Two races into NASCAR's new Chase, the championship standings are already showing how quickly things can change.
Kyle Larson left Darlington 49 points behind Denny Hamlin. One win at Gateway later, he sits second, just nine points back.
Ryan Blaney experienced the opposite. He entered Gateway 16 points behind Hamlin before a brake failure ended his race in 35th. Now he trails by 33.
Next comes Bristol Motor Speedway, and there is no reset waiting on the other side.
Under NASCAR's previous playoff format, drivers raced through elimination rounds with points resets along the way. The 2026 Chase is different. After the initial reseeding, all 10 races count toward the same championship total.

#points #championship

It was difficult for Alex Bowman to hold back his emotions after Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway. The driver of the No. 48 turned in his best performance of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, placing runner-up to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson.
The strong run at Gateway meant a little more to Bowman. Just prior to Sunday's race, Bowman revealed that his dog, Finn, who he called his best friend, sadly passed away. As the Arizona native reflected on his top-five performance at Gateway, he fought back tears in what has been an emotional weekend.
One day prior to Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWT Raceway, Bowman took to social media to announce the heartbreaking passing of his dog.
"I don't know how to say this out loud, but last night I lost my best friend. You only get a dog like Finn once in a lifetime. He was just the best," he wrote.
As Bowman spoke to USA Network's Dave Burns, he tried to keep himself together as he expressed appreciation for his No. 48 HMS team for helping him through the devastating loss.

#illinois #back #performance

MADISON, Ill. (AP) — Joey Logano secured the pole position Saturday for NASCAR's postseason race at World Wide Technology Raceway, positioning himself for a needed boost in the championship Chase.
Logano posted a lap of 32.817 seconds on the 1 1/4-mile oval in suburban St. Louis that features tight turns at the south end and flat, sweeping turns on the north side. He averaged 137.124 mph and his No. 22 Ford was 0.276 seconds faster than Kyle Larson.
"We've got some good momentum on our side here recently," said Logano, who has won twice in his last seven races to climb to eighth in the point standings. "We've had some good cars. We've done a good job. We've put ourselves back in the talks of racing for a championship.
"We may be the underdogs, but we're very used to that. That's where we live, and we feel we got a shot to do it."
The three-time Cup Series champion won the inaugural Cup race at World Wide Technology Raceway on his way to the 2022 championship and has finished in the top five each of the past three years. He will also have the first pit stall Sunday, a key advantage on the second-narrowest pit road of the season.

#we 've #championship #wide #technology

Christopher Bell opened The Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series by earning his first victory of the 2026 season. After passing Kyle Larson for the lead with 12 circuits remaining, Bell captured the victory in Sunday night's Cook Out Southern 500 at the Darlington Raceway.
It was Bell's first Darlington win, first victory of the 2026 season and 14th career Cup win overall. The win was huge for Bell's championship hopes as he moved into the second position in the standings, 12 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.
It was a trying evening for Hamlin, who entered the Chase as the top seed. In the final stage, contact between Hamlin and Michael McDowell caused toe link damage on the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
The contact forced Hamlin to go a lap behind. The 45-year-old gained his lap back and ultimately finished 18th. Going into Darlington, Hamlin had a 25-point lead over second place Ryan Blaney. Now, the JGR driver has a 12-point edge over Bell.
William Byron had a difficult evening at Darlington as he posted a DNF of 37th place. The driver of the No. 24 suffered a flat tire in the final stage, then suffered an engine failure on the subsequent restart.

#darlington #bell #season #behind

Sometimes to win in the NASCAR Cup Series, you have to take a gamble. And sometimes, that gamble simply doesn't work out.
Such was the case for Kyle Larson on Saturday, who made the decision to stay out on the track with 24 laps to go at Darlington. All but four other cars pitted to take fresh tires.
The decision put Larson in the race lead, where he would do his best to fend off those on fresher tires hunting him down. While he held on admirably, eventually he was caught and passed by Christopher Bell with 12 laps left to race.
A power move by CBellRacing!

