Sports

11:02 AM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR will return practice and qualifying to its weekend schedule for all three national series in 2022 after the on-track activity had been mostly scrapped the past two seasons amid the coronavirus pandemic. NASCAR traditionally hosted three-day weekends for its races but dropped all qualifying and practice

7:48 AM ET Mark KriegelESPN LAS VEGAS — I met Shawn Porter in early 2016 as he was preparing to fight Keith Thurman, who was then the best welterweight in the world. Three things were immediately apparent, first among them being Porter’s distinct physicality. He had fought most of his amateur career at 165.3 pounds.

10:36 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Earlier this month, tennis player Peng Shuai accused Zhang Gaoli, a former high-ranking Chinese government official, of sexual assault. Peng wrote, in a lengthy social media post, that Zhang had forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals. The post was removed within 20 minutes from her verified account on

1:36 AM ET Jamal Collier MILWAUKEE — The Bucks are starting to get whole again. Behind a season-high 47 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo, pestering defense from Jrue Holiday and a pair of clutch 3s in the fourth quarter from Khris Middleton — in his first game back after missing the previous eight after testing positive

3:02 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Serena Williams is still haunted by her experience at Indian Wells in 2001 and the mental anguish that she says she endured when returning to the event in 2015 after a lengthy boycott. “Even when I went back 14 years later, it was very traumatizing,” Williams said in an interview

4:18 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — A Las Vegas judge ordered former Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III to appear before her on Monday after learning he missed a required alcohol test while on house arrest following a fatal crash he’s accused of causing by driving drunk at speeds up to 156 mph. Ruggs’

8:22 AM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson will represent the United States in the upcoming international Race of Champions, an event he won with Jeff Gordon in 2002. Johnson will compete in the event scheduled Feb. 4-6 in Pite Havsbad, Sweden for the “Champion of Champions” title in the

8:47 PM ET The top seven teams remained unchanged in the College Football Playoff’s third ranking of the season on Tuesday, the fifth time that has happened in CFP history. While there can still be a shake-up in the final three rankings, history tells us what we’re seeing might be very close to what we’ll

7:00 AM ET His friends call him Bruno. For 1,110 regular-season games over 16 NHL seasons, many called Andrew Brunette their teammate. After he retired in 2012, the Minnesota Wild called him by many titles — coach, assistant general manager, special assistant to the general manager and director of player personnel. In July 2019, Joel

7:40 AM ET In addition to being a fine golfer who is expected to contend for more major titles as well as challenge for the No. 1 ranking, Justin Thomas has provided an excellent public service by giving some optimistic yet cautious updates on the status of Tiger Woods, his friend and neighbor. The latest

6:49 PM ET Last year’s breakout postseason star is this year’s American League Rookie of the Year as Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena took home the honors on Monday while beating out teammate Wander Franco and right-handed starter Luis Garcia of the Houston Astros. Arozarena received 124 points in the voting by baseball writers,

4:40 PM ET Cristiano Ronaldo‘s hopes for the 2022 World Cup took a big blow as Serbia clinched an automatic berth to the tournament in a comeback 2-1 win over Portugal in their Group A qualifier on Sunday. A 90th-minute header by halftime substitute Aleksandar Mitrovi lifted Serbia into top spot on 20 points, three

9:41 PM GMT There was barely any danger of the Wallabies’ hoodoo ending at Twickenham on Saturday. If Australia losing to Eddie Jones’ England felt familiar before, the visitors will leave London thinking it is almost grimly inevitable. As victories go, this was straightforward for England in a slippery match where errors from both sides

1:00 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Fresh off back-to-back numbered events the past two weeks, the UFC will roll right into a massive featherweight main event on Saturday inside the Apex. Former 145-pound champion Max Holloway (22-6) will take on Yair Rodriguez (13-2) at UFC Fight Night. For Holloway, 2021 will mark the first calendar

7:56 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN The most-avoided-fighter-in-boxing label is not just a badge of honor, it’s also an unfathomable test of patience for the person who bears it. That status is earned, if you truly can earn something you don’t want, by virtue of a few different attributes. The fighter has to be immensely talented

5:33 PM ET Associated Press GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Maria Sakkari used her strong first serve to extend her dominance over former French Open champion Iga Swiatek with a 6-2, 6-4 win Thursday in their opening match at the WTA Finals. Sakkari, a 26-year-old player who is having a breakout year, also ousted Swiatek in straight

2:00 PM ET Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. — All samples collected from horses competing in the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar have tested clear. The Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at UC Davis announced the results Thursday. All horses competing in the world championships last weekend were tested for total carbon dioxide levels

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The NBA season is — almost — a month old. What standouts are here to stay? The Eastern Conference standings is full of early-season surprises, including impressive starts from the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers. Meanwhile, the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks are dealing with injuries as they work

9:48 AM ET Associated Press The nascent Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority on Thursday released a draft of proposed anti-doping and medication control rules designed to bring uniformity to a sport that has operated for years under patchwork regulations in 38 racing states. Since July, HISA has been working with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to

2:17 PM ET ESPN News Services Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook said he’s the victim in his first public comments since being accused of abusing a former girlfriend in a lawsuit filed Tuesday. “I’m the victim in this situation. The truth and the details about the situation will come out at a further time,”