Auto Racing Glance

[August 01, 2019]  MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES: GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN (90 laps, 220.5 miles around an 11-turn 2.45 mile permanent road course), Watkins Glen International; Watkins Glen, N.Y.

TV: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET (Green flag approx. 3:18 p.m. ET) - NBCSN (Radio: Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: It's off to the second road course race of the season, this time at Watkins Glen after the series ran Sonoma on June 23. ... Chase Elliott got his first career victory at The Glen last season and with one win already this season, he will be looking to move up the playoff standings on Sunday. Watkins Glen is the fastest and most sweeping road course for the big cars, but has technical sections as well, making setting up the cars a challenge. ... This will be the 37th series race at the Glen, with the series coming once a year since 1986. ... Denny Hamlin won last week at Pocono, his third win of the season. ... This is the 22nd of 36 races this season. ... *Joey Logano leads the Cup standings with 824 points, followed by *Kyle Busch (818), *Kevin Harvick (739), *Hamlin (722), *Martin Truex Jr. (701), *Brad Keselowski (695), *Kurt Busch (650), *Elliott (616), Aric Almirola (614) and Ryan Blaney (599) rounding out the top 10. *Alex Bowman (596) is in the playoffs with his earlier win and sits 11th in the standings.

*Denotes race winner and playoff berth. Standings per NASCAR.com.

BEST BETS: Kyle Busch is the favorite again at 5-2, with Martin Truex Jr. at 7-2. Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott area at 10-1, with Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski coming in at 12/1. Kyle Larson and Jimmie Johnson are the value picks at 40-1.

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: ZIPPO 200 (82 laps, 200.9 miles around an 11-turn 2.45 mile permanent road course), Watkins Glen International; Watkins Glen, N.Y.

TV: Saturday, 3:00 p.m. ET (Green flag approx. 3:18 p.m. ET) - NBC (Radio: Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: The 20th of 33 races on the season, the series makes its only trip of the season to Watkins Glen for the first of back-to-back road courses on the schedule. ... This will be the 26th series race at the track dating back to 1991, when Cup champion Terry Labonte won. ... The last full-time series driver to win here was Marcos Ambrose in 2008. ... Joey Logano won this race last year. ... Chase Briscoe won last week at Iowa, his first win of the year. ... *Tyler Reddick leads the Xfinity standings with 857 points, followed by *Christopher Bell (811), *Cole Custer (760), Justin Allgaier (704), Austin Cindric (650), Noah Gragson (629), *Briscoe (625), *Michael Annett (600), Justin Haley (594) and John Hunter Nemechek (573).

*Denotes race winner and playoff berth. Standings per NASCAR.com.

NASCAR GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES: DIRT DERBY 150 (150 laps, 75 miles around a half-mile dirt and clay oval), Eldora Speedway; New Weston, Ohio.

TV: Thursday, 9 p.m. ET (Green flag approx. 9:10 p.m. ET) - FS1 (Radio: Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: The trucks make their now-annual trip to Eldora, a track owned by retired Cup champion Tony Stewart and opened in 1954. Eldora is considered one of the best dirt tracks in the country and this race is among the most anticipated of the season. ... This will be the seventh series race at the track, the first coming in 2013. ... This will be the 15th of 23 races on the season. ... Chase Briscoe won this race last year, and only one driver driving full-time in a higher series has won a race, Kyle Larson in 2016. ... This is the only NASCAR national series race contested on a dirt track. ... Ross Chastain won last week at Pocono, his third of the season. ... Grant Enfinger leads the Truck standings (582 points) followed by *Brett Moffitt (548), Matt Crafton (529), Stewart Friesen (513), Harrison Burton (500), Ben Rhodes (479), Todd Gilliland (428), *Austin Hill (426), Sheldon Creed (408) and *Johnny Sauter (402) rounding out the top 10. *Tyler Ankrum (294) is currently 12th and in the playoffs as is *Chastain (218) in 18th place.

*Denotes race winner and playoff berth. Standings per NASCAR.com.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

THIS WEEK: The series takes the first of two weeks off before heading to Pocono Raceway on Aug. 18 having run 13 of 17 races so far. ... Scott Dixon won the race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last week with a masterful drive, holding off Felix Rosenqvist and Ryan Hunter-Reay and going a long way to tightening up the championship race. ... American Josef Newgarden leads the standings (504 points), followed by American Alexander Rossi (488), France's Simon Pagenaud (457), New Zealand's Dixon (442) and Australia's Will Power (356) rounding out the top five.

Standings per INDYCAR.com.

FORMULA ONE: HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX (70 laps, 190.54 miles around a 2.722-mile 14-turn permanent road course), Hungaroring; Mogyorod, Hungary.

TV: Sunday, 9 a.m. ET (Green flag approx. 9:05 a.m. ET) - ESPN2 (Radio: SiriusXM Radio Channel 132).

THIS WEEK: After a disastrous day for home team Mercedes at the German Grand Prix on Sunday, the leading team will look to set things right at the Hungaroring, a bumpy and usually dusty course that keeps drivers honest. ... Max Verstappen won in Germany. ... The first race at the Hungaroring was run in 1986 and won by the legendary Nelson Piquet. ... Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton won this race last year on his way to a fifth world title, and a ninth-place in Germany, the runaway points leader will be looking to get back on top. ... This is the 12th of 21 races this season and the last before the long summer layoff until racing resumes at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sept. 1. ...Great Britain's Hamilton leads the standings with 225 points in his Mercedes, with Finland's Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, second (184), followed by Belgium's Verstappen, Red Bull (162), Germany's Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari (141), and Monaco's Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (120).

Standings per F1.com.

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION: NHRA HORTHWEST NATIONALS, Friday-Sunday, at Pacific Raceways; Kent, Washington.

TV: Eliminations, Sunday, 5 p.m. ET (live) Fox, 10 p.m. ET (delayed) FS1

THIS WEEK: The end of the Western Swing hits the state of Washington this weekend for the 16th of 24 events on the season before heading down the stretch run of the season in two weeks in Minnesota for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals and then on to Indy on Labor Day Weekend for the U.S. Nationals. ... Winners last week at Sonoma were Billy Torrence in Top Fuel, Robert Hight in Funny Car, Greg Anderson in Pro Stock and Andrew Hines in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Pro Stock Motorcycle has this weekend off. ... Steve Torrence leads the Top Fuel standings (1,486 points), followed by Clay Millican (914), Antron Brown (914), Brittany Force (894) and Doug Kalitta (887) rounding out the top five. ... Hight leads Funny Car (1,283), followed by Tommy Johnson Jr. (1,084), John Force (1,035), Jack Beckman (964) and Ron Capps (962). ... Bo Butner is on top in Pro Stock (781), followed by Anderson (675), Alex Laughlin (658), Jason Line (582) and Matt Hartford (567). ... Hines leads Pro Stock Motorcycle (967), followed by Eddie Krawiec (770), Matt Smith (712), Hector Arana Jr. (658) and Karen Stoffer (452).

Standings per NHRA.com.

--By K. Lee Davis, Field Level Media

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