GREEN BAY, Wis. — It might not be the extension Green Bay Packers fans have waited for all summer, but general manager Brian Gutekunst reached an agreement with a pillar of his defense on the eve of training camp.

The Packers extended defensive tackle Kenny Clark with a three-year deal worth $64 million, including a $17.5 million signing bonus, a source confirmed to PackersNews. Clark is entering his age-29 season, and with only one year left on his contract, it was possible 2024 could be his final season with the Packers. The extension instead keeps Clark with the Packers through the 2027 season.

Clark’s extension was first reported Sunday by NFL Network. His deal reportedly pays $29 million in 2024. At $21.3 million, Clark’s new money ranks 12th in annual salary among NFL defensive tackles. His total annual salary over the next four seasons, including the $17 million remaining from his previous deal, ranks 14th.

Before his extension, Clark’s annual salary ranked 16th at his position.

A three-time Pro Bowler, Clark is coming off perhaps his best season in 2023. In the 3-4 system, he lined up more at three-tech defensive tackle rather than nose tackle and responded with a career-high 7.5 sacks, adding a half sack in the playoffs. His 44.5 total pressures were elite production for an interior defensive lineman.

All things Packers: Latest Green Bay Packers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

The Packers enter 2024 with more depth around Clark on their defensive line than ever before in his career, including 2022 first-round pick Devonte Wyatt and sturdy run stuffer T.J. Slaton. Clark, a 2016 first-round pick, is the unquestioned leader of the group. Now he’ll be able to lead the Packers defense into the future.

Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report

The 2024 Summer Games in Paris will be notable for, among other things, being the first Olympics in which 50% of the competitors will be women.

There will be 329 medal events this Olympiad – 157 for men, 152 for women and 20 in which men and women will compete together. That will make for a total of roughly 1,000 gold, silver and bronze medals to be awarded. (Some events have multiple bronze medals.)

Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports’ WhatsApp Channel

Which country has the most Olympic gold medals?

In addition to leading all countries in total medals, the United States has also won the most gold. Through the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Team USA has 1,061 gold medals. The former Soviet Union is second with 395.

Meet Team USA: See which athletes made the U.S. Olympic team and where they are from

Which country has the most Olympic silver medals?

The United States has also won the most silver medals at the Summer Games, 830. The former Soviet Union (319) is one ahead of Great Britain (318) for second place.

Which country has the most bronze Olympic medals?

Once again, the USA is on top with 738. Great Britain is second with 314.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

How many gold medals does USA have?

In addition to 1,061 gold medals from 28 different Summer Olympics, the United States has won 114 more from its participation in 24 Winter Olympics. That brings the USA’s total gold medal haul to 1,175. The former Soviet Union in second with 473.

How many Olympic medals does USA have?

In addition to the 2,629 total medals from Summer Olympics competition, the United States has won 330 more at the Winter Olympics. That brings the USA’s total medal count to 2,959. The former Soviet Union is second with 1,204.

The Atlanta Braves lost two integral pieces to their ballclub Sunday as a season increasingly defined by major injuries took another grim turn.

Max Fried, the Atlanta Braves ace who is less than half a season from free agency, was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with forearm neuritis, a potentially troubling development for a club ravaged by injuries. And in the ninth inning of the Braves’ 6-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, slugging second baseman Ozzie Albies fractured his left wrist attempting to apply a tag.

Fried, 30, told the Braves he felt some discomfort while warming up for his All-Star Game appearance on Tuesday, but it subsided and he proceeded to pitch a scoreless inning, manager Brian Snitker told reporters Sunday.

But when the pain returned Friday, Fried informed the team and underwent an MRI and other tests. The imaging, Snitker told reporters, revealed no tissue damage but did show nerve irritation.

Fried, who missed the 2015 minor league season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was sidelined more than two months in 2023 with a forearm strain. While the two forearm injuries do not necessarily portend doom, they can certainly be precursors to elbow ligament trouble.

All things Braves: Latest Atlanta Braves news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

The Braves, six-time defending NL East champions, are hopeful Fried can return when his IL stint is complete, but that period of time will cover Major League Baseball’s July 30 trade deadline, leaving Atlanta potentially in position to work the market while uncertainty surrounds arguably their best pitcher.

Albies is estimated to miss eight weeks, putting his return sometime in mid-September for a club that’s still comfortably in wild card position yet now trails the first place Philadelphia Phillies by 8½ games.

Fried and Albies are the fourth and fifth former Brave All-Stars to suffer a significant injury this season, joining Spencer Strider (Tommy John surgery) and reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. (torn ACL). Still, the Braves have an enviable front end of the rotation, led by fellow All-Stars Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez. Minor leaguer Dylan Dodd was recalled to replace Fried on the active roster.

