NASCAR

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...

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Matt Kenseth won the pole position for Sunday's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway. The 2003 series champion needed only four laps in three rounds of qualifying Friday, outrunning final-round qualifiers like Joey Logano, who was fastest in each of the first...

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...

Danica Patrick turned attention from her personal life to her driving Saturday. The 30-year-old Stewart-Haas Racing driver topped the second Sprint Cup practice with a fast lap of 196.220 mph, raising the possibility of her becoming on Sunday the first female to win the pole for the Daytona 500...

Daytona International Speedway plans to move the Budweiser Duels to nighttime in 2014. The two 150-mile qualifying races that determine the starting lineup beyond the front row for the Daytona 500 traditionally have been held on the Thursday afternoon prior to the Great American Race. Next year's Duels would be...

Nationwide Series driver Jeremy Clements on Wednesday was reinstated two weeks after being suspended indefinitely for using a racial slur. NASCAR suspended Clements for using the "n-word" in a Feb. 23 conversation with MTV blogger Marty Beckerman at Daytona International Speedway. Clements was informed of his reinstatement after completing a session...

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) Jimmie Johnson has led more laps at Texas than any other NASCAR Cup Series driver, and won a record six times there. But all that was before the entire 1 1/2-mile track was repaved, and Turns 1 and 2 were reconfigured. ''It's a clean sheet of paper....

Denny Hamlin ran 16 laps at full speed Friday, turned his car over to Brian Vickers and then didn't exactly rule himself out of running a full race this weekend as he recovers from a back injury. Hamlin insisted he'll again give Vickers the car at some point Sunday...

Danica Patrick made more history at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday. She became the first woman to lead a lap and was the highest female finisher in the famed Daytona 500. She led five laps and finished eighth. Janet Guthrie had the previous best finish for a woman in...

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) The Latest on the NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway (all times local): 4:34 p.m. Kyle Busch has won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway, holding off Kyle Larson on a wild final lap. It was Busch's fifth win of the season and No. 48 for...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The Latest on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s announcement that he will retire from racing at the end of the season (all times local): 4:55 p.m. NASCAR's chairman and CEO is praising Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s passion for the sport, saying it will ''leave an impact on NASCAR that will...

Danica Patrick will make her second appearance in the Nationwide Series this season on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway. The Sprint Cup rookie will drive for Turner Scott Motorsports, which also fielded her ride in the opener at Daytona International Speedway. Patrick has only one start at Talladega, finishing 13th in...