All Times EDT
NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
STP 500
Site: Martinsville, Virginia.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Fox Sports 1, noon-1:30 p.m.), qualifying (Fox Sports 1, 4:30-6 p.m.); Saturday, practice (Fox Sports 1, 10-11 a.m., 1:30-2 p.m.); Sunday, race, 1 p.m. (Fox Sports 1, 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.).
Track: Martinsville Speedway (oval, 0.526 miles).
Race distance: 263 miles, 500 laps.
Last year: Kurt Busch raced to the last of his 25 victories.
Last week: Brad Keselowski won in Fontana, California, taking advantage of debris cautions.
Fast facts: Kevin Harvick was second at Fontana after winning the previous two weeks at Las Vegas and Phoenix. The defending series champion has four victories and four second-place finishes in his last eight races. Richard Petty set the record of 11 straight top-two finishes in 1975. … Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the October race for his first victory at the track. Hendrick teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon each have eight Martinsville victories. … Xfinity Series champion Chase Elliott is making his series debut. … Petty won a record 15 times at Martinsville, the only remaining venue from NASCAR’s inaugural 1949 season.
Next race: Duck Commander 500, April 11, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
KROGER 250
Site: Martinsville, Virginia.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Fox Sports 1, 10 a.m.-noon, 1:30-2:30 p.m., 3-4:30 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (Fox Sports 1, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.), race, 2:30 p.m. (Fox Sports 1, 2-5 p.m.).
Track: Martinsville Speedway (oval, 0.526 miles).
Race distance: 131.5 miles, 250 laps.
Last year: Matt Crafton won the rain-delayed race. Darrell Wallace Jr. was second.
Last event: Two-time defending series champion Crafton won at Atlanta on Feb. 28.
Fast facts: The race is the third of the season. Tyler Reddick won the opener at Daytona. … JR Motorsports is making its series debut, with 17-year-old Cole Custer driving the No. 00 Chevrolet. He won in September at New Hampshire at a record 16 years, 7 months, 28 days. … Erik Jones (No. 4), Daniel Suarez (No. 51) and Justin Boston (No. 54) are driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Busch is sidelined after breaking his right leg and left foot in a wreck in the Xfinity race at Daytona. … Wallace won in October at the track the last two years.
Next race: Kansas 250, May 8, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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XFINITY
Next race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, April 10, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas.
Last week: Kevin Harvick won in Fontana, California, for his second victory of the year.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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VERIZON INDYCAR
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
Site: St. Petersburg, Florida.
Schedule: Friday, practice; Saturday, practice, qualifying; Sunday, race, 3:20 p.m. (ABC, 3-6 p.m.).
Track: Streets of St. Petersburg (street course, 1.8 miles).
Race distance: 198 miles, 110 laps.
Last year: Team Penske’s Will Power won the opener for the first of his three 2014 victories en route to the season title.
Fast facts: Power also won the 2010 race. … Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves won at the track in 2006, 2007 and 2012. … Simona de Silvestro is driving for Andretti Autosport after skipping last season to pursue a Formula One career. In 2013, she was 13th in the season standings for KV Racing Technology. … KVSH Racing’s Sebastien Bourdais teamed with Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi on Sunday to win the Twelve Hours of Sebring. … Indy Lights champion Gabby Chaves is making his first series start, driving for Bryan Herta Autosport.
Next race: Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana, April 12, NOLA Motorsports, Avondale, Louisiana.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
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FORMULA ONE
MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
Site: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Schedule: Friday, practice (NBC Sports Network, 2-3 a.m.); Saturday, practice, qualifying (NBC Sports Network, 5-6:30 a.m.); Sunday, race, 3 a.m. (NBC Sports Network, 2:30-5:30 a.m., 3:30-6:30 a.m.).
Track: Sepang International Circuit (road course, 3.44 miles).
Race distance: 192.88 miles, 56 laps.
Last year: Lewis Hamilton raced to the first of his 11 2014 victories en route to the season title. Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg was second.
Last event: Hamilton won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 15 for his seventh victory in the last eight races and Mercedes eighth win a row. Rosberg was second.
Fast facts: Sebastian Vettel was third in Australia in his Ferrari debut. The German driver was winless last year for Red Bull after winning 13 times in 2013 en route to his fourth straight season title. … McLaren’s Fernando Alonso hopes to race after missing the opener following a crash in testing. Kevin Magnussen was 17th in Australia in Alonso’s place. Mercedes has won eight straight races, with Hamilton winning seven times and Rosberg once.
Next race: Chinese Grand Prix, April 12, Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
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NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING
NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
Site: Concord, North Carolina.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 8-9:30 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN, 2-5 p.m.).
Track: zMAX Dragway.
Last year: Robert Hight beat John Force, Alexis DeJoria and Tim Wilkerson in the Funny Car final. Antron Brown won in Top Fuel, Sweden’s Jimmy Alund topped the Pro Stock field to become the first European winner in the series, and Andrew Hines won in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Last event: Spencer Massey won the Top Fuel division in the Gatornationals on March 15. Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps topped the Funny Car field, Greg Anderson won in Pro Stock, and Karen Stoffer in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Fast facts: The event features racing in four lanes instead of the traditional two. A center wall separates the second and third lanes. The series will return to zMAX Dragway in September for the opener in the six-race Countdown to the Championship. … The event is the third of the season. Matt Hagan opened the season with Funny Car victories in California and Arizona.
Next event: SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, April 10-12, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
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OTHER RACES
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: Mini Gold Cup, Saturday, Silver Dollar Speedway, Chico, California; Sunday, Antioch Speedway, Antioch, California. Online: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com
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