Martin Truex Jr. dominates NASCAR race in Charlotte (The Associated Press)

Martin Truex Jr. believes there are more dominant Sprint Cup days ahead, perhaps even all the way to a championship. Truex led a Sprint Cup record 588 of 600 miles to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night, NASCAR's longest race of the year. The result was a spot back in the NASCAR's season-ending Chase, where Truex made the final four a year ago with a shot to take the title at Homestead on the series' final weekend.

Jimmie Johnson: Martin Truex Jr. 'was just playing with us' (The Associated Press)

Jimmie Johnson knows what it's like to have a dominant car at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Truex shattered a NASCAR record for miles led in a race with 588. Truex also set a record for most laps led at the Coca-Cola 600.

Martin Truex Jr. dominates NASCAR race in Charlotte (The Associated Press)

Martin Truex Jr. led a Sprint Cup-record 588 of 600 miles to win the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night, racing away from his bad-luck past at NASCAR's longest race. Truex Jr. started from the pole, moved quickly out front and led all but eight of 400 laps for his first win in 34 events since June 2015 at Pocono Raceway.

Greenwood proud to add voice to Charlotte, NASCAR salute (The Associated Press)

Lee Greenwood's patriotic anthem was almost lost to bad timing. Greenwood was at Charlotte Motor Speedway to sing his anthem, ''God Bless The USA'' before the start of the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night. ''It wasn't necessarily on the shelf,'' Greenwood said.

Hamlin outduels Larson, Logano to win Charlotte Xfinity race (The Associated Press)

Denny Hamlin passed Kyle Larson and Joey Logano in overtime to win the Xfinity Series race Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson appeared to have victory in his sights, but a caution came out with two laps to go when Erik Jones' tire went down, forcing a two-lap overtime situation. Larson and Logano, who were running 1-2, elected to stay on the track while Hamlin pitted for four tires.

Logano looks to continue CMS dominance at Coca-Cola 600 (The Associated Press)

Joey Logano has shown he has a pretty good feel for the track at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Logano looks to complete a ''Joey sweep'' at CMS at the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night after winning last October's 400-mile playoff race and the Sprint Cup All-Star race here last weekend. Logano is eighth in the Sprint Cup point standings and has three top-five finishes in 12 races, but he is still searching for his first points race victory of the season.

Improving Larson looks for first Cup win at Coca-Cola 600 (The Associated Press)

Kyle Larson believes he's on the verge of kicking in the door and getting his first NASCAR Sprint Cup win. Larson finished second two weeks ago at Dover, then had a chance to win the All-Star exhibition race at Charlotte Motor Speedway last weekend before losing control of his car and hitting the wall following a challenge from Joey Logano. ''It would mean a lot to get it anywhere, but especially here at Charlotte, close to home,'' Larson said of his first Sprint Cup win.

Martin Truex Jr. twins pole for Charlotte's NASCAR race (The Associated Press)

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- Martin Truex Jr. won the pole Thursday night for the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race of the year.

NASCAR tweaks rules to lower downforce at 2 more track (The Associated Press)

NASCAR will make more aerodynamic changes to promote improved competition at upcoming races at Michigan and Kentucky. The changes to the rear spoiler, front splitter and rear deck fin will help NASCAR continue to reduce downforce and sideforce as it attempts to put the handling of the cars back in the hands of the drivers. NASCAR has been tweaking the package at the request of the drivers, who overwhelmingly favor less downforce.

Parsons, Martin, Hendrick selected to NASCAR Hall of Fame (The Associated Press)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Drivers Benny Parsons and Mark Martin and car owner Rick Hendrick, Richard Childress and Raymond Parks were inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

Despite confusion, NASCAR got a memorable All-Star Race (The Associated Press)

Say this about NASCAR's confusing and chaotic Sprint All-Star Race: At least it was entertaining. The latest running of NASCAR's annual showcase was lambasted by drivers and fans for its new format, yet it still produced one of the most memorable all-star races in a very long time.

Joey Logano beats Larson in unusual All-Star race (The Associated Press)

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- Joey Logano won an entertaining version of NASCAR's annual All-Star race by snatching the lead away from Kyle Larson with two laps remaining Saturday night in the $1 million exhibition event.

Crafton beats Busch. wins 2nd straight Trucks Series race (The Associated Press)

Matt Crafton won his second consecutive Trucks Series race by a convincing margin over Kyle Busch at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday. It's the first time in his career Crafton has won back-to-back races. Busch finished second, while Johnny Sauter was third.

Bayne, Biffle among qualifiers to make Sprint All-Star race (The Associated Press)

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle and Kyle Larson raced their way into the Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, while Chase Elliott and Danica Patrick were voted in by fans.

Rain washes out all track activity Friday for All-Star race (The Associated Press)

Rain washed out all track activity Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which will now try to cram it's All-Star weekend into one day. The steady showers forced NASCAR to call off the scheduled Sprint Showdown, a race that will send five drivers not already qualified for the All-Star race, into the main event. NASCAR set the showdown field by points.

Harvick told Kahne he wasn't after his job at Hendrick (The Associated Press)

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- As rumors swirled that Kevin Harvick planned to leave Stewart-Haas Racing, he took Kasey Kahne aside and promised him he wasn't after his job.

Kevin Harvick signs extension to stay with Stewart-Haas (The Associated Press)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Stewart-Haas Racing has signed Kevin Harvick to a long-term contract extension, ending speculation that the 2014 Sprint Cup champion wanted to leave.

NASCAR punishes Kahne for post-race inspection failure (The Associated Press)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR has fined the crew chief for driver Kasey Kahne as a part of a slew of penalties levied against the Hendrick Motorsports team for failing post-race inspection.

Panthers TE Olsen to drive pace car at NASCAR All-Star race (The Associated Press)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Panthers Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen received his certification to the drive the pace car this Saturday night at the Sprint Cup All-Star race, although not without a little scare first.

NASCAR champion Johnson gets animated for Nickelodeon (The Associated Press)

From cars to cartoons, Jimmie Johnson's next dash at the track comes in animated form.

Column: Larson races clean at the expense of his 1st Cup win (The Associated Press)

It might be hard to believe that the ending of a low-level race three years ago had such a profound effect on Kyle Larson that it might have cost him his first Sprint Cup victory. Larson was the next big thing when he arrived at Daytona International Speedway in 2013 for his first full season at NASCAR's national level. By the end of the week, Larson said, he realized the trophy was not worth the perception of being a dirty driver.

NASCAR tweaks rules for All-Star race to promote more passes (The Associated Press)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR is implementing a few tweaks meant to improve the racing before Saturday night's $1 million All-Star event.

Kenseth holds off Larson for thrilling victory at Dover (The Associated Press)

Matt Kenseth held off Kyle Larson in a thrilling run down the stretch to win a wreck-filled race Sunday at Dover International Speedway. Kenseth raced to his first victory of the season and denied Larson his first career win. Kenseth and Larson battled door-to-door for part of the final five laps and the 2003 NASCAR champion picked all the right lines and pulled away at the end.

Erik Jones wins Xfinity race at Dover for $100,000 bonus (The Associated Press)

Erik Jones won the Xfinity Series race Saturday at Dover International Speedway and took a $100,000 bonus from the series' Dash-4-Cash program. Four drivers were eligible for the bonus Saturday, and Jones won it for the second time this season. Jones led a race-high 76 laps in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and he was cruising to the win until a caution came out with 11 laps remaining because Brendan Gaughan spun.

Jimmie Johnson looks to extend track dominance at Dover (The Associated Press)

Jimmie Johnson fell in love with Dover the first time he turned a lap at the track in the late 1990s. Johnson's 2015 championship hopes were over at Dover not because of a wreck, a blown engine or a mistake on pit road. Johnson has a record 10 wins at Dover, dominating the mile concrete track like no other driver.

Crafton wins NASCAR Truck Series race at Dover (The Associated Press)

Matt Crafton raced to his first Trucks Series victory in 16 career starts at Dover International Speedway. Crafton held off Daniel Suarez down the stretch Friday for his 12th career series victory. Coming off a second-place finish last weekend at Kansas Speedway, Crafton led 78 of the 200 laps.

Harvick takes pole when rain wipes out Dover qualifying (The Associated Press)

DOVER, Del. (AP) -- Kevin Harvick has won the pole at Dover International Speedway after rain wiped out qualifying Friday.

Stewart involved in 3-car wreck at start of NASCAR practice (The Associated Press)

Tony Stewart suffered his first serious hit since his return from a back injury during a three-car wreck at practice Friday at Dover International Speedway. Danica Patrick's No. 10 dumped oil on the track, spun and the rear of her Chevrolet burst into flames. Stewart, her Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, was behind her and the No. 14 hit the oil and smacked the wall.

Kyle Busch's crew chief suspended for lug nut violation (The Associated Press)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR has suspended Kyle Busch's crew chief and tire changer for one race for violating the lug nut policy during the team's win at Kansas last weekend.

Column: NASCAR needs to take stand on North Carolina's law (The Associated Press)

Pat McCrory likes to spin a tale meant to illustrate his love for high octane and burned rubber. It was 30 years ago, when the future governor of North Carolina was a 19-year-old who drove a '72 Fiat. McCrory says he saw the back gate had been left open at Charlotte Motor Speedway, so he slipped on in and watched David Pearson win the World 600.

