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Auto Racing Glance

[June 09, 2016] The Sports Xchange

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES: FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400 (160 laps/400 miles), Michigan International Speedway; Brooklyn, Mich.

TV: Sunday, June 12, 1 p.m. ET -- Fox Sports 1 (Radio: Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).

THEN AND NOW: This will be the 94th Sprint Cup race to be held at the high-speed two-mile oval. Kurt Busch, who won the rain-delayed race at Pocono on Monday, is the defending champion of this race, while Matt Kenseth won last summer's race there. Busch's win makes him the ninth different race winner in the Sprint Cup Series through the first 14 races this season. ... Greg Biffle has perhaps his best chance at a win thus far this season. He has won four times at MIS over the years for Roush Fenway Racing. ... Kevin Harvick continues to lead the Sprint Cup point standings with 490 points. Kurt Busch is second (465), followed by Brad Keselowski (442), Carl Edwards (437), Kyle Busch (416), Jimmie Johnson (415), Chase Elliott (413), Joey Logano (410), Martin Truex Jr. (403) and Matt Kenseth (382).

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: MENARDS 250 (125 laps, 250 miles), Michigan International Speedway; Brooklyn, Mich.

TV: Saturday, June 11, 1:30 p.m. ET -- Fox Sports 1 (Radio: Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).

THEN AND NOW: Saturday will mark the 25th time the Xfinity Series has raced at Michigan. ... Kyle Busch won this race last year. ... NASCAR announced Wednesday that it has changed the starting times for two races in the first-ever upcoming Chase in the Xfinity Series. The Kansas Lottery 500 at Kansas Speedway will be held on Oct. 15 and air on NBC at 3 p.m. ET, while the Xfinity Series Chase race at Phoenix International Raceway will be held on Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET and will air on NBCSN. ... Kyle Larson, who is still seeking his first career Sprint Cup win, won last weekend's rain-shortened inaugural Xfinity Series race at Pocono. ... Winners of the first 12 Xfinity Series races this season have been Chase Elliott (Daytona), Kyle Busch (Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Texas), Austin Dillon (Fontana), Erik Jones (Bristol and Dover), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Richmond), Elliott Sadler (Talladega), Denny Hamlin (Charlotte) and Larson (Pocono). ... Daniel Suarez (408 points) remains in the lead in the Xfinity Series point standings. Elliott Sadler (397) is second, followed by Ty Dillon (390), Brendan Gaughan (363), Erik Jones (359), Brandon Jones (357), Justin Allgaier (355), Brennan Poole (343), Darrell Wallace Jr. (308) and Ryan Reed (274).

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES: RATTLESNAKE 400 (167 laps, 250.5 miles), Texas Motor Speedway; Fort Worth, Texas.

TV: Friday, June 10, 9 p.m. ET -- Fox Sports 1 (Radio: Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).

THEN AND NOW: The Camping World Truck Series resumes action after a nearly three-week hiatus this Friday at Texas Motor Speedway as part of the Verizon IndyCar Series race weekend there. ... This will be the 37th time the Trucks have raced at Texas. Matt Crafton won this race last year for the second straight year, while Erik Jones won last year's fall race there en route to winning the Truck Series championship. ... Two-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton comes into Friday's race riding a two-race winning streak (Dover and Charlotte). ... Winners thus far this season have been Johnny Sauter (Daytona), John Hunter Nemechek (Atlanta), Kyle Busch (Martinsville), William Byron (Kansas) and Crafton (Dover, Charlotte). ... With the Charlotte win, Crafton moved into sole possession of first place in the Camping World Truck Series. He has gained six places in the last two races, both wins for the veteran driver. Crafton has 161 points, followed by Timothy Peters (149), Daniel Hemric (144), Spencer Gallagher (139), William Byron (135), Ryan Truex (129), John Hunter Nemechek (127), Tyler Reddick (125), Christopher Bell (124) and Johnny Sauter (120).

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VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES: FIRESTONE 600 (248 laps, 372 miles), Texas Motor Speedway; Fort Worth, Texas.

TV: Saturday, June 11, 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN.

THEN AND NOW: This marks the 28th time the IndyCar Series has competed on the 1.5-mile high-speed Texas track. ... Scott Dixon is defending champion of this race. Dixon also won at Texas in 2008. ... The winners in last weekend's unique two-race street course event (Saturday/Sunday) at Belle Isle in Detroit were Sebastien Bourdais and Will Power. ... This season's race winners thus far are: Juan Pablo Montoya (St. Petersburg), Scott Dixon (Phoenix), Simon Pagenaud (Long Beach, Birmingham and Grand Prix of Indianapolis), Alexander Rossi (Indianapolis 500), Bourdais (Belle Isle 1) and Power (Belle Isle 2). ... Simon Pagenaud (357 points) continues to maintain a commanding lead in the Verizon IndyCar Series points standings. Defending series champion Scott Dixon is second (277), followed by Helio Castroneves (271), Josef Newgarden (259), Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi (242), Carlos Munoz (242), Will Power (240), Tony Kanaan (240), Juan Pablo Montoya (233) and Charlie Kimball (227).

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES: NHRA SUMMERNATIONALS, Old Bridge Township Raceway Park; Englishtown, N.J.

TV: Final eliminations, Sunday, June 12, 4:30-7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1.

THEN AND NOW: The NHRA returns to one of its most popular venues for this weekend's SummerNationals, which is the second in a four-week stretch of consecutive races. ... Defending winners from last year's event at Englishtown are Antron Brown (a New Jersey native) in Top Fuel, Matt Hagan in Funny Car, Greg Anderson in Pro Stock and Jerry Savoie in Pro Stock Motorcycle. ... Winners this past weekend at Epping, N.H., were Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock). ... In the NHRA point standings, Doug Kalitta leads Top Fuel (785 points), followed by defending series champ Antron Brown (739), Steve Torrence (658), Brittany Force (623) and Tony Schumacher (483). ... In Funny Car, Courtney Force remains No. 1 (654 points), followed by Jack Beckman (639), Ron Capps (632), Tim Wilkerson (608) and defending Funny Car series champ Del Worsham (558). Sixteen-time Funny Car champ John Force improved from ninth to eighth (527). ... In Pro Stock, Jason Line continues to lead the standings (1,026 points), followed by teammate Greg Anderson (937), Bo Butner (680), Allen Johnson (559) and Drew Skillman (497). Skillman parted ways with Elite Motorsports prior to last weekend's race at New Hampshire and is now racing for Gray Motorsports. ... Defending two-time series champ Erica Enders (373) slipped back from eighth to ninth place, and is now 653 points behind Line. ... In Pro Stock Motorcycle, which resumes competition this weekend at Englishtown, Eddie Krawiec leads the standings with 353 points, followed by defending series champ Andrew Hines (233), Hector Arana (207), Jerry Savoie (204) and Chip Ellis (193).

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