Fried posted a 3.08 ERA in 18 starts this season, ranking fifth in the National League, and his two complete games lead the league. He is one of just a few young players the Braves did not sign to a long-term contract, such as Acuña, Strider, center fielder Michael Harris Jr. and infielders Austin Riley and Albies.

He is expected to be one of the top free-agent pitchers available this winter.

‘It’s a little strange, because I still feel like in my core, I’m a young guy who’s still learning and trying to constantly master his craft,’ Fried told USA TODAY Sports last month. ‘And feel like I still have so much more to give.

“It’s a little weird to be at that point where you can look back, because you’ve had some experience. But also for me, I feel like I have so much more to look forward to, that it’s kind of a weird in between.”

It’s a toasty 80-plus degrees at Chavez Ravine, and hitters are scorching the ball out of Dodger Stadium.

The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers combined for seven home runs on Sunday night.

The most impressive of which came from, you guessed it, Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani didn’t become the seventh player to hit a ball completely out of Dodger Stadium, but he came oh so close.

During the fifth inning, Ohtani crushed an 86 mph cutter from Red Sox pitcher Kutter Crawford and hit the ball so far it appeared to fly just under the wavy roof above the pavilion stands. The 473-foot shot was Ohtani’s 30th home run this season.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Only six home runs have been hit out of Dodger Stadium. The San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. was the last to do so, on Sept. 30, 2021. The Miami Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton (on May 12, 2015), St. Louis Cardinals’ Mark McGwire (May 22, 1999), Dodgers’ Mike Piazza (Sept. 21, 1997), and Pittsburgh Pirates’ Willie Stargell (twice, Aug. 5, 1969 and May 8, 1973) also hit balls out of Dodger Stadium.

Ohtani’s 473-foot blast is tied for the third longest homer this season, along with the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge on May 5 against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium and the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout in Miami against the Marlins on April 1.

Ohtani actually held the top spot for longest home run of 2024 with his 476-foot bomb against the Colorado Rockies on June 18. But that mark was surpassed earlier Sunday at Coors Field when the San Francisco Giants’ Jorge Soler led off the game against the Rockies with a 478-foot home run.

The Dodgers prevailed, 9-6, to complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Red Sox.

Kyle Larson had dreams about celebrating at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May.

Now, two months later, Larson can kiss the bricks at Indy after winning NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 on Sunday in double overtime under caution.

Larson bested Ryan Blaney on the second overtime restart and held off Tyler Reddick after taking the white flag before NASCAR officials threw a yellow flag for a Ryan Preece crash. Larson didn’t have to battle Reddick to the checkered flag and could instead coast across the yard of bricks for his first win at the iconic speedway.

“This is just such a prestigious place and such hallowed ground,” Larson said in a post-race interview with NBC Sports. “Pretty neat just to get an opportunity to race on the oval again. What a job by our team, who never gave up at all.”

Two months ago, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion strapped into an Indy car for the 2024 Indianapolis 500, seeking to become the first driver to win the motorsports double of the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. But a pit-road speeding penalty spoiled his Indy 500 bid as he finished 18th, and Mother Nature thwarted his plans at the Coca-Cola 600 when rain fell at both Indianapolis and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Everything went right for Larson in the final stage of Sunday’s Brickyard 400, however, as his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team played the right fuel strategy and gave him a car that could rocket through the field — even as some contenders crashed out of the race and others ran out of gas.

“What a job by our team, they never gave up at all,” Larson said. “Today definitely felt meant to be for us. I just can’t believe it. It’s surreal to win here.”

But even as Larson and Hendrick Motorsports digs in to celebrate this momentous win – his series’ leading fourth of the season and the 27th of his Cup Series career – he’s already thinking about next year and another attempt at the double.

“How about we come back next May and try and kiss these bricks in an IndyCar,” Larson shouted to the fans before detailing his plans, when asked if he was definitely running the double again. “I’d love to, I’d love to. We’re working on it. So, I hope we can announce something soon and see you all next May.”

Continue reading below the photo for results and a recap of all the biggest moments from the 2024 Brickyard 400.

NASCAR Brickyard 400 results

Here are the top 10 finishers of the 2024 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race ended under caution.

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Noah Gragson, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR 2024 standings after Brickyard 400

Just four races remain before the 10-race, 16-driver playoffs begin. Here’s a look at the updated playoff standings as the NASCAR Cup Series takes the next two weekends off for the Paris Olympics.

