MIAMI (Reuters) – NASCAR’s new golden boy Carl Edwards believes he will emerge stronger and better after the bitter disappointment of losing the Sprint Cup championship in the season finale.

Edwards went into the final race of the season, at Homestead-Miami Speedway Sunday, with a three point lead in the standings and knowing he just had to finish ahead of rival Tony Stewart to secure his first championship.

The 32-year-old, viewed by many as the future face of the sport, led 119 laps of the race but crossed the finish line second behind Stewart, who was awarded the championship on a tiebreaker.

Edwards was by far the most consistent driver in NASCAR this season, with 26 top-ten finishes and 19 top-five placings but while Stewart won five of the ten races in the season-finale Chase, Edwards did not manage a single one.

“I’m truly telling you, if I’m in this position next year, I’m going to be better at it. So that’s cool. That’s something you don’t get every day is a lesson like this,” Edwards told reporters.

“There’s nothing saying this loss won’t spur a chain of events that could lead to some serious success in the future and you are looking at someone who is not going to miss out on that.

“You can’t go back and change anything but you can sure as hell change what is going to happen and I will be better and will do a good job.”

MIAMI, Nov 21 (Reuters) – NASCAR’s new golden boy Carl Edwards believes he will emerge stronger and better after the bitter disappointment of losing the Sprint Cup championship in the season finale.

Edwards went into the final race of the season, at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, with a three point lead in the standings and knowing he just had to finish ahead of rival Tony Stewart to secure his first championship.

The 32-year-old, viewed by many as the future face of the sport, led 119 laps of the race but crossed the finish line second behind Stewart, who was awarded the championship on a tibebreaker.

Edwards was by far the most consistent driver in NASCAR this season, with 26 top-ten finishes and 19 top-five placings but while Stewart won five of the ten races in the season-finale Chase, Edwards did not manage a single one.

“I’m truly telling you, if I’m in this position next year, I’m going to be better at it. So that’s cool. That’s something you don’t get every day is a lesson like this,” Edwards told reporters.

“There’s nothing saying this loss won’t spur a chain of events that could lead to some serious success in the future and you are looking at someone who is not going to miss out on that.

“You can’t go back and change anything but you can sure as hell change what is going to happen and I will be better and will do a good job.”

MIAMI (Reuters) – David Beckham’s five-year stint with Major League Soccer finally delivered his first league title with L.A. Galaxy on Sunday, completing another turnaround for one of the game’s most polarizing figures.

Now it remains to be seen whether the MLS Cup victory over the Houston Dynamo was Beckham’s American swansong or if a return to Europe, or even retirement, are his next steps.

The crowd at the Home Depot Center made their preference known at the end of the game, chanting ‘Come Back David’ but it was only a few months ago that many U.S. fans were hoping he might leave for good.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder missed the bulk of last season due to an Achilles tendon injury picked up while on loan to AC Milan, a move many disapproved of.

In order to get fully fit for this season, Beckham went back to Britain to train with Tottenham Hotspur, during MLS’s long off-season and skipped the early stages of the Galaxy’s pre-season to continue working out near London.

“I wanted to go somewhere and train and not take the three months off and sit around doing nothing,” said Beckham at the time.

But not everyone agreed with his choice and Beckham’s commitment to the Galaxy was questioned with one pundit beginning the season’s first televised game with a thinly-veiled swipe about Beckham “buying Shepherd’s pie” in London.

MIAMI, Nov 21 (Reuters) – David Beckham’s five-year stint with Major League Soccer finally delivered his first league title with L.A. Galaxy on Sunday, completing another turnaround for one of the game’s most polarizing figures.

Now it remains to be seen whether the MLS Cup victory over the Houston Dynamo was Beckham’s American swansong or if a return to Europe, or even retirement, are his next steps.

