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NASCAR Cup Series – Martinsville Speedway
Sunday 2:00 PM ET, NBC
This is it. Right now, eight drivers are still alive for a NASCAR Cup Series championship. Four of those drivers will be eliminated Sunday, then three more will be eliminated when a winner is crowned next week. The half-mile short track at Martinsville will host this final elimination race, one that has become one of the biggest in the sport since this championship format was introduced.
With the already-eliminated Kyle Larson’s win last weekend, Joey Logano is the only driver in the field locked into the final round. As the points stand today, he would be joined by Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, and William Byron. The margins are narrow, though: Denny Hamlin is just five points behind Byron, and Ryan Blaney is 13 behind Hamlin. Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe have some digging to do after poor finishes in earlier races, but either could advance with a Martinsville win of their own.
A win advances anyone in that group of eight to the championship decider, while a poor finish could eliminate anyone but Logano. This is the stretch of the season teams spend the entire year preparing for, and these are the best cars, engines, and setups these teams can swing.
Formula 1 – Mexican Grand Prix
Sunday 4:00 PM ET, ESPN
Now that both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships have been clinched, the rest of the Formula 1 season is something of an epilogue. Specifically, like the epilogue in Return of the King, with a half-dozen different episodes and plenty of space to wrap up everything that could possibly be wrapped up. This weekend is the Mexican Grand Prix, a popular event that has just been confirmed through 2025.
At this point, there are fairly few surprises left. The Ferrari is fast over one lap, the Red Bull seems to be much faster in the race, and the Mercedes is capable of getting Lewis Hamilton into the conversation even if it does not seem fast enough to actually win a race. Just three more grands prix remain until the offseason, though, so be sure to get your fill of the 2022 F1 field while you can.