AUTO RACING PACKAGE: Auto Racing Glance
All Times Eastern
NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
HELLMANN'S 500
Site: Talladega, Alabama
Schedule: Friday, practice (2 p.m., NBCSN), practice (4:30 p.m., NBCSN); Saturday, qualifying, (4 p.m., NBCSN): Sunday, race, 2 p.m., NBC.
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (oval, 2.66 miles).
Race distance: 500.1 miles, 188 laps.
Last year: Joey Logano, starting 10th, won the fall race at Talladega. It was his second straight victory from a starting spot of 10th or worse.
Last week: Kevin Harvick won in Kansas to clinch a spot in the next round of the playoffs.
Fast facts: Talladega will be the final race before the Round of Eight in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Only Jimmie Johnson and Harvick are safe, and four drivers are within seven points of each other for the final transfer spot. Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr. are in position for berths in the next round with respectable finishes. ... Brad Keselowski is just 11th on the Chase grid. But he's already won two of the three restrictor plate races in 2016 - including at Talladega.
Next race: Goody's Fast Relief 500, Oct. 30, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Virginia.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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XFINITY
Last week: Kyle Busch led 150 of 200 laps in Kansas to win his third consecutive series race.
Next race: O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge, Nov. 5, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
FRED'S 250
Site: Talladega, Alabama
Schedule: Friday, practice (1 p.m., NBCSN), practice (3 p.m., NBCSN); Saturday, qualifying, (10:30 a.m., FS1), race, 1 p.m., FOX.
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (oval, 2.66 miles).
Race distance: 250.4 miles, 94 laps.
Last year: Timothy Peters won from the pole. It was his ninth career victory.
Last race: Tyler Reddick won for the first time 2016 in Las Vegas three weeks ago.
Fast facts: William Byron is the only Truck driver to clinch a spot in the Round of Eight. But he's never made a start at Talladega. ... Christopher Bell is second, followed by Matt Crafton and Ben Kennedy. ... Johnny Sauter, who's currently sixth, has a win and three top-five finishes in seven races at Talladega.
Next race: Texas Roadhouse 200, Oct. 29, Martinsville Speedway.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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FORMULA ONE
UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX
Site: Austin, Texas
Schedule: Friday, practice (11 a.m.), practice (3 p.m.); Saturday, practice, (11 a.m.), qualifying (2 p.m.), Sunday, race, 3 p.m., NBC.
Track: Circuit of the Americas (circuit, 3.43 miles).
Race distance: 191.6 miles, 56 laps.
Last year: Lewis Hamilton won his third straight event, helping ensure a championship despite Nico Rosberg's three-race sweep to end 2015.
Last race: Rosberg won for the fourth time in five races in Japan two weeks ago.
Fast facts: Rosberg, in search of his first championship, has a 33-point lead over Hamilton. Daniel Ricciardo is in third, 101 points from first. ... The Austin track, which held its first Formula One race in 2012, runs counter-clockwise and features 20 turns. Elevation plays a major role at the Circuit of the Americas, which rises as much as 130 feet at its highest point. ... Taylor Swift is holding a concert on Saturday night after qualifying and organizers hope some of her younger fans catch some of the racing.
Next race: Grand Prix of Mexico, Oct. 30, Hermanos Rodriguez Autodrome, Mexico City.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING
TEXAS FALL NATIONALS
Last race: Antron Brown won in Texas to extend his series points lead to 150 points with just two events left.
Next race: Toyota Nationals, Oct. 27-30, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
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OTHER RACES
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Friday, O'Reilly Auto Parts Rumble on the River, Lakeside Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas; Saturday, O'Reilly Auto Parts Twister Showdown, Salina Highbanks Speedway, Salina, Oklahoma.
Online: http://www.woosprint.com/