This week's top auto races
Associated Press
All Times EST
NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
Dickies 500
Site: Fort Worth, Texas.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 1-2:30 p.m.), qualifying (Speed, 4:30-6:30 p.m.); Saturday, practