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Auto Racing Glance

[November 16, 2017] The Sports Xchange

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES: FORD ECOBOOST 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles around a 1.5-mile oval), Homestead-Miami Speedway; Homestead, Florida.

TV: Sunday, November 19, 2:30 p.m. ET -- NBC (Radio: Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: The 2017 NASCAR Cup season comes to an end Sunday with the championship-deciding race. Four drivers will battle it out for the crown: Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. ... Three of the four are former Cup champions: Keselowski in 2012, Harvick in 2014 and Busch in 2015. Truex is a two-time champion in the Xfinity Series (2004, 2005), but is still seeking his first Cup title since being promoted to NASCAR's marquee series in 2006. ... This will be the 19th Cup race at Homestead. ... Truex is considered the favorite, winning six of his seven Cup races this season on 1.5-mile tracks like Homestead-Miami. ... Harvick is also considered a favorite, having come on late in the playoffs, including a win two weeks ago at Texas, his first career Cup triumph at that 1.5-mile track. ... Busch is always dangerous, while Keselowski is considered the underdog, as he and Team Penske have been searching for speed to match Toyotas all season. ... Jimmie Johnson won this race last season to clinch his seventh Cup championship, tying NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt for most championships in Cup history. ... NASCAR's Most Popular Driver for the last 14 seasons, Dale Earnhardt Jr., will compete in the final race of his 18-year Cup career. He retires after Sunday's race. It's expected that the race will be a sell-out primarily because it will be Junior's last Cup race ever. He said earlier this year that he may still compete in a few Xfinity Series races in 2018. ... Matt Kenseth, who won last Sunday at Phoenix, could potentially be racing in the final Cup race of his career, as well. Kenseth said two weeks ago that he was taking a hiatus from Cup racing in 2018 unless a good deal comes his way (which so far it hasn't). ... Lastly, Sunday could also be the last NASCAR race for Danica Patrick, who is being replaced for next season at Stewart-Haas Racing by Aric Almirola, who leaves Richard Petty Motorsports after Sunday's race. ... Also, Erik Jones will end his one-season tenure with Furniture Row Racing Sunday. He moves to Joe Gibbs Racing, replacing Kenseth in the No. 20 Toyota Camry, for next season.

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: FORD ECOBOOST 300 (200 laps, 300 miles around a 1.5-mile oval), Homestead-Miami Speedway; Homestead, Florida.

TV: Saturday, November 18, 3:30 p.m. ET -- NBCSN (Radio: Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: This is the 23rd Xfinity race at Homestead-Miami. ... This is also the final race of the season and the championship-deciding race. ... The four finalists for the Xfinity title are veteran driver Elliott Sadler and his two JR Motorsports teammates, William Byron and Justin Allgaier, as well as Richard Childress Racing's Daniel Hemric. ... No matter which of the four wins, it will mark a first-time Xfinity champion. ... Daniel Suarez won this race last season to also capture the Xfinity championship.

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NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES, FORD ECOBOOST 200 (134 laps, 201 miles around a 1.5-mile oval), Homestead-Miami Speedway; Homestead, Florida.

TV: Friday, November 17, 8 p.m. ET -- Fox Sports 1 (Radio: Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: This is the 22nd time the Trucks will race at Homestead. ... It also is the final race of the season and will feature four drivers vying for the championship. ... The race will be a battle of old vs. young. Truck Series veteran Johnny Sauter looks to earn his second consecutive Truck championship, while fellow series vet Matt Crafton looks to earn his third career Truck title. Sauter and Crafton will face two of the most promising young drivers in NASCAR: Christopher Bell and Austin Cindric. It was announced Wednesday that Bell will be promoted to the Xfinity Series in 2018 and will race full time for Joe Gibbs Racing. ... William Byron, who will jump to the Cup series to replace Kasey Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports next season, won last year's Truck Series final race.

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION: The 2017 season was completed this past weekend in the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California.

THIS WEEK: Here are the 2017 NHRA pro series champions. Brittany Force, daughter of legendary 16-time Funny Car champ John Force, captured her first Top Fuel title. Brittany Force becomes only the second female driver to win a Top Fuel title, joining the legendary Shirley Muldowney, who won three Top Fuel crowns, the last coming 35 years ago in 1982. ... In Funny Car, Robert Hight earned his second title (also won in 2009), holding off 2016 champ Ron Capps. When he's not racing, Hight is president of John Force Racing, which means JFR captured the two biggest championships in the sport, each worth $500,000 to the winning driver. ... Bo Butner surprised Greg Anderson to capture his first Pro Stock championship at Pomona. ... Eddie Krawiec captured his fourth career Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship. ... Pro Stock driver Tanner Gray earned the 2017 Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, essentially the sport's rookie of the year title. ... Alexis DeJoria competed in her last Funny Car race at Pomona. She is retiring from the sport after more than a decade of competition.

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