Kyle Larson wins NASCAR Brickyard 400 in second overtime

Kyle Larson bested Ryan Blaney on the second overtime restart and shot to the lead before Ryan Preece crashed his No. 41 Ford into the inside wall after contact from Chase Elliott. NASCAR officials allowed the race to stay green as Larson took the white flag. But with Preece unable to get his car going, NASCAR threw a yellow flag on the final lap, giving Larson the win under caution ahead of Tyler Reddick and Blaney.

Huge crash at Brickyard 400 brings out red flag, sends race to second overtime

Brad Keselowski ran out of fuel just before the field took the green flag in overtime, giving up the lead and a chance for the win. With Keselowski pulling off, Kyle Larson moved up to the front row alongside Ryan Blaney on the restart before a huge crash erupted in the middle of the field.

Daniel Hemric and John Hunter Nemechek made contact and hit the inside wall, before coming up the track and collecting Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Alex Bowman.

NASCAR officials threw a red flag to deal with the cleanup needed on the track due to all the mangled cars.

Once the red flag lifts, the field will have to run a second green-white-checkered overtime with many drivers close to running out of fuel. Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, Todd Gilliland and Christopher Bell make up the top five.

Kyle Busch crashes, sends Brickyard 400 to overtime

Kyle Busch made contact with Denny Hamlin with two laps to go to bring out the caution and send the race to overtime. Busch, who was running sixth, tried to make a pass on Hamlin on the low side but came up the race track in his No. 8 Chevrolet. hit Hamlin and spun into the Turn 3 wall.

Hamlin had no damage to his No. 11 Toyota but was forced to come down pit road anyway because he was running low on fuel.

Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick will make up the first two rows on the green-white-checkered restart.

Martin Truex Jr. crashes again in Stage 3 of Brickyard 400

Martin Truex Jr., who had earlier crashed to open the third stage, crashed again on Lap 126 of 160. Truex’s No. 19 Toyota spun and and the nose of the car hit the outside wall. Ty Gibbs, in the No. 54 Toyota, was forced to come down pit road for an engine issue.

NASCAR champions crash on restart at Brickyard 400

Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson crashed on a restart on Lap 110 seconds after the green flag waved.

Ryan Blaney, in the No. 12 Ford, got turned into Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet by Carson Hocevar, who tried to make it three-wide middle in his in the No. 77 Chevrolet. That move triggered the crash that collected Logano’s No. 22 Ford and Johnson’s No. 84 Toyota.

Denny Hamlin, who had the lead at the restart, led a large pack of cars down pit road for fuel and tires. Those cars are hoping to make it to the end of the race without another stop for fuel.

John Hunter Nemechek, Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, Justin Haley, Kyle Larson, Noah Gragson, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Daniel Hemric, Tyler Reddick, Michael McDowell and Erik Jones stayed out. Nemechek and Chastain will restart on the front row.

Martin Truex Jr. crashes as Stage 3 begins at Brickyard 400

A few moments into the start of Stage 3, Martin Truex spun and crashed into the Turn 3 wall on Lap 106 after making contact with the No. 5 car of Kyle Larson. Truex, in the No. 19 Toyota, had restarted in the Top 5 on the previous lap after staying out at the end of the second stage when others came down pit road for fuel and tires.

Josh Berry, running further back in the pack, also crashed into the wall after making contact with Ty Gibbs as the field slowed down for Truex’s incident. Berry’s No. 4 Ford featured WNBA star Caitlin Clark on the hood.

Denny Hamlin and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. lead the field on the restart with John Hunger Nemechek and Chase Briscoe on the second row.

Bubba Wallace wins Stage 2 of NASCAR Brickyard 400

Bubba Wallace took the lead on a restart on Lap 79 and held it until the end of the second Stage. It was the first laps led for Wallace since the May race at Darlington and his first stage win since 2022. Wallace, who is seeking his first victory of the season, is currently on the bubble to make the playoffs on points.

Chaese Elliott finished second and Denny Hamlin, who won the opening stage, third.

Here is the Top 10 finishers in Stage 2:

Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford
John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Chevrolet
Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Toyota
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota
Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Ford

At least half of the field hit pit road for fuel and tires, but Hamlin, Nemechek, Stenhouse, Truex and Briscoe chose to stay out. Joey Logano came down pit road for fuel and tires with four laps remaining in Stage 2.

William Byron crashes out of NASCAR Brickyard 400

Kyle Busch took the lead on a restart on Lap 75 but before the lap was completed a big crash took place in the middle of the pack.

Ryan Preece made contact with William Byron, sending him hard into the inside wall. AJ Allmendinger and Harrison Burton were also collected in the pileup. Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet was totaled and he was forced to exit the race Burton drove his car back to the garage.

Busch led a number of cars down pit road for fuel and tires during the caution flag laps. Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott stayed out, leading the field on the restart.

