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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Chase Elliott climbed from his car and sat on the outside wall of the track in stunned disbelief that theDaytona 500victory that was his — his first one, only a few feet from the finish line — was wiped out in a wreck.

NASCAR Daytona 500 Auto Racing

NASCAR's most popular driver,Elliottneeded a moment to collect his thoughts outside the No. 9 Chevrolet. Fireworks exploded behind Elliott for race winner Tyler Reddick. Elliott could only think of how close that celebration — and the victorious pool hall siren in Dawsonville, Georgia, being sounded— was to being for him.

"We were leading the Daytona 500 off (turn) four coming to the checkered flag," Elliott said, "and didn't win."

About the only Daytona 500 victory that could have beenmore popular than an Elliottwinning the race would have been a checkered flag for team owner Michael Jordan. Jordan co-owns 23XI Racing and certainly his team's victory infused NASCAR with splashy headlines and needed buzz coming out of the sport's version of the Super Bowl when Reddick emerged from the wreck Sunday to top Elliott.

"He had a great shot at it coming off four," Hendrick Motorsports teammateWilliam Byronsaid. "It's a bummer for sure."

The Daytona 500 feels like one big bummer for Elliott.

Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR champion, won a qualifying race for the third time in his career leading into the race. He has started from the pole twice in his career.

Again, early Daytona success meant nothing on race day: Elliott finished fourth and fell to 0 for 11 at the Daytona 500.

"I'm not the type of person that ever lets myself get there in the first place," Elliott said. "I knew it wasn't over. That's part of this style of racing."

Elliott joins a long list of hard-luck losers at Daytona, including Fireball Roberts (1961), Donnie Allison (1979) and Mark Martin (2007). In 1990, Dale Earnhardt cut a tire less than mile from the finish line, allowing Derrike Cope to steal one.

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Elliott had control on the final lap after leader Carson Hocevar was spun off the track and it appeared he would finally win his first Daytona 500. Elliott instead was clipped by Riley Herbst, and the nose of the Chevy tagged the wall. Elliott, who finished as runner-up in 2021, crashed and Reddick sailed past to take Jordan to the Daytona International Speedway victory lane.

"I just felt like Tyler was coming so quick," Elliott said. "I kind of blocked one direction. He went the other way."

Jeff Gordon, the three-time Daytona 500 champion who now serves as an executive at Hendrick, stood atop the pit box and seemingly tried to push Elliott to victory lane. He rocked back in his seat and threw his hands on his headset once the crash erupted and marred Elliott's race.

Elliott, the 30-year-oldson of Hall of Fame driverand two-time Daytona 500 champion Bill Elliott, found little consolation in having a great shot at the end at winning.

"You can run it through your mind 1,000 times, do you do something different," Elliott said. "I feel like if I had thrown a double block on (Reddick), probably would have just crashed us at that point in time. I felt like you had to pick your battles. I thought maybe if somebody would pick me up on the top, you might have one more run to the line but unfortunately ended up getting turned around."

Elliott, who has 21 career Cup wins, has yet to win NASCAR's biggest prize. Even though Elliott doesn't have a win in the Daytona 500, he has shown promise. He has finished inside the top 20 seven of the last eight years, including a second place showing in 2021.

The losing streak goes on — even as confidence remains high he'll join his dad one day in the select group of Daytona 500 champions.

"I think you have to trust in that a little bit; keep your head down, stay working, and if there's a day and a time for us, then there is," Elliott said. "We'll enjoy that moment if it ever comes."

AP auto racing:https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Jerome Tang's time at Kansas State is over.

KSU fired Tang on Sunday following the Wildcats' latest loss. KSU fell to 1-11 in the Big 12 with a 78-64 loss to Houston. It was the sixth straight defeat for Kansas State and came a game afterTang said he was "embarrassed for the university"when criticizing his team following a 91-62 home loss to Cincinnati.

Kansas State went 71-57 in Tang's time with the school. His buyout for a firing without cause is over $18 million, but Kansas State is attempting to fire Tang for cause, according toThe Manhattan Mercuryand other reports.

The cause? Those comments after the loss to the Bearcats for allegedly disparaging the university. By firing Tang for cause, Kansas State can say it isn't obligated to pay him his buyout. Tang would have the ability to challenge Kansas State's basis in court if he so chooses.

And it appears he will do so. He told ESPN that he plans to contest Kansas State's reasoning.

"I am deeply disappointed with the university's decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination,"Tang told ESPN. "I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach."

Tang's best season at Kansas State came in his first year with the school. The Wildcats went 26-10 in 2022-23 and made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament before losing to Florida Atlantic. It was the only time KSU would make the tournament in Tang's tenure; KSU went 19-15 the next season and then fell to 16-17 in 2024-25.

This season, the Wildcats are just 10-15 despite signing PJ Haggerty from Memphis out of the transfer portal. Haggerty is averaging 23.3 points per game and shooting 48% from the field. But Kansas State's defense has been abysmal.

K-State is averaging 80.2 points per game but giving up 80.7 points per game. Just 28 teams are allowing more points per game than the Wildcats this season.

