For many NASCAR fans, the allure of "a plate race," for two generations, has been the prospect of an Earnhardt victory. Senior won 11 and Junior 10. At the moment, a Brad Keselowski victory is statistically more likely. The "plate" is used to restrict horsepower at the two tracks, in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Talladega, Alabama, where such races are held and precautions needed. As of Saturday night, Keselowski, not Dale Earnhardt Jr., is the Potentate of Plate. At any given point, it's what have you done for me lately? Crew chief Paul Wolfe had this to say: Well, honestly, ever since I started working with [Keselowski], I always thought it was one of his strengths, for sure. Brad is a thinker and he studies and he tries to understa...

Lewis Hamilton won the 2016 Austrian Formula One Grand Prix in Spielberg on Sunday in controversial fashion, after a last-lap collision knocked Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg out of the lead. Rosberg ended the race "under investigation for causing a collision and failing to stop with a seriously damaged car," according to Pablo Elizalde of Motorsport.com. After the race, Rosberg appeared to blame Hamilton for the contact, per Formula One: But the Englishman defended his actions: Hamilton may feel vindicated after a lengthy pit stop stunted his progress earlier, shortly before Mercedes appeared to hand Rosberg the initiative, after speeding him through a much swifter pit stop. Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen came second, while Ferra...

Brad Keselowski fought off numerous restarts and narrowly edged out Kyle Busch to hold on and win the 2016 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Raceway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Saturday.A wreck on Lap 155 meant the race needed overtime to decide a winner. NASCAR highlighted Keselowski's excellent pass of Busch on the inside to ensure he'd be in first place heading into the final caution:On the final lap, Keselowski not only had to fend off Kyle Busch on the outside but also Kurt Busch on the inside. The elder Busch brother spun out shortly before crossing the finish line, which all but sealed the victory for the No. 2 car.NASCAR on NBC shared a replay of the final lap:Kyle Busch came in 0.159 seconds behind Keselowski:The v...

The Coke Zero 400 had what you want in a Fourth of July weekend: fireworks and the American flag waving from the victor’s car. Brad Keselowski won the Coke Zero 400 as the Sprint Cup Circuit returned to Daytona International Speedway, but it was the 19-car Big One on Lap 90 that stole all the headlines, exterminated several contenders out of the race and changed the entire tenor for the remaining 70 laps. “This is the frustration of speedway racing,” said NBC’s Steve Letarte during the broadcast. “Two drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray, get into one another. Just mistakes, but their mistakes are going to cause a poor night for almost half the field.” That crash was the fulcrum this race hinge...

Brad Keselowski dominated the field and held off Kyle Busch in overtime to capture the checkered flag in Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.  Keselowski led a race-high 116 laps for his first-career victory at Daytona and the 100th win for Team Penske on the Sprint Cup Series. The story of the race was dominated by a huge wreck on Lap 90 that collected nearly half the field and ended the night for several high-profile drivers. Jamie McMurray got loose and came down the race track into Jimmie Johnson, setting off a chain reaction that officially impacted 19 cars per NASCAR's count.  Among those caught up with McMurray and Johnson were Chase Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. a...

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton earned pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday, as his time of one minute, 7.922 seconds was enough to secure top spot in a dramatic qualifying session. Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg will start alongside the Englishman on the front row with McLaren’s Jenson Button just behind in third, after Nico Rosberg and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel were hit with five-place grid penalties. The German duo replaced their gearboxes between the final practice session and qualifying, so their respective second- and fourth-place finishes became seventh and ninth. Rosberg suffered a big crash in FP3, and there were plenty of eyebrows raised as to whether he’d make it to qualifyi...

Formula One world championship leader Nico Rosberg will be looking to continue his fine form at the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix, hoping to make it three straight wins at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.Team-mate Lewis Hamilton closed the gap at the top of the standings with wins in Monaco and Canada, but Rosberg halted his streak in Baku and remains the clear favourite to win this year's title.The Red Bull Ring is a fast track that favours the more powerful cars, and while Red Bull and Ferrari have shown some promise this season, the two Mercedes rivals should once again take centre stage in Austria. Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's race. Date: Sunday, July 3Race Time: 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ETTV: Sky Sports F1 and HD, Cha...

Friday night's Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona International Speedway was a funky thriller defined by a slew of cautions and an unconventional overtime conclusion, but Aric Almirola battled and captured his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win of the season by a nose over Justin Allgaier.  NASCAR on NBC provided a look at the controversial photo finish, which came after a crash on Lap 103 thrust the field back under caution:  Here's a look at the order for the top 10 finishers at Daytona, while a complete look at the race standings is available at NASCAR.com: David Ragan started Friday evening on the pole following a strong qualifying performance, but his time at the front of the pack was short. Austin Dillon, who took home th...

NASCAR has made its way back to one of its most famous tracks for Saturday's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. On Friday, the race order was set thanks to qualifying, which lasted only two rounds. Here are the results, times and complete order: Greg Biffle swept both qualifying rounds Friday to take the pole for Saturday's Coke Zero 400. In the first round, he was the only one of 41 drivers to go over 192.100 mph, which gave him a 0.133-second lead. In the second round, he edged out Carl Edwards by 0.050 seconds to clinch the top spot, hitting a top speed of 192.955 mph. This is Biffle's first pole win since he took the starting honors at Charlotte in 2012, according to the NBC Sports telecast. Fox Sports:&nb...

Throughout their time in Formula One, Red Bull have done an admirable job when it comes to promoting a sport with a nasty habit of shooting itself in the foot. From performing demonstration runs on snow-capped mountains and signing one-off sponsorship deals with the latest blockbusters, to allowing one of their cars to take on an army of eight grizzly rugby players, the team have often been lauded for their inventive, enthusiastic approach to marketing. Yet those famed PR skills were nowhere to be seen in the buildup to their home race at their own track a year ago. "What else has to happen that we will lose our motivation completely?" Dietrich Mateschitz, the founder and owner of the Red Bull empire, asked himself in Speed Week magaz...