Blogginisracin

This week's national racing schedule

Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)

NASCAR Nationwide
Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250
Site: Madison, Ill., Gateway International Raceway (oval, 1.25 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (4 p.m., ESPN2), race (8:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Race distance: 250 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Carl Edwards
Fast facts: Kyle Busch, a five-time winner this year, leads the season standings with 2,931 points. Carl Edwards is second with 2,739, followed by Brad Keselowski (2,597), Jason Leffler (2,527) and Joey Logano (2,395). ... Sprint Cup drivers Kevin Harvick and Reed Sorenson, two-time winners at Gateway, are entered in the race.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Camping World Trucks
Built Ford Tough 225
Site: Sparta, Ky., Kentucky Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (4 p.m., Speed), race (5:30 p.m., Speed)
Race distance: 225 miles/150 laps
2008 winner: Johnny Benson
Fast facts: Points leader Ron Hornaday Jr., the 2006 Kentucky winner, has 1,713 points. Matt Crafton is second with 1,637, followed by Mike Skinner (1,579) and Todd Bodine (1,564). ... Johnny Benson lost his ride this year when Red Horse Racing failed to find sponsorship, then was injured June 13 in a fiery crash in a Supermodified event in Michigan.
www.nascar.com

NHRA
Northwest Nationals
Site: Kent, Wash., Pacific Raceways
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (6 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday, final eliminations (8 p.m., ESPN2)
2008 winners: Tony Bartone (Funny Car), Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Jason Line (Pro Stock)
Fast facts: Funny Car points leaders Ron Capps and Ashley Force Hood have 965 points, 54 more than third-place Tony Pedregon. ... Antron Brown leads the Top Fuel points race with 1,056, followed by Larry Dixon (940) and Schumacher (938).
www.nhra.com

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Cars
Porsche 250
Site: Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (2.3-mile road course)
TV schedule: Sunday, race (2 p.m., Speed)
Race duration: 250 miles or 2 hours, 45 minutes
2008 winners: Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas (DP, Overall); Sylvain Tremblay, Nick Ham (GT)
www.grand-am.com

American Le Mans Series
Northeast Grand Prix
Site: Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Conn. (1.53-mile road course)
TV schedule: Saturday, race (1 p.m., Speed)
Race duration: 2 hours, 45 minutes
2008 winners: Scott Sharp, David Brabham (P2, Overall); Lucas Luhr, Marco Werner (P1); Jan Magnusssen, Johnny O'Connell (GT1); Jorg Bergmeister, Wolf Henzler (GT2) 
www.americanlemans.com

This week's racing schedule

Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)

NASCAR Sprint Cup
LifeLock 400
Site: Brooklyn, Mich., Michigan International Speedway (oval, 2 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed, 2 p.m.); Sunday, race, (TNT, 12:30 p.m.)
Race distance: 400 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Fast facts: Dale Earnhardt Jr., an 18-time winner in the Cup series, is winless in 35 starts since his fuel-mileage victory at the track last year. After Lance McGrew replaced Tony Eury Jr. as crew chief following a season-worst 40th-place run at Charlotte, Earnhardt finished 12th at Dover and 27th at Pocono. He’s 20th in the season standings. ... Tony Stewart, the winner of the rain-shortened 2000 race at Michigan, tops the standings with 2,043 points, followed by Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon (1,972) and Jimmie Johnson (1,940) and Stewart-Haas teammate Ryan Newman (1,840). Newman has six straight top-10 finishes. He won at Michigan for Roger Penske in 2003 and 2004. ... Kyle Busch, ninth in the standings, has a series-high three wins. Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin are two-time winners. ... Roush Fenway Racing has won three of the last five Michigan races. Jack Roush is based in nearby Livonia.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Nationwide
Meijer 300
Site: Sparta, Ky., Kentucky Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 4 p.m.), race, (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)
Race distance: 300 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Joey Logano
Fast facts: Kyle Busch, the 2004 Kentucky winner, leads the season standings with 2,031 points, followed by Carl Edwards (1,966), Jason Leffler (1,843), Brad Keselowski (1,838) and Joey Logano (1,670). ... Busch, Edwards and Logano also are racing in the Sprint Cup race in Michigan. Brad Coleman (Busch), Auggie Vidovich (Edwards) and Jeremy Clements (Logano) will serve as substitute drivers when the racers are absent.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Camping World Trucks
Michigan 200
Site: Brooklyn, Mich., Michigan International Speedway (oval, 2 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, race, (Speed, 12:30 p.m.)
Race distance: 200 miles/100 laps
2008 winner: Erik Darnell
Fast facts: Kyle Busch is making his seventh series start of the season. He won at California and Atlanta. ... Matt Crafton, second in Texas, leads the season standings with 1,202 points, followed by Ron Hornaday Jr. (1,172), Mike Skinner (1,163) and Todd Bodine (1,136). ... Bodine, who earned his fifth win at Texas Motor Speedway last week to become the winningest driver at the track in any series,  also won the season-opening race at Daytona. ... Defending series champion Johnny Benson, from Grand Rapids, won the 2006 race.
www.nascar.com

