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Chase Elliott is two-for-two in winning the pole for the Daytona 500. Now, it’s up to Elliott to perform better in the race than he did a year ago. Elliott won the pole for next Sunday’s race at Daytona International Speedway with a final-round speed of 192.872 mph. Joining him on the front row is Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., making his return to racing after missing 18 races…

No sport enjoys messing with its points system more than NASCAR, and it reached new heights in confusion this time around. Drivers don’t even know how it’s going to work. Something about stages and playoff points and more arbitrary phrases like “carryover to the Round of 8” are being tossed around all in the name of adding excitement to races. Does Chris Buescher know how far regular-season wins or points…

Photo credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images What a day this has been. When the leaders wrecked out on the final lap of the rain-postponed Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, NASCAR let the other cars race to the line rather than ending under caution. Watch the wild finish below. This wasn’t exactly the start of the NASCAR season, considering that the Clash…

The scorecard is Mother Nature 1, NASCAR 0, when it comes to races being able to run when they are scheduled. Yes, my odds of racing Saturday were between 65 to 70 percent. I still had 35 to 30 percent chance we wouldn’t race, and that, unfortunately, was what we got Saturday night. Had that rain been 30 to 40 miles farther south, we probably would have raced. The Advance…

Dressed as comic book superheroes, American skiers were often merely mortal at the last world championships before the 2018 Olympics. A tally of three medals — one of each color, all won by female superstars — surely did not rise above expectations from an 11-event program that ended Sunday in the sun-soaked Swiss Alps. Still, each medal performance was impressive and seems repeatable at the Pyeongchang Winter Games next February….

CLOSE x Embed x Share The run-up to NASCAR’s biggest race kicks off Feb. 17. USA TODAY Sports Joey Logano celebrates in victory lane after winning Sunday’s Advance Auto Parts Clash.(Photo: Jonathan Ferrey, Getty Images) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season kicked off with the Advance Auto Parts Clash Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. WINNER: It was a Toyota parade on Sunday at Daytona International…

The scorecard is Mother Nature 1, NASCAR 0, when it comes to races being able to run when they are scheduled. Yes, my odds of racing Saturday were between 65 to 70 percent. I still had 35 to 30 percent chance we wouldn’t race, and that, unfortunately, was what we got Saturday night. Had that rain been 30 to 40 miles farther south, we probably would have raced. The Advance…

RELATED: Starting lineup   DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Persistent rain on Saturday night forced postponement of the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona.   The race has been rescheduled for Sunday morning, with the green flag at 11:35 a.m., broadcast on FS1. The Clash will precede Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying for the Daytona 500, which will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.   With…

BUY TICKETS: See the Daytona 500 live! DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he intends to race “for more years,” but NASCAR’s most popular driver also said he won’t sit down to discuss his contract with team owner Rick Hendrick until he’s confident his health isn’t an issue. Earnhardt, 42, missed the final 18 races of the 2016 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season while recovering from a concussion…

When it comes to world soccer, Joey Barton is one of the first bad boys that comes to mind for anyone who knows the sport. The midfielder, though talented, has a temperament only rivaled by Frank Constanza.  On Saturday, his latest antics were on display.  Burnley was shocked in the FA Cup fifth round by non-league side Lincoln City, and Barton was trying to get an opposite player rejected by…

Statistically speaking, Trevor van Riemsdyk has almost certainly had a gay teammate at some level, if not every level. But he’s never had an openly gay teammate. The idea behind the You Can Play Project is that in the future — hopefully sometime very soon — players won’t have to hide part of who they are just to be accepted in the dressing room. Van Riemsdyk believes that time is…

The drought is over for Daytona Beach Seabreeze. Franco Perez was responsible for both goals Saturday to help the Sandcrabs (23-1-2) claim its first boys soccer state title in more than two decades. Seabreeze held off feisty Merritt Island (22-2-0) for a 2-0 win in the FHSAA Class 3A championship at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in DeLand. After dousing first-year coach Nathan Murphy with a water cooler, players gathered with…

Photo credit: Jared C. Tilton/Stringer/Getty Images Welcome to the Jalopnik Weekend Motorsports Roundup, where we let you know what’s going on in the world of racing, where you can see it, and where you can talk about it all in one convenient place. Where else would you want to spend your weekend? Advertisement There’s actually quite a bit of live racing coverage on this weekend, so get excited. NASCAR and…

When it comes to world soccer, Joey Barton is one of the first bad boys that comes to mind for anyone who knows the sport. The midfielder, though talented, has a temperament only rivaled by Frank Constanza.  On Saturday, his latest antics were on display.  Burnley was shocked in the FA Cup fifth round by non-league side Lincoln City, and Barton was trying to get an opposite player rejected by…

Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print comment MEXICO CITY — In a sports bar tucked between the Roma Sur and Narvarte neighborhoods on a recent weekday night, a dry erase board lists the top three events available on its multiple screens. Save for a very small minority, every patron is there to watch the main event, a World Cup qualifier between Mexico and Panama. Also listed is an NBA…

CLOSE x Embed x Share USA TODAY Sports’ Brant James breaks down key story lines leading into the Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sidelined last season because of a concussion.(Photo: Marvin Gentry, USA TODAY Sports) Seven months after star driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sidelined because of another concussion and just hours before drivers returned to the track for the 2017 season, NASCAR announced Friday an updated protocol for…

Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print comment MEXICO CITY — In a sports bar tucked between the Roma Sur and Narvarte neighborhoods on a recent weekday night, a dry erase board lists the top three events available on its multiple screens. Save for a very small minority, every patron is there to watch the main event, a World Cup qualifier between Mexico and Panama. Also listed is an NBA…

NASCAR made another significant procedural change for 2017 on Friday, greatly stepping up its concussion protocol procedures for drivers involved in on-track crashes. Last week, NASCAR announced a new partnership with American Medical Response, the nation’s largest emergency medical services provider, who will provide a doctor and a paramedic to work with local teams at each track’s infield care center. Friday, NASCAR said the new concussion protocols will be as…

BUY TICKETS: See the Daytona 500 live! Greg Biffle took to Twitter on Friday to reveal that he has no plans to race full-time in NASCAR in 2017. After a great deal of consideration from all the offers I’ve received, I’ve decided not to participate full time in #NASCAR this season…. — Greg Biffle (@gbiffle) February 17, 2017 If the right opportunity arises I may return to the driver’s seat… —…

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR has a new sponsor, a new format and welcomes back its most popular driver, all providing optimism for a series eager to halt a steady decline in attendance, ratings and sponsorship. Money is down across the board and everyone is doing more with less to try to save a buck. The on-track product for the stock car series officially reports for work Friday at Daytona…