That Cincinnati game appeared to be the tipping point for many Kansas State fans as students wore paper bags over their heads during the game. In his postgame news conference, Tang said the game was "embarrassing" and that "these dudes did not deserve to wear this uniform. There will be very few in it next year."

Tang will also not be wearing Kansas State colors next season. He then went on to say the team had practice at 6 a.m. the next day and he had "no answers and no words."

Tang came to Kansas State from Baylor. He was the Bears' associate head coach under Scott Drew from 2017-22 and was on the staff when the Bears won the 2021 national title. Before he was the team's associate head coach, Tang was an assistant with the team since 2003 after coaching high school basketball in Texas.

Former Washington Commanders offensive lineman Tre' Johnson died on Sunday, the team announced.

We're heartbroken to learn of the loss of former Washington All-Pro guard Tre' Johnson. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.pic.twitter.com/6Iak2dhYwk

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders)February 16, 2026

Further specifics are not yet known, thoughJohnson's wife shared on social mediathat he had died "suddenly and unexpectedly" during a family trip after recent health issues.

"If you know Tre' you know what a devoted and loving father he was to his children," his wife, Irene, wrote in part. "Tre' lived for his kid's sports activities and supported them through every practice and game until he took his last breath. He shared his passion for Frenchie's and riding his motorcycle with me and his fellow biking buddies."

Johnson spent most of his NFL career in Washington after the franchise selected him with the No. 31 overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft out of Temple. He was a staple in the team's offensive line for years, and he earned his one and only Pro Bowl nod during the 1999 campaign. The team went 10-6 that season and made the playoffs.

Johnson spent one season away from the team in 2001, when he joined the Cleveland Browns, but he appeared in only three games after a right knee injury. He rejoined Washington for one final season in 2002. In total, Johnson appeared in 93 games throughout his nine-year NFL career.

Johnson spent time as a history teacher in the Washington, D.C., area in retirement. His wife, Irene, also worked as a photographer for multiple area news organizations. The couple had four children together.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) —North Koreasaid Monday it completed a new housing district in Pyongyang for families of North Korean soldiers killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, the latest effort by leaderKim Jong Unto honor the war dead.

North Korea

State media photos showed Kim Jong Un walking through the new street — called Saeppyol Street — and visiting the homes of some of the families with hisincreasingly prominent daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, as he pledged to repay the "young martyrs" who "sacrificed all to their motherland."

In recent months, North Korea has intensified propaganda glorifying troops deployed to fight in Russia's war against Ukraine, such as establishing a memorial wall and building a museum. Analysts see it as an effort to bolster internal unity and curb potential public discontent.

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Kim in recent months has sent thousands of troops and large quantities of military equipment, including artillery and missiles, to fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine,as the leaders alignin the face of their separate confrontations with Washington.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service told lawmakers last week it estimated 6,000 North Korean troops have been killed or wounded during their deployment in the war, but did not provide a breakdown of fatalities. The agency said last year it believed roughly 600 had died.

The spy agency believes North Korean forces are gaining modern combat experience and Russian technical support that could improve the performance of their weapons systems, according to lawmakers who attended last week's closed-door briefing.

The construction of the new street comes as North Korea prepares to open amajor ruling party congresslater this month, where Kim is expected to announce his major goals in domestic and foreign policy over the next five years and take further steps to tighten his control.

ANTANANARIVO, Feb 16 (Reuters) - At least 59 people died when Cyclone Gezani struck Madagascar last week, the disaster ‌management office said on Monday, as it assesses the ‌impact of the second tropical storm to hit the Indian Ocean island nation ​this year.

The cyclone displaced 16,428, while 15 people remain missing, 804 were injured and 423,986 were classified as affected by the disaster, the National Bureau for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC) said.

Gezani barrelled through ‌the country just 10 ⁠days after Tropical Cyclone Fytia killed 14 people and displaced over 31,000, according to the United ⁠Nations' humanitarian office.

At its peak, Gezani had sustained winds of about 185 km (115 miles) per hour, with gusts rising to nearly 270 ​km per ​hour - powerful enough to rip ​metal sheeting from rooftops ‌and uproot large trees.

The cyclone moved westward across the Mozambique Channel, bringing heavy winds and waves of up to 10 metres in the southern end of Mozambique, its weather service said in a statement.

The weather system has since curved back eastward over ‌the channel, and forecasts show it ​looping toward Madagascar again, with a second ​landfall expected in southwestern ​Madagascar on Monday.

Authorities have placed Ampanihy district in ‌southwestern Madagascar on red alert, ​with Gezani forecast ​to pass about 100 km off its coast on Monday evening, bringing winds of around 65 km/h but no ​heavy rainfall, the ‌weather service said.

(Reporting by Lovasoa Rabary, additional reporting by Anathi ​Madubela in Johannesburg; Writing by George ObulutsaEditing by Bate ​Felix; Editing by Anil D'Silva)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian delegation was heading to Geneva on Monday for another round ofU.S.-brokered talkswith Russian officials, ahead of next week's fourth anniversary ofRussia's full-scale invasionof its neighbor.

