AUTO RACING: Byron first two-time winner in NASCAR. Sainz ends Verstappen's nine-race F1 win streak
Members of William Byron's crew celebrate his win after a NASCAR Cup Series auto race on Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Credit: AP/Darren Abate
All Times Eastern
NASCAR CUP SERIES
Toyota Owners 400
Site: Richmond, Virginia.
Schedule: Saturday, practice, 10:30 a.m., and qualifying, 11:15 a.m.; Sunday, race, 7 p.m. (FOX).
Track: Richmond Raceway.
Race distance: 400 laps, 300 miles.
William Byron, right, gestures to fans in celebration of his win after a NASCAR Cup Series auto race on Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Credit: AP/Darren Abate
Last year: Kyle Larson won after starting ninth.
Last race: William Byron became the first two-time winner of the year as he started from the pole and won on the Circuit of the Americas in Texas.
Fast facts: Byron's victory was the 12th of his career. ... He led by nearly three seconds with 10 laps to go, then held off Christopher Bell by 0.692 seconds to win. ... Bell's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Ty Gibbs, was third, his fifth top-10 finish in six races. ... Byron's victory was the fourth for Chevrolet in six races and ended a two-race Toyota winning streak. ... Byron's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman finished fourth, followed by defending champion Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing’s, the team owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA great Michael Jordan.
Next race: April 7, Martinsville, Virginia.
William Byron, third from left, celebrates his win after a NASCAR Cup Series auto race on Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Credit: AP/Darren Abate
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
ToyotaCare 250
Site: Richmond, Virginia.
Schedule: Saturday, practice, 8:35 a.m., qualifying, 9:05 a.m., and race, 1:30 p.m. (FS1).
Track: Richmond Raceway.
Race distance: 250 laps, 187.5 miles.
Last year: Chandler Smith won after starting eighth.
Last race: Kyle Larson passed dueling leaders Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill on the final lap in the second overtime and won at the Circuit of the Americas road course.
Fast facts: Van Gisbergen, the pole-winner, was second in the No. 97 Kaulig Racing Chevy but was assessed a 30-second penalty for exceeding track limits in the last-lap battle with Hill, which ultimately put him in 28th. So Hill was officially scored as the runner-up. ... Larson had qualified for the pole but was penalized when his team had to replace a broken brake rotor before the race. ... The victory was Larson's 15th in the series.
Next race: April 6, Martinsville, Virginia.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR TRUCK SERIES
Last race: Corey Heim led 31 of the 46 laps and cruised to victory in overtime at the Circuit of the Americas, his first victory this year and the sixth of his career.
Next race: April 5, Martinsville, Virginia.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
FORMULA ONE
Last race: Carlos Sainz of Ferrari ended Max Verstappen's nine-race winning streak dating to last year when Verstappen retired early with a fiery mechanical failure in Australia. The victory came two weeks after Sainz missed the race in Saudi Arabia after an appendectomy.
Next race: April 7, Suzuka, Japan.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
INDYCAR
Last race: Two-time and reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou won the Thermal $1 Million Challenge, leading all 20 laps of IndyCar’s first non-points race since 2008.
Next race: April 21, Long Beach, California.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
NHRA DRAG RACING
Last event: Finals postponed in Pomona, California.
Next event: April 7, Phoenix, Arizona.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Next events: March 29, Muskogee, Oklahoma; March 30, Wichita, Kansas.
Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars
