All Times EDT
NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
AARON’S 499
Site: Talladega, Ala.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 2-5 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (Speed, noon-2:30 p.m.); Sunday, race, 1 p.m. (FOX, noon-4:30 p.m.).
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (oval, 2.66 miles).
Race distance: 500.08 miles, 188 laps.
Last year: Jimmie Johnson edged Clint Bowyer by about a foot with a big push from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. The margin was 0.002 seconds, matching the closest finish in Sprint Cup history.
Last week: Kyle Busch won the Richmond spring race for the fourth straight year to end a 22-race winless streak. He has 105 victories in NASCAR’s three national series, one behind David Pearson for second place on the career list.
Fast facts: Matt Kenseth won the season-opening Daytona 500, the first restrictor-plate race following changes designed to promote pack racing and eliminate bumper-to-bumper tandems. … Earnhardt has five Talladega victories, winning a record four straight from 2001-2003. He’s winless in 138 races since his fuel-mileage victory at Michigan in June 2008, his lone victory in 153 starts for Hendrick Motorsports. He had 17 victories in 291 starts for Dale Earnhardt Inc. … Hendrick, seeking its 200th Cup victory, has won 11 times at Talladega. Richard Childress Racing has won three of the last four Talladega races to push its track-record total to 12. Childress will be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame on Thursday. … Bowyer won in October at the track for RCR. He now drives for Michael Waltrip Racing. Waltrip is making his second start of the season in the car he’s sharing with Mark Martin and Brian Vickers. … Greg Biffle leads the standings, five points ahead of Earnhardt.
Next race: Southern 500, May 12, Darlington Raceway, Darlington, S.C.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
—
NATIONWIDE
AARON’S 312
Site: Talladega, Ala.
Schedule: Thursday, practice; Friday, qualifying (ESPN2, noon-2 p.m.); Saturday, race, 3:15 (ABC, 3-6 p.m.).
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (oval, 2.66 miles).
Race distance: 311.22 miles, 117 laps.
Last year: Kyle Busch won under caution when the last of 10 crashes sent Mike Wallace’s car flipping. Busch was driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Last week: Kurt Busch won at Richmond in a car owned by brother Busch, holding off Denny Hamlin in a side-by-side duel.
Fast facts: Kyle Busch will pilot the No. 54 Toyota, while Kurt Busch will drive a Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing. … Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano also are racing. … Elliott Sadler leads the season standings, two points ahead of defending series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Sadler won this year at Phoenix and Bristol, and Stenhouse won at Texas. … Danica Patrick is making her first Talladega start. In four races at sister-track Daytona, she has a pole, three top-10 starts and a top-10 finish. … Truck Series regular James Buescher, the Nationwide winner at Daytona this year, is driving the No. 30 Chevrolet.
Next race: VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200, May 11, Darlington Raceway, Darlington, S.C.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
—
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
Next race: N. C. Education Lottery 200, May 18, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.
Last race: James Buescher won at Kansas Speedway on April 21, passing Brad Keselowski with 10 laps left and pulling away for his first series victory.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
—
NHRA FULL THROTTLE
NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Site: Commerce, Ga.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 7-9 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 7-10 p.m.).
Track: Atlanta Dragway.
Last year: Antron Brown raced to the second of his six 2011 Top Fuel victories, beating teammate Tony Schumacher. Jack Beckman won the Funny Car division, Jason Line topped the Pro Stock field, and LE Tonglet won the Pro Stock Motorcycle competition.
Last week: Mike Neff extended John Force Racing’s season-opening Funny Car winning to six, beating Ron Capps in the Spring Nationals in Baytown, Texas. Morgan Lucas won the Top Fuel competition, Vincent Nobile topped the Pro Stock field, and Andrew Hines took the Pro Stock Motorcycle division.
Fast facts: Force began the team winning streak in the season-opening Winternationals, and Robert Hight won the next four events. Hight has a 108-point lead over second-place Neff in the season standings. … Brown leads the Top Fuel standings, 14 points ahead of Spencer Massey.
Next event: NHRA Summernationals, May 18-20, Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kan.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
—
INDYCAR
Next race: Indianapolis 500, May 27, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis.
Last week: Will Power raced to his third straight victory of the year and third in a row in the Sao Paulo 300, extending Team Penske’s season-opening winning streak to four. Ryan Hunter-Reay was second.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
—
FORMULA ONE
Next race: Spanish Grand Prix, May 13, Catalunya Circuit, Barcelona, Spain.
Last race: Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won the Bahrain Grand Prix on April 22 for his first victory of the year. The two-time defending series champion led wire-to-wire.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
—
OTHER RACES
ARCA RACING SERIES: International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250, Friday (Speed, 5-7:30 p.m.), Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala. Online: http://www.arcaracing.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: Friday-Saturday, Eldora Speedway, Rossburg, Ohio. Late Model: Friday, 311 Motor Speedway, Pine Hall, N.C.; Pine Tree 50, Saturday, Swainsboro Raceway, Swainsboro, Ga. Online: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com
Add A Comment