NASCAR

Aside from Denny Hamlin suffering an injury that likely will keep him out of competition for six weeks, Sunday's race at Auto Club Speedway is just what NASCAR chairman Brian France wants the sport to look like. "What I know is when the racing is tighter and there's more passing,...

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...

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...

Junior's job is up for grabs. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s surprise decision to retire from the NASCAR Cup series at the end of the season will surely make his No. 88 Chevrolet the hottest ride in racing. But more than talent is needed to take the wheel for team owner Rick...

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....

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Dale Earnhardt Jr. says the pressure is gone, not only about his future, but also his results. ''I certainly did feel a lot more relaxed now,'' NASCAR'S most popular driver said Friday at Richmond International Raceway, where he came back to work three days after announcing...

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...

Speculation that Lowe's might disappear from Jimmie Johnson's Sprint Cup car was premature. The home improvement company on Wednesday announced a two-year extension to stay with the five-time series champion on the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports car. The deal, announced to 1,700 store managers at Lowe's national sales meeting three...

FONTANA, Calif. (AP) Jusan Hamilton grew up working on cars in his grandfather's garage, and he has been in love with motorsports ever since. He dreamed of driving all the way from upstate New York's dirt tracks to the bright lights of NASCAR. When it didn't work out behind...

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...

Kyle Larson's first chance to get a big win in NASCAR ended with him claiming a controversial win. With a shot at grabbing his first Nationwide Series win Saturday, he wasn't going to make that same mistake again. Especially not against Kyle Busch. Larson stalked Busch over the closing laps around Bristol...

Kevin Harvick thought he could win the debut race of NASCAR's new Gen-6 car, and he had a solid reason for his confidence. "Nobody in the whole field had any clue what was going to happen," he said, "so we felt like we had a good chance." Harvick dominated Saturday night's...