NHRA
United Association NHRA SuperNationals
Site: Englishtown, N.J., Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 6 p.m., 10:30 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 9 p.m.)
2008 winners: Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Chip Ellis (Pro Stock Motorcycle)
Fast facts: Scott Kalitta was killed after his Funny Car burst into flames and crashed at the end of the track during the final round of qualifying in last year’s event at this track. As a safety measure following Kalitta’s death, the NHRA cut the length of Top Fuel and Funny Car races from the traditional quarter-mile to 1,000 feet — a reduction of 320 feet. ... Ron Capps, a three-time winner this season, tops the Funny Car standings with 760 points, followed by Tony Pedregon (702) and Ashley Force Hood (700). ... Antron Brown leads the Top Fuel standings with 770 points, followed by Schumacher (752) and Brandon Bernstein (701). Jeg Coughlin has the Pro Stock lead.
www.nhra.com

Automobile Club de l’Ouest
24 Hours of Le Mans
Site: Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France
TV schedule: Saturday-Sunday, race (Speed, Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-11 a.m., 3:30-9 p.m.; 11 p.m.-9 a.m. Sunday)

This week's racing schedule

Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)

IndyCar Series
Bombardier Learjet 550k
Site: Fort Worth, Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Versus, 6 p.m.); Saturday, race, (Versus, 8 p.m.)
Race distance: 342 miles/228 laps
2008 winner: Scott Dixon
Fast facts: The race is the 20th IndyCar event at Texas Motor Speedway, the most at any track. ... Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves won at Texas in 2004 and 2006. ... Scott Dixon leads the season standings with 161 points, four ahead of Ryan Briscoe and Dario Franchitti. ... Danica Patrick, 22 points behind Dixon in fourth place, has four straight top-five finishes. She was third at Indianapolis.
www.indycar.com

NASCAR Camping World Trucks
WinStar World Casino 400
Site: Fort Worth, Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, race (Speed, 7:30 p.m.)
Race distance: 250.5 miles/167 laps
2008 winner: Ron Hornaday Jr.
Fast facts: Ron Hornaday Jr. leads the season standings with 1,056 points, followed by Mike Skinner (1,029), Matt Crafton (1,027), Kyle Busch (1,000) and Brian Scott (949). ... Todd Bodine won a race a year at Texas from 2004-07. ... Brian Ickler is subbing for Busch in Billy Ballew Motorsports’ No. 51 Toyota. Ickler was fifth at Kansas Speedway in his series debut. Aric Almirola will drive the No. 15 for Ballew.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Sprint Cup
Pocono 500
Site: Long Pond, Pa., Pocono Raceway (triangular oval, 2.5 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed, 2:30 p.m.); Sunday, race, (TNT, 11:30 a.m.)
Race distance: 500 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Kasey Kahne
Fast facts: Tony Stewart leads the season standings with 1,853 points, followed by Jeff Gordon (1,807), Jimmie Johnson (1,789), Kurt Busch (1,762), Ryan Newman (1,680) and Kyle Busch (1,634). Stewart, in his first season at Stewart-Haas Racing, is the first owner-driver to top the standings since Alan Kulwicki won the 1992 title. Stewart-Haas also fields Newman’s Chevrolet. ... Gordon leads active drivers with four Pocono victories. ... The series will return to Pocono on Aug. 2 for the Pennsylvania 500. ... Richard Petty won the inaugural Pocono race in 1974.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Nationwide
Federated Auto Parts 300
Site: Gladeville, Tenn., Nashville Superspeedway (oval, 1.333 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 2 p.m.); race, (ESPN2, 6 p.m.)
Race distance: 300 miles/225 laps
2008 winner: Brad Keselowski
Fast facts: Kyle Busch, a three-time winner this year, leads the season standings with 1,836 points, followed by four-time winner Carl Edwards (1,796), Jason Leffler (1,683), Joey Logano (1,670) and Brad Keselowski (1,663). ... Edwards has three victories and seven top-five finishes in eight Nashville starts. ... Logano won the April race at Nashville for his second career Nationwide win. Busch was second. ... Trevor Bayne, an 18-year-old former developmental driver for Dale Earnhardt Inc., will drive Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 99 Toyota. The Knoxville driver is set to run seven races for MWR.
www.nascar.com

