autoracing
NASCAR: As Chase action opens in Joliet, Toyota’s chances look good
Is NASCAR nation ready for a Sprint Cup champion affiliated with a foreign automaker? ‘‘I think they need to be,’’ Martin Truex Jr. said, ‘‘because there is a pretty good chance of it happening this year.’’ Truex is one of three Toyota drivers in the …
Jeff Gordon defends NASCAR fight with Clint Bowyer
Jeff Gordon was fed up with Clint Bowyer and decided the final laps of Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway was a good time to take out a season’s worth of frustration. Gordon intentionally wrecked Bowyer’s No. 15 Toyota late in the AdvoCare …
Denny Hamlin crashes during testing at Kansas Speedway
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Chase contender Denny Hamlin crashed during testing Thursday at Kansas Speedway and remains under observation after visiting the infield care center. Hamlin was testing on the repaved surface of the 1.5-mile tri-oval when he hit the wall entering Turn 1. The …
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has concussion, out 2 races
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will miss the next two races with his second concussion in the past six weeks, ending the championship chances of NASCAR’s most popular driver.
Brad Keselowski wins in Joliet, claims top spot in standings for Roger Penske
Roger Penske wasn’t sure what to expect Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet during the GEICO 400, the opening race in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. Penske, the iconic IndyCar owner who has yet to win a NASCAR championship, watched Penske Racing driver …
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wins Nationwide race, takes points lead
This time Ricky Stenhouse Jr. mastered Chicagoland Speedway’s mile-and-a-half track. Stenhouse led only 22 laps, but won the Dollar General 300 NASCAR Nationwide race in Joliet on Saturday, overtaking Elliott Sadler for the NNS points lead. Stenhouse, the defending NNS champion, leads the standings by …
Tony Stewart dealing with sponsorship issues as team owner
There was news going around the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet on Friday that Tony Stewart was nearing a deal to get Bass Pro Shops to replace Office Depot as his primary sponsor for 2013. When Stewart heard that, he buried his head in his hands …
NASCAR weekend: The Chase is here and Matt Kenseth can get serious now
The “Silly Season” in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garages began early this year when Matt Kenseth announced in June that he was leaving Roush-Fenway Racing at the end of the season. That was the first domino to fall. At a Chicagoland Speedway event in late …
Nationwide Series driver Elliott Sadler is looking for a Joliet sweep
Elliott Sadler may be leaving Richard Childress Racing at season’s end, but Sadler wants nothing more than to give his owner a NASCAR Nationwide Series championship as a parting gift. Sadler will need to pad his NNS points lead when he races his No. 2 OneMain …
Jeff Gordon’s mustache has NASCAR talking
For one day, at least, the most talked-about story in NASCAR wasn’t the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. It was the rebirth of Jeff Gordon’s mustache. “He’s got to grow back the eyebrows, too,” Tony Stewart said Wednesday at the House of Blues, where …
Jimmie Johnson obliterates field to win Brickyard 400
INDIANAPOLIS — No one seemed to have an answer for Jimmie Johnson once he took the lead in the Brickyard 400 on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It appeared the rest of the 42-car field could do nothing but watch as Johnson built a huge …
Alex Zanardi: From pedal to medal
A lex Zanardi just loves to race. But what he really likes to do is win. The two-time CART champion and ex-Formula One driver took the Paralympic gold medal Wednesday in paracycling — a hand cycle powered by the arms. The win capped an incredible …
1 fan killed, 9 injured by lightning at NASCAR
LONG POND, Pa. — NASCAR fans at Pocono Raceway were advised over public address systems and through social media to take cover when lightning and heavy rain hit the track near the end of the race. The warnings weren’t enough to avoid tragedy at the …
NASCAR addresses restarts day after Elliott Sadler mess
INDIANAPOLIS — The controversy surrounding Elliott Sadler’s black-flag penalty during the Nationwide Series race Saturday was still prevalent during the Sprint Cup Series’ drivers meeting Sunday. NASCAR president Mike Helton and managing event director David Hoots sternly lectured the drivers not to jump ahead during …
Brad Keselowski wins first Nationwide Series race at Brickyard
INDIANAPOLIS — It seemed as if Elliott Sadler not only had the inaugural Indiana 250 on Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway wrapped up, but he was looking at collecting his second consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series victory after winning at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet a week …
Denny Hamlin wins pole for Brickyard 400
INDIANAPOLIS — It’s called the Brickyard 400, but for Denny Hamlin, it might as well be his Daytona 500. Hamlin’s qualifying lap speed of 182.763 mph earned him the pole for the Brickyard 400 on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “This is very, very high …
