NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula 1 all cancelled from Olympics in light, mid-summer motorsport schedule

All times Eastern

NASCAR CUP SERIES

NASCAR, which had the weekend off, now has a week off for the Olympics before it resumes racing in Richmond on August 11.

Fast Facts: 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson got to “Kiss The Bricks” at Indianapolis after winning there on July 21. … There are four races left in NASCAR’s regular season, with Michigan, Daytona and Darlington following the Richmond race. … Larson leads the NASCAR standings with 2,043 points, 15 ahead of Denny Hamlin. Christopher Bell is third and Larson’s Henrick Motorsports teammate William Byron is fourth. … It hasn’t been a good break for Corey Lajoie, who announced he is leaving Spire Motorsports. There is no news yet about his replacement. Lajoie had signed a multi-year contract extension to stay with Spire last year.

Next race: August 11, Richmond, Virginia.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

The Xfinity Series has two weekends left before the August 17 race in Michigan.

Fast Facts: Stewart-Haas Racing has plenty of momentum, winning the previous two Xfinity races before the month-long break. Cole Custer won July 13 at Pocono, as the reigning series champion ended his winless drought this season. Teammate Riley Herbst won July 20 at Indianapolis Raceway Park. … Custer continues to lead the series with a 55-point advantage over Justin Allgaier. … There are six races remaining in the Xfinity regular season. After Michigan come Daytona, Darlington, Atlanta, Watkins Glen and Bristol. The 12-driver playoff begins Sept. 28 in Kansas.

Next race: August 17, Brooklyn, Michigan.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

The Truck Series has also been canceled until Richmond, returning to the track on August 10.

Fast Facts: Richmond is the final race of the regular season, with the playoffs beginning Aug. 25 at the Milwaukee Mile. … Christian Eckes leads the driver standings by 50 points over Corey Heim, even though Heim has five wins this season and Eckes has three. … Five drivers (Eckes, Heim, Nick Sanchez, Ty Majeski, Rajah Caruth) have secured a playoff spot with wins. … Two more drivers, Tyler Ankrum and Grant Enfinger, have enough points to secure their spots.

Next race: August 10, Richmond, Virginia.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

FORMULA ONE

Formula 1 is at a standstill for most of August. The Dutch Grand Prix will take place on 25 August.

Last race: Lewis Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix last Sunday when Mercedes teammate George Russell was disqualified after crossing the finish line first for an underweight car. Mercedes acknowledged a “genuine mistake” by the team. Russell had left Hamilton behind despite the previous series champion nearly taking the lead in the closing laps. Oscar Piastri had finished third behind Russell and Hamilton, but had moved up to second. Charles Leclerc, who was in fourth place, was declared third after the disqualification.

Fast Facts: Series leader Max Verstappen missed out on a podium despite moving up from fifth to fourth after Russell’s disqualification. Verstappen has not won since taking the last of seven victories this season in Spain on June 23. … Verstappen’s championship drought has done little to harm his chances as he heads into Belgium with a 76-point lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris. Leclerc is third, 97 points behind Verstappen. … Hamilton, who claimed his 200th career top-three finish in Hungary two weeks ago, followed that up with his record 105th F1 victory.

Next race: August 25, Zandvoort, Netherlands.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

INDYCAR

IndyCar is also going to the Olympics. The last race took place in mid-August on July 21.

Fast Facts: There are just five races left in the IndyCar season. After visiting World Wide Technology Raceway outside St. Louis in two weeks, the series moves to Portland, Oregon, and then two races at the Milwaukee Mile before concluding Sept. 15 at Nashville Superspeedway. … Alex Palou has a 49-point lead over Will Power. Scott Dixon is in third place, four points behind Power.

Next race: August 16, Madison, Illinois.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

NHRA DRAG RACING

The premier drag racing series will be on hiatus for the next two weeks, after which the NHRA Nationals will be back on the schedule in Brainerd, Minnesota.

Final Event: Antron Brown won in Top Fuel and Bob Tasca III won in Funny Car at Sonoma, California, on July 28.

Fast Facts: Brown defeated Brittany Force in the semifinals and defeated three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart in the finals. … Force was back on the track after her father, 16-time Funny Car champion John Force, recovered from his horrific June 23 accident in Virginia and was transferred to continue his recovery closer to home. … Doug Kalitta holds a 125-point lead over Shawn Langdon in the Top Fuel race, while Austin Prock leads the Funny Car standings by 211 points over Tasca.

Next event: August 15-18, Brainerd, Minnesota.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Final Events: David Gravel won weekend events in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and Weedsport, New York, to win his 100th and 101st sprint car titles on Saturday and Sunday. Gravel missed his first chance at triple digits on Friday night in Pennsylvania, losing to T.J. Stutts before taking the checkered flag in the next two races.

Fast Facts: Gravel became the eighth World of Outlaws driver to earn triple-digit victories. … After racing this weekend in Missouri, the series heads to Knoxville, Iowa, for four events. … Gravel has 13 wins, 31 top-five finishes and 37 top-10 finishes this season, all leading totals. … Gravel is atop the points standings, 110 points ahead of Donny Schatz. Carson Macedo is third, 142 points behind Gravel.

Upcoming events: Friday and Saturday in Pevely, Missouri.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars