NASCAR playoffs go to Watkins Glen, IndyCar finale in Nashville, F1 returns to track in Azerbaijan

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NASCAR CUP SERIES

Go bowling at The Glen

Location: Watkins Glen, New York.

Schedule: Saturday, practice, 11:30 p.m.; qualifying, 1:00 p.m.; Sunday, race, 3:00 p.m. (USA Network).

Track: Watkins Glen International.

Race distance: 90 laps, 220.5 miles.

Last year: William Byron won his first-ever Cup Series road race, leading 66 of 90 laps and finishing nearly three seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin. Two other Joe Gibbs Racing drivers rounded out the top five: Christopher Bell third and Ty Gibbs fifth. Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger finished fourth among the JGR drivers.

Final race: Two-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano started his bid for his third title with a win in Atlanta and made it to the Round of 12. Logano got a push from Team Penske teammate and defending champion Ryan Blaney on a final restart and saw the checkered flag in overtime when a last-lap crash ended the race with Logano in the lead. Daniel Suarez finished second, Blaney third and Christopher Bell fourth.

Quick facts: Blaney’s strong performance put him atop the driver standings heading into Atlanta. Bell is second, with regular-season champion Tyler Reddick third. … 2022 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson led the playoff points before Atlanta but was involved in an early crash with another playoff contender, Chase Briscoe, and finished 35th. Larson is 10th in the playoff standings, 15 points above the cut line. … On the wrong side of the bubble are former champions Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. Keselowski is one point behind Ty Gibbs in 12th. Truex, who is retiring after this season, is 19 points behind Gibbs.

Next race: September 22, Bristol, Tennessee.

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NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Mission 200 in the Glen

Location: Watkins Glen, New York.

Schedule: Saturday, practice, 9:30 a.m.; qualifying, 10 a.m.; race, 3 p.m. (USA Network)

Track: Watkins Glen International.

Race distance: 82 laps, 200.9 miles.

Last year: Sam Mayer edged out Ty Gibbs on the final restart to take the lead and win at Watkins Glen. Gibbs led 70 of the 86 laps and won the first and second stages on the 11-turn road course, but he couldn’t escape Mayer’s aggressive maneuver. Sheldon Creed finished second, followed by Parker Kligerman and Ross Chastain, who, like Gibbs, was a regular in the Cup Series in Xfinity.

Last race: Austin Hill took the lead with 11 laps to go and won both Xfinity races in Atlanta this season. It was Hill’s fourth Xfinity win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his home track. Hill was pushed on the final lap by Corey Heim, who was making his first superspeedway start in the Xfinity Series. Chandler Smith tried to pass low on Hill on the final lap and got in front of Hill’s bumper. But Heim stayed high behind Hill and both passed Smith. Heim tried to pass himself but then clipped the wall and lost momentum.

Quick facts: There are two races left in the regular season, with Bristol following Watkins Glen to set the 12-team playoffs. … The Xfinity postseason begins Sept. 28 at Kansas, with Talladega and the Charlotte Roval making up the rest of the first round. After those three races, the field will be whittled down to eight drivers. … Justin Allgaier leads reigning Xfinity champion Cole Custer in the regular season by 34 points. … Chandler Smith is third and Austin Hill is fourth. … Sammy Smith has the 12th and final playoff spot, 44 points ahead of Ryan Sieg. However, two first-place winners in the final two races of the regular season could push Smith out of the postseason.

Next race: September 21, Bristol, Tennessee.

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NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

Last race: The opening Truck Series playoff race featured an unexpected winner. 22-year-old Layne Riggs won his first race at the Milwaukee Mile three weeks ago. Riggs was not part of the 10-team playoff chase, but held off championship contender Ty Majeski to win.

Quick info: The series is suspended until next week in Bristol. … The playoff field will be reduced from 10 to 8 after the races in Bristol and Kansas. … Christian Eckes, who finished third behind Riggs, leads the playoff standings. After one race, Ben Rhodes and Rajah Caruth are behind the cut line, in ninth and tenth place in the standings. … Riggs, the son of former NASCAR driver Scott Riggs, dislocated his shoulder while celebrating his historic victory. The team has put it back in place.

Next race: September 19, Bristol, Tennessee.

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FORMULA 1

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Location: Baku, Azerbaijan.

Schedule: Friday, practice 1, 5:30 a.m.; practice 2, 9 a.m.; Saturday, practice, 4:30 p.m.; qualifying, 8 a.m.; Sunday, race, 7 p.m. (ESPN).

Track: Baku City Circuit.

Race distance: 51 laps, 306.049 kilometers (190.170 miles).

Last year: Sergio Perez took advantage of a well-timed safety car to beat Max Verstappen and take the win, securing victory in the sprint race he won there. Pérez took the lead when he saved time by pitting during a safety car period after Verstappen had come in a lap earlier. The two did not fight for positions after that, but Pérez said they “pushed to the limit” as he fought to keep the lead. Verstappen finished second and Charles Leclerc third.

Last race: One pit stop was enough for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari to take a rare win at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. Leclerc beat Oscar Piastri and McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who had started from pole. Ferrari’s one-stop strategy paid off for Leclerc, who won his second race of the season. Max Verstappen’s problems continued with a sixth-place finish that extended his longest dry spell since 2020 to six races.

Quick facts: Defending champion Max Verstappen has a 62-point lead over Lando Norris with eight races to go. Charles Leclerc is third, 86 points behind. … The F1 drivers head to Singapore next week before taking a month-long break until the series resumes in the United States in mid-October with a race in Austin, Texas. … Verstappen had won seven of the first 10 races, the last of which was in Spain at the end of June. But Verstappen has only finished on the podium twice in the last six races.

Next race: September 22, Singapore.

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INDY CAR

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix

Location: Lebanon, Tennessee.

Schedule: Saturday, practice 1, 11 a.m.; qualifying, 2.15 p.m.; practice 2, 5.15 p.m.; Sunday, race, 3 p.m. (NBC).

Track: Nashville Superspeedway.

Race distance: 206 laps, 267.8 miles.

Last year: Kyle Kirkwood won the race, which was held on the Nashville Street Circuit. Kirkwood led 34 laps and finished ahead of pole sitter Scott McLaughlin. Alex Palou was third, followed by Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon.

Recent races: Scott McLaughlin and Pato O’Ward won 250-mile doubleheaders at the Milwaukee Mile two weeks ago. New Zealand native McLaughlin piloted his Team Penske Chevy to victory on Sunday, winning by 0.4558 seconds over the Honda of fellow Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon for his third win of the season. Penske teammate and two-time series champion Will Power appeared to have closed a 43-point deficit on series leader Alex Palou before spinning out and finishing 10th, wasting a big chance to snatch the top spot from Palou as the CGR driver retired with an electrical problem. The night before, O’Ward dominated 133 of 250 laps in his Arrow McLaren Racing Chevy for his third win of the season.

Quick facts: Alex Palou holds a 33-point lead over Will Power heading into this year’s season finale. Palou is seeking his second consecutive championship and third in four years. … IndyCar will race at Nashville Superspeedway for the first time since 2008 because of construction work downtown. … Scott McLaughlin is third, 50 points behind. … The race at Nashville Superspeedway will be the first IndyCar finale on an oval track in ten years. Nashville has hosted eight IndyCar events.

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NHRA DRAG RACING

Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, Poppyton, Pennsylvania.

Last event: Clay Millican won the Top Fuel class while Austin Prock won the Funny Car class at the prestigious US Nationals in Indianapolis. Millican qualified 13th in his dragster but beat Steve Torrance (6th) to complete the course in 3.792 seconds at 327.82 mph. This was his first win of the season and his seventh overall. Prock defeated Ron Capps to win his fifth victory of the season.

Quick facts: Doug Kalitta is just 36 points ahead of Justin Ashley, Shawn Langdon is 50 points behind and Torrance is 55. Prock is 348 points ahead of Bob Tasca III in Funny Car, followed by Matt Hagan, JR Todd and Capps.

Next event: September 20-22, Concord, North Carolina.

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WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Nashville West Showdown, Bakersfield, California; Federated Auto Parts Yosemite Showdown, Merced, California.

Recent Events: Michael “Buddy” Kofoid passed leader Shane Golobic and held on despite heavy lapping to win at the Stockton Dirt Track. The win followed Kofoid’s success at Huset’s High Bank Nationals in Brandon, South Dakota, a week earlier. On Saturday, Carson Macedo won the Tom Tarlton Classic at Kings Speedway in Hanford, California. Macedo’s win came at an event honoring Tarlton, Macedo’s great uncle. The Tarlton family gave the teenage Macedo a chance to drive in their No. 21 car to learn his craft.

Quick Facts: Macedo’s eighth win of the season moved him into second place in the Drivers’ Championship, where he is 110 points behind leader David Gravel. Donny Schatz is third, 134 points behind Gravel.

Next events: September 20-21, Tulare, California.

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