|
 TV: Saturday, April 9, 7:30 pm ET - Fox (Radio: Performance Racing
Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).
THEN AND NOW: This will be the 31st NASCAR Sprint Cup race held at
the 1.5-mile, high-speed oval. ... Jimmie Johnson has literally
owned TMS the last few years. Not only is he the defending winner of
this race, he's won the last three races at Texas and five of the
last seven. ... The only other drivers during that seven-race span
to reach victory lane have been Kyle Busch in this race in 2013 and
Joey Logano in this race in 2014. ... Kyle Busch won this past
Sunday's race at Martinsville. Busch had been 0-for-30 at the
half-mile bullring in his career, and then not only won last
Saturday's Truck Series race, he doubled up to sweep the weekend by
winning the Cup race the next day. It was the first win of 2016 for
the defending Sprint Cup champion. ... Winners thus far this season
have been Denny Hamlin (Daytona), Jimmie Johnson (Atlanta and
Fontana), Brad Keselowski (Las Vegas), Kevin Harvick (Phoenix) and
Busch (Martinsville). ... The Sprint Cup standings remain tight
after the first six races (one-sixth) of the 36-race season. Kevin
Harvick holds a four-point lead over second-ranked Johnson, while
Busch is third (-5), followed by Carl Edwards (-14), Logano (-24),
Brad Keselowski (-42), Austin Dillon and Kurt Busch (each -44) and
Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (each -48).
 NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: O'REILLY AUTO PARTS 300 (200 laps, 300
miles), Texas Motor Speedway; Fort Worth, Texas.
TV: Friday, April 8, 8:30 p.m. ET - Fox Sports 1 (Radio: Performance
Racing Network/SiriusXM Channel 90)
THEN AND NOW: After two weekends off, the Xfinity Series resumes for
the 31st race at Texas on Friday. ... Austin Dillon led just one lap
in the Xfinity Series' most recent race, three weeks ago at Fontana,
California, but it was the most important lap - the final one - as
he captured the TreatMyClot.com 300 at Auto Club Speedway. ...
Winners of the first five Xfinity Series races this season have been
Chase Elliott (won Daytona), Kyle Busch (won Atlanta, Las Vegas and
Phoenix) and Dillon (won Fontana). ... Daniel Suarez remains in the
lead in the Xfinity Series point standings after Fontana, with 182
points. Elliott Sadler is in second place, 10 points behind Suarez.
Justin Allgaier is third (-19 points), followed by Brandon Jones
(-21), Ty Dillon (-23), Brendan Gaughan (-28), Erik Jones (-30),
Darrell Wallace Jr. (-48), Ryan Reed (-49) and Brennan Poole (-52).
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES: There is no race this week.
THEN AND NOW: The Truck Series returned to action after a three-week
hiatus this past Saturday at Martinsville Speedway, with Kyle Busch
earning his 45th career win in a Truck in the Alpha Energy Solutions
250. ... Now, the Truck Series returns to hiatus for a month, with
its next race May 6 at Kansas Speedway. ... John Hunter Nemechek,
who won a month ago at Atlanta, moved up two spots and past Parker
Kligerman to take over the Truck Series points lead after
Martinsville. Nemechek has a three-point edge over No. 2-ranked
Kligerman, followed by Timothy Peters (-6), Tyler Young (-16),
Cameron Hayley and Ryan Truex (each -17), Daniel Hemric (-18),
Brandon Brown and Spencer Gallagher (each -21) and Ben Rhodes (-22).
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES: The series is off this weekend.
[to top of second column] |
THEN AND NOW: Scott Dixon won this past Saturday night's Desert
Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix in the Verizon IndyCar
Series' return to Phoenix International Raceway for the first time
since 2005. ... Simon Pagenaud finished second, followed by Will
Power, who made his first official start of the season after being
forced to sit out the season opener at St. Petersburg, Florida, due
to an inner-ear infection. Tony Kanaan finished fourth, while Graham
Rahal was fifth. ... With two straight runner-up finishes, Pagenaud
moved past Juan Pablo Montoya to take over the IndyCar series points
lead. Phoenix winner Dixon is second in the standings (-4 behind
Pagenaud), followed by Montoya (-9), Ryan Hunter-Reay (-27), Kanaan
(-29), Helio Castroneves (-30), Rahal (-39), Mikhail Aleshin (-40),
Takuma Sato (-40) and Max Chilton (-44). ... The next race is April
17, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES: The
series is off this weekend.
THEN AND NOW: The NHRA will enjoy nearly three weeks off before
resuming April 22-24 at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, for
the 7th annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. ... This past Sunday in the
Denso Spark Plus NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway, defending Top Fuel champ Antron Brown won his first race
of the season. Alexis DeJoria broke her slump to win in Funny Car
and Jason Line continued his dominance with his second win (and
fourth final round appearance) of the season in Pro Stock. ... In
the point standings, Brittany Force continues to lead Top Fuel (307
points), followed by Brown (269), Doug Kalitta (267), Steve Torrence
(249), Clay Millican (242), JR Todd (229), Dave Connolly (217),
Terry McMillen (209), Tony Schumacher (190) and Leah Pritchett
(188). ... In Funny Car, Robert Hight continues to lead all drivers
with 341 points, followed by teammate John Force (294), Ron Capps
(289 - who failed to qualify for Sunday's race at Las Vegas), Del
Worsham (283), Jack Beckman (271), Courtney Force (265), Chad Head
(236), DeJoria (233), Tim Wilkerson (221) and Matt Hagan (150). ...
In Pro Stock, two-time defending champ Erica Enders finally snapped
a streak of three first-round losses by reaching the semi-finals at
Las Vegas. Jason Line remains atop the Pro Stock point standings
(463 points), followed closely by Greg Anderson (415), Bo Butner
(331), Drew Skillman (264), Chris McGaha (214), Allen Johnson (212),
Jeg Coughlin (191), Vincent Nobile (175), Enders (171) and Alex
Laughlin (154). ... Even though Pro Stock Motorcycle didn't run in
Las Vegas, Eddie Krawiec leads the two-wheeled ranks with 129
points, followed by Hector Arana (99), defending series champ Andrew
Hines (79), LE Tonglet IV (74), Chip Ellis (62), Michael Ray Jr.
(52), Gerald Savoie (52), James Underdahl (52), Angelle Sampey (35)
and Scott Pollacheck (33).
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