Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S)
NASCAR Sprint Cup
Sharpie 500
Site: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (oval, 0.533 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (11 a.m. and 1 p.m.,Speed), qualifying (4:30 p.m., ESPN2); Saturday, race (6:30 p.m., ESPN)
Race distance: 500 miles/266.5 laps
2008 winner: Carl Edwards
Fast facts: Series leader Tony Stewart has locked up a spot in the 12-driver Chase, while second-place Jeff Gordon and third-place Jimmie Johnson can secure spots Saturday. With three races left to qualify, Greg Biffle is 10th with 2,821 points, followed by Matt Kenseth (2,811), Mark Martin (2,791), Brian Vickers (2,779), Clint Bowyer (2,733) and Kyle Busch (2,721). ... Carl Edwards is winless this year. ... Kyle Busch won the March race at Bristol, leading 378 of 503 laps and holding off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin. ... Darrell Waltrip holds the track record with 12 Cup victories, winning seven straight races from 1980-84. Gordon and Kurt Busch each have five Bristol wins to top the active drivers.
www.nascar.com
NASCAR Nationwide
Food City 250
Site: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (oval, 0.533 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (9:30 a.m., Speed), qualifying (3 p.m., Speed), race (7 p.m., ESPN2)
Race distance: 250 miles/133.25 laps
2008 winner: Brad Keselowski
Fast facts: Kevin Harvick won the March race at Bristol, his series-record fifth victory at the track and first in a Kevin Harvick Inc. car. ... Kyle Busch leads the series with six victories and 3,816 points, 339 more than second-place Carl Edwards. Brad Keselowski is third, 389 points behind Busch.
www.nascar.com
IndyCar Series
Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
Site: Sonoma, Calif., Infineon Raceway (road course, 2.303 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (5 p.m., Versus); Sunday, race (4 p.m., Versus)
Race distance: 172.725 miles/75 laps
2008 winner: Helio Castroneves
Fast facts: Points leader Scott Dixon, the 2003 and 2008 series champion, is three points ahead of Ryan Briscoe and has a 20-point advantage over third-place Dario Franchitti with four races left. In 2007, Franchitti took the title from Dixon on the final lap of the season. ... Dixon won in 2007 at Infineon. ... Franck Montagny will make his IndyCar debut in a fifth Andretti Green entry. The Frenchman teamed with Sebastien Bourdais and Stephane Sarrazin to finish second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
www.indycar.com
Formula One
Grand Prix of Europe
Site: Valencia, Spain, Streets of Valencia (road course, 3.367 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (7 a.m., Speed); Saturday, qualifying (7 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (6:30 a.m., Speed)
Race distance: 191.93 miles/57 laps
2008 winner: Felipe Massa
Fast facts: Brawn GP’s Jenson Button, a six-time winner this year, leads the season standings with 70 points. Red Bull’s Mark Webber (51.5) is second, followed by teammate Sebastian Vettel (47) and Brawn’s Rubens Barrichello (44). Lewis Hamilton is eighth with 19 points. ... Italian Luca Badoer is driving in place of injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa following seven-time champion Michael Schumacher’s decision to call off a comeback. ... Frenchman Romain Grosjean has taken Nelson Piquet Jr.’s spot alongside Fernando Alonso at Renault. The 23-year-old Grosjean won the 2007 Formula 3 Euro Series and 2008 GP2 Asia Series. This year, he has raced in the GP2 Series with Barwa Addax.
www.formula1.com
NHRA
Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals
Site: Mohnton, Pa., Maple Grove Raceway
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (midnight Sunday, ESPN2); Sunday, final eliminations (9 p.m., ESPN2)
2008 winners: Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock), Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle)
Fast facts: Funny Car points leader Tony Pedregon has a 28-point lead over Ron Capps with two races left before the six-race playoffs — the Countdown to 1. ... In Top Fuel, Antron Brown has a 217-point lead over Tony Schumacher. Larry Dixon is third, 225 points behind Brown.
www.nhra.com
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