NASCAR Cup playoffs to run under the lights at Bristol bullring; F1 preps for streets of Singapore

 

[September 18, 2024]  By The Associated Press

All Times Eastern

NASCAR Cup Series
Bass Pro Shops Night Race.

Site: Bristol, Tennessee.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 4 p.m.; qualifying, 5:05 p.m.; Saturday, race, 7:30 p.m. (USA Network)

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway.

Race distance: 500 laps, 266.5 miles.

Last year: Denny Hamlin started second in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and led three times for 147 laps, including the final 135, to earn his third and final victory of 2023 on the way to finishing fifth in the standings. Kyle Larson was second in a Chevy and Christopher Bell third for JGR, which claimed three of the top five spots. Ryan Blaney was 22nd in a Penske Ford before recovering from that awful run and 28th the next race at Texas to win two of the final seven races and claim the title.

Last race: Chris Buescher led five non-playoff drivers for an overtime win at Watkins Glen, a wild road race that will be remembered for the high number of championship contenders enduring wrecks, torn tires and aggressive driving. Just two playoff drivers finished in the top 10, while 10 others were dotted among the bottom 21 in the results. Buescher held off Shane van Gisbergen for his sixth career win, followed by Carson Hocevar, Ross Chastain and Zane Smith.

Fast facts: Christopher Bell was 14th at The Glen and leads Austin Cindric by three points in the standings with Alex Bowman five back. Joey Logano's Atlanta win earned entry in the second round. Bristol marks the first-round cutoff with four drivers eliminated. Hamlin is 13th, six points below JGR teammate Ty Gibbs on the cutoff line. Brad Keselowski is 12 points behind, with Truex 14 back and Burton 20 back.

Next race: Sept. 22, Kansas City, Kansas.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR Xfinity Series
Food City 300

Site: Bristol, Tennessee.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 2 p.m.; qualifying, 2:40 p.m.; race, 7:30 p.m. (CW)

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway.

Race distance: 300 laps, 159.9 miles.

Last year: Justin Allgaier passed Daniel Hemric late and led the final 13 laps for the victory. Allgaier led three times for a race-high 110 laps in his Chevy. Hemric was next in a Chevy, followed by John H. Nemechek (Toyota), pole-sitter Cole Custer (Ford, 109 laps led) and Chandler Smith (Chevy).

Last race: Eighteen-year-old Connor Zilisch won his Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen, taking the JR Motorsports Chevy owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the checkered flag from the pole with a Stage 1 win and leading three times for 45 laps on the road course. Zilisch had to save fuel in a wreck-marred ending. Sheldon Creed was second in a Toyota and A.J. Allmendinger third in a Chevy.

Fast facts: Bristol marks the regular-season finale before the 12-team playoff field is set. ... Xfinity's postseason starts at Kansas on Sept. 28 with Talladega and the Charlotte Roval making up the rest of the first round. The field will be cut to eight drivers after those three races. ... Justin Allgaier holds the regular-season lead by 34 points over defending Xfinity champion Cole Custer. ... NASCAR Hall of Famer and two-time series champ Dale Earnhardt Jr. will race for the second consecutive year in the No. 88 Chevy for JR Motorsports. Nephew Jeffrey Earnhardt will drive the No. 26 Toyota for Sam Hunt Racing.

Next race: Sept. 28, Kansas City, Kansas.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR Truck Series
UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics

Site: Bristol, Tennessee.

Schedule: Thursday, practice, 3 p.m.; qualifying, 3:35 p.m.; race, 8 p.m. (FS1)

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway.

Race distance: 200 laps, 106.6 miles.

Last race: Second-generation NASCAR driver Layne Riggs, 22, was the surprise winner of the playoff opener at the Milwaukee Mile on Aug. 25. The son of former Cup regular and five-time Trucks winner Scott Riggs held off championship contender Ty Majeski for his first career victory, impressive considering he wasn't part of the 10-team playoff field. Riggs dislocated his shoulder celebrating his landmark victory before the team popped it back into place.

