AUTO RACING: Blaney joins Byron in NASCAR’s round of 8; Verstappen can clinch F1 title in Qatar

All Times Eastern NASCAR CUP SERIES Bank of America ROVAL 400 Site: Concord, North Carolina. Last race: Ryan Blaney used a crossover move to nudge ahead of Kevin Harvick with two laps remaining and won at Talladega by 0.012 seconds to advance into the round of eight of NASCAR’s playoffs. The field of 12 drivers will be pared to eight following Sunday’s race on The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.. Brad Keselowski remained two points above the round of eight cutline; the four drivers behind him are Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace and two-time series champion Kyle Busch. Online: http://www.nascar.com NASCAR TRUCK SERIES Last race: 2018 series champion Brett Moffitt turned his first race of the season in the series into his first superspeedway victory, prevailing in a three-wide overtime battle to win at Talladega. Fast facts: Verstappen leads teammate Sergio Perez by 177 points and can clinch his third consecutive season championship even before the race by finishing within five positions of Perez in the Sprint.. Perez, with two wins, is 33 points ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton for second place with six races remaining.