Larson gets pole as qualifying washed out at Martinsville (The Associated Press)

Hours after saying he hoped qualifying for Sunday's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race would be rained out, he got his wish, giving him the pole position on a track where he has struggled. ''I think it will be a good advantage to start on the pole, get the jump and hopefully take care of my stuff early,'' said Larson, the early season points leader. With the lineup set by owner points because of the rain, Chase Elliott will start on the outside of the front row, with Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski in the second row.

Winless Johnson, Hamlin look for turnaround at Martinsville (The Associated Press)

NASCAR's top series has had five different winners in five races this season, and as the Monster Energy Cup Series arrives at Martinsville Speedway and its first experience with stage racing rewarding drivers at three points during the race, the focus shifts to drivers who have yet to break through this year. Neither Jimmie Johnson, who has taken home nine of the iconic grandfather clocks that go to the race winner on NASCAR's oldest, shortest and many say trickiest track, nor Denny Hamlin, the Virginia native with five victories on the .526-mile paper clip, has registered a top-five finish this season, but this is their place.

Earnhardt says he has felt great all season after concussion (The Associated Press)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he has felt great all this season after missing the final 18 races a year ago because of the lingering effects of a concussion. ''You can't go out there with any kind of limitations,'' he said while headlining a media and fan event for Texas Motor Speedway. Earnhardt has suffered numerous concussions in his career, and was sidelined for the final half of last season.

NASCAR rookie Suarez has new crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing (The Associated Press)

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR rookie Daniel Suarez has a new crew chief.

Atlanta delays resurfacing of 20-year-old NASCAR track (The Associated Press)

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Atlanta Motor Speedway has postponed its plan to resurface the 20-year-old racing surface after numerous complaints from NASCAR drivers.

COLUMN: NASCAR off to a fast start, but ratings still sink (The Associated Press)

Bad news first: The overnight television ratings for NASCAR's race in California were down. The ratings were down for Phoenix, Las Vegas and Atlanta, too. Basically, nothing NASCAR does can stop this slide, it seems.

Second to none: Kyle Larson hangs on to win at Fontana (The Associated Press)

FONTANA, Calif. (AP) -- Kyle Larson was second to nobody in his home state.

Larson holds off Logano, wins Xfinity Series race at Fontana (The Associated Press)

FONTANA, Calif. (AP) -- Kyle Larson held off Joey Logano on the final lap to win the NASCAR Xfinity race at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday.

NASCAR goes Hollywood with young drivers leading the way (The Associated Press)

Ryan Blaney already had his Hollywood moment earlier in the week when he got a photo with actress Daisy Ridley at a Lakers game. ''She had no idea who I was,'' Blaney said with a grin. Hopefully the up-and-coming NASCAR driver is a bit smoother on the track at Fontana when he attempts to make another West Coast memory Sunday.

NASCAR suspends crew chiefs for Keselowski and Harvick (The Associated Press)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR has suspended the crew chiefs for Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick for violations at Phoenix Raceway.

Column: Larson finishes 2nd again, takes over points lead (The Associated Press)

Kyle Larson finished second at Phoenix International Raceway and then headed to the beach for a brief family vacation. There was no lamenting his third consecutive runner-up finish because Larson is the current points leader of NASCAR's top series. A two-tire stop put him in position to win Sunday at Phoenix in overtime, but a slip on the restart cost him any chance of running down leader Ryan Newman in the two-lap sprint to the finish.

Newman skips late pit stop, stuns NASCAR field in Phoenix (The Associated Press)

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Ryan Newman gambled and skipped a tire-changing pit stop to take the lead from deep in the pack and held on for the final two laps for a surprise victory in Sunday's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series race.

Allgaier holds on to win Xfinity, his 1st victory in 5 years (The Associated Press)

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Justin Allgaier held on to the lead in a restart with four laps to go and won the NASCAR Xfinity race in scorching heat, his first victory in five years.

Fresh generation of drivers emerging on NASCAR circuit (The Associated Press)

Five of the highest-starting eight drivers in NASCAR's lineup for its Monster Energy Series race on Sunday are 26 or younger. Ryan Blaney, starting next to pole-sitter and teammate Joey Logano on the front row, is 23. Larson won at Michigan last year and finished second in the last two Cup races.

