Occasions
FILE - In this May 17, 2020, file photo, the grandstands are empty at Darlington Raceway before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race in Darlington, S.C. Darlington Raceway officials are excited about hosting the first of two scheduled NASCAR weekends, something the track hadn’t featured since 2004. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Harvick looks to jumpstart winless year again at Darlington

By Pete Iacobelli May. 08, 2021 12:06 PM EDT

The Latest: Darlington plans to fully open stands for 500

By The Associated Press May. 07, 2021 06:05 PM EDT
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: ___ As Darlington Raceway prepares...

FILE - In this May 17, 2020, file photo, the grandstands are empty at Darlington Raceway before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race in Darlington, S.C. Darlington Raceway officials are excited about hosting the first of two scheduled NASCAR weekends, something the track hadn’t featured since 2004. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Darlington Raceway set for first of 2 NASCAR weekends

By Pete Iacobelli May. 06, 2021 04:41 PM EDT

FILE - A U.S. postal worker delivers packages, boxes and letters Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, along her route in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, just three days before Christmas. Some Christmas gift-givers discovered their presents didn't arrive in time for the holiday despite ordering weeks ahead. The U.S. Postal Service says it faces "unprecedented volume increases and limited employee availability due to the impacts of COVID-19.” (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
'Unprecedented' mail volume delays Christmas gifts

By Michael Liedtke Dec. 25, 2020 04:11 PM EST

Darlington moving NASCAR throwback to Mother's Day

Dec. 11, 2020 01:03 PM EST
DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — NASCAR's popular throwback weekend celebration at Darlington Raceway is moving from Labor Day weekend to Mother's Day. ...

Marco Andretti, right, poses, with Scott Dixon, of New Zealand, center and Takuma Sato, of Japan, during the front row photos session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. Andretti won the pole for Sunday's race. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
NBC poised to bring unprecedented Indy 500 to huge audience

By Dave Skretta Aug. 20, 2020 02:46 AM EDT

Kevin Harvick festeja en el círculo de ganadores, luego de conquistar la carrera de la Cup Series de la NASCAR en el Pocono Raceway de Long Pond, Pensilvania, el sábado 27 de junio de 2020 (AP Foto/Matt Slocum)
NASCAR races on at Indy after Johnson contracts coronavirus

By Jenna Fryer Jul. 04, 2020 12:34 PM EDT

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Kyle Weatherman drives through a turn during practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, July 3, 2020. The car carries the hashtag #standfortheFlag and features a We Stand for the National Anthem paint scheme. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Paint schemes go political as NASCAR season heats up

By Michael Marot Jul. 03, 2020 06:12 PM EDT

FILE - In this June 27, 2020, file phohto, Chicago Red Stars' Julie Ertz, second from left, holds Casey Short, center, while other players for the team kneel during the national anthem before an NWSL Challenge Cup soccer match against the Washington Spirit at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah. The National Women's Soccer League revised its anthem policy after most players knelt during the anthem before season-opening games last weekend at the Challenge Cup. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
Discourse over national anthem looms for NBA, other leagues

By Schuyler Dixon Jul. 03, 2020 02:55 PM EDT

Scott Dixon, bottom, leads the field into Turn 1 during an IndyCar auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, June 6, 2020. Dixon won the race. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Indianapolis 500 will run with 50% fan capacity at speedway

Jun. 26, 2020 11:49 AM EDT

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam speaks during the COVID-19 press briefing inside the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, May 26, 2020. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
The Latest: Iowa AD looking at different football scenarios

By The Associated Press May. 28, 2020 05:34 AM EDT

The sun rises behind the pagoda at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 24, 2020, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Postponed Indy 500 puts short-track drivers in spotlight

By Michael Marot May. 24, 2020 06:57 PM EDT

Driver Chase Elliott walks to his car for the start of the NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, May 17, 2020, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
NASCAR all alone on motorsports biggest day of racing

By Jenna Fryer May. 23, 2020 02:40 PM EDT

FILE - In this April 8, 2020, file photo, an empty Parkview Field minor league baseball stadium is shown in downtown Fort Wayne, Ind. Unlike the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball that can run on television revenue, it's impossible for some minor sports leagues in North America to go on in empty stadiums and arenas in light of the coronavirus pandemic. These attendance-driven leagues might not play again at all in 2020, putting some teams in danger of surviving at all and potentially changing the landscape of minor league sports in the future. (Mike Moore/The Journal-Gazette via AP, File)
The Latest: Indiana hopes to have athletes back in mid-June

By The Associated Press May. 21, 2020 04:07 PM EDT

FILE - This May 26, 2019, file photo shows Simon Pagenaud, of France, celebrating after winning the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Indianapolis. The Indy 500 has been rescheduled for Aug. 23, 2020, and won't be run on Memorial Day weekend as scheduled for the first time since its return in 1946. Pagenaud passed Alexander Rossi on the penultimate lap to win last May. That gave Roger Penske his 18th win at Indy on the 50th anniversary of his arrival at the Brickyard and before he became the series and track owner. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
What Would Have Been: Indianapolis 500, MLB scandal series

By Stephen Hawkins May. 18, 2020 01:37 AM EDT

FILE - In this April 5, 2006, file photo, NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, left, Darlington Raceway President Chris Browning, center, and Harold Brasington Jr. look out over Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C. Brasington Jr.'s father was the track builder. The 70-year-old raceway will host the return of NASCAR Cup Series racing, among the biggest events so far as sports makes a halting comeback from a global shutdown forced by the coronavirus pandemic. (John D. Russell/The Morning News via AP, File)
NASCAR's return latest chapter in Darlington's rich legacy

By Pete Iacobelli May. 15, 2020 02:02 PM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2020, file photo, Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, left, and Tyrann Mathieu celebrate after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL Super Bowl 54 football game in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Kansas City Chiefs began talking about a repeat before they had even left the stadium following their Super Bowl triumph. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
The Latest: Mahomes to celebrate virtual grads at Texas Tech

By The Associated Press May. 15, 2020 02:00 PM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2019, file photo, the main gate of Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis is shown. It is finally May and acceptable to declare this a crummy year for Roger Penske to have purchased Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (AP Photo/AJ Mast, File)
The Latest: Indy high school to hold graduation at Speedway

By The Associated Press May. 05, 2020 04:50 PM EDT

Two families who gave permission to be photographed, maintain social distancing while talking to each other outside a home in Hampstead, north London, Sunday May 3, 2020, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. The highly contagious COVID-19 coronavirus has impacted on nations around the globe, many imposing self isolation and exercising social distancing when people move from their homes. (Victoria Jones / PA via AP)
As lockdowns ease, some countries report new infection peaks

By Frances D'emilio, Pablo Gorondi And Danica Kirka May. 03, 2020 05:45 PM EDT

A car drives past the entrance at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 28, 2020. Roger Penske, at 83 and considered high risk to the coronavirus as a 2017 kidney transplant recipient, still makes the daily three-minute commute to his Bloomfield Hills, Mich, office. He works 12 or more hours a day from his conference room at Penske Corp., which has a skeleton crew all practicing social distancing. Penske also had the small matter of planning his first Indianapolis 500. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
AP Interview: Roger Penske talks postponing Indianapolis 500

By Jenna Fryer Mar. 28, 2020 04:38 PM EDT