AUTO RACING: Blaney ends drought; Newgarden first American to win Indy since 2016

Updated May. 30, 2023 5:31 p.m. ET
Associated Press

(All Times Eastern)

NASCAR CUP SERIES

Enjoy Illinois 300

Site: Madison, Illinois.

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Schedule: Saturday, practice, 10 a.m., and qualifying, 10:45 a.m.; Sunday, race, 3:30 p.m. (FS1).

Track: World Wide Technology Raceway.

Race distance: 240 laps, 300 miles.

Last year: Joey Logano won after starting seventh.

Last race: Ryan Blaney took the lead from William Byron on a restart and led the final 26 laps at Charlotte to end a 59-race winless drought.

Fast facts: Blaney's victory in a race delayed a day by rain gave Team Penske its first-ever sweep of the Memorial Day weekend's big races after Josef Newgarden won the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. ... Byron finished second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick.. ... The 5 1/2-hour race included five accidents in the final 50 laps. ... Blaney, tied for the series lead with eight top-10 finishes in 14 races, moved within a point of Ross Chastain for the series points lead with Byron four points back and Kevin Harvick eight back. ... NASCAR on Tuesday suspended Hendrick Motorsports star Chase Elliott for this week's race for intentionally wrecking Denny Hamlin at Charlotte. His team says it will not appeal.

Next race: June 11, Sonoma, California.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Pacific Office Automation 147

Site: Portland, Oregon.

Schedule: Saturday, practice, 11:30, qualifying, noon, and race, 4:30 p.m. (FS1).

Track: Portland International Raceway.

Race distance: 75 laps, 147.5 miles.

Last year: A.J. Allmendinger won after starting 10th.

Last race: Justin Allgaier won at Charlotte in a race that took more than 12 hours to complete because of rain.

Fast facts: The race was originally scheduled for Saturday, but was postponed by rain. It started Monday morning but was red-flagged for a second time because of rain after just 48 laps; the race was completed after the Coca-Cola 600. ... John Hunter Nemechek finished second, followed by Cole Custer, Austin Hill and Ty Gibbs. ... Gibbs completed 900 laps on Monday after also running the 600. ... Nemechek moved into the points lead by 10 over Austin Hill with Allgaier third, 50 points behind.

Next race: June 10, Sonoma, California.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

Toyota 200

Site: Madison, Illinois.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 6 p.m., and qualifying, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, race, 1:30 p.m. (FS1).

Track: World Wide Technology Raceway.

Race distance: 160 laps, 200 miles.

Last year: Corey Heim won after starting in the pole position.

Last race: Ben Rhodes passed Carson Hocevar after a restart on Lap 111 of 134 and pulled away at Charlotte for his first victory of the season.

Fast facts: Rhodes beat Heim to the checkered flag by 2.398 seconds. ... There have been nine different race winners through 11 events, with Zane Smith and Christian Eckes the only two-time winners. ... Heim leads the point standings by 26 over Ty Majeski and 43 over Smith; Eckes is sixth, 82 points off the lead. ... Dean Thompson finished a career-best third.

Next race: June 23, Nashville, Tennessee.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

FORMULA ONE

Spanish Grand Prix

Site: Montmelo, Spain.

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

Track: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Race distance: 66 laps, 190.9 miles.

Last year: Max Verstappen won after starting second.

Last race: Verstappen led from start to finish to win at Monaco, his fourth victory in six races this season.

Fast facts: Verstappen passed former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel’s team record of 38 victories when he won four straight titles from 2010-13. ... Verstappen has won 20 of the past 30 races, including the final race of the 2021 season that earned him his first of two consecutive championships. ... Red Bull has won all six races so far, with Sergio Perez claiming the other two. ... Spanish veteran Fernando Alonso was second for Aston Martin, his fifth podium in six races, but finished 28 seconds behind Verstappen. .... Frenchman Esteban Ocon was third, giving Alpine a rare podium.

Next race: June 18, Montreal, Canada.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

INDYCAR

Detroit Grand Prix

Site: Detroit, Michigan.

Schedule: Sunday, 3 p.m.

Track: Detroit street circuit.

Race distance: 100 laps, 170 miles.

Last year: Will Power won after starting 16th at Belle Isle, the deepest starting spot for a race winner of the season.

Last race: Josef Newgarden passed defending race winner Marcus Ericsson in a one-lap dash to the finish to win his first Indianapolis 500 and give team — and track — owner Roger Penske his 19th career victory in the race.

Fast facts: The victory was the first in the 500 for Team Penske since its owner bought Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2020. ... After the race was red-flagged for the third time in the final 16 laps, Newgarden was moved from fourth to second by race control following a review of the running order at the time the yellow flag waved. ... Newgarden, of Nashville, Tennessee, is the first American to win the Indy 500 since Alexander Rossi in 2016. He beat Ericsson by .0974 seconds, the fourth-closest finish in 107 Indy 500s. ... 2021 season champion Alex Palou leads the point standings by 20 over Ericsson, 34 over Pato O'Ward and 37 over Newgarden.

Next race: June 18, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

NHRA DRAG RACING

Last event: Clay Millican won in Top Fuel and Tim Wilkerson won in Funny Car in Elwood, Illinois.

Next event: June 4, Epping, New Hampshire.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Next events: June 2, Grand Fords, North Dakota; June 3, Ogilvie, Minnesota.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars

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