NASCAR playoffs roll on to Las Vegas, Formula 1 back in action with US Grand Prix in Texas

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South Point 400.

Site: Las Vegas, Nevada.

Schedule: Saturday, practice, 4:35 p.m.; qualifying, 5:20 p.m., Sunday, race, 2:30 p.m. (NBC)

Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Race distance: 267 laps, 400.5 miles.

Last year: Kyle Larson became the first driver to advance to the championship four when he won at Las Vegas. Larson outraced fellow playoff driver Christopher Bell to the line for the victory. Non-playoff drivers Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Ross Chastain rounded out the top five.

Last race: Larson closed the playoff's round of 12 this past week with a win at Charlotte's Roval. It was a satisfying triumph for Larson, who had hoped to complete the Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 double last May before rain in Charlotte prevented him from turning any NASCAR laps. So Larson dominated on the way to his series-best sixth win on the season. Bell was second, followed by William Byron, Austin Cindric and Chase Elliott.

Fast facts: There was drama after The Roval when Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman's car was found to be under weight in post-race inspection and disqualified. The ruling left the No. 48 car out of the playoffs and the only one of the four Hendrick drivers not advancing to the round of eight. ... Larson leads the playoff standings with Bell right behind. Regular-season champion Tyler Reddick is third and William Byron fourth. ... The drivers currently on the wrong side of the cutline are defending champion Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott and two-time champ Joey Logano, who was on the outside until Bowman's disqualification put him back in the playoffs. ... After Las Vegas, the round of eight goes to Homestead-Miami and Martinsville before the final four playoff survivors race for it all in Phoenix next month. ... Larson has won three of the past seven Cup Series races at Las Vegas, including the past two — last October and last March.

Next race: Oct. 27, Homestead, Florida.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

Ambetter Health 302.

Site: Las Vegas, Nevada

Schedule: Friday, practice, 6:35 p.m.; qualifying, 7:10 p.m.; Saturday, race, 7:30 p.m. (CW)

Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Race distance: 201 laps, 301.5 miles.

Last year: Hometown driver Riley Herbst won his first career Xfinity race by nearly 15 seconds in a dominating performance. It almost doubled the previous mark at the track of 8.4 seconds in 2002 when now broadcaster Jeff Burton took the event. Herbst led 103 of 201 in winning for the first time in his 139 career races at the time. Hunter Nemechek was second and eventual Xfinity Series champions Cole Custer was third.

Last race: Sam Mayer won on The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a controversial overtime finish that allowed Mayer to advance in the Xfinity Series playoffs. It came at the expense of Parker Kligerman, who was denied his first career Xfinity Series victory in regulation by a NASCAR scoring call and eliminated from the playoff field. NASCAR ruled Kligerman did not take the white flag when the caution came out and instead called for the two-lap overtime. Mayer moved past Kligerman to win this event for a second straight year.

Fast facts: Xfinity is down to the round of eight with three more races left at Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami and Martinsville to determine the championship four. ... Justin Allgaier leads the series by seven points over defending champion Custer. Austin Hill and Chandler Smith also head into the round of eight among the top four. ... Those racers looking to move up are Mayer, Jesse Love, AJ Allmendinger and Sammy Smith. ... Hill, Mayer and Shane van Gisbergen have three victories apiece to lead the series.

Next race: Oct. 26, Homestead, Florida.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

Last race: Grant Enfinger won the Love’s RV Stop 225 playoff race at Talladega to automatically qualify for the championship finale at Phoenix on Nov. 8. The Alabama native led 34 of 85 laps in his Chevy, including the final nine after a restart before another caution on the final lap. Enfinger won the second stage to earn his first win this season, his 11th career and second at his home track. Playoff driver Taylor Gray was second with Daniel Dye third despite contact with Tyler Ankrum that caused a multicar wreck that brought the final yellow.

Fast Facts: Enfinger’s win was the first for his CR7 Motorsports team and first by a playoff driver in nine Talladega races. … Three more spots are at stake over the next two races of the round of eight. Corey Heim (3,077 points) finished 11th and leads Christian Eckes by one with Ty Majeski 25 back and Rajah Caruth 30 behind. … The series will take a three-week break before resuming at Homestead-Miami Speedway. ... The trucks run at Martinsville on Nov. 1 and Phoenix Nov. 8 to conclude the season.