He takes the lead in the #Southern500 . pic.twitter.com/WTgMOGMivC
After the race, Larson was asked if he regretted the decision to stay out. He instantly turned the offer down, standing by his team's strategy.

#stay #laps

23XI Racing will lead the NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup for the Chase race at Darlington Raceway in September. Tyler Reddick won the pole for the 2026 Southern 500 at Darlington this weekend. Daniel Suarez will join Reddick on the front row for Sunday afternoon's event. Qualifying was cancelled due to lightning.
Ryan Preece and Denny Hamlin will follow the two drivers on the second row. Most notably, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, Carson Hocevar, and Chris Buescher are the Chase drivers starting 20th or worse for Sunday afternoon's event.
The full NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup at Darlington in September 2026 is below!
No. 45 Tyler Reddick*
No. 7 Daniel Suarez*

#darlington

American service members will now have access to military versions of ChatGPT and Grok as the Pentagon tries to incorporate more AI into its daily workflows.
The Department of War said in a pair of announcements on Monday that the two services will be incorporated into its bespoke AI platform GenAI.mil, which launched in December and originally offered access only to a specialized military version of Google's Gemini. The department said GenAI.mil already counts 1.7 million users among the Department of War's 3 million–strong workforce, which includes both military members and civilians.
The department's Monday announcement comes after it awarded OpenAI and Elon Musk's ******* eXAI, which runs Grok, defense contracts worth up to $200 million each to provide the department with AI tools. It also awarded contracts at the time to Google and Anthropic.
The military version of ChatGPT, dubbed ChatGPT Mil, is part of OpenAI for Government, an initiative launched last summer meant to bring the company's AI products to government workers.
"ChatGPT on GenAI.mil will make unclassified work throughout the Department more efficient, freeing up time and resources so DoW personnel can focus on the mission," said Joe Larson, vice president and head of government at OpenAI, in a statement to Fortune.

#department #openai #government #members

Daytona was roller coaster of a night for Shane van Gisbergen, and it ended in disappointment for the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.
He watched Ryan Preece, Chris Buescher, and Kyle Larson all crash in front of him early in the running, clearing the way for SVG to earn his first-ever oval stage win and secure ten points.
However, Preece pulled off a remarkable save and suffered minimal damage. Even while sliding, he crossed the line in eighth and scored three points. He added another nine in Stage 2, bringing his total to 12.
Van Gisbergen spent the final stint of the race knowing that he had a 29-point cushion, which meant that Preece would have to beat Van Gisbergen by at least 30 positions on track (as SVG would win the tiebreaker) to make the Chase ... unless he won the race.
In a situation where Preece -- who entered Saturday's race 0-248 in Cup wins -- captured the checkered flag, Van Gisbergen couldn't afford to finish any worse than 11th.

#race #points #chevrolet

DAYTONA BEACH — As an observer, Austin Cindric enjoyed watching Ryan Preece punch his own ticket into NASCAR's Cup Series playoffs. That doesn't mean it came without a little bit of stress, and a lot of communication, before the two-lap overtime period began.
Cindric had all the information he needed as it pertained to fuel and, more importantly, how it pertained to points. He held on for a sixth-place **** e Zero Sugar 400 finish at Daytona International Speedway, good enough to secure one of the final spots into the 16-driver postseason field.
"I know it might sound weird, but it was kind of fun to watch," Cindric said of Preece's victory. "The guy drove a **** of a race, and wins because of it. That doesn't happen at these (events) super often."
Buy our Dale Earnhardt book here
Cindric is one of six playoff qualifiers without a win from the season's 26 races, along with Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, William Byron and Bubba Wallace. The 27-year-old entered the night with a 44-point gap above the cut line, thanks to five previous top-10s and 113 stage points.

