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Auto Racing Glance

[November 10, 2016] The Sports Xchange

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES: CAN-AM 500 (312 laps, 312 miles), Phoenix International Raceway; Avondale, Arizona.

TV: Sunday, Nov. 13, 2:30 p.m. ET - NBC (Radio: Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).

THEN AND NOW: This will be the 41st Sprint Cup race held at the one-mile short track in the Valley of the Sun. It will also be the second-to-last race of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Sunday's race will round out the four-driver lineup for the championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Martinsville winner Jimmie Johnson and Sunday's winner at Texas, Carl Edwards, are locked in to battle for the championship. The other two drivers will be determined after Sunday's race. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. won this race last year, but he will not be able to defend that title, still suffering concussion-like symptoms that have sidelined him for much of the second half of this season. ... Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick won this year's spring race at PIR. Harvick is in a must-win situation if he hopes to reach the championship round. Harvick won the championship in 2014 and reached the final round in 2015 before Kyle Busch prevailed to win the title. ... Harvick has won eight times at Phoenix, including six of the last eight races there. ... Matt DiBenedetto, who suffered a concussion in a crash at Texas, has been medically cleared to race at Phoenix. ... The first eight race winners thus far in the Chase have been Martin Truex Jr. (Chicagoland and Dover), Kevin Harvick (New Hampshire and Kansas), Jimmie Johnson (Charlotte and Martinsville), Joey Logano (Talladega) and Carl Edwards (Texas). ... A total of 13 different drivers have won at least one race thus far in the first 33 races this season: Brad Keselowski (4 wins), Kyle Busch (4), Martin Truex Jr. (4), Kevin Harvick (4), Jimmie Johnson (4), Denny Hamlin (3), Carl Edwards (3), Matt Kenseth (2), Joey Logano (2) and one win each by Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Chris Buescher and Kyle Larson. ... Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch are all tied for the lead in the Sprint Cup standings, followed by Matt Kenseth (-1), Denny Hamlin (-2), Kevin Harvick (-18), Carl Edwards (-25) and Kurt Busch (-34).

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: TICKET GALAXY 200 (200 laps, 200 miles), Phoenix International Raceway; Avondale, Arizona.

TV: Saturday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m. ET - NBCSN (Radio: Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).

THEN AND NOW: This will be the 30th Xfinity Series race at Phoenix. Kyle Busch is the defending winner of this race, as well as having won earlier this spring there. ... Saturday's race will be the final race of the "Round of 8" of the inaugural Xfinity Chase for the Championship. The four finalists for the Chase-deciding race next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be determined after the race at Phoenix. ... Winners in the Chase thus far have been Elliott Sadler (Kentucky), Daniel Suarez (Dover), Joey Logano (Charlotte), Kyle Busch (Kansas) and Kyle Larson last weekend at Texas. ... Winners of the first 31 Xfinity Series races this season have been Chase Elliott (Daytona), Kyle Busch (Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Texas, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Indianapolis, Richmond and Kansas), Austin Dillon (Fontana, Bristol), Erik Jones (Bristol, Dover, Iowa and Chicago), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Richmond), Elliott Sadler (Talladega, Darlington and Kentucky), Denny Hamlin (Charlotte), Kyle Larson (Pocono and Texas), Daniel Suarez (Michigan and Dover), Sam Hornish Jr. (Iowa), Aric Almirola (Daytona), Joey Logano (Watkins Glen and Charlotte), Justin Marks (Mid-Ohio) and Michael McDowell (Road America). ... Daniel Suarez leads the point standings, with Elliott Sadler just one point behind in second place. Erik Jones is third (-10), followed by Blake Koch (-16), Justin Allgaier (-17), Ryan Reed (-21), Darrell Wallace Jr. (-36) and Brendan Gaughan (-49). ... Gaughan was penalized 10 points Tuesday for a body height violation at Texas. Gaughan is in a must-win situation if he hopes to be one of the four drivers that will battle for the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. ... Matt Tifft has signed to race full-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2017.

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES: LUCAS OIL 150 (150 laps, 150 miles), Phoenix International Speedway; Avondale, Arizona.

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TV: Friday, Nov. 11, 10 p.m. ET - Fox Sports 1 (Radio: Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).

THEN AND NOW: This will be the 26th Truck Series race at Phoenix. ... Erik Jones won this race last fall, while Timothy Peters won this year's spring race there. ... Johnny Sauter has won the first two races of the Round of 6 (Martinsville two weeks ago and Texas last weekend) and has locked himself in for one of four berths in the inaugural Truck Series Chase for the Championship race on Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Three other drivers will advance after the Phoenix race to the championship race. ... The winners of the first five Chase races have been William Byron (New Hampshire), Tyler Reddick (Las Vegas), Grant Enfinger (Talladega) and Johnny Sauter (Martinsville and Texas). ... There have been 11 winners thus far this season: Johnny Sauter (Daytona, Martinsville and Texas), John Hunter Nemechek (Atlanta, Canada), Kyle Busch (Martinsville, Chicagoland), William Byron (Kansas, Michigan, Iowa, Kentucky, Pocono and New Hampshire), Matt Crafton (Dover, Charlotte), Christopher Bell (Gateway), Kyle Larson (Eldora), Ben Kennedy (Bristol), Brett Moffitt (Michigan), Tyler Reddick (Las Vegas) and Grant Enfinger (Talladega). ... With his win at Texas, Johnny Sauter extended his lead in the Truck Series points standings. William Byron is second (-20), followed by Christopher Bell (-21), two-time champ Matt Crafton (-24), Timothy Peters (-25) and Ben Kennedy (-37).

VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES: 2016 season has concluded.

THEN AND NOW: J.R. Hildebrand, who has fought to return full-time to the Verizon IndyCar Series for the last three seasons, finally has achieved his goal. It was announced earlier this week that Hildebrand has signed to race full-time for Ed Carpenter Racing in 2017. Hildebrand replaces Josef Newgarden at ECR. Newgarden joined Penske Racing last month, essentially replacing Juan Pablo Montoya in the fourth Team Penske ride in 2017. Speaking of Montoya, while his full-time status is still uncertain (rumors are he'll race full-time for Team Penske in the IMSA series in 2017), the 2000 and 2015 Indianapolis 500 winner will race for Team Penske in the 2017 Indy 500.

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION, MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES: AUTO CLUB FINALS, Auto Club Raceway, Pomona, California.

TV: Sunday, Nov. 13, 4-7 p.m. ET - Fox Sports 1.

THEN AND NOW: Having been eliminated from contention for the championship, Alexis DeJoria, who missed races at Seattle and Brainerd due to a hard crash at Sonoma, and then suffered a concussion at Las Vegas two weeks ago, will sit out Sunday's race. She'll be replaced in the Tequila Patron Toyota Camry Funny Car by veteran driver Jeff Arend. ... Three major championships will be determined this weekend: Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle (Antron Brown has already clinched his second consecutive - and third in the last five seasons - Top Fuel championship). Here are the updated standings for only those drivers remaining eligible to still win the championship in their respective classes next weekend at Pomona: FUNNY CAR: 1. Ron Capps; 2. Matt Hagan (-86); 3. Tommy Johnson Jr. (-113). PRO STOCK: 1. Jason Line; 2. Greg Anderson (-19); 3. Shane Gray (-94). PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: 1. Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec (tied); 3. Jerry Savoie (-3); 4. Angelle Sampey (-110).

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