AUTO RACING: Team Penske aims to follow up NASCAR-IndyCar sweep in Indy oval return, Toronto streets

Updated Jul. 17, 2024 9:29 a.m. ET

Associated Press

All Times Eastern

NASCAR CUP SERIES

Brickyard 400.

Indianapolis.

Schedule: Friday practice, 2:35 p.m.; Saturday qualifying, 1:05 p.m.; Sunday race, 2:30 p.m. (NBC).

Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Race distance: 160 laps, 400 miles.

Last year: Michael McDowell dominated the 200-mile Cup race on the 2.439-mile road course, leading 54 of 82 laps in a Ford before holding off Chase Elliott's Chevy by 0.937 seconds.

Last race: Team Penske driver and reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney led the final 44 laps, a race high, to win Pocono Raceway's 400-mile event for his second victory in five starts and 12th in his career. Denny Hamlin led 31 laps and finished second with Alex Bowman third, a week after winning on the Chicago street course.

Fast facts: NASCAR resumes racing on Indy's iconic 2.5-mile oval for the first time since 2020 after three years on the road course. ... Kevin Harvick, who retired after last season, claimed the previous oval win. ... Fords have won the past oval starts. ... Chase Elliott finished ninth to take over the points lead by three over Kyle Larson (13th), 15 over Tyler Reddick and 20 over Hamlin. Blaney is 76 points back in seventh place.

Next race: Aug. 11, Richmond, Virginia.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Pennzoil 250.

Site: Indianapolis.

Schedule: Friday practice, 1:05 p.m., Saturday qualifying, 12:05 p.m., Saturday race, 3:30 p.m. (USA).

Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Race distance: 100 laps, 250 miles.

Last year: Ty Gibbs started fourth and dominated by leading 28 of 62 laps on the road course, including the final 17 to win by nearly eight seconds over Sam Mayer with pole winner A.J. Allmendinger third. The race featured 10 lead changes.

Last race: Cole Custer grabbed the lead from Justin Allgaier with nine laps remaining after a restart and held on to win by 0.670 seconds in a Ford for his elusive first victory this season at Pocono. The defending series champion clinched a playoff spot with his 14th career victory and became the first series driver to win multiple races at the track.

Fast facts: The series returns to IMS for the first time since Kyle Busch won from the pole in 2019 and led 46 laps in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. ... Custer's first win among eight top-fives and 15 top-10s has provided a 51-point series lead over Justin Allgaier (Chevy) with Chandler Smith (Toyota) 59 back.

Next race: Aug. 17, Brooklyn, Michigan.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

TSport 200.

Site: Indianapolis.

Schedule: Friday practice, 3:30 p.m., qualifying, 4:05 p.m., race 8:30 p.m. (FS1).

Track: Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Race distance: 200 laps, 137.2 miles.

Last year: Ty Majeski started second and ran away with the race after seizing the lead on lap 40, leading the final 161 circuits for his lone victory last season. Christian Eckes and Layne Riggs were next in Chevys.

Last race: Corey Heim emerged from a weather delay with 10 remaining and won the CRC Brakleen 175 at Pocono, the series' first Friday race at the track. Heim's Toyota dominated, leading 55 of 70 laps and the final 34 after starting second. Grant Enfinger and Christian Eckes were next in Chevys in a race that featured just three lead changes.

Fast Facts: Chevys have won three of the past five at IRP. ... Eckes leads Heim by 32 points in the standings with Nicholas Sanchez 113 behind. The three drivers have combined to win 10 of 14 races this season, topped by Heim's five victories.

Next race: Aug. 10, Richmond, Virginia.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

FORMULA 1

Hungarian Grand Prix.

Site: Mogyorod, Hungary.

Schedule: Friday practices, 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.; Saturday practice, 6:30 a.m., qualifying 10 a.m.; Sunday race, 9 a.m. (ESPN).

Track: Hungaroring.

Race distance: 70 laps, 306.63 kilometers (190.531 miles).

