AUTO RACING PACKAGE: Auto Racing Glance
All Times Eastern
NASCAR
MONSTER CUP
TOYOTA OWNER'S 400
Site: Richmond, Virginia.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 11:30 a.m. (FS1), qualifying, 4:45 p.m. (FS1); Saturday, practice, 9 a.m. (FS1); practice, 11:30 a.m. (FS1); Sunday, race, 2 p.m., FOX.
Track: Richmond International Raceway (oval, 0.75 miles).
Race distance: 300 miles, 400 laps.
Last year: Carl Edwards won his second consecutive race.
Last race: Jimmie Johnson took first at Bristol, an event delayed by weather.
Fast facts: Dale Earnhardt Jr. races for the first time since announcing he is retiring from full-time racing after 2017. Earnhardt has 26 career wins in Cup, but he hasn't taken first since 2015. ... Kyle Larson will enter Bristol with a 27-point lead over Chase Elliott. Johnson is sixth, though he and Brad Keselowski each have two wins in 2017.
Next race: Geico 500, May 7, Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Alabama
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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NASCAR
XFINITY
TOYOTACARE 250
Site: Richmond, Virginia.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 1 p.m. (FS1), practice, 3 p.m. (FS1); Saturday, qualifying, 10:05 a.m. (FS1), race, 1 p.m., FS1.
Track: Richmond International Raceway (oval, 0.75 miles).
Race distance: 187.5 miles, 250 laps.
Last year: Earnhardt won in the series for the first time since 2010.
Last race: Erik Jones held off Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson for his second straight victory.
Fast facts: Earnhardt began his career in earnest in this series in 1998. He won the title that year and in 1999, winning 13 races and taking 44 top-10s in 63 events. Earnhardt graduated to Cup racing in 2000. ... Saturday's race will be the third of four "Dash 4 Cash" events in 2017, which will conclude at Dover in early June.
Next race: Sparks Energy 300, May 6, Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Alabama.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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NASCAR
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
Last race: Chase Elliott opened April with a win at Martinsville.
Next race: Toyota Tundra 250, May 12, Kansas Motor Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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INDYCAR
PHOENIX GRAND PRIX
Site: Avondale, Arizona
Schedule: Friday, practice, 7 p.m., qualifying, 11 p.m. (NBCSN); Saturday, race, 9:30 p.m., NBCSN.
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (oval, 1.02 miles).
Race distance: 255.5 miles, 250 laps.
Last year: Scott Dixon led 155 of 250 laps to take first in Phoenix.
Last race: Josef Newgarden picked up his fourth career win in Alabama.
Fast facts: The series visits the first of six ovals in 2017 in Phoenix. No driver has won the pole and the race since 2003 when Helio Castroneves took first. ... Rookie Ed Jones will make his oval debut this weekend. Jones won the Indy Lights title in 2016. ... Dixon will look to make his 211th straight start, which would be tied for second-most all time behind Tony Kanaan.
Next race: IndyCar Grand Prix, May 13, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
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FORMULA ONE
RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX
Site: Sochi, Russia
Schedule: Friday, practice, 4 a.m., practice 8 a.m.; Saturday, practice, 5 a.m.; qualifying, 8 a.m. (NBCSN); Sunday, race, 8 a.m., NBCSN.
Track: Sochi Autodrom (circuit, 3.63 miles).
Race distance: 192.5 miles, 53 laps.
Last year: Nico Rosberg won for the fourth consecutive race.
Last race: Sebastian Vettel claimed his second victory in three races.
Fast facts: Formula One will return to the Sochi track for the fourth time. The circuit is integrated with the Olympic Park, where the 2014 Olympics were held. ...Vettel holds a seven-point lead over Lewis Hamilton through three races. Vettel won four consecutive series titles from 2010-13.
Next race: Spanish Grand Prix, May 14, Barcelona Circuit, Barcelona.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
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NHRA
FOUR WIDE NATIONALS
Site: Concord, North Carolina
Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 4:30 p.m., qualifying 7 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 2 p.m., qualifying 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, finals, 3:50 p.m.
Track: zMax Dragway
Last year: Brittany Force took first at the track outside of Charlotte.
Last race: Leah Pritchett won her third event of the season.
Fast facts: Pritchett is now atop the leaderboard with 494 points. Antron Brown is second with 440 points, just two clear of Tony Schumacher. ... As the race title suggests, the cars will run in four concurrent lanes.
Next race: Southern Nationals, May 7, Atlanta Dragway, Commerce, Georgia.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
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OTHER RACES
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Friday, Plymouth Speedway, Plymouth, Indiana; Saturday, Tri-State Speedway, Haubstadt, Indiana.
Online: http://www.woosprint.com/