AUTO RACING: Hendrick shines in Vegas; Verstappen wins again
All Times Eastern
NASCAR CUP SERIES
United Rentals Work United 400
Site: Avondale, Arizona.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 6:35 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 2:05 p.m.; Sunday, race, 3:30 p.m. (FOX).
Track: Phoenix Raceway.
Race distance: 312 laps, 312 miles.
Last year: Chase Brisco won after starting sixth.
Last race: William Byron led a 1-2-3 finish for Hendrick Motorsports, grabbing the lead on pit road to win in overtime at Las Vegas.
Fast facts: Byron also won both stages and led 176 of the 271 laps to edge Hendrick teammates Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman. It's Byron's fifth career victory. ... The fourth Hendrick driver, Chase Elliott, missed the race and will be sidelined indefinitely after surgery to repair a fractured tibia sustained in a snowboarding accident. He was replaced by Josh Berry, who finished 29th. ... Bubba Wallace was the top non-Hendrick finisher in fourth for 23XI Racing.
Next race: March 19, Hampton, Georgia.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
United Rentals 200
Site: Avondale, Arizona.
Schedule: Saturday, practice, 12:35 p.m., qualifying, 1:05 p.m. and race, 4:05 p.m. (FS1).
Track: Phoenix Raceway.
Race distance: 200 laps, 200 miles.
Last year: Noah Gragson won after starting second.
Last race: Austin Hill grabbed the lead just before the final lap and won at Las Vegas for his second victory in three races this season.
Fast facts: Hill's victory was the fourth of his career. He also won the season-opener at Daytona. ... Chandler Smith started on the pole and led 118 of the 200 laps. He was passed by Hill and runner-up Justin Allgaier at the finish. ... Kyle Busch, who was trying for a weekend sweep after winning the truck race on Friday, finished fourth.
Next race: March 18, Hampton, Georgia.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR TRUCK SERIES
Last race: Kyle Busch led 84 of the 134 laps and beat Zane Smith to the checkered flag by nearly five seconds at Las Vegas for his series-record 63rd victory.
Next race: March 18, Hampton, Georgia.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
FORMULA ONE
Last race: Max Verstappen began the defense of his back-to-back series championships by leading a 1-2 finish for Red Bull in the season-opener in Bahrain.
Next race: March 19, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
INDYCAR
Last race: Marcus Ericsson passed Pato O’Ward with three laps remaining and prevailed in the season-opener on the streets of St. Petersburg in a race that was filled with crashes.
Next race: April 2, Fort Worth, Texas.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
NHRA DRAG RACING
Next event: March 9-12, Gainesville, Florida.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Next events: March 10-11, Port Royal, Pennsylvania.
Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars
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