Advertisement

Auto Racing: At a glance

By The Sports Xchange
NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr. owns the top seed in this year's playoffs. Photo by Mike Gentry/UPI
NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr. owns the top seed in this year's playoffs. Photo by Mike Gentry/UPI | License Photo

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES: TALES OF THE TURLES 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles around a 1.5-mile oval), Chicagoland Speedway; Joliet, Ill.

TV: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET -- NBCSN (Radio: Motor Racing Network /SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

Advertisement

THIS WEEK: This will be the 17th NASCAR Cup race at Chicagoland, which has been hosting NASCAR since 2001. ... This is the first race of the 10-race NASCAR Cup playoffs, with 16 drivers battling it out for the 2017 championship. ... Martin Truex Jr., who is the No. 1 seed in this year's playoffs, is the defending winner at last year's race at Chicagoland. Denny Hamlin won in 2015 and Brad Keselowski has won two of the last five races there (2012 and 2014). Matt Kenseth won in 2013. ... Kyle Larson won last Saturday's race at Richmond Raceway. ... Among news stories this week, Smithfield Foods has left Richard Petty Motorsports and will be primary sponsor for either the No. 41 or No. 10 teams of Stewart Haas Racing next season. Who will drive those cars is to be determined. Also, Danica Patrick will not return to the team next season. Whether she continues racing in the sport is uncertain. Also, Aric Almirola announced he is leaving Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of this season. He has not said with which team he'll drive next season. A likely replacement will for Almirola in the No. 43 Ford at RPM will be Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. ... Here's how the playoff standings begin this week: Truex is No. 1 with 2,053 points, followed by Larson (2,033), Kyle Busch (2,029), Keselowski (2,019), Jimmie Johnson (2,017), Kevin Harvick (2,015), Hamlin (2,013), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2,010), Ryan Blaney (2,008), Chase Elliott (2,006), Ryan Newman (2,005), Kurt Busch (2,005), Kasey Kahne (2,005), Austin Dillon (2,005), Kenseth (2,005) and Jamie McMurray (2,003).

Advertisement

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: THEHOUSE.COM 300 (200 laps, 300 miles around a 1.5-mile oval), Chicagoland Speedway; Joliet, Ill.

TV: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET -- NBCSN (Radio: Motor Racing Network /SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: This will be the 22nd Xfinity race at Chicagoland. Erik Jones is the defending winner of last year's race. ... Keselowski won this past Friday's Xfinity Series race at Richmond. ... Elliott Sadler (894 points) remains No. 1 in the Xfinity standings, followed by William Byron (799), Justin Allgaier (774), Daniel Hemric (702), Brennan Poole (701), Cole Custer (617), Matt Tifft (582), Blake Koch (537), Ryan Reed (512) and Michael Annett (512).

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES: THEHOUSE.COM 225 (150 laps, 225 miles around a 1.5-mile oval), Chicagoland Speedway; Joliet, Ill.

TV: Friday, 8:30 p.m. ET -- FoxSports1 (Radio: Motor Racing Network /SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: This will be the ninth Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. Kyle Busch won last year's race there. ... Austin Cindric won the last race, the Chevrolet Silverado 250, in Ontario on Sept. 3. It was also Cindric's first career Truck Series win. ... Christopher Bell leads the point standings (634 points), followed by defending series champ Johnny Sauter (604), Matt Crafton (574), Chase Briscoe (573), Ben Rhodes (505), Ryan Truex (498), Grant Enfinger (474), John Hunter Nemechek (463), Noah Gragson (458) and Austin Cindric (447).

Advertisement

VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES: GOPRO GRAND PRIX (85 laps, 195.8 miles on a 2.303 mile road course), Sonoma Raceway; Sonoma, Calif.

TV: Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET -- NBCSN (Radio: IndyCar Radio Network).

THIS WEEK: This is the 17th race of 2017 and also the season finale for the IndyCar Series. ... Alexander Rossi won the last race two weeks ago at Watkins Glen. Scott Dixon was second, followed by Ryan Hunter-Reay. ... Winners of the first 16 races have been Sebastien Bourdais (St. Petersburg), James Hinchcliffe (Long Beach), Josef Newgarden (Alabama, Toronto, Mid-Ohio, Gateway) Simon Pagenaud (Phoenix), Will Power (IndyCar Grand Prix), Takuma Sato (Indy 500), Graham Rahal (both Belle Isle races), Power (Texas, Pocono), Scott Dixon (Road America), Helio Castroneves (Iowa) and Alexander Rossi (Watkins Glen). ... Newgarden (560 points) remains No. 1 in the point standings, followed by Dixon (557), Helio Castroneves (538 points), Pagenaud (526), Power (492), Rossi (476), Rahal (466), Sato (421), Tony Kanaan (375) and Hunter-Reay (373). ... Newgarden, Dixon, Castroneves (may be making his final career start for Team Penske; he may race for another team next season if he parts ways with Team Penske), Pagenaud (the defending series champion) and Power are all in contention for the championship. That means there's an 80 percent chance that Team Penske will win the title, as four of the five finalists race for Team Penske.

Advertisement

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION, MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES: NHRA CAROLINA NATIONALS, Sept. 15-17, Max Dragway in Concord, N.C. (a suburb of Charlotte).

TV: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. -- 5:30 p.m. ET -- Fox Sports 1.

THIS WEEK: The six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin this weekend, with 10 drivers competing for the title in each of the four respective racing classes. ... Winners of the most recent race (two weeks ago), the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals were Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Drew Skillman (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle). ... Here are the revised point standings after Indianapolis: Top Fuel -- Torrence (2,100 points), Antron Brown (2,080) Leah Pritchett (2,070), Tony Schumacher (2,060), Doug Kalitta (2,050), Brittany Force (2,040), Clay Millican (2,030), Terry McMillan (2,020), Scott Palmer (2,010) and Shawn Langdon (2,000); Funny Car -- Ron Capps (2,100), Robert Hight (2,080), Matt Hagan (2,070), Jack Beckman (2,060), Tommy Johnson Jr. (2,050), Courtney Force (2,040), John Force (2,030), JR Todd (2,020), Tim Wilkerson (2,010) and Cruz Pedregon (2,000); Pro Stock -- Bo Butner (2,100), Tanner Gray (2,080), Greg Anderson (2,070), Drew Skillman (2,060), Jason Line (2,050), Erica Enders (2,040), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (2,030), Vincent Nobile (2,020), Allen Johnson (2,010) and Chris McGaha (2,000); Pro Stock Motorcycle -- L.E. Tonglet (2,100), Eddie Krawiec (2,080), Hector Arana Jr. (2,070), Jerry Savoie (2,060), Matt Smith (2,050), Andrew Hines (2,040), Scotty Pollacheck (2,030), Joey Gladstone (2,020), Karen Stoffer (2,010) and Angie Smith (2,000).

Advertisement

Latest Headlines