Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)
NASCAR Sprint Cup
Southern 500
Site: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (oval, 1.366 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Speed), qualifying (4 p.m., Speed); Saturday, race (6:30 p.m., Fox)
Race distance: 501 miles/367 laps
2009 winner: Mark Martin
Fast facts: Kyle Busch snapped a 21-race losing streak, his longest since joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008, beating Jeff Gordon last Saturday at Richmond after a late restart. Gordon is winless in his last 38 races. ... Talladega winner Kevin Harvick tops the standings with 1,467 points, 10 more than four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, who has a series-leading three victories in the first 10 races. ... Gordon has seven Darlington wins, the last in 2007. He has finished second eight times since his victory at Texas last year, his lone win in his last 89 starts. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. is winless in 67 races. Clint Bowyer (72), Greg Biffle (54), Jeff Burton (51), Carl Edwards (46) and Matt Kenseth (44) also have long droughts. Biffle won at Darlington in 2005 and 2006. ... Johnny Mantz won the inaugural race in 1950 at the historic track that had two races a year from 1960-2004. ... David Pearson holds the track record with 10 Cup wins, one more than Dale Earnhardt.
www.nascar.com
NASCAR Nationwide
Royal Purple 200
Site: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (oval, 1.366 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (2 p.m., Speed), race (6 p.m., ESPN2)
Race distance: 200.8 miles/147 laps
2009 winner: Matt Kenseth
Fast facts: Brad Keselowski raced to his second straight Nationwide Series victory, dominating, then rallying from fourth in a green-white-checker finish at Richmond last week. ... Keselowski, penalized 50 points after his Talladega win because of an unapproved left-front spring and right-front shock, has a 59-point lead over Kevin Harvick in the season standings. Keselowski is in his first year in Roger Penske’s No. 22 Dodge. ... Defending series champion Kyle Busch is third, 84 points back. He has three victories this year. ... Harvick has two victories this season. ... Kenseth is driving the No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford in place of Colin Braun for the second straight week. Kenseth has 25 career Nationwide victories, three at Darlington.
www.nascar.com
Formula One
Spanish Grand Prix
Site: Barcelona, Circuit de Catalunya (road course, 2.89 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (7 a.m., Speed); Saturday, qualifying (7 a.m., Speed); Sunday, race (6:30 a.m., Speed)
Race distance: 190.8 miles/66 laps
2009 winner: Jenson Button
Fast facts: Jenson Button gambled on tire strategy to win the rainy Chinese Grand Prix on April 18, beating McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton. Button made only two stops. ... Button, also the Australian Grand Prix winner in March, leads the season standings with 60 points. Nico Rosberg is second with 50, and Fernando Alonso has 49. ... Alonso is the lone Spanish champion in event history, winning in 2006. He opened this season with a victory in Bahrain. ... Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, driving for Ross Brawn-led Mercedes GP after a three-year retirement, is ninth in the standings with 10 points. He has a record 91 victories, six at Catalunya.
www.formula1.com
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