NASCAR

Denny Hamlin had not led a lap in the Coca-Cola 600 since the ninth lap of the race. But when the third big crash of the Charlotte race happened just before the white flag in the first overtime, the driver of the No.

The tears welling up in Denny Hamlin’s face told the whole story. The three-time Daytona 500 winner rarely ends a race in tears, especially not when he isn’t the one in the winner’s circle.

Kyle Busch’s feud with Brad Keselowski flared Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. It led to Busch making a postrace comment he quickly regretted. Busch, angry with Keselowski for trying to push him out of the way just before the checkered flag at the Xfinity 500, used a slur referring to people with intellectual disabilities.

The intensity of playoff racing at Bristol Motor Speedway — not to mention feelings of disrespect — led to exchanges between Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick on the track, on pit road and, finally, inside Elliott’s hauler Saturday night.

NASCAR will make history on Feb. 6, 2022 when it moves its non-points exhibition, the Clash, to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The race — which has been held at the Daytona International Speedway since its inception in 1979 — will also mark the first stock-car race at the venue, which has previously hosted supercross and speedway motorcycle races.