Last year: Max Verstappen started second and led all 70 laps for the victory by 33.731 seconds over Lando Norris.

Last race: Lewis Hamilton held off points leader Max Verstappen at Silverstone for his record ninth British Grand Prix victory, the most by an F1 driver at any track. The seven-time champion also earned his 104th career win to snap a career-long drought of more than 50 races dating back to the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Lando Norris was third, followed by Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz Jr.

Fast facts: Haas has extended its engine partnership with Ferrari through the 2028 season. ... Verstappen has won 51 of the past 78 F1 races and leads Norris by 84 points and Charles Leclerc by 106 as he seeks his fourth consecutive series title.

Next race: July 28, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

INDYCAR

Indy Toronto

Site: Toronto, Ontario.

Schedule: Friday practice, 3 p.m.; Saturday practice, 10:30 a.m., qualifying, 2:45 p.m.; Sunday race 1:30 p.m. (Peacock).

Track: Streets of Toronto.

Race distance: 85 laps, 151.1 miles.

Last year: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Christian Lundgaard won from the pole, leading three times for 54 of 85 laps including the final 24. Alex Palou, Colton Herta, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden rounded out the top five.

Last race: Will Power rallied to win Sunday's Hy-Vee One-Step 250 oval race at Iowa Speedway, his first on the track in 18 attempts, to complete a weekend sweep for Team Penske. Power crossed the finish line as a scary four-car, last-lap crash unfolded behind him, injuring Sting Ray Robb. Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter and Kyle Kirkwood were also involved. Palou, pole winner Scott McLaughlin, Dixon and Herta rounded out the top five. The day before, McLaughlin earned his first IndyCar oval win in Iowa's doubleheader opener, leading 164 of 250 laps after starting second. Pato O'Ward was a half-second behind in second, followed by Newgarden, Dixon and Rinus VeeKay. Power finished 18th despite starting fourth.

Fast facts: Robb was examined and released from a hospital on Sunday night. ... IMSA and 2023 Indy NXT series runner-up Hunter McElrea will make his IndyCar debut in the No. 18 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing. ... Sunday will mark IndyCar's final event before breaking for the Paris Olympics and closing the season on ovals. ... Palou leads Power by 35 points in the standings, with O'Ward 52 behind and Dixon 57 back.

Next race: Aug. 16, Madison, Illinois.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

NHRA DRAG RACING

Northwest Nationals.

Site: Kent, Washington.

Last event: Antron Brown won in Top Fuel and Bob Tasca III won in Funny Car at Norwalk, Ohio, on June 30.

Fast facts: Brittany Force announced she will return to her John Force Racing Top Fuel dragster with her father, Funny Car legend John Force, responding positively to treatment for a traumatic brain injury following a fiery crash in Virginia on June 23. The 75-year-old Force left a Richmond hospital last week to begin neurological rehab. ... Doug Kalitta leads Top Fuel by 134 points over Justin Ashley and 136 over Shawn Langdon. Austin Prock leads Funny Car by 178 points over Tasca and 181 over Matt Hagan.

Next event: July 26-28, Sonoma, California.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Last events: Series points leader David Gravel earned his 10th victory this season, taking the lead just before halfway and holding off Donny Schatz in Tuesday night's Brad Doty Classic feature in Attica, Ohio. NASCAR Cup Series regular Kyle Larson was third. Carson Macedo and Schatz won weekend events at Wilmot, Wisconsin. Macedo dominated Friday's event for his third consecutive win at the track. Schatz rebounded from sixth on Friday to dominate on Saturday for his second Badger 40 victory. The 10-time champion's third win this season snapped a 20-race drought dating back to April.

Fast facts: Gravel, who earned his 98th career win in Ohio, leads Schatz by 62 points and Macedo by 72 in the standings.

Next events: Friday and Saturday at Rossberg, Ohio.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars

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This story has been corrected to show that Kevin Harvick retired after last season instead of this season.

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