John Hunter Nemechek leads NASCAR Brickyard 400

Legacy Motor Club driver John Hunter Nemechek took the lead from Tyler Reddick on the opening lap of Stage 2, leading 14 laps. The team also has Legacy co-owner Jimmie Johnson driving the No. 84 Toyota in today’s race. Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and four-time Brickyard winner, has retired from full-time Cup Series racing but has run select tracks this year.

NASCAR threw a caution flag on Lap 70 for debris on the track after Cody Ware, in the No. 15 Ford, lost a tire. Brad Keselowski got the free pass. Most of the leaders came down pit road for tires and fuel, but Kyle Busch, who was running third when the yellow flag flew, elected to stay out.

Denny Hamlin wins Stage 1 of NASCAR Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis

Denny Hamlin earned his sixth stage win of the 2024 season and his first ever at the Brickyard 400 after winning the 50-lap opening stage. Hamlin held off Kyle Larson to take the checkered flag. Thirty-three cars finished on the lead lap, with just one car out of the race: BJ McLeod’s No. 66 Ford.

Here are the top 10 drivers from Stage 1:

Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford
William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet
Tyler Redick, No. 45 Toyota
Michael McDowell, No. 34 Ford
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet
Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Chevrolet
Noah Gragson, No. 10 Ford

Most of the leaders made pit stops at the end of the stage, but Reddick and McDowell chose to stay out.

Denny Hamlin takes lead at Brickyard 400

Denny Hamlin assumes the lead after all drivers made their green-flag pit stops. Kyle Larson, who raced the Indy 500 at the IMS oval in May, is running second, with Ryan Blaney third and William Byron fourth. Tyler Reddick, who started on the pole, had led every lap in the opening stage until he made his pit stop. He is now fifth in the running order. with less than 10 laps to go in Stage 1.

Chase Elliott penalized for infraction after pit stop

Chase Elliott was one of the first cars to hit pit road for green-flag pit stops during the opening stage. His team handled refueling and changing tires on the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet flawlessly, but when Elliott left pit road to return to the track, NASCAR officials ruled that Elliott had blended too early from the access road to the oval in Turn 1.

The 2024 Cup Series points leader was forced to come back to pit road one lap later to serve a pass-through penalty.

Green flag waves for NASCAR race at Indianapolis

NASCAR Cup Series drivers have taken the green flag for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin were on the front row. Reddick surged ahead to lead the opening lap.

Two cars drop to the rear before the start of the race

Martin Truex Jr., who qualified 14th, will drop to the rear before the green flag and will also have to serve a pass-through penalty after the opening lap because the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team made an adjustment that NASCAR did not approve of following yesterday’s tech technical inspection. Truex’s car chief was also ejected.

Austin Cindric will also drop to the rear, though he had qualified 38th so was already starting on the last row. The No. 2 Team Pense team repaired Cindric’s car after he hit the wall on Saturday.

All-time Brickyard 400 winners

Fifteen drivers have won at least one NASCAR Cup Series race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval since the first race in 1994, but only two are still active: Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. Winners of the Brickyard 400 in order of most victories:

5: Jeff Gordon (1994, ’98, 2001, ’04, ‘14).

4: Jimmie Johnson (2006, ’08. ’09, ‘12).

3: Kevin Harvick (2003, ’19, ‘20).

2: Kyle Busch (2015, ‘16); Dale Jarrett (1996, ‘99); Tony Stewart (2005, ’07).

1: Dale Earnhardt (1995); Bill Elliott (2002); Kasey Kahne (2017); Brad Keselowski (2018); Bobby Labonte (2000); Jamie McMurray (2010); Paul Menard (2011); Ryan Newman (2013); Ricky Rudd (1997).

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Indianapolis? 

The Brickyard 400 is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile track for a total of 400 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) – Stage 1: 50 laps; Stage 2: 50 laps; Stage 3: 60 laps. 

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Indianapolis on?

The Brickyard 400 is being broadcast nationally by NBC.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Indianapolis?

The Brickyard 400 can be live streamed on the NBCSports website and the NBC Sports app. The race is also available to stream on Fubo.

Weather forecast for Sunday’s NASCAR race at Indianapolis

According to AccuWeather, there will be periods of clouds and sunshine around Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday; a nice afternoon for the race. High temperature will be around 83 degrees. 

Who is starting on the pole in Sunday’s NASCAR race at Indianapolis? 

Tyler Reddick will start on the pole for the Brickyard 400 after the 23XI Racing driver qualified first on Saturday. Reddick earned his second pole of the season and the eighth of his Cup Series career. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, who qualified second, will also start on the front row. 

What is the lineup for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis? 

(Car number in parentheses) 

1. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota 
2. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota 
3. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet 
4. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet 
5. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet 
6. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota 
7. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford 
8. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford 
9. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet 
10. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota 
11. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet 
12. (22) Joey Logano, Ford 
13. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet 
14. (19) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota 
15. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet 
16. (21) Harrison Burton, Ford 
17. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota 
18. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota 
19. (7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet 
20. (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford 
21. (10) Noah Gragson, Ford 
22. (33) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet 
23. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford 
24. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford 
25. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet 
26. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford 
27. (71) Zane Smith, Chevrolet 
28. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet 
29. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota 
30. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet 
31. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford 
32. (31) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet 
33. (84) Jimmie Johnson, Toyota 
34. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet 
35. (51) Justin Haley, Ford 
36. (15) Cody Ware, Ford 
37. (4) Josh Berry, Ford 
38. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford 
39. (66) BJ McLeod, Ford 

Josh Berry to feature star Caitlin Clark on his Brickyard 400 car 

In just a few short months, Caitlin Clark has already become synonymous with Indiana. Now, the basketball superstar will be riding around the state’s most iconic venue. 

The Indiana Fever rookie, who has already taken the WNBA by storm, is coming to NASCAR for Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and she will have her own car. 

Well, sort of. 

Clark’s image from her record-breaking college basketball career at Iowa will be featured on the hood of driver Josh Berry’s Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford in Sunday’s Brickyard 400. 

Who won the most recent Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis? 

Kevin Harvick won back-to-back Brickyard 400s in 2019 and 2020, the last time the Cup Series raced on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. In 2020, Harvick won in a green-white-checkered overtime finish, edging Matt Kenseth by 0.743 seconds after leading 68 of 161 laps. 

On the road course, AJ Allmendinger won in 2021, Tyler Reddick in 2022 and Michael McDowell in 2023. 

What races remain in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season?

Following Sunday’s race, NASCAR will take two weekends off during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Here are the four races that conclude the regular season (all times PM and ET):

Sunday, Aug. 11: At Richmond Raceway, 6 (USA)
Sunday, Aug. 18: At Michigan International Speedway, 2:30 (USA)
Saturday, Aug. 24: At Daytona International Speedway, 7:30 (NBC)
Sunday, Sept. 1: At Darlington Raceway, 6 (USA)

How many drivers have won NASCAR Cup races in the 2024 season?

Five races remain in the regular season, including Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, before the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin on Sept. 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. A regular-season win virtually locks up a playoff berth, but the possibility still remains that there could be more race winners than available playoff spots since 12 drivers have at least one victory this season.

2024 winners (points in parentheses): Kyle Larson 3 (700); Denny Hamlin 3 (683); William Byron 3 (646); Christopher Bell 3 (616); Ryan Blaney 2 (627); Chase Elliott 1 (703); Tyler Reddick 1 (688); Brad Keselowski 1 (599); Alex Bowman 1 (596); Joey Logano 1 (522); Daniel Suarez 1 (431); Austin Cindric 1 (408).

What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Indianapolis start?

The Brickyard 400 starts at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Swimming is one of the high-profile events of any Summer Games, and the festivities at the 2024 Paris Olympics will be no different.

One of the stars to watch for is Katie Ledecky, who will attempt to add to her Olympic medal haul and win an unprecedented fourth consecutive gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle.

Ledecky’s dominance in two events sets her apart from her contemporaries. She has recorded 24 of the top 25 times in the 800-meter freestyle and all but two of the 25 fastest times in the 1,500. Since her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Games, Ledecky has dominated the swimming world, setting numerous world records while becoming one of the most decorated female Olympians of all time.

Outside of the pool, Ledecky has also accomplished a lot.

Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports’ WhatsApp Channel

Meet Team USA: See which athletes made the U.S. Olympic team and where they are from

In June, she became the first swimmer to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and published her first memoir, ‘Just Add Water.’ Her family ties in sports don’t stop there, as her uncle, Jon, is the co-owner and alternate governor of the New York Islanders of the NHL.

Here is everything you need to know about Katie Ledecky:

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

How old is Katie Ledecky? 

Ledecky is 27 years old. She was born on March 17, 1997.

Where did Katie Ledecky go to college? 

Ledecky attended Stanford University, winning eight NCAA championships and setting 15 national records. After helping lead the Cardinal to two consecutive NCAA team titles, she left school to concentrate on her professional aspirations.

Where is Katie Ledecky from? 

Ledecky was born in Bethesda, Maryland, and she graduated from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in 2015.

How many medals does Katie Ledecky have?

Ledecky has won 10 Olympic medals, including seven gold and three silver, and 26 world championship medals (21 gold and five silver). Here are the seven events in which she won Olympic gold:

800 meter freestyle, London 2012
200m freestyle, Rio 2016
400m freestyle, Rio 2016
800m freestyle, Rio 2016
4x200m freestyle relay, Rio 2016
800m freestyle, Tokyo 2020
1500m freestyle, Tokyo 2020

What events does Katie Ledecky swim? 

Ledecky plans to swim in the 400 meter, 800 and 1500 freestyle individual events at the Paris Olympics, and join the 4×200 relay team.

What world records does Katie Ledecky hold?

Ledecky holds the world records in the women’s 1500-meter freestyle (15:20.48) and the women’s 800 freestyle (8:04.79). During her career, she has broken 16 world records and 37 American records.

These are the Olympics the athletes deserve. Fans, too.

After back-to-back Games without spectators, families or friends and with COVID protocols so restrictive they exacted a toll on athletes’ mental health, this summer’s Paris Olympics offer a reset.

It would be dazzling enough to compete in the City of Light, with the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Les Invalides never far from view. That those famous venues will echo with the roar of fans again will make these Games truly spectacular, as will athletes being able to share their triumphs or nurse their disappointments with their loved ones on site rather than over a computer screen.

“It’s the moment after. Once I had the medal and I looked up and I realized no one was there, that was weird. So I’m really excited to share that moment,” said Gabby Thomas, who won silver with the U.S. women’s 4×100 relay and a bronze in the 200 in Tokyo.

Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports’ WhatsApp Channel

When initially awarded, these Games were meant to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the most recent Olympics in Paris and the last under the guidance of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics.

After a COVID pandemic that shrunk our worlds, however, the Paris Olympics and Paralympics have become a testament to resilience. Of sport and of human spirit. The normalcy that seemed so far out of reach at the Tokyo Games, which had to be delayed by a year, and again in Beijing, which took place in an environment that was sterile in every sense of the word, has returned, and Paris will be a celebration of that as much as the amazing performances of the athletes.  

The Olympics will be held July 26 to Aug. 11 and the Paralympics are Aug. 28 to Sept. 8.

“It’s going to be just an incredible setting, especially coming off of a weird Tokyo Olympics where no one could be there,” Thomas said. “Paris is so stunning. It’s going to be such a beautiful moment.”

Here are 10 questions surrounding the Olympics and Paralympics:

Which Paris landmarks are being used for the Games?

Organizers definitely understood the assignment, taking advantage of the many landmarks that make Paris one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

The Opening Ceremony will take place on the Seine, beginning just east of Notre Dame and passing by the famed cathedral that has been rebuilt after a catastrophic 2019 fire. Then the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, Les Invalides, the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower before finishing at the Trocadero.

Beach volleyball will be played at the foot of the Eiffel Tower while equestrian and modern pentathlon will take place at Versailles, the grand palace built by Louis XIV. The Grand Palais will host fencing and taekwondo beneath its spectacular green roof while archery will be held at Les Invalides, the magnificent golden-domed museum that houses Napoleon Bonaparte’s tomb.

Place de la Concorde, with its famed Egyptian obelisk and views of the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides and Arc de Triomphe, will be home to 3×3 basketball, BMX freestyle, skateboarding and breaking. Tennis will be played on the clay courts of Roland-Garros, the iconic home of the French Open.

And the marathon, triathlon and road cycling events all will traverse the city’s picturesque bridges and cobblestone streets.

“We want to open the Games to everyone,” Tony Estanguet, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in canoe who is now president of the Paris organizing committee, said in 2022. “We will bring the various sports out of the stadiums and into the city, in the middle of its iconic landmarks.”

The Opening Ceremony is going to take place on the Seine?

The traditional parade of nations is now going to be a flotilla.

For the first time in Olympic history, the Opening Ceremony won’t be held inside a stadium. Instead, athletes from the 200-plus countries will board boats and barges and float down the Seine, with spectators able to watch the roughly 3½-mile parade from the river’s quays and embankments.

It’s an audacious plan, one that has sparked both awe and security concerns. To address the latter, organizers have cut access in half from the 600,000 spectators they’d initially hoped to have. About 100,000 fans with tickets will be on the riverbank while 220,000 residents of Paris and other cities hosting Olympic events will be allowed to watch from above.

“To manage crowd movement, we can’t tell everyone to come,” France Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in March, according to the Associated Press. “For security reasons that everyone understands, notably the terrorist threat of recent weeks, we are obliged to make it free but contained.’

Though French president Emmanuel Macron has said there is a Plan B should the security risk become too great, he and other officials have insisted the Opening Ceremony on the Seine will be safe.

How big a concern is security?

It’s a concern with any large-scale event, but there are several factors that elevate the risk for Paris.

France has a history of terrorism by Islamic extremists, including coordinated attacks in Paris on Nov. 13, 2015, that left 130 dead and another 400 wounded. The war between Israel and Hamas has heightened tensions in France, as well as for Israel and the United States, its strongest supporter. And this is really the first Games since Rio where there are no barriers, geographical or COVID-related, to who can enter the host country.

Add in the very public staging of many of the Olympic events, and there are multiple areas of concern.

To secure the Games, there will be 45,000 police officers and 18,000 soldiers, along with 22,000 private contractors. There also will be tight security perimeters around venues and certain landmarks, and only those who’ve been pre-screened – athletes, officials, media, residents – will be allowed in.   

“There’s a lot that the security professionals know and they’re doing on a bilateral level with governments and collaboration from allies, that the general public doesn’t know,” said Nicole Deal, head of security for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

“But I think that goes in place with every major event. There’s underlying security capacities and capabilities that the rest of the world has no clue of. And that’s just happening and that’s just part of doing security.”

Are there really going to be events in the Seine?

The swim portion of triathlon, along with marathon swimming, are to be held in the Seine, near the Eiffel Tower. Anyone who’s seen a public waterway knows they’re magnets for trash and debris − and that’s just the visible gross stuff! Bacteria and pathogens that can cause waterborne diseases lurk, too.

Cleaning up the Seine was a priority for the Paris Games, with regional and local governments spending $1.5 billion on the efforts. In addition to installing trash-catching devices in the Seine, a massive basin that can store excess rainwater and keep bacteria out of the river began operating in May.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo is so confident of the river’s cleanliness she took a swim in the Seine nine days before the Olympics. There have been several instances of dangerously high levels of bacteria, however, including since the storage basin opened.

The water will be tested each morning during the Olympics, and the sport governing bodies, World Aquatics and World Triathlon, will decide whether events can proceed as scheduled.

While the idea of diving into a “poo pool” might make most people gag, athletes have been non-plussed about it.

“I grew up in Los Angeles by the beach where you are told not to swim in the ocean after it rains, which I think is a given in any city,” triathlete Taylor Spivey said.

Besides, this isn’t a new problem. Remember the horror stories about the water in Rio de Janeiro in the leadup to the 2016 Games?

“The water quality is always a big hype or concern,” Spivey said. “All the athletes have come out of (those) races healthy, so I’m hoping that it’s the same for Paris as well.”

Speaking of diseases, will COVID be a factor at the Paris Games?

Given the painstakingly detailed “playbooks” that athletes, support staff and media had to follow in both Tokyo and Beijing, it’s a bit surreal to say no. No proof of multiple negative COVID tests to enter the country. No daily testing. No limits on where you can go. No masks or vaccines required.

And, best of all, no empty venues.

Just as it is throughout much of the rest of society, COVID is being treated like any other communicable disease. Athletes aren’t tested, or isolated, for a cold or the flu and it’s now the same with COVID. Vaccinations are recommended for U.S. athletes but not required.

“It was huge mental load because you had to start siphoning things out of your life prior to even going,” said Jordyn Poulter, part of the U.S. women’s volleyball team that won gold in Tokyo. “We had to limit time with friends, family … to both protect ourselves and our teammates. Because the last thing anyone would want is a positive test that would prevent you from competing.

“It will be a huge load off of the psyche. I’m really looking forward to just being able to focus on competing and being there with my teammates.”

What about the heat?

Paris has made sustainability a cornerstone of these Games, including an Athletes Village that doesn’t have air conditioning. Organizers say it doesn’t need it, thanks to a geothermal cooling system that runs cold water through pipes underneath the floors.

But rising temperatures around the globe, and extreme heat in France in recent summers, have participating countries taking matters into their own hands. The United States is one of several countries with large contingents that is bringing portable air conditioners to ensure athletes can sleep comfortably.

Who are the athletes to watch, by the way?

Just as four years ago, all eyes will be on Simone Biles in Paris.

Biles’ withdrew from almost all of the Tokyo Games with “the twisties.” Mental health issues, compounded by the isolation of the COVID restrictions for the Games, caused her to lose her sense of where she was in the air and continuing to compete would have jeopardized her physical safety.

Though her withdrawal shined a spotlight on the pressures elite athletes face and gave many the permission to say they weren’t OK, it took a huge toll on her. After returning for the balance beam final, and winning a bronze medal, Biles returned home not sure she’d do gymnastics again.

“That was the hardest part after Tokyo is I didn’t trust myself to do gymnastics,” Biles said.

Biles is in a much better place now – her weekly sessions with her therapist are a priority – and she looks as dominant as ever. Maybe even more so. Her five medals at the world championships last fall made her the most-decorated gymnast ever, male or female.

