AUTO RACING: Talladega’s next in NASCAR; F1 to Singapore

All Times Eastern

NASCAR CUP SERIES

YellaWood 500

Site: Talladega, Alabama.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 10:30 a.m.; Sunday, race, 2 p.m. (NBC).

Track: Talladega Superspeedway,

Race distance: 188 laps, 500.08 miles.

Last year: Bubba Wallace won after starting 19th.

Last race: Tyler Reddick, eliminated from the playoffs in round one, became the fourth consecutive non-contender for the championship to win as he led 53 of the last 54 laps in a caution-filled race at Texas.

Fast facts: The race included a track-record 16 cautions, a record 36 lead changes, a 56-minute red flag for lightning and multiple tire issues. … Joey Logano finished second and moved into the points lead after Chase Elliott was among those with tire issues and finished 32nd. He’s now tied for seventh, 26 points off the lead. … Ross Chastain is second, 12 points back, followed by William Byron (-13), Larson (-14) and Ryan Blaney (-15). … Blaney is the only driver among 12 left in the playoffs without a victory this year. … Elliott, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick all had tire issues while leading the race.

Next race: Oct. 9, Concord, North Carolina.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Sparks 300

Site: Talladega, Alabama.

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

Track: Talladega Superspeedway,

Race distance: 113 laps, 300.58 miles.

Last year: Brandon Brown earned his only career victory after starting 19th.

Last race: Noah Gragson won his fourth consecutive race — and locked up a spot in the next playoff round — after starting second at Texas.

Fast facts: Gragson became just the second driver in series history to win four straight races. The other was Sam Ard in 1983, the series’ second year. … The top six finishers were all playoff contenders, with Austin Hill edging Ty Gibbs for second, followed by A.J. Allmendinger, Riley Herbst and Josh Berry. … Justin Allgaier, defending series champion Daniel Hemric and Brandon Jones were caught up in a wreck and dropped to the bottom of the playoff standings.

Next race: Oct. 8, Concord, North Carolina.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

Chevy Silverado 250

Site: Talladega, Alabama.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 3:30 p.m.; Saturday, race, 12:30 p.m. (FS1).

Track: Talladega Superspeedway,

Race distance: 100 laps, 250 miles.

Last year: Tate Fogelman earned his only career victory in 20 starts after starting 20th.

Last race: Ty Majeski pulled away from Zane Smith on a restart with 12 laps to go at Bristol and earned his first career victory — and a berth in the championship finale at Phoenix in November.

Fast facts: With two races remaining in the round of eight, Chandler Smith leads Zane Smith by three points, Stewart Friesen by 15 and Majeski by 23. … Christian Eckes is sixth in the standings, 28 points behind, and the only driver in the playoffs without a victory this season. … Defending series champion Ben Rhodes is last among the final eight in the playoffs, 33 points behind.

Next race: Oct. 22, Homestead, Florida.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

FORMULA ONE

Singapore Grand Prix

Site: Marina Bay, Singapore.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.; Saturday, practice, 6 a.m., and qualifying, 9 a.m.; Sunday, race, 8 a.m. (ESPN).

Track: Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Race distance: 61 laps, 191.821 miles.

Last year: Did not race (pandemic).

Last race: Last race: Points leader Max Verstappen won in Italy after starting seventh — his fifth consecutive victory and 11th in 16 races this season — and moved within striking distance of his second consecutive season championship.

Fast facts: Verstappen leads Charles Leclerc by 116 points and can clinch the championship by outscoring Leclerc by 22 points, Sergio Perez by 13 and George Russell by six. … Verstappen has 13 top-three finishes; no other driver has more than seven.

Next race: Oct. 9, Suzuka, Japan.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

INDYCAR

Last race: Outgoing champion Alex Palou won at Laguna Seca and Will Power finished third in the season finale to beat Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden for the season championship by 16 points. It’s the second title for Power, who also won in 2014, and the 17th for the Penske organization.

Next race: Next season.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

NHRA DRAG RACING

Last event: Antron Brown won in Top Fuel and Ron Capps won in Funny Car in North Carolina.

Next event: Oct. 2, Madison, Illinois.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Next events: Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars

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