The NASCAR Sprint Cup series has the tailwind of the Round of 16 behind it. Examining the field of remaining drivers for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, there is a clear line of demarcation between the eight who will advance and the four who won’t. But before we get there, it bears mentioning that this round—unlike the other four—is unique in its challenges. The first race in Charlotte is 500 miles under the lights in a complicated time of year where it’s warm during the day (qualifying/practice) and cold/cool at night (race time). The second race is Kansas—no real problem there. But the looming specter of doom over the round is the eliminator itself: Talladega’s 500-mile restrictor-plate race. The Round of...

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series shed four drivers last weekend, leaving 12 in the Chase going into Saturday's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a must-win affair if there ever was one.  Though the round of 12 features three races, those who are left standing could join the eliminated (Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson, Jamie McMurray and Chris Buescher) with a bad performance in Charlotte. The trek to a title only gets more difficult in Kansas a week later before the toughest of them all, Talladega. Right now, Martin Truex Jr. might as well own the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with the way he has tackled the Chase thus far. But an army of Toyotas, one flying-under-the-radar Ford and Charlotte Motor Speedway have much to say about the l...

Nico Rosberg had the edge on Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in both practice sessions at the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix on Friday. After his disappointing retirement in Malaysia last time out, Hamilton would have been looking for a strong start to the weekend at Suzuka. However, the Briton was second behind Rosberg—who holds a 23-point advantage in the race for the world championship—in first and second practice. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was third fastest in the morning, while team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was best of the rest in the afternoon. Here’s a recap of a fascinating practice session in Japan, including the full results.       FP2 Recap Here is a look at the standings from second practice...

Lewis Hamilton has a lot of work to do if he is to overturn Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg at the top of the Formula One drivers' standings and win the world championship in 2016. There are only five races remaining in the season, and Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix will be crucial in deciding whether the title race goes down to the wire or Rosberg runs away with it. Last time out in Malaysia, Hamilton suffered a huge blow as he was forced to retire while leading in Sepang, and Rosberg took third place to open up a 23-point lead over his title rival. Read on for a closer look at Sunday's crucial race at Suzuka, along with scheduling and television information.        Date: Sunday, Oct. 9 Start Time: 6 a.m. B...

Kevin Harvick will start in the pole position for Saturday's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He posted a best lap time of 27.547 seconds in Thursday's qualifying, thanks to his top speed of 196.029 mph.  Charlotte Motor Speedway celebrated the victory: Alex Bowman narrowly earned the second-place spot, followed by Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch. Here is a look at the start list after qualifying: Eight of the 12 drivers remaining in the Chase for the Cup made it through to the third round of qualifying. While non-contenders Alex Bowman, Tony Stewart and A.J. Allmendinger provided tough challenges, they couldn't match Harvick on the last lap. Jeff Gluck of USA Today noted it has been a while since the No. 4 car was in fr...

Jolyon Palmer enhanced his chances of remaining on the Formula One grid in 2017 by scoring the first point of his career in the Malaysian Grand Prix. Having made steady progress throughout his debut season, Palmer was deserving of his 10th-place finish at Sepang, but with Renault desperate to sign a star driver for next year, a single point may not be enough for him to save his skin. Palmer has pleaded with the team to offer him another chance in 2017, explaining why he will be a more rounded performer next season. Another driver who is yet to resolve his future is Pascal Wehrlein, who despite enjoying a highly impressive rookie campaign is still without a firm plan for 2017. Wehrlein seemed set to remain with Manor for a second season, but...

What makes the round of 12* so compelling is the looming presence of Talladega as the third, final and thus the eliminating race of this round. That’s the one track you could say Danica Patrick has a chance at winning and not get entirely laughed out of the bar. Partially laughed out, but not entirely. That makes every race in this round—Charlotte, Kansas and, of course, Talladega—a must-win race. Nobody, save maybe Brad Keselowski, wants to go to Talladega in a do-or-die scenario. "You just have to look at it like any moment could be a bad moment and any moment could be a good moment,” said Kevin Harvick, per Kenny Bruce’s NASCAR.com story. “You need to capitalize on the good moments in order to control ...

The jam-packed Formula One calendar is not giving us any time to breathe. A week after Daniel Ricciardo's first win of the season and Lewis Hamilton maybe (or maybe not) accused someone of sabotaging his engines in Malaysia, the F1 circus is off to Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix. Following Hamilton's spectacular engine failure while leading at Sepang, his road to the championship is tough, but not impossible. In fact, barring any more reliability problems, he is still the master of his fate—win the next four grands prix, and he will enter the final race of the season at least five points ahead of Nico Rosberg, no matter what his team-mate does. That is a tough order, but not out of the realm of possibility. Hamilton already o...

The 17th round of the 2016 Formula One season will take place at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, where Lewis Hamilton simply has to stop the slide. The three-time world champion held a 19-point lead over Nico Rosberg just two months ago, yet after failing to win any of the last four races—having retired from the lead of the recent Malaysian GP—he now finds himself 23 points behind his Mercedes team-mate with just five grands prix remaining. If he is to win a fourth world title in 2016, a return to winning ways is a matter of urgency, but Hamilton's predicament may get even worse before it gets better. With a look at the latest development in the championship battle, an unexpected podium finisher, a setback for McLa...

The first segment of the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup is in the books. Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. has won two of the first three races. The latest, at Dover International Speedway in Delaware, was a bit on the tepid side. So, in general, was the first segment. Patience, please. That's the plan. The current format, now in its third year, is designed to provide a gradual increase in heat. The Chase has been simmering. Over the remaining weeks, as the field of eligible champions is winnowed down from 12 to eight to four, the excitement will increase. It couldn't happen any other way. At a Friday media conference, six-time champion Jimmie Johnson said: "It's so hard to make everybody happy. It actually frustrates me to hear th...