All Times EDT
NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
CAPITAL CITY 400
Site: Richmond, Va.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, noon-3:30 p.m.), qualifying (Speed, 5:30-7 p.m.); Saturday, race, 7:30 p.m. (FOX, 7-11 p.m.).
Track: Richmond International Raceway (oval, 0.75 miles).
Race distance: 300 miles, 400 laps.
Last year: Kyle Busch won the spring race for the third straight year, stretching his final tank of gas 107 laps. Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin was second.
Last week: Hamlin raced to his second victory of the season, holding off Martin Truex Jr. at Kansas Speedway. Hamlin also won in Phoenix.
Fast facts: Hamlin, from nearby Chesterfield, won the 2009 and 2010 September races at the track. He also will compete in the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown on Thursday night (Speed, 8:30-10 p.m.). The charity race for late model stock cars benefits the Virginia driver’s foundation. … Kevin Harvick won at the track last September. … Kyle Busch won the 2009 and 2010 spring events. He’s winless in 20 races. … Defending series champion Tony Stewart also has two victories in the first eight races. … Brad Keselowski won at Bristol in the first short-track race of the year. … Texas winner Greg Biffle leads the season standings, 15 points ahead of Truex. … Richard Petty won a record 13 times at Richmond.
Next race: Aaron’s 499, May 6, Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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NATIONWIDE
VIRGINIA 529 COLLEGE SAVINGS 250
Site: Richmond, Va.
Schedule: Friday, practice, qualifying (ESPN2, 4-5:30 p.m.); race, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2, 7-10 p.m.).
Track: Richmond International Raceway (oval, 0.75 miles).
Race distance: 187.5 miles, 250 laps.
Last year: Denny Hamlin dominated on his hometown track, beating Paul Menard in the race that ended under caution.
Last race: Defending series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won at Texas on April 13 for Roush Fenway’s fourth straight Nationwide victory at the track.
Fast facts: Action sports star Travis Pastrana will make his Nationwide debut, driving for RAB Racing in an alliance with Michael Waltrip Racing. … Elliott Sadler, from Emporia, Va., leads the season standings, four points ahead of Stenhouse. Sadler has two victories this season. … Hamlin is racing along with fellow Cup drivers Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch. Harvick and Mark Martin share the series record with five Richmond victories. … Kyle Busch, the winner at the track in September, is skipping the race. … Ryan Blaney, the 18-year-old son of NASCAR driver Dave Blaney, also is making his Nationwide debut.
Next race: Aaron’s 312, May 5, Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
Next race: N.C. Education Lottery 200, May 18, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.
Last week: James Buescher raced to his first series victory, passing Brad Keselowski with 10 laps remaining and pulling away at Kansas Speedway.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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INDYCAR
SAO PAULO INDY 300
Site: Sao Paulo.
Schedule: Friday, practice; Saturday, practice, qualifying (NBC Sports Network, 6-7 p.m.); Sunday, race, 11:30 a.m. (NBC Sports Channel, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.).
Track: Streets of Sao Paulo (street course, 2.536 miles).
Race distance: 195.2 miles, 75 laps.
Last year: Penske Racing’s Will Power won the rained-delayed race for the second of his six 2011 victories. The Australian also won at the track in 2010.
Last race: Power raced to his second straight victory to keep Penske perfect in three races this season, winning at Long Beach on April 15.
Fast facts: The race is the fourth of the season. Helio Castroneves won the opener at St. Petersburg, and Power swept the Birmingham and Long Beach races. … Brazil’s Rubens Barrichello is racing for KV Racing Technology in his first IndyCar season. He won 11 times in 19 seasons in Formula One. … The 11-turn circuit features a nearly mile-long straightaway and runs through the Anhembi Sambadrome, a stadium-like venue that is the site of Carnival parades.
Next race: Indianapolis 500, May 27, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
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NHRA FULL THROTTLE
NHRA SPRING NATIONALS
Site: Baytown, Texas.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 6-8 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 7-10 p.m.).
Track: Royal Purple Raceway.
Last year: Del Worsham won the Top Fuel final en route to the season title, beating Al-Anabi teammate Larry Dixon. Worsham retired after the season. Jeff Arend (Funny Car), Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock) and Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won.
Last event: Robert Hight won the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Concord, N.C., on April 15 to become the fifth Funny Car driver to win four straight races. Spencer Massey (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) also won.
Fast facts: Hight is attempting to tie the Funny Car season record of five straight victories set by Don Prudhomme in 1976 and matched by Cruz Pedregon in 1992 and John Force in 1993 and 1994. Prudhomme holds the overall record of seven consecutive victories, winning the last two races in 1975 and the first five in 1976. John Force Racing has won all six Funny Car races this season, with Force taking the season-opening Winternationals. Hight has 27 career victories.
Next race: NHRA Southern Nationals. May, 4-6, Atlanta Dragway, Commerce, Ga.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
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FORMULA ONE
Next race: Spanish Grand Prix, May 13, Catalunya Circuit, Barcelona, Spain.
Last week: Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won the Bahrain Grand Prix for his first victory of the season. The two-time defending series champion led wire-to-wire.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
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OTHER RACES
ARCA RACING SERIES: Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200, Sunday, Salem Speedway, Salem, Ind. Online: http://www.arcaracing.com
GRAND-AM ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES: Grand Prix of Miami, Sunday (Speed, 1-4 p.m.), Homestead Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla. Online: http://www.grand-am.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: Friday, Eagle Raceway, Lincoln, Neb.; Saturday, Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, Iowa. Late Model: Friday, North Alabama Speedway, Tuscumbia, Ala.; Saturday, Tazewell Speedway, Tazewell, Tenn. Online: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com
U.S. AUTO RACING CLUB: Sprint Car: Friday, Gas City I-69 Speedway, Gas City, Ind.; Saturday, Lincoln Park Speedway, Putnamville, Ind. Online: http://www.usacracing.com
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