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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, July 15, 2009

This week's top auto races


Associated Press

All Times EDT

NASCAR

NATIONWIDE

Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250

Site: Madison, Ill.

Schedule: Friday, practice; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 5-7 p.m.), race, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2, 9 p.m.-12:30 a.m.).

Track: Gateway International Raceway (oval, 1.25 miles).

Race distance: 250 miles, 200 laps.

Last year: Carl Edwards, from Columbia, Mo., raced to his second victory in three years at the St. Louis-area track. Joey Logano finished second.

Last week: Logano won at Chicagoland Speedway, passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch with 25 laps left and holding him off on old tires over the final 10 laps at Chicagoland Speedway. Logano has three victories this season.

Fast facts: Busch, a five-time winner this year, leads the season standings with 2,931 points. Edwards is second with 2,739, followed by Brad Keselowski (2,597), Jason Leffler (2,527) and Logano (2,395). ... Sprint Cup drivers Kevin Harvick and Reed Sorenson, two-time winners at Gateway, are entered in the race. ... Brothers Kenny and Mike Wallace are from St. Louis.

Next race: Kroger 200, July 25, O'Reilly Raceway Park, Clermont, Ind.

On the Net: http://www.nascar.com

CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS

Built Ford Tough 225

Site: Sparta, Ky.

Schedule: Friday, practice; Saturday, qualifying, race, 7 p.m. (Speed, 6:30-9:30 p.m.).

Track: Kentucky Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).

Race distance: 225 miles, 150 laps.

Last year: Johnny Benson took the first of three straight victories en route to a five-win season and the points title. Michael Annett finished second.

Last race: Points leader Ron Hornaday raced to his second straight victory and third of the season, leading 175 of 201 laps June 27 at Memphis Motorsports Park. The 51-year-old Hornaday has a series-record 42 victories and three season titles.

Fast facts: Hornaday, 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). ... 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.

Next race: AAA Insurance 200, July 24, O'Reilly Raceway Park, Clermont, Ind.

On the Net: http://www.nascar.com

SPRINT CUP

Next race: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, July 26, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis.

Last week: Mark Martin raced to his series-high fourth victory of the year, leading 195 of 267 laps at Chicagoland Speedway. The 50-year-old Martin has 39 career victories. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon finished second.

On the Net: http://www.nascar.com

NHRA FULL THROTTLE

NHRA Northwest Nationals

Site: Kent, Wash.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 7-9 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 9 p.m.-midnight).

Track: Pacific Raceways.

Last year: Tony Bartone won for the first time in Funny Car competition, beating Ron Capps in the final. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) also won.

Last week: Capps topped the Funny Car field in the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, beating Ashley Force Hood in the final to tie her for the season points lead. Capps has five victories this season. Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycles) also won.

Fast facts: Capps and Force Hood have 965 points, 54 more than third-place Tony Pedregon. ... Brown leads the Top Fuel points race with 1,056, followed by Larry Dixon (940) and Schumacher (938).

Next race: Fram Autolite Nationals, July 24-26, Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.

On the Net: http://www.nhra.com

INDYCAR

Next race: Edmonton Indy, July 26, Edmonton City Centre Airport, Edmonton, Alberta.

Last week: Dario Franchitti won on the streets of Toronto to vault past Target Chip Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon for the series points lead. Franchitti has three victories this season and 11 overall in the series.

On the Net: http://www.indycar.com

FORMULA ONE

Next race: Hungarian Grand Prix, July 26, Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary.

Last week: Mark Webber won the German Grand Prix for his first Formula One victory, beating Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel by 9.2 seconds. Webber overcame a drive-through penalty for bumping Brawn GP's Rubens Barrichello at the start.

On the Net: http://www.formula1.com

OTHER RACES

ARCA RE/MAX SERIES: Kentucky 150, Saturday (Speed, 9:30-11:30 p.m.), Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Ky. On the Net: http://www.arcaracing.com

AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES: Northeast Grand Prix, Saturday (Speed, 2-5 p.m.), Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Conn. On the Net: http://www.americanlemans.com

GRAND-AM ROLEX SPORTS: Porsche 250, Sunday (Speed, 3-6 p.m.), Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. On the Net: http://www.grand-am.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: Friday-Saturday, Eldora Speedway, Rossburg, Ohio; Late Model: Thursday, Dakota State Fair Speedway, Huron, S.D.; Super DirtCar: Friday-Saturday, Cayuga County Fair Speedway, Weedsport, N.Y. On the Net: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com

U.S. AUTO RACING CLUB: Sprint Car: Thursday, Kamp Motor Speedway, Boswell, Ind.; Friday, Bloomington Speedway, Bloomington, Ind.; Saturday, Tri-State Speedway, Haubstadt, Ind. On the Net: http://www.usacracing.com