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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, June 3, 2009

This week's top auto races


Associated Press

All Times EDT

NASCAR

SPRINT CUP

Pocono 500

Site: Long Pond, Pa.

Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, noon-1:30 p.m.), qualifying (Speed, 3:30-6 p.m.); Saturday, practice (Speed, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.); Sunday, race, 2 p.m. (TNT, 12:30-6:30 p.m.).

Track: Pocono Raceway (triangular oval, 2.5 miles).

Race distance: 500 miles, 200 laps.

Last year: Kasey Kahne raced to his third victory in four weeks, following the All-Star event and Coca-Cola 600. Kahne overcome a pit-road mistake to lead a race-high 69 laps. Brian Vickers finished second. Carl Edwards won the Pennsylvania 500 in August.

Last week: Jimmie Johnson won at Dover International Speedway, rebounding from a late pit-stop problem to catch Tony Stewart with two laps left. Johnson, also the Martinsville winner in late March, led a career-high 298 laps.

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.

Next race: LifeLock 400, June 14, Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Mich.

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

NATIONWIDE
Federated Auto Parts 300

Site: Gladeville, Tenn.

Schedule: Friday, practice (ESPN2, 6-7:30 p.m.), Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 3-4:30 p.m.); race, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2, 7-10:30 p.m.).

Track: Nashville Superspeedway (oval, 1.333 miles).

Race distance: 300 miles, 225 laps.

Last year: Brad Keselowski raced to his first Nationwide Series victory, passing Clint Bowyer with six laps to go. David Stremme finished second.

Last week: Keselowski won at Dover International Speedway, shooting past Kyle Busch and Joey Logano during a restart with two laps left.

Fast facts: 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), Logano (1,670) and 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.

Next race: Meijer 300, June 13, Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Ky.

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

CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS
WinStar World Casino 400

Site: Fort Worth, Texas.

Schedule: Thursday, practice, qualifying; Friday, race, 9 p.m. (Speed, 8:30-11:30 p.m.).

Track: Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).

Race distance: 250.5 miles, 167 laps.

Last year: Ron Hornaday Jr. won the first leg of his Texas Motor Speedway sweep, holding off Kyle Busch in a green-white-checker finish.

Last week: Brian Scott raced to his first series victory, beating Dennis Setzer after the front-running Busch faded to ninth after hitting the wall with 17 laps left. The 21-year-old Scott drove the No. 16 Xpress Motorsports Toyota.

Fast facts: Hornaday leads the season standings with 1,056 points, followed by Mike Skinner (1,029), Matt Crafton (1,027), Busch (1,000) and 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.

Next race: Michigan 200, June 13, Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Mich.

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

INDYCAR SERIES
Bombardier Learjet 550k

Site: Fort Worth, Texas.

Schedule: Thursday, practice; Friday, practice, qualifying (Versus, 7-8 p.m.); Saturday, race, 9:40 p.m. (Versus, 9 p.m.-midnight).

Track: Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).

Race distance: 342 miles, 228 laps.

Last year: New Zealand's Scott Dixon raced to the third of his six 2008 victories en route to his second series championship. Dixon regained the lead a lap before a crash between his closest competitors. He won under caution.

Last week: Dixon won at the Milwaukee Mile, darting past Ryan Briscoe with 25 laps left and pulling away. Dixon, also the winner at Kansas Speedway in late April, has 18 career IndyCar Series victories.

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. ... 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.

Next race: Iowa Corn Indy 250, June 21, Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa.

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

NHRA FULL THROTTLE
United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals

Site: Joliet, Ill.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 4-7 p.m.).

Track: Route 66 Raceway.

Last year: Tony Pedregon overcame a fire during qualifying to take the second of his five 2008 Funny Car victories. Tony Schumacher won the fourth of his 15 2008 Top Fuel victories, Kurt Johnson topped the Pro Stock field, and Chris Rivas raced to his first Pro Stock Motorcycle win.

Last week: Ron Capps raced to his third Funny Car victory of the season, beating No. 1 qualifier Ashley Force Hood in the Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. Larry Dixon won for the second time this season in Top Fuel, and Allen Johnson topped the Pro Stock lineup for the first time in almost three years.

Fast facts: Schumacher, seeking his sixth straight Top Fuel championship and seventh overall, has a 43-point lead over Antron Brown. ... Capps has a 119-point advantage over Del Worsham in the Funny Car standings.

Next event: United Association NHRA SuperNationals, June 14, Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, N.J.

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

FORMULA ONE
Turkish Grand Prix

Site: Istanbul.

Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 7-8:30 a.m.); Saturday, practice, qualifying (Speed, 7-8:30 a.m.); Sunday, race, 8 a.m. (Fox, 3-5 p.m.).

Track: Istanbul Speed Park (road course, 14 turns, 3.317 miles).

Race distance: 192.25 miles, 58 laps.

Last year: Ferrari's Felipe Massa won from the pole for the third straight year, beating off McLaren's Lewis Hamilton by 3.779 seconds.

Last race: Brawn GP's Jenson Button won the Monaco Grand Prix on May 24 for his fifth victory in six races this season. Teammate Rubens Barrichello was second.

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. ... Button leads the season standings with 51 points. 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.

Next race: British Grand Prix, June 21, Silverstone circuit, Silverstone, England.

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

OTHER RACES

ARCA RE/MAX SERIES: Pocono ARCA 200, Saturday (Speed, 4-6 p.m.), Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa. On the Net: http://www.arcaracing.com

GRAND-AM ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES: Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen, Saturday (Speed, 2-4 p.m., 6-8:30 p.m., Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, N.Y. On the Net: http://www.grand-am.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CARS: Saturday-Sunday, Lawrenceburg Speedway, Lawrenceburg, Ind. On the Net: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/sprint