DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) ‘ Brian France walked through the FanZone at Daytona International Speedway without handlers or security. The NASCAR chairman seemed like just another face in the crowd. Few recognized the sport’s most influential man, who was back at the track after a month away following the June 4 death of his father,…

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) ‘ Tony Stewart is a two-time NASCAR champion and the unquestioned leader at Joe Gibbs Racing. But upstart teammate Denny Hamlin doesn’t think that means he should have to take the fall for an accident that he says wasn’t his fault. ‘It’s painful to watch somebody trash you the way they did,’…

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) ‘ Casey Mears turned a lap of 182.556 mph in his Chevrolet on Friday, taking the pole position for today’s NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway. It was Mears’ third career pole, and the latest in a series of benchmarks that indicate improvement for the 29-year-old nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500…

YMU golf tourney The second annual young men united golf tournament will be played Saturday, Sept. 22, at RiverWatch Golf Club. The four-person scramble will begin at 8:30. Entry fee is $70 per player, with white tees and mulligans available for $5 each and lunch provided after the round. Prizes for the top three teams…

By Joey Wray There is growing evidence that Carbon Monoxide-related illnesses, injuries, and fatalities on the water may be far greater than reported. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is asking recreational boaters to take special care during the busy July 4th holiday weekend, and any time they are on the water. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is…

The USSSA 10-and-under fastpitch softball travel team, the Lil’ Lady Pioneers, took second place in the Second Annual USSSA C-Class State Warm-Up in Jasper on July 1. Other teams were Tullahoma-Road Runners, Spring Hill-Heritage Huskies, Coffee County-Lady Raiders, Jasper-Tomboyz, Collierville-Lady Dragons, and Lynchburg-Lady Raiders. The Lil’ Lady Pioneers are currently in first place in USSSA…

By ROB NUNLEY The league leaders in the youth division of Warren County Church League Softball picked up big wins this week, including first-place Cornerstone’s 19-5 victory over Pioneer Thursday at the fairgrounds. Brady Powers, Brayden Woodlee and Jacob George all homered in Cornerstone’s winning effort, with Powers and Steven Salamon posting two hits apiece.…

By ROB NUNLEY The third time was the charm for Security Federal. After losing two one-run contests to Walker Sod Farm during the girls’ 7- and 8-year-old coach-pitch season, Security Federal finally came out on the winning side of the ledger Thursday night, scoring two runs in the top of the sixth to top the…

By ROB NUNLEY Central won a barn-burner over Temple Tuesday night in the men’s division of Warren County Church League softball, batting around in the first two innings on the way to a 36-31 victory. Sixteen of the first 17 Central batters reached base and came around to score in the first inning, as the…

By Rob Nunley Today being a Friday, and being the 13th day of this month, what better time than now to talk about the most superstitious people on the planet? Coaches and athletes don’t just have ‘a few’ superstitions, they are infested with them. Superstitions are as much a part of a ballplayer or coach’s…