AUTO RACING PACKAGE: Auto Racing Glance
All Times Eastern
NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 400
Site: Joliet, Illinois
Schedule: Friday, practice (1 p.m.), qualifying (6:45 p.m., NBCSN); Saturday, practice, (10:30 a.m., CNBC), practice, (1:30 p.m., NBCSN); Sunday, race, 2:30 p.m., NBCSN.
Track: Chicagoland Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)
Race distance: (400.5 miles, 267 laps)
Last year: Denny Hamlin won in his 10th start at Chicagoland. Hamlin has four top-10s at the track.
Last race: Hamlin took first in Darlington, his third victory in 2016.
Fast facts: The Chase begins this weekend just outside Chicago. Drivers get three bonus points for winning in the opening round, which consists of three races. The winner of the opening round of the playoffs has gone on to win the Cup title, most recently Brad Keselowski in 2012. ... Tony Stewart, in his final Chase, has more wins at Chicagoland (three) than any other driver. Stewart is also one victory shy of becoming the 13th driver with 50 victories in the series.
Next race: New England 300, Sept. 25, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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XFINITY
DRIVE FOR SAEFTY 300
Site: Joliet, Illinois
Schedule: Friday, practice (12:30 p.m., NBCSN), practice (3 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (11:45 p.m., NBCSN), race, 3 p.m., NBC
Track: Chicagoland Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).
Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps
Last year: Kyle Busch led 102 of 200 laps to win from the pole.
Last race: Kyle Busch, starting seventh, won for the first time since July at Darlington.
Fast facts: The regular season wraps up in Chicagoland with two Chase spots up for grabs. Blake Koch, Ryan Sieg, Dakoda Armstrong and Jeremy Clements can clinch spots with a win or on points, with five other drivers in line for a playoff spot with a win. ... Erik Jones will be the top seed in the Chase, though Elliott Sadler could tie him with nine initial playoff points with a win this weekend. ... Clint Bowyer will return to the series for the first time since 2012 in place of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 car.
Next race: VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300, Sept. 24, Kentucky Speedway.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
AMERICAN ETHANOL E15 225
Site: Joliet, Illinois
Schedule: Thursday, practice (4 p.m.), practice (6:30 p.m.); Friday, qualifying (4:45 p.m., FS1), race, 8:30 p.m., FS1
Track: Chicagoland Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).
Race distance: 225 miles, 150 laps
Last year: John Hunter Nemechek won for the first time, posting a 12-second victory - the largest in series history.
Last race: Nemechek won a contentious race up in Canada, his third career victory, during Labor Day weekend.
Fast facts: The series also wraps up its regular season, though its playoff situation seems pretty clear. Six drivers are in, and Daniel Hemric and Timothy Peters will also be locked into the Chase unless someone outside the top eight wins this weekend. ... Hemric leads the series with 12 top-10s and has finished third in each of the last two events.
Next race: Unoh 225, Sept. 24, New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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VERIZON INDYCAR
GOPRO GRAND PRIX OF SONOMA
Site: Sonoma Raceway
Schedule: Friday, practice (2 p.m., 5:45 p.m.); Saturday, practice (2 p.m.), qualifying (6 p.m., NBCSN); Sunday, race, 6:30 p.m., NBCSN
Track: Road course, 2.385 miles, 12 turns.
Race distance: 202.7 miles, 85 laps.
Last year: Scott Dixon took the final race of the season from the ninth position to win the IndyCar championship.
Last race: Dixon won at Watkins Glen, his first victory since Phoenix in April.
Fast facts: For the 11th season in a row, the final race of the season will determine the champion. Simon Pagenaud and Will Power are the only two drivers eligible for the title, with Pagenaud holding a 43-point advantage over the 2014 series winner. ... Power holds the qualifying speed record of 112.589 mph, which he set in round 3 last year. ... Pagenaud has won four times on road/street courses in 2016, and Power has three victories on such tracks. But Power has also won three times in six Sonoma starts.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
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FORMULA ONE
SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
Site: Kuala Lumpur
Schedule: Friday, practice (10p.m.), practice (2 p.m.); Saturday, practice (2 p.m., 2:30 p.m.), qualifying (5 a.m.), race, 3 a.m., NBCSN
Track: Sepang International Circuit (circuit, 3.44 miles).
Race distance: 192.8 miles, 56 laps.
Last race: Nico Rosberg won his second straight race, retaking the series lead from teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Fast facts: Rosberg and Hamilton have won 13 of this year's first 14 races. ... Sepang debuted in F1 and is considered one of the most technical circuits in the series. ... Daniel Ricciardo is third in the standings, but he's 89 points behind Rosberg and 87 behind Hamilton.
Next race: Malaysia Grand Prix, Oct. 2, Kuala Lumpur.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
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NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING
CAROLINA NATIONALS
Site: Concord, North Carolina
Schedule: Friday, qualifying (4 p.m.), qualifying (6 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (1:30 p.m.), qualifying (3:45 p.m.), Sunday, finals, 5 p.m., FS1.
Track: zMax Dragway
Last year: Antron Brown won in Carolina on his way to the Top Fuel Title.
Last race: Tony Schumacher won for the 82nd time in his career at Indianapolis, setting the track record with his 10th victory in Indiana.
Fast facts: Every driver in a series run by the NHRA won their respective world titles after claiming the first of the six Countdown to the Championship events. The playoffs start this weekend outside of Charlotte ... Leah Prichett is in the Countdown for the first time. She'll start the playoffs in 10th place.
Next race: Midwest Nationals, Sept. 23-25, Gateway Motorsports Park, Madison, Illinois.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
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OTHER RACES
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Friday, Arnold Motor Sport Supply Shootout, Clay County Fairgrounds, Spencer, Iowa; Saturday, FVP Missouri High-Banked Nationals, US36 National, Osborn, Missouri.
Online: http://www.woosprint.com/