Busch, Logano meet with NASCAR officials in Phoenix (The Associated Press)

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- The first face-to-face meeting between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano since last week's post-race scuffle in Las Vegas is over.

NASCAR does not penalize Busch or Logano for Vegas fight (The Associated Press)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR has decided not to penalize Kyle Busch, Joey Logano of their crews for their post-race scuffle at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Column: It takes a brawl for NASCAR to go mainstream (The Associated Press)

Kyle Busch had a gash on his forehead and blood running down his nose when he promised payback to Joey Logano. The tussle shoved NASCAR into the watercooler talk Monday alongside the NCAA Tournament, and the reason why should be a wakeup call to every stakeholder in the stagnant sport because, like it or not, Busch getting pummeled by Logano's crew is the lasting memory of the race. NASCAR can make any format change under the sun, try gimmicks, slick marketing or the Monster Energy Girls, but its mainstream audience wants drama.

Kyle Busch-Joey Logano brawl brings buzz to NASCAR Cup (The Associated Press)

The introduction of stage racing has so far provided the intended effect of spicing up the NASCAR Cup Series. After taking advantage of Brad Keselowski's mechanical issues to sweep all three segments and take Sunday's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Truex came into the media center and was asked about the Kyle Busch-Joey Logano pit-road brawl. Truex Jr. passed Brad Keselowski with two laps to go.

Martin Truex Jr. wins, Kyle Busch bloodied in brawl (The Associated Press)

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Martin Truex Jr. passed Brad Keselowski with two laps to go and avoided a last-lap wreck that led to a pit-road brawl and left Kyle Busch bloodied in a wild finish to the NASCAR Cup race Sunday.

Logano pulls away from Larson, wins Las Vegas Xfinity race (The Associated Press)

Joey Logano pulled away from Kyle Larson on a restart with four laps left and held on to win the NASCAR Xfinity race Saturday. Logano chose the outside lane on the last restart and moved in front of Larson out of the fourth turn at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for his first Xfinity victory since October at Charlotte. Justin Allgaier was fourth, followed by Austin Dillon and Darrell Wallace Jr.

Erik Jones navigates NASCAR Cup rookie season without father (The Associated Press)

When Erik Jones climbs into his NASCAR Cup Series car Sunday, an important watch will be stowed away in his nearby motorhome. Jones reached the pinnacle of stock-car racing this year amid a void. Jones is one of NASCAR's hottest young drivers, going from Truck Series champion in 2015 to the Xfinity Series rookie of the year in 2016 to a job with Furniture Row Racing when it added a second Cup car this season.

Keselowski on pole for NASCAR Las Vegas stop, Truex Jr. 2nd (The Associated Press)

Brad Keselowski will begin his bid for a third victory in the past four NASCAR Cup races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from the pole after topping qualifying Friday night. Keselowski, who also won last week's race at Atlanta, posted a top seed of 193.68 mph in his No. 2 Ford for his 13th career pole. Martin Truex Jr., who was the fastest in the midday practice, will join him on the front row Sunday in the 400-mile race thanks to a speed of 193.458 mph in his No. 78 Toyota.

Ford a cut above Chevy, Toyota early in NASCAR Cup season (The Associated Press)

Kurt Busch brought up front-end geometry, serpentine systems and aerodynamic balance. The Daytona 500 champion was trying to explain Ford's superiority in first two weeks of the NASCAR Cup season. ''We upgraded in in all categories at Stewart-Haas,'' Busch said Friday.

Redskins, spandex, impatient driver irk Dale Earnhardt Jr (The Associated Press)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was ticked off with his ill-handling car early in Friday's first NASCAR Cup practice. From a road rage incident while riding his bike to exasperation over his Washington Redskins, Junior is going through a rough patch. Of course, nothing compares to the real struggles Earnhardt endured as he missed the final half of the 2016 season because of lingering effects of a concussion.

Money is behind Las Vegas becoming NASCAR's busiest market (The Associated Press)

The signature event remains in Florida and most race teams call North Carolina home, but the nation's gambling mecca is about to become NASCAR's busiest market. This week's announcement that Las Vegas Motor Speedway will host six races yearly in NASCAR's top three circuits starting in 2018 suits Daytona 500 champion Kurt Busch just fine. While the Runnin' Rebels have fallen on hard times in hoops, the Las Vegas sports scene has never been more crowded as the city's population grows and the city recovers from the 2008 recession.

