Led by Wallace in his racecar, the drivers helped push the car into position on the track and then stood behind him as the National Anthem played. For a sport that only recently banned the Confederate flag from its venues, the demonstration was an important stance against racism. On Sunday, NASCAR announced a noose had been found in Wallace’s garage stall. Wallace is the NASCAR’s only full-time Black driver and has called on the racing league to change some of its policies in light of the protests demanding an end to violence against Black Americans that have stretched across the U....

Sheriff Jimmy Kilgore says friends of the man and his wife found the couple unresponsive inside their motor home at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon. MORE: Austin Dillon’s wild crash | Danica’s gaffe | Earnhardt finishes second | McMurray wins Deputy Coroner Larry Seals says the couple was likely using a gas stove for heat and there was a problem with the generator's exhaust system. Authorities found the man dead when they arrived, and his wife has been hospitalized in Birmingham....

Many people simultaneously credited Logano for his performance while criticizing the aerodynamic setup that helped him ward off his rival. Others used it as an opportunity to simply diminish Logano’s achievement. His win clinched advancement to the championship race at Phoenix — a tough pill to swallow for his legion of haters. Harvick, though, gave kudos to Logano’s racing style. He recognized Logano is an expert in close quarters, a trait that at times rubs rivals the wrong way....

However, none of those eight races were on the flat half-mile layout at Martinsville Speedway like Sunday’s STP 500 will be. He’s had only three top-five finishes in 27 starts with a 16.4 average finish on the track. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook knows all too well about Harvick’s Martinsville history, which is why he isn’t listed as the favorite. This is the case for the first time since the season opening Daytona 500, where anyone has a legitimate chance to win....

Busch. listed at 6-to-1 odds to win, impressed with his average speeds during the 80-minute session. He had the best 10-consecutive lap average, as well as the best five-lap average. With five 25-lap segments followed by a 10-lap dash in tonight’s race, there isn’t a lot of time and the importance of average speeds is diminished. But the cream should rise to the top and Busch looks to be the driver to beat in the finals....

Johnson, who grazed the wall on his qualifying lap Friday afternoon, will start third and Kenseth will start sixth when they take the green flag for the AAA Texas 500. TEXAS BREAKDOWN: Fords on the front row | Lineup with qualifying speeds “I hate to admit it but at one point, I think I had my eyes shut because I knew there was going to be contact, I just didn’t know how much,” Johnson said....

Among the bottom four drivers – who almost need to win Sunday to move on – three have eight Sprint Cup trophies collectively, and the fourth has five Talladega wins under his belt. Huge names in desperation mode. With five races to go, six-time champ and preseason favorite Jimmie Johnson is 30-to-1 to win the championship. 2012 Sprint Cup winner Brad Keselowski is 12-to-1, and 2003 champ Matt Kenseth is 15-to-1....

He might have provided an analogy for how this year’s presidential election will shake out. MORE: The Big One | Close call | 10 Cup drivers to watch Self got plenty of exposure before the fred’s 250 at Talladega, for which his truck was wrapped as a 185-mph campaign sign for his favorite candidate. Donald Trump has backing across the NASCAR spectrum, from drivers to fans to stock car racing czar Brian France....

Rain has threatened to end Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race early as it moves into the area. The race is official, with at least 125 of the scheduled 250 laps having been completed, and can be called if racing cannot resume. The race has already had eight caution flags for cars spinning and dirt in grilles. The green flag was briefly waved off after the fifth and caution because of rain in the area....

The first allegation came from former NHLer Daniel Carcillo, who has been speaking out amid allegations of abuse from different coaches around the NHL. In an interview on a radio show called The Neutral Zone on Wednesday, Carcillo discussed playing under Laviolette with the Flyers organization and claimed the coach used to send players out to fight. “I mean, he was okay,” Carcillo told The Neutral Zone of Laviolette. “There were a lot of things that annoyed me about him....

Martial weighing up Sevilla move - agent The former Arsenal and Manchester City star caused a scene on Twitter on Tuesday night when he was hacked by someone who claimed he had been offered “sexual services” by a woman working at a Los Angeles clinic he’d visited. After 20 minutes of the bizarre tweets, the ‘real’ Nasri then proceeded to explain he’d been hacked. But the 29-year-old didn’t change his password at first, leading to a surreal situation where his hacker was arguing with him on his own Twitter timeline....

Here’s a breakdown: National anthem policies by sport/league NFL The NFL annouced changes to its national anthem protocol during the 2018 offseason. The new rules state: — All team and league personnel on the field shall stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem. — Personnel who choose not to stand for the anthem may stay in the locker room or in a similar location off the field until after the anthem has been performed....

Here are the charities that you can help for National Cat Day 2019: Alley Cat AlliesBest FriendsThe Cat House on the KingsASPCABlind Cat RescueThe American Street CatAnimal League Alley Cat Allies Alley Cat Allies was established in 1990 and works to spay and neuter stray cats, saving the lives of cats in shelters, and change attitudes surrounding stray cats. You can help by buying T-shirts, bags, postcards, and accessories through the Alley Cat Allies shop....

The founders of cheese toast, Sizzler, are offering guests free samples of its signature Cheese Toast on September 15, 2019, between noon to 2 p.m. local time at participating restaurants. There will also be various giveaways in store and online, including a new limited edition Cheese Toast flavored lip balm. A History of Cheese Toast Sizzler, which was founded in Culver City, California, on January 27, 1958, opened with $50 in the cash register....

“The National Hockey League condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urges a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible,” the NHL statement reads. “Effective immediately, we are suspending our relationships with our business partners in Russia and we are pausing our Russian language social and digital media sites. In addition, we are discontinuing any consideration of Russia as a location for any future competitions involving the NHL.” Several Russian and Ukrainian athletes across the globe have spoken out condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and asking for an end to the war, while several international sports organizations including FIFA and UEFA, which issued their own Monday announcement, have banned Russian national and club teams from international competitions until further notice....

Despite taking an early lead against one of the tournament’s minnows, Roy Hodgson’s men were dumped out of the competition thanks to a combination of Joe Hart’s error, some rugged Icelandic defending and a severe lack of attacking verve from the Three Lions. The Twitter universe was quick to have their say on the result, including a superb post from supermarket chain Iceland…

“We wanted to create a national recognized day of the year that empowered redheads to LOVE their hair. But, most of all, it’s a reminder for women everywhere, redhead or not, to love their unique qualities,” Stephanie Vendetti says on the website. Hair Products for Redheads Made with a unique “S-Complex and Slip Mix” including Argan oil, Bumble and bumble’s Color Gloss in Universal Red helps soften your hair and increase shine....

The No. 2 strong-side defensive end and No. 3 overall player per 247Sports Composite remains the top unsigned player heading into National Signing Day. It’s not unusual, though certainly less common, for top-flight recruits to wait this long to sign; the advent of the early signing period has granted high school players the ability to end their recruitment as early as December, meaning prospects who wait till now are still mulling their options....

The crisis revealed a deep desire for community, so different from the polarized politics and culture wars, and offered glimpses into how we might live, work and organize social relations in the post-pandemic world. Promoting a year of voluntary national service is a bold solution to renew the civic covenant between generations, regions and groups, as well as between humanity and nature. There is an important precedent for this idea....

In the end, Scherzer fanned 20 to tie the major league record for a nine-inning game. He got Justin Upton on a slider in the top of the ninth to join Roger Clemens (1986, 1996), Randy Johnson (2001) and Kerry Wood (1998) on the list. Your browser does not support iframes. MORE: Greatest pitching performances in MLB history He registered at least one K in every inning, and struck out the side three times in the 3-2 Washington victory....