Next race: Oct. 26, Homestead, Florida.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

Pirelli United States Grand Prix.

Site: Austin, Texas.

Schedule: Friday, practice, 1:30 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 6 p.m. , Sunday, race, 3 p.m. (ESPN)

Track: Circuit of the Americas.

Race distance: 56 laps, 191.633 miles.

Last year: Max Verstappen won his 50th career Formula 1 race when he worked through the field after starting sixth and held off Lewis Hamilton over the final laps. Hamilton's second-place finish was wiped out three hours after the race when he and sixth-place finisher Charles Leclerc were disqualified for rule violations with the skid blocks under their cars. It was Verstappen's third straight victory in Austin.

Last race: Lando Norris chipped seven points from Max Verstappen’s lead with a dominating victory at the Singapore Grand Prix from the pole on Sept. 22. It was Norris’ third career victory, all coming this season.

Fast facts: The once unstoppable Verstappen is now only 52 points ahead of Norris with six races left. ... The series moves to Mexico and Brazil the next two weeks, then takes another extended break before resuming in Las Vegas in late November. ... U.S. Grand Prix officials say that Verstappen's extended winless streak — he has not won since Spain in June — has improved ticket sales for this week's race. ... It is Verstappen's longest winless stretch since 2020. ... Leclerc is third in the driver standings, 86 points behind Verstappen.

Next race: Oct. 27, Mexico City, Mexico.

Online: http://www.formula1.com

Last race: Alex Palou claimed his second consecutive IndyCar championship and third in four years at Nashville Superspeedway. Challenger Will Power’s seatbelt came loose minutes into the season-deciding finale. Colton Herta won the Music City Grand Prix for his first career victory on an oval and second win of the season for Andretti Global.

Next race: March 2, 2025, St. Petersburg, Florida.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

Last event: Justin Ashley took the Top Fuel points lead, holding off Clay Millican in the final round to win the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals. It was the fourth win of the season for Ashley and the 15th of his career. Matt Hagan took the Funny Car title in Texas for a second straight year. He defeated veteran hot-rodder Ron Capps in the finals.

Fast facts: The series takes a week off before going to Las Vegas. After two more off weeks, the series concludes with the NHRA Finals in Pomona, California. ... Ashley's Top Fuel victory in Dallas gave him a 44-point lead over Antron Brown. Shawn Langdon is third, Steve Torrance fourth and Tony Schumacher fifth. ... Austin Prock has a 147-point lead over John Force in Funny Car. Force continues his recovery from a horrific racing accident in Virginia this past June, but Jack Beckman is subbing for Force for the final eight events. Beckman had to pull out of last week's finals in Dallas when he woke with vertigo-like symptoms.

Next event: Oct. 31-Nov. 3, Las Vegas.

Online: http://www.nhra.com

Federated Auto Parts, Joliet, Illinois, Friday-Saturday.

Last events: Donny Schatz broke away from Carson Macedo and Buddy Kofoid, who had combined to win 12 of the previous 15 races, on a restart and drove away over the last 10 laps to win the Keystone Showdown. Schatz won for the fifth time this year and the 316th time in his career. Macedo held on for second and Kofoid took third. It was Kofoid's 12th trip to the podium in the past 14 events.

Fast facts: David Gravel finished ninth in Abbottsville, Pennsylvania, and saw his lead over Macedo cut to 72 points with three stops left. ... The series goes to West Memphis, Arkansas, for two races after Joliet, then closes with four days in Concord, North Carolina, for The World Finals.

Next events: Oct. 25-26, Joliet, Illinois.

Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Alex Bowman drives out of Turn 3 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Lamar Jackson thought it was over. That the Baltimore Ravens' unwieldy season would end up in a familiar spot: the playoffs.

Then, rookie kicker Tyler Loop's potential game-winning field goal from 44 yards out drifted a little right. And then a little further right. And then a little further right still.

