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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, September 16, 2009

This week's top auto races


Associated Press

All Times EDT

NASCAR

SPRINT CUP

Sylvania 300

Site: Loudon, N.H.

Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, noon-1:30 p.m.), qualifying (ESPN2, 3-5 p.m.); Saturday, practice (Speed, 9-10 a.m.), practice (ESPN2, 6:45-7:45 p.m.; Sunday, race, 2 p.m. (ABC, 1-5:30 p.m.).

Track: New Hampshire Motor Speedway (oval, 1.058 miles).

Race distance: 317.4 miles, 300 laps.

Last year: Greg Biffle won the Chase opener to snap a 33-race winless streak, passing Jimmie Johnson with 12 laps to go. Biffle also won the following week at Dover and finished third in the final standings.

Last week: Denny Hamlin won for the first time on his home track at Richmond, beating Kurt Busch in the regular-season finale. Kyle Busch, tied with Mark Martin with a series-best four victories, was fifth to miss a spot in the 12-man Chase. Brian Vickers finished seventh to take the 12th spot, eight points ahead of Kyle Busch. Matt Kenseth dropped out of the top 12 with a 25th-place run.

Fast facts: Mark Martin leads the 12-driver Chase field with reset points of 5,040 — including 40 bonus points for his four victories. Tony Stewart, the regular-season leader, and three-time defending series champion Johnson are 10 points back. Hamlin and Kasey Kahne are 20 points behind Martin, followed by Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Vickers (30 points behind Martin) and Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya and Biffle (40 points behind Martin). ... Johnson has a series-high 14 victories in 50 Chase starts. Edwards and Biffle are tied for second with six Chase wins. ... Joey Logano won the rain-shortened June race at New Hampshire to become the youngest winner in Sprint Cup history at 19 years, 1 month, 4 days.

Next race: AAA 400, Sept. 27, Dover International Speedway, Dover, Del.

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

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CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS

Heluva Good! 200

Site: Loudon, N.H.

Schedule: Friday, practice; Saturday, qualifying (Speed, 10-11:30 a.m.), race, 3 p.m. (Speed, 2:30-5:30 p.m.).

Track: New Hampshire Motor Speedway (oval, 1.058 miles).

Race distance: 211.6 miles, 200 laps.

Last year: Ron Hornaday Jr. raced to his second straight New Hampshire victory and the fifth of his six 2008 wins, holding off Johnny Benson. Hornaday also won in 1996 in the first Trucks race at New Hampshire.

Last week: Mike Skinner raced to his second straight victory and third of the season, holding off Johnny Sauter at Gateway International Raceway. With four laps to go, Matt Crafton sent leader Hornaday spinning after they bumped on the first turn. Crafton was black-flagged and had to restart behind the rest of the lead-lap cars. Skinner has 28 series victories.

Fast facts: The 51-year-old Hornaday leads the points race and has a series-high six victories, including a series-record five in a row. He has a series-record 45 career wins and a record three season titles. ... Crafton is second in the standings, 197 points back with seven races left. Skinner is third, 213 points behind Hornaday. ... Kyle Busch is trying to win his third straight series start. The Sprint Cup driver missed the last two races after winning at Bristol and Chicagoland.

Next race: Las Vegas 350, Sept. 26, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas.

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

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NATIONWIDE

Next race: Dover 200, Sept. 26, Dover International Speedway, Dover, Del.

Last week: Carl Edwards took the lead from Kevin Harvick on pit road with 24 laps to go, then held off Harvick at Richmond for his fourth victory of the season. Racing with a broken right foot, Edwards had to start at the back of the field after his team made adjustments to his Ford after the cars were impounded. Edwards is second in the season standings, 201 points behind Kyle Busch with eight races left.

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

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INDYCAR

Indy Japan 300

Site: Motegi, Japan.

Schedule: Friday, practice, qualifying (Versus, Friday, 6-7 p.m.); Saturday, race (Versus, Friday, 10:30 p.m.-1 a.m.).

Track: Twin Ring Motegi (oval, 1.5 miles).

Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.

Last year: Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history, winning on fuel strategy in her 50th career start. She took the lead from Helio Castroneves on the 198th lap and finished 5.8594 seconds ahead.

Last race: Points leader Ryan Briscoe won the fourth-closest finish in series history, beating Scott Dixon by 0.0077 of a second Aug. 29 at Chicagoland Speedway. Briscoe has three victories this season for Penske Racing. With two races left, he has a 25-point lead over Dario Franchitti and a 33-point advantage over Dixon.

Fast facts: The series is making its seventh trip to Twin Ring Motegi. Scott Sharp won the inaugural race in 2003, Dan Wheldon swept the 2004-05 races, Castroneves won in 2006 and Tony Kaanan took the 2007 event. ... Patrick is fifth in the season standings, 197 points behind Briscoe. ... Dixon and Franchitti share the series victory lead with four. Briscoe has won three times this year.

Next race: Firestone Indy 300, Oct. 10, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla.

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

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NHRA FULL THROTTLE

NHRA Carolinas Nationals

Site: Concord, N.C.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 11:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 7-10 p.m.).

Track: zMax Dragway.

Last year: Tony Schumacher broke a tie with Joe Amato for the Top Fuel victory record, beating Antron Brown in the inaugural event for his 53rd win and seventh in a row. Schumacher finished the season with a record 15 victories en route to his sixth series title. Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Justin Humphreys (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won in the Countdown to 1 opener.

Last event: Schumacher won the U.S. Nationals on Sept. 7 for his eighth victory at O'Reilly Raceway Park, tying Don Garlits for the most Top Fuel wins at the historic Indiana track. Schumacher beat Larry Dixon in the final for his fourth victory of the season and 60th overall. Ashley Force Hood (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won in the regular-season finale.

Fast facts: The top 10 drivers in each category after the 18-event regular season advanced to the six-race playoffs. Under the reset points, the leaders were given a 30-point advantage over the second-place drivers. The other positions were reset in 10-point increments. Brown leads the Top Fuel standings, followed by Dixon and Schumacher. Tony Pedregon tops the Funny Car field, followed by Ron Capps and Force Hood. Coughlin leads the Pro Stock standings, ahead of Jason Line.

Next event: O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals, Sept. 25-27, Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas.

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

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FORMULA ONE

Next race: Singapore Grand Prix, Sept. 27, Marina Bay, Singapore.

Last week: Rubens Barrichello won the Italian Grand Prix for his second victory in three races, beating Brawn GP teammate Jenson Button at Monza. Button has a 14-point lead over second-place Barrichello in the season standings with four races left.

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

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OTHER RACES

ARCA RE/MAX SERIES: Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic, Saturday, Salem Speedway, Salem, Ind. On the Net: http://www.arcaracing.com

GRAND-AM ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES: Utah 250, Saturday (Speed, 5:30-8:30 p.m.), Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah. On the Net: http://www.grand-am.com

WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: Saturday, Deer Creek Speedway, Spring Valley, Minn. Late Model: Pepsi Nationals, Saturday, I-55 Raceway, Pevely, Mo.; Illinois Fall Nationals, Sunday, LaSalle Speedway, La Salle, Ill. Super Dirtcar: Friday, Autodrome Drummond, Drummondville, Quebec. On the Net: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com