Springfield News-Sun

AUTO RACING THIS WEEK

-

NASCAR CUP SERIES FOLDS OF HONOR QUIKTRIP 500

■ Site: Hampton, Georgia

■ Schedule: Sunday, race, 3 p.m.

■ Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway

■ Race distance: 325 laps, 500 miles.

■ Last year: Kevin Harvick won after starting ninth.

■ Last race: Martin Truex Jr. took the lead on a restart with 25 laps to go and won at Phoenix Raceway.

■ Fast facts: Denny Hamlin continues to lead the point standings and has finished in the top five in four of five races. Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are second and third. ... Truex and Kyle Larson round out the top five and are two of the five different winners in the series so far. ... Kurt Busch is 10th in points but has led just two laps.

■ Next race: March 28, Bristol, Tennessee

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES ECHOPARK 250

■ Site: Hampton, Georgia

■ Schedule: Saturday, race, 5 p.m.

■ Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway

■ Race distance: 200 laps, 308 miles

■ Last year: A.J. Allmending­er won after starting 30th, the deepest starting spot in the field of any race winner in the series last year.

■ Last race: Austin Cindric became the first repeat winner in the series this year, beating 18-year-old rookie Ty Gibbs in a restart with two laps to go.

■ Fast facts: Cindric, the defending series champion, has finished in the top five in all five races this season. He leads the points race followed by Daniel Hemrick, Jeb Burton, Allmending­er and Harrison Burton. ... Gibbs is 15th in points despite having raced just twice. He won his first career start on the road course at Daytona.

■ Next race: April 9, Martinsvil­le, Virginia.

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES FR8AUCTION­S 200

■ Site: Hampton, Georgia

■ Schedule: Saturday, race, 2:30 p.m.

■ Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway

■ Race distance: 130 laps, 200 miles

■ Last year: Grant Enfinger won after starting fifth.

■ Last race: John Hunter Nemechek won after starting third at Las Vegas.

■ Fast facts: Nemechek’s victory moved him past Ben Rhodes and into the series points lead after three races. Rhodes won the first two events of the season.

... Nemechek has led 122 laps through three races. Defending series champion Sheldon Creed is next with 25. ... Nemechek and

Rhodes are the only drivers with three top 10 finishes. ... 55 different drivers have already participat­ed in the series this year.

■ Next race: March 27, Bristol, Tennessee.

FORMULA ONE

■ Last race: Lewis Hamilton completed his sixth championsh­ip season in seven years even though Max Verstappen held off the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Valterri Bottas for his second victory of the season.

■ Next race: Bahrain Grand Prix, March 28, Sakhir, Bahrain (season opener)

INDYCAR

■ Last race: Scott Dixon clinched his sixth series championsh­ip, holding off Josef Newgarden despite Newgarden’s Dixonmatch­ing fourth victory of the season.

■ Next race: April 18, Birmingham, Alabama (season opener)

NHRA DRAG RACING

■ Last race: Josh Hart won Top Fuel and J.R.

Todd in Funny Car at the Gatornatio­nals.

■ Next event: TBD, Pomona, California; April 16-18, Las Vegas.

WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CARS

■ Next event: March 19-20, Paige, Texas.

 ?? RALPH FRESO / ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Martin Truex Jr. took the lead on a restart with 25 laps to go and won Sunday at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz.
RALPH FRESO / ASSOCIATED PRESS Martin Truex Jr. took the lead on a restart with 25 laps to go and won Sunday at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States