Kasey Kahne
The Brickyard 400 winner is out at Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the season. He was released from the final year of his contract, allowing him to pursue another Cup ride for 2018. Team owner Rick Hendrick did not immediately name a replacement for the No. 5 Chevrolet. Hendrick has seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman in the fold for next season. The organization could turn to Xfinity Series driver William Byron, 19. to fill the seat. Former Cup champions Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch also don’t have contracts for next season.
Alberto Contador
The two-time Tour de France winner, 34, will retire next month after riding in the Spanish Vuelta. He announced his plan to stop racing on a video posted Monday on Instagram. “It’s a decision that I have thought (about) very well and I don’t think there is a better farewell than in the home race and in my country,” he said. The three-week Vuelta starts Aug. 19. Second only to five-time Tour winner Miguel Indurain in Spanish cycling lore, Contador has earned seven grand tour titles, winning the Spanish Vuelta three times and the Giro d’Italia twice.