#points

In what was the biggest race of his life, Ryan Preece not only earned his first career win at Daytona, but he clinched himself into the Chase for the first time in his career. This was not only huge for his season, but this race was personal. Considering the scary crashes Preece experienced in 2023 and 2025 at Daytona, it was fitting for it to be a happy ending this time. Yet, for what seemed like a dream scenario for RFK Racing and this #60 team, it definitely did not go to plan.
Things went array early in the race. As the field came to end stage one, Kyle Larson gave RFK's Chris Buescher a bad push. Buescher would hit the outside wall, while Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece would Tokyo drift through the grass. Preece's involvement in the incident was huge intially. Entering the race, he was one of three drivers who was fighting for the remaining two Chase positions. While this crash didn't eliminate him, it did send him from third to eighth in just a few hundred feet. This would end up costing Preece five points. In addition, his competitor Shane van Gisbergen would benefit from the incident, passing the crash to win the stage. This exchange put him another seven points behind his target.
Preece made up for that loss by clawing his way back in stage two to finish second. Throughout the race, he earned himself twelve stage points, while van Gisbergen only scored the ten. While two points isn't significant, it still is something.
The latter portion of the race was an uneventful strategic battle. With 39 laps to go, Ross Chastain led a group of Chevy's into pit road. Then, another handful of drivers countered with around twenty laps to go. These drivers would attempt to gain an advantage, but it would later be washed away. Preece and others would remain on the track, hoping for some luck.
With around ten laps to go, thing got chaotic while Preece was leading. Then with six laps to go, it snapped. Carson Hocevar made an abrupt move on Preece entering turn three, where he would lose control of his car. Hocevar would then come back onto the track, make hard contact with the outside wall, and collect Erik Jones in the process.

#daytona

Shane van Gisbergen won his first stage win on an oval of his NASCAR career.
But it didn't come without controversy.
The Trackhouse Racing driver ******* ped the back of Kyle Larson's Chevrolet as they approached the finish line to end Stage 1 of the ******* e Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on Aug. 29. Larson then ran into the back of race leader Chris Buescher to send both Larson and Buescher into the frontstretch grass. Larson finished sixth and Buescher went from the lead to 11th and didn't get any stage points.
Ryan Preece, Buescher's teammate, was collected in the wreck by Buescher and Larson when they went across the track to the grass. Preece entered the regular-season finale 17th in points, 31 points behind van Gisbergen for the final spot in the Chase.
Ty Gibbs finished second and Joey Logano finished third.

#larson #finished #points

Kyle Larson would like to see more changes to the NextGen car moving forward. The defending NASCAR Cup Series champion expressed enthusiasm about this Saturday's ****** e Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, which will see a new rules package.
Larson believes the new rules package could be a game-changer in the type of racing seen at "The World Center of Racing." However, the driver of the No. 5 also is not sure it will make a difference.
Regardless, "Yung Money" supports the change and hopes to see more adjustments to the NextGen car in the future.
During a media session on Friday at Daytona, Larson said he is looking forward to trying something new in Saturday's ****** e Zero Sugar 400.
Because of the NextGen car, Larson said, things have gotten repetitive in NASCAR. In the weeks following Daytona, the Hendrick Motorsports star would not mind seeing different rules packages for other tracks in an effort to "spice things up."

#coke #racing

Sometimes the most memorable part of an outfit is hidden underneath. Designers have increasingly used contrasting linings to introduce unexpected flashes of color, transforming capes, coats, gowns and dramatic trains whenever they move. From Cate Blanchett to Anne Hathaway, several stars have demonstrated how a carefully chosen interior shade can turn an elegant red carpet look into something far more surprising.
Cate Blanchett delivered a memorable example at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival premiere of The Apprentice. Her custom Haider Ackermann for Jean Paul Gaultier strapless creation appeared predominantly black from the front, but revealed contrasting shades from other angles. A blush pink back and emerald green lining emerged as Blanchett lifted the train, giving the sophisticated design an unexpected injection of color.
Brie Larson used the same idea for superhero glamour at the London premiere of Captain Marvel. Her vivid blue Valentino gown featured an off the shoulder neckline, sculpted bodice and flowing cape. Hidden inside that cape was a shimmering gold lining, creating a dramatic metallic flash whenever the fabric moved. Nicole Kidman took a bolder approach at the New York premiere of Expats, where her sleek black Versace gown revealed a vivid lime green interior through its dramatic thigh high slit.
Helen Mirren offered a softer interpretation at the 2024 Golden Globes. Wearing Dolce & Gabbana, she paired an elegant lavender gown with a matching coat featuring voluminous sleeves. The coat's pink interior became visible as it opened, introducing another pastel shade while maintaining the sophistication of the overall look. Instead of competing with the lavender exterior, the contrasting lining gave the ensemble additional depth.
Anne Hathaway also embraced the technique with a playful maternity look at the Los Angeles premiere of The Last Thing He Wanted. Her custom Prabal Gurung ensemble centered on a blue satin high low top with a striking red interior. Paired with relaxed jeans and pointed red shoes, the contrasting colors framed her silhouette while bringing an unconventional energy to maternity dressing.

