Celebrity deaths
Alex Palou, of Spain, climbs into his car before qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Saturday, May 21, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
High-speed art: Indy 500 driver helmets styled to stand out

By Mark Long May. 27, 2022 02:43 PM EDT

FILE - Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron holds aloft the ball he hit for his 715th career home in Atlanta. Aaron, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth but went on to break the career home run record in the pre-steroids era, died early Jan. 22, 2021. He was 86. (AP Photo, File)
Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2021

By Bernard Mcghee Dec. 10, 2021 01:48 PM EST

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain arrives at the Formula One corniche circuit, in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. The F1 race, which will take place from Dec. 3-5, will be the first time Saudi Arabia hosts the premier sporting event. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Sister of man imprisoned in Saudi Arabia writes to Hamilton

By Jerome Pugmire Dec. 02, 2021 10:58 AM EST

FILE- In this Feb. 17, 2019, file photo, Darrell Wallace Jr., right, prepares put on his HANS device equipped helmet before the start of the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. The lightweight head restraint co-invented by veteran sports car racer Jim Downing keeps a driver's head from snapping forward violently in a crash and has been credited with saving numerous lives in its two decades of use. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
Column: Jim Downing, a sports hero we should never forget

By Paul Newberry Sep. 03, 2021 04:36 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

FILE - In this file photo dated Monday, Dec. 5, 2011, former Formula One chief Max Mosley arrives at a Select Committee hearing on privacy and injunctions, in London. Former Formula One boss and privacy campaigner Max Mosley has died on Sunday May 23, aged 81, it is announced Monday May 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Sang Tan, FILE)
Max Mosley, racing boss who took on UK tabloids, dies at 81

By Steve Douglas And Jill Lawless May. 24, 2021 11:15 AM EDT

FILE - In this July 5, 2013 file photo, Eric McClure gets out of his car after finishing his laps during qualifying for a NASCAR Nationwide auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Former NASCAR driver McClure died Sunday, May 2, 2021, his family and the series said. He was 42. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
Ex-NASCAR driver Eric McClure dies at 42; autopsy pending

May. 02, 2021 02:01 PM EDT

FILE - Peter Falk of "Columbo" gives Jessica Walter of "Amy Prentice" a kiss after both won Emmys on May 19, 1975. Walter won for best actress in a limited series while Falk was named best actor in a lined series. Walter, who played a scheming matriarch in TV's "Arrested Development," has died. She was 80. Walter's death was confirmed Thursday, March 25, 2021, by her daughter, Brooke Bowman. The actor's best-known film roles included playing the stalker in Clint Eastwood's 1971 thriller, "Play Misty for Me." (AP Photo, File)
'Arrested Development' actor Jessica Walter dies at 80

By Lynn Elber Mar. 25, 2021 03:27 PM EDT

Michael McDowell crosses the finish line ahead of Austin Dillon to win the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
The Latest: Keselowski has no regrets about Daytona 500 end

By The Associated Press Feb. 14, 2021 02:28 PM EST

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 - 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

FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2016 file photo, Chadwick Boseman arrives at the Oscars in Los Angeles. Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, has died of cancer. His representative says Boseman died Friday, Aug. 28, 2020 in Los Angeles after a four-year battle with colon cancer. He was 43. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)
Hamilton dedicates F1 pole position to Chadwick Boseman

By Jerome Pugmire Aug. 29, 2020 07:29 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

AP-Sportlight

The Associated Press Apr. 02, 2020 11:54 AM EDT
Spokane (AP) — April 4 1937 — Byron Nelson shoots a 283 to win the Masters by two strokes over Ralph Guldahl. 1938 —...

Ryan Newman (6) goes airborne after crashing into Corey LaJoie (32) during the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Sunday's running of the race was postponed by rain. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Ryan Newman Daytona 500 crash shows racing never truly safe

By Jenna Fryer Feb. 18, 2020 06:49 PM EST

FILE - In this July 13, 2007, file photo, John Andretti smiles as he climbs from his car after qualifying for the NASCAR auto race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Andretti, a member of one of racing's most families, has died following a battle with colon cancer, according to a Twitter post from Andretti Autosports on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2020. He was 56. (AP Photo/Warren Wimmer< File)
Versatile race-car driver John Andretti dies at 56

By Michael Marot Jan. 30, 2020 06:09 PM EST

FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2019, file photo, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., speaks during a luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington. Cummings died from complications of longtime health challenges, his office said in a statement on Oct. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2019

By Bernard Mcghee Dec. 23, 2019 10:13 AM EST

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2009, file photo, former NASCAR driver and owner Junior Johnson smiles as he speaks to media about being named to the NASCAR Hall of Fame during a news conference at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Johnson, who won 50 NASCAR Cup Series races as a driver and 132 as an owner and was part of the inaugural class inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010, has died at 88. (AP Photo/Bob Jordan, File)
Junior Johnson, "The Last American Hero," dies at 88

Jenna Fryer Dec. 20, 2019 07:04 PM EST

Junior Johnson, the North Carolina moonshine runner who went on to a NASCAR Hall of Fame racing career, has died at 88

Dec. 20, 2019 06:51 PM EST
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Junior Johnson, the North Carolina moonshine runner who went on to a NASCAR Hall of Fame racing career, has died at 88. ...

FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2019, file photo, Josef Newgarden waves before an IndyCar auto race at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill. Newgarden can win his second IndyCar championship in three years in the season finale at historic Laguna Seca on Sunday. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
Newgarden seeks 2nd title in 3 years in battle of Americans

By Jenna Fryer Sep. 19, 2019 04:32 PM EDT