A GLANCE AT THIS WEEKEND’S RACING
NASCAR SPRINT CUP
Russ Friedman 400
Site: Richmond, Va.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 2:40 p.m. (Speed); Saturday, race, 4 p.m. (Fox).
Track: Richmond International Raceway (0.75-mile D-shaped oval).
Race distance: 300 miles, 400 laps.
Last week: Brad Keselowski won at Talladega Superspeedway after a last-lap pass that left Carl Edwards’ car sailing into the frontstretch safety fence. Edwards, attempting to block Keselowski, was unhurt, but debris from the accident injured seven fans in the stands. Keselowski, driving a car that James Finch bought from Hendrick Motorsports, won in his fifth Sprint Cup start. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was second.
Last year: Clint Bowyer was a surprise winner, taking the race with a last-lap pass that put Earnhardt into the wall in the third turn. Denny Hamlin, the hometown favorite, led a record 381 of the 400 laps in a bid for his first Cup victory at Richmond, but ended up 24th because of a flat tire. Jimmie Johnson won the September race for his third Richmond victory.
Fast facts: Kurt Busch, the 2004 Cup champion, leads the series standings for the first time since March 2005. Busch, the winner in Atlanta in March, finished sixth at Talladega — his sixth top-10 of the season — to take a five-point lead over Jeff Gordon. Busch won the September 2005 race at Richmond. … Johnson swept the 2007 Richmond races. … Earnhardt is 15th in the standings. He has three victories, eight top-fives and 10 top-10s at Richmond. … David Poole, The Charlotte Observer’s NASCAR writer for 13 years, died Tuesday of a heart attack. He was 50.
Next race: Southern 500, May 9, Darlington Raceway, Darlington, S.C.
On the Net: http://www.nascar.com
NATIONWIDE
Lipton Tea 250
Site: Richmond, Va.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 1:10 p.m. (Speed), race, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Track: Richmond International Raceway (0.75-mile D-shaped oval).
Race distance: 187.5 miles, 250 laps.
Last week: David Ragan raced to his first NASCAR victory, passing Ryan Newman right before the finish line at Talladega. Ragan was making his 196th start — 85 in Nationwide — in NASCAR’s top three series.
Last year: Local favorite Denny Hamlin used a late pit stop for tires to beat fellow Sprint Cup drivers Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards — the winner in September at the track. Hamlin isn’t in the field this year.
Fast facts: Brad Keselowski’s Sprint Cup victory Sunday at Talladega made him the first Nationwide Series regular to win a Cup race since Jamie McMurray in 2002 at Charlotte. Keselowski, ninth Saturday in Talladega, is sixth in the Nationwide standings. … Kyle Busch leads the points race with 1,219. Edwards is second at 1,157. … Mark Martin is making his first Nationwide start of the year, driving Rick Hendrick’s No. 5 Lipton Chevrolet. Martin has five victories at Richmond and 48 overall in the series, both records. … Kevin Harvick has four Nationwide wins at Richmond. Next race: Diamond Hill Plywood 200, May 8, Darlington Raceway, Darlington, S.C.
On the Net: http://www.nascar.com
CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS
Next race: North Carolina Education Lottery 200, May 15, Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.
Last week: Mike Skinner gave football star Randy Moss his first victory as a NASCAR truck owner, winning the rain-shortened race at Kansas Speedway in a Monday finish. The race was suspended after 52 laps Saturday, 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 a sweep of the top three spots.
On the Net: http://www.nascar.com
NHRA FULL THROTTLE
O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals
Site: Madison, Ill.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying (ESPN2, 6-8 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 7-10 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 3-5 p.m.).
Track: Gateway International Raceway.
Last week: Morgan Lucas won the Southern Nationals for his first Top Fuel victory, beating Spencer Massey at Atlanta Dragway. Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won. Edwards beat Jeg Coughlin on Monday in the rain-delayed final.
Last year: Tim Wilkerson beat Mike Neff in the Funny Car final. In the first round, John Force reached 1,000 round wins. Rod Fuller (Top Fuel), Kurt Johnson (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won their divisions. Fast facts: Ron Capps, coming off a quarterfinal loss to Wilkerson after winning three of the first five races, leads the Funny Car standings with 464 points. Jack Beckman is second with 395, followed by Ashley Force Hood at 394. In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher, a two-time winner this year, has a 39-point lead over Antron Brown. Coughlin has the Pro Stock lead. … Wilkerson is from Springfield, Ill. … Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson is making his 300th start. He has five victories.
Next event: NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, May 15-17, Bristol Dragway, Bristol, Tenn.
On the Net: http://www.nhra.com
INDY RACING LEAGUE
Next race: Indianapolis 500, May 24, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis.
Last week: New Zealand’s Scott Dixon raced to his 17th series victory, beating Helio Castroneves by 0.71 seconds at Kansas Speedway.
On the Net: http://www.indycar.com
FORMULA ONE
Next race: Spanish Grand Prix, May 10, Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Last week: Brawn GP’s Jenson Button won the Bahrain Grand Prix for his third victory in the first four races this season, beating Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel by 7.1 seconds. Button, from England, has a 12-point lead in the season standings.
On the Net: http://www.formula1.com
OTHER RACE
GRAND-AM ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES: Verizon Wireless 250, Sunday, New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, N.J. On the Net: http://www.grand-am.com/rolex
