Sandwiched around a Taylor Swift concert this weekend is the fifth running of the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. Lewis Hamilton, a three-time winner in the Lone Star state, arrives in desperate need of his first victory since the German Grand Prix at the end of July. The world champion sits 33 points behind his Mercedes team-mate, Nico Rosberg, with four races remaining this season. Of course, the big question on everyone's mind is not whether Hamilton will win the race, but whether he will speak to the press after a frosty weekend at Suzuka. And we might not have to wait long to find out, as he will appear at the Thursday press conference, according to Sky Sports. Forget the race and even T...

Chase drivers begrudgingly sent their RSVPs to the Talladega Party some time ago. When they received their save the date, they figured they’d better get a move on to win a race before that carnival of horrors. The Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway hosts its third elimination race of the new Chase playoffs. Two years ago, Brad Keselowski—a four-time Talladega winner—won this race to advance. Last year, Joey Logano completed the Contender Round sweep, nosing out Dale Earnhardt Jr. Now the only drivers who are safe are Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick, winners of the first two races of this Round of 12. Restrictor plates in the Chase are like wet blankets: They dampen everyone’s mood. The draft and the in...

The 18th round of the 2016 Formula One season will take place at this weekend's United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, where Lewis Hamilton needs to get back to basics. The three-time world champion embarrassed himself at the recent Japanese GP, behaving like a naughty boy at the back of a classroom in a pre-race press conference and then refusing to speak to the media before his title hopes suffered another serious blow. But having had a week to reflect on his behaviour at Suzuka—and, perhaps more importantly, to fully digest the disappointment of his engine failure in Malaysia—Hamilton should be back to his best in Austin, Texas, as he attempts to overturn Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg's 33-point lead. With...

Talladega Superspeedway looms ahead like a coiled rattlesnake, blocking advancement in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup. The winners of the first two races in the round of 12, Jimmie Johnson at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kevin Harvick on Sunday at Kansas Speedway, were, if not predictable, then at least fitting. Harvick, who turns 41 in December, and Johnson, who reached that age last month, are the masters of the Chase. Harvick has never failed to advance through a round since the present format was implemented in 2014—the year of his lone championship. Johnson has won a record six Chases (the record for overall championships is seven with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. sharing the top spot), but he has none in the eliminat...

McLaren-Honda may be the most improved team of the 2016 Formula One season, but you won't find Ron Dennis celebrating that achievement. As far as the chairman—synonymous with the team's dominance with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in the late 1980s and early '90s—is concerned, McLaren are still nowhere near good enough and have nothing to shout about just yet. But Dennis is convinced his team are on the right track, offering an update on their preparations for 2017, when they aim to win a grand prix for the first time since 2012 and even end their long wait for a world championship. As McLaren's preparations for next year's major regulation changes ramp up, Williams' appear to have stalled slightly. The Martini-liveried team iden...

Whatever you do, don't back Kevin Harvick into a corner. Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it. Why? That's the best way to ensure a win for the No. 4 team, and that's what happened in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Harvick muscled his way to the front to hold off hometown hero Carl Edwards and Joey Logano. "These races are hard to win, and when our backs are against the wall, we all get better," Harvick told NBC after the race. So Harvick and Jimmie Johnson (Charlotte's winner) can breathe a sigh of relief as they head to Talladega next week. Not so for the rest of the field where 10 drivers vie for six more positions. Before we get there, let's take a look at the Kansas style winners and losers.Begin Slideshow...

Kevin Harvick can sleep easy Sunday night, having earned a spot in the next round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Harvick won the Hollywood Casino 400 in Kansas City, Kansas, and as a result, he's guaranteed to advance when the Chase field dwindles from 12 to eight drivers this time next week. Jimmie Johnson leads the field, having won the Bank of America 500 on Oct. 9. Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott are all on the bubble with one more race to go before the Round of 8 begins. Here's a look at the remaining races this year: Failing to qualify for the next round would be a rough way to end an otherwise strong year for Keselowski. His four wins are tied for most in the series. After a 38th-place finish Sunda...

Kevin Harvick clinched a free pass into the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup's Round of 8 with a statement win at the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday. In the second of three Round of 12 races before the Chase field is trimmed, Harvick joined Jimmie Johnson, who won at Charlotte Motor Speedway last Sunday, in the next round. NASCAR on NBC reacted to Sunday's race: Here's a look at the full results from the race and the ensuing standings, per NASCAR.com: Jeff Gluck of USA Today pointed out winning in elimination formats is nothing new for Harvick: After starting on the pole, Matt Kenseth led the initial 26 laps before a caution. Ray Slover of Sporting News noted it was the first time this season that Kenseth has checked i...

Kevin Harvick won the second race of the Round of 16 to advance. Harvick then won the second race of the Round of 12 in the Hollywood Casino 400 to reach to the Round of Eight. When the moment is at its most tense, Harvick burns them down.  He doesn't have to deal with Talladega's uncertainty. It's onto Martinsville with another chance at Homestead. Carl Edwards finished second, Joey Logano third, Jimmie Johnson fourth and Kyle Busch fifth.Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com...

Mercedes may have locked up their third straight Formula One constructors' title with four races remaining, but there are still several important battles raging lower down in the standings. The casual fan may not get too excited about whether Williams can catch Force India for fourth place or if Sauber can steal a point to pass Manor for 10th place, but it matters to the teams. As we will see, constructors' championship prize money makes up approximately half of the budget of some of F1's smaller teams. Realistically, there are three places left undecided in the constructors' standings: second, fourth and 10th. And while Ferrari could still catch Red Bull for second, it is looking increasingly unlikely. The Scuderia had at least o...