#contrasting #blanchett #look #cate

Kyle Larson has called out NASCAR's lack of wet-weather pit stops. The reigning champion went on the 'Door ***** per Clear' podcast and explained why teams should have more control over transitioning from wet-weather tires to slicks.
The recently concluded New Hampshire race saw drivers start on wet-weather tires before a competition caution on lap 40 allowed a change to slicks. As a result, drivers didn't have to race over the pit road, and teams took their time as well.
Larson believes the practice hurts the racing product.
"I think we've been doing this rain thing long enough now, it's gone well. There's other series that do live pit stops in the rain. Every other series does live pit stops in the rain. Why can't we?" he said.
"And bring in that element of strategy. And I think that's where the good teams can rise or even the slower teams like an SVG would have really smashed the field, he would've had a lot of cars a lap down. I think if they would've opened the strategy up. So I think it's just time, like we have the experience of doing it. Just let us just open it up," Larson added.

#drivers

Meghan Markle could make a return to acting after she moves back to the U.K. with Prince Harry and their children, according to reports. Australian outlet News.com.au reported that Meghan has been offered a role in an upcoming project based in Britain.
The family is reported to be returning to the U.K. before the end of August. Their children are enrolled to start school in the country in September, the ******* ociated Press reported.
News.com.au told Sky News that the acting role news came "out of the blue" and was a "surprise."
Apart from a recent cameo in Amazon MGM Studios movie Close Personal Friends, starring Lily Collins and Brie Larson and currently in post-production, Meghan's acting career has been on hold since her last episode of Suits aired in 2018. Meghan played paralegal Rachel Zane in the USA Network legal drama for seven seasons.
A primary project for Meghan in recent years has been the Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan, which she hosted and executive-produced. The 2025 series grew out of Meghan and Harry's wider relationship with Netflix. In September 2020, 8 months after stepping back from their duties as senior royals, the couple signed a deal with the streaming service through what would become their production company, Archewell Productions. The deal was widely reported to be worth around $100 million.

#reported #back #role #recent

On August 11, Bicara Therapeutics (NASDAQ:BCAX) used its second-quarter earnings call to deliver two headlines at once. CEO Claire Mazumdar announced she will step into a Vice Chair and Strategic Adviser role at the start of next year, handing the top job to President and Chief Operating Officer Ryan Cohlhepp. That handoff arrives just as the company points to fresh survival data for ficerafusp alfa, its lead drug candidate for frontline recurrent or metastatic HPV-negative head and neck cancer, and pushes its pivotal trial toward a critical readout.
At May's ASCO meeting, Bicara presented three-year follow-up data spanning roughly 90 patients across three dose cohorts, the longest follow-up reported for any investigational agent in HPV-negative head and neck cancer. At the 1,500 milligram weekly pivotal dose, about one in three patients was still alive at three years, roughly double the survival rate seen in retrospective **** yses of standard-of-care pembrolizumab in this population. Management ties that benefit to the drug's TGF-beta inhibition, which it says drives tumor penetration and immune cell infiltration rather than blocking a single pathway. Overall survival nearly doubled against the standard of care while the safety profile stayed consistent, the company said.
Execution on the pivotal Phase III FORTIFI-HN01 study has kept pace. Bicara says it is on track for substantial enrollment by the end of 2026, with more than 200 sites now active, positioning the trial for a mid-2027 interim readout that could open the door to accelerated approval. The company also launched FORTIFI-FLEX, a study of an every-three-week maintenance dose built on encouraging results from an exploratory every-two-week cohort shown earlier this year, with data targeted for the time of any U.S. approval decision. Beyond the core indication, Bicara points to early proof of concept in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and **** canal cancer, backed by roughly $497 million in cash that management says funds operations through the first half of 2029.
The leadership overhaul goes well beyond the CEO chair. Jenn Larson took over as Chief Financial Officer the day after the call, succeeding Ivan Hyep, who had a hand in raising over $800 million for the company since its early days. Two more transitions take effect in January: Chief Development Officer Tanya Green moves into the Chief Operating Officer seat, and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Jenna Cohen becomes Chief Business Officer. A new Chief Legal Officer and two new board members are joining as well, a lot of change concentrated in a single quarter right as the company approaches its most consequential trial milestone.

