All Times EDT
NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
SOUTHERN 500
Site: Darlington, S.C.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Fox Sports 1, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., 2-3 p.m.), qualifying (Fox Sports 1, 6-7:30 p.m.); Saturday, race, 6:30 p.m. (Fox, 6-10:30 p.m.).
Track: Darlington Raceway (oval, 1.366 miles).
Race distance: 501.3 miles, 367 laps.
Last year: Matt Kenseth raced to the third of his career-high seven victories in his first season at Joe Gibbs Racing, easily holding off teammate Denny Hamlin.
Last week: Joey Logano won the rain-delayed race at Texas on Monday, passing Jeff Gordon on the last lap in a green-white-checkered finish.
Fast facts: Seven drivers have won in the first seven races, three off the 2000 series record for events at the start of the season without a repeat winner. Defending season champion Jimmie Johnson and second-place Kenseth are winless this year. Johnson won the 2012 race for his third Darlington victory. … Gordon has seven Darlington wins, the last in 2007. … Johnny Mantz won the inaugural race at the egg-shaped track in 1950. … David Pearson holds the track record with 10 victories, one more than Dale Earnhardt.
Next race: Toyota Owners 400, April 26, Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Va.
Online: https://www.nascar.com
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NATIONWIDE
VFW SPORT CLIPS HELP A HERO 200
Site: Darlington, S.C.
Schedule: Thursday, practice; Friday, qualifying (Fox Sports 2, 4-5:30 p.m.), race, 8 p.m. (ESPN2, 7:30-10 p.m.).
Track: Darlington Raceway (oval, 1.366 miles).
Race distance: 200.8 miles, 147 laps.
Last year: Kyle Busch raced to the fifth of his 12 2013 series victories.
Last week: Chase Elliott won at Texas for his first series victory, holding off Busch. The 18-year-old Elliott is the son of 1988 Cup champion Bill Elliott.
Fast facts: Busch won this year at Phoenix and Bristol to push his series-record victory total to 65. Busch, Matt Kenseth and series regular Elliott Sadler are driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. The team has won seven of the last eight Darlington races, with Denny Hamlin winning three times, Busch twice and Tony Stewart and Joey Logano once each. … Elliott is the second-youngest winner in Nationwide history at 18 years, 4 months, 7 days. Logano was 18 years, 21 days when he won at Kentucky in June 2008.
Next race: ToyotaCare 250, April 25, Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Va.
Online: https://www.nascar.com
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CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
Next race: North Carolina Education Lottery 200, May 16, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.
Last race: Defending series champion Matt Crafton won the rain-delayed race at Martinsville on March 30 for his fourth career victory. Darrell Wallace was second.
Online: https://www.nascar.com
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VERIZON INDYCAR
GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH
Site: Long Beach, Calif.
Schedule: Friday, practice; Saturday, practice, qualifying (NBC Sports Network, 6-7 p.m.); Sunday, race, 4:40 p.m. (NBC Sports Channel, 4-7 p.m.)
Track: Streets of Long Beach (street course, 1.968 miles).
Race distance: 157.4 miles, 80 laps.
Last year: Takuma Sato became the first Japanese winner in IndyCar history, giving A.J. Foyt Racing its first victory since 2002.
Last race: Team Penske’s Will Power opened the season with a victory in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 30. He has won three straight races and four of the last six.
Fast facts: Power won at Long Beach in 2008 and 2012. … Juan Pablo Montoya, the 1999 winner, was 15th in St. Petersburg for Penske in his return to IndyCar after almost five seasons in Formula One and seven in NASCAR. … Mike Conway, the 2011 winner, is driving for Ed Carpenter Racing. … The Indy Lights race also is Sunday (NBC Sports Network, 2:30-4 p.m.). Andretti Autosport’s Zach Veach won at St. Petersburg in his series debut.
Next race: Grand Prix of Alabama, April 27, Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala.
Online: https://www.indycar.com
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NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING
NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
Site: Concord, N.C.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 9-8 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 8-11 p.m.).
Track: zMAX Dragway.
Last year: Matt Hagan won in Funny Car to end a 17-month winless streak. Spencer Massey won in Top Fuel, Mike Edwards in Pro Stock, and Hector Arana Jr. in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Last event: Alexis DeJoria won in Funny Car and Erica Enders-Stevens topped the Pro Stock field in Las Vegas on March 30 for the second female double in NHRA history. Enders-Stevens and Courtney Force also accomplished the feat in the 2012 Northwest Nationals. Tony Schumacher won in Top Fuel for his division-record 73rd victory and eighth at Las Vegas.
Fast facts: The event features racing in four lanes instead of the traditional two. A center wall separates the second and third lanes. … John Force won the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., for his record 139th victory. The 64-year-old driver won his record 16th season title last year. … The series will return to zMAX Dragway in September for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, the opener in the six-race Countdown to the Championship.
Next event: O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA SpringNationals, April 25-27, Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas.
Online: https://www.nhra.com
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FORMULA ONE
BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
Next race: Chinese Grand Prix, April 20, Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai.
Last week: Lewis Hamilton won in Bahrain for his second straight victory, beating Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg by a second. Hamilton and Rosberg also finished 1-2 in Malaysia.
Online: https://www.formula1.com
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OTHER RACES
TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP: Tequila Patron Sports Car Showcase at Long Beach, Saturday (Fox Sports 1, 6-8:30 p.m., Streets of Long Beach, Long Beach, Calif. Online: https://www.imsa.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: Friday, Kings Speedway, Hanford, Calif.; Saturday, Perris Auto Speedway, Perris, Calif. Late Model: Friday, Duck River Raceway Park, Wheel, Tenn.; Saturday, Tazewell Speedway, Tazewell, Tenn. Online: https://www.worldofoutlaws.com
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