Nascar

DÜSSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Le Mans winner Neel Jani won't feel his tires grip the road in a competitive environment for quite some time with the Formula E season suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. To do that, he's been taking his auto racing skills online — and finding himself at times overmatched. Pros from Formula One, NASCAR and other leading series are using race simulators to stay sharp and entertain fans with their seasons postponed by the outbreak.

NASCAR and IndyCar reversed course Friday and pulled the plug on racing this weekend, with IndyCar also suspending its season through the end of April due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. NASCAR called off Sunday's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and next weekend's events at Homestead-Miami Speedway. IndyCar was scheduled to open its season Sunday on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg without fans.

A paramedic was treating Ryan Newman inside his car 35 seconds after the ruined and flaming vehicle came to rest after a crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500. NASCAR gave a brief timeline Saturday of the response to Monday night's airborne accident that was so startling many drivers feared him dead. Newman hit the wall and his car went airborne, was hit by another car to send it airborne a second time, rolled upside down and landed on its roof in flames.

Ryan Newman was released from a Florida hospital on Wednesday, two days after his frightening crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500. Roush Fenway Racing released a photo of Newman leaving a Daytona Beach hospital holding the hands of his two young daughters. The team said the 42-year-old Indiana native “continues to show great improvement.” The team added that “true to his jovial nature, he has also been joking around with staff, friends and family while playing with his two daughters” and

In a single thrilling lap around NASCAR's most storied track, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman displayed the risks and rewards of the dangerous sport they both love. Hamlin won his second consecutive Daytona 500 and third in five years on Monday night as he surged past Newman on the final lap of a second overtime shootout. The win came as Newman's car was turned hard into the wall, then flipped onto its roof, where he was helpless as he was hit in the driver's side by another car.

Hamlin won his third Daytona 500 on Monday, becoming the first driver since Sterling Marlin in 1995 to win “The Great American Race” in consecutive seasons. Hamlin joined six Hall of Fame drivers as winners of three or more Daytona 500s.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. spent decades taking risks on the track and in the air. Earnhardt said Sunday before the Daytona 500 that he’s changed his approach to flying following a harrowing crash landing near Bristol Motor Speedway last August. Earnhardt, his wife Amy, daughter Isla, dog and two pilots escaped the fiery jet in east Tennessee.

Roger Penske already is making changes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On Wednesday, in his first major move since buying the iconic facility, Penske announced the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indy on July 4 will use the track's road course. The Cup Series race, the Brickyard 400 scheduled for July 5, will remain on the track's 2 1/2-mile oval.

Kyle Busch casually collected the championship flag from his team and did a slow, subdued celebratory lap. The most polarizing driver in NASCAR had just won his second Cup title and wanted to soak in the moment with his true fans.

Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. are the title contenders, and the highest finisher among the four will clinch the championship. For Homestead, it will be a last hurrah. NASCAR moved “championship weekend” to Phoenix in 2020, leaving Homestead to settle for a March race date amid Spring Break.

In an effort to gain some viewership, Top Gear America has teamed up with NASCAR to rename the May 28 Nationwide Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway the Top Gear 300. To tease season two of the American spinoff of the so-far superior English car show, clips from Top Gear America will be broadcast during the race.

Scott Speed takes his NASCAR taxi to Chicago – Click above to watch video after the jump

Brace yourself, race fans. Things are about to get a little weird. Ford has decided to meld the seemingly unmeldable worlds of NASCAR and rally to help promote the 2011 Fiesta. Ken Block, Richard Petty and AJ Allmendinger have joined forces as an unholy trifecta of motorsports action, unified by their common love of the number 43. We don't need to tell you that Petty famously campaigned old four-

Jack Roush crash lands – Click above to watch video after the jump

Goodyear Support Our Troop NASCAR tires – Click above for high-res image gallery