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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, July 22, 2009

This week's top auto races


Associated Press

All Times EDT

NASCAR

SPRINT CUP

Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

Site: Indianapolis.

Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 3:30-4:30 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.), practice (Speed, 2-3 p.m.; ESPN2, 3:30-4:30 p.m.); Sunday, race, 2 p.m. (ESPN, 12:30-6 p.m.).

Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval, 2.5 miles).

Race distance: 400 miles, 160 laps.

Last year: Jimmie Johnson won the tire-troubled race for his second Brickyard victory in three years, outrunning Carl Edwards in a seven-lap sprint to the finish. Goodyear's tires weren't durable enough to withstand more than 10 or so laps at a time, creating a chaotic and confusing caution-filled race.

Last race: Mark Martin raced to his series-high fourth victory of the year, leading 195 of 267 laps July 11 at Chicagoland Speedway. The 50-year-old Martin has 39 career victories. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon finished second.

Fast facts: Tony Stewart, the Indiana driver who won the 2005 and 2007 races, tops the season standings with 2,884 points with seven races left before the start of the 12-driver Chase for the championship. Four-time Brickyard winner Gordon is second with 2,709, followed by three-time defending champion Johnson (2,672). Matt Kenseth is 12th, 10 points head of Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle. ... Juan Pablo Montoya (2000) and Sam Hornish (2006) are Indy 500 winners. Montoya is ninth in the standings.

Next race: Pennsylvania 500, Aug. 2, Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa.

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

NATIONWIDE

Kroger 200

Site: Clermont, Ind.

Schedule: Saturday, practice (ESPN2, 12:30-1:30 p.m.), qualifying (ESPN2, 4:30-6:30 p.m.), race, 8 p.m. (ESPN, 7:30-10 p.m.).

Track: O'Reilly Raceway Park (oval, 0.686 miles).

Race distance: 137.2 miles, 200 laps.

Last year: Kyle Busch raced to his record-breaking 15th victory of the season in NASCAR's top three series, leading all but three laps. He broke the record set by Kevin Harvick in 2006, and finished the year with 21 wins — 10 in the Nationwide Series.

Last week: Busch dominated at Gateway International for his sixth series victory of the year and 27th overall. Reed Sorenson was second, followed by Carl Edwards.

Fast facts: Busch, also the 2004 winner, has a 212-point lead over second-place Edwards in the season standings. ... Sprint Cup driver Matt Kenseth is making his first ORP start since 1999. ... Truck series points leader Ron Hornaday is driving the No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc.

Next race: U.S. Cellular 250, Aug. 1, Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa.

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

CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS

AAA Insurance 200

Site: Clermont, Ind.

Schedule: Friday, practice, qualifying (Speed, 5-6:30 p.m.), race, 8 p.m. (Speed, 7:30-10:30 p.m.).

Track: O'Reilly Raceway Park (oval, 0.686 miles).

Race distance: 137.2 miles, 200 laps.

Last year: Johnny Benson raced to the second of three straight victories en route to a five-win season and the points title. Benson survived a late flurry of cautions and held off two-time ORP winner Ron Hornaday in a two-lap shootout.

Last week: Hornaday edged Mike Skinner by 0.135 seconds at Kentucky Speedway for his record-tying third straight victory. The 51-year-old Hornaday has four wins this year to push his series-record total to 42. He also has a record three season titles.

Fast facts: Hornaday tops the standings with 1,903 points. Matt Crafton is second with 1,807, followed by Skinner (1,749). ... Skinner led all 350 laps flag-to-flag in 1995 and 1996 in the first two series races at the track. ... Kyle Busch has two victories this year. ... Benson lost his ride when Red Horse Racing failed to find sponsorship, then was injured June 13 in a Supermodified event in Michigan. Red Horse will field the No. 1 Toyota, with 19-year-old Caitlin Shaw making her series debut.

Next race: Toyota Tundra 200, Aug. 1, Nashville Superspeedway, Gladeville, Tenn.

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

INDYCAR

Edmonton Indy

Site: Edmonton, Alberta.

