KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Valentina Shevchenko would normally be glued to her television to watch UFC 224 on Saturday night, when bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes was set to defend her belt against Raquel Pennington.

Turns out she won't be paying much attention at all.

Instead, the top-ranked flyweight contender will be watching her first NASCAR race under the lights at Kansas Speedway. Shevchenko has been intrigued by the quintessentially American sport for years, and through her manager got hooked up with the speedway for a behind-the-scenes look at motorsports.

"I've always been interested...