Social affairs
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain before the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix race at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Sunday, July 5, 2020. (Dan Istitene/Pool via AP)
F1 Drivers all wear "End Racism" T-shirts, but 6 don't kneel

By Jerome Pugmire Jul. 05, 2020 09:24 AM EDT

El piloto de Mercedes Lewis Hamilton (centro) se arrodilla en respaldo del movimiento Black Lives Matter previo al Gran Premio de Austria en Spielberg, Austria, el domingo 5 de julio de 2020. (Dan Istitene/Pool vía AP)
Bottas shows he can handle pressure in winning Austrian GP

By Jerome Pugmire Jul. 05, 2020 09:02 AM EDT

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain, wearing a mask against the spread of the coronavirus, speaks during a press conference after he clocked the second fastest time during the qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Saturday, July 4, 2020. The Austrian Formula One Grand Prix will be held on Sunday. (Mario Renzi/Pool via AP)
F1 drivers to support fight against racism at Austrian GP

By Jerome Pugmire Jul. 04, 2020 12:22 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

This photo provided by NASCAR shows the noose found in the garage stall of Black driver Bubba Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., on Sunday, June 21, 2020. The discovery prompted a federal investigation that determined the rope had been there since at least last October. (NASCAR via AP)
NASCAR meets with minister pushing for racial equality

By Dan Gelston Jul. 02, 2020 04:49 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain speaks during a press conference at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne. Four months after the opening race was called off amid last-minute pandemonium the Formula One season finally gets underway this weekend in Austria. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)
Hamilton feels responsibility to push for more F1 diversity

By Jerome Pugmire Jul. 02, 2020 10:30 AM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2019, file photo, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain , centre, celebrates on the podium after wining the Emirates Formula One Grand Prix as Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherland's, left, and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco, look on, at the Yas Marina racetrack in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Four months after the opening race was called off amid last-minute pandemonium the Formula One season finally gets underway this weekend in Austria.(AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)
Formula 1 season starts 4 months later in a different world

By Jerome Pugmire Jul. 02, 2020 01:05 AM EDT

North Carolina school official resigns over Facebook posts

Associated Press Jul. 01, 2020 11:46 AM EDT
MONROE, N.C. (AP) — A public school board member in North Carolina has resigned from his position after posting “insensitive” images on social media, a school...

F1 drivers discuss whether to take a knee at season opener

Jun. 30, 2020 06:27 AM EDT
LONDON (AP) — Formula One drivers will discuss taking a knee at the opening race of the delayed season in Austria on Sunday. “Some of the...

FILE - In this Sunday, June 28, 2020, file photo, David Flynt of Hattiesburg, stands outside the state Capitol with other current Mississippi flag supporters in Jackson, Miss. "I love this flag," Flynt said. Mississippi's Republican-controlled Legislature voted Sunday to remove the Civil War emblem from the state flag. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Confederate flag losing prominence 155 years after Civil War

By Jay Reeves Jun. 30, 2020 12:37 AM EDT

Kevin Harvick celebrates in the winners circle after winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, Saturday, June 27, 2020, in Long Pond, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Column: NASCAR rolls on, through crisis and controversy

By Jenna Fryer Jun. 29, 2020 02:47 PM EDT

Mercedes to race in all-black cars for Formula One season

Jun. 29, 2020 10:05 AM EDT
BRACKLEY, England (AP) — Mercedes announced Monday that it will race in all-black cars for the 2020 Formula One season as it pledges to fight racism and...

FILE - In this Thursday, April 16, 2015 file photo, Bernie Ecclestone, President and CEO of Formula One Management, left, talks to Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain ahead the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Formula One Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has criticized “ignorant and uneducated” comments by former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone. Hamilton, a six-time world champion and the only Black driver in F1, was shocked by Ecclestone's claim during an interview with broadcaster CNN on Friday, June 26, 202 that “in lots of cases, Black people are more racist” than white people. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)
Hamilton saddened and hurt by Ecclestone's racism comments

By Jerome Pugmire Jun. 27, 2020 09:02 AM EDT

FILE - In this Thursday, March 19, 2020 file photo, a mask lies on a lawn in Willowbrook, Ill. On Friday, June 26, 2020, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly asserting that wearing face masks can cause fungal and bacterial pneumonia. There’s no evidence that normal use of face masks can cause fungal or bacterial infections. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

By Ali Swenson, Beatrice Dupuy, Arijeta Lajka And Amanda Seitz Jun. 26, 2020 05:46 PM EDT

Dolphins owner pledges $13 million to anti-racism initiative

Jun. 26, 2020 02:35 PM EDT
MIAMI (AP) — Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross pledged an additional $13 million over four years to his anti-racism RISE initiative, the organization said...

Ryan Blaney (12) celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega Ala., Monday, June 22, 2020. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
NASCAR hopes new fans join the sport in push for equality

By Dan Gelston Jun. 25, 2020 04:36 PM EDT

This photo provided by NASCAR shows the noose found in the garage stall of Black driver Bubba Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., on Sunday, June 21, 2020. The discovery prompted a federal investigation that determined the rope had been there since at least last October. (NASCAR via AP)
'The noose was real' - NASCAR releases photo from Talladega

By Dan Gelston Jun. 25, 2020 02:12 PM EDT

FILE - In this June 22, 2020, file photo, Bubba Wallace takes a selfie of himself and of other drivers who had pushed his car to the front in the pits at Talladega Superspeedway before the NASCAR Cup Series auto race in Talladega Ala., Monday June 22, 2020. The noose found hanging in Wallace's garage stall at Talladega had been there since at least last October, federal authorities said Tuesday, June 23, in announcing there will be no charges filed in an incident that rocked NASCAR and its only fulltime Black driver. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
Rope found hanging in Wallace's garage was coincidence

By Jenna Fryer Jun. 23, 2020 05:29 PM EDT

NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace is consoled by team owner Richard Petty, right, prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., Monday, June 22, 2020. In an extraordinary act of solidarity with Wallace, NASCAR's only Black driver, dozens of drivers pushed his car to the front of the field before Monday's race. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Column: NASCAR rallies around Wallace in poignant moment

By Jenna Fryer Jun. 23, 2020 04:43 PM EDT