary rounds to clinch the season championship.

Line topped teammate Greg Anderson in the semifinals to clinch. Anderson trailed by 119 points before the race and had to win in Las Vegas and at the series-ending event in Pomona in two weeks to take the title.

Stevens won the final with a 6.789-second run at 202.85 mph.

Line, who has won five of 22 events this year, was second in the series in 2004 and third last season.

Tony Schumacher earned the top-fuel victory, beating J.R. Todd to move into second place in the standings. He earned 118 points over the weekend and won the final at 4.469 seconds and 313.58 mph.

Andrew Hines moved into first place in the pro-stock motorcycle division, topping GT Tonglet in the final at 7.08 and 188.65 mph. The division’s two-time defending champion picked up 20 points and leads Antron Brown by six points heading into the final weekend.

Also, Jack Beckman topped the funny-car division with a victory over Tommy Johnson. Beckman finished in 4.783 seconds at 327.19 mph.

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Nicky Hayden won the world championship after Valentino Rossi lost control of his bike at the Valencia GP in Spain.

Rossi, the prerace standings leader, fell on a bend in Lap 5.

Troy Bayliss won the last MotoGP race of the year in 46 minutes 55.415 seconds on a Ducati.

Honda rider Hayden finished third in 47:04.645, behind Loris Capirossi in a race that was changed by Rossi’s fall.

Rossi appeared to lose grip of his Yamaha bike on a bend and skidded off the track. He recovered and finished 13th.