Sport

FINAL PRACTICE | Full results | Best 10-lap averages Polesitter Matt Kenseth showcased the speed of his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota once again, as he topped the leaderboard at 186.361 mph during the final Sprint Cup Series practice Saturday at Kansas Speedway. A pair of Stewart-Haas Racing drivers had some misfortune in final practice. While Kurt Busch‘s No. 41 Chevrolet showed speed early and he finished the session third (185.797 mph),…

Clint Bowyer’s year of purgatory is almost over and for the Kansas native, it can’t end too soon. In the spring of 2015, Bowyer signed a contract extension to remain at Michael Waltrip Racing, where he finished a career-best second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2012. But MWR folded at the end of the year, a shock to Bowyer given that he had just re-upped with the…

NASCAR took the wraps off of its 2017 Premier Series rules Friday, with very little in the way of surprises. For the second consecutive year, the sanctioning body is reducing aerodynamic downforce, which makes the cars faster in a straight line, but much slower in the middle of the corners, where passing will presumably be a good bit easier. The aero package, which features a smaller front splitter and rear…

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When the World Anti-Doping Agency published its 2017 list of banned substances last month, it was most notable for a drug that wasn’t on the list: a powerful painkiller called tramadol. More surprising, perhaps, is the group lobbying for it to be banned: professional cycling, a sport wracked by doping for more than two decades. Since 2011, cycling authorities have begged WADA to add tramadol to the list of prohibited…

The IPSF’s Olympic Sub-Committee has been working on its submission for the last five months, with its case boosted after it was officially confirmed as a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code. “This is a long process and may take years to achieve recognition, but by applying we have already raised the standards of our sport and look forward to continuing to evolve in line with the with…

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To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free. Don’t have an account yet?Create an account » Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?Learn more » Need to connect your Home Delivery subscription to NYTimes.com?Link your subscription »

Justin Bieber is confusing. One minute, he’s refusing to do meet and greets and take selfies with fans, and the next minute, he’s joining some random students’ soccer practice. Guess he just wants to show fan love on his own terms. The 22-year-old is in London this week to headline four nights at the O2 Arena as part of his Purpose world tour. In between shows, he showed up at…

Talladega Superspeedway has issued a ‘burn ban’ for the NASCAR event weekend on Oct. 21-23. Talladega County, along with 45 other Alabama counties are currently under a “Fire Alert” due to drought conditions. The ban means campfires, pit fires, bonfires and fireworks will not be allowed on the speedway property for the duration of the weekend. The Alabama 500 on Oct. 23 will serve as the second elimination race in…

This soccer-style trick shot is really incredible. I would undoubtedly shred an Achilles or ACL if I even attempted this, and yet trick-shot artist Mathias Schjoelberg, formerly of Arizona State, pulls it off with ease. My first thought was that he was going to flip it up to himself with his feet, but the step-by-step process (no pun intended) here is pretty amazing. Well done, Mathias. This is not the…

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She’s played AYSO soccer for six years, and her beads have never been an issue before. CREDIT: Amy Zvovushe-Ramos’s Instagram Nine-year-old Aubrey Zvovushe-Ramos has played in the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) for the past six years, and in most of her games she has worn the same hairstyle: small braids over to one side with beads at the end. Until last weekend, that has never been a problem. But on…

“We wanted to make sure that NASCAR was treated in a positive light, was the big, world-class, glossy event that it is,” said Zane Stoddard, NASCAR Vice President of Entertainment, Marking and Content Development. “The thing that we worked closely with Mark and the production on was getting drivers into driver cameo roles. We thought that would fun for the fans, sort of Easter eggs throughout the film with these…

“We wanted to make sure that NASCAR was treated in a positive light, was the big, world-class, glossy event that it is,” said Zane Stoddard, NASCAR Vice President of Entertainment, Marking and Content Development. “The thing that we worked closely with Mark and the production on was getting drivers into driver cameo roles. We thought that would fun for the fans, sort of Easter eggs throughout the film with these…

On Wednesday afternoon, NASCAR handed down written warning to 18 Sprint Cup Series teams following Sunday’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The following Chase teams received written warnings: No. 20 of Matt Kenseth, No. 41 of Kurt Busch, No. 78 of Martin Truex Jr., No. 24 of Chase Elliott and the No. 4 of Kevin Harvick. This is the fourth pre-race written warning for Busch. As a…

NASCAR’s traveling road show collects and throws out Chase postseason contestants weekly and indiscriminately. Tag, Kevin Harvick. You’re it. The 2014 Cup champion is in a precarious pickle — along with another Cup stalwart, Joey Logano — after technical difficulties at Charlotte on Sunday in the weather-delayed Bank of America 500. Harvick lost power in his No. 4 Chevy and finished just 155 of the 334 laps. Logano bumped the wall…

“We wanted to make sure that NASCAR was treated in a positive light, was the big, world-class, glossy event that it is,” said Zane Stoddard, NASCAR Vice President of Entertainment, Marking and Content Development. “The thing that we worked closely with Mark and the production on was getting drivers into driver cameo roles. We thought that would fun for the fans, sort of Easter eggs throughout the film with these…

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. said it would be hard to explain, the perspective that he’s gained being sidelined from NASCAR competition. The driving part, he clearly misses. The related appearances, autograph sessions and other obligations have gained newfound enjoyment during his absence from the cockpit. The challenge for when he plans to return to driving full-time is finding a way to savor the two parts together. Earnhardt described…

Yorkshire will host the 2019 Road World Championships, marking the return of cycling’s showcase event to Britain after a 37-year gap, with a £27m budget to include a £15m “transformational” investment in new facilities across the UK. Harrogate is one venue which is in the frame as a possible “hub” for the nine days of racing for five categories, junior men and women, elite men and women, and under-23 men….