By the time it fluttered well wide of the goalposts, the playoffs were gone. So was Jackson's certainty after a 26-24 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday night sent the Ravens into what could be a turbulent offseason.

“I'm definitely stunned, man,” Jackson said. “I thought we had it in the bag. ... I don't know what else we can do.”

Jackson, who never really seemed fully healthy during his eighth season as he battled one thing after another, did his part. The two-time NFL MVP passed for 238 yards and three touchdowns, including two long connections with Zay Flowers in the fourth quarter that put the Ravens (8-9) in front.

It just wasn't enough. Baltimore's defense, which played most of the second half without star safety Kyle Hamilton after Hamilton entered the concussion protocol, wilted against 42-year-old Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers passed for a season-high 294 yards, including a 26-yard flip to a wide-open Calvin Austin with 55 seconds to go after a defender slipped, symbolic of a season in which Baltimore's defense only occasionally found its form.

Still, the Ravens had a chance when Jackson found Isaiah Likely for a 28-yard gain on fourth down from midfield. A couple of snaps later, the 24-year-old Loop walked on to try to lift Baltimore to its third straight division title.

Instead, the rookie said he “mishit” it. Whatever it was, it never threatened to sneak between the goalposts.

“It’s disappointing,” Loop said.

Loop was talking about the game. He might as well have been talking about his team's season.

The Ravens began 1-5 as Jackson dealt with injuries and the defense struggled to get stops. Baltimore found a way to briefly tie the Steelers for first in late November, only to then split its next four games, including a home loss to Pittsburgh.

Still, when Jackson and the Ravens walked onto the Acrisure Stadium turf on Sunday night in the 272nd and final game of the NFL regular season, Baltimore was confident. The Ravens drilled Pittsburgh in the opening round of the playoffs a year ago behind the ever-churning legs of running back Derrick Henry.

When Henry ripped off a gain of 40-plus yards on the game's first offensive snap, it looked like it was going to be more of the same. While Henry did rush for 126 yards and joined Hall of Famer Barry Sanders as the only running backs in NFL history to have five 1,500-yard seasons, he was less effective in the second half.

Even that first run was telling of what night it was going to be, as an illegal block by wide receiver Zay Flowers cost Baltimore some field position. The Ravens ended up scoring on the drive anyway, thanks to a 38-yard fourth-down flip from Jackson to a wide-open Devontez Walker, but it started a pattern that was hard to shake as several steps forward were met with one step back on a night the Ravens finished with nine penalties for 78 yards.

“We were having a lot of penalties, which kept stopping drives," Jackson said. “But I'm proud of my guys because we kept overcoming. We kept overcoming adversity and situations like this. Divisional games (can) be like that sometimes.”

Particularly when the Steelers are on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Pittsburgh has won 10 of the last 13 meetings. And while a handful of them have been in late-season matchups with the Ravens already assured of reaching the playoffs, the reality is the Steelers have been able to regularly do something that most others have not: found a way to beat Jackson.

“It comes down to situations like this,” Jackson said. “Two-point conversion one year. Field goal another year. And again this year. Just got to find a way to get that win here.”

And figure out who is going to be around to help get it.

Head coach John Harbaugh's 18th season in Baltimore ended with the Ravens missing the playoffs for just the second time in eight years. Jackson turns 29 this week and is still one of the most electric players in the league.

Yet Harbaugh and Jackson have yet to find a way to have that breakthrough season that Harbaugh enjoyed with Joe Flacco in 2013 when the Ravens won the Super Bowl.

There was hope when the season began that the roadblocks that have long been in the franchise's way — Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes chief among them — would be gone.

While the Ravens did get their way in a sense — the Chiefs will watch the playoffs from afar for the first time in a decade after a nightmarish season of their own — it never all came together.

Jackson declined to endorse Harbaugh returning for a 19th season, saying the loss was still too fresh to zoom out on what it might mean for the franchise going forward.

Harbaugh, for his part, certainly seems up for running it back in the fall.

“I love these guys,” he said afterward. “I love these guys.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, right, hands the ball off to running back Derrick Henry (22) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks with an offical during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, left, greets Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) after an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Jabrill Peppers (40) reacts after Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop (33) missed a field goal attempt in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)