Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Chase Elliott (9) holds up his trophy after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, July 4, 2021, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
Champion Elliott learns to savor wins in season of growth

By Jenna Fryer Jul. 05, 2021 03:12 AM EDT

FILE - NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, right, speaks as team owner Richard Petty, left, listens during a news conference to announce a new charter system for team owners in Charlotte, N.C., in this Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, file photo. A charter is essentially the same as a franchise and the 36 that exist both guarantee a spot in the 40-car field each week as well as a larger slice of the money NASCAR contractually owes its participants. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)
NASCAR teams navigating chaotic charter market ahead of 2022

By Jenna Fryer Jun. 29, 2021 04:05 PM EDT

FILE - Dale Earnhardt Jr., team owner and TV analyst, answers questions during a news conference before the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., in this Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, file photo. There’s a pointed episode in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s television show that encapsulates Earnhardt's remarkable transformation from a bashful third-generation racer into a multimedia personality. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)
Column: Earnhardt blossoms into multimedia personality

By Jenna Fryer Jun. 28, 2021 02:38 PM EDT

Ashley Walsh, founder of Pocono Organics farm, holds hemp buds at the farm adjacent to Pocono Raceway, Friday, June 25, 2021, in Long Pond, Pa. The 380 acre farm is the title sponsor for Saturday's NASCAR auto race, The Pocono Organics CBD 325, the first Cup race with a CBD sponsorship. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
High times: Pocono set for first CBD-sponsored NASCAR race

By Dan Gelston Jun. 25, 2021 05:56 PM EDT

FILE - In this May 22, 2013, file photo, Jack Ingram, right, is congratulated by a guest after being named to the next class of inductees during an announcement at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C. Ingram, a hard-hosed, hot-tempered racer who won five NASCAR championships and more than 300 races, has died, the NASCAR Hall of Fame said Friday, June 25, 2021. He was 84. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)
'Iron Man' racer, NASCAR champion Jack Ingram dies at 84

By Jenna Fryer Jun. 25, 2021 12:20 PM EDT

Kyle Larson walks back to his car with the checkered flag after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, June 20, 2021, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Hendrick gets plenty of mileage from his gamble on Larson

By Jenna Fryer Jun. 24, 2021 04:08 PM EDT

FILE -- In this April 3, 2010 file photo, Kevin Harvick takes the checkered flag at the finish line to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series Nashville 300 auto race at Nashville Superspeedway in Gladeville, Tenn. The track that had been shuttered for a decade will host its first ever Cup race on Sunday, June 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
Nashville Superspeedway welcomes Cup debut as track reopens

By Jenna Fryer Jun. 15, 2021 04:36 PM EDT

Fans look on from the stands as some are still wearing mask and others are not during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover International Speedway, Sunday, May 16, 2021, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Bowman parks 48 in familiar spot in victory lane at Dover

By Dan Gelston May. 16, 2021 05:53 PM EDT

Justin Allgaier celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at Darlington Raceway, Saturday, May 8, 2021, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
Allgaier beats teammate, Earnhardt paces field at Darlington

By Pete Iacobelli May. 08, 2021 03:55 PM EDT

IndyCar driver Jimmie Johnson (48) signs the shirt of fan Caroline Gast of Sarasota after the morning practice session at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race, Sunday, April 25, 2021 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Jimmie Johnson to make Indy 500 debut - for NBC Sports

May. 04, 2021 01:45 PM EDT

NASCAR driver Harrison Burton drives away with his gas can still attached after a pit stop during the Geico 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup auto race at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday, April 25, 2021 in Talladega, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Keselowski claims 6th win at Talladega with overtime pass

By John Zenor Apr. 25, 2021 06:22 PM EDT

Daniel Hemric (18) and Brandon Jones (19) lead the field at the restart of the rain delayed NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va., Sunday, April 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Josh Berry gets 1st career Xfinity victory at Martinsville

By Hank Kurz Jr. Apr. 11, 2021 02:01 PM EDT

Driver Kyle Larson (5) pushes Christopher Bell (20) after a wreck during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Monday, March 29, 2021, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
COLUMN: Bristol avoided the mess most feared for a dirt race

By Jenna Fryer Mar. 30, 2021 07:05 PM EDT

Race leader Noah Gragson (9) limps along the track after having made contact with David Starr with two laps to go in a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021, in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Column: Love him or hate him, Gragson has NASCAR talking

By Jenna Fryer Mar. 22, 2021 06:56 PM EDT

William Byron does doughnuts as he celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Column: Hendrick finds victory lane with rare outside hire

By Jenna Fryer Mar. 01, 2021 06:06 PM EST

FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2007, file photo, crew chief Steve Letarte watches Jeff Gordon during practice for the NASCAR 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., in this Friday, Aug. 17, 2007, file photo. NBC analyst Steve Letarte moonlights as the competition consultant for Spire Motorsports, a position he never imagined would put him back on top of a pit box. When COVID-19 protocols sidelined the regular crew chief, Letarte agreed to get back on top of a pit box Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He'll call the race for Corey LaJoie, his first time as crew chief since the 2014 season finale. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Letarte to play crew chief again in 1-race stint for Spire

By Jenna Fryer Feb. 25, 2021 06:46 PM EST

AP Sportlight

By The Associated Press Feb. 14, 2021 10:00 AM EST
Feb. 15 1932 — Eddie Eagen, as a member of the four-man U.S. bobsled team, wins a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New...

FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2001, file photo, Dale Earnhardt waves to fans during race introduction before the start of the Daytona 500 auto race at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Earnhardt, the greatest stock car star of his era, was killed in a crash on the last turn of the last lap of the race that day as he tried to protect Michael Waltrip's victory (AP Photo/Russell Williams, File)
AP Was There: Earnhardt killed in 2001 Daytona 500 crash

By The Associated Press Feb. 11, 2021 04:31 PM EST

FILE - This Feb. 9, 2020, file photo, shows a SAFER barrier wall in Turn 4 during qualifying for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race qualifying at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Steel And Foam Energy Reduction Barrier was designed to absorb and reduce kinetic energy during high-speed crashes. "Soft walls” have been gradually added to nearly every NASCAR track, first in high-impact areas, The Steel And Foam Energy Reduction Barrier was designed to absorb and reduce kinetic energy during high-speed crashes. "Soft walls” have been gradually added to nearly every NASCAR track, first in high-impact areas and later, after Kyle Busch broke both legs in a 2015 crash at Daytona, in place of nearly every spot of exposed wall. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Lasting legacy: Earnhardt's death saved lives, forced change

By Jenna Fryer, Dan Gelston And Mark Long Feb. 11, 2021 04:07 PM EST

FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2006, file photo, Dale Earnhardt Jr., puts on his helmet and protective HANS device during preparations the day before the Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. NASCAR mandated the use of head-and-neck restraints in late 2001. Drivers had resisted using the U-shaped neck restraint made of carbon fiber because they found it cumbersome and restrictive. They became required equipment after 25-year-old Blaise Alexander was killed in a crash at Charlotte Motor Speedway some eight months after Earnhardt's death.(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
Lasting legacy: Earnhardt's death saved lives, forced change

By Jenna Fryer, Dan Gelston And Mark Long Feb. 11, 2021 04:06 PM EST