NHRA
United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Site: Joliet, Ill., Route 66 Raceway
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 9:30 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 3 p.m.)
2008 winners: Tony Pedregon (Funny Car), Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Kurt Johnson (Pro Stock), Chris Rivas (Pro Stock Motorcycle
Fast facts: Tony Schumacher, seeking his sixth straight Top Fuel championship and seventh overall, has a 43-point lead over Antron Brown. ... Ron Capps has a 119-point advantage over Del Worsham in the Funny Car standings.
www.nhra.com

Formula One
Turkish Grand Prix
Site: Istanbul Speed Park (road course, 14 turns, 3.317 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, practice, qualifying (Speed, 6 a.m.); Sunday, race (Fox, 2 p.m., taped)
Race distance: 192.25 miles/58 laps
2008 winner: Felipe Massa
Fast facts: All 10 Formula One teams met the deadline Friday to enter cars for the 2010 season, ending a threatened pullout by Ferrari and others in a dispute over a planned budget cap. Ferrari, Renault, Red Bull, Toyota and Toro Rosso had threatened to withdraw next season if FIA goes ahead with plans to introduce a voluntary $60 million cap. ... Jenson Button leads the season standings with 51 points. Rubens Barrichello is second with 35, followed by Renault teammates Sebastian Vettel (23) and Mark Webber (20). Vettel won the Chinese GP. ... The Istanbul course runs counterclockwise.
www.formula1.com

This week's racing schedule

Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)

NASCAR Sprint Cup
Autism Speaks 400
Site: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile concrete oval).
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed, 2 p.m.); Sunday, race (Fox, 12:30 p.m.)
Race distance: 400 miles/400 laps
2008 winner: Kyle Busch
Fast facts: The event is the 13th of the season, the halfway mark in the race for the 12 spots in the 2009 Chase. Jeff Gordon leads the points standings with 1,722, followed by Tony Stewart (1,678), Kurt Busch (1,607), Jimmie Johnson (1,594), Denny Hamlin (1,575), Kyle Busch (1,540) and Ryan Newman (1,538). ... Kyle Busch has a series-high three victories, winning at Las Vegas, Bristol and Richmond. ... Greg Biffle won the 2008 fall race at Dover. ... Carl Edwards, the series leader last year with nine victories, is winless this season. He was a season-best third at Atlanta. Roush Fenway Racing has won two of the last three Dover races and has eight wins overall at the track. ... Martin Truex Jr., from Mayetta, N.J., won the 2007 spring race for his first Cup victory. He also has two Nationwide wins at the track. ... Gordon and Mark Martin lead active drivers with four Dover victories.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Nationwide
Heluva Good! 200
Site: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile concrete oval)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed, 9 a.m.); race, (ABC, 1 p.m.)
Race distance: 200 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Denny Hamlin
Fast facts: Kyle Busch, the winner this year in California, Texas and Richmond, won the 2008 fall race at Dover. He leads the season standings with 1,714 points, followed by Carl Edwards (1,641), Jason Leffler (1,541), Joey Logano (1,495) and Brad Keselowski (1,473). ... Jeffrey Earnhardt, the 19-year-old son of Kerry Earnhardt, is attempting to make his Nationwide Series debut. The fourth-generation driver and Dale Earnhardt grandson will drive the No. 31 Chevrolet for Rick Ware Racing. ... Logano was sixth last year at Dover in his first series start. ... Greg Biffle has victories this year in Las Vegas and Phoenix.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Camping World Trucks
AAA Insurance 200
Site: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (concrete mile oval)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed, 9 a.m.); race, (Speed, 7 p.m., tape-delay)
Race distance: 200 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Scott Speed
Fast facts: Kyle Busch, the winner this year at California and Atlanta, has led a series-high 285 of the 847 laps run. He won the 2005 race at Dover. ... Ron Hornaday Jr., the 2007 winner, leads the season standings with 966. Kansas winner Mike Skinner is second at 882, followed by Matt Crafton (877) and Busch (852). ... Canadian J.R. Fitzpatrick is driving the No. 4 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc.
www.nascar.com

