NASCAR

The biggest stock car race of the year is just a few days away, with the new NASCAR Cup series starting up this weekend in Daytona.More than 100,000 fans are expected to pack the Daytona International Speedway for the most prestigious race in NASCAR.

The Daytona 500 revs up this Sunday. The sport’s gotten a lot safer in the last 18 years, and NASCAR is paying more attention to concussions suffered by drivers when they crash. Sports columnist Ken Willis tells Intersection about NASCAR drivers’ hidden injuries.

When you hear NASCAR, you might think mostly white male fans and drivers. That’s an impression Dawn Harris is working to change. With just a week to go until the Daytona 500, we chat with Harris about the changing face of NASCAR and her role as director of multicultural development.

Daytona International Speedway is still reeling from a fiery crash near the end of the rain-delayed Coke Zero 400 early this morning. Dale Earnhardt Jr’s race victory was muted by the sight of driver Austin Dillon’s car careening through the air and smashing into a crash safety fence in front of grandstands packed with fans.

NASCAR fans are split over Daytona International Speedway’s decision to do a flag exchange at this weekend’s Coke Zero 400. The move comes on the heels of a controversial announcement from NASCAR earlier this week discouraging fans from flying the Confederate flag at its races.