Earl's Pearls

THE SI VAULT

With nine races remaining until the start of the Chase, when the top 12 drivers will vie for the Sprint Cup, it's time to hand out the hardware to racing's best and worst so far in 2008

The only sure thing as the Sprint Cup season roars into its second half is that there's plenty of racing to come. For now, here are five questions to consider

Racing has come a long way from the days of leather helmets and steel guardrails—and the pace of change continues to accelerate. After Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash in 2001, NASCAR worked with scientists and safety...

Seven years ago, after losing its greatest star in a crash at Daytona, NASCAR launched an unprecedented effort to prevent fatal wrecks. The result has been a remarkable series of innovations that have changed the...

BREAKING NEWS, REAL-TIME SCORES AND DAILY ANALYSIS.

In launching his quest for eight gold medals, Michael Phelps barely held off Ryan Lochte, the best swimmer you've never heard of

Racked with worry that he would blow his chance to make the U.S. team, Tyson Gay scorched the track with the fastest 100 ever

Inside Tennis A series of titanic upsets in the women's draw highlighted a wild first week at Wimbledon • Another sweet-stroking Swiss makes his mark at the All England Club