The Latest on the NASCAR race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (all times local):
3:55 p.m.
NASCAR is paying tribute to crew chief Nick Harrison, who died overnight after Saturday's Xfinity Series race.
NASCAR announced Harrison's death during the driver's meeting before Sunday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and honored him with a pre-race moment of silence. No details were given.
The 37-year-old Harrison was crew chief for Justin Haley, who finished in 13th place Saturday. In Harrison's first season with Kaulig Racing, Haley had two top-five finishes and finished 12 times in the top 10.
"Not just a crew chief, but a friend to everyone who knew him," Haley wrote on Twitter. "I, and everyone at Kaulig Racing are devastated. He will be greatly missed."
According to NASCAR, Harrison was a veteran crew chief with all three NASCAR national series since 2006. His teams won five Xfinity Series races with drivers Austin Dillon, Paul Menard and Kurt Busch, who were all driving Sunday.
"We all lost a friend last night. We love you Nick Harrison. You were a leader, and a great friend to all," Busch posted on Twitter. "Nick really helped me rebuild my career when I was at a low point. RIP."
2 p.m.
Brad Keselowski is on the pole for the first time in nearly two years Sunday as NASCAR returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Keselowski, who won at New Hampshire in 2014, has three Cup Series victories in 2019, placing him one behind Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch for the season lead. Keselowski last started from the pole at Michigan in August 2017.
Busch qualified second in the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing and his older brother, Kurt, will start third for Chevy in the 300-mile race.
The Busch brothers are two of the six drivers in Sunday's field with three career victories at New Hampshire. Another is Kevin Harvick, who picked up his third last year and will start 14th Sunday for Ford.
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DETROIT (AP) — The Chevrolet Malibu, the last midsize car made by a Detroit automaker, is heading for the junkyard.
General Motors confirmed Thursday that it will stop making the car introduced in 1964 as the company focuses more on electric vehicles.
The midsize sedan was once the top-selling segment in the U.S., a stalwart of family garages nationwide. But its sales started to decline in the early 2000s as the SUV became more prominent and pickup truck sales grew.
Now the U.S. auto market is dominated by SUVs and trucks. Full-size pickups from Ford, Chevrolet and Ram are the top selling vehicles in America, and the top-selling non pickup is Toyota's RAV4 small SUV.
Last year midsize cars made up only 8% of U.S. new vehicle sales, but it was 22% as recently as 2007, according to Motorintelligence.com. Still, Americans bought 1.3 million of the cars last year in a segment dominated by the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.
GM sold just over 130,000 Malibus last year, 8.5% fewer than in 2022. Sales rose to nearly 230,000 after a redesign for the 2016 model year, but much of those were at low profits to rental car companies.
But the midsize car segment made a bit of a comeback last year with sales up almost 5%.
GM said it sold over 10 million Malibus, making nine generations since its debut.
GM's factory in Kansas City, Kansas, which now makes the Malibu and the Cadillac XT4 small SUV, will stop making the Malibu in November and the XT4 in January. The plant will get a $390 million retooling to make a new version of the Chevrolet Bolt small electric car.
The plant will begin producing the Bolt and XT4 on the same assembly line in late 2025, giving the plant the flexibility to respond to customer demands, the company said.
The Wall Street Journal reported the demise of the Malibu on Wednesday.
FILE - The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid is introduced at the New York International Auto Show, April 1, 2015. The Malibu, the last midsize car made by a Detroit automaker, is heading for the junkyard. General Motors confirmed Thursday, May 9, 2024, that it will stop making the car introduced in 1964 as the company focuses more on electric vehicles. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
FILE - A 1965 Chevrolet Malibu is displayed at the company's booth during Guangzhou 2013 Auto Show in China's southern city of Guangzhou, Nov. 21, 2013. The Malibu, the last midsize car made by a Detroit automaker, is heading for the junkyard. General Motors confirmed Thursday, May 9, 2024, that it will stop making the car introduced in 1964 as the company focuses more on electric vehicles. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
FILE - A Chevrolet logo is shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Sept. 13, 2023. The Chevrolet Malibu, the last midsize car made by a Detroit automaker, is heading for the junkyard. General Motors confirmed Thursday, May 9, 2024, that it will stop making the car introduced in 1964 as the company focuses more on electric vehicles. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, file)
