All Times EDT
NASCAR
AUTO CLUB 400
Site: Fontana, Calif.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 3-4:30 p.m.), qualifying (Speed, 7-9 p.m.); Saturday, practice (Speed, 12:30-1:30 p.m., 3:30-5 p.m.); Sunday, race, 3 p.m. (FOX, 2:30-6 p.m.)
Track: Auto Club Speedway (oval, 2.0 miles).
Race distance: 400 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Kevin Harvick won the first of his four 2011 victories, passing Jimmie Johnson on the final turn. Johnson was second, followed by Kyle Busch.
Last week: Brad Keselowski raced to his second straight victory at Bristol, holding off Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth on a late restart. The Penske Racing driver led a career-best 232 laps.
Fast facts: On Tuesday, NASCAR’s chief appellate officer overturned the bulk of the penalties levied against five-time championship winning crew chief Chad Knaus. He still must pay a $100,000 fine because Johnson’s car failed the opening-day inspection for the Daytona 500. John Middlebrook overturned the six-race suspensions NASCAR handed down to Knaus and car chief Ron Malec, and ruled both instead will be on probation through May 9. Middlebrook also reinstated the 25 points Johnson had been docked. Johnson has a series-high five victories at the track. … Mark Martin is back in Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 55 Toyota. … The race, the fifth of the season, is the last using 2011 owners’ points to set the guaranteed 35 spots in the 43-car fields. After the event, 2012 owners’ points will be used. … Greg Biffle leads the standings.
Next race: Goody’s Fast Relief 500, April 1, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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NATIONWIDE
ROYAL PURPLE 300
Site: Fontana, Calif.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 4:30-7 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 1:30-3 p.m.), race, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN, 5-8 p.m.).
Track: Auto Club Speedway (oval, 2.0 miles).
Race distance: 300 miles, 150 laps.
Last year: Kyle Busch raced to his third straight Nationwide victory at Fontana and fifth in the last six races at the track. Carl Edwards was second.
Last week: Elliott Sadler won for the second time in three weeks, easily holding off Sprint Cup drivers Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski at Bristol.
Fast facts: Busch is driving his own Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 54 Toyota this season after racing to his last 36 victories and 38 of series-record 51 wins in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota. Joey Logano will drive Gibbs’ No. 18 Toyota. … Sadler, also the Phoenix winner, leads the series standings. … Sprint Cup drivers are 0 for 4 this season, the first time they’ve been shut out in the opening four races since 1995.
Next race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, April 13, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
Next race: Kroger 250, March 31, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va.
Last race: Rookie John King won the season-opening race at Daytona on Feb. 24, holding on after turning around leader Johnny Sauter on the second of three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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INDYCAR
GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
Site: St. Petersburg, Fla.
Schedule: Friday, practice; Saturday, practice, qualifying; Sunday, race, 12:30 p.m. (ABC, 12:30-3 p.m.).
Track: Streets of St. Petersburg (street course, 1.8 miles).
Race distance: 181 miles, 100 laps.
Last year: Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti won the season-opening race en route to his third straight series championship. Penske Racing’s Will Power was second.
Fast facts: The race is the series’ first since two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon was killed in October in the season finale in Las Vegas. … The series has a new car design for the first time since 2003. Wheldon spent most of last year helping Dallara with its development. After the accident, it was named the Dallara DW12. … Chevrolet and Lotus have joined Honda as the series’ engine manufacturers. Penske Racing and Andretti Autosport are using Chevrolet engines, while Chip Ganassi’s four-car fleet is sticking with Honda – the sole supplier the previous seven seasons. … Canadian James Hinchcliffe has replaced Danica Patrick in Andretti Autosport’s GoDaddy car. Patrick is racing in NASCAR. … Former Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello is making his first IndyCar start, racing for KV Racing Technology. The 39-year-old Brazilian won 11 F1 races. … Power won the rain-delayed 2010 race. … The Indy Lights race is Saturday.
Next race: Grand Prix of Alabama, April 15, Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
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FORMULA ONE
MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
Site: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 2-3:30 a.m.); Saturday, practice, qualifying (Speed, 4-5:30 a.m.); Sunday, race, 4 a.m. (Speed, 3:30-6 a.m., 3-5:30 p.m.).
Track: Sepang International Circuit (road course, 3.44 miles).
Race distance: 192.88 miles, 56 laps.
Last year: Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won the race for the second straight year. The victory was the second of his 11 2011 wins en route to his second straight season title.
Last week: McLaren’s Jenson Button won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix for his third victory in the event in four years. Button beat Vettel, the 2011 winner, by 2.1 seconds.
Fast facts: Vettel has 21 victories in 82 career starts. … Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has a record 91 victories, three at Sepang. … Italian motorcycle racer Marco Simoncelli was killed in a MotoGP race in October at the track.
Next race: Chinese Grand Prix, April 15, Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
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NHRA FULL THROTTLE
Next event: SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, March 30-April 1, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas.
Last event: Morgan Lucas won the Top Fuel final in the rain-delayed Gatornationals on March 12, beating Tony Schumacher. Lucas had the second-quickest run in NHRA history, finishing in 3.743 seconds at 326.87 mph. Robert Hight (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
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OTHER RACES
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Cup: Mini Gold Cup, Friday-Saturday, Silver Dollar Speedway, Chico, Calif. Online: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com
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