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Auto Racing Glance

[October 27, 2016] The Sports Xchange

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES: GOODY'S FAST RELIEF 500 (500 laps, 263 miles), Martinsville Speedway; Martinsville, Virginia.

TV: Sunday, Oct. 30, 1 p.m. ET - NBCSN (Radio: Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).

THEN AND NOW: This will be the 136th Sprint Cup race held at the oldest racetrack on the NASCAR circuit (first race was in 1949). It will also be the seventh race of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship playoffs, and the first race of the third round - otherwise known as Round of 8. ... Four drivers were eliminated from the Chase this past Sunday at Talladega, a race won by Joey Logano. Eliminated were Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. ... Drivers remaining as the Chase moves to the Round of 8 are Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards. ... All eight drivers will begin the third round tied at 4,000 points each as the points have been reset. ... The first six 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 Joey Logano (Talladega). ... A total of 13 different drivers have won at least one race thus far in the first 32 races this season: Brad Keselowski (4 wins), Kyle Busch (4), Martin Truex Jr. (4), Kevin Harvick (4), Denny Hamlin (3), Jimmie Johnson (3), Carl Edwards (2), Matt Kenseth (2), Joey Logano (2) and one win each by Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Chris Buescher and Kyle Larson.

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: The series is off for the second consecutive weekend. The schedule resumes on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Texas Motor Speedway.

THEN AND NOW: Kyle Busch won the most recent race nearly two weeks ago at Kansas Speedway. Elliott Sadler finished second, followed by Daniel Suarez, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson. ... The next race on the schedule, at Texas on Nov. 5, will be the second race of the second round - known as the "Round of 8" - of the inaugural Xfinity Chase for the Championship. ... Winners in the Chase thus far have been Elliott Sadler (Kentucky), Daniel Suarez (Dover), Joey Logano (Charlotte) and Kyle Busch (Kansas). ... There have been a number of reports recently that NASCAR officials are contemplating about whether to limit or eliminate Sprint Cup drivers from racing in the Xfinity Series or Camping World Truck Series starting in 2017. ... Winners of the first 30 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), 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). ... Elliott Sadler and Daniel Suarez are tied for the lead in the Xfinity point standings, followed by Blake Koch (-7), Justin Allgaier (-12), Erik Jones (-12), Ryan Reed (-14), Brendan Gaughan (-29) and Darrell Wallace Jr. (-30).

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES: TEXAS ROADHOUSE 200 (200 laps, 105.2 miles), Martinsville Speedway; Martinsville, Virginia.

TV: Saturday, Oct. 29, 1:30 p.m. ET - Fox Sports 1 (Radio: Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).

THEN AND NOW: After a two-week layoff, the series returned to action last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Former ARCA champion Grant Enfinger won from the pole to earn his first career win in NASCAR competition. ... Chase Elliott will make his first Truck Series race since 2013 this weekend at Martinsville, driving for team owner Carlos Contreras. Harrison Burton, son of former Sprint Cup driver and current NBC NASCAR analyst Jeff Burton, will also make his Truck Series debut, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports. ... Two drivers were eliminated after Talladega from advancing to the Round of 6, the second round of the inaugural Truck Series Chase for the Championship: Daniel Hemric and John Hunter Nemechek. ... The Round of 6 begins this weekend at Martinsville with the points reset and all six remaining drivers are now tied at 3,000 points each. ... The winners of the first round/Round of 8 races were William Byron (New Hampshire), Tyler Reddick (Las Vegas) and Grant Enfinger (Talladega). ... There have been 11 winners thus far this season: Johnny Sauter (Daytona), 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).

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VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES: 2016 season has concluded.

THEN AND NOW: The 2017 season will expand from 16 to 17 races with the return of the open-wheel series to Gateway Motorsports Park just east of St. Louis, Missouri. ... Canadian driver James Hinchcliffe continues to advance on ABC's Dancing With The Stars this past Monday. Hinchcliffe is aiming to become the second IndyCar driver to win the championship, following Helio Castroneves' victory in 2007.

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION, MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES: TOYOTA NHRA NATIONALS, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Las Vegas, Nevada.

TV: Live final eliminations, Sunday, Oct. 30, 4-7 pm ET on Fox Sports 1. Also, there will be live qualifying on Friday, Oct. 28, from 6-7 pm ET on Fox Sports 1.

THEN AND NOW: This weekend's race will be the penultimate event on the 2016 schedule. Only one race will remain after that in the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs, the season-ending Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California, from Nov. 10-13. ... Winners at the most recent race, at Texas Motorplex nearly two weeks ago, were Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Drew Skillman (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle). ... Depending on how his top challengers perform, Brown needs to leave Las Vegas with between a 96- to 110-point lead to clinch his second consecutive Top Fuel crown and his third in the last five seasons. ... With five professional level drivers already eliminated from the Countdown (Richie Crampton and Clay Millican in Top Fuel, Alexis DeJoria in Funny Car, and five-time champ Jeg Coughlin and two-time defending champ Erica Enders in Pro Stock), it's likely we'll see perhaps another 20 or more drivers/riders potentially eliminated after Las Vegas. For example, just in Top Fuel, seven drivers would be eliminated if Brown clinches the championship. ... Here are the updated standings after the first four Countdown races (only drivers that remain mathematically eligible) -- TOP FUEL: 1. Antron Brown; 2. Doug Kalitta (-150); 3. Shawn Langdon (-172); 4. Brittany Force (-191); 5. Steve Torrence (-197); 6. Tony Schumacher (-209); 7. J.R. Todd (-244); and 8. Leah Pritchett (-254). FUNNY CAR: 1. Ron Capps; 2. Tommy Johnson Jr. (-64); 3. Matt Hagan (-88); 4. Jack Beckman (-131); 5. Del Worsham (-145); 6. Robert Hight (-187); 7. John Force (-198); 8. Courtney Force (-227) and 9. Tim Wilkerson (-237. PRO STOCK: 1. Jason Line; 2. Greg Anderson (-26); 3. Vincent Nobile (-14); 4. Shane Gray (-134); 5. Bo Butner (-140); 6. Drew Skillman (-185); 7. Chris McGaha (-232); 8. Allen Johnson (-241). PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: 1. Eddie Krawiec; 2. Andrew Hines (-17); 3. Jerry Savoie (-49); 4. Angelle Sampey (-60); 5. Chip Ellis (-97); 6. LE Tonglet IV (-137); 7. Cory Reed (-196); 8. Hector Arana (-214); 9. Matt Smith (-223); 10. Hector Arana Jr. (-242).

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