advertisement

AUTO RACING: Auto Racing Glance

all times Eastern () -

NASCAR CUP SERIES

1000BULBS.COM 500

Site: Talladega, Alabama.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 1:35 & 4:35 p.m. (NBCSN); Saturday, qualifying, 4:35 p.m. (NBCSN); Sunday, race, 2 p.m., NBC.

Track: Talladega Superspeedway (oval, 2.66 miles).

Race distance: 500.08 miles, 188 laps.

Last year: Aric Almirola won the fall start at Talladega.

Last race: Kyle Larson took his first checkered flag of the year.

Fast facts: Larson snapped a 75-race winless skid last week. ... Martin Truex Jr., the current points leader, has never won in 29 starts at Talladega. Truex also has just two top-five finishes in that stretch. ... Brad Keselowski has a series-high five wins at Talladega. He is sixth in the standings, 43 points behind Truex. ... Could this be the weekend that Clint Bowyer makes a move? He has posted top-10 finishes in 13 of his 27 starts at the longest oval in Cup racing.

Next race: Hollywood Casino 400, Oct. 20, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Last race: Cole Custer won a playoff race in Dover.

Next race: Kansas Lottery 300, Oct. 19, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

SUGARLANDS SHINE 250

Site: Talladega, Alabama.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 12:35 p.m. and 3:35 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 10:35 a.m. (FS1), race, 1:30 p.m., FS1.

Track: Talladega Superspeedway.

Race distance: 250.04 miles, 94 laps.

Last year: Timothy Peters won for the 11th time in the series.

Last race: Austin Hill won in Las Vegas to secure a spot in the second round of the playoffs.

Fast facts: Officials with NASCAR and Ilmor Engineering released preliminary findings last week after four of Ilmor's NT1 engines failed - including three playoff trucks - in Las Vegas. Andrew Richards, a motorsports development engineer with Ilmor, said no single area of the engine stood out as a cause but extreme heat on race day was a factor. ... ThorSport Racing teammates Johnny Sauter and Grant Enfinger were eliminated from the playoffs after their engines died in Vegas.

Next race: NASCAR Hall of Fame 200, Oct. 26, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Virginia.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

FORMULA ONE

JAPANESE GRAND PRIX

Site: Suzuka City, Japan.

Schedule: Thursday, practice, 9 p.m. (ESPNews); Friday, practice, 1 a.m. (ESPN2), practice, 11 p.m. (ESPNU); Saturday, qualifying, 2 a.m. (ESPN2); Sunday, race, 1:10 a.m., ESPN

Track: Suzuka International Racing Course (circuit, 3.61 miles).

Race distance: 191.1 miles, 53 laps.

Last year: Lewis Hamilton won at Japan from the pole.

Last race: Hamilton snapped a three-race winless skid in Russia.

Fast facts: Hamilton's win at Sochi helped push him back ahead by 73 points in the chase for the championship. Valtteri Bottas is second and hard-charging Charles Leclerc of Ferrarri is 107 points behind the British star in third. ... Toro Rosso will give defending Japanese Super Formula and Super GT champion Naoki Yamamoto a run during the opening practice this weekend. ... The series says teams will have six days of pre-season testing in Barcelona in February ahead of the 2020 season, which kicks off on March 15 in Melbourne.

Next race: Mexican Grand Prix, Oct. 27, Hermanos Rodríguez Autodrome, Mexico City.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

DRAG RACING

CAROLINA NATIONALS

Site: Concord, North Carolina.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 4;15 & 6:45 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 2 & 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, finals, 4:50 p.m., FS1

Track: zMax Dragway.

Last year: Steve Torrence won in Top Fuel.

Last race: Billy Torrence took home Top Fuel honors at Gateway.

Fast facts: Ron Capps (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won in 2018 in Charlotte. ... Shawn Langdon, the former Top Fuel standout now in Funny Car, won the spring event in North Carolina. Langdon also won last week in St. Louis. ... Steve Torrence has won three straight races in Charlotte. But he currently trails Doug Kalitta by two points with four starts left in the season.

Next race: Texas Fall Nationals, Oct. 17-20, Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

OTHER SERIES

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Saturday; Wabash Clash, Terre Haute Action Track, Terre Haute, Indiana; Sunday, Tri-State Speedway, Haubstadt, Indiana.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars

___

More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.