This Week in Auto Racing September 24 - 26

This Week in Auto Racing September 24 - 26

Dover, DE (Sports Network) - After starting the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship at New Hampshire, the second round of the playoffs moves to Dover this weekend. The Nationwide Series will join Sprint Cup at Dover, while Camping World Truck Series teams head to Las Vegas. Formula One will rev it up under the lights in the Singapore Grand Prix.

Sprint Cup Series

AAA 400 - Dover International Speedway - Dover, DE

Clint Bowyer made a huge statement in this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship by winning last Sunday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Bowyer entered the Chase in the 12th seed, but after his win, he has moved up to second place, trailing leader Denny Hamlin by just 35 points. Hamlin, who entered the playoffs in the first seed, remained atop the standings with his second-place finish.

Now the pressure is on Bowyer to keep up his momentum, as the Sprint Cup Series heads to Dover International Speedway for round two in the Chase.

"We launched ourselves into the pressure cooker early, and you've got to be able to continue to have as much fun as we did this [past] weekend," Bowyer said. "If we can do that, we can continue to have the success."

Bowyer has been on a roll lately, finishing seventh or better in the last four races. Can he keep the momentum going at Dover? His best finish here is eighth, which came three times, most recently in September 2008.

Dover has not been one of Hamlin's best tracks lately. He has finished 22nd or worse in five of the last six races here but did finish fourth at Dover in May.

"We've just got to minimize a bad day again at Dover; that's our goal," Hamlin said. "If we can get past Dover, we've got a lot of really good tracks for us."

Eight of the 12 drivers who are competing in this year's Chase have won at Dover. Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with five victories here, including wins in both races last year.

"Dover is a track that I just love driving, and I'm looking forward to it," Johnson said. "I'm going to go in there with that mindset and try to put the fear out of my mind and go for a win."

Johnson's 25th-place run at New Hampshire was the worst finish among the Chase contenders. Despite a 92-point deficit, Johnson is far from being denied his record-extending fifth consecutive Cup championship.

Earlier this year at Dover, Johnson led a race-high 225 laps, but wound up finishing 16th due to a late-race pit road speeding penalty.

Kyle Busch is a two-time race winner at Dover, including a victory here in May. Busch currently holds the fourth spot in the Chase, trailing his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Hamlin by 62 points.

"I like going to Dover; we won there in the spring," Busch said. "I feel like we can go back there and kind of repeat that performance. We ran in the top- five for most of the day, and then made some really good changes towards the end of the race."

Tony Stewart is another driver who is hoping to rebound in the Chase at Dover, following his mishap in the final laps at New Hampshire. Stewart led the way until he ran out of fuel with less than two laps to go, allowing Bowyer to take the lead for good.

Stewart scored a season-sweep at Dover in 2000. He has finished 11th or better in the last four races here.

Forty-six teams are on the preliminary entry list for the AAA 400.

Nationwide Series

Dover 200 - Dover International Speedway - Dover, DE

After taking the week off, the Nationwide Series returns to action this weekend at Dover International Speedway.

Once again, Kyle Busch will try to break the series record for most wins in a season. He claimed his 10th Nationwide victory of the season last month at Bristol. Sam Ard won a record 10 races in 1983, but Busch matched that feat in 2008.

Busch finished second to Jamie McMurray in the Nationwide race at Atlanta on Labor Day weekend, and then placed ninth at Richmond the following week.

"To me, it's cool to have the opportunity," Busch said. "Hopefully luck can fall our way, and we can get number 11. It's going to be pretty special, because it's never been done before."

Busch is a two-time Nationwide race winner at Dover, including a victory here in May.

Fresh off a fifth-place finish in last Sunday's IZOD IndyCar Series race at Motegi, Japan, Danica Patrick resumes her Nationwide schedule at Dover. Patrick has competed in six Nationwide events so far, with an average finish of 30.5. Her last series appearance came on August 14 at Michigan.

Patrick will pull double duty at Dover, making her NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut on Friday and then running in the Nationwide race on Saturday.

After wrapping up her IndyCar schedule on October 2 at Homestead, Patrick will focus on her stock car racing development for the remainder of the year.

She is slated to run in the upcoming Nationwide races at California, Charlotte, Gateway (St. Louis), Texas, Phoenix and Homestead.

Brad Keselowski enters the 200-mile race at Dover with a commanding 373-point lead over Carl Edwards.

