Fourth of July
THIS CORRECTS THAT KIVLENIEKS DIED OF CHEST TRAUMA FROM AN ERRANT FIREWORKS MORTAR BLAST AND NOT A SUBSEQUENT FALL AS AUTHORITIES PREVIOUSLY REPORTED - FILE - Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks (80) is shown during the second period of an NHL hockey game in New York, in this Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, file photo. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Latvian Hockey Federation said Monday, July 5, 2021, that 24-year-old goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks has died. A medical examiner in Michigan says an autopsy has determined that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died of chest trauma from an errant fireworks mortar blast, and not a fall as authorities previously reported. Police in Novi, Michigan, said the mortar-style firework tilted slightly and started to fire toward people nearby Sunday night, July 4. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
Columbus Blue Jackets goalie dies after fireworks accident

By Stephen Whyno And Kathleen Foody Jul. 05, 2021 11:21 AM EDT

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

Race fans decorated their camp site at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to congratulate local IndyCar owner Michael Shank on winning the Indianapolis 500, Saturday, July 3, 2021 in Lexington, Ohio. Shank’s team is based 50 miles away from the race track in Pataskala and considers Mid-Ohio his home track. Mid-Ohio is hosting IndyCar on the Fourth of July for the first time in track history. (AP Photo/Jenna Fryer)
IndyCar embraces Americana charm at Mid-Ohio for holiday

By Jenna Fryer Jul. 03, 2021 04:56 PM 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

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

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 - 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

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

FILE - In this May 16, 2015, file photo, Tony Kanaan, left, of Brazil, talks with car owner and four-time Indianapolis 500 champion AJ Foyt on the first day of qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. Organizers announced Thursday, March 26, the 500 would move from its traditional Memorial Day weekend slot to Aug. 23. Drivers, like fan favorite Kanaan, jumped right on board — calling it the right move. Foyt issued a statement saying IndyCar officials were doing the best they could under unforeseen circumstances. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Racing community lines up behind decision to delay Indy 500

By Michael Marot Mar. 26, 2020 06:43 PM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2019, file photo, Kyle Busch, center, holds up his trophy in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto racing season championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla. NASCAR's season officially opens Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)
Change looming as NASCAR season arrives with Daytona 500

By Jenna Fryer Feb. 03, 2020 03:28 PM EST

Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske speaks during a news conference at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020, in Indianapolis. Penske announced that this year's NASCAR Xfinity Series race will be run on the track's road course for the first time. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
NASCAR to run Xfinity race on Indy road course for 1st time

By Michael Marot Jan. 15, 2020 12:32 PM EST

Penske Corporation Chairman Rodger Penske, left, and Hulman & Co. Chairman Tony Hulman George speak after a press conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Monday, Nov. 4, 2019. Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar Series were sold to Penske Entertainment Corp. in a stunning move Monday that relinquishes control of the iconic speedway from the Hulman family after 74 years. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Penske jumped at chance to protect iconic Indianapolis track

By Jenna Fryer Nov. 05, 2019 03:58 PM EST

Cars file in behind the pace truck on pit road after the NASCAR Cup Series auto race was delayed because of inclement weather at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, July 7, 2019, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/David Graham)
Big rain and big wreck lead to Haley's 1st career Cup win

By Jenna Fryer Jul. 07, 2019 01:00 PM EDT

Tony Pacetti walks around the infield with a United States flag before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, July 6, 2019, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack)
The Latest: Rain postpones NASCAR race at Daytona a day

Jul. 06, 2019 06:59 PM EDT

Garrett Kulczycki, left, his son Corbin, 6, and Susan Beach take shelter in the garage area during a weather delay before the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, July 6, 2019, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack)
Rain postpones NASCAR's final holiday visit to Daytona

By Jenna Fryer Jul. 06, 2019 03:05 PM EDT

Denny Hamlin gets ready to go out onto the track during a NASCAR auto race practice at Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, July 4, 2019, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
NASCAR ready for 1 final round of Daytona summer fireworks

By Jenna Fryer Jul. 05, 2019 05:30 PM EDT