MORE: Sprint Cup odds | Gibbs teams face Chase woes | Winners and Losers from NH Dover is a track that desperately needs to have a good day at the ticket office. Its revenue was down 8 percent in the spring, and that came on the heels of an 8.7 percent drop for all Dover events in 2013 from 2012. At 113,000 seats available for sale (some seats have been covered by paid banners), Dover has the rare ability to draw from Philadelphia, New York City, Delaware, Baltimore and Washington, D....

The new rules will apply to the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series, which will qualify for its races on Friday. NASCAR did not announce whether the new rules will apply to the Sprint Cup Series or other restrictor-plate races or for the return trip to Daytona in July, but it is considering it. MORE: Bowyer rips NASCAR after crash in qualifying | ‘Embarrassing’ qualifying format | Harvick-Logano feud...

Sunday’s race will be the 10th of 11 held this season on 1.5-mile tracks; the fourth in the Chase. This is the second race of the Eliminator Round, where eight drivers have the opportunity to be one of the final four to advance to Homestead’s Championship Round on Nov. 22. Do well on the 1.5-mile tracks and a driver’s chances of winning a title are enhanced greatly. Nearly every past champion has paved his route to a championship on this type of track....

Truex led for just 91 of the 337 laps (three more than the scheduled 334). This is his fifth win on 1.5-mile tracks this season in eight starts. Kevin Harvick won Stages 1 and 2, but finished third behind Truex and Chase Elliott. Truex continues to lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series field after his second postseason win. He has build a 34-point advanteage over Kyle Larson with a collection of stage wins, race victories and the regular-season championship....

Logano, who will be seeking his fourth Sprint Cup win in as many weeks, had the fastest speed in Friday’s final round of qualifying at the 0.526-mile track. His lap of 98.548 mph was slightly ahead of Martin Truex Jr., who clocked in at 98.487 mph. MORE: Awesome photos of Martinsville | Gordon ready to prove doubters wrong | Odds, betting preview “It’s so much fun," Logano said after qualifying....

As a bookmaker and a bettor, you have to believe the most recent information and all indications from the 1.5-mile track at Chicago and the flat 1-mile layout at New Hampshire say the Penske boys are flexing their muscles as the only drivers automatically entered into the next round due to their wins. The real fun this week will be getting a first look at seeing who will advance to the next round of 12, which is kind of like Richmond as the closing Chase race....

Busch earned the pole for the Phoenix race on Saturday when he beat Joey Logano (second) and teammate Denny Hamlin (third), the two drivers behind him in the championship points standings. Martin Truex Jr., who along with Kevin Harvick already has secured a place among the Championship 4, will start fourth at Phoenix. The other playoff drivers — Harvick (seventh), Ryan Blaney (10th), Kyle Larson (fifth) and Chase Elliott (sixth) — also will start in the top 10 on Sunday....

Officer Tyler Luellen, one of six officers who spoke during the MNPD’s news briefing Sunday, said that right before the blast an announcement from the RV said to evacuate the area, followed by a countdown. After the countdown, the officer said, music began to play from the vehicle. “What I remember was ‘downtown, where the lights shine bright,’” said Luellen, who noted that a song was playing as he and his fellow officers quickly worked to evacuate people in the Second Avenue North and Commerce Street area....

The former Devils head coach, who was fired Dec. 3, has found a new home with Nashville, as the Predators named Hynes head coach Tuesday. “John Hynes is a bright young coach and great leader who has a track record of both effectively developing young players and successfully motivating veterans,” Nashville president David Poile said via team statement. “We love his coaching resume and are confident that he has learned from every stop during his career, and has the best skill set to get the maximum potential out of our team....

The Oscar-winning actress, 40, was arguably one of the most highly anticipated reveals when the trailer for the Marvel movie was officially unveiled on Monday. It was announced at San Diego Comic Con in July 2019 that Portman would be taking on Thor’s hammer in the new film, and the teaser trailer gave fans their first look at her character Jane Foster with Mjolnir (the mythical hammer of the thunder god Thor)....

