Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times (Central US)
IndyCar Series
Indianapolis 500
Site: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval, 2.5 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice, Firestone Freedom 100 Indy Lights race, pit stop competition (Versus, 10 a.m.); Sunday, race, (WFAA/Ch. 8, noon)
Race distance: 500 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Scott Dixon
Fast facts: Helio Castroneves, the 2000 and 2001 winner, took the pole with a four-lap average of 224.864 mph. Acquitted of tax evasion charges in April, the Brazilian is driving the No. 3 car for 14-time Indy winner Roger Penske. Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe qualified second at 224.083, and 2007 winner Dario Franchitti (224.010) locked up the third front-row position for owner Chip Ganassi. ... Dan Wheldon, the 2005 winner for Andretti Green, qualified 18th for Panther Racing — second last year with Vitor Meira. Wheldon spent the last three years with Ganassi. ... Danica Patrick has three top-10 finishes in four Indy starts. She qualified 10th for Andretti Green. ... Sarah Fisher will start 21st. ... Conquest Racing owner Eric Bachelart made a post-qualifying driver change, replacing Bruno Junqueira with Alex Tagliani in the No. 36. ... Canadian Paul Tracy is making his first Indy start since finishing second in 2002.
www.indycar.com
NASCAR Sprint Cup
Coca-Cola 600
Site: Concord, N.C., Lowe’s Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Today, practice (Speed, 2 p.m.), qualifying (Speed, 6 p.m.); Saturday, practice (Speed, 1:30 p.m.); Sunday, race (KDFW/Ch. 4, 4 p.m.)
Race distance: 600 miles/400 laps
2008 winner: Kasey Kahne
Fast facts: Jeff Gordon leads the season standings with 1,601 points, followed by Tony Stewart (1,572), Kurt Busch (1,546) and three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson (1,465). ... NASCAR’s longest race is in its 50th season. Joe Lee Johnson won the first event in 1960, also the first race at the 1.5-mile track. ... Darrell Waltrip won the race a record five times. ... On May 9 in the last points race, 50-year-old Mark Martin won for the second time in the last four events, outlasting Hendrick teammate Johnson at Darlington. ... Johnson won five times in a six-race stretch at Lowe’s, taking the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 and sweeping the spring and fall races in 2004 and 2005 in his Lowe’s-sponsored Chevy. ... Gordon won the 1994 race for the first of his 82 Cup victories. He also won in 1997 and 1998, and has two Charlotte fall victories.
www.nascar.com
NASCAR Nationwide Series
CARQUEST Auto Parts 300
Site: Concord, N.C., Lowe’s Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Thursday, practice (Speed, noon); Saturday, qualifying (Speed, 2:30 p.m.); race (ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.)
Race distance: 300 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Kyle Busch
Fast facts: Kyle Busch, a three-time winner this year, leads the series standings with 1,539 points, followed by Carl Edwards (1,502), Jason Leffler (1,386), Joey Logano (1,340) and Brad Keselowski (1,331). ... Jeff Burton is making his 300 Nationwide Series start. He has 27 victories — three at Lowe’s.
www.nascar.com
Formula One
Monaco Grand Prix
Site: Monte Carlo, Monaco, street circuit (19-turns, 2.075 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, practice (Speed, 2 a.m.), qualifying (Speed, 7 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed, 6:30 a.m.)
Race distance: 161.9 miles/78 laps
2008 winner: Lewis Hamilton
Fast facts: A French court dismissed Ferrari’s bid to stop Formula One’s budget cap plans. Ferrari was seeking a court injunction against governing body FIA’s plans to introduce a voluntary $60 million budget cap starting next season. Teams that accept the cap will be allowed to make more technical changes to their cars than those who don’t. Ferrari, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull and Toro Rosso have threatened to pull out of next year’s championship if the cap is implemented. ... Ferrari has won only five of the last 31 races at Monaco and has been shut out since Michael Schumacher’s 2001 victory. ... Jenson Button leads the season standings with 41 points, followed by Rubens Barrichello (27) and Chinese GP winner Sebastian Vettel (23).
www.formula1.com
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