All Times EDT
NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
GEICO 400
Site: Joliet, Ill.
Schedule: Friday, practice (ESPN2, 1-2:30 p.m., 4-5:30 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (Speed, 1:30-3 p.m.); Sunday, race, 2 p.m. (ESPN, 1-5:30 p.m.).
Track: Chicagoland Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).
Race distance: 400.5 miles, 267 laps.
Last year: Tony Stewart won the rain-delayed Chase opener en route to his third season title, conserving fuel and holding off Kevin Harvick. Winless in the regular season, Stewart finished with a Chase-record five victories.
Last week: Clint Bowyer won at Richmond, and Jeff Gordon rallied to finish second to take the final spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Fast facts: Denny Hamlin, the series leader with four victories, tops the reset Chase standings – three points ahead of Jimmie Johnson, Stewart. Brad Keselowski. Greg Biffle and Bowyer are six points behind, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth are nine points back, and Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne and Gordon are 12 points behind. … Stewart also won at the track in 2004 and 2007. … Danica Patrick is making her sixth series start.
Next race: Sylvania 300, Sept. 23, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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NATIONWIDE
DOLLAR GENERAL 300
Site: Joliet, Ill.
Schedule: Friday, practice (ESPN2, 2:30-4 p.m.; Speed, 5:30-7 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (Speed, noon-1:30 p.m.), race, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN, 3-6 p.m.).
Track: Chicagoland Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).
Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Brad Keselowski raced to the third of his five 2011 victories.
Last week: Kevin Harvick won at Richmond to snap a 30-race winless streak. The Cup driver has 38 career Nationwide victories, six at Richmond.
Fast facts: Elliott Sadler, the July winner at the track, leads the season standings with eight races left – one point ahead of defending series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. … Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 team leads the owners’ standings, 13 points ahead of Richard Childress’ No. 2 car driven by Sadler. Roush Fenway’s No. 6 team – driven by Stenhouse – is third, 14 points behind Gibbs’ car. Joey Logano will drive the No. 18 this week. He has a series-high six victories in 15 starts. … Keselowski and Kurt Busch also are racing.
Next race: Kentucky 300, Sept. 22, Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Ky.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
AMERICAN ETHANOL 200
Site: Newton, Iowa.
Schedule: Friday, practice; Saturday, practice, qualifying (Speed, 6:30-7:30 p.m.), race, 8:30 p.m. (Speed, 8-11 p.m.).
Track: Iowa Speedway (oval, 0.875 miles).
Race distance: 175 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Matt Crafton held off Austin Dillon to snap a 79-race winless streak.
Last race: Ty Dillon won at Atlanta on Aug. 31 for his first series victory, passing Kyle Busch with six laps to go.
Fast facts: Timothy Peters won the July race at the track. He leads the season standings, six points ahead of James Buescher. Dillon is third, nine points behind Peters. … The series is racing twice at the track for the first time in a season.
Next race: Kentucky 201, Sept. 21, Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Ky.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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INDYCAR
MAV TV 500
Site: Fontana, Calif.
Schedule: Friday, practice, qualifying (NBC Sports Channel, 7:30-8:30 p.m.); Saturday, race, 8:45 p.m. (NBC Sports Channel, 7:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.).
Track: Auto Club Speedway (oval, 2.0 miles).
Race distance: 500 miles, 250 laps.
Last year: Inaugural race. Last year at Las Vegas in the season finale, two-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon was killed in an accident on the 11th lap. The race was canceled and the drivers returned to track for a five-lap tribute to Wheldon.
Last race: Ryan Hunter-Reay won the Grand Prix of Baltimore on Sept. 2 for the Andretti Autosport driver’s series-leading fourth victory.
Fast facts: Penske Racing’s Will Power enters the finale with a 17-point lead over second-place Hunter-Reay. The series champion will receive a $1 million bonus. … Hunter-Reay won oval races this year at the Milwaukee Mile and Iowa Speedway. … Dario Franchitti won in 2005 in the last IndyCar race at the track. He won the Indianapolis 500 in May. … The 100-mile Firestone Indy Lights race also is Saturday. Tristan Vautier leads the series standings.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
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NHRA FULL THROTTLE
O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NATIONALS
Site: Concord, N.C.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, Sunday, 3-4 a.m.), Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 8:30-11:30 p.m.).
Track: zMAX Dragway.
Last year: Matt Hagan won the Funny Car final in the playoff opener. Antron Brown won in Top Fuel, Kurt Johnson took the Pro Stock division, and Ed Krawiec topped the Pro Stock Motorcycle final.
Last week: Tony Schumacher raced to his ninth U.S. Nationals victory, breaking a tie with Don Garlits for the Top Fuel record in the Indianapolis event. Mike Neff won the Funny Car division in the rain-delayed event, Dave Connolly topped the Pro Stock field, and Andrew Hines won in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Fast facts: The event opens the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs. The top 10 in each class qualified for the playoffs. Points have been reset, with the gap from first to second 30 points and the other places separated by 10 points. Brown leads in Top Fuel, followed by Spencer Massey and Schumacher. Ron Capps tops the Funny Car standings, Allen Johnson has the Pro Stock lead, and Krawiec is the Pro Stock Motorcycle leader. … In April in the 4-Wide Nationals at the track, Robert Hight became the fifth Funny Car driver to win four straight races. Massey won in Top Fuel, and Greg Anderson in Pro Stock.
Next event: Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, Sept. 21-23, Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
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FORMULA ONE
Next race: Singapore Grand Prix, Sept. 23, Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore.
Last week: McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix for his third victory of the year and 20th overall. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finished third to extend his lead in the season standings.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
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OTHER RACES
ARCA RACING SERIES: Kentuckiana Ford Dealers Fall Classic, Saturday, Salem Speedway, Salem, Ind. Online: http://www.arcaracing.com
AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES: VIR 240, Saturday (ESPN2, Sunday, 5-7 p.m.), Virginia International Raceway, Alton, Va. Online: http://www.americanlemans.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: Friday, Clay County Fairgrounds, Spencer, Iowa; Saturday, Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn. Late Model: Friday, Belle-Clair Speedway, Belleville, Ill.; Saturday, Federated Auto Parts Speedway at I-55, Pevely, Mo. Super DirtCar: Friday, Mohawk International Raceway, Akwesasne, N.Y. Online: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com
U.S. AUTO RACING CLUB: Sprint Car: Saturday, Tri-State Speedway, Haubstadt, Ind. Online: http://www.usacracing.com
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