LDN - Sports

Auto Racing Glance

[August 11, 2016] The Sports Xchange

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES: There is no race this weekend. This is the last in-season off-weekend for the series. There will be 14 straight weeks of racing starting next week at Bristol Motor Speedway, highlighted by the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup.

THEN AND NOW: Denny Hamlin won this past Sunday at Watkins Glen, his first career Sprint Cup win on a road course. He's now won on every type of racetrack in NASCAR, including superspeedways such as Daytona, 1.5-mile tracks and short tracks. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. was at Watkins Glen last Friday and said that while he feels he's making progress from concussion-like symptoms, his return to racing remains uncertain. He added that before he races in a Sprint Cup car again, he plans on competing in a Late Model race first to get re-acclimated to a race car. ... A total of 12 different drivers have won at least one race thus far in the first 22 races this season: Brad Keselowski (4 wins), Kyle Busch (4), Carl Edwards (2), Jimmie Johnson (2), Matt Kenseth (2), Denny Hamlin (2) and one win each by Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., Tony Stewart and Chris Buescher. Only four races remain for drivers to qualify for the Chase. ... Brad Keselowski (727 points) took over the Sprint Cup points lead after Watkins Glen, knocking former points leader Kevin Harvick (718 points) to second. Kurt Busch (689) followed by Kyle Busch (670), Carl Edwards (653), Joey Logano (652), Denny Hamlin (620), Martin Truex Jr. (612), Matt Kenseth (600) and Jimmie Johnson (578).

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: MID-OHIO CHALLENGE (75 laps, 169.35 miles), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course; Lexington, Ohio.

TV: Saturday, Aug. 13, 3:30 p.m. ET -- USA Network (Radio: Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).

THEN AND NOW: Saturday will mark just the fourth time the Xfinity Series has raced at Mid-Ohio and is the second straight road course race on the schedule, following last Saturday's race at Watkins Glen International in upstate New York. ... Regan Smith is the defending winner of this race, while A.J. Allmendinger won the inaugural Xfinity race at Mid-Ohio in 2013 and Chris Buescher won in 2014. ... Joey Logano won last Saturday's Xfinity race at Watkins Glen, giving him three wins in a row in as many races at the twisting road course (Sprint Cup and Xfinity in 2015 and Xfinity in 2016). He missed a second straight sweep by finishing second in this past Sunday's Cheez-It 355 Sprint Cup race. ... Winners of the first 19 Xfinity Series races this season have been Chase Elliott (Daytona), Kyle Busch (Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Texas, Kentucky, New Hampshire and Indianapolis), Austin Dillon (Fontana), Erik Jones (Bristol, Dover and Iowa), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Richmond), Elliott Sadler (Talladega), Denny Hamlin (Charlotte), Kyle Larson (Pocono), Daniel Suarez (Michigan), Sam Hornish Jr. (Iowa), Aric Almirola (Daytona) and Joey Logano (Watkins Glen). ... Elliott Sadler (657 points) remains No. 1 in the Xfinity Series point standings. Daniel Suarez (657) is second, followed by Ty Dillon (629), Erik Jones (613), Justin Allgaier (610), Brendan Gaughan (598), Brennan Poole (587), Brandon Jones (573), Darrell Wallace Jr. (512) and Ryan Reed (496).

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES: The series is off until its next race, Aug. 17, at Bristol Motor Speedway.

THEN AND NOW: William Byron won the most recent race, two weeks ago: the Pocono Mountains 150 in dominating fashion, leading 44 of the scheduled 60 laps. It was Byron's fifth Truck win in 2016. ... There have been seven winners thus far this season: Johnny Sauter (Daytona), John Hunter Nemechek (Atlanta), Kyle Busch (Martinsville), William Byron (Kansas, Michigan, Iowa, Kentucky and Pocono), Matt Crafton (Dover, Charlotte), Christopher Bell (Gateway) and Kyle Larson (Eldora). ... William Byron remains in the Truck Series points lead (319 points), followed by former champion Matt Crafton (294), Daniel Hemric (282), Timothy Peters (282) and Johnny Sauter (278).

VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES: The series is off until its next race, Aug. 21, the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway.

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THEN AND NOW: Points leader Simon Pagenaud won his fourth race of the season two weeks ago in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Will Power finished second, followed by Carlos Munoz with the other podium finish. ... Even though Pagenaud won at Mid-Ohio, Power remains the hottest driver in the series. Power has won three of the last five races, and finished runner-up in the other two events. ... After last week's test at Pocono Raceway, drivers will test again this Thursday at Watkins Glen in preparation for the Labor Day weekend there (Sept. 1-4). ... There are four more races remaining on the 16-race schedule (Pocono, Texas, Watkins Glen and Sonoma). ... This season's race winners thus far are: Juan Pablo Montoya (St. Petersburg), Scott Dixon (Phoenix), Simon Pagenaud (Long Beach, Birmingham, Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Mid-Ohio), Alexander Rossi (Indianapolis 500), Sebastien Bourdais (Belle Isle 1), Will Power (Belle Isle 2, Road America, Toronto) and Josef Newgarden (Iowa). ... Simon Pagenaud (484 points) continues to lead the point standings, followed by Will Power (426), Helio Castroneves (373), Josef Newgarden (364) and defending series champ Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan, tied for fifth with 357 points each.

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION, MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES: The series is off this weekend and resumes Aug. 19-21 at Brainerd, Minn.

THEN AND NOW: Rain prevented the final round of eliminations to determine the race winners in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock at this past Sunday's Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals in suburban Seattle, the final leg of the annual "Western Swing" (Denver, Sonoma and Seattle). As a result, the final round for both Top Fuel (Antron Brown vs. Steve Torrence) and Funny Car (Del Worsham vs. Ron Capps) will be contested next weekend at Brainerd. Pro Stock, meanwhile, will have its final round held to start the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend (Vincent Nobile vs. Aaron Strong, appearing in just the ninth race of his career). ... The races in Brainerd and Indianapolis are the last two before the start of the Countdown to the Championship. ... After winning the first two races of the three-race Western Swing, 16-time Funny Car champion John Force failed to win the third and final leg, losing in Sunday's first round of eliminations. His daughter, Courtney Force, was involved in a crash, also in the first round. Courtney Force was taken to a local hospital for X-rays and a CT scan, with all results coming back negative. Force said she was very sore and will be consulting with a physical therapist. She plans to return to racing at Brainerd. As for fellow Funny Car Alexis DeJoria, who crashed two weeks ago at Sonoma, Calif., and suffered a fractured left pelvis, she missed the Seattle race and her status is uncertain for Brainerd and Indianapolis. ... Although the final round has not been decided, the points were updated for all racing through the first three rounds of eliminations at Seattle. Antron Brown remains No. 1 in Top Fuel (1,301 points), followed by Doug Kalitta (1,201), Steve Torrence (1,177), Brittany Force (1,044), Tony Schumacher (1,036) and J.R Todd (960). All six drivers have clinched berths in the Countdown. ... In Funny Car, Ron Capps (1,313 points) remains No. 1, followed by Courtney Force (1,124), Jack Beckman (1,088 points), Del Worsham (1,070), Matt Hagan (1,011), Robert Hight (988) and John Force (970). All have clinched berths in the Countdown. ... In Pro Stock, Jason Line (1,659) regained the points lead, followed by teammates Greg Anderson (1,629 points) and Bo Butner (1,149) in third, then Allen Johnson (993) and Vincent Nobile (918). Anderson, Line, Butner and Johnson have all clinched berths in the Countdown. ... Defending two-time series champ Erica Enders (670 points) climbed back into 10th place, nine points ahead of 11th-ranked Alex Laughlin (661 points). ... In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Eddie Krawiec is No. 1 in the standings (824 points), followed by teammate and 2015 series champ Andrew Hines (735), Angelle Sampey (595), Jerry Savoie (556) and LE Tonglet (484). Krawiec, Hines and Sampey have clinched positions in the Countdown.

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