All Times EDT
NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
Aaron’s 499
Site: Talladega, Ala.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 2-4:30 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (Speed, 11:30-2 a.m.); Sunday, race, 1 p.m. (FOX, noon-5 p.m.).
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (oval, 2.66 miles).
Race distance: 500 miles, 188 laps.
Last year: Kevin Harvick snapped a 115-race victory drought, passing Jamie McMurray on the last of 12 extra laps. On the third and final attempt at a green-flag finish, Harvick slid inside and drag-raced McMurray to the finish, winning by 0.011 seconds.
Last week: Matt Kenseth won at Texas Motor Speedway to end a 76-race winless streak. Clint Bowyer was second, followed by Kenseth’s Roush Fenway teammates, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle.
Fast facts: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has five Talladega victories, winning a record four straight from 2001-2003. He’s winless in 100 races and has one victory – on fuel mileage at Michigan in June 2008 – in 115 starts for Hendrick Motorsports. He had 17 victories in 291 starts in nine seasons for Dale Earnhardt Inc., winning six times in 2004. … Bowyer won the October race at the track. … Edwards leads the season standings with 256, nine more than second-place Kyle Busch. … Michael Waltrip is attempting to make his first Sprint Cup start since the season-opening Daytona 500. He has made 49 Talladega starts, winning the 2003 fall race.
Next race: Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400, April 30, Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Va.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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NATIONWIDE
Aaron’s 312
Site: Talladega, Ala.
Schedule: Thursday, practice; Friday, qualifying (Speed, noon-2 p.m.); Saturday, race, 3 (ESPN2, 2-6 p.m.).
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (oval, 2.66 miles).
Race distance: 311.22 miles, 117 laps.
Last year: Brad Keselowski raced to the first of his six 2010 victories, overcoming high carbon monoxide levels after the Cup race. Pushed back to Sunday because of rain, the race ended under caution on the second attempt at a green-white checker finish after a wreck that nearly sent Dennis Setzer flying over the fence.
Last week: Carl Edwards raced to his second straight victory at Texas Motor Speedway, leading 169 of 200 laps en route to his 30th Nationwide win.
Fast facts: Kyle Busch has three victories this year to push his Nationwide total to 46, three behind Mark Martin for the series record. … Dale Earnhardt Jr. is making his eighth Nationwide start at Talladega. He won the 2003 race.
Next race: Nashville 300, April 23, Nashville Superspeedway, Gladeville, Tenn.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS
Next race: Bully Hill Vineyards 200, April 22, Nashville Superspeedway, Gladeville, Tenn.
Last race: Johnny Sauter won at Martinsville on April 2, passing Kyle Busch a lap before the finish.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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INDYCAR
Grand Prix of Long Beach
Site: Long Beach, Calif.
Schedule: Friday, practice; Saturday, practice, qualifying (Versus, 6-7 p.m.); Sunday, race, 4:30 p.m. (Versus, 3:30-6:30 p.m.).
Track: Streets of Long Beach (street course, 1.97 miles).
Race distance: 167.2 miles, 85 laps.
Last year: Ryan Hunter-Reay took advantage of an early mistake by Will Power and was never really challenged. The Andretti Autosport driver led 64 of 85 laps.
Last week: Team Penske’s Power led wire-to-wire in the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Scott Dixon was second, followed by Dario Franchitti.
Fast facts: Franchitti won the 2009 race. … Canadian star Paul Tracy, a four-time Long Beach winner, is making his first start of the season, driving Jay Penske-owned Dragon Racing’s No. 8 car. … The 12-turn circuit encircles the Long Beach Convention Center.
Next race: Sao Paulo Indy 300, May 1, Streets of Sao Paulo.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
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FORMULA ONE
Chinese Grand Prix
Site: Shanghai.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 2-3:30 a.m.); Saturday, practice, qualifying (2-3:30 a.m.); Sunday, race, 3 a.m. (Speed, 2:30-5 a.m.).
Track: Shanghai International Circuit (road course, 3.39 miles).
Race distance: 189.7 miles, 56 laps.
Last year: Jenson Button gambled on tire strategy to win the rainy race, beating Lewis Hamilton in McLaren’s 1-2 finish. Button made the right decisions amid the chaos of changing weather that forced most drivers to pit at least four times. Button stopped twice.
Last week: Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won the Malaysian Grand Prix for his second straight victory in his championship defense. Button was second.
Fast facts: Vettel is attempting to become the first driver since Michael Schumacher in 2004 to start the season with three straight victories. Vettel has 12 victories in 64 career starts. … Schumacher won the 2006 race for the last of his record 91 victories. … Hermann Tilke and Peter Wahl designed the track. The course is shaped like the Chinese character “shang,” which stands for “high” or “above.”
Next race: Turkish Grand Prix, May 8, Istanbul Speed Park, Istanbul.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
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NHRA FULL THROTTLE
NHRA 4-Wide Nationals
Site: Concord, N.C.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 6-8 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 7-10 p.m.).
Track: zMAX Dragway.
Last year: John Force won the rain-delayed event for the second of his six 2010 Funny Car victories. Force beat daughter Ashley Force Hood, Ron Capps and Matt Hagan in the final in the NHRA’s first four-wide event. Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won.
Last event: Robert Hight raced to his second Funny Car victory of the season, winning at Las Vegas on April 3 to give John Force Racing its fifth consecutive victory dating to last season. Hight beat Johnny Gray in the final. Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Edwards (Pro Stock) also won.
Fast facts: The event features racing in four lanes instead of the traditional two. A center wall separates the second and third lanes. … Hight, also the winner in the season-opening Winternationals, leads the Funny Car standings with 289 points – 48 more than second-place Cruz Pedregon. … The series will return to zMAX Dragway in September for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.
Next race: O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals, April 29-May 1, Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
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OTHER RACES
ARCA RE/MAX SERIES: 3 Amigos 250, Friday (Speed, 5-7 p.m.), Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega. Ala.
Online: http://www.arcaracing.com
AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES: Grand Prix of Long Beach, Saturday (ESPN2, Sunday, 5-7 p.m.), Streets of Long Beach, Long Beach, Calif. Online: http://www.americanlemans.com
INDY LIGHTS: Grand Prix of Long Beach, Sunday (Versus, 2-3:30 p.m.), Streets of Long Beach, Long Beach, Calif. Online: http://www.indycar.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car, Friday, Paducah International Raceway, Paducah, Ky.; Saturday, I-55 Raceway, Pevely, Mo. Late Model, Commonwealth 100, Saturday, Virginia Motor Speedway, Jamaica, Va. Online: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com
U.S. AUTO RACING CLUB: Sprint Car, Friday, Gas City I-69 Speedway, Gas City, Ind.; Saturday, Lawrenceburg Speedway, Lawrenceburg, Ind.; Sunday, Kokomo Speedway, Kokomo, Ind. Online: http://www.usacracing.com
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