AUTO RACING: Blaney joins Byron in NASCAR's round of 8; Verstappen can clinch F1 title in Qatar

The Associated Press
·4 min read
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All Times Eastern

NASCAR CUP SERIES

Bank of America ROVAL 400

Site: Concord, North Carolina.

Schedule: Saturday, practice, noon, and qualifying, 1 p.m.; Sunday, race, 2 p.m. (NBC).

Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.

Race distance: 109 laps, 252.88 miles.

Last year: Christopher Bell won after starting eighth.

Last race: Ryan Blaney used a crossover move to nudge ahead of Kevin Harvick with two laps remaining and won at Talladega by 0.012 seconds to advance into the round of eight of NASCAR’s playoffs.

Fast facts: Blaney, who has two wins but just five top-five finishes this season, joined William Byron as drivers locked into the next playoff round. ... Harvick was later disqualified after failing postrace inspection. He remains winless this season, which will end with his retirement. ... Harvick's DQ gave second place to Byron with Denny Hamlin third. ... The field of 12 drivers will be pared to eight following Sunday's race on The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. ... Brad Keselowski remained two points above the round of eight cutline; the four drivers behind him are Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace and two-time series champion Kyle Busch. Busch must win at Charlotte to advance.

Next race: Oct. 15, Las Vegas.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina

Site: Concord, North Carolina.

Schedule: Saturday, practice, 10 a.m., qualifying, 10:30 a.m., and race, 3:30 p.m. (NBC).

Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.

Race distance: 67 laps, 155.44 miles.

Last year: A.J. Allmendinger won from the pole position.

Last race: John Hunter Nemechek won at Texas Motor Speedway for his series-best seventh win of the year.

Fast facts: Nemechek, Justin Allgaier and Cole Custer have all clinched berths in the round of eight with the finals spots to be set this weekend. ... Sheldon Creed (plus 9) and Daniel Hemric (plus 1) are the last two drivers inside the playoff bubble with Parker Kligerman (minus 1), Jeb Burton (minus 19), Josh Berry (minus 27) and Sam Mayer (minus 34) all hoping to work their way into the next round this weekend.

Next race: Oct. 14, Las Vegas.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

Last race: 2018 series champion Brett Moffitt turned his first race of the season in the series into his first superspeedway victory, prevailing in a three-wide overtime battle to win at Talladega. Corey Heim is the only driver to have secured a spot in the championship finale with one race remaining for the seven other contenders.

Next race: Oct. 21, Homestead, Florida.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

FORMULA ONE

Qatar Grand Prix

Site: Doha, Qatar.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 9:30 a.m., and qualifying, 1 p.m.; Saturday, Sprint Shootout, 9 a.m., and Sprint, 1:30 p.m.; Sunday, race, 1 p.m. (ESPN).

Track: Lusail International Circuit.

Race distance: 57 laps, 191.762 miles.

Last year: Not held (FIFA World Cup).

Last race: Max Verstappen won his 13th race of the season at the Japanese Grand Prix to clinch the constructors' championship for Red Bull.

Fast facts: Verstappen leads teammate Sergio Perez by 177 points and can clinch his third consecutive season championship even before the race by finishing within five positions of Perez in the Sprint. ... Perez, with two wins, is 33 points ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton for second place with six races remaining.

Next race: Oct. 22, Austin, Texas.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

INDYCAR

Last race: Scott Dixon won at Laguna Seca, his third win of the season, all in the last four races. The six-time champion gave Chip Ganassi Racing a 1-2 finish in the standings. A week earlier, teammate Alex Palou became the first driver in 18 years to clinch the title before the final race of the season.

Next race: 2024 season opener at St. Petersburg, Florida.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

NHRA DRAG RACING

Last race: Clay Millican won in Top Fuel and Matt Hagan won in Funny Car at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Next race: Oct. 12-15, Ennis, Texas.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Next events: Oct 6 & 7, Port Royal, Pennsylvania.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars

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