Austin Dillon seeks follow-up to wreck-assisted NASCAR win at Michigan; IndyCar returns at Illinois
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
FireKeepers Casino 400
Site: Brooklyn, Michigan.
Schedule: Saturday, practice, 12:35 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 1:20 p.m.; Sunday race, 2:30 p.m. (USA Network).
Track: Michigan International Speedway.
Race distance: 200 laps, 400 miles.
Last year: Chris Buescher won the second of three consecutive starts before the playoffs, leading the final 12 laps of 52 overall after starting fourth for the victory. Martin Truex Jr. led 47 laps and finished second with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin third, followed by Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson.
Last race: Dillon brought drama and controversy to an otherwise uneventful Richmond race by spinning Logano and sending Hamlin into the wall at the end to win in overtime and clinch a playoff berth. Larson finished seventh and leads Tyler Reddick by just five points in the standings with Chase Elliott six back in third. Hamlin (three victories) finished second and stands 21 points back in fourth with Logano 15th after finishing 19th.
Fast facts: Two races remain in NASCAR’s regular season after Michigan, with Daytona and Darlington next. ... Toyota claimed four of the top six spots at Richmond with Dillon and Ross Chastain (fifth) taking the other spots in Chevys. ... Ford has won the past 10 starts at Michigan, including season sweeps from 2018-20 when the track held two races annually. ... Rochester Hills, Michigan, native Keselowski seeks his first career Cup win at his home state track after eight top-fives and 14 top-10s in 26 starts. He won in 2009-10 in the Xfinity Series in a Chevy and Dodge, respectively.
Next race: Aug. 24, Daytona Beach, Florida.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Cabo Wabo 250
Site: Brooklyn, Michigan.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 3:30 p.m.; qualifying, 4:10 p.m.; Saturday, race, 3:30 p.m. (USA Network)
Track: Michigan International Speedway.
Race distance: 125 laps, 250 miles.
Last year: John Hunter Nemechek led twice for 65 laps in a Toyota after starting 10th to earn his fifth of seven victories last season. His laps-led total included the final 23 of a dominant race he won by 1.495 seconds over Josh Berry in a Chevy.
Last race: Riley Herbst made a daring last-lap pass of Aric Almirola to earn his first victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to give Stewart-Haas Racing its second consecutive victory on July 20.
Fast facts: Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas have won the last two Michigan races. ... Reigning series champion Cole Custer holds the points lead by 55 over Justin Allgaier. ... There are six races left in the Xfinity regular season. After Michigan, comes Daytona, Darlington, Atlanta, Watkins Glen and Bristol. The 12-driver playoff starts at Kansas on Sept. 28.
Next race: Aug. 23, Daytona Beach, Florida.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR TRUCK SERIES
Fast Facts: Ty Majeski earned his second consecutive victory in the regular-season finale at Richmond last weekend and aims to maintain that momentum when the series resumes with the start of the seven-race playoffs at the Milwaukee Mile on Aug. 25. Majeski seized the lead on the final restart with eight laps left and held off series points leader Christian Eckes. ... Majeski and defending series champion Ben Rhodes are the only Ford drivers in the 10-driver playoff. ... Eckes claimed the regular-season championship, though Corey Heim enters with a three-point lead by virtue of his five victories this season.
Next race: Aug. 25, West Allis, Wisconsin.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
FORMULA ONE
F1 is off for most of August, returning with the Dutch Grand Prix on Aug. 25.
Last race: Lewis Hamilton took the Belgian Grand Prix on July 28 when Mercedes teammate George Russell was disqualified after crossing the line first with an underweight car. ... Russell had held off Hamilton, despite the past series champion closing in on the leader over the final laps. Oscar Piastri had finished third behind Russell and Hamilton, but was moved up to second. Fourth-place Charles Leclerc was declared third after the disqualification.
Fast facts: Series leader Max Verstappen missed out on the podium despite moving from fifth to fourth after Russell’s DQ. Verstappen has not won since taking the last of seven victories this season in Spain on June 23. ... Verstappen’s drought has not dented his championship chances as he heads into Belgium with a 76-point lead over McLaren driver Lando Norris. Leclerc sits in third, 97 points behind Verstappen. ... Hamilton, who had earned his 200th career top-three finish in Hungary two weeks ago, followed that with his record 105th F1 win.
Next race: Aug. 25, Zandvoort, Netherlands.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
INDYCAR
Bommarito Automotive Group 500
Site: Madison, Illinois.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 12:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.; qualifying, 4:20 p.m.; Saturday race, 6 p.m.
Track: World Wide Technology Raceway.
Distance: 260 laps, 500 kilometers (310.7 miles).
Fast facts: Drivers will be well rested nearly a month after Colton Herta won the season's final street race in Toronto. Saturday night's race outside St. Louis begins a closing stretch on ovals, followed by a stop at Portland, Oregon, two races at the Milwaukee Mile and the finale at Nashville Superspeedway on Sept. 15. ... Alex Palou has a 49-point lead over Will Power. Scott Dixon is in third, four points behind Power.
Next race: Aug. 25, Portland, Oregon.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
NHRA DRAG RACING
Lucas Oil Nationals
Site: Brainerd, Minnesota.
Last event: Antron Brown won in Top Fuel and Bob Tasca III won in Funny Car at Sonoma, California, on July 28.
Fast facts: Brainerd hosts the regular-season finale before the circuit heads to Indianapolis for the 70th U.S. Nationals over the Labor Day weekend. ... Brown won the Top Fuel trophy at this track last year. ... Past champion Jack Beckman will race in place of Funny Car legend John Force, who continues his recovery from a horrific crash in Virginia two months ago. NHRA rules allow a substitute driver to earn points for the original pilot in up to eight races. Force is sixth in the standings, 430 points behind John Force Racing teammate and leader Austin Prock. ... Doug Kalitta has a 125-point lead over Shawn Langdon in the Top Fuel race.
Next event: Aug. 28-Sept. 2, Indianapolis.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Fendt Jackson Nationals
Site: Jackson, Minnesota.
Last events: NASCAR Cup Series regular and former champion Kyle Larson led all 50 laps for another victory at the prestigious Knoxville Nationals in Iowa last Saturday before racing his full-time job at Richmond on Sunday. It marked Larson's second consecutive Knoxville win and third in four years. Larson also won a preliminary event on Thursday, sandwiched between victories by Donny Schatz and Giovanni Scelzi. Schatz led all but one lap to win the Friday night feature.
Fast facts: David Gravel leads the drivers' standings with 5,986 points, 98 ahead of Donny Schatz with Carson Macedo 130 back in third.
Next events: Aug. 23, Grand Forks, North Dakota; Aug. 24, West Fargo, North Dakota.
Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars
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