Auto Racing Glance, Sept. 27-29

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES: BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400 (109 laps, 248.54 miles (399.99 kilometers) around a 2.4-mile, 17-turn infield road course), Charlotte Motor Speedway; Concord, N.C.

TV: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET (Green flag approx. 2:46 p.m. ET) — NBC (Radio: Performance Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: It’s back to the road course (and parts of the D-shaped oval, thus a “roval”) at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the second time after last year’s race proved to be an exciting one. … This is the final of three races of the Round of 16, the first round of the playoffs, and four of the 16 drivers in the field will be eliminated from title contention at the conclusion Sunday. … Martin Truex Jr. won last week at Richmond and he was also the winner to open the playoffs at Las Vegas and is safely in the Round of 12. … Barring penalties, the six drivers atop the standings are already locked into the next round, with Alex Bowman, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch and Erik Jones currently on the outside looking in. … A win automatically propels the victor into the next round of the playoffs. … This is the 29th race of 36 on the season. … This will be the 122nd race at Charlotte, a track opened in 1960, but just the second on the roval. … Truex earned one of his six victories so far this season at Charlotte in May, but that was on the oval, not the roval. … Ryan Blaney won this race last season. … *Truex leads the standings (2,141 points), followed by Kevin Harvick (2,120), Kyle Busch (2,117), Brad Keselowski (2,106), Denny Hamlin (2,105), Joey Logano (2,101), Chase Elliott (2,088), Kyle Larson (2,076), Ryan Newman (2,065), Ryan Blaney (2,059), Aric Almirola (2,054), William Byron (2,053), Alex Bowman (2,051), Clint Bowyer (2,049), Kurt Busch (2,039) and Erik Jones (2,008) comprising the playoff field.

BEST BETS: Martin Truex Jr. is the favorite at 3/1, followed by Kyle Busch at 5/1 and Chase Elliott at 7/1, with three drivers, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson at 8/1. Daniel Suarez and Alex Bowman are good values at 80/1. Ryan Preece is worth a flyer at 200/1.

*Victory and advancement to the next round. Stats and standings per NASCAR.com.

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: DRIVE FOR THE CURE 250 (67 laps, 160.8 miles (258.78 kilometers) around a 2.4-mile, 17-turn infield road course), Charlotte Motor Speedway; Concord, N.C.

TV: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (Green flag approx. 3:46 p.m. ET) — NBCSN (Radio: Performance Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

THIS WEEK: It’s not just the top Cup series taking a crack at the Charlotte “roval’ this weekend, the Xfinity set gives a preview a day earlier. … Richmond was the first race of the series playoffs and the first of the three-race Round of 12. … It was won by Christopher Bell, so 11 other playoff drivers are vying to get a win to guarantee an advance into the Round of 8, which begins Oct. 19 at Kansas after the first round wraps up next week at Dover. … This is the 28th of 33 races on the season, and the 76th all-time at Charlotte, the second on the roval. … *Bell leads the standings (2,115), followed by Cole Custer (2,093), Tyler Reddick (2,071), Austin Cindric (2,067), Justin Allgaier (2,054), Michael Annett (2,051), Chase Briscoe (2,050), Noah Gragson (2,048), Brandon Jones (2,033), Ryan Sieg (2,029), Justin Haley (2,028) and John Hunter Nemechek (2,027) filling up the 12 playoff spots.

*Victory and advancement to the next round. Stats and standings per NASCAR.com.

NASCAR GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES

THIS WEEK: It’s the second of three weeks off for the Trucks after 19 of 23 races, with Austin Hill winning two weeks ago at Las Vegas. The Round of 6 kicks off Oct. 12 at Talladega, then heads to Martinsville and finally Phoenix to set the final four for Homestead-Miami. … Brett Moffitt leads the standings (3,034 points), followed by Hill (3,017), Ross Chastain (3,016), Stewart Friesen (3,014), Matt Crafton (3,011) and Tyler Ankrum (3,005).

Stats and standings per NASCAR.com.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

THIS WEEK: The season concluded Sunday at Laguna Seca in a race dominated by Colton Herta, but with Josef Newgarden taking home the season championship, his second in three seasons. … The 2020 season kicks off March 15 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Florida, for the first of 17 races.

FORMULA ONE: RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX (52 laps, 188.968 miles around a 3.634-mile 18-turn temporary street course), Sochi Autodrom; Sochi, Russia.

TV: Sunday, 7 a.m. ET (Green flag approx. 7:05 a.m. ET) — ESPN2 (Radio: SiriusXM Radio Channel 132).

THIS WEEK: The series is in Sochi, Russia, for the final race in or near Europe before heading to Japan in two weeks. … This will be the sixth Russian Grand Prix in the modern era, all being held at the Sochi track since 2014, but it’s the eighth Russian Grand Prix after two held in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1913-14. … This is the 16th of 21 races on the season. … Lewis Hamilton won this race last year. … Sebastian Vettel won Sunday at Singapore. … Great Britain’s Hamilton leads the standings with 296 points in his Mercedes, with Finland’s Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, second (231), followed by Monaco’s Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (200), Belgium’s Max Verstappen, Red Bull Honda (200) and Germany’s Vettel, Ferrari (194).

Standings per F1.com.

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION: AAA INSURANCE NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS, Thursday-Sunday, at Worldwide Technology Raceway; Madison, Ill.

TV: Eliminations, Sunday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. ET (live) FS1

THIS WEEK: The hot rods go to just outside St. Louis to continue The Countdown to the Championship, the 20th of 24 events on the season. … Winners at Maple Grove were Richie Crampton in Top Fuel, Jack Beckman in Funny Car, Jason Line in Pro Stock and Jerry Savoie in Pro Stock Motorcycle. … Doug Kalitta leads the Top Fuel standings (2,180 points), followed by Brittany Force (2,147), Steve Torrence (2,133), Antron Brown (2,127), Crampton (2,126), Mike Salinas (2,104), Austin Prock (2,094), Leah Pritchett (2,093), Clay Millican (2,092) and Billy Torrence (2,032). … Beckman leads Funny Car (2,179), followed by John Force (2,160), Robert Hight (2,155), Ron Capps (2,136), Tommy Johnson Jr. (2,105), Matt Hagan (2,092), J.R. Todd (2,089), Bob Tasca III (2,072), Tim Wilkerson (2,057) and Shawn Langdon (2,043). … Line is on top in Pro Stock (2,194), followed by Bo Butner (2,155), Alex Laughlin (2,139), Erica Enders (2,116), Matt Hartford (2,103), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (2,099), Deric Kramer (2,095), Greg Anderson (2,092), Chris McGaha (2,041) and Val Smeland (2,031). … Savoie leads Pro Stock Motorcycle (2,166), followed by Andrew Hines (2,160), Matt Smith (2,143), Eddie Krawiec (2,134), Karen Stoffer (2,120), Hector Arana Jr. (2,117), Angelle Sampey (2,083), Angie Smith (2,062), Ryan Oehler (2,042) and Hector Arana (2,032).

Standings per NHRA.com.

–K. Lee Davis, Field Level Media