At the U.S. championships earlier this summer, she swept every event, including winning her ninth all-around title.

“I use the phrase, `Aging like fine wine,’” Biles joked.

Biles won’t be the only American shining brightly in Paris.

Katie Ledecky returns for her fourth Olympics, looking to add to her seven gold medals. Since winning bronze in the 200 meters in Tokyo, Noah Lyles has become the world’s top sprinter. He ran the third-fastest time in history in the 200 meters at the 2022 world championships, a 19.31, and swept the sprint titles – 100 meters, 200 meters and 4×100 relay – at last year’s worlds.

The U.S. men’s basketball team has amped up its star power, with LeBron James returning to Games for the first time since 2012 and Steph Curry finally making his first Olympic appearance. A trio of WNBA MVPs, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and the ageless Diana Taurasi, lead the U.S. women’s team seeking its eighth consecutive gold medal.

Will the Russians be in Paris?

I can hear the resigned tone in your voice and, trust me, I get it. For a decade now, the Russians have been caught breaking the rules and violating all sense of fair play, and the IOC did nothing. Bent over backward to make sure the Russians suffered as few consequences as possible, in fact.

But Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine was too much, even for the IOC. Russia is banned from the Paris Olympics and, this time, it’s for real. There will be no Russian team of 300-plus athletes. No teams of “Olympic Athletes from Russia” or the “Russia Olympic Committee,” either.

The few athletes who do make it to Paris – 15 from canoe, cycling, swimming, tennis and trampoline, as of July 16 – will be identified as “Individual Neutral Athletes,” or AIN in the French translation. They won’t be included in the parade of nations during the Opening Ceremony and can’t participate in team events. They’ll wear generic uniforms and gold medalists will hear an anthem created by the IOC.

Unlike with the previous “bans,” when Russian athletes just had to pinky swear they hadn’t trounced on the Olympic ideals, there was an actual vetting process for the AINs. They had to prove to both their individual sport federations and the IOC that they didn’t actively support the war, weren’t associated with the military and were in compliance with all anti-doping requirements.

They also had to qualify in their individual sports, which might have proved to be the biggest burden.

Is there another doping scandal?

Yes. And this one is particularly bad because it seems as if the World Anti-Doping Agency, the organization whose sole purpose is to ensure clean sport, was either in on the game or willing to turn a blind eye to doping in China.

The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD reported in April that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the performance enhancing drug trimetazidine, or TMZ, in 2021, ahead of the delayed Tokyo Olympics. China blamed the positive tests on contamination in the kitchen of a hotel where the swimmers were staying and WADA, saying its monitoring abilities were limited by China’s COVID protocols, went along with it.

The swimmers would go on to win five medals in Tokyo, three of them gold.

Then, last month, the Times reported that three of those 23, including one of the gold medalists, had also tested positive in 2016 and 2017, that time for the powerful steroid clenbuterol. Doping protocols would have required the athletes to be publicly identified, provisionally suspended and for an investigation to be done, but the Times said none of that happened.

WADA knew about the earlier suspensions, the Times reported. Which meant it knew in 2021 that this was the second bust for at least three of the Chinese swimmers, and it still allowed them to compete in Tokyo.

WADA has defended its actions, saying it did as much as it could with the information at the time. But many have been highly critical of what they see as preferential treatment for the Chinese, and swimmers have expressed frustration.

“I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low,’ Katie Ledecky, who was on the U.S. team that finished second to China in the 4×200-meter relay in Tokyo, said in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning last month.

‘It’s tough when you have in the back of your head that it’s not necessarily an even playing field.’

Are there any new sports?

Dig out your track suits, jelly bracelets and anything neon because breakdancing is making its Olympic debut!

A dance genre that had its heyday in the last century might seem like a strange way for the IOC to shed its stodgy image and attract a younger audience. But if you’ve seen the dance battles on TikTok, it makes a lot more sense.

“It just seems like such an unlikely Olympic sport because it started in the streets and it also doesn’t have the same elegance or that elevated feel that some of the other sports do,” said Sunny Choi, or B-Girl Sunny, the silver medalist at the 2019 world championships.

“But it’s also why I’m super excited for the world to see it.”

Breaking athletes – they’re called B-Boys and B-Girls – participate in one-on-one battles, getting roughly a minute to perform a routine of steps, slides and moves that defy both gravity and cartilage. They’re judged on creativity, performance, technique, musicality and variety, and the athlete with the higher score advances in the round-robin event.

There’s a catch, though: Breakers don’t get to choose their music. They make up their routines on the fly, performing the moves and steps they think best correspond to the beat.

“It definitely adds a little bit of pressure,” Choi said. “But also it kind of adds an element of spontaneity that makes breaking so special and so interesting to watch.”