Gibbs, Penske, Allison among NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees (The Associated Press)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Championship team owners Joe Gibbs and Roger Penske as well as the late Davey Allison are among five new nominees for the 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame class.

Vegas officials to discuss possible 2nd NASCAR Cup race (The Associated Press)

Tourism officials in Las Vegas will gather Wednesday to discuss a deal that could result in the city hosting an additional NASCAR top Cup series race starting in 2018. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's board of directors have scheduled a special meeting to discuss a race sponsorship agreement with the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which already hosts a Cup race every year. The Convention and Visitors Authority is expected to pay a sponsorship fee of $1 million per race and commit to spending $500,000 annually to market both races.

Allmendinger crew chief suspended 3 races and fined $65,000 (The Associated Press)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR has fined three teams for penalties tied to last weekend's races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and hardest hit was AJ Allmendinger for loose lug nuts on his car.

Column: NASCAR needs some rivalries to spice up the action (The Associated Press)

Rivalries are the lifeblood of sports, and NASCAR sorely needs a few to spice up the action. Mrs. Harvick was upset that Dillon seemed to lose power in the waning laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where his decision to stay on the track caused a race-altering caution. Because Dillon didn't pull off, NASCAR brought out the yellow flag and the field headed to pit road for a final stop.

Evening out: Keselowski wins Atlanta after Harvick miscue (The Associated Press)

From Brad Keselowski's perspective, it was just a matter of things evening out. Sure, he slipped away from Atlanta Motor Speedway with a victory that seemed downright improbable most of the day. ''We've had races where we've led a bunch of laps and things fall apart at the end,'' Keselowski said Sunday evening, savoring the 22nd victory of his career with his nearly 2-year-old daughter, Scarlett, crawling around on the floor of the media center.

Keselowski steals Atlanta win after Harvick caught speeding (The Associated Press)

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Kevin Harvick ruined a dominating performance by going too fast on pit road Sunday, allowing Brad Keselowski to steal a NASCAR Monster Energy Cup victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Christopher Bell finishes off dominant Truck win at Atlanta (The Associated Press)

Christopher Bell held off Matt Crafton on a restart with two laps to go and completed a dominating win Saturday in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Bell started from the pole, took the first two 40-lap stages and passed Crafton for the lead with 16 laps remaining. The 22-year-old stretched the margin to more than 2 seconds, but Crafton caught a break when Grant Enfinger got into Austin Cindric going through the trioval, sending Cindric into a spin.

Kyle Busch wins Atlanta Xfinity race for 2nd year in a row (The Associated Press)

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Kyle Busch won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second year in a row Saturday.

Kevin Harvick captures the pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway (The Associated Press)

Kevin Harvick knows he can go fast at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Harvick took the pole for the second race of the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup season on Friday, turning a lap of 190.398 mph in the third round of qualifying. Harvick has led more laps than anyone at each of the last three Atlanta races, a total of 442 laps in all.

No transition for Stewart-Haas Racing after switch to Ford (The Associated Press)

The NASCAR team hasn't slowed since switching from Chevrolet to Ford. Kurt Busch captured the season-opening Daytona 500, and Kevin Harvick followed up by earning the pole for Sunday's Monster Energy Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. There was plenty of speculation about how the change would go, especially for a driver such as Harvick who had a long relationship with Chevrolet.

Column: Hey, isn't that Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope? (The Associated Press)

When Derrike Cope climbs out of the No. 55 car, his work is just beginning. Then, checking the time, Cope hustles to the hauler to change out of his racing suit. When that's done, Cope rushes back to Atlanta Motor Speedway for evening qualifying.

NASCAR's Landon Cassill seeking breakthrough in 2017 (The Associated Press)

Unheralded NASCAR driver Landon Cassill has set himself apart as something of a social media savant. Starting in 2017, Cassill would also like to be known for his racing skills. Cassill, 27, has just one top-10 finish in 224 career starts in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series heading into Sunday's race in Atlanta.