AUTO RACING: Martinsville next in NASCAR's short track spree
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400
Site: Martinsville, Virginia.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 4:30 p.m., and qualifying, 5:05 p.m.; Saturday, race, 7:30 p.m. (FS1)
Track: Martinsville Speedway.
Race distance: 400 laps, 210 miles.
Last year: Martin Truex Jr. won after starting seventh.
Last race:
Fast facts:
Next race: April 17, Bristol, Tennessee.
Online:
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Call 811 Before You Dig 250 powered by Call 811.com
Site: Martinsville, Virginia.
Schedule: Thursday, practice, 5:30 p.m., and qualifying, 6 p.m.; Friday, race, 7:30 p.m. (FS1)
Track: Martinsville, Virginia.
Race distance: 250 laps, 131.5 miles.
Last year: Josh Berry won after starting 29th, the deepest starting spot of any race winner in the series all season.
Last race:
Fast facts: Dale Earnhardt Jr., the series champion in 1998 and 1999, will make his return to the series. ... Nemechek (135) and Gibbs (114) combined to lead all but one lap at Richmond; Berry led the other. ... Gibbs led a total of seven laps in his first two victories of the season. ... Sam Mayer won the $100,000 Dash4Cash bonus. He, Gibbs, A.J. Allmendinger and Riley Herbst will be eligible for the bonus at Martinsville.
Next race: April 23, Talladega, Alabama.
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NASCAR TRUCK SERIES
Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200
Site: Martinsville, Virginia.
Schedule: Thursday, practice, 3 p.m., qualifying, 3:30 p.m., and race, 8 p.m. (FS1)
Track: Martinsville Speedway.
Race distance: 200 laps, 105 miles.
Last year: Zane Smith won the penultimate race of the season, the only series stop at Martinsville last year, after starting ninth.
Last race:
Fast facts: Zane Smith became the series’ first two-time winner through just four races, but he’s just fourth in points behind Chandler Smith, Ben Rhodes and Stewart Friesen. ... Chander Smith, Rhodes and Zane Smith each have three top-five finishes. ... Nemechek has led a series-high 85 laps, but has only one top-five finish and is eighth in points.
Next race: April 16, Bristol, Tennessee.
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FORMULA ONE
Australian Grand Prix
Site: Melbourne, Australia.
Schedule: Thursday, practice, 11 p.m.; Friday, practice, 2 p.m. and 11 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 2 p.m.; Sunday, race, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
Track: Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit.
Race distance: 58 laps, 190.1 miles.
Last year: Did not race (pandemic).
Last race: Defending series champion
Fast Facts: The race is back on the schedule after a two-year hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. ... Verstappen's victory was the 21st of his career. ... Leclerc and third-place Carlos Sainz are 1-2 in the point standings after giving Ferrari two spots on the podium for the second race in a row. ... Aston Martin says Sebastian Vettel will make his season debut after recovering from COVID-19.
Next race: April 24, Imola, Italy.
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INDYCAR
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Site: Long Beach, California.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 6:15 p.m.; Saturday, practice, 11:45 a.m., and qualifying, 3:05 p.m.-3:55 p.m.; Sunday, race, 3:30 p.m. (NBC)
Track: Long Beach street circuit.
Race distance: 85 laps, 167.28 miles.
Last year: Colton Herta won after starting 14th in the final race of the season.
Last race:
Fast facts: Scott McLaughlin is the points leader with a victory, a runner-up finish and a pole through two races. Will Power and Alex Palou are next in points, followed by Newgarden. ... The other pole winner, Felix Rosenqvist, is 19th in points. ... The series will take the next two weeks off after the race.
Next race: May 1, Birmingham, Alabama.
Online:
NHRA DRAG RACING
Last event: Brittany Force won in Top Fuel and Ron Capps won in Funny Car at Las Vegas.
Next event: April 24, Baytown, Texas.
Online:
WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Next events: Friday, Osborn, Missouri, and Saturday, Eldon, Missouri.
Online:
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