The crowd at the Home Depot Center made their preference known at the end of the game, chanting ‘Come Back David’ but it was only a few months ago that many U.S. fans were hoping he might leave for good.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder missed the bulk of last season due to an Achilles tendon injury picked up while on loan to AC Milan, a move many disapproved of.

In order to get fully fit for this season, Beckham went back to Britain to train with Tottenham Hotspur, during MLS’s long off-season and skipped the early stages of the Galaxy’s pre-season to continue working out near London.

“I wanted to go somewhere and train and not take the three months off and sit around doing nothing,” said Beckham at the time.

But not everyone agreed with his choice and Beckham’s commitment to the Galaxy was questioned with one pundit beginning the season’s first televised game with a thinly-veiled swipe about Beckham “buying Shepherd’s pie” in London.

HOMESTEAD, Florida (Reuters) – Tony Stewart barely scraped into NASCAR’s season-ending playoffs, but he dominated the finale in unprecedented fashion, culminating in a third championship for a man who is simply obsessed with racing cars.

Stewart was not being entirely self-depreciating at the conclusion of the regular season when he claimed to be taking up a spot for someone who deserved it more, but by the end of the Chase, no-one was doubting his right to be involved.

Five wins in 10 races was a remarkable record and the fifth of those, a comeback triumph over Carl Edwards, who went into the race leading the championship by three points, was an emphatic way to add to his 2002 and 2005 triumphs.

Stewart made 118 passes as he twice came from deep in the field to get up front with Edwards and he showed tremendous aggression at restarts.

“I feel like I passed half the state of Florida… 118 cars is a helluva lot of cars to pass in a race but when you are under pressure, in the circumstances, it has to be one of the best races I’ve driven,” Stewart told reporters.

It was a view shared by Stewart’s hero, A.J. Foyt, the winner of the Indy 500, Daytona 500 and the Le Mans and Daytona 24 hour races.

“It was a great race. I was a little worried in the beginning because it seemed like something happened to Tony every time he got to the front,” he said.

HOMESTEAD, Florida, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Tony Stewart barely scraped into NASCAR’s season-ending playoffs, but he dominated the finale in unprecedented fashion, culminating in a third championship for a man who is simply obsessed with racing cars.

Stewart was not being entirely self-depreciating at the conclusion of the regular season when he claimed to be taking up a spot for someone who deserved it more, but by the end of the Chase, no-one was doubting his right to be involved.

Five wins in 10 races was a remarkable record and the fifth of those, a comeback triumph over Carl Edwards, who went into the race leading the championship by three points, was an emphatic way to add to his 2002 and 2005 triumphs.

Stewart made 118 passes as he twice came from deep in the field to get up front with Edwards and he showed tremendous aggression at restarts.

“I feel like I passed half the state of Florida… 118 cars is a helluva lot of cars to pass in a race but when you are under pressure, in the circumstances, it has to be one of the best races I’ve driven,” Stewart told reporters.

It was a view shared by Stewart’s hero, A.J. Foyt, the winner of the Indy 500, Daytona 500 and the Le Mans and Daytona 24 hour races.

“It was a great race. I was a little worried in the beginning because it seemed like something happened to Tony every time he got to the front,” he said.

HOMESTEAD, Florida (Reuters) – Tony Stewart was crowned NASCAR’s champion on a tiebreak on Sunday after his magnificent drive won the Ford 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in a showdown with rival Carl Edwards.

Stewart’s victory, for his co-owned Stewart-Haas Racing team, meant he and Edwards finished level on points for the season but he lifted the Sprint Cup thanks to winning more races (5-0) in the season-ending Chase playoffs.

It was the first time NASCAR’s championship was decided on a tiebreak since the introduction of the points system in 1975 and with the top two drivers going head-to-head knowing only a victory would bring them glory, it was the perfect finale for America’s most popular motor racing competition.

There was no need for complex calculations, no uninvolved drivers affecting the outcome. The season ended with the best two drivers chasing each other around the 1.5 mile oval in South Florida.

