Sprint Cup

Rebel Wilson shines, confuses and titillates while hosting last night's 2013 MTV Movie Awards as tax-paying procrastinators struggled to submit their returns on a temporarily floundering TurboTax online. In gun control news, a sadly ironic turn of events took place at the first 500 Sprint Cup race sponsored by the NRA as a NASCAR fan shot himself in the head after an apparent argument with a fellow racing fan.  Other trends this morning involve the first grandchild for George W. and Laura Bush, the strains of running the Boston Marathon and the release of the first full trailer for the second "Hunger Games" movie, "Catching Fire.

Rebel Wilson shines, confuses and titillates while hosting last night's 2013 MTV Movie Awards as tax-paying procrastinators struggled to submit their returns on a temporarily floundering TurboTax online. In gun control news, a sadly ironic turn of events took place at the first 500 Sprint Cup race sponsored by the NRA as a NASCAR fan shot himself in the head after an apparent argument with a fellow racing fan.  Other trends this morning involve the first grandchild for George W. and Laura Bush, the strains of running the Boston Marathon and the release of the first full trailer for the second "Hunger Games" movie, "Catching Fire.

Jeff Gordon has plenty of motivation for the upcoming NASCAR season. It's the soundtrack rich with voices of children laughing, crying and calling out for daddy dearest. Gordon and his wife Ingrid Vandebosch are parents to two children: Ella Sofia is 31/2. Leo Benjamin was born on Aug. 9. So much for Gordon's plans to retire at 40. "It's making me drive longer, I can tell you that," Gordon, 39, said jokingly during preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway.

FRIDAY'S TELEVISION HIGHLIGHTS NASCAR Sprint Cup: Daytona 500: practice SPEED11 a.m. Sprint Cup: Daytona 500: practice SPEED12:30 Camping World Truck Daytona: qual. SPEED1:30 Nationwide: Daytona qualifying ESPN23:30 Camping World Truck: Daytona SPEED7:30 M. bask. North Dakota State@Akron ESPN27 Saint Louis@Butler ESPNU7 S.F. Austin St.@Long Beach St. ESPNU9 W. bask. Florida State@Duke CSNP, TCN6:30 North Carolina@Virginia Tech CSNP, TCN8:30 North Carolina@Virginia Tech CSN9:30 NBA Denver@Washington CSN7 Minnesota@Oklahoma City ESPN8 San Antonio@Golden State ESPN10:30 Boxing Friday Night Fights ESPN29 Hovhannisyan vs. McGuinness SHOW11 LPGA Honda LPGA Thailand: 2nd rd. (T)

AVONDALE, Ariz. - -Mark Martin often says he's "blessed," and for good reason. The driver from Batesville, Ark., has competed in NASCAR's top league for more than 25 years, amassing 40 victories, nearly $73 million in race winnings and a reputation as a fan favorite. But it also appears likely that, once again, Martin will fall short of the one goal that has eluded him: winning a championship. Martin, 50, was in striking distance of catching teammate Jimmie Johnson for the lead in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff, but Johnson all but clinched the title Sunday with his win at Phoenix International Raceway.

The NBA is on lockdown. Fortunately, all doors are open for business at NASCAR. Let the good times roll, preferably as fast as possible. The sport roars into the final weeks of the season energized by one of the most competitive Chases in Sprint Cup history. The Daytona 500 has been recognized as one of the most valuable sports brands in the world, according to the Forbes Fab 40 published last week. Jimmie Johnson is on the cover of Sports Illustrated. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. — NASCAR's favorite son — is in the competitive scrum to try to win his first Cup title.

Monday was one of the longest days of racing NASCAR has had. Because of rain, the sanctioning body had to stack races and run both the Cup race and the Nationwide race on the same day. The big winner in all of that was Joe Gibbs Racing. Not only did JGR win the Cup race with driver Denny Hamlin just 2 1/2 weeks removed from surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament, the team now has all three cars in the top 12. Considering Joey Logano's growth, that is a significant accomplishment.

WEDNESDAY'S TELEVISION HIGHLIGHTS NASCAR Sprint Cup: Daytona 500, Practice SPEEDNoon Sprint Cup: Daytona 500, Final Prac. SPEED2:30 Sprint Cup: Daytona 500, Practice (T) SPEED7 M. bask. Georgia Southern@Florida FCS7 Whiparound Coverage ESPNU6:30 Minnesota@Ohio State BIGTEN7 James Madison@Northeastern CSN7 Fordham@George Washington CSNP, TCN7 Providence@Syracuse ESPN27 Oklahoma@Texas Tech ESPNU7 DePaul@Georgetown MASN7 Wisconsin@Northwestern BIGTEN9 Kansas@Oklahoma State ESPN29 Iowa State@Baylor ESPNU9 Houston@Memphis TCN9 Colorado State@UNLV CBSSN10 Washington@Arizona ESPN211 Santa Clara@Gonzaga ESPNU11 W. bask.

TELEVISION HIGHLIGHTS NASCAR Truck Series: Mountain Dew 250 prac. SPEED10 a.m. Sprint Cup: Amp Energy 500 prac. SPEED2 Sprint Cup: Amp Energy 500 final prac. SPEED3:30 Truck Series: Too Tough to Tame 200 (T) SPEED4:30 Sprint Cup: Amp Energy 500 prac. (T) SPEED9 Spr. Cup: Amp Energy 500 final prac. (T) SPEED10 NBA Washington@Orlando (T)

NASCAR Sprint Cup champ Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus had a mediocre season, but the pair's usual late-season charge continues to come together. Johnson leads the Chase standings, but just 107 points separate Johnson from fifth-place Tony Stewart, last week's winner. Denny Hamlin remains second. Six races remain, with Saturday's Bank Of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway an undeniably pivotal factor — not just because of the points, but because every team wants to look good in front of their sponsors and the home crowd.