AUTO RACING: Hendrick continues to dominate as Elliott ends winless drought; open-wheelers return

Updated Apr. 16, 2024 6:12 p.m. ET

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NASCAR CUP SERIES

GEICO 500

Site: Talladega, Alabama.

Schedule: Saturday, 10:30 a.m. qualifying, Sunday, race, 3 p.m. (FOX).

Track: Talladega Superspeedway.

Race distance: 188 laps, 500.08 miles.

Last year: Kyle Busch won after starting 17th.

Last race: Chase Elliott pulled ahead and cleared Ross Chastain on the first lap after the second restart in overtime at Texas, ending a 42-race winless streak.

Fast facts: The race ended on the 16th caution after Elliott had taken the white flag for the 276th lap in a race scheduled for 267 laps. The caution flag flew after William Byron bumped second-place Ross Chastain. Byron finished third; Chastain 32nd. ... Elliott's win was his first since Talladega in 2022. It also was the fifth win this season for Hendrick Motorsports and the 306th for NASCAR’s winningest team. ... Brad Keselowski was second and has now gone 107 races since his last win at Talladega in April 2021. ... Denny Hamlin kept alive his streak of being the only driver to leads laps in all nine races. He was battling Elliot for the lead with two laps left in regulation before sliding backwards into the wall, forcing the extra racing.

Next race: April 28, Dover, Delaware.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Ag-Pro 300

Site: Talladega, Alabama.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 5:30 p.m., Saturday, race, 4 p.m. (FOX).

Track: Talladega Superspeedway.

Race distance: 113 laps, 300.58 miles.

Last year: Jeb Burton won after starting eighth.

Last race: Sam Mayer made a last-lap pass and held on to beat Ryan Sieg in a photo finish at Texas by 0.002 seconds, matching the second-closest finish in series history.

Fast facts: The victory was Mayer's fifth in the series and first this year. ... Sieg was bidding for his first victory in 342 career starts for the RSS Racing team owned by his family. ... Justin Allgaier finished third after leading 117 of the race’s 200 laps. It was Allgaier's 266th career top-10 finish — in 446 starts — in the series, matching Kyle Busch’s record. ... Chandler Smith remains the points leader, now by 19 over Cole Custer and 33 over Austin Hill.

Next race: April 27, Dover, Delaware.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

Last race: Kyle Busch overcame a series of late restarts and led 112 of 167 laps to win for the sixth time in the truck series at Texas and the 20th time overall on the 1.5-mile layout.

Next race: May 4, Kansas City, Kansas.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

FORMULA ONE

Chinese Grand Prix

Site: Shanghai, China.

Schedule: Thursday, practice, 11:30 p.m.; Friday, Sprint qualifying, 3:30 a.m., and Sprint, 11 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 3 a.m.; Sunday, race, 3 a.m. (ESPN).

Track: Shanghai International Circuit.

Race distance: 56 laps, 189.559 miles.

Last year: Not held (pandemic).

Last race: Max Verstappen won in Japan, his third win in four races this season.

Fast facts: Verstappen, the three-time defending champion, has won 22 of the last 26 races. ... Since 2021, when he won his first championship, Verstappen has won 47 of 70 races. ... F1 has not run in Shanghai since 2019 with four races called off because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Next race: May 5, Miami Gardens, Florida.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

INDYCAR

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Site: Long Beach, California.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 5:50 p.m., Saturday, practice, 11:25 a.m., and qualifying 2:25 p.m.; Sunday, race, 3 p.m. (USA).

Track: Streets of Long Beach.

Race distance: 85 laps, 167.28 miles.

Last year: Kyle Kirkwood won from the pole position.

Last race: Two-time and reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou won the Thermal $1 Million Challenge, leading all 20 laps of IndyCar’s first non-points race since 2008.

Fast facts: Josef Newgarden won the only points race of the season and leads runner-up Pato O'Ward by 14 in the points race and third-place Scott McLaughlin by 19.

Next race: April 28. Birmingham, Alabama.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

NHRA DRAG RACING

Last event: Doug Kalitta won in Top Fuel and Bob Tasca III won in Funny Car in Las Vegas.

Next event: April 28, Concord, North Carolina.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Next events: April 19, Paducah, Kentucky, and April 20, Haubstadt, Indiana.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars

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

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Justin Allgaier

Ryan Sieg

Sam Mayer

Jeb Burton

Denny Hamlin

Brad Keselowski

William Byron

Ross Chastain

Kyle Busch

Chase Elliott