“If this doesn’t go down as one of the greatest championship races in history I don’t know what will,” said Stewart, as he celebrated with his team trackside.

The 40-year-old Stewart’s victory was his third career championship following his triumphs in 2002 and 2005 and was the first by an owner-driver since Alan Kulwicki’s win in 1992.

Edwards went into the race with a three point advantage over Stewart and led for the most laps but he was unable to catch his rival after the pair separated for the last 40.

HOMESTEAD, Florida, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Tony Stewart was crowned NASCAR’s champion on a tiebreak on Sunday after his magnificent drive won the Ford 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in a showdown with rival Carl Edwards.

Stewart’s victory, for his co-owned Stewart-Haas Racing team, meant he and Edwards finished level on points for the season but he lifted the Sprint Cup thanks to winning more races (5-0) in the season-ending Chase playoffs.

It was the first time NASCAR’s championship was decided on a tiebreak since the introduction of the points system in 1975 and with the top two drivers going head-to-head knowing only a victory would bring them glory, it was the perfect finale for America’s most popular motor racing competition.

There was no need for complex calculations, no uninvolved drivers affecting the outcome. The season ended with the best two drivers chasing each other around the 1.5 mile oval in South Florida.

“If this doesn’t go down as one of the greatest championship races in history I don’t know what will,” said Stewart, as he celebrated with his team trackside.

The 40-year-old Stewart’s victory was his third career championship following his triumphs in 2002 and 2005 and was the first by an owner-driver since Alan Kulwicki’s win in 1992.

Edwards went into the race with a three point advantage over Stewart and led for the most laps but he was unable to catch his rival after the pair separated for the last 40.

HOMESTEAD, Florida (Reuters) – Championship leader Carl Edwards grabbed pole position for the title-deciding final race of the NASCAR season after posting the fastest qualifying time on Saturday.

Edwards, who produced a quickest lap of 30.78 seconds, headed into the last event of the year with a three point lead over two-time champion Tony Stewart, the only man in the field who could possibly overtake him for the title.

Stewart was 15th fastest with a time of 31.15 on the 1.5 mile oval circuit, while Martin Treux Jr and Kasey Kahne were second and third quickest after a session held in gusty winds.

“If anything, this is good for our morale to go sleep easy tonight, but we have to run this race and everything can happen,” Edwards told reporters.

The Roush Fenway Racing driver only needed to finish ahead of Stewart on Sunday to secure his first NASCAR title.

The Homestead-Miami Speedway’s design lends itself to plenty of passing but securing pole position gave Edwards another important advantage, the first stall in pit lane, which should enable him to avoid any traffic problems whenever he exits.

“The biggest thing is that pit stall selection. That’s gonna be a big help the whole race. That’s something that’s hard to put a value on,” said Edwards.

HOMESTEAD, Florida, Nov 19 (Reuters) – Championship leader Carl Edwards grabbed pole position for the title-deciding final race of the NASCAR season after posting the fastest qualifying time on Saturday.

Edwards, who produced a quickest lap of 30.78 seconds, headed into the last event of the year with a three point lead over two-time champion Tony Stewart, the only man in the field who could possibly overtake him for the title.

Stewart was 15th fastest with a time of 31.15 on the 1.5 mile oval circuit, while Martin Treux Jr and Kasey Kahne were second and third quickest after a session held in gusty winds.

“If anything, this is good for our morale to go sleep easy tonight, but we have to run this race and everything can happen,” Edwards told reporters.

The Roush Fenway Racing driver only needed to finish ahead of Stewart on Sunday to secure his first NASCAR title.

The Homestead-Miami Speedway’s design lends itself to plenty of passing but securing pole position gave Edwards another important advantage, the first stall in pit lane, which should enable him to avoid any traffic problems whenever he exits.

“The biggest thing is that pit stall selection. That’s gonna be a big help the whole race. That’s something that’s hard to put a value on,” said Edwards.