Nascar

The upcoming NASCAR race at Circuit of the Americas in Texas will feature two former Formula One world champions, an IndyCar driver and a sports car star who has a win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on his resume. Cup Series regulars don't believe those drivers have a chance at winning. That's because the racing has become so aggressive that veteran drivers anticipate that Sunday could be a sloppy race. 

Brad Keselowski knew there was going to be a long rebuilding process when he left Team Penske after 12 years for an ownership stake in Jack Roush's once proud NASCAR team. He just wasn't clear on how much work needed to be done. The 2012 Cup champion is now part of the ownership group at rebranded RFK Racing and 16 months into his new role, the team is finally seeing some results. 

Joey Logano dominated early and then passed Brad Keselowski on the final lap to win NASCAR’s race at Atlanta and end the early season domination of Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports. Logano won the pole but Keselowski looked like the Ford driver to beat late in the race. 

William Byron has back-to-back wins. Yet he still believes he and his Hendrick Motorsports team have a lot to prove at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Drivers of the Hendrick Chevrolets want to show the strong start to the season is not the result of illegally manipulating NASCAR's rules. Hedrick was given the largest combined fine on one team in series history for allegedly modifying louvers.

William Byron won his second straight NASCAR Cup Series race, taking advantage of a pair of late cautions to give Hendrick Motorsports a victory in overtime at Phoenix Raceway. Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet got a great start in overtime with two laps left, and just like he did a week earlier at Las Vegas, he overtook teammate Kyle Larson for the win. 

Kevin Harvick has had a big share of his best Cup Series moments at Phoenix Raceway. And Sunday is one of two chances to get win No. 10 in the desert and join some elite company before he retires after this season. Harvick is seeking to become just the sixth driver in NASCAR Cup Series to win 10 times at one track. Others who have done that include Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt and David Pearson.

IndyCar had a sloppy season-opening race but it didn't mar the excitement for the upcoming season. IndyCar in its fourth year under Roger Penske's ownership has committed to an aggressive marketing plan to showcase what it insists is the best racing in motorsports. IndyCar has a docuseries in the making and took $150,000 of the guaranteed payout it gives to each of its 22 teams to add $3.3 million to its marketing and promotion budget.

Hendrick Motorsports says Chase Elliott is out indefinitely after undergoing a successful three-hour surgery to repair a fractured tibia. General manager Jeff Andrews says there is no timeline on when the star NASCAR driver will return. Elliott injured his left leg Friday while snowboarding in Colorado. Josh Berry will drive the No. 9 Chevrolet in place of Elliott in Sunday’s Cup race in Las Vegas. Andrews said the process has begun to attain a waiver from NASCAR for Elliott to be eligible for this year’s playoffs.

NASCAR superstar Chase Elliott has had surgery on his left leg after being injured in a snowboarding accident earlier Friday in Colorado. He will miss this weekend's NASCAR race at Las Vegas. Rick Hendrick tells The Associated Press the surgery was successful. He gave no additional details about Elliott's condition or the accident. 

Tony Stewart is embarking on his first season as a full-time NHRA driver. And he's all in. He will race a Top Alcohol dragster for McPhillips Racing when the season begins next week with the Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. He says "I'm here" and adds "it's where my heart is." It's the latest and arguably most challenging lane change for a guy who's dedicated his life to motorsports. 

Kyle Busch sent Fontana off in style. The veteran stormed up from the back after an early penalty and earned his first victory for Richard Childress Racing while winning on this Southern California track for the fifth time. Busch held off Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain in NASCAR’s final race on the gloriously weathered asphalt at Auto Club Speedway, which will soon be demolished to make room for a half-mile track.

Most of NASCAR's Cup Series drivers feel like they're saying their final goodbye to a dear old friend this weekend. Auto Club Speedway has a track that's seemingly adored by every professional wheelman on the continent. Those two miles of gloriously weathered asphalt have allowed racers to be their best selves with the ideal combination of grip and space during a quarter-century of memorable Sundays.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the Daytona 500 in double overtime and under caution Sunday night in the longest running of “The Great American Race.” The two overtimes pushed the 65th running of the race to a record 212 laps — 12 laps beyond the scheduled distance. Stenhouse’s win in a Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing was the third of his career. 

Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin and his six fellow Toyota drivers skipped the final practice for the race. Even action sports star Travis Pastrana, who has little experience at Daytona International Speedway, sat out the 50-minute session. He is driving a third car for 23XI Racing, which is the team co-owned by Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. Sixteen of 40 cars got on track Saturday. Brad Keselowski topped the speed chart in his No. 6 Ford. He reached 191.201 mph during his 14-lap stint.

The ultimate prize on NASCAR’s ultimate stage has eluded Kyle Busch throughout his professional career. Busch is winless in 17 starts in the Daytona 500. He will try to change his fortunes in the 65th running of “The Great American Race” on Sunday.