NASCAR

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) Things keep going right for Kyle Larson. Hours after saying he hoped qualifying for Sunday's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race would be rained out, he got his wish, giving him the pole position on a track where he has struggled. ''I think it will be a good...

An outraged Denny Hamlin said on Thursday he will not pay the $25,000 fine levied by NASCAR for his "disparaging remarks" about the new Sprint Cup car following Sunday's race at Phoenix International Raceway. "Ultimately, I'm not OK with it," Hamlin told ESPN "NASCAR Now" reporter Jamie Little and other...

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) Hendrick Motorsports has replaced driver Kasey Kahne's crew chief for the rest of the season. The team named Darian Grubb the crew chief for Kahne's No. 5 Chevrolet for the remaining nine races of the NASCAR season. Kahne is in the playoffs and finished 21st Sunday...

Joe Gibbs Racing was premature to announce that Mark Martin would replace Denny Hamlin while he recovers from a compression fracture in his lower back. Martin, who drives a part-time Sprint Cup schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing, will drive only at Martinsville on April 7 in JGR's No. 11 Sprint...

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) The Latest on the NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway (all times local): 2:25 p.m. Aric Almirola has won the first stage of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. Almirola began the day in the No. 6 position. It was his first stage win in the...

Matt Crafton charged to the lead in a crash-filled race at Kansas Speedway, and then held off a late run by Joey Coulter to pick up his third career Truck Series victory Saturday. Crafton and Coulter were engaged in a spirited game of cat-and-mouse over the final 20 laps, but...

Quiet most of Speedweeks, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a little noise Saturday. Earnhardt topped the speed chart for the final practice session before Sunday's season-opening Daytona 500. The 2004 Daytona 500 champion turned the fast lap by averaging 198.592 mph around the 2½ -mile superspeedway. David Gilliland was second, followed...

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) The Latest on the NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway (all times local): 1:05 p.m. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is set for his first NASCAR Cup Series broadcast, and Junior Nation is ready. A steady stream of fans stopped at the NBC Sports set before the race at Chicagoland...

Nationwide Series driver Michael Annett suffered a fractured and dislocated sternum in a crash during the race at Daytona on Saturday, Petty Motorsports officials said Tuesday. Annett will undergo immediate surgery in Charlotte and will be out of the No. 43 Ford indefinitely. Cup driver Aric Almirola will replace Annett...

Danica Patrick has made history before - as a woman and a racer, in Indianapolis and Japan. The spotlight is nothing new. But never has it been this bright before. Patrick won the Daytona 500 pole Sunday, becoming the first woman to secure the top spot for any race in...

Reigning Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski earned an early trip to NASCAR principal's office for recent comments in the media. NASCAR chairman Brian France and International Speedway Corporation chairman Lesa France Kennedy met individually with the Penske Racing driver on Friday to strongly emphasize he needs to more informed before...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. once again is the highest paid driver in NASCAR, according to Forbes. But NASCAR's most popular driver, according to the magazine's estimates, saw his total earnings drop from $28.2 million the year before to $25.9 million this year. The $25.9 million is based on a $12.9 million...