Bubba Wallace Is Ebullient, Defiant and Comfortable

By BY JOE DRAPE from NYT Sports After his breakthrough win in NASCAR’s top series, only the second such victory by a Black driver at that level, Wallace talked about learning to shut out ugly noise and to focus on what matters most.https://nyti.ms/3uRWhZl

With a Win in Portland, Alex Palou Reclaims His IndyCar Lead

By BY JERRY GARRETT from NYT Sports Palou overcame a pileup during the first turn that cost him his pole position advantage, and he worked his way up the field to win the Grand Prix of Portland.https://nyti.ms/3z2YWjn

Helio Castroneves Wins Indianapolis 500 for a Fourth Time

By BY JERRY GARRETT from NYT Sports Castroneves, 46, who last won the Indy 500 in 2009, joined A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears as the event’s only four-time winners.https://nyti.ms/3c59hTl

At the Indianapolis 500, Scott Dixon Has the Pole Position. And More.

By BY JULIET MACUR from NYT Sports At 40, Dixon has won six IndyCar Series titles but just one Indianapolis 500, back in 2008. “This is our year,” says the person many consider Dixon’s secret weapon.https://nyti.ms/3wChar2

One of Racing’s Best Drivers Has Never Won Daytona. What About This Year?

By BY MICHAEL VENUTOLO-MANTOVANI from NYT Sports Martin Truex Jr. is making his 17th attempt to win the Daytona 500.https://nyti.ms/3plS5Nb

Bubba Wallace Needed NASCAR Help. Michael Jordan Took it Personal.

By BY JONATHAN ABRAMS from NYT Sports Denny Hamlin, who won the Daytona 500 the past two years, asked Jordan to form a team with him, 23XI Racing. They are rallying behind Wallace, the only Black full-time driver at NASCAR’s top level.https://nyti.ms/3rLVxlQ

Lewis Hamilton Ties Schumacher’s Seven Formula One Titles

By BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports Hamilton equaled Michael Schumacher’s championship record with a win at the Grand Prix of Turkey.https://nyti.ms/2UHpZPL

For Some Veteran Stars, NASCAR’s Appeal Is Fading

By BY JERRY GARRETT from NYT Sports Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time champ, is the latest big name to move on while still in his mid-40s.https://nyti.ms/2GuPH6w

Lewis Hamilton Ties Schumacher’s Wins Record in Germany

By BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports Hamilton won his 91st Formula One race at the Eifel Grand Prix, with Schumacher’s record for titles in sight.https://nyti.ms/3nDzht6

Winning Indy 500s and Surfing Couches

By BY JERRY GARRETT from NYT Sports After winning on Sunday, the Japanese driver Takuma Sato revealed he had spent much of the year crashing at a friend’s house in Indianapolis because of the pandemic.https://nyti.ms/3hu8Lz4

Let’s Race Two: Behind the Indy-NASCAR Doubleheader

By BY JERRY GARRETT from NYT Sports For the first time, NASCAR and IndyCar will run races at the same venue on the same weekend. Is this the start of a new tradition?https://nyti.ms/3ikP8Kv

NASCAR Releases Image of Noose Found in Bubba Wallace’s Garage

By BY AZI PAYBARAH from NYT Sports “As you can see from the photo, the noose was real, as was our concern for Bubba,” said Steve Phelps, the president of NASCAR.https://nyti.ms/3i1qBKh

F.B.I. Says Noose Was in NASCAR Garage Since Last Year

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports Law enforcement officials said the noose was placed well before the stall was assigned to Bubba Wallace, the lone black driver in the sport’s top tier, for a race this week.https://nyti.ms/2Z6OveC

Federal Authorities Investigating Noose in Bubba Wallace’s Garage

By BY MATTHEW TEAGUE AND ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports The United States attorney in Birmingham, Ala., said officials were examining whether there were “violations of federal law." The garage was fitted with surveillance cameras.https://nyti.ms/37Ta6eH

Abiding by the Confederate Flag Ban Inside Talladega, Grudgingly

By BY MATTHEW TEAGUE from NYT Sports Inside the track, racing fans went by NASCAR’s rules. Elsewhere, though, they waved the battle flag.https://nyti.ms/3enZDKL

NASCAR Says It Will Ban Confederate Flags

By BY MICHAEL LEVENSON from NYT Sports The announcement came two days after Darrell Wallace Jr., the first black driver in 50 years to win one of NASCAR’s top three national touring series, called on NASCAR to ban the flags outright.https://nyti.ms/2MPmUca

N. Carolina Speedway That Packed Stands Despite Virus Ordered Shut

By BY JERRY GARRETT from NYT Sports Ace Speedway had defied the governor’s orders prohibiting large gatherings because of the pandemic. It can only reopen with a state-approved plan.https://nyti.ms/2Yi4SVw

Despite Warnings, Races Continue at a N. Carolina Speedway

By BY JERRY GARRETT from NYT Sports At the direction of Gov. Roy Cooper, a county sheriff told the track’s operators to cancel Saturday’s races. Then they went ahead, again, as scheduled with fans in attendance.https://nyti.ms/2BkA6DA

N. Carolina Speedway Packs Its Stands, Drawing Governor’s Rebuke

By BY JERRY GARRETT from NYT Sports The track’s determination not to police the crowd, and the local sheriff’s department’s refusal to intervene, underscored the confusion and conflict that can occur as sports reopen in the pandemic.https://nyti.ms/3eC4wQb

NASCAR Tries to Make Noise as Drivers Restart Their Engines

By BY JERRY GARRETT from NYT Sports “It’s dead silent out here,” Kevin Harvick said after winning Sunday’s 400-mile race at Darlington. “How weird. We really miss the fans.”https://nyti.ms/2LH0Ek4