“I think it’s all but impossible,” Carroll said (via ESPN.com). “It’s as hard as you could possibly get. He’s 32, as well. I don’t know if anybody could do it. But if anybody could, it might be Nate. He’s that versatile an athlete and that great a competitor.” MORE: Successful two-sport athletes A Seattle native, Robinson (5-9, 180 pounds) attended the University of Washington on a football scholarship before focusing on basketball and becoming a first-round pick in 2005....

Silvester is known for a widely-viewed TikTok video in which he mocked LeBron James following the basketball star’s now-deleted tweet on the shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant. In the video, the cop pretends to call James to inquire on his course of action as he witnessed a feigned knife attack involving a Black perpetrator towards a Black victim. Following the video’s popularity, Silvester was publicly reprimanded and suspended by the Bellevue Marshal’s office....

The 6-5, 305-pounder from national powerhouse program Allen High School (Allen, Texas) was expected to make his announcement at 1 ET on Twitter, but the Bleacher Report’s Damon Sayles reported that Little wants to wait. MORE: This week in recruiting | Week 11 picks | Ranking 5-star QBs since 2005 Little previously was committed to Texas A&M, but opened up his recruiting in July when he decommitted. He’s taken official visits to Auburn, Georgia, LSU and most recently, Alabama last weekend....

Former President Calvin Coolidge established the tradition in 1923 and it’s been carried on by each succeeding president. In its 97th year, Thursday’s festivities will once again take place in President’s Park and feature a number of musical performances. To attend the festivities in person, attendees had to win a ticket through a free lottery. For those who weren’t lucky enough to win or maybe didn’t even enter, they can join in on the holiday fun from the comfort of their own home....

An Army official and a senior U.S. intelligence official told the Associated Press Tuesday morning that two guardsmen have ties to a right-wing militia group. The officials spoke to the AP under the condition of anonymity because of the Defense Department’s media regulations. Later Tuesday afternoon, the AP reported that 10 additional National Guardsmen were removed from the mission. The officials did not name the militia group that the men belonged to but noted that they did not find any plots against the president-elect....

Rally attendees will demonstrate in support of over 500 people arrested for allegedly participating in the January 6 Capitol riots. The rioters were supporters of former President Donald Trump seeking to stop Congress from certifying his loss in the 2020 election. The J6 rally’s organizer, Matt Braynard, a former campaign strategist for Republican President Donald Trump, called the arrestees “political prisoners” and “brave patriots.” He told WTTG that he expects about 700 attendees at the September 18 rally....

The typical quickbread muffin with a domed top appeared in American cookbooks from around the 19th century. These sweet muffins are made with flour and bicarbonate soda as a raising agent. The unsweetened flatbread muffins commonly known as English muffins originated in Europe and first appeared in literature around the 18th century. The word “muffin” may even be an amalgamation of the Greek bread “maphula,” which is said to refer to a cake baked on a hearth or griddle, and the old French word “mouffin,” which means “soft bread....

“As if [Virginia] Gov. Northam’s legacy of ineptitude wasn’t enough, Virginians are about to experience life under a distant tycoon’s thumb,” the organization said, referring to Bloomberg and the group he founded, Everytown for Gun Safety. “Candidates who proudly accepted Bloomberg’s cash—and every voter they misled—will soon realize the cost of being beholden to a Manhattan billionaire who despises Virginians’ right to self-defense.” The NRA found itself outmatched in Virginia in one of the first public tests of its political clout amid a pervasive governance scandal and the rise of favorable public attitudes towards some basic gun control measures....

"The new coaching staff was great," the 6-1, 207-pound Smith said on an interview on ESPNU. "Coach Sark has came in, great coaching staff, great program. I love this tempo of offense and defense. USC has been my dream school since Day 1. My family is USC fans, and I just love it to death. Fight on." With Smith's commitment, USC figures to have a top-10 recruiting class in Sarkisian's first year guiding the program....

Rivals.com provides a list of announcement times for the top football players who haven't decided which program to bring his talent. MORE: The curse of five-star running backs | Ready-to-go prospects Announcement time (eastern), player name, position, caliber 8 a.m., Derrick Nnadi, DT, four-star 8 a.m., J.C. Jackson, WR, four-star 8:10 a.m., Soloman Thomas, DE, four-star 8:15 a.m., Isaiah McKenzie, WR, four-star 9 a.m., Treon Harris, QB, four-star 9:30 a....