IndyCar Series
ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt Indy 225
Site: West Allis, Wis., The Milwaukee Mile (mile oval)
TV schedule: Sunday, race (ABC, 2:30 p.m.)
Race distance: 225 miles/225 laps
2008 winner: Ryan Briscoe
Fast facts: After missing the season-opening race at St. Petersburg, Helio Castroneves was seventh in Long Beach and second in Kansas before winning at Indianapolis. He’s second in the season standings, five points behind Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti — the Long Beach winner. ... Tony Kanaan swept the 2006-07 Milwaukee races for Andretti Green. ... Patrick has three straight top-10 finishes in Milwaukee. ... Four-time Milwaukee winner Paul Tracy will drive the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing entry, replacing the injured Vitor Meira. Tracy was ninth at Indy for KV Racing. Meira broke two vertebrae in the 500. ... The Firestone Indy Lights race — the Husar’s House of Fine Diamonds 100 — also is Sunday.
www.indycar.com

NHRA
O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals
Site: Topeka, Kan., Heartland Park Topeka
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 7 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 3 p.m.)
2008 winners: Hillary Will (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Ron Krisher (Pro Stock)
Fast facts: Tony Schumacher has a 45-point lead over Antron Brown in the Top Fuel standings. ... Del Worsham, coming off consecutive Funny Car wins at Gateway and Bristol, is second in the season standings, 57 points behind Ron Capps.
www.nhra.com

This week's racing schedule

Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)

NASCAR Sprint Cup
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
Site: Concord, N.C., Lowe’s Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, Sprint Showdown qualifying (Speed, 4 p.m.); Sprint All-Star Race qualifying (Speed, 5 p.m.). Saturday, Sprint Showdown (Speed, 6 p.m.); NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (Speed, 8 p.m.)
Race distances: Sprint Showdown, 60 miles, 40 laps; NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, 150 miles, 100 laps in segments of 50, 20, 20 and 10, with only green-flag laps counting in the final segment.
2008 winner: Kasey Kahne
Fast facts: The top two finishers in the Sprint Showdown and a driver selected in fan voting will complete the 21-car All-Star field. Kasy Kahne, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman earned spots with race victories in 2008 and ’09. Kevin Harvick qualified with his 2007 All-Star victory, and Bobby Labonte got in as the 2000 series champion. ... There will be a mandatory green-flag stop on lap 25, with teams required to change four tires. Between the first two segments, there will be a yellow-flag period allowing for fuel, tire changes and normal chassis adjustments. Between the third and final segments, there will be a 10-minute pit stop. ... The winner will receive $1,022,975. ... On Thursday, 24 crews will compete in the Pit Crew Challenge. Each of the seven over-the-wall pit-crew positions will compete for a $10,000 prize. The finishing order will decide the selection order of pit stalls for the All-Star Race. ... Gordon and Dale Earnhardt are the only three-time All-Star winners. ... Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins (6), followed by Richard Childress Racing (4). ... Martin, only the fourth driver 50 or older to win a Cup race, won the All-Star Race in 1998 and 2005.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Camping World Trucks
North Carolina Education Lottery 200
Site: Concord, N.C., Lowe’s Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed, 2:30 p.m.); race (Speed, 6:30 p.m.)
Race distance: 201 miles/134 laps
2008 winner: Matt Crafton
Fast facts: Mike Skinner leads the season standings with 801 points, followed by Ron Hornaday Jr. (776), Todd Bodine (744), Matt Crafton (707) and Johnny Benson (685). ... Sprint Cup star Kyle Busch won the 2005 and 2006 races. He has two victories in four starts this season in the No. 51 Billy Ballew Motorsports Toyota. ... Circle Bar Racing rookie and Plano native James Buescher is coming off a victory Saturday in the ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Kentucky Speedway. He also won the ARCA race in Daytona in February.
www.nascar.com

NHRA
NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
Site: Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, Saturday, 5 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 6 p.m.)
2008 winners: Melanie Troxel (Funny Car), Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Dave Connolly (Pro Stock)
Fast facts: Ron Capps, the winner of three of the first seven events, leads the Funny Car standings with 562 points. Del Worsham is second, 119 points back. Antron Brown has an 18-point lead over Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel, Jeg Coughlin leads the Pro Stock standings, and Eddie Krawiec tops the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.
www.nhra.com

