Sport

By STEVE REED, AP Sports Writer CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR is trying to inject some excitement into Charlotte Motor Speedway, where recent races have been relatively predictable, even dull: When a lead car breaks free from the pack, it’s been nearly impossible to catch. Nobody could catch Kyle Larson when he was running in clean air during the first two 20-lap segments of the NASCAR All-Star race last weekend. And…

3:09 PM ET Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print comment CONCORD, N.C. — Drivers certainly don’t like to see a back injury, but with the violent nature of the Aric Almirola crash two weeks ago that broke Almirola’s back, there is no groundswell for changes to the cars, nor to the safety systems. Bryan Clauson’s legacy, inspiration, lives on through organ donations Bryan Clauson’s death after a race accident…

Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print comment AUSTIN, Texas — State lawmakers have given Texas Motor Speedway a big helping hand if the state’s premier stock-car track wants to lobby for NASCAR’s All-Star Race and season-ending championship. The Texas Legislature approved a bill Thursday that makes those two races eligible for the state’s Major Events Reimbursement Program, the same fund that is used to help attract big events such…

When he was a kid, Marcus Smith would get out of school early on the Thursday before the 600-mile NASCAR race held at the racetrack his family owns in Concord. He and his brothers went to watch not only the qualifying races, but the boxing matches staged near the front stretch grandstands. “Those were my favorite,” said Smith, now the CEO of Speedway Motorsports, the company that owns Charlotte Motor…

CLOSE x Embed x Share This year’s event will be held June 24 at the Wells Fargo Arena and will highlight the achievements of about 800 All-Iowa honorees. Des Moines Register Buy Photo Des Moines Register Sports Awards logo(Photo: Register)Buy Photo The All-Iowa Special Olympics Elite athletes will be honored at the Des Moines Register Sports Awards on June 24 at Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines.  Male Finalists…

Though he hasn’t taken the checkered flag yet on the NASCAR Monster Energy circuit, stock car racing scion Chase Elliott has taken the sport by storm. He’s won five times on the XFINITY level and twice in the Camping World Truck Series, he was the 2016 NASCAR Rookie of the Year, and he sits fourth in the points going into the Coca-Cola 600. And while Bill Elliott’s son may…

When he was a kid, Marcus Smith would get out of school early on the Thursday before the 600-mile NASCAR race held at the racetrack his family owns in Concord. He and his brothers went to watch not only the qualifying races, but the boxing matches staged near the front stretch grandstands. “Those were my favorite,” said Smith, now the CEO of Speedway Motorsports, the company that owns Charlotte Motor…

NASCAR pit crew members come in all shapes and sizes, but they must be consistent in two crucial ways: Long on persistence and short on memory. It’s an odd part-time job: Train throughout the week for a series of 12-second procedures that would rival emergency rooms for urgency. Jack up the car, change tires, fine-tune the handling and fill that gas tank. If even one of these six crewmen misses…

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — State lawmakers have given Texas Motor Speedway a big helping hand if the state’s premier stock-car track wants to lobby for NASCAR’s All-Star race and season-ending championship. The Texas Legislature approved a bill Thursday that makes those two races eligible for the state’s Major Events Reimbursement Program, the same fund that’s used to help attract big events such as the Super Bowl, the NCAA Tournament’s Final…

NASCAR pit crew members come in all shapes and sizes, but they must be consistent in two crucial ways: Long on persistence and short on memory. It’s an odd part-time job: Train throughout the week for a series of 12-second procedures that would rival emergency rooms for urgency. Jack up the car, change tires, fine-tune the handling and fill that gas tank. If even one of these six crewmen misses…

When he was a kid, Marcus Smith would get out of school early on the Thursday before the 600-mile NASCAR race held at the racetrack his family owns in Concord. He and his brothers went to watch not only the qualifying races, but the boxing matches staged near the front stretch grandstands. “Those were my favorite,” said Smith, now the CEO of Speedway Motorsports, the company that owns Charlotte Motor…

Oscar De La Hoya has penned a letter to boxing fans, urging them to turn their backs on the possible Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Conor McGregor boxing match. As former 10-time champion De La Hoya works to promote the Sept. 16 middleweight title bout between unbeaten, three-belt champion Gennady Golovkin and Mexico’s most popular fighter, former two-division champion Canelo Alvarez, his cause has been distracted by attention on Mayweather-McGregor. That…

CONCORD, N.C. — With the majority of teams based in North Carolina, drivers often consider the races at Charlotte Motor Speedway “home” races. But Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the few drivers left in the sport who can truly call the 1.5-mile speedway his “home track.” Hailing from Kannapolis, North Carolina — which sits approximately 14 miles northeast of the track — Earnhardt recalls attending the Charlotte races early…

A former Union City soccer coach was arrested Thursday on suspicion of molesting an 11-year-old girl, police said. Victor Jaime Juarez, 44, was arrested at his home in Union City and taken to jail on suspicion of lewd acts with a minor child and annoying or molesting a minor child, Union City police Sgt. Steven Mendez said. Juarez worked as a private girl’s youth soccer coach in Union City for…

When he was a kid, Marcus Smith would get out of school early on the Thursday before the 600-mile NASCAR race held at the racetrack his family owns in Concord. He and his brothers went to watch not only the qualifying races, but the boxing matches staged near the front stretch grandstands. “Those were my favorite,” said Smith, now the CEO of Speedway Motorsports, the company that owns Charlotte Motor…

CONCORD, N.C. — With the majority of teams based in North Carolina, drivers often consider the races at Charlotte Motor Speedway “home” races. But Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the few drivers left in the sport who can truly call the 1.5-mile speedway his “home track.” Hailing from Kannapolis, North Carolina — which sits approximately 14 miles northeast of the track — Earnhardt recalls attending the Charlotte races early…

Oscar De La Hoya has penned a letter to boxing fans, urging them to turn their backs on the possible Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Conor McGregor boxing match. As former 10-time champion De La Hoya works to promote the Sept. 16 middleweight title bout between unbeaten, three-belt champion Gennady Golovkin and Mexico’s most popular fighter, former two-division champion Canelo Alvarez, his cause has been distracted by attention on Mayweather-McGregor. That…

RELATED: Practice results Erik Jones led an 85-minute opening practice session Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, turning a lap at 192.713 mph in his No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Jimmie Johnson was right behind him in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at 192.472 mph. Kyle Larson was third-fastest in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing at 192.465 mph. That speedy lap came before he smacked into the outside wall, causing…

  There is no doubt that Brampton Beast forward Chris Auger loves hockey.   Selected in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, the 29-year- old Belleville, Ontario native’s passion for the game has not only afforded him the opportunity to carve out a career in professional hockey, but to travel the world and enjoy life all while living the Canadian dream.   From his days as the captain of the…

One of Robert Yates’ professors back at Mars Hill was wrong, but he sure did something right by this future NASCAR Hall of Famer. Yates was berated decades ago for paying more attention to engines than academia. “He said, ‘Robert Yates will never amount to anything. He’s working on a tractor instead of studying,’ ” Yates recalled Wednesday, after being named one of five inductees to the 2018 class of…