With eight races remaining, Keselowski certainly is in the driver's seat to win this year's Nationwide championship, but Edwards is not out of the title race just yet. Larry Pearson overcame a 320-point deficit to win the championship in 1986, which is the series' largest come-from-behind margin with eight races to go.

Forty-eight teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Dover 200.

Camping World Truck Series

Smith's Food and Drug Stores 350 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Las Vegas, NV

The Camping World Truck Series will run its final "stand-alone" race of the season this weekend at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

With five races remaining, Todd Bodine holds a 257-point lead over Aric Almirola.

Bodine is in great shape to pick up his second Truck Series championship, despite his crew chief, Mike Hillman Jr., possibly missing the Las Vegas race. Hillman sustained injuries to his leg and ankle last Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

In a separate role from his normal activities at Germain Racing, Hillman was serving as the tire carrier for the team's NASCAR K&N Pro Series East entry during a routine pit stop. He was struck on pit road, sending him across the front hood of the car. Hillman suffered a dislocated lower bone in his right leg and a broken ankle during the incident. However, he sat atop the pit box for Saturday's truck race, guiding Bodine to a ninth-place finish.

Hillman returned home to North Carolina and received further evaluation from his doctor. He is expected to undergo surgery to repair his ankle this week. His status for Las Vegas remains uncertain.

Bodine holds the series record for most wins on 1.5-mile (intermediate) tracks with 12. He won at Las Vegas in 2005.

"We go every week to win the race, and if we can't win the race, then we do the best we can and have the best points day possible," Bodine said.

Las Vegas has produced three first-time race winners in the series. Johnny Sauter scored his maiden truck victory at Las Vegas one year ago. David Starr (2002) and Shane Hmiel (2004) also claimed their first wins here.

For the first time in four races, Kyle Busch is not entered in the truck event in his hometown. Brian Ickler will drive Busch's No.18 Toyota.

Busch has won three of the last four races -- Bristol, Chicagoland and New Hampshire.

Forty-one teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Smith's Food and Drug Stores 350.

FORMULA ONE

Singapore Grand Prix - Marina Bay Street Circuit - Singapore

After last week's win on Ferrari's home turf in Monza, Italy, Fernando Alonso kept his Formula One championship hopes alive. Alonso notched his third win in his first season with Ferrari. The Spaniard is now 21 points behind leader Mark Webber.

Last month, Alonso tumbled in the standings when he finished 21st in the Belgian Grand Prix. He fell 41 points behind then leader Lewis Hamilton.

"I think any good result gives you extra confidence and some good motivation for the whole team, to keep working hard and try not to give up at any point in the championship," Alonso said. "We know that one race, good or bad, can change the positions in the championship a lot with the new points system."

Alonso, a two-time F1 champion, won the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix in 2008, when he drove for Renault. However, his victory in Singapore came amid controversy.

Last year, F1's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), accused Renault of conspiring driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to cause a deliberate crash early in the race. The wreck forced the deployment of the safety car. Alonso, who started on a light fuel load, made his first pit stop prior to Piquet's accident. The safety car period helped Alonso move to the front of the field after he started 15th on the grid.

In what turned out to be one of the sport's biggest scandals, investigations by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council and officials from Renault found that team principal Flavio Briatore and executive director of engineering Pat Symonds planned the crash with Piquet in order to benefit the race strategy of Alonso.

Renault avoided permanent expulsion from F1 competition when the FIA handed the French team a two-year suspended ban. Renault admitted to intentionally causing the crash before the FIA handed down its decision.

Hamilton won last year's Singapore GP. The McLaren driver started on the pole and relinquished his lead briefly after pitting the second time. While Hamilton picked up his second victory of the season, Webber was eliminated from the 2009 title hunt after finishing 17th. Webber's brakes failed in his Red Bull car, causing him to spin and slam into the wall.

"I'm hoping to improve on last year's result, as it's a high downforce street circuit that should suit our car," Webber said. "It's got some similarities to Monaco and Budapest, and we did well at both those circuits, so I'm hoping for a strong result."

Webber holds just a five-point lead over Hamilton with five races to go.

Last week, BMW Sauber announced that Nick Heidfeld will replace Pedro de la Rosa in the team's car, starting with the Singapore GP. Heidfeld will finish the season with the team. He had served as Mercedes GP's reserve and test driver for the 2010 season. The German parted with BMW Sauber to join Mercedes at the end of last year.

"I can't wait to get back in the race car," Heidfeld said. "I'm not just very much looking forward to going racing again, as I regard it as a special bonus that my first race will be the Singapore Grand Prix."