African-Americans
FILE - In this June 22, 2020, file photo, team owner Richard Petty, right, stands next to driver Bubba Wallace during the national anthem prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala. NASCAR is ready to embrace all genders, ethnicities and backgrounds as moves ahead in its push for racial diversity. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
'Yes we exist' - Black fans eye NASCAR's work to diversify

By Dan Gelston Jul. 17, 2020 02:20 AM EDT

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates on the podium after winning the Styrian Formula One Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Sunday, July 12, 2020. (Joe Klamar/Pool via AP)
F1 star Hamilton raises right fist in fight against racism

By Jerome Pugmire Jul. 12, 2020 01:04 PM 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)
F1 Drivers all wear "End Racism" T-shirts, but 6 don't kneel

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

Race winner Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland celebrates after winning the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Sunday, July 5, 2020. (Mark Thompson/Pool via AP)
Bottas shows he can handle pressure in winning Austrian GP

By Jerome Pugmire Jul. 05, 2020 09:02 AM 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 calls out rival teams for being silent on racism

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

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

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

President Donald Trump supporters cheer as Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the BOK Center, Saturday, June 20, 2020, in Tulsa, Okla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
5 things to know today

By The Associated Press Jun. 22, 2020 05:40 AM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2019, file photo, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, speaks during a news conference following the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race at the Circuit of the Americas, Sunday,, in Austin, Texas. Driving around Formula One tracks without fans cheering loudly at Silverstone and Monza would literally feel “very empty” for world champion Lewis Hamilton. The first 10 races this season have been postponed or canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic, and if F1 does start this summer no fans can watch. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)
F1 star Hamilton to set up commission to increase diversity

Jun. 21, 2020 09:39 AM EDT

FILE - In this Monday, March 2, 2020 file photo, a man wearing a mask as a precaution against passing or receiving germs casts his ballot on the eve of Super Tuesday, at a voting center in Sacramento, Calif. On Friday, June 19, 2020, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly asserting all California registered to vote as an independent will not be able to vote Republican in 2020. Information contained in the post does not apply to the general election this fall. During California’s presidential primary election on March 3, independent voters, also known as “no party preference” voters, could vote in the Democratic presidential primary without changing their party affiliation, but not in the Republican primary. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

By Ali Swenson, Beatrice Dupuy, Arijeta Lajka And Amanda Seitz Jun. 19, 2020 03:33 PM EDT

Driver Bubba Wallace is interviewed before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Wednesday, June 10, 2020, in Martinsville, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
AP Interview: NASCAR'S Bubba Wallace finds voice

By Jenna Fryer Jun. 12, 2020 04:57 PM EDT

FILE - In this June 3, 2020, file photo, a protester waves a city of Chicago flag emblazoned with the acronym BLM for Black Lives Matter, outside the Batavia, Ill., City Hall during a protest over the death of George Floyd. Black Lives Matter has gone mainstream — and black activists are carefully assessing how they should respond. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
Black Lives Matter goes mainstream after Floyd's death

By David Crary And Aaron Morrison Jun. 11, 2020 09:53 AM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2015, file photo, a Confederate flag flies in the infield before a NASCAR Xfinity auto race at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C. Bubba Wallace, the only African-American driver in the top tier of NASCAR, calls for a ban on the Confederate flag in the sport that is deeply rooted in the South. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)
NASCAR bans Confederate flag from its races, venues

By Dan Gelston Jun. 10, 2020 04:55 PM EDT

Empty stands are viewed during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Sunday, June 7, 2020, in Hampton, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Harvick cherishes Atlanta win, looks to help off the track

By Paul Newberry Jun. 07, 2020 07:43 PM EDT

Protesters rally near the edge of Times Square in New York, Sunday, June 7, 2020. New York City lifted the curfew spurred by protests against the death of George Floyd and police brutality ahead of schedule Sunday after a peaceful night, free of the clashes or ransacking of stores that rocked the city days earlier. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Police show less force as peaceful protests push reform

By Jake Seiner, Kimberlee Kruesi And Lisa Marie Pane Jun. 07, 2020 05:51 PM EDT

Chase Elliott (9), Aric Almirola (10) and Joey Logano (22) drive during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Sunday, June 7, 2020, in Hampton, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
NASCAR vows to do better job addressing racial injustice

By Paul Newberry Jun. 07, 2020 04:33 PM EDT

FILE - At left, in a Dec. 6, 2019, file photo, Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton attends a press conference in Paris. At center, in a June 24, 2019, file photo, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar arrives at NBA Awards ceremonies in Santa Monica, Calif. At right, in an Aug. 16, 2019, file photo, Phoenix Mercury WNBA basketball player Brianna Turner is shown during a game in Phoenix. A column is normally a spot for pontificating, to speak bluntly on the issues of the day and receive a gamut of feedback, from effusive praise to slanderous insults. Not this time. Now's the time for those of us in the privileged class to listen, really listen to what African-Americans and people of color around the world are expressing in the wake of George Floyd's brutal, senseless death. (AP Photo/File)
Column: Shut up and dribble? No way. It's time to listen

By Paul Newberry Jun. 05, 2020 03:42 PM EDT

FILE - In this July 20, 2018, file photo, NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson signs an autograph for a fan wearing a Martin Truex Jr. shirt before auto racing practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. Kyle Larson was fired Tuesday, April 14, 2020, by Chip Ganassi Racing, a day after nearly every one of his sponsors dropped the star driver for using a racial slur during a live stream of a virtual race. Larson, in his seventh Cup season with Ganassi and considered the top free agent in NASCAR mere weeks ago, is now stunningly out of a job in what could ultimately be an eight-figure blunder by the star. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm, File)
NASCAR's Larson fired after sponsors walk over N-word slur

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 14, 2020 11:15 AM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2020, file photo, Kyle Larson gets ready to climb into his car to practice for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Kyle Larson used a racial slur on a live stream Sunday. April 12, 2020, during a virtual race — the second driver in a week to draw scrutiny while using the online racing platform to fill time during the coronavirus pandemic.(AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)
NASCAR's Larson suspended for racial slur in virtual race

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 13, 2020 04:36 AM EDT