Germany Munich Security Conference

There was no anticipation of any significant progress on ending the war at the Tuesday-Wednesday meeting in Switzerland as both sides appear to be sticking to their negotiating positions on key issues, despite the United States setting aJune deadlineto reach a settlement. The future of Ukrainian land that Russia occupies or still covets is a central issue.

Ukrainian defenders remain locked in a war of attrition with Russia's bigger army along the roughly 1,250-kilometer (750-mile)front line. Ukrainian civilians endure Russian aerial barrages that repeatedlyknock out powerandsmash homes, while Ukraine has developeddrones that can fly deep into Russian territoryand strike oil refineries and arms depots.

The governor of western Russia's Bryansk region said Monday that air defenses had shot down 229 Ukrainian drones in the previous 24 hours. No other Russian region has come under as many simultaneous drone attacks in a single day, Gov. Alexander Bogomaz said.

Ukraine's Air Force, meanwhile, said Russia launched 62 long-range strike drones and six missiles of various types at Ukraine overnight.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the talks in Geneva will deal with a "broader range of issues related to the territories and other issues connected to the demands that we have." He didn't elaborate on the issues.

A year of peace efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has failed to stop the fighting. Western officials and analysts say Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that time is on his side, that Western support for Ukraine will peter out and that Ukraine's resistance will eventually collapse under pressure.

Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff, posted a photograph on Telegram showing himself standing next to a train with other members of the negotiating team, which is due to be led in Geneva by Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council chief.

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Entering or leaving Ukraine entails a long overland journey, even for VIPs, as the country's airspace is closed because of the war.

Putin's adviser Vladimir Medinsky, who headed Moscow's team of negotiators in the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul in March 2022 and who has forcefully pushed Putin's war goals, is returning to lead Moscow's delegation. Medinsky has written several history books that focus on exposing purported Western plots against Russia and denigrate Ukraine.

Igor Kostyukov, the head of Russian military intelligence, and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, along with other officials, will also be in the delegation, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said.

Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev will also travel to Geneva for separate talks with the U.S. on economic cooperation, according to Peskov. Moscow and Kyiv are keen to offer future business opportunities to Washington.

It was not clear which American officials would be in Geneva. Atrecent talks in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the Trump administration was represented by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

The Russian and Ukrainian delegations were to report back to their leaders before any possible compromises discussed in Geneva could be accepted.

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine athttps://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

MADRID (AP) — With Kylian Mbappé back in the squad, Real Madrid returns to Portugal looking for some payback against José Mourinho's Benfica in the Champions League.

Spain La Liga Soccer

Three weeks after Mourinho's team stunned his former club ina 4-2 winthat allowed Benfica to qualify and kept the Spanish giant from automatically reaching the round of 16, the two teams will meet again at the Stadium of Light in the first round of the knockout stage.

"I hope history does not repeat itself," Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa said. "We are prepared for the difficulty of the match, the opponent, the atmosphere and what awaits us on Tuesday. It's 180 minutes and we have to play a great game there. We have it very fresh in our minds, so we know how complicated it will be."

Benfica got the goal it needed to qualify thanks to alast-minute headerby goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin against Madrid, allowing it to grab the 24th — and final — spot for the knockout stage on goal difference.

The rematch highlights a knockout round that will also include defending champion Paris Saint-Germain against Monaco and Inter Milan, last year's runner-up, facing Norwegian outsider Bodø/Glimt.

Mbappé returns

Mbappé, who already has 38 goals for Madrid this season, will be available again after he missed the Spanish league matchagainst Real Sociedadat the weekend because of discomfort on his knee.

He has scored nine goals in his last six matches with Madrid, including both goals in the loss to Benfica.

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"He is doing very well," Arbeloa said. "Obviously, he has been dealing with these minor knee issues for quite some time this season. He is making a great effort every time he steps onto the field, and we have decided not to take risks so that he will be ready to start the match on Tuesday."

Lackluster PSG

PSG dropped out of the top eight that automatically qualified for the last-16 after a 1-1 home draw against Newcastle in the last round of the league phase, dropping it to 11th place.

On Friday, it lost 3-1 at Rennes in the French league for its third defeat of the year — and sixth this season.

Monaco, which finished 21st in the league phase, beat Nantes 3-1 on Friday, but before that it had won only once in its last seven matches across all tournaments.

Inter boosted

Inter heads to its match at Bodø/Glimt on Wednesday after six straight victories, including Saturday's last-minute 3-2 triumph over Juventus, a result that increased its Serie A lead.

Inter won its first four games in the league phase this season, but then lost three in a row before finishing off with an away victory at Borussia Dortmund that secured it 10th place.

Bodø/Glimt, in its first Champions League campaign, neededback-to-back upset winsagainst Manchester City and Atletico Madrid to make it to the knockout round in 23rd place.

Other matchups

The other first legs on Tuesday include Juventus visiting Galatasaray and Dortmund hosting Atalanta.On Wednesday, Newcastle is at Qarabag, Olympiakos hosts Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico visits Club Brugge.___AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The other first legs on Tuesday include Juventus visiting Galatasaray and Dortmund hosting Atalanta.

On Wednesday, Newcastle is at Qarabag, Olympiakos hosts Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico visits Club Brugge.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer