AUTO RACING: NASCAR heads to Texas as finale draws near
All Times Eastern
NASCAR CUP SERIES
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500
Site: Fort Worth, Texas
Schedule: Sunday, race, 3:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Race distance: 334 laps, 501 miles
Last year: Kevin Harvick won after starting from the pole position.
Last race: Joey Logano held off Harvick to win at Kansas.
Fast facts: Harvick leads Denny Hamlin by 21 points and Brad Keselowski by 33 with three races remaining. Chase Elliott is 41 points back and Logano is 51 behind. ... The top five drivers in the standings have all won at least three races this season. ... Harvick has 26 top 10 finishes in 33 races. No one else has more than 21 (Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr.).
Next race: Xfinity 500, Nov. 1, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway
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NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
O'Reilly Auto Parts 300
Site: Fort Worth, Texas
Schedule: Saturday, race, 4:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Race distance: 200 laps, 300 miles
Last year: Christopher Bell won after starting third.
Last race: Chase Briscoe led 159 of 200 laps at Kansas and won for the ninth time this season, a record for a series regular.
Fast facts: Briscoe leads Justin Allgaier by 52 points and Brandon Jones by 54 with three races remaining. ... Regular-season champ Austin Cindric went from 10 points back to 61 points back after finishing 28th at Kansas. Noah Gragson dropped from 35 back to 94 behind with a 36th-place finish. ... The eight drivers still in contention have accounted for 25 of the 30 victories this season.
Next race: Draft Top 250, Oct. 31, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway
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NASCAR TRUCK SERIES
SpeedyCash.com 400
Site: Fort Worth, Texas
Schedule: Sunday, race, noon (FS1).
Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Race distance: 147 laps, 220.5 miles
Last year: Greg Biffle won the June race after starting sixth.
Last race: Brett Moffitt earned his first victory of the season, barely outrunning GMS Racing Chevrolet teammate Sheldon Creed in overtime.
Fast facts: Creed broke free from a tie atop the standings with Austin Hill and leads him by seven points. Zane Smith is 19 back, Moffitt is 23 back and Grant Enfinger is 26 behind. ... Hill has 16 top 10 runs in 20 races. Moffitt is next with 14. ... Creed and Enfinger share the series lead with three victories. Kyle Busch has also won three times.
Next race: NASCAR Hall of Fame 200, Oct. 30, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway
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FORMULA ONE
Portugese Grand Prix
Site: Portimao, Portugal
Schedule: Friday, practice, 6 a.m.-7:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.; Saturday, practice, 6 a.m.-7 a.m., and qualifying, 10 a.m.-11 a.m.; Sunday, race, 9:10 a.m. (ESPN)
Track: Autódromo Internacional do Algarve
Race distance: 66 laps, 190.6 miles.
Last year: This is the first series race at this track.
Last race: Six-time series champion Lewis Hamilton outran Max Verstappen at the German Grand Prix for his seventh victory of the season and the 91st of his career, matching the series record held by Michael Schumacher.
Fast facts: Hamilton has won 20 of the last 34 races. ... Hamilton has 230 points, followed by Mercedes teammate Valterri Bottas with 161 and Max Verstappen with 147. ... The track was used for preseason testing in the winter of 2008-09,
Next race: Italian Grand Prix, Nov. 1, Imola, Italy.
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INDYCAR
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Site: St. Petersburg, Florida.
Schedule: Saturday, practice, 10:55 a.m.-12:25 p.m., and qualifying, 3:05 p.m.; Sunday, race, 2:20 p.m. (NBC)
Track: St. Petersburg road course.
Race distance: 100 laps, 180 miles.
Last year: Josef Newgarden won the season opener after starting second.
Last race: Will Power won the back end of the Harvest GP doubleheader at Indianapolis.
Fast facts: This race is normally the first of the season. This year, it’s the last. ... Scott Dixon leads Newgarden by 32 points in the standings and can clinch his sixth series championship by finishing ninth or better. A.J. Foyt holds the record with seven series titles. ... Dixon has 50 career victories, third all-time behind Foyt (67) and Mario Andretti (52).
Next race: Streets of St. Petersburg, March 7, 2021, St. Petersburg, Florida.
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NHRA DRAG RACING
NHRA SpringNationals
Site: Baytown, Texas
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying; Sunday, eliminations, semifinals and finals.
Track: Houston Raceway Park
Next event: Dodge NHRA Finals, Nov. 1, Las Vegas.
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WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Series will race Saturday at Kokomo Speedway in Kokomo, Indiana.
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