Axalta becomes final sponsor of Daytona Rising (The Associated Press)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Axalta Coating Systems is the final sponsor of Daytona International Speedway's massive redevelopment project.

Kyle Busch keeps Joe Gibbs Racing at front of Sprint Cup (The Associated Press)

At the season-opening Daytona 500, Joe Gibbs Racing proved it was unquestionably the fastest, from Denny Hamlin taking the checkered flag to its quartet of cars leading more than three-quarters of the race. After watching Kyle Busch drive away from Kevin Harvick to win Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway, Gibbs drivers have won six times in the first 11 races. Everybody on the team has a win except Matt Kenseth, and the former series champion finished a season-best fourth at Kansas.

Kyle Busch finally gets first Sprint Cup win at Kansas (The Associated Press)

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- Kyle Busch sailed away from Kevin Harvick after a late wreck collected several of the leaders Saturday night, and finally won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway after years of misfortunes.

18-year-old William Byron wins Truck race at Kansas Speedway (The Associated Press)

William Byron survived the chaos at Kansas Speedway for his first Truck Series victory Friday night, then ran into a rather unexpected problem when the 18-year-old finished a victory lap. Pretty cool for team owner Kyle Busch, too, who doused him once they reached Victory Lane. Byron had built a nearly 5-second lead before Tyler Reddick spun with four to go, bunching the field up for a green-white-checkered finish.

Truex nabs pole for Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway (The Associated Press)

Martin Truex Jr. will start on the pole Saturday night in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway. Truex turned a lap of 190.921 mph in the final round of qualifying Friday night, earning his first pole since April 2012 at Texas and giving himself some confidence at a track he's come to love. ''Feels good to get another pole.

Unpredictable Talladega gives way to predictable Kansas (The Associated Press)

The controversy that surrounded the crash-filled race at Talladega last weekend made its way to Kansas Speedway, where what exactly should be done about restrictor-plate racing remained the topic du jour. Perhaps that's because Kansas tends to be a bit more predictable. Carl Edwards would give just about anything to reach victory lane.

NASCAR revises format for All-Star Race at Charlotte (The Associated Press)

NASCAR announced a new format for the All-Star Race at Charlotte on Friday that will feature two 50-lap segments followed by a 13-lap shootout in which a portion of the field will be on fresh tires. Drivers will be required to pit for at least two tires in each of the 50-lap segments, with the stop in the second segment coming with at least 15 laps to go.

Clint Bowyer navigating rough bridge season to Stewart-Haas (The Associated Press)

Clint Bowyer will be a busy man this weekend at Kansas Speedway. Then he'll slip into his regular ride with HScott Motorsports in the Sprint Cup race on Saturday before giving fans who purchased a car from his dealership ride-alongs on Sunday. In other words, Bowyer will be too busy to ruminate on how rocky this season has been.

Talladega will no longer be NASCAR elimination race in 2017 (The Associated Press)

NASCAR has decided that Talladega Superspeedway won't be an elimination race in next year's championship Chase. The Alabama track swapped its date with Kansas Speedway in the most significant change to the 2017 schedule released Thursday. Talladega had been the third race in the second round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship to the frustration of many drivers.

Column: NASCAR's Talladega wreck-fast comes at a price (The Associated Press)

Racing at Daytona and Talladega, the only two tracks in NASCAR that require the use of horsepower-sapping restrictor plates to slow the cars, simply is what it is. NASCAR is in the same position and went to work Monday studying the wrecks to see what can be altered to keep cars from lifting off the track. ''We never want to see cars get up in the air,'' Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's chief racing development officer, told AP.

Banged-up, but intact Patrick runs into trouble at Talladega (The Associated Press)

Danica Patrick was happy to leave Talladega Superspeedway with no broken bones. Patrick climbed out after the 12-car melee, walked to the inside wall and bent over for a moment before emergency workers escorted her to a waiting ambulance.

Brad Keselowski wins crazy crash-fest at Talladega (The Associated Press)

Brad Keselowski won a demolition derby at Talladega Superspeedway, where multiple wrecks caused two cars to go airborne and led to millions of dollars in damage to race teams. Keselowski's cruise to the checkered flag was anticlimactic Sunday compared to all the other trouble. Chris Buescher's car flipped three times in an early crash, and Matt Kenseth was turned upside down in the waning laps.

Earnhardt forced to park Amelia early at Talladega (The Associated Press)

Earnhardt's beloved car, rebuilt for the track where he's won more than any other active driver, bobbled 49 laps into Sunday's race and NASCAR's most popular driver started a wreck that collected Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne, as well as Matt DiBenedetto. Just like that, his bid for a seventh Talladega victory was over. Hendrick Motorsports rebuilt the Chevrolet that he drove to four victories in six starts over a 13-month period.