All Times EDT
NASCAR
GOODY’S FAST RELIEF 500
Site: Martinsville, Va.
Schedule: Friday, practice (12:30-2 p.m., 3:30-5 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.); Sunday, race, 1 p.m. (FOX, 12:30-5 p.m.).
Track: Martinsville Speedway (oval, 0.526 miles).
Race distance: 263 miles, 500 laps.
Last year: Kevin Harvick raced to the second of his four 2011 victories, overcoming handling problems to charge to the front and pass Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Last week: Tony Stewart won for the second time in five races this year, beating Kyle Busch in the rain-shortened event in Fontana, Calif.
Fast facts: Stewart also won in Las Vegas. He won the October race at Martinsville en route to the series title. … Denny Hamlin won the second 2009 race at the track and swept the 2010 events. The Virginia driver won this year at Phoenix. … Earnhardt is winless in 134 races. … Greg Biffle leads the standings. … Jimmie Johnson has six Martinsville victories, winning five times in a six-race stretch from 2006-09. … Richard Petty won a record 15 times at Martinsville, the only remaining venue from NASCAR’s inaugural 1949 season. … Brad Keselowski won the short-track race two weeks ago at Bristol. … Brian Vickers is back in Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 55 Toyota. He was fifth at Bristol in his first start of the year.
Next race: Texas Samsung Mobile 500, April 14, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
—
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
KROGER 250
Site: Martinsville, Va.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 2-30 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (Speed, 10-11 a.m.), race, 1:30 p.m. (Speed, 1-4 p.m.).
Track: Martinsville Speedway (oval, 0.526 miles).
Race distance: 131.5 miles, 250 laps.
Last year: Johnny Sauter won the first of his two 2011 victories, passing Kyle Busch with a lap to go.
Last race: Rookie John King won the season-opening race at Daytona on Feb. 24, holding on after turning around leader Sauter on the second of three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish.
Fast facts: Kevin Harvick, the 2009 and 2010 winner in his own Kevin Harvick Inc. entry, is driving a Richard Childress Racing car. David Reutimann is the only other Sprint Cup points-eligible driver entered. … Jeb Burton, the 19-year-old son of 2002 Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton, is attempting to make his first series start.
Next race: Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200, April 15, Rockingham Speedway, Rockingham, N.C.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
—
NATIONWIDE
Next race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, April 13, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas.
Last week: Joey Logano gave Joe Gibbs Racing its eighth consecutive Nationwide victory at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. He held off Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
—
INDYCAR
GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA
Site: Birmingham, Ala.
Schedule: Friday, practice; Saturday, practice, qualifying (NBC Sports Network, 4-5 p.m.); Sunday, race, 2 p.m. (NBC Sports Network, 2-5 p.m.).
Track: Barber Motorsports Park (road course, 2.38 miles).
Race distance: 214.2 miles, 90 laps.
Last year: Team Penske’s Will Power raced to the first of his six 2011 victories. Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon was second.
Last week: Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves won the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg for his first victory since September 2010. Dixon was second.
Fast facts: Target Chip Ganassi’s Dario Franchitti, the three-time defending series champion, was 13th at St. Petersburg. … Castroneves won the inaugural race in 2010. … Former Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello was 17th last week in his first IndyCar start. The Brazilian is racing for KV Racing Technology. … The Indy Lights race also is Sunday. Frenchman Tristan Vautier won the Lights opener at St. Petersburg for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.
Next race: Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 15, Streets of Long Beach, Long Beach, Calif.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
—
FORMULA ONE
Next race: Chinese Grand Prix, April 15, Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai.
Last week: Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso won the Malaysian Grand Prix. Sauber’s Sergio Perez was second in the race stopped for 51 minutes because of rain.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
—
NHRA FULL THROTTLE
SUMMITRACING.COM NHRA NATIONALS
Site: Las Vegas.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 7:30-9:30 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 7-10 p.m.).
Track: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Last year: Robert Hight raced to the second of his five 2011 Funny Car victories, beating Johnny Gray in the final. Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) also won.
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. Hight (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won.
Fast facts: The event is the fourth of the season. … Hight is coming off consecutive victories in Arizona and Florida. … John Force won the season-opening Winternationals for his 134th Funny Car victory. The 62-year-old Force has 15 season championships. … The series also will race at the track in October.
Next event: NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, April 13-15, zMAX Dragway, Concord, N.C.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
—
OTHER RACES
GRAND-AM ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES: Porsche 250, Saturday (Speed, 4-7 p.m.), Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. Online: http://www.grand-am.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: Friday, Merced Speedway, Merced, Calif.; Saturday, Calistoga Speedway, Calistoga, Calif. Late Model: 3/30/12 Illini 100, Saturday, Farmer City, Farmer City, Ill. Online: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com
Add A Comment