AUTO RACING PACKAGE: Auto Racing Glance
All Times Eastern
NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
GEICO 500
Site: Talladega, Alabama
Schedule: Friday, practice (FS1, 2:30 p.m.); practice (FS1, 4:30 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (FOX, 12:30 p.m.); Sunday, race, 1 p.m. (FOX).
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (tri-oval, 2.66 miles).
Race distance: 500 miles, 188 laps.
Last year: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first race of 2015, holding off Jimmie Johnson by less than two-tenths of a second.
Last week: Carl Edwards continued his resurgence, winning at Richmond and posting his second straight victory - this time over teammate Kyle Busch. NASCAR said it was the first race-winning, last-lap pass in Richmond history.
Fast facts: NASCAR has announced mandatory fines and other penalties for teams caught without five lug nuts on each wheel, just days after Tony Stewart was fined for suggesting it do so ... Hendrick Motorsports handed out over 600 rings Tuesday commemorating the career of four-time champion Jeff Gordon, who retired after last season.
Next race: Go Bowling 400, May 7, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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XFINITY
SPARKS ENERGY 300
Site: Talladega, Alabama
Schedule: Friday, practice (FS1, 11:30 p.m.), practice (FS1, 1:30 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying, (FS1, 10:30 a.m.) race, 3 p.m. (FOX).
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (tri-oval, 2,66 miles).
Race distance: 300 miles, 113 laps.
Last year: Joey Logano won a thriller, holding off Chris Buescher, Elliott Sadler and a late surge by Brian Scott over the final eight laps for the victory.
Last race: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won in the second-tier series for the first time in six years and for the 24th time overall.
Fast facts: Last year's spring Talladega race featured a 10-car wreck that sent some cars into pit road ...Ty Dillon claimed the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus as the top-finishing series regular among the eligible four-driver pool last week. Dillon was second.
Next race: NASCAR Xfinity May Dover Race, May 14, Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
Next race: Toyota Tundra 250, May 6, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas.
Last race: Kyle Busch took the last race in the trucks series on April 2, winning in overtime at Martinsville Speedway
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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VERIZON INDYCAR
Last week: Simon Pagenaud won his second straight race, surviving late contact with Graham Rahal. Race stewards reviewed the incident, but Pagenaud wasn't penalized.
Next race: Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis, May 14, Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
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NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING
NHRA SPING NATIONALS
Site: Baytown, Texas
Schedule: Friday, qualifying (6 p.m.), qualifying (8:30 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (2:30 p.m.), qualifying (5 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations, (3:55 p.m.), FS1.
Track: Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas.
Last year: Ron Capps (Funny Car), Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Erica Enders-Stevens (Pro Stock) claimed victories at the suburban Houston track.
Last race: Brittany Force picked up her second Top Fuel victory of 2016 last week at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.
Fast facts: Force was also the first female driver to win the Four-Wide Nationals - the only event on this year's schedule to feature the four-wide format ... Spencer Massey holds the Top Fuel record at Royal Purple, hitting 330.07 mph last season.
Next event: NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Summer Nationals, May 13-15, Atlanta Dragway, Atlanta.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
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FORMULA ONE
RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX
Site: Sochi, Russia
Schedule: Friday, practice (3 a.m.); practice (7 a.m.); Saturday, practice (5 a.m.), qualifying (8 a.m.); Sunday, race, (8 a.m.), NBCSN.
Track: Sochi Autodrom (circuit, 3.63 miles).
Race distance: 192.5 miles, 53 laps.
Last year: Lewis Hamilton won the second of three straight F1 races in October in Sochi, leading 48 of 53 laps.
Last race: Nico Rosberg became just the fourth driver in F1 history to win six straight races in Shanghai on April 17. Rosberg has won the first three races this season and owns a commanding lead in the standings.
Fast facts: Russian Sergey Sirotkin recently joined the Renault Formula One team as a test driver and will participate in practice in Sochi. Sirotkin was third in the GP2 series in 2015 ... The safety car made three appearances in the first two races in Sochi. Hamilton avoided trouble each time and went on to win the race.
Next race: Pirelli Spanish Grand Prix, May 15, Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, Barcelona.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
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OTHER RACES
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: April 29, Salina Highbanks Speedway, Salina, Oklahoma; Spring Classic, April 30, Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55, Pevely, Missouri.
Online: http://www.woosprint.com/