BBC-CAR-AUTO RACING GLANCEP
BBC-CAR-Auto Racing GlanceP
BAUTO RACING PACKAGE: Auto Racing GlanceP
By BBy The Associated PressP
NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
Auto Club 400, Fontana, Calif.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 3-4:30 p.m.), qualifying (Speed, 7-9 p.m.); Saturday, practice (Speed, 2:30-5 p.m.); Sunday, race, 3 p.m. (FOX, 2:30-6:30 p.m.)
Track: Auto Club Speedway (oval, 2.0 miles).
Race distance: 400 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Jimmie Johnson led the final 20 laps after getting a break because he was already in the pits when a late caution came out. Kevin Harvick finished second.
Last week: Kyle Busch completed a weekend sweep at Bristol, beating Carl Edwards and Johnson off pit road after the final stops and holding them off over the last 60 laps. Busch has won five Cup races at Bristol and has five straight NASCAR victories at the track dating to his Trucks-Nationwide-Cup sweep in August.
Fast facts: Because of attendance woes, the track has only one race this year after staging two a year the last seven seasons. … Five-time defending series champion Johnson has a series-high five victories at the track, winning three of the last five. … Tony Stewart won at the track in October, pulling away from Johnson on a restart.
Next race: Goody’s Fast Relief 500, April 3, 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 (Speed, 1-2:30 p.m.), race, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN, 5-8:30 p.m.).
Track: Auto Club Speedway (oval, 2.0 miles).
Race distance: 300 miles, 150 laps.
Last year: Kyle Busch raced to the first of his series-record 13 victories in 2010, overtaking Greg Biffle out of the final turn in a green-white-checkered finish. Busch also won in October at the track.
Last week: Busch won at Bristol for his second series victory of the year and 46th overall. He also won the Cup race.
Fast facts: Busch has won four of the last five races at the track. He’s second on the Nationwide victory list, three behind Las Vegas winner Mark Martin. … Josh Wise is taking over the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet from IndyCar driver Danica Patrick. She’ll return to the Nationwide Series on June 4 at Chicagoland Speedway.
Next race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, April 8, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS
Next race: Kroger 250, April 2, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va.
Last race: Sprint Cup driver Kasey Kahne won at Darlington Raceway on March 12, driving the No. 18 Toyota for owner Kyle Busch. Kahne held off defending series champion Todd Bodine after a restart with three laps remaining.
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: Penske Racing’s Will Power won the rain-delayed race to become the first driver to win the first two events of the season since Sam Hornish in 2001.
Fast facts: The race opens the series’ 17-race season. … Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti won the last two season titles and three of the last four. … Helio Castroneves swept the 2006 and 2007 races.
Next race: Grand Prix of Alabama, April 10, Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
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FORMULA ONE
Australian Grand Prix
Site: Melbourne, Australia.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 1:30-3 a.m.); Saturday, practice, qualifying (Speed, 2-3:30 a.m.); Sunday, race, 2 a.m. (Speed, 1:30-4 a.m.).
Track: Albert Park (street course, 3.3 miles).
Race distance: 191.12 miles, 58 laps.
Last year: Jenson Button won the Australian Grand Prix for McLaren, surviving a first-corner collision and successfully gambling on tire strategy. The first driver prepared to change from intermediate tires to slicks on a drying track, Button drove the final 52 laps on soft tires for his second straight victory at the track.
Fast facts: Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel became the youngest champion in Formula One history last year, taking the title when he won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Fernando Alonso faltered. … FIA’s World Motor Sport Council has given Bahrain’s federation until May 1 to decide if a new date can be set this year for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Originally scheduled to open the season March 13, the was canceled last month by Bahrain’s Crown Prince after anti-government protests.
Next race: Malaysian Grand Prix, April 10, Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
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NHRA FULL THROTTLE
Next event: SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, April 1-3, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas.
Last event: Del Worsham beat seven-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher on March 13 in the final round in the NHRA Gatornationals to become the 15th driver to win Top Fuel and Funny Car events. Mike Neff (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
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OTHER RACES
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Late Models, Friday, Ocala Speedway, Ocala, Fla.; Saturday, Screven Motor Speedway, Sylvania, Ga.; Sunday, Needmore Speedway, Norman Park, Ga. Online: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com
AP
03/23/11 09:30