AUTO RACING: Daytona offers last chance for Elliott to make playoffs; open-wheelers back in action

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NASCAR CUP SERIES

Coke Zero Sugar 400

Site: Daytona Beach, Florida.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 5:05 p.m.; Saturday, race, 7 p.m. (NBC).

Track: Daytona International Speedway.

Race distance: 160 laps, 400 miles.

Last year: Austin Dillon won after starting 21st, the deepest in the field any race winner started last season.

Last race: William Byron led 66 of the 90 laps, including the last 33, at Watkins Glen to win his series-best fifth race of the season.

Fast facts: This race will set the field for the 10-race, 16-driver playoffs. ... Among the drivers needing to win are 2020 series champion Chase Elliott, who fell two spots to 21st in the standings after running out of gas with 36 laps to go. ... Martin Truex Jr.'s lead over runnerup Denny Hamlin is 39 points, leaving the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates to battle for the regular season title. ... Byron is third, 76 points behind Truex. ... Former champions Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski both clinched spots in the playoffs despite neither having won a race this season.

Next race: Sept. 3, Darlington, South Carolina.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola

Site: Daytona Beach, Florida.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 3 p.m., and race, 7:30 p.m. (USA).

Track: Daytona International Speedway.

Race distance: 100 laps, 250 miles.

Last year: Kyle Larson won after starting third.

Last race: Sam Mayer spun race leader and archrival Ty Gibbs following a late restart at Watkins Glen and won for the second time in four weeks.

Fast facts: Gibbs, a Cup series regular, led 70 of the 86 laps but finished 17th after being nudged aside by Mayer. ... There are three races remaining before the 12-driver playoff field is set. ... Sheldon Creed finished second, followed by Parker Kligerman, Ross Chastain and Connor Mosack. ... John Hunter Nemechek was sixth and moved within nine points of Austin Hill for the series points lead. Justin Allgaier is 34 back. ... Riley Herbst entered the race with a 34-point lead over Kligerman, but Herbst broke a track bar mount late in the second stage and finished 35th, allowing Kligerman to close the gap to three points.

Next race: Sept. 2, Darlington, South Carolina.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

Clean Harbors 175

Site: West Allis, Wisconsin.

Schedule: Saturday, practice, 2 p.m.; Sunday, qualifying, 11:30 a.m., and race, 4 p.m. (FS1).

Track: Milwaukee Mile.

Race distance: 100 laps, 250 miles.

Last year: 175 laps, 177.62 miles.

Last race: Ty Majeski led 179 of 200 laps at Indianapolis in the first race of the playoffs to guarantee himself a spot in the next round.

Fast facts: Three-time series champion Matt Crafton and Matt DiBenedetto are the drivers below the cut line with two races remaining in the first playoff round. Neither has won a race this season. They trail eighth-place Nick Sanchez, another non-winner, by two points and three points, respectively.

Next race: Sept. 8, Kansas City, Kansas.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

FORMULA ONE

Dutch Grand Prix

Site: Zandvoort, The Netherlands.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 6:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.; Saturday, practice, 5:30 a.m. and qualifying, 9 a.m.; Sunday, race, 9 a.m. (ESPN).

Track: Circuit Zandvoort.

Race distance: 72 laps, 190.504 miles.

Last year: Max Verstappen won from the pole position.

Last race: Verstappen, the two-time reigning champion, won the Belgian Grand Prix, his eighth consecutive victory and 10th in 12 races, to extend his points lead over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez to 125 points.

Fast facts: With a maximum of 26 points available to the race winner in each race, Verstappen could go four races in a row without earning a point and still be the points leader. ... He and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez have combined to win the last 13 races, including all 12 this season, and 22 of the last 23. The last non-Red Bulls driver to win was George Russell of Mercedes in the penultimate race last season.

Next race: Sept. 3, Monza, Italy.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

INDYCAR

Bommarito Auto Group 500

Site: Madison, Illinois.

Schedule: Saturday, practice, 11 a.m., qualifying, 2 p.m., high line practice, 5 p.m., final practice, 5:45 p.m.; Sunday, race, 3:30 p.m. (NBC).

Track: World Wide Technology Raceway.

Race distance: 260 laps, 310.686 miles.

Last year: Josef Newgarden won after starting third.

Last race: Scott Dixon overcame a first-lap spin at Indianapolis, used pole-sitter Graham Rahal’s late pit stop to grab the lead and stretched his streak of seasons with at least one victory to 19, extending his own record.

Fast facts: Alex Palou, the 2021 series champion, has a 101-point lead over six-time champion Dixon and a 105-point lead over two-time champion Newgarden. ... Palou and Newgarden share the lead with four wins each, but Palou's all came within a five-race period. ... Through 14 races, only seven drivers have earned victories.

Next race: Sept. 3, Portland, Oregon.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

NHRA DRAG RACING

Last event: Antron Brown won in Top Fuel and Ron Capps won in Funny car in Minnesota.

Next event: Aug. 30-Sept. 4, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Next events: Aug. 25, Grand Forks, North Dakota, and Aug. 26, West Fargo, North Dakota.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars

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