All Times EDT
NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
STP 500
Site: Martinsville, Va.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Fox Sports 1, noon-1:30 p.m.), qualifying (Fox Sports 1, 4:30-6 p.m.); Saturday, practice (Fox Sports 1, 10-11 a.m.; Fox Sports 2, 1-2 p.m.); Sunday, race, 1 p.m. (Fox, 12:30-5 p.m.).
Track: Martinsville Speedway (oval, 0.526 miles).
Race distance: 263 miles, 500 laps.
Last year: Jimmie Johnson raced to his eighth Martinsville victory, leading 346 laps.
Last week: Kyle Busch won at Fontana for the second straight year, holding off Kyle Larson, Tony Stewart and brother Kurt Busch in a two-lap sprint.
Fast facts: The race is the sixth of the season. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the season-opening Daytona 500, Kevin Harvick took the Phoenix race, Brad Keselowski won in Las Vegas and Carl Edwards at Bristol. … Jeff Gordon won the October race at the track. He also has eight Martinsville victories. … Richard Petty won a record 15 times at Martinsville, the only remaining venue from NASCAR’s inaugural 1949 season.
Next race: Duck Commander 500, April 6, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas.
Online: https://www.nascar.com
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CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
KROGER 250
Site: Martinsville, Va.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Fox Sports 1, 3:4:30 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying (Fox Sports 1, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.), race, 2:30 p.m. (Fox Sports 1, 2:30-5 p.m.).
Track: Martinsville Speedway (oval, 0.526 miles).
Race distance: 105.2 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Johnny Sauter raced to his second straight victory to open the season.
Last race: Kyle Busch won at Daytona on Feb. 21 to become the first driver to win Truck, ARCA, Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at the track.
Fast facts: Darrell Wallace Jr. won the October race at the track to become the second black driver to win on NASCAR’s national level and first in a half-century. Wendell Scott won in Jacksonville, Fla., in December 1963 in what is now known as the Sprint Cup Series, the highest of NASCAR’s three national levels. … Busch has 35 series victories, winning five times in 11 starts last year.
Next race: North Carolina Education Lottery 200, May 16, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.
Online: https://www.nascar.com
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NATIONWIDE
Next race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, April 4, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas.
Last week: Kyle Larson raced to his first Nationwide victory, holding off Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch at Fontana.
Online: https://www.nascar.com
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VERIZON INDYCAR
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
Site: St. Petersburg, Fla.
Schedule: Friday, practice; Saturday, practice, qualifying; Sunday, race, 3:20 p.m. (ABC, 3-6 p.m.).
Track: Streets of St. Petersburg (street course, 1.8 miles).
Race distance: 198 miles, 110 laps.
Last year: James Hinchcliffe won the season-opening race for Andretti Autosport.
Fast facts: Juan Pablo Montoya is driving for Roger Penske in his return to IndyCar after 12 seasons in Formula One and NASCAR. The Colombian won seven races and the CART championship in 1999 and took the Indianapolis 500 and two other races in 2000 for Chip Ganassi. … Ganassi’s Scott Dixon won the season title last year. He’s the active leader with 33. … Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan has replaced the retired Dario Franchitti at Ganassi Racing. … Verizon replaced Izod as the series title sponsor.
Next race: Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 13, Streets of Long Beach, Long Beach, Calif.
Online: https://www.indycar.com
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FORMULA ONE
MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
Site: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Schedule: Friday, practice (NBC Sports Network, 2-3:30 a.m.); Saturday, qualifying (NBC Sports Network, 4-5:30 a.m.); Sunday, race, 4 a.m. (NBC Sports Network, 3:30-6:30 p.m., 2:30-5:30 p.m.).
Track: Sepang International Circuit (road course, 3.44 miles).
Race distance: 192.88 miles, 56 laps.
Last year: Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won after ignoring team orders and overtaking teammate Mark Webber for the lead. Vettel won 13 races last year en route to his fourth straight season title.
Last race: Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg won the season-opening Australia Grand Prix on March 16.
Fast facts: Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified after finishing second in Australia for exceeding the new limits on fuel flow. The team appealed the penalty, blaming the problem on a malfunction of the FIA-approved sensor. The appeal will be held April 14. … Vettel’s engine failed early in Australia. He has 39 victories in 121 career starts.
Next race: Bahrain Grand Prix, April 6, Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain.
Online: https://www.formula1.com
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NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING
SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals
Site: Las Vegas.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 8-10 a.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 11 p.m.-1:30 a.m.).
Track: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Last year: Allen Johnson swept the K&N Horsepower Challenge event and regular Pro Stock competition. Tony Schumacher won in Top Fuel, and Cruz Pedregon topped the Funny Car field.
Last event: Robert Hight won the Gatornationals on March 26, beating boss John Force in the Funny Car final. Doug Kalitta won in Top Fuel, Johnson in Pro Stock, and Steve Johnson in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Fast facts: The event is the fourth of the season. … Force leads the Funny Car standings. The 64-year-old driver won the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., for his record 139th victory. He won his record 16th season title last year.
Next event: NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 11-13, zMAX Dragway, Concord, N.C.
Online: https://www.nhra.com
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OTHER RACES
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: Friday, Merced Speedway, Merced, Calif.; Saturday, Silver Dollar Speedway, Chico, Calif. Late Model: Friday, Lonestar Speedway, Kilgore, Texas; Saturday, I-30 Speedway, Little Rock, Ark. Online: https://www.worldofoutlaws.com
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