IndyCar Series
Indianapolis 500 qualifying/Bump Day
Site: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (11 a.m., Versus); Sunday, Bump Day qualifying (11 a.m., Versus)
Format: Final 11 spots in 33-car field will be determined for May 24 race.
2009 pole winner: Helio Castroneves
www.indycar.com

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
Verizon Festival of Speed
Site: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (2.238-mile, 11-turn road course)
TV schedule: Sunday, race (Speed, 3 p.m.)
Race duration: 250 miles or 2 hours, 45 minutes
2008 winners: Henri Zogaib and Ryan Dalziel (overall and Daytona Prototype); Paul Edwards and Kelly Collins (GT)
www.grand-am.com

This week's racing schedule

Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)

NASCAR Sprint Cup
Russ Friedman 400
Site: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (0.75-mile D-shaped oval)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed, 4:30 p.m.); Saturday, race (Fox, 6 p.m.)
Race distance: 300 miles/400 laps
2008 winner: Clint Bowyer
Fast facts: Kurt Busch, the 2004 Cup champion, leads the series standings for the first time since March 2005. Busch, the winner in Atlanta in March, finished sixth at Talladega — his sixth top-10 of the season — to take a five-point lead over Jeff Gordon. Busch won the September 2005 race at Richmond. ... Jimmie Johnson swept the 2007 Richmond races. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 15th in the standings after his second-place finish at Talladega on Sunday. He has three victories, eight top-fives and 10 top-10s at Richmond. ... David Poole, The Charlotte Observer’s NASCAR writer for 13 years, died Tuesday of a heart attack. He was 50.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Nationwide
Lipton Tea 250
Site: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (0.75-mile D-shaped oval)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying, (Speed, 3 p.m.), race (ESPN2, 6 p.m.)
Race distance: 187.5 miles/250 laps
2008 winner: Denny Hamlin
Fast facts: Brad Keselowski’s Sprint Cup victory Sunday at Talladega made him the first Nationwide Series regular to win a Cup race since Jamie McMurray in 2002 at Charlotte. Keselowski, ninth Saturday in Talladega, is sixth in the Nationwide standings. ... Kyle Busch leads the points race with 1,219. Carl Edwards is second at 1,157. ... Mark Martin is making his first Nationwide start of the year, driving Rick Hendrick’s No. 5 Lipton Chevrolet. Martin has five victories at Richmond and 48 overall in the series, both records. ... Kevin Harvick has four Nationwide wins at Richmond.
www.nascar.com

NHRA
O’Reilly Midwest Nationals
Site: Madison, Ill., Gateway International Raceway
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 5 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 6 p.m.)
2008 winners: Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Rod Fuller (Top Fuel), Kurt Johnson (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle)
Fast facts: Ron Capps, coming off a quarterfinal loss to Tim Wilkerson after winning three of the first five races, leads the Funny Car standings with 464 points. Jack Beckman is second with 395, followed by Ashley Force Hood at 394. In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher, a two-time winner this year, has a 39-point lead over Antron Brown. Jeg Coughlin has the Pro Stock lead. ... Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson is making his 300th start. He has five victories.
www.nhra.com

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
Verizon Wireless 250
Site: Millville, N.J., New Jersey Motorsports Park
TV schedule: Sunday, race (Speed, noon)
Race duration: 2 hours, 45 minutes
2008 winners: Ozz Negri and Mark Patterson (Daytona Prototype); Andy Lally and Tim George Jr. (GT)
Fast facts: Alex Gurney took the lead on a four-wide pass on lap 65 Saturday and held off Michael Valiente by .705 of a second to win the Bosch Engineering 250. It was the ninth victory for Gurney and Jon Fogarty and the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley Daytona Prototype team based out of the Dallas area. ... Andy Lally and Tim George Jr. return to defend their GT victory from last season, but will be driving different cars for TRG. Lally is paired with Justin Marks in the No. 67 Porsche GT3 and George is co-driving with RJ Valentine in the No. 68 Porsche GT3.
www.grand-am.com/rolex

Fort Worth's Massey earns first No. 1 in Top Fuel

NHRA rookie and Fort Worth native Spencer Massey has taken his first No. 1 spot in Top Fuel qualifying, becoming the only driver to supplant one of the overnight leaders at the Summit Racing Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga.
Massey laid down a 3.820-second pass at 311.20 mph at Atlanta Dragway on Saturday to move past Morgan Lucas. Read more here.
The other No. 1 qualifiers for Sunday's race were Ashley Force Hood (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
In Funny Car, Force Hood's 4.073 at 310.95 from Friday held up for her first No. 1 of 2009 and the fourth of her three-year career.
The No. 1s in Pro Stock (Anderson with a 6.557 at 210.93 mph) and Pro Stock Motorcycle (Hines, 6.877 at 195.03) were track records they set on Friday.

