Associated Press
Times EDT
NASCAR SPRINT CAR
All-Star Challenge
Site: Concord, N.C.
Schedule: Saturday, Sprint Showdown, 7:30 p.m.; NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, 9 p.m. (Speed, 7 p.m.)
Track: Lowe's Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles).
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.
Last year: Kasey Kahne won the non-points event after getting into the 24-car field in a fan vote. Kahne also won the Coca-Cola 600 the following week at Lowe's.
Last week: Mark Martin won for the second time in the last four races, outlasting Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson in a wreck-filled race at Darlington Raceway. The 50-year-old Martin has 37 Sprint Cup victories.
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. Kahne, Martin, 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.
Next race: Coca-Cola 600, May 24, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.
On the Net: http://www.nascar.com
CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS
North Carolina Education Lottery 200
Site: Concord, N.C.
Schedule: Friday, 8 p.m. (Speed).
Track: Lowe's Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles).
Race distance: 201 miles, 134 laps.
Last year: Matt Crafton raced to his first series victory, successfully blocking Chad McCumbee's pass attempt on the final lap. Brendan Gaughan was third.
Last race: Mike Skinner gave NFL star Randy Moss his first victory as a NASCAR owner, winning the rain-shortened race at Kansas Speedway on Monday, April 27. The race was suspended after 52 laps April 25, then cut to 132 — 35 short of the scheduled distance. Skinner has 26 series victories. Johnny Benson finished second, and Brian Scott was third, giving Toyota the top three spots.
Fast facts: Skinner leads the season standings with 801 points, followed by Ron Hornaday Jr. (776), Todd Bodine (744), Crafton (707) and 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 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.
Next race: AAA Insurance 200, May 29, Dover International Speedway, Dover, Del.
On the Net: http://www.nascar.com
NATIONWIDE
Next race: CARQUEST Auto Parts 300, May 23, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.
Last week: Matt Kenseth won at Darlington Raceway after a flat tire forced leader Kyle Busch to pit under caution with two laps left.
On the Net: http://www.nascar.com
NHRA FULL THROTTLE
NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
Site: Bristol, Tenn.
Schedule: Friday-Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, Saturday, 6 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 7 p.m.).
Track: Bristol Dragway.
Last year: Melanie Troxel became the first female driver and 14th overall to win in both nitro classes, beating Mike Neff in the Funny Car final. Tony Schumacher won the Top Fuel division, beating Larry Dixon. Dave Connolly topped the Pro Stock field.
Last event: Del Worsham raced to his first Funny Car win of the season, beating Ron Capps on May 3 in the NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International. Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won.
Fast facts: Capps, the winner of three of the first seven events, leads the Funny Car standings with 562 points. Worsham is second, 119 points back. Brown has an 18-point lead over Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel, Coughlin leads the Pro Stock standings, and Krawiec tops the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.
Next event: O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals, May 29-31, Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kan.
On the Net: http://www.nhra.com
INDY RACING LEAGUE
Next race: Indianapolis 500, May 24, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis.
Last race: New Zealand's Scott Dixon raced to his 17th series victory, beating Helio Castroneves by 0.71 seconds April 26 at Kansas Speedway.
On the Net: http://www.indycar.com
FORMULA ONE
Next race: Monaco Grand Prix, May 24, Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Last week: Brawn GP's Jenson Button won for the fourth time in five races this season, beating teammate Rubens Barrichello in the Spanish Grand Prix.
On the Net: http://www.formula1.com
OTHER RACES
ARCA RE/MAX SERIES: Menards 200, Sunday, Toledo Speedway, Toledo, Ohio. On the Net: http://www.arcaracing.com
AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES: Utah Grand Prix, Sunday, Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah. On the Net: http://www.americanlemans.com
GRAND-AM ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES: Verizon Festival of Speed, Sunday, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. On the Net: http://www.grand-am.com