Schedule: Friday, practice, Saturday, practice, qualifying (Versus, 6-7 p.m.); Sunday, 6 p.m. (Versus, 5-8 p.m.).

Track: Edmonton City Centre Airport (temporary road course, 1.96 miles).

Race distance: 186.2 miles, 95 laps.

Last year: Scott Dixon raced to the fifth of his six 2008 victories en route to the season title. Helio Castroneves finished second.

Last race: Dario Franchitti won July 12 on the streets of Toronto to vault past Ganassi teammate Dixon for the series lead. Franchitti has three victories this season.

Fast facts: Franchitti has a two-point lead over Dixon in the season standings. Ryan Briscoe is third, 13 points behind Franchitti. ... Canadians Paul Tracy and Alex Tagliani are in the field. Last year in Edmonton, Tracy finished fourth in his only IndyCar start of the year, and Tagliani won the Canadian Tire Series event.

Next race: Meijer Indy 300, Aug. 1, Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Ky.

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

FORMULA ONE

Hungarian Grand Prix

Site: Budapest, Hungary.

Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 8-9:30 a.m.); Saturday, practice, qualifying (Speed, 8-9:30 a.m.); Sunday, race, 8 a.m. (Fox, 3-5 p.m.).

Track: Hungaroring (road course, 2.72 miles).

Race distance: 190.53 miles, 70 laps.

Last year: McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen raced to his first F1 victory after leader Felipe Massa dropped out with three laps to go because of an engine problem.

Last race: Mark Webber won the German Grand Prix on July 12 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.

Fast facts: Spanish driver Jaime Alguersuari has replaced the fired Sebastien Bourdais at Toro Rosso. The 19-year-old Alguersuari will become the youngest driver in Formula One history. ... Brawn's Jenson Button, the winner of six of the first nine races, leads the season standings with 68 points. Vettel, a two-time winner this year, is second with 47 — a point ahead of Webber. ... Former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt is vying to succeed Max Mosley as president of Formula One's governing body. Todt made his candidacy official last week, a day after Mosley backed the 63-year-old Frenchman to lead FIA after announcing he wouldn't seek a fifth term.

Next race: Grand Prix of Europe, Aug. 23, Streets of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.

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

NHRA FULL THROTTLE

Fram Autolite Nationals

Site: Sonoma, Calif.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 6:30-8 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 9 p.m.-midnight).

Track: Infineon Raceway.

Last year: Tony Schumacher raced to the eighth of his 15 Top Fuel victories in 2008 en route to his sixth season title. Robert Hight (Funny Car), Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) and Matt Guidera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won.

Last week: Antron Brown won the Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, beating Schumacher by 0.008 seconds in the Top Fuel final. Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) also won.

Fast facts: Brown, a four-time winner this season, has a 137-point lead over Schumacher in the Top Fuel standings. Schumacher has four victories this season. ... Ron Capps, a five-time winner this year, tops the Funny Car standings, 21 points ahead of Ashley Force Hood. Capps is from nearby San Luis Obispo.

Next race: Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Aug. 13-16, Brainerd International Raceway, Brainerd, Minn.

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

OTHER RACES

ARCA RE/MAX SERIES: Wolverine Power Systems 200, Saturday, Berlin Raceway, Marne, Mich. On the Net: http://www.arcaracing.com

FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS: Grand Prix of Edmonton, Saturday, Edmonton City Centre Airport, Edmonton, Alberta. On the Net: http://www.indycar.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: Thursday-Friday, Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, Pa.; Sunday, Lebanon Valley Speedway, West Lebanon, N.Y.; Late Model: Thursday, Muskingum County Speedway, Zanesville, Ohio; Friday, Attica Raceway Park, Attica, Ohio; Saturday, Sharon Speedway, Hartford, Ohio; Sunday, Eriez Speedway, Erie, Pa. On the Net: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com

U.S. AUTO RACING CLUB: Silver Crown: J.D. Byrider 100, Thursday, O'Reilly Raceway Park, Clermont, Ind. On the Net: http://www.usacracing.com