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William Byron, Denny Hamlin in sharp focus as Daytona 500 arrives
The twice-postponed Clash is in the rearview mirror, and NASCAR's top drivers have headed to the Sunshine State for the 68th Daytona 500 on Sunday.,Two-time defending winner William Byron and Denny Hamlin arrive in Daytona Beach, Fla., on the verge of entering rarified air.,If Byron is the first to ...

William Byron to use backup car in pursuit of Daytona 500 three-peat
William Byron will need to rely on a backup car on Sunday when he tries to become the first driver to win the Daytona 500 in three consecutive years.,Byron's preferred No. 24 Chevrolet took enough damage during qualifying Thursday to relegate him to a backup car for the Great American Race.,The brig...

Anthony Alfredo disqualified from Daytona 500 after car inspection
Anthony Alfredo will not drive in the Daytona 500 on Sunday after being disqualified because of a technical violation with his No. 62 car.,NASCAR officials announced the decision late Thursday after the qualifying race in Daytona Beach, Fla.,Alfredo, 26, was in tears after qualifying for the Daytona...

Women's Top 25 roundup: Mikayla Blakes, No. 5 Vandy take down No. 4 Texas
Mikayla Blakes scored 34 points for her fourth consecutive 30-point performance and Aubrey Galvan added 18 points and eight rebounds to lead No. 5 Vanderbilt to a convincing 86-70 victory over No. 4 Texas on Thursday night in Southeastern Conference play at Nashville, Tenn.,Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda h...

Kyle Busch wins pole for Daytona 500 in 21st attempt
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kyle Busch delivered the best Daytona 500 qualifying effort of his championship NASCAR career Wednesday night at Daytona International Speedway, claiming his first ever pole position for the Great American Race (Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).,Busch's N...

Denny Hamlin working his way into 2026 season ahead of Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Denny Hamlin hasn't lost his competitive edge. Simply put, it has been dormant for a few months-and understandably so., ,In 2025, Hamlin, 45, made a wholehearted effort to win the NASCAR Cup Series championship. His preparation was superb, and so was his performance in the titl...

Red-hot Houston jumps to No. 3 in men's Top 25
Houston vaulted five spots to No. 3 in the Associated Press men's Top 25 college basketball poll released on Monday.,Unbeaten Arizona (23-0) remained No. 1 for the ninth straight week and claimed all 59 first-place votes for the fourth consecutive week. No. 2 Michigan (22-1) held steady, with the su...

Streaking Duke vaults to No. 11 in women's Top 25
Duke soared six places to No. 11 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 women's basketball poll after extending its winning streak to 15 games.,The top four remained unchanged Monday, with unbeaten and consensus No. 1 UConn (25-0) leading UCLA (23-1), South Carolina (24-2) and Texas (22-2).,Vanderbi...

Olivia Hutcherson, No. 23 Princeton push past Penn in second half
Olivia Hutcherson tallied team highs of 19 points, seven rebounds and five steals, fueling No. 23 Princeton to a 69-50 win over visiting Penn on Friday.,The Tigers (19-2, 7-1 Ivy League) shook off a two-point halftime deficit by dominating the second half, 41-20. They capitalized on 16 Penn turnover...

Women's Top 25 roundup: Minnesota upsets No. 10 Iowa
Grace Grocholski scored a team-leading 21 points and Amaya Battle posted 12 points, 14 rebounds and six assists as Minnesota upset 10th-ranked Iowa 91-85 in Iowa City on Thursday.,Mara Braun scored 16 points and Tori McKinney added 15 for Minnesota (17-6, 8-4 Big Ten), which has won five straight ga...

Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 22 Maryland scores big road win over No. 12 Michigan State
Oluchi Okananwa scored 23 points to lead No. 22 Maryland to an emphatic 86-70 road win over No. 12 Michigan State on Wednesday in East Lansing, Michigan.,The Terrapins (18-6, 6-6 Big Ten Conference) went on a 21-5 tear in the second quarter that included an 8-0 run, building a double-digit-point lea...

Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 25 UNC edges NC State
Despite being up by 10 points with four minutes to play, No. 25 North Carolina barely held on for a 61-59 win over North Carolina State on Monday in Raleigh.,Tilda Trygger's layup with 12 seconds left capped an 11-3 run for the Wolfpack, cutting the deficit to two points. After a Tar Heels turnover,...

Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 25 UNC edged NC State
Despite being up by 10 points with four minutes to play, No. 25 North Carolina barely held on for a 61-59 win over North Carolina State on Monday in Raleigh.,Tilda Trygger's layup with 12 seconds left capped an 11-3 run for the Wolfpack, cutting the deficit to two points. After a Tar Heels turnover,...

Arizona stays No. 1 while Illinois leaps into top five
Arizona remained the No. 1 team in the Associated Press Top 25 men's basketball poll this week, while Illinois vaulted into the top five.,Arizona (22-0) continued its undefeated run by pulling off a pair of massive victories last week, earning an 86-83 win over then-No. 13 BYU on Monday and taking d...

UConn still consensus No. 1 as top four unchanged
As the nation's lone undefeated team, UConn remained the consensus No. 1 in Monday's Associated Press Top 25 women's college basketball poll.,The defending national champion Huskies (23-0) received all 31 first-place votes after running their winning streak to 39 games with a 96-66 rout of then-No. ...

Alexander Volkanovski fends off Diego Lopes, retains featherweight title
In front of a deafening Sydney crowd, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski survived a fifth-round rally attempt from Diego Lopes to win yet another unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) in their rematch at UFC 325 on Sunday morning.,Just like their first meeting last April at UFC 314,...

Alexander Volkanovski defends featherweight title vs. Diego Lopes
In front of a deafening Sydney crowd, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski survived a fifth-round rally attempt from Diego Lopes to win yet another unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) in their rematch at UFC 325 Sunday morning., ,Just like their first meeting last April at UFC 314, ...

President Trump signs order to bring IndyCar race to D.C.
Indy cars will roar through the streets of Washington, D.C., this summer after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday to place a race in the nation's capital.,Called the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., the race will be part of the nation's 250th birthday celebration.,...

Alexander Volkanovski returns home to defend UFC title vs. Diego Lopes
The UFC returns to Sydney on Saturday with a featherweight title rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes in the night's main event from Qudos Bank Arena to top a 14-fight card., ,Volkanovski (27-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) is making his first defense of his title after regaining it last April aga...

Corey Heim to make Daytona 500 bid with 23XI Racing
Corey Heim will attempt to qualify for next month's Daytona 500 in the No. 67 Toyota for 23XI Racing.,Heim, 23, is the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion after winning 12 of 25 races last season.,He is hoping to make his first appearance in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15.,"Coming off a grea...