Welcome to the Jalopnik Weekend Motorsports Roundup, where we let you know what's going on in the world of racing, where you can see it, and where you can talk about it all in one convenient place. Where else would you want to spend your weekend?
NASCAR and NHRA both wrap up their seasons this weekend, so get in your motorsports fix before everything ends for the year.
The battle for NHRA's Funny Car class has heated up to a boil, with Matt Hagan leading sixteen-time champion John Force by only 21 points. Pro Stock is even more up in the air, with only 17 points separating Erica Enders-Stevens from her next competitor, Jason Line. Tensions are high as the season comes to an end.
If you're ready for NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup to come to a finale, wait no longer. Four drivers remain for the final round: Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman. While Newman has finished consistently well throughout the year, his appearance in the final round of the Chase demonstrates what critics say is one of the playoff-style championship's biggest flaws: the title could go to a driver who hasn't won a race all season long.
The upside is that the Sprint Cup will go to a first-time champion this weekend, so there's that.
Tired of all this namby-pamby pavement racin'? Me, too, which is why I sent one of my LeMons team drivers out to have a nice four-off during practice at MSR-Houston. (It's okay, the 944 is good at this.) Also, this was the week that reminded me that I need a Class 11 Baja Beetle SO MUCH.
Alternately, you can tune in to the World Rally Championship's Wales Rally Great Britain, named such in case you forgot where Wales was. Sebastien Ogier may have already won the championship for this year, but rally cars will still fly through the land of mud and sheep, making for some impressive yumps and splashes as always.
Or were you looking for something longer to watch? The World Endurance Championship's Six Hours of Bahrain is annoyingly not on TV, so you're stuck with Baja 1000 re-plays in that case. However, there is a free radio stream of the race itself on Radio Le Mans, plus paid coverage through the WEC app starting on Saturday at 7:00 a.m. EST.
If you know about anything we missed, or about good livestreams out there, let us know in the comments below.
All times below are EST.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Ford EcoBoost 400 Practice 2
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Florida
12:00 PM Saturday on FS1
NASCAR Nationwide Series Ford EcoBoost 300 Qualifying
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Florida
1:00 PM Saturday on FS1
NASCAR Sprint Cup Ford EcoBoost 400 Final Practice
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Florida
3:00 PM Saturday on FS2
NASCAR Nationwide Series Ford EcoBoost 300
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Florida
4:30 PM Saturday on ESPN2
NHRA Auto Club Finals Qualifying
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Pomona, California
3:00 AM Sunday on ESPN2 (replay at 3:00 PM Sunday on ESPN2)
World Rally Championship Wales Rally Great Britain
Wales, Great Britain
7:00 AM Sunday on MAVTV
NASCAR Sprint Cup Ford EcoBoost 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Florida
3:00 PM Sunday on ESPN
NHRA Auto Club Finals
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Pomona, California
2:00 PM Sunday live stream on ESPN3.com (replay at 7:30 PM on ESPN2)
Photo credit: Getty Images