Fast Facts: Christian Eckes leads Ty Majeski by 16 points, Corey Heim by 19 and Nicholas Sanchez by 26 in the standings. Ben Rhodes and Rajah Caruth are behind the cut line, ninth and 10th in the standings. ... The Truck Series kicks off Bristol's tripleheader weekend of same-day practice, qualifying and night racing for each national touring series. ... The entries include IndyCar Series driver Marco Andretti, who will make his seventh career Trucks start in the No. 04 Chevrolet for Roper Racing. ... Sprint car rising star Corey Day will debut in the first of four scheduled starts this fall for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in the No. 81 Chevrolet. ... Connor Zilisch, 18, is coming off a debut win in the Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen and will make his third Truck series in the Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet. ... The playoff field will be cut from 10 to eight after Bristol and Kansas.

Next race: Sept. 27, Kansas City, Kansas.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

Colton Herta drives during an IndyCar auto race, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Formula 1
Singapore Grand Prix

Site: Singapore.

Schedule: Friday, practice 1, 5:30 a.m.; practice 2, 9 a.m.; Saturday, practice, 5:30 a.m.; qualifying, 9 a.m. Sunday, race, 8 a.m. (ESPN).

Track: Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Race distance: 62 laps, 306.143 kilometers (190.228 miles).

Last year: Carlos Sainz Jr. won for Ferrari, ending season win streaks for Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Sainz started on the pole position and held on despite badly worn tires over several tense final laps for his second career win in F1 ahead of McLaren driver Lando Norris and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull had envisioned winning every race last season but Verstappen was fifth, ending a 10-race winning streak and Red Bull’s 15-race run dating back to the previous season. Both are Formula 1 records.

Last race: Oscar Piastri overtook Charles Leclerc to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as F1 title challenger Lando Norris staged a comeback to finish ahead of standings leader Max Verstappen. Piastri started second behind Leclerc but took the lead with a daring swoop past the Ferrari driver into the first corner on Lap 20 of 51. Norris finished fourth after overtaking Verstappen late in the race. Red Bull driver Sergio Perez tried to attack Leclerc for second late on but ended up colliding with the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz Jr., who was close behind. George Russell ended up third for Mercedes.

Fast facts: Defending series champion Max Verstappen has a 59-point lead over Lando Norris with seven races remaining. Charles Leclerc is 78 points back in third. ... This race precedes a month-long series break until resuming in the United States at Austin, Texas, in mid-October. ... Verstappen had won seven of the first 10 races, the last which came in Spain in late June. But Verstappen has had only two podium finishes in the past seven events, including fifth in Azerbaijan.

Next race: Oct. 20, Austin, Texas.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

IndyCar
Last race: Alex Palou claimed his second consecutive IndyCar championship and third in four years at Nashville Superspeedway when challenger Will Power’s seatbelt came loose minutes into the season-deciding finale. Colton Herta won the Music City Grand Prix for his first career victory on an oval and second win of the season for Andretti Global. Herta topped Pato O’Ward in a wheel-to-wheel battle in the closing laps. Herta was the series runner-up with Scott McLaughlin third and Penske teammate Power fourth. Power won the 2022 title and entered the finale 33 points down after twice failing to reclaim the crown.

Next race: March 2, 2025, St. Petersburg, Florida.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

NHRA Drag Racing
Carolina Nationals, Concord, North Carolina.

Last event: Antron Brown won the Top Fuel class and Austin Prock in Funny Car as the Countdown kicked off with the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals in Mohnton, Pennsylvania. Brown topped Shawn Langdon in the final for his fourth win this season and 78th of his career including Pro Stock Motorcycle. Prock outdueled John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman for his sixth win of 2024. Beckman is driving for Force while the Funny Car great recovers from serious injuries sustained this summer in a crash at the Virginia Nationals.

Fast facts: Brown surged to within a point of new leader Justin Ashley with Langdon six points back and Doug Kalitta 33 behind after initially leading the Countdown. Kalitta dropped after a first-round loss.

Next event: Sept. 27-29, Madison, Illinois.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

World of Outlaws
Dennis Roth Classic, Tulare, California.

Last events: Michael “Buddy” Kofoid remained hot with a California sweep, winning Saturday's Federated Auto Parts Yosemite Showdown in Merced a day after taking the “Nashville West” Showdown in Bakersfield. Kofoid has won four of his past five events.

Fast facts: David Gravel leads Carson Macedo by 86 points in the driver's standings. Donny Schatz is third, 132 points behind Gravel.

Next events: Sept. 27, Orrville, Ohio; Sept. 28, Hartford, Ohio.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars

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