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It’s important to know that the elevated train system in the city of Chicago is officially known as the “L,” not “el.” — because baseball fans heading there in October to watch the first Cubs-White Sox World Series since 1906 might need to know the correct way to spell the public transportation between the two ballparks. An L series is creeping into the thoughts of Chicagoans as the Cubs, as…

Michael Mastalez moved from Texas to Mooresville in hopes of one day pursuing a career in NASCAR. He didn’t want to be a driver. He was more interested in working behind the scenes in the sport, which has a heavy presence in the Charlotte area, perhaps in finance. But Mastalez was a big fan, particularly of Brad Keselowski, driver of Team Penske’s No. 2 Ford in the Sprint Cup Series….

Steve Turner, a respected former team owner in the NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series, passed away on Thursday night.   Turner won a Truck Series championship in 2012 with son-in-law James Buescher.   The Texas oil businessman founded Turner Motorsports in 1999. The team started out racing various dirt and asphalt events throughout Texas. In 2009, Turner made the jump to what is now the XFINITY Series by…

Sprint car superstar Dave Blaney, father of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney, was injured during Friday’s qualifying for a World of Outlaws event at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Blaney’s car flipped multiple times, and after he was extracted from the vehicle, Blaney was transported to a local hospital where CT scans proved negative. He was released shortly after 12 midnight ET. Ryan Blaney, along with sister Emma, provided updates via Twitter. Dad…

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Martin Truex Jr. is on the pole for tonight’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway, but once again rookie Chase Elliott is showing he will be in the hunt after qualifying 13th. Race coverage on FS1 begins at 7 p.m. with the green flag scheduled to drop at 7:47. You can follow along live at NASCAR’s Race Center. The starting grid is strong at…

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i An aerial view of the Hiram Bithorn Stadium as Puerto Rico plays Dominican Republic at the Caribbean Series baseball tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico in February. Ricardo Arduengo/AP hide caption toggle caption Ricardo Arduengo/AP An aerial view of the Hiram Bithorn Stadium as Puerto Rico plays Dominican Republic at the Caribbean Series baseball tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico in February. Ricardo Arduengo/AP Major League Baseball says it…

The .400 hitter is of course one of baseball’s most elusive and lionized figures. While we’ve had a couple of near-misses over the years (Tony Gwynn in 1994 and George Brett in 1980, for instance), no qualifier has managed to hit .400 since Ted Williams batted .406 way back yonder in 1941. As for this season, we’ve got one .400 hitter left standing: Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy, who enters…

Lynne Sladky/AP When healthy, there is no more feared slugger in Major League Baseball than Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins and on Friday night he reminded the baseball world just how much power he has in his bat. The home run came off of Phillies reliever Hector Neris in the eighth inning with the score tied 4-4. MLB’s Statcast estimates that the ball came off of Stanton’s bat traveling…

The Forest Lake school district will cut most junior-high level sports in 2016-17, a decision that has rankled some parents and students who believe school athletics fill a vital role and didn’t feel included in the district’s decision-making process. “Basically, there was no announcement, there was no parent discussion, it was just all the sudden everything was cut,” said Liz Tarlizzo, whose seventh-grade triplets play several sports at Century Junior…

Andy Murray has won 35 career singles titles, including the Madrid Open in 2015 Defending champion Andy Murray will face world number one Novak Djokovic in the Madrid Open final on Sunday. British number one Murray beat nine-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal 7-5 6-4 in the first semi-final. Djokovic then racked up a seventh victory in a row over Japan’s Kei Nishikori, going through 6-3 7-6 (7-4). Murray is…

Media playback is not supported on this device Leicester 3-1 Everton: Foxes lift the Premier League trophy At the King Power Stadium Leicester City celebrated their coronation as Premier League champions and the first title in their 132-year history with victory over Everton on a day of elation at the King Power Stadium. This was the Foxes’ official homecoming after they won the Premier League on Monday when Tottenham failed…

x Embed x Share USA TODAY Sports’ Jeff Gluck previews the top story lines at NASCAR’s GoBowling 400. USA TODAY Sports Martin Truex Jr. will start from the pole Saturday night in the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway.(Photo: Jasen Vinlove, USA TODAY Sports) KANSAS CITY, Kan.  — It’s NASCAR race day at Kansas Speedway, and we’ve got some essential information you need to get ready for Saturday night’s Go…

Former NASCAR driver Dave Blaney, 53, was involved in a sprint car crash during qualifying for the World of Outlaws #LetsRaceTwo at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, Friday night. He has since been released from hospital with no reported injuries. His team reports that Blaney is very sore and that they are en route to the team’s headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. Blaney will not race at Eldora Saturday night. Blaney…

By Faith Karimi, CNN Updated 10:54 AM ET, Sat May 7, 2016

When Frank Molinaro attempts to qualify his weight for the Summer Olympics at a last-chance qualifier in Turkey on Sunday morning, he won’t have too many bigger supporters than the man he beat in a state final 11 years ago. Molinaro, a Southern Regional High School graduate, was the surprising winner of the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 65 kg freestyle weight class in April as the No. 9 seed,…

Breeja Larson’s Hasty Rise To The Olympic Stage Sponsored by Hasty Awards Breeja Larson first became interested in swimming when she was in eighth grade. But it wasn’t until she was 17 that she first began to take the sport seriously. Then, just three years later, she found herself at the U.S. Olympic Trials taking on world record holders Rebecca Soni and Jessica Hardy. Defying the odds,…

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