NASCAR

1:40 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ryan Newman said he will be ready to race when NASCAR resumes competition, which could be as early as May 17. Newman suffered a head injury in the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 17. The Indiana native spent less than 48 hours in the

3:38 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Talladega Superspeedway wasn’t immune from “The Big One” or a typical overtime finish, even in virtual racing. Alex Bowman scored his first iRacing victory of NASCAR’s invitational series by holding off Corey LaJoie and Ryan Preece in a two-lap overtime sprint to the finish at virtual Talladega

11:21 AM ET Associated Press WELCOME, N.C. — NASCAR team owner Richard Childress is auctioning off one of racing legend Dale Earnhardt’s cars to raise money for coronavirus relief efforts. The Charlotte Observer reports that this is the first time Childress has sold or given away an original Earnhardt car from his personal collection. A

4:43 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The governor of North Carolina said Thursday that NASCAR teams can work in their race shops if they maintain social distancing guidelines, clearing a potential hurdle to resuming the season in coming weeks. Gov. Roy Cooper extended the state’s stay-at-home order through May 8 on Thursday and

8:32 PM ET Associated Press FORT WORTH, Texas — The race is on among states willing to be the first to host NASCAR races without fans. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted Monday that NASCAR was working with Texas Motor Speedway on a plan to race there. “I hope to announce the exciting details in the

3:59 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nobody did anything to get fired or lose a sponsor in this week’s edition of NASCAR virtual racing. William Byron won his second consecutive NASCAR virtual race on Sunday by holding off Timmy Hill — the driver who moved him out of the way to win an

6:09 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Scott Dixon, five-time IndyCar champion and relatively new iRacing competitor, received a brief set of instructions from boss Chip Ganassi about the world of virtual racing. “I did get a text from him that said, ‘Just lay low,”’ Dixon said Friday. What started out as a fun

1:17 PM ET Associated Press NASCAR has suspended its May 9 race at Martinsville Speedway and did not give an indication on when the season will resume. When NASCAR suspended racing four events into the season, it listed the event in Virginia as its return date. But Virginia is under a stay-at-home order until June

5:45 PM ET ESPN News Services Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace, the lone African American competing in one of NASCAR’s national series, said Kyle Larson was wrong to have used a racial slur during a virtual race, adding that he’s spoken with Larson and believes he deserves a second chance. Larson was competing in an

10:45 AM ET Associated Press Speedway Motorsports, owner and operator of eight tracks that host NASCAR’s top Cup Series, has laid off 180 employees and furloughed 100 as part of a company restructuring during the sports shutdown. Speedway Motorsports owns the Atlanta, Bristol, Charlotte, Kentucky, Las Vegas, New Hampshire, Sonoma and Texas tracks. The coronavirus

11:08 AM ET ESPN News Services CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chip Ganassi Racing has fired NASCAR driver Kyle Larson after he used the N-word during a virtual race, it was announced Tuesday. Larson was competing in an iRacing event Sunday night when he appeared to lose communication with his spotter on his headset. During a check

9:40 PM ET When a race car crashes, what do we do once we know the driver is OK? We instantly try to assess the damage. How bad is the wreck? Is the car done for the day? Where will it end up in the final finishing order? Then, just as quickly, we move on,

10:26 AM ET ESPN News Services Chip Ganassi Racing has suspended driver Kyle Larson without pay after he used a racial slur on a live stream during a virtual race Sunday. “We are extremely disappointed by what Kyle said last night during an iRacing Event. The words that he chose to use are offensive and

8:17 AM ET Doug KezirianESPN Close ESPN Sports Betting Analyst Host of Daily Wager Behind The Bets podcast host As the world faces a global pandemic from the coronavirus, the sports betting community is adjusting to a new normal that includes an unprecedented economic hit and innovative wagering options that sportsbooks previously would never have

9:04 AM ET From protective masks and hospital gowns to drive-through tests and machines to help virus-stricken lungs fill with oxygen, the handiwork of racers from NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA and beyond can be found in every corner of the coronavirus fight. After all, at its heart, the COVID-19 pandemic is a race. A race to

3:10 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has added home-schooling elementary teacher to his resume. The sports stoppage from the coronavirus pandemic has thrown a red flag on Johnson’s farewell tour. He had planned a final season of racing a full NASCAR schedule, but so far that has lasted

4:26 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards were among the new nominees for NASCAR’s next Hall of Fame class announced Tuesday under a revamped voting protocol. Voters for 11 years elected five members per class first from a list of 25 candidates; it was trimmed to

4:32 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — William Byron led the most laps in NASCAR’s first two virtual races and had nothing to show for his gaming skills. The third time out, he got the win. Byron easily won the iRacing event Sunday at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, where NASCAR would have been really