TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — It wasn’t that long ago people were wondering if Jeff Gordon was all washed up. Well, looks who’s in contention for a Sprint Cup championship. Gordon heads into Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway fourth in the points and hoping to take advantage of a perilous track where the standings can change in a hurry. He’s still...

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — They plan and tinker, double-check this and triple-check that. Then, they cross their fingers, stick a rabbit’s foot in their race suits, and hope the luck goes their way. That is Talladega Superspeedway. By the end of the weekend, the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship could be a whole lot clearer — or just a...

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Johnny Sauter raced to his third NASCAR Truck Series victory of the season Saturday, surviving a huge crash on the final turn at Talladega Superspeedway that took out Kyle Busch and everyone else racing at the front of the pack . Three sets of trucks paired up in the closing laps — Sauter with series leader...

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Jamie McMurray won at Talladega Superspeedway in a nearly clean race until rookie Austin Dillon lost control on the final lap Sunday, allowing the winner to coast across the line under caution. McMurray won for the first time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since 2010, not having to worry about a charge from Dale Earnhardt...

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Justin Lofton is recovering from a fractured left thumb he sustained in a wild crash on the final lap of the NASCAR Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. Lofton was taken to Trinity Medical Center in Birmingham after 12 trucks wrecked in a crowded dash to the finish line in front of the main grandstand. The...

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Dale Earnhardt Jr. had to settle for No. 2 again. Earnhardt was runner-up for the fourth time this year Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, finishing behind Jamie McMurray. The race finished under caution after a last-lap crash. Earnhardt says his initial reaction to such close calls is positive. But, he adds, “the worst part about it really...

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Travis Kvapil will compete in Saturday night’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway despite his arrest on misdemeanor assault on a female and false imprisonment. NASCAR said Thursday it does not condone Kvapil’s actions and will monitor the situation as it develops. Kvapil was arrested Tuesday night and is due in Iredell County (N.C.) District Court on...

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Harvick hasn’t forgotten how little interest there was in him at the start of the season, when few expected much from him as he entered his final year with Richard Childress Racing. He used two victories during SpeedWeeks at Daytona to prove this wasn’t going to be a throwaway season, and added regular-season wins at...

Nascar drivers were taking some time away from the busy race week at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Richard Childress Racing has formed a technical alliance with Germain Racing that will begin next season. Germain Racing will lease ECR Engines as part of the deal and switch from Ford to Chevrolet in 2014. The partnership includes technology sharing, engineering and research and development for Germain. Casey Mears and sponsor Geico are locked in at...

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch raced to his 11th Nationwide Series victory of the year Friday night, giving him a season sweep at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch edged Nationwide series title contenders Austin Dillon and Sam Hornish Jr. to win for the eighth time in the series at Charlotte. Busch has a record 62 Nationwide victories. The win wasn’t...

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — The Associated Press has learned that Michael Waltrip Racing will run only two full-time cars next season because of the loss of sponsor NAPA. Team owners Michael Waltrip and Rob Kauffman on Monday began telling employees of their decision. Those affected were told they are free to begin looking for a new job immediately. Two employees...

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — A six-car NASCAR test at Charlotte Motor Speedway focused on the aerodynamic package for 1.5-mile tracks. NASCAR had three different configurations that covered seven significant changes at Monday’s test. The goal was to help drivers pass easier through more rear downforce or the creation of more turbulent air. The manufacturers brought two cars each. Ford had...

HOUSTON (AP) — Chip Ganassi Racing changed the look of its IndyCar organization Friday by signing Tony Kanaan and announcing a switch to Chevrolet. Adding the Brazilian to Ganassi’s four-car stable gives the organization five of the last seven Indianapolis 500 winners. Kanaan joins Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon, who have four Indy 500 wins, and Charlie Kimball. The move...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — To some, Clint Bowyer has become a pariah. To those in Kansas, he’s still one of their own. The native of Emporia, Kan., insists his spin at Richmond that set off a chain of events that rattled NASCAR to its core was unintentional. NASCAR failed to prove that Bowyer was attempting to manipulate the finish...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The oldest driver to race in each of NASCAR’s top three divisions is calling it a career. James Hylton is 79. He will race Friday night in Kansas City in the lower-tier ARCA race and that’s it. Born on his family’s farm in Virginia in 1934, Hylton’s family worked hard to make ends meet during...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kevin Harvick turned the fastest lap in qualifying for Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway, and will sit on the pole for the first time since the 2006 season. Harvick, who is tied for fourth in points, negotiated brutal crosswinds entering Turn 3 that ruined several good qualifying runs to post a lap of 187.526 mph...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Chase contender Kyle Busch slapped the wall hard in the opening minutes of practice at Kansas Speedway on Saturday and will go to a backup car for this weekend’s race. A few minutes later, his older brother Kurt Busch backed into the wall in Turn 2. Kyle Busch, who is third in points, had just...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kyle Busch heads to Kansas Speedway this weekend, his personal house of horrors, sitting pretty in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. He’s in third place and within striking distance of leader Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson, two drivers who have had plenty of success at Kansas. Busch knows he’ll have to turn around...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Matt Kenseth is proving to be unbeatable at Kansas Speedway. The winner of the last two Sprint Cup races at the track, Kenseth hopped into his Nationwide car and drove it to victory Saturday, taking advantage of a late-race wreck involving Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch to conserve enough fuel for the end. Kenseth crossed...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kevin Harvick won a wreck-filled race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, keeping out of trouble all afternoon and making a big move in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Harvick pulled away from Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon on a restart with 19 laps to go for his third win of the year. It...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Considering where Jeff Gordon was after Richmond, left out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship in part due to some late-race shenanigans, he couldn’t have been happier on Sunday. Not only is Gordon in the Chase, he’s making a charge. Gordon finished third at Kansas Speedway behind winner Kevin Harvick and runner-up Kurt...

HOUSTON (AP) — Chip Ganassi Racing changed the look of its IndyCar organization Friday by signing Tony Kanaan and announcing a switch to Chevrolet. Adding the Brazilian to Ganassi’s four-car stable gives the organization five of the last seven Indianapolis 500 winners. Kanaan joins Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon, who have four Indy 500 wins, and Charlie Kimball. The move...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The oldest driver to race in each of NASCAR’s top three divisions is calling it a career. James Hylton is 79. He will race Friday night in Kansas City in the lower-tier ARCA race and that’s it. Born on his family’s farm in Virginia in 1934, Hylton’s family worked hard to make ends meet during...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — To some, Clint Bowyer has become a pariah. To those in Kansas, he’s still one of their own. The native of Emporia, Kan., insists his spin at Richmond that set off a chain of events that rattled NASCAR to its core was unintentional. NASCAR failed to prove that Bowyer was attempting to manipulate the finish...