#bicara #three #survival #cancer

On August 11, Bicara Therapeutics (NASDAQ:BCAX) used its second-quarter earnings call to deliver two headlines at once. CEO Claire Mazumdar announced she will step into a Vice Chair and Strategic Adviser role at the start of next year, handing the top job to President and Chief Operating Officer Ryan Cohlhepp. That handoff arrives just as the company points to fresh survival data for ficerafusp alfa, its lead drug candidate for frontline recurrent or metastatic HPV-negative head and neck cancer, and pushes its pivotal trial toward a critical readout.
At May's ASCO meeting, Bicara presented three-year follow-up data spanning roughly 90 patients across three dose cohorts, the longest follow-up reported for any investigational agent in HPV-negative head and neck cancer. At the 1,500 milligram weekly pivotal dose, about one in three patients was still alive at three years, roughly double the survival rate seen in retrospective ****** yses of standard-of-care pembrolizumab in this population. Management ties that benefit to the drug's TGF-beta inhibition, which it says drives tumor penetration and immune cell infiltration rather than blocking a single pathway. Overall survival nearly doubled against the standard of care while the safety profile stayed consistent, the company said.
Execution on the pivotal Phase III FORTIFI-HN01 study has kept pace. Bicara says it is on track for substantial enrollment by the end of 2026, with more than 200 sites now active, positioning the trial for a mid-2027 interim readout that could open the door to accelerated approval. The company also launched FORTIFI-FLEX, a study of an every-three-week maintenance dose built on encouraging results from an exploratory every-two-week cohort shown earlier this year, with data targeted for the time of any U.S. approval decision. Beyond the core indication, Bicara points to early proof of concept in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and ****** canal cancer, backed by roughly $497 million in cash that management says funds operations through the first half of 2029.
The leadership overhaul goes well beyond the CEO chair. Jenn Larson took over as Chief Financial Officer the day after the call, succeeding Ivan Hyep, who had a hand in raising over $800 million for the company since its early days. Two more transitions take effect in January: Chief Development Officer Tanya Green moves into the Chief Operating Officer seat, and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Jenna Cohen becomes Chief Business Officer. A new Chief Legal Officer and two new board members are joining as well, a lot of change concentrated in a single quarter right as the company approaches its most consequential trial milestone.

#three

Aug. 17—BEMIDJI — For Bemidji High School seniors Liam Larson and Ben Lindgren, telling their classmates about their fall sport of choice is all too predictable.
They're usually met with a look of puzzlement, with the eventual realization of, "Bemidji has a mountain bike team?"
It's true, Bemidji has had a mountain bike team for just about a decade. Composed of students from Bemidji Middle and High School, it's still relatively new, and it's definitely niche in the landscape of high school sports. They compete in the Minnesota Cycling ***** ociation instead of the Minnesota State High School League
But for those who love it, their passion is shown openly.
"It's always so much fun," Larson said. "Sometimes we'll just hang out after practice and go swimming or something, since it's such a small community and a small, tight-knit group of people. But yeah, it's always a blast."

