AUTO RACING: William Byron heads to Talladega locked into next round of NASCAR playoffs
All Times Eastern
NASCAR CUP SERIES
YellaWood 500
Site: Talladega, Alabama.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying 4:30 pm. Sunday, race 2 pm (NBC)
Track: Talladega Superspeedway.
Race distance: 188 laps. 500.8 miles.
Last year: Chase Elliott won after starting 16th.
Last race: William Byron secured a spot in the round of eight with a victory at Texas, the 300th for Hendrick Motorsports. The winner of the Talladega playoff race has never gone on to win the title in the same season. Jeff Gordon (2007) and Joey Logano (2016) were both championship runner-ups the year they won Talladega. The worst finish in a NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway by a driver that went on to win the title that same season was 37th by Kyle Larson in 2021.
Next race: Oct. 8, Charlotte Roval
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina
Site: Concord, North Carolina.
Schedule: Oct. 7, practice 10 am, qualifying 10:30 a.m., race 3 pm.
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.
Race distance: 67 laps. 155.44 miles.
Last year: AJ Allmendinger won for the fourth time on the roval.
Last race: John Hunter Nemechek won at Texas Motor Speedway for his seventh win of the year.
Next race: Oct. 7, Charlotte Roval
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR TRUCK SERIES
Love’s RV Stop 250
Site: Talladega, Alabama.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying 9:30 a.m., race 1 p.m.
Track: Talladega Superspeedway.
Race distance: 188 laps. 500.8 miles.
Last year: Matt DiBenedetto won at Talladega last year but lost his ride for the final three races of this year.
Last race: Corey Heim won at Bristol for his third win of the season.
Fast facts: Regular-season champion Heim passed Christian Eckes with six laps to go and won at Bristol, becoming the first driver to secure a spot in the championship finale. Eckes, Carson Hocevar and Grant Enfinger trail Heim in the standings and are trying to make the championship finale.
Next race: Oct. 21 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
FORMULA ONE
Last race: Max Verstappen won his 13th race of the season at the Japanese Grand Prix to clinch the constructors championship for Red Bull.
Next race: Oct. 8, Doha, Qatar.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
INDYCAR
Last race: Scott Dixon won at Laguna Seca, his third win of the season, all in the last four races. The six-time champion gave Chip Ganassi Racing a 1-2 finish in the standings. A week earlier, teammate Alex Palou became the first driver in 18 years to clinch the title before the final race of the season.
Next race: 2024 season opener at St. Petersburg, Florida.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
NHRA DRAG RACING
Last event: Doug Kalitta remained undefeated in the NHRA top fuel playoffs with his second straight win at the NHRA Carolina Nationals, where Bob Tasca III won in Funny Car.
Next event: Sept. 29-Oct. 1, NHRA Midwest Nationals, World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Illinois.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Next events: Sept. 29-30 Chillicothe, Ohio, and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars
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