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Auto Racing Glance

[July 27, 2017] The Sports Xchange

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES: OVERTON'S 400 (160 laps, 400 miles on a 2.5-mile triangle-shaped racetrack), Pocono Raceway; Long Pond, Pa.

TV: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET -- NBCSN (Radio: Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM NASCAR radio).

THIS WEEK: This will be the 80th NASCAR Cup race at Pocono. The first race was in 1974 and was won by Richard Petty. ... Chris Buescher won this race last year in a rain-shortened outcome (completed just 138 of the scheduled 160 laps due to rain). ... Ryan Blaney won the first of two annual races at Pocono last month. ... On Wednesday, it was announced that Blaney will return to Team Penske to drive a third car in 2018, while Paul Menard will move from Richard Childress Racing to Wood Brothers Racing to replace Blaney. RCR said it will continue to field three cars next season, but has not announced who the third driver will be to replace Menard. ... Kasey Kahne won last Sunday's Brickyard 400, qualifying him for the upcoming 10-race playoffs. ... Martin Truex Jr. (780 points) continues to lead the NASCAR Cup standings after Indianapolis. Kyle Larson is second (732), followed by Kevin Harvick (683), Kyle Busch (673), Denny Hamlin (612), Brad Keselowski (601), Jamie McMurray (599), Chase Elliott (588), Matt Kenseth (566) and Jimmie Johnson (564).

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: U.S. CELLULAR 250 (150 laps, 131.25 miles on a 7/8-mile oval), Iowa Speedway; Newton, Iowa.

TV: Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET -- NBC (Radio: Motor Racing Network /SiriusXM Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: This will be the 16th Xfinity Series race at Iowa. ... Erik Jones won this race last year. William Byron won this year's first of two races on June 24. ... Byron also won last Saturday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. ... Elliott Sadler (685 points) remains No. 1 in the Xfinity driver rankings. Byron remains second (625), followed by Justin Allgaier (532), Brennan Poole (473), Daniel Hemric (458), Cole Custer (435), Matt Tifft (414), Ryan Reed (408), Dakoda Armstrong (368) and Michael Annett (367.

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES: OVERTON'S 150 (60 laps, 150 miles around a 2.5-mile triangle-shaped racetrack), Pocono Raceway; Long Pond, Pa.

TV: Saturday, July 29, 1 p.m. ET -- FOX (Radio: Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: This will be the eighth Truck Series race to be held at Pocono. ... Byron won this race last year. Previous winners have been Elliott Sadler (2010), Harvick (2011), Joey Coulter (2012), Blaney (2013), Austin Dillon (2014), Busch (2015) and Byron last year. ... Matt Crafton won last week's Eldora Dirt Derby race at Eldora Speedway. It was Crafton's first win this season and first-ever win on a dirt racing surface. ... Johnny Sauter (478) remains No. 1 in the point standings, followed by Christopher Bell (471), Chase Briscoe (431), Crafton (427), Grant Enfinger (356), John Hunter Nemechek (354), Ben Rhodes (337), Ryan Truex (336), Noah Gragson (329) and Austin Cindric (292).

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VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES: HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO (90 laps, 203.2 miles on a 2.258-mile road course), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course; Lexington, Ohio.

TV: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, CNBC (Radio: IndyCar Radio Network).

THIS WEEK: After a weekend off, the series returns with this Sunday's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Simon Pagenaud is defending champion. ... Josef Newgarden won the most recent race, the Honda Indy Toronto, two weeks ago. It was Newgarden's second win in his first season of racing for Team Penske. 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi finished second at Toronto followed by Canadian native James Hinchcliffe in third. ... Winners of the first 12 races have been Sebastien Bourdais (St. Petersburg), Hinchcliffe (Long Beach), Newgarden (Alabama, Toronto) Simon Pagenaud (Phoenix), Will Power (IndyCar Grand Prix), Takuma Sato (Indy 500), Graham Rahal (both Belle Isle races), Power (Texas), Scott Dixon (Road America) and Helio Castroneves (Iowa). ... Dixon (423 points) remains No. 1 in the IndyCar standings, followed by Helio Castroneves (420 points), Pagenaud (404), Newgarden (400), Power (359), Rahal (359), Sato (351), Alexander Rossi (330), Tony Kanaan (306) and JHinchcliffe (297).

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION, MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES: SONOMA NATIONALS, Sonoma Raceway; Sonoma, Calif.

TV: Sunday, Fox Sports 1, live from 4 to 7 p.m. ET.

THIS WEEK: This is the second of three straight races in a row for the NHRA. The three-race run is called the "West Coast Swing." Last weekend's race was in suburban Denver, while next weekend's race is in suburban Seattle. ... Winners at last weekend's Mopar Nationals at Bandimere Raceway in Morrison, Colo., were Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Drew Skillman (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle). ... Points leaders: Top Fuel -- Steve Torrence (1,253), Brown (1,199) Leah Pritchett (1,183), Tony Schumacher (974) and Doug Kalitta (873); Funny Car -- Ron Capps (1,244), Matt Hagan (1,058), Robert Hight (973), Jack Beckman (970) and Tommy Johnson Jr. (925); Pro Stock -- Bo Butner (1,240), Greg Anderson (1,066), Tanner Gray (976), Jason Line (931) and Jeg Coughlin (888); Pro Stock Motorcycle -- L.E. Tonglet (658), Eddie Krawiec (584), Hector Arana Jr. (483), Scotty Pollacheck (455) and Jerry Savoie (453).

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