#high #larson #always

NASCAR star Kyle Larson jetted to Iowa after a sixth-place finish at Richmond (Virginia) on Aug. 15, and he arrived in time to earn his fourth Knoxville Nationals championship.
A three-hour rain delay at Knoxville gave Larson the opportunity to compete for the $200,000 first-place cash prize. And he took full advantage, leading all 50 laps for his fourth **** le in six years.
"It's extremely surreal," Larson told KnoxvilleRaceway.com. "It was a range of emotions. Going back the last couple days, I had no emotions. I knew I wasn't going to race, but there was still that glimmer of hope with the rain and the forecast."
Knoxville Nationals media relations contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: NASCAR star Kyle Larson wins 65th running of Knoxville Nationals

#larson #nascar #star #fourth

I can't sleep.
I'm sitting here after one of the most ridiculous nights I have ever witnessed in motorsports, and I genuinely don't know how I'm supposed to go to bed.
Because tonight wasn't just another Kyle Larson performance.
It reminded me why I fell in love with racing in the first place.
Kyle Larson is my motorsports hero.

#sleep

KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Kyle Larson just had one of the most ridiculous nights in motorsports history.
Larson started 30th in Saturday night's NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway and drove an ill-handling Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet all the way to sixth, gaining 24 positions over 400 laps.
For most drivers, that would have been enough.
Larson wasn't most drivers.
Instead of heading home after Richmond, Larson embarked on a frantic cross-country sprint to Knoxville, Iowa, where he was scheduled to start on the pole for the 65th Knoxville Nationals. A three-hour rain delay at Knoxvilel and a fast jet gave him a chance to make the impossible happen.

#knoxville #nascar

There are good race car drivers.
There are great race car drivers.
And then there is Kyle Larson, who apparently decided at some point that the laws of motorsports should apply to everybody except him.
Saturday night was the latest entry in the argument that Larson is not merely one of the best drivers of his generation. He is one of the most freakishly versatile racing talents the sport has ever produced.
He started 30th at Richmond. He finished sixth.

#saturday #good #decided

GREENSBORO – Wesleyan Christian shut out Southwest Guilford 7-0 in the Beyond Sports Fusion boys' soccer showcase Thursday at Bryan Park.
Ty Larson scored four goals, while Sam Souza, Luke Little and Finley Rosser each scored one for the Trojans. Anthony Penaloza, Kaleb Lambeth, Clyde Bryant, Rylan Moody and Kiser each had an ***** ist. Sam Lester earned the shutout in goal.
Both teams will play Saturday at 2 p.m. at Bryan Park. Wesleyan (1-0) will face Ragsdale, while the Cowboys (0-1) will take on Northwest Guilford.
HIGH POINT CENTRAL, GRIMSLEY
GREENSBORO – High Point Central lost 4-0 against Grimsley in the Beyond Sports Fusion boys' soccer showcase Thursday at Bryan Park.

#bryan #high

Team Penske will lead the NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup for the race at Richmond Raceway in August. Ryan Blaney won the pole for the 2026 Cook Out 400 at Richmond this weekend. Chase Briscoe will join Blaney on the front row for Saturday night's event. It is Blaney's fourth pole position of the 2026 Cup Series season.
Josh Berry and Ty Gibbs will follow the two drivers on the second row. Most notably, Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Carson Hocevar, Austin Cindric, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Shane van Gisbergen, Tyler Reddick, and Austin Hill all start 20th or worse for Saturday night's event.
The full NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup at Richmond in August 2026 is below!
No. 12 Ryan Blaney
No. 19 Chase Briscoe

