IndyCar
FILE - Race driver Alexander Rossi waits for the start of practice for the IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, in this Friday, July 3, 2020, file photo. Alexander Rossi doesn't mince words about last season, when Andretti Autosport won just one race as an organization. "I just think we sucked globally," he said of the effort. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Michael Andretti builds different racing name as team owner

By Jenna Fryer 13 hrs ago

FILE - Fans watch the running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race in the first turn at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, in this Sunday, May 28, 2017, file photo. The Indianapolis 500 will be the largest sporting event since the start of the pandemic with 135,000 spectators permitted to attend “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” next month. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said Wednesday, April 21, 2021, it worked with the Marion County Public Health Department to determine 40% of venue capacity can attend the May 30 race. (AP Photo/R Brent Smith, File)
Indy 500 to host 135,000 in largest sports event in pandemic

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 21, 2021 03:00 PM EDT

FILE - In this April 25, 1997, file photo, John Andretti, left, grins as his wife Nancy hugs his father Aldo after the younger Andretti won the pole for the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala. Mario Andretti feels the same pain as so many others these days. His wife died two years ago, long before the pandemic. And his beloved nephew John lost a brutal battle with colon cancer. But then COVID-19 claimed his twin brother Aldo and one of the greatest racers of all time is not immune from the loneliness and depression sweeping the world. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)
Andretti navigates personal loss, loneliness of pandemic

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 19, 2021 07:13 PM EDT

Denny Hamlin waves to the crowd during driver introductions prior to the state of the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., Sunday, April 18, 2021. A #fedexstrong hashtag was added to the car after the shootings at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Bowman denies Hamlin with swift late move at Richmond

By Hank Kurz Jr. Apr. 18, 2021 06:50 PM EDT

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou, from left, Team Penske driver Will Power and Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin hoist tastes of champaign after they finished first/second/third in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama auto race at Barber Motorsports Parkway, Sunday, April 18, 2021, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Alex Palou scores 1st career IndyCar win in Ganassi debut

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 18, 2021 06:10 PM EDT

FILE - Haas driver Romain Grosjean, of France, poses for a photo at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, in this Thursday, March 12, 2020, file photo. The IndyCar season begins with three new drivers for the season-opener at Barber Motorsports Park. Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson will be a 45-year-old rookie in a class that includes Romain Grosjean from Formula One and V8 Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)
O'Ward sets track record at Barber, Johnson ready for debut

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 17, 2021 12:46 PM EDT

FILE - Driver Scott Dixon, left, and team owner Chip Ganassi celebrate after winning the NTT IndyCar Series Championship following an IndyCar auto race in St. Petersburg, Fla., in this Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, file photo. The upcoming IndyCar season will be headlined by the six-time IndyCar champion. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File)
Scott Dixon seeks motorsports milestone 7th championship

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 16, 2021 07:29 PM EDT

FILE - Hooters 500 winner Bill Elliott, left, and NASCAR Winston Cup champion Alan Kulwicki celebrate in Victory Lane following the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., in this Nov. 15, 1992, file photo. Chase Elliott will honor the late Alan Kulwicki by racing the same Hooters paint scheme that was on Kulwicki’s car in the 1992 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway when Kulwicki beat Bill Elliott for the Winston Cup title. Chase Elliott will run the paint scheme at Darlington Raceway on May 9, 2021. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
NASCAR, motorsports approach to virus vaccine varies greatly

By Hank Kurz Jr. Apr. 16, 2021 05:05 PM EDT

AP-Sportlight-Week Ahead

By The Associated Press Apr. 15, 2021 11:17 AM EDT
April 20 1912 — Fenway Park opens in Boston with the Red Sox beating the New York Yankees 7-6 in 11 innings. Tiger Stadium in Detroit also...

Alexander Rossi watches from his pit box during testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Thursday, April 8, 2021, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
IndyCar opens season with stacked rookie class chasing Dixon

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 14, 2021 05:08 PM EDT

Martin Truex Jr. gives a thumbs-up as he celebrates with a fan after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va., Sunday, April 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
AUTO RACING: NASCAR's short track swing wraps up at Richmond

By The Associated Press Apr. 14, 2021 10:57 AM EDT

FILE - Jimmie Johnson speaks about joining the team of Chip Ganassi for the IndyCar series at a press conference during the IndyCar race weekend in St. Petersburg, Fla., in this Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, file photo. Jimmie Johnson, with wisps of gray in his beard, is a 45-year-old rookie in the IndyCar Series ready to reintroduce himself. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File)
Jimmie Johnson ditches vanilla label during IndyCar debut

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 13, 2021 04:21 PM EDT

FILE - Jimmie Johnson speaks about joining the team of Chip Ganassi for the IndyCar series at a press conference during the IndyCar race weekend in St. Petersburg, Fla., in this Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, file photo. Jimmie Johnson, with wisps of gray in his beard, is a 45-year-old rookie in the IndyCar Series ready to reintroduce himself. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File)
Jimmie Johnson ditches vanilla label during IndyCar debut

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 13, 2021 04:10 PM EDT

Josef Newgarden climbs into his car during testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Thursday, April 8, 2021, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Castroneves starts getting acclimated to new team, color

By Michael Marot Apr. 08, 2021 05:03 PM EDT

FILE - JR Hildebrand is shown in the pit area during qualifications for the IndyCar Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, in this Saturday, May 19, 2018, file photo. Hildebrand has a new team and an old-fashioned look for this year's Indianapolis 500. On Thursday, April 8, 2021, A.J. Foyt Racing announced it had hired the California native to drive the No. 1 ABC Supply Chevrolet as the team's fourth driver in IndyCar's biggest race. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
Hildebrand returning for Indy 500, giving Foyt 4-car lineup

By Michael Marot Apr. 08, 2021 10:09 AM EDT

FILE - Santino Ferrucci drives into turn one during the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, in this Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020, file photo. Ferrucci has landed a ride for the Indianapolis 500 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The team finished first and third in last year's race with Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal, while Ferrucci was fourth. Now RLL will return to Indy with a driver lineup that claimed three of the top four spots a year ago.(AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Ferrucci lands Indy 500 seat with defending winner Rahal

By Jenna Fryer Apr. 05, 2021 12:31 PM EDT

AP Sportlight

By The Associated Press Apr. 05, 2021 10:00 AM EDT
April 6 1896 — The first modern Olympic Games begin in Athens, Greece. James B. Connelly wins the first event — the hop, step and jump. ...

AP-Sportlight-Week Ahead

By The Associated Press Apr. 01, 2021 12:58 PM EDT
April 3 1930 — The Montreal Canadiens win the NHL Stanley Cup with a two-game sweep of the Boston Bruins. 1933 — Ken...

FILE - Roger Penske looks over the track from the grandstand at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, in this Thursday, July 2, 2020, file photo. There will be fans at this year's Indianapolis 500, Penske said Monday, March 22, 2021, but how many remains a moving target based on pandemic restrictions. Penske said more than 170,000 tickets have already been sold for the May 30 race. His first Indy 500 as owner of the historic property ran in front of empty grandstands last year. (AP Photo/Jenna Fryer, File)
Roger Penske bullish on large crowd for Indianapolis 500

By Jenna Fryer Mar. 22, 2021 04:55 PM EDT

Patients arrive to receive the the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine during the state's first mass vaccination clinic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Friday, March 5, 2021, in Indianapolis. The state health department said nearly 17,000 people had filled up four days of appointments for the speedway clinic being held Friday through Monday. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Indiana governor gets virus shot at state's 1st mass clinic

By Tom Davies Mar. 05, 2021 01:40 PM EST