Sports

LEXINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch will end a one-year break and return this season to drive in NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing. Busch won 102 races over 362 starts in the series and continued to drop down and race in the developmental level even as he became a champion at the Cup

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two former Marines bonded by a kidney donation and their love of football are now headed to the Super Bowl. John Gladwell, a Kansas City resident and Chiefs fan, donated a kidney to Philadelphia Eagles backer Billy Welsh two years ago after Welsh, who lives in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, was diagnosed

By MAURICIO SAVARESE AP Sports Writer SAO PAULO (AP) — The Brazilian Football Confederation has denied media reports that Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti has agreed to become the new national coach. Also, Ancelotti says he intends to see out his Madrid contract which has more than a year left. The Brazil job has been vacant

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish soccer club Valladolid has suspended 12 season ticket holders while it and authorities investigate their alleged use of verbal racist attacks against Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior. The incident occurred during Madrid’s 2-0 win at Valladolid on Dec. 30. Valladolid says it has been collaborating

ZURICH (AP) — It’s Lionel Messi vs. Kylian Mbappé again, this time for the FIFA Best Men’s Player award for 2022. Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain and France’s superstar forward head the three-player shortlist announced by FIFA eight weeks after leading their teams in an epic final in Qatar. Karim Benzema completed the top three in

LONDON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told a group of sports ministers there should be “no place” for Russian athletes at next year’s Paris Olympics while the Russian war in Ukraine continues. The International Olympic Committee is working on a plan to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes who have not actively supported the

By MAE ANDERSON AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The big day for marketers has arrived: The Super Bowl is advertising’s biggest, glitziest stage. Big name advertisers from Netflix to Google paid as much as $7 million for a 30-second spot during the game Sunday night, seeking to capture the attention of the roughly

By MAE ANDERSON AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Super Bowl ads are more than just breaks between gameplay during the biggest sporting event of the year: They offer a glimpse of the country’s zeitgeist, along with how major industries are faring. This year, crypto ads and automakers are advertising less since those industries

By ANDREW DAMPF and ERIC WILLEMSEN Associated Press MERIBEL, France (AP) — Mother Nature and global warming are having just as much to say about when and where to hold ski races these days as the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. Warm weather and a lack of snow wiped out nearly a month of racing

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott used his platform as the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award recipient for an emotional tribute to his mother, whom he called his “moral compass” and his inspiration. The two-time Pro Bowl selection lost his mother, Peggy, to cancer

By KEN SWEET and MAE ANDERSON The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — How the mighty have fallen. Cryptocurrency companies grabbed the spotlight during the 2022 Super Bowl, with commercials from a handful of newcomers to advertising’s biggest stage: FTX, Coinbase, Crypto.com and eToro. Some marketing experts dubbed it the “Crypto Bowl.” A year later,

By TED ANTHONY AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — One day in 2020, at the pandemic’s height, an earnest-looking man with long hair the color of Buffalo sauce stepped up to a podium in Lincoln, Nebraska, to address his city council during its public comment period. His unexpected topic, as he framed it: It

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana guard Grace Berger came back for her fifth season to win a Big Ten championship. Her gritty play Thursday night put the Hoosiers on the precipice. She finished with a season-high 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists, Mackenzie Holmes added 24 points and

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the Premier League champions have already been condemned after the club was accused of breaching a slew of financial regulations over a nine-year period. The team could face a fine, deduction of points or expulsion from English soccer’s top