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In this week’s episode of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Josh Levin and Mike Pesca interview Motorsport.com Editor-in-Chief Steven Cole Smith about the tragic death of sprint car driver Kevin Ward Jr. at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, the mechanics of sprint car driving, and whether NASCAR superstar Tony Stewart is to blame. They hear from Grantland’s Shane Ryan about Rory McIlroy’s come-from-behind win at the PGA Championship, McIlroy’s impending stardom, and whether the PGA can escape the shadow of Tiger Woods. Finally, they talk with New York Times college sports reporter Marc Tracy about the potential impact of the decision by the NCAA’s Board of Directors to grant additional autonomy to the five biggest college athletics conferences and Judge Claudia Wilken’s decision in the O’Bannon case.

Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned on the show:

• Steven Cole Smith analyzed the tragic accident that killed Kevin Ward Jr. and attempted to explain how it might have happened.
• Slate deputy editor John Swansburg described who Tony Stewart is and why he was at a small sprint-car race.
• Kevin Ward Jr. started racing go-karts when he was just 4 years old.
• The sheriff of Ontario County, New York, is investigating Stewart, but there are no criminal charges pending.
• A fellow sprint-car racer and friend of Kevin Ward Jr. says Stewart should be in jail for life.
• In 2012 Stewart threw his helmet at NASCAR racer Matt Kenseth’s car, and in 2011 he was arrested for throwing his helmet at the co-owner of a racetrack in Australia.
• Rory McIlroy came from behind to win the PGA Championship in near darkness.
• Shane Ryan wrote on Grantland about McIlroy’s win and why he may be the next star of the sport.
• The New York Times commented on Rickie Fowler’s toned-down outfits.
• Jason Day waded into a river and got an assist finding his lost ball.
• The ratings for the PGA Championship were much higher than last year’s, but the Tiger Tracker persists.
• The NCAA Board of Directors voted to give the five biggest conferences more autonomy, and Marc Tracy broke down the areas of autonomy in the New York Times.
• In the New York Times, Juliet Macur worries that this will create unfair divisions between college sports programs.
• On Slate, Josh notes that the changes just codify the unfair status quo, but that this might be good for college athletes.
• Judge Claudia Wilken ruled that the NCAA regulations prohibiting college athletes from being compensated for their names, images, and likenesses violate antitrust laws.
• Marc Tracy and his New York Times colleagues note that Wilken’s injunction leaves a lot of room for the NCAA to limit compensation for athletes.
• Read the full decision and the text of the injunction.
• John Branch profiled Judge Wilken in the New York Times.
• ESPN profiled Michael Hausfeld, the lead plaintiffs’ attorney in the O’Bannon case.
• Sen. Jay Rockefeller wants to subpoena university presidents to talk about college sports.
• Attorney Jeffrey Kessler’s lawsuit against the NCAA is still pending.*
• Last January, Andy Schwarz took down the oft-repeated arguments against paying college athletes.

Hang Up and Listen’s weekly Ragnaröks:

Mike’s Ragnarök: Paying tribute to the greatest Yankee of all of 1992, and maybe inadvertently disparaging Derek Jeter just a little bit.

Josh’s Ragnarök: Engaging in a little raw talk courtesy of Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts, and maybe retroactively saving the arcade video game industry.

On this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Josh Levin and Mike Pesca talk about the Prime Prep Academy and the utility of sports academies in the U.S. Slate Plus members get an ad-free version of this podcast with bonus segments. Visit slate.com/hangupplus and try it free for two weeks.

Podcast production and edit by Mike Vuolo. Links compiled by Chris Laskowski.

You can email us at hangup@slate.com.

*Correction, Aug. 12, 2014: This article originally misspelled attorney Jeffrey Kessler’s first name. (Return.)