AUTO RACING: NASCAR heads east; F1 starts in the Middle East
By The Associated Press - Mar. 16, 2022 05:09 PM EDT
FILE - Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, center, celebrates with members of his team after winning the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. After losing the Formula One title on the last lap last year, Lewis Hamilton is more motivated than ever to wrestle it back from Max Verstappen. But Hamilton’s also worried that Mercedes is not quick enough to win races and that both Verstappen’s Red Bull team and Ferrari could be the early pace-setters when the season begins Sunday, March 20, 2022 in Bahrain. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
FILE - Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, center, celebrates with members of his team after winning the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. After losing the Formula One title on the last lap last year, Lewis Hamilton is more motivated than ever to wrestle it back from Max Verstappen. But Hamilton’s also worried that Mercedes is not quick enough to win races and that both Verstappen’s Red Bull team and Ferrari could be the early pace-setters when the season begins Sunday, March 20, 2022 in Bahrain. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
Chase Briscoe, top, celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Phoenix Raceway, Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Chase Briscoe, front, celebrates with his trophy after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Phoenix Raceway, Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Chase Briscoe, top, celebrates winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Phoenix Raceway, Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
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NASCAR CUP SERIES

Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

Site: Hampton, Georgia.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 5 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 12:30 p.m.; Sunday, race, 3 p.m. (FOX)

Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Race distance: 325 laps, 500 miles.

Last year: Ryan Blaney won after starting 10th.

Last race: Chase Briscoe held on at Phoenix through two late-race restarts to claim his first victory in NASCAR's premier series.

Fast facts: Briscoe became the 200th different race winner in series history. ... He led for 101 laps, second to Blaney's 144 out front. ... Joey Logano moved into the points lead by four over Kyle Busch and five over Chase Elliott. ... Busch and Aric Almirola share the series lead with three top-10 runs through four races.

Next race: March 27, Austin, Texas.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Nalley Cars 250

Site: Hampton, Georgia.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 4 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 11:30 a.m., and race, 5 p.m. (FS1)

Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Race distance: 163 laps, 251 miles.

Last year: Justin Allgaier won after starting sixth.

Last race: Noah Gragson led 114 of 200 laps at Phoenix to claim his first victory of the season.

Fast facts: Gragson has finished in the top three in all four races and leads the points standings by 39 over Ty Gibbs. ... Gibbs rallied for a sixth-place finish after a bump from Josh Berry sent him spinning on lap 56. ... The final 100 laps at Phoenix were all green-flag racing. ... Allgaier and A.J. Allmendinger both have four top-10 finishes and Berry has three top-fives.

Next race: March 26, Austin, Texas.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

Fr8 208

Site: Hampton, Georgia.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 3 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 10:30 a.m., and race, 2:30 p.m. (FS1)

Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Race distance: 135 laps, 208 miles.

Last year: Kyle Busch won after starting second.

Last race: Chandler Smith won at Las Vegas for his third career victory.

Fast facts: Zane Smith, winner of the season-opener at Daytona, is just 12th in points after being disqualified at Las Vegas. ... Tanner Gray is second in points and the only driver with top-five showings in the first two races. Ty Majeski and Matt DiBenedetto are the only others with two top-10 runs.

Next race: March 26, Austin, Texas.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

FORMULA ONE

Bahrain Grand Prix

Site: Sakhir, Bahrain.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.; Saturday, practice, 8 a.m., and qualifying, 11 a.m.; Sunday, race, 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Track: Bahrain International Circuit.

Race distance: 57 laps, 191.53 miles.

Last year: Lewis Hamilton won after starting second.

Last race: Max Verstappen passed Hamilton, the seven-time series champion, on the final lap in Abu Dhabi and won his first series championship.

Fast facts: Verstappen (10) and Hamilton (8) combined to win all but four of the races run last season, but neither led the most laps. That distinction belonged to Carlos Sainz Jr. with 1,294. ... In an effort to level the competition off, F1 cut budgets from $145 million to $140 million for each team this year.

Next race: March 27, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

INDYCAR

XPEL 375

Site: Fort Worth, Texas.

Schedule: Saturday, practice, 10:45 a.m., qualifying, 2 p.m., and practice, 5 p.m.; Sunday, race, 12:40 p.m. (NBC)

Track: Texas Motor Speedway.

Race distance: 248 laps, 372.8 miles.

Last year: Scott Dixon, after starting third, and Patricio O'Ward, after starting fourth, won on back-to-back days under the pandemic-altered schedule.

Last race: Scott McLaughlin posted his first career victory in the season-opener at St. Petersburg, Florida.

Fast facts: Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, in his second open-wheel season, will race on a more familiar oval for the first time. He competed only on road and street courses last season. ... Scott Dixon leads all drivers with five wins at Texas, a record of success that started in June 2008.

Next race: April 10, Long Beach, California.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

NHRA DRAG RACING

Last event: Tripp Tatum won in Top Fuel and Matt Hagan won in Funny Car at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida.

Next event: April 1-3, Las Vegas.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Next events: March 18, Merced, California, and March 19, Watsonville, California.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars

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