All Times Eastern
NASCAR
Kobalt Tools 500
Site: Avondale, Ariz.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 2-3:30 p.m.), qualifying (Speed, 5:30-7:30 p.m.); Saturday, practice (Speed, 1:30-2:30 p.m.; ESPN2, 3-4 p.m.); Sunday, race, 3 p.m. (ESPN, 2-6:30 p.m.).
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (oval, 1 mile).
Race distance: 312 miles, 312 laps.
Last year: Jimmie Johnson closed in on his fourth straight series championship, winning the Phoenix fall race for the third straight year.
Last week: Denny Hamlin took the points lead with two races left, holding off Matt Kenseth on the final restart at Texas. Hamlin has a series-high eight victories for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Fast facts: Hamlin has a 33-point lead over Johnson and a 59-point advantage over third-place Kevin Harvick. Hamlin has five top-five finishes in 10 Phoenix starts. Johnson has four victories and nine top-five finishes in 14 starts at the track. … Kyle Busch was fined $25,000 on Tuesday for making an obscene gesture at Texas. He also was placed on probation through Dec. 31. … Ryan Newman won in April at the track.
Next race: Ford 400, Nov. 21, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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NATIONWIDE
WYPALL 200
Site: Avondale, Ariz.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, noon-2 p.m., 3:30-4:30 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (Speed, noon-1:30 p.m.), race, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2, 4-7 p.m.).
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (oval, 1 mile).
Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Carl Edwards raced to the last of his five 2009 series victories, easily holding off Kevin Harvick in a dominating run.
Last week: Brad Keselowski wrapped up the season title by finishing third in Texas, giving owner Roger Penske his first championship in one of NASCAR’s national series. Edwards won the race, and Kyle Busch was second.
Fast facts: In the owners’ standings, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Busch-driven No. 18 Toyota leads Penske’s Keselowski-driven No. 22 Dodge by 81 points. … Busch won at the track in April, rallying after losing the lead on a disputed restart and falling 20 seconds back after a drive-through penalty. He has a series-record 12 victories this year and 42 in 200 career Nationwide starts. … Keselowski has six victories this year. … Area resident Danica Patrick is making her 12th Nationwide start in the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned No. 7 Chevrolet.
Next race: Ford 300, Nov. 20, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS
Lucas Oil 150
Site: Avondale, Ariz.
Schedule: Thursday, practice; Friday, qualifying (Speed, 4:30-5:30 p.m.), race, 8 p.m. (Speed, 7:30-10:30 p.m.).
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (oval, 1 mile).
Race distance: 150 miles, 150 laps.
Last year: Ron Hornaday Jr. won his record fourth series championship, finishing fourth. Kevin Harvick, Hornaday’s team owner, won the race.
Last week: Kyle Busch moved closer to the owner’s championship, winning at Texas to take a 72-point lead over Steve Germain’s Todd Bodine-driven entry with two races left. Busch has a series-high seven victories in 14 starts this year.
Fast facts: Bodine leads second-place Almirola by 230 points in the drivers’ standings. Bodine has three victories this year. … Toyota wrapped up its fifth straight manufacturers’ title last week. … Harvick is skipping the race. Clint Bowyer will drive the Harvick-owned No. 2 Chevrolet.
Next race: Ford 400, Nov. 19, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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FORMULA ONE
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Site: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 8-9:30 a.m.), Saturday, practice, qualifying (Speed, 8-9:30 a.m.); Sunday, race, 8 a.m. (Speed, 7:30-10 a.m.).
Track: Yas Marina Circuit (road course, 3.45 miles).
Race distance: 189.8 miles, 55 laps.
Last year: Sebastian Vettel won the season finale, and Mark Webber hung on for second to give Red Bull a one-two finish. Brawn GP’s Jenson Button, who had already wrapped up the drivers’ championship, was third.
Last week: Vettel took the lead at the first corner and went on to win the Brazilian Grand Prix, setting up a showdown for the season title. Red Bull teammate Webber was second, and championship leader Fernando Alonso of Ferrari third.
Fast facts: Alonso, the 2005 and 2006 champion for Renault, has an eight-point lead over Webber. Vettel (third, 15 points behind Alonso) and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton (fourth, 24 points behind Alonso) also are mathematically alive. The top 10 finishers are awarded points, with the winner getting 25, the second-place finisher 18, and the third-place finisher 15. The next seven will get 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1. Even if Webber wins, Alonso could take the title by finishing second. … Alonso has a series-high five victories, one more than Webber and Vettel. … Red Bull wrapped up its first constructors’ championship in Brazil. … The race last year was F1’s first on the 21-turn, Hermann Tilke-designed Yas Marina circuit.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
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NHRA FULL THROTTLE
Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals
Site: Pomona, Calif.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN, 9-11:30 p.m.).
Track: Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Last year: Tony Schumacher won his sixth straight and seventh overall Top Fuel championship, beating Larry Dixon by two points in the closest season title race in NHRA history. Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won a championship on the final day, while Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) wrapped up their titles in qualifying. Antron Brown took the Top Fuel finale, and Mike Neff (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won.
Last event: John Force moved closer to a possible 15th Funny Car season title, beating Matt Hagan on Oct. 31 in Las Vegas for his fifth victory of the year and record 131st overall. The 61-year-old Force, seeking his first season title since 2005, is second in the standings, 37 points behind Hagan. Schumacher (Top Fuel), Anderson (Pro Stock) and Louis Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won.
Fast facts: In February at Pomona in the Winternationals, Force won to end a 20-month victory drought. Dixon (Top Fuel) and Edwards (Pro Stock) also won. … Dixon, 12 for 12 in Top Fuel finals this season, has an 85-point lead over Schumacher. … In Pro Stock, Anderson has a 115-point lead over Edwards. … A driver can earn a maximum of 150 points at an event.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
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OTHER RACE
U.S. AUTO RACING CLUB: Sprint Car, Pacific Coast Nationals, Saturday, Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, Calif.Online: http://www.usacracing.com
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