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Auto Racing Glance

[October 31, 2019] MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES: AAA TEXAS 500 (334 laps, 500.5 miles around a 1.5-mile D-shaped oval), Texas Motor Speedway; Fort Worth, Texas

TV: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET (Green flag approx. 3:16 p.m. ET) - NBCSN (Radio: Performance Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: Martin Truex Jr. punched the first ticket to the championship race at Homestead (Nov. 17) with a dominating victory at Martinsville on Sunday. ... The other three spots in the finale look to be up for grabs by as many as six remaining playoffs drivers, with only Chase Elliott in a terrible (eighth) spot after a 36th-place finish Sunday, third to last, meaning he will be desperate to win at Texas or Phoenix. The top three drivers under the four-driver cutoff -- Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson -- also have work to do. ... Up this Sunday is the aforementioned Texas Motor Speedway, a fast 1.5-mile track where passing is at a premium at the front. ... This is the 34th of 36 races on the season, and is the 38th series race at the track. ... Harvick won this race last fall, with Denny Hamlin winning here in the spring. ... Harvick is the only driver in the bottom four to have won at Texas, winning the spring race in 2017, as well. ... *Truex leads the standings (4,102 points), followed by Hamlin (4,082), Kyle Busch (4,075), Joey Logano (4,072), Harvick (4,058), Blaney (4,057), Larson (4,048) and Elliott (4,028) comprising the eight drivers still alive in the playoffs.

BEST BETS: Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. are the co-favorites at 5/1, with Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson hard behind them at 7/1. Ryan Blaney is 12/1. If you insist on taking a long shot (and non-playoffs drivers rarely win at the Cup level late in the season and so far are 0-for-7 this season), may as well throw down on Ryan Preece or Darrell Wallace Jr. at 1,000/1.

*Denotes race win and berth into the championship race. Stats and standings per NASCAR.com.

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: O'REILLY AUTO PARTS CHALLENGE (200 laps, 300 miles around a 1.5-mile D-shaped oval), Texas Motor Speedway; Fort Worth, Texas

TV: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET (Green flag approx. 8:46 p.m. ET) - NBCSN (Radio: Performance Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: The series opened its Round of 8 at Kansas and no playoff driver won, then took a week off. So it's on to Texas with each of those eight drivers still in the playoffs looking for a win and guaranteed spot in the championship race at Homestead on Nov. 16. ... Texas Motor Speedway is a track similar to Kansas, both 1.5 mile D-shaped ovals, and playoff drivers Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Cole Custer have all won on such a track this season. ... This is the 31st of 33 races on the season and the 36th series race at Texas. ... Full-time Cup driver Kyle Busch won here in the spring, but Custer won the fall race last year. ... Bell leads the standings (3,106), followed by Custer (3,095), Reddick (3,094), Justin Allgaier (3,059), Chase Briscoe (3,057), Michael Annett (3,047), Noah Gragson (3,042) and Austin Cindric (3,029).

Stats and standings per NASCAR.com.

NASCAR GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES

THIS WEEK: The Trucks take their final weekend off after the 21st of 23 races of the season after non-playoffs driver Todd Gilliland won last week at Martinsville. ... Next up is Phoenix next week, where two drivers of the remaining six will be eliminated before the final four shoot it out at Homestead on Nov. 15. ... Brett Moffitt leads the standings (3,107 points), followed by Stewart Friesen (3,097), Ross Chastain (3,082), Austin Hill (3,071), Matt Crafton (3,062) and Tyler Ankrum (3,056).

Stats and standings per NASCAR.com.

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NTT INDYCAR SERIES

THIS WEEK: The 2020 season kicks off March 15 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Florida, for the first of 17 races.

FORMULA ONE: UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX (59 laps, 200.6 miles around a 3.40-mile 20-turn permanent road course), Circuit of the Americas; Austin, Texas.

TV: Sunday, 2 p.m. ET (Green flag approx. 2:10 p.m. ET) - ABC (Radio: SiriusXM Radio Channel 132).

THIS WEEK: Three men have won five or more F1 world championships, but Lewis Hamilton aims to get to six on Sunday in Texas with two races to spare on the season. ... With five, Hamilton is tied with the legendary Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio, with only Germany's Michael Schumacher ahead of them with seven, a mark that seems within reach for a 34-year-old driver in his prime and with four championships in five seasons. ... Hamilton is the only driver among the three to not win a title driving for Ferrari. Fangio won for four different manufacturers (Alfa-Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Maserati) from 1951-57, a record. ... Hamilton won last week in Mexico City. ... Hamilton needs to score four points (an eighth-place finish) to win his sixth title regardless of what his only remaining title pursuer, teammate Valtteri Bottas, does in Austin. ... This will be the 20th of 22 races on the season, with the series headed to Brazil in two weeks for the penultimate race of the season. ... Great Britain's Hamilton leads the standings with 363 points in his Mercedes, with Finland's Bottas, Mercedes, second (289), followed by Monaco's Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (236), Germany's Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari (230) and Belgium's Max Verstappen, Red Bull (220).

Standings per F1.com

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION: DODGE NHRA NATIONALS, Thursday-Sunday, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Las Vegas, Nev.

TV: Eliminations, Sunday, 4-7 p.m. ET FS1 (live)

THIS WEEK: This season is fast coming to a close with the hot rods headed to Las Vegas this weekend for the last race before the finale at Pomona on Nov. 14-17. ... Las Vegas is the 23rd event of the season, and could see several champions crowned. ... Winners at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas, were Billy Torrence in Top Fuel, Matt Hagan in Funny Car, Greg Anderson in Pro Stock and Jerry Savoie in Pro Stock Motorcycle. ... Steve Torrence leads the Top Fuel standings (2,394 points), followed by Doug Kalitta (2,361), Brittany Force (2,348), Billy Torrence (2,323), Leah Pritchett (2,290), Austin Prock (2,278), Mike Salinas (2,266), Antron Brown (2,247), Richie Crampton (2,228) and Clay Millican (2,210). ... Robert Hight leads Funny Car (2,437), followed by Jack Beckman (2,367), John Force (2,363), Hagan (2,325), Bob Tasca III (2,315), Ron Capps (2,302), J.R. Todd (2,274), Tommy Johnson Jr. (2,243), Shawn Langdon (2,239) and Tim Wilkerson (2,188). ... Erica Enders leads Pro Stock (2,395), followed by Matt Hartford (2,367), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (2,330), Jason Line (2,327), Deric Kramer (2,323), Bo Butner (2,321), Anderson (2,296), Alex Laughlin (2,239), Chris McGaha (2,217) and Val Smeland (2,124). ... Andrew Hines lead Pro Stock Motorcycle (2,464), followed by Karen Stoffer (2,383), Savoie (2,370), Eddie Krawiec (2,365), Matt Smith (2,297), Hector Arana Jr. (2,274), Angelle Sampey (2,248), Angie Smith (2,181), Ryan Oehler (2,159) and Hector Arana (2,128).

Standings per NHRA.com.

--Field Level Media

--K. Lee Davis

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