-- The Associated Press

This week's racing schedule

Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)

NASCAR Sprint Cup
Subway Fresh Fit 500
Site: Avondale, Ariz., Phoenix International Raceway (tri-oval, 1 mile, 11 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 9 degrees banking in turns 3-4)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (SPEED, 6 p.m.); Saturday, race (Fox, 7 p.m.)
Race distance: 312 miles/312 laps
2008 winner: Jimmie Johnson
Fast facts: Jeff Gordon leads the Cup standings by 162 points, 1,154-992, over three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson. ... After earning his first career victory at Texas Motor Speedway on April 5, Gordon has at least one win at 21 of the active 22 tracks on the Cup schedule. He hasn’t won at Homestead-Miami Speedway — the site of the season finale Ford 400. ... Kyle Busch, third in the points race with 974, has led the most laps with 519, 125 more than Gordon through seven races. ... There won’t be a No. 8 car on the track this weekend for the first time in 10 years.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Nationwide
Bashas’ Supermarkets 200
Site: Avondale, Ariz., Phoenix International Raceway (tri-oval, 1 mile, 11 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 9 degrees banking in turns 3-4)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (SPEED, 4:30 p.m.), race (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)
Race distance: 200 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Kyle Busch
Fast facts: Teen star Joey Logano raced to his second career Nationwide victory, holding off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch in the Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway last weekend. ... Kyle Busch, trailing points leader Carl Edwards by 23 points, leads the Phoenix field with three poles and has won the past two for this race. ... Three rookies remain in the top 10 — Justin Allgaier, Brendan Gaughan and Scott Lagasse Jr. are 7-9 in the standings, the third week in succession the rookie trio has been in the top 10.
www.nascar.com

IndyCar Series
Long Beach Grand Prix
Site: Streets of Long Beach, Calif. (road course, 1.968-miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Versus, 5 p.m.); Sunday, race (Versus, 2:30 p.m.)
Race distance: 167.3 miles/85 laps
2008 winner: Will Power (Champ Car World Series finale)
Fast facts: This race last year was run with Champ Car teams, drivers and equipment, but the points awarded were for the IRL’s IndyCar Series. ... Al Unser Jr., the Grand Marshal for the race, ran 15 Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) races on the streets of Long Beach, winning six times, including a remarkable four straight from 1988-91, and holds the overall record for laps led here, with 545. ... Either 30 or 45 minutes of practice has been scheduled for rookies and entrants outside the top 10 in points before all cars take the racetrack on the first day of an event weekend (outside of the Indianapolis 500).
www.indycar.com

Formula One
Chinese Grand Prix
Site: Shanghai International Circuit (road course, 3.387 miles, 16 turns)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (SPEED, 1 a.m.); Sunday, race (SPEED, 1:30 a.m.).
Race distance: 189.568 miles/56 laps
2008 winner: Lewis Hamilton
Fast facts: F1’s governing body approved the rear diffusers that helped Brawn GP’s Jenson Button win this season’s opening two races. The decision was a victory for Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams, and could force their rivals to quickly add the aerodynamic device that creates greater downforce through corners. The ruling means the teams with diffusers will keep the points they won in the first two races, with Button leading the drivers’ standings after victories in Australia and Malaysia. ... Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen have failed to score a single point in the opening two races of the season. Team manager Luca Baldisserri will not travel to Shanghai, staying in Italy to work on car development in the wake of a disastrous start.
www.formula1.com

NHRA
Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals
Site: Commerce, Ga., Atlanta Dragway
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 5 p.m., taped); Sunday, race (ESPN2, 6 p.m., taped)
2008 winners: Ashley Force (Funny Car); Antron Brown (Top Fuel); Mike Edwards (Pro Stock); Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
Fast facts: Tony Schumacher, the points leader in Top Fuel with 412, has finished in the top five in all five meets. Schumacher raced to his second straight Top Fuel victory and third in a row in Las Vegas on April 5, beating Brandon Bernstein in the SummitRacing.com Nationals final ... Ron Capps also has five top-five appearances with three wins in the Funny Car division. He leads Matt Hagan by 106 points (408-302). ... Jeg Coughlin and Jason Line each have two wins among their five top-five finishes in Pro Stock. Coughlin leads Line in the points race, 430-418.
www.nhra.com