#blaney #briscoe #saturday

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats remain mixed over what ideological direction the party should take. But across a series of closely watched primaries, they are sending a clearer message about the party's path forward: They want change.
In marquee Senate primaries in Michigan and Minnesota, progressive candidates defeated two members of Congress with significant backing from party leaders. Wisconsin voters narrowly rejected a democratic socialist but still chose a 40-year-old county executive who is seeking to become the state's first Black governor. And in Connecticut, voters ousted one of the longest-serving Democrats in Congress for a challenger who campaigned on generational change.
The results so far this month deliver no clear ideological mandate. Instead, they add to mounting evidence from this year's primaries of an Democratic appetite for turnover that is cutting across the party's traditional divisions.
"If leaders in our party don't recognize that we need to make changes, then the changes are going to come from the ground up," Luke Bronin, a former mayor who defeated 14-term Connecticut Rep. John Larson in Tuesday's primary, said in his victory speech. "That's a message our party needs to hear."
The immediate challenge for Democrats is whether they can harness the frustration fueling revolts against their own party and turn it against Republicans in November. Beyond that looms the 2028 presidential race, when a new generation of leaders will compete to shape a changing Democratic Party.

#democratic #connecticut #ideological

Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) joins Meet the Press NOW as he faces a primary challenge for the first time since he was elected in 1998. Rep. Larson discusses his record in Congress and how he will deliver for his district.

#press #challenge

Christopher Bell has become one of the most consistent drivers in NASCAR over the second half of the 2026 season. The only thing missing has been a trip back to Victory Lane.
Bell added another runner-up finish Sunday at Iowa Speedway, placing second behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs after spending much of the afternoon among the fastest cars on track. While the result extended an unusual statistical streak, it also underscored what Bell has accomplished while continuing to race with a fractured left wrist suffered earlier this summer.
Bell's second-place finish marked his seventh runner-up result of the 2026 Cup Series season and his fourth in the last five races.
That consistency puts him in rare company.
According to NASCAR statistics, Bell is the first driver to record four runner-up finishes over a five-race span since Kyle Larson accomplished the feat across the end of the 2016 season and the beginning of 2017.

#finish #accomplished

Departures: Aiden Robbins (draft), Jayden Duplantier (graduation), Dariyan Pendergrass (graduation), Ashton Larson (transfer), Maddox Monsour (transfer), Will Hill (transfer)
Additions: Payton Brennan (transfer), Trevor Goldenetz (transfer), Sawyer Solitaria (transfer), Carlos Lugo (transfer), Trent Maybin (signee)
Returning: Anthony Pack Jr., Jonah Williams
SEC Freshman of the Year Anthony Pack Jr. is the returning outfield starter for Texas after a second straight season in which the Longhorns struggled to field three quality contributors. For a second straight year, Jonah Williams also dealt with injury issues, playing in eight games before undergoing season-ending shoulder injury.
Losing Williams, combined with the 2025 MLB Draft defections of transfers Jack Moroknek and Kaleb Freeman, contributed to 94 at bats for Jayden Duplantier, 15 starts for late addition Dariyan Pendergrass, who committed to Texas in December, and 14 starts for Maddox Monsour. In 96 combined at bats, Pendergrass and Monsour totaled three extra-base hits while both hitting under .200.

#pendergrass

For years, Kyle Larson openly talked about eventually stepping away from NASCAR to pursue a full-time Sprint Car schedule.
Today, that isn't the plan anymore.
Instead, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion says the biggest influence on whatever comes next won't be another racing series at all. It'll be his family.
Speaking to Motorsport.com ahead of next weekend's Iowa Speedway race, Larson explained that his thinking has shifted dramatically since he first floated the idea of leaving NASCAR before turning 40 to chase another championship.
Kyle Larson with children Owen Larson, Audrey Larson and Cooper Larson Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

#sprint #instead #it 'll

Two-time NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson's time was short in the Brickyard 400 on July 26. He only lasted 45 laps at the NASCAR Indianapolis race before his left-rear tire blew, causing him to spin, hit the wall, and end his day before the first stage was complete.
Larson, undoubtedly, would have liked to have spent more time on the track considering he was running second at the time of the accident, but maybe not as long as it took to complete the race at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Corey Heim won the 160-lap race on the 2.5-mile track, which took more than three hours to complete.
KYLE LARSON CRASHES OUT AT INDY: Kyle Larson crash at NASCAR Indianapolis Brickyard 400 extends winless streak
That length of time is too long for a NASCAR Cup race, in Larson's opinion.

#larson #complete #brickyard #track