That's 200 more horsepower than anything I've raced," said Winegardner, the 22-year-old hoping to make a new career for himself in his first year as a full-time sprint car racer. to the sport after finishing a military career that featured piloting F-16 fighter jets -- opting to race the sprint cars that he loved to drive as a youth. Winegardner and Steve Kinser are polar opposites. Winegardner, meanwhile, will strap into a World of Outlaws harness for the first time as the local favorite,...

He became the first black coach to win the championship, beating good friend and protege Lovie Smith in a game that featured the first two black coaches in the Super Bowl. The Colts were far less sloppy, particularly their star quarterback, who proved he can indeed win the big game -- the biggest game. It was a game of firsts: the first rainy Super Bowl and the first time an opening kickoff was run back for a touchdown when sensational Bears rookie Devin Hester sped downfield for 92 yards....

MacDonald broke his own single-season Canadian record for driving wins in 2006 with 739 and drove horses to more than C$11 million in earnings. Weather story! Get the latest coverage on how this bitter cold snap is affecting London and region. Peaceful Way collected her fourth straight O'Brien award and second title in the older trotting mare category after winning five of 11 races and $775,125. Pampered Princess was voted Canada's two-year-old trotting filly of the year after reeling off...

American quarter horse shows test horses abilities in dozens of different classes and features events such as jumping, reining, barrel racing, cutting, roping and pole bending. Additionally, halter classes that judge American quarter horses based on balance, muscling and breed characteristics are held. People who exhibit at an American Quarter Horse show earn points that turn into awards or cash at the end of the year. Aquarist Apprentice: A behind-the-scenes tour to learn how animal diets...

His son, harness-racing driver Eric Ledford, 35, and two stable employees pleaded guilty to third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance. In a plea bargain agreement, Seldon Ledford, 60, pleaded guilty last week to third-degree conspiracy to possess Equipoise, an anabolic steroid. John Witmer, 68, of Freehold, pleaded guilty yesterday before Superior Court Judge Bette E. Uhrmacher to fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records, the state Attorney General's Office...

Costa Rising, a horse about as wide as a piece of cardboard, made 13 starts during 2006, but that long, thin body keeps on churning out victories. Costa Rising, winning for the 10th time in 16 career starts, now has won nine times in a row against Louisiana-bred competition. Still lightly raced at age 4, Brother Bean balked while being loaded into the outside post in the nine-horse Sprint, then broke like a shot, opening daylight on the backstretch of the five-furlong race, and running...

The six-year-old struck twice as a novice last term but the switch to full company seemed to prove a step too far for a horse that connections have always considered a chasing type. Having had no problem with the two-and-a-half-mile trip that day - that was her first attempt over that distance - she can follow up in this easier-looking event. Donald McCain's mare cruised to victory at Musselburgh last month when comfortably putting a batch of above-average horses firmly in their place....

The governor's office has yet to release reports of the operation's results, but experts question how a few weeks of attention can solve the border region's deep-seeded issue with drug traffickers. Rick Perry flew here to announce the latest in a string of federally funded border security initiatives, his office has quietly shut down the operation's first phase, officials confirmed Monday. In all, the governor's office is expected to reimburse local law enforcement agencies almost $4...

CHEYENNE -- Wyoming residents hoping to strike it rich in a state-sponsored lottery will have to keep driving to neighboring states to buy their Powerball tickets. A spokesman for the owner of the Wyoming Downs horse racetrack in Evanston last week said competition from the lottery could put his operation out of business. A report last week by the nonpartisan Legislative Service Office showed that a lottery could generate around $12 million in revenue each year, with annual profits of...