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Danica Patrick signs autographs through her garage window during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.(Photo: Peter Casey, USA TODAY Sports) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – First Jeff Gordon wanted to be a race car driver. Then he wanted to become a celebrity. The process of attaining both helped transform NASCAR from a burgeoning regional phenomenon into a national league. “I wanted to take things to the next level,…

RELATED: From tardy slip to pole-sitter | Gordon gets chills watching No. 24 DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The pride on Bill Elliott‘s face was unmistakable as he emerged from a small radio interview room Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. An hour earlier, his 20-year old son, Chase Elliott, had furthered the family’s storied name by adding his own remarkable chapter to Daytona 500 record books by winning the pole for Sunday’s race. And his dad was…

The Kalamazoo Growlers are a collegiate summer league baseball team. They’re running a novelty jersey promotion, in which the team will wear an alternate top featuring emoji selected by a fan vote. Now, some parties with ulterior motives would have you, dear reader, elect the eggplant emoji onto this sacred uniform. But do not be misguided. Peach emoji is where it’s at. Peach emoji is where it has always…

The pace of play needs to be picked up in baseball. That is why a set number of timeouts must be added. Sounds counterintuitive – to speed up the game, we must supply managers the ability to stop it. But there already are timeouts. The problem is they are unlimited. A catcher wants to visit the mound, sure, go for it. The same for an infielder. A pitching coach literally…

Baseball America’s 2016 Top 100 Prospect Rankings Look Good For Red Sox There’s a common theme among the various Major League Baseball prospect rankings that have been released leading up to the 2016 season: The Boston Red Sox’s farm system is in good shape. Baseball America released its annual preseason top 100 prospects list over the weekend, and the Red Sox again were painted in a positive light. Four Red…

The Road to Omaha begins with the first pitch of the 2016 college baseball season on Friday. Virginia looks to defend its championship while the Florida Gators are the preseason favorite to win it all. Looking to make a road trip to escape the dead of winter or planning to hit the road this spring? Here’s five great places to take in a college baseball game: …

After Vegas oddsmakers placed the Cubs’ over/under for wins this season at 89, folks at USA Today should be running to the betting windows. The publication released its 2016 MLB predictions on Monday, and projects Chicago’s Northside club to finish with an MLB-high 101 wins and claim its first division title since 2008. Via USA Today: We see a bullpen well-equipped to deal with back-end rotation shortcomings, and when they add one more…

A race fan takes a selfie with Kevin Harvick, right, before Sunday’s pole qualifying for the 2016 Daytona 500.(Photo: John Raoux, AP) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR will double its presence in Snapchat’s Live Stories feature this year by partnering with the social media platform to highlight at least four races. Live Stories are a collection of user-submitted snaps revolving around a single event or location, and each of them get…

Friday night’s QMJHL game between the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Charlottetown Islanders concluded prematurely after an issue with the ice. The damage wasn’t actually that serious, until the officials stepped in to deal with it. One linesman originally used scissors to cut a protruding piece of the logo, but another linesman just started pulling at the whole logo and tore up a sizable piece of the playing surface. It’s unclear as…

Todd Gilliland was declared the winner of Sunday night’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Smyrna Speedway after the race was extended an extra lap accidentally. The flagman in the flagstand issued the white flag after the leaders had crossed the start/finish line for the 150th lap of the 150-lap race. The white flag was still waving when the leaders came back to what was supposed to be…

After completing a major overhaul, Daytona International Speedway is looking to jumpstart growth in motorsports and beyond. Continue Reading Below Daytona owner International Speedway Corp. (ISCA) has revamped the iconic racetrack from its aging grandstands to the technology available to fans. The project known as Daytona Rising was finished in time for NASCAR’s season opener, the Daytona 500 on Feb. 21. Through Daytona Rising, ISC wanted to rethink the…

Buy Photo A view of Tuckahoe Turf Farms in Hammonton which hosts soccer events. 02.10.16(Photo: Chris LaChall/Staff Photographer)Buy Photo HAMMONTON – Soccer goals are scattered about the landscape of the Tuckahoe Turf Farm in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Some of the netting-covered goal posts are upright in barren sandy fields, while others are overturned, all awaiting use on fields of green sod when soccer tournaments return this spring to the 700-acre preserved farm. But…

(CBS) Finally, pitchers and catchers are set to report this week to spring training. The wait for baseball season is nearly over, and with that comes projections for the 2016 season. USA Today, using a series of variables for its projections, is pegging the Cubs as baseball’s best team, with 101 wins in 2016. Tied for the second-best record in baseball are the White Sox, posted to win 90 wins for the…

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Chris Buescher celebrates after clinching the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway.(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jeff Gordon has ridden off into the sunset — or, more precisely, the bright lights of the television booth. Tony Stewart, when healed from an off-season back injury, is in his final NASCAR season. Several other key NASCAR drivers have reached their 40th birthdays. Matt Kenseth is 43, Dale…

Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s okay, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each…

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Indians have reorganized their Latin American Operations department following the departure of director Ramon Pena. After what was called an amicable parting between Pena and the Indians in January, Koby Perez was promoted to director of Latin American scouting. Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations for the Indians, said late last week that Julio Rangel, the organization’s assistant field coordinator, will be more involved in the…

Here’s the thing about “tanking,” which the owners reportedly discussed at their recent meetings, and which some will tell you is a scourge on baseball as we know it: When teams such as the Phillies, Brewers and Braves go young, they are not simply seeking a better draft position and higher bonus pool. No, they are amassing prospects through trades, creating financial flexibility, setting up their franchises for better tomorrows….

Shot last November in collaboration with VR outfit Wevr, the Swimsuit issue’s inaugural batch of VR content, which features past cover models Nina Adgal, Irina Shayk and Hannah Davis, will live inside Sports Illustrated‘s new Swimsuit app for Android and iOS. At launch, five Google Cardboard– and Samsung Gear VR–compatible videos will be made available for free — three of the individual models, a teaser and an instructional video —…