By The Associated Press

All Times Eastern

NASCAR

MONSTER ENERGY CUP

GEICO 500

Site: Talladega, Alabama

Schedule: Friday, practice, 12:35 p.m. and 2:35 p.m. (FS1); Saturday, qualifying, 1:05 p.m. (FOX); Sunday, race, 2 p.m., FOX

Track: Talladega Superspeedway (oval, 2.66 miles).

Race distance: 500.8 miles, 188 laps.

Last year: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won from the pole.

Last race: Kyle Busch took first for the third straight race in Richmond.

Fast facts: Busch is the fourth driver to win three races in a row since 2000. Jimmie Johnson did it in2004 and 2007, Busch and Joey Logano won three straight in 2015, and Kevin Harvick did it earlier this season. Johnson was the only one to make it four straight, which he did 11 years ago on his way to the championship. … Busch enters the weekend with a 56-point lead over Logano, who like Busch has eight top-10 finishes in nine starts in 2018.

Next race: AAA 400 Drive for Autism, May 6, Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

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XFINITY

SPARKS ENERGY 300

Site: Talladega

Schedule: Friday, practice, 11:35 a.m. and 1:35 p.m. (FS1); Saturday, qualifying, 11 a.m. (FS1), race, 3 p.m., FOX.

Track: Talladega Superspeedway.

Race distance: 300.6 miles, 113 laps.

Last year: Aric Amirola won despite starting 23rd.

Last race: Christopher Bell won his first race of 2018 at Richmond.

Fast facts: Bell’s teammate, Noah Gragson, finished second last week in his series debut. The 19-year-old Gragson will pilot No. 18 car for Joe Gibbs Racing car this weekend as part of a three-race deal with the powerhouse team. … Elliott Sadler’s third-place finish last week netted him $100,000 as part of the Dash 4 Cash program.

Next race: OneMain Financial 200, May 5, Dover International Speedway.

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CAMPING WORLD TRUCK

Last race: John Hunter Nemechek won at Martinsville on March 26.

Next race: May 4, Dover International Speedway.

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VERIZON INDYCAR

Last race: Josef Newgarden won the Grand Prix in Birmingham, Alabama, from the pole.

Next race: IndyCar Grand Prix, May 12, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

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FORMULA ONE

AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX

Site: Baku, Azerbaijan

Schedule: Friday, practice, 5 a.m. and 9 a.m.; Saturday, practice, 6 a.m., qualifying, 9 a.m. (ESPN2); Sunday, race, 8:10 a.m. (ESPN2).

Track: Baku City Circuit (3.7 miles).

Race distance: 190.2 miles, 51 laps.

Last year: Daniel Ricciardo took first after starting 10th, the furthest back for a race winner in 2017.

Last race: Ricciardo won in Shanghai, his third victory in three years.

Fast facts: Ricciardo held off Valterri Bottas by nearly nine seconds to win in China. Kim Raikkonen was third, Lewis Hamilton was fourth and Ricciardo’s Red Bull teammate, Max Verstappen, finished fifth. … This will be the third straight year that F1 has held an event in Baku. Nico Rosberg won the original race from the pole.

Next race: Spanish Grand Prix, May 13, Barcelona Circuit, Barcelona.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

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NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING

FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS

Site: Concord, North Carolina

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 4:30 & 7 p.m., Saturday, qualifying, 2:30 & 4:30 p.m. (FS1), Sunday, finals, 3:50 p.m. (FS1).

Track: zMax Dragway.

Last year: Steve Torrence won for the first time in his career.

Last race: Torrence picked up his second win of 2018 in Las Vegas.

Fast facts: Ron Capps (Funny Car), Chris McGaha (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) joined Torrence as winners in 2017 in Concord. … Torrence and Tony Schumacher currently share the top spot in the Top Fuel point standings. … J.R. Todd has won the last two Funny Car races, but Jack Beckman remains on top in the points chase.

Next race: Southern Nationals, May 6, Atlanta Dragway, Atlanta, Commerce, Georgia.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

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OTHER RACES

WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Friday and Saturday, Texas Outlaw Nationals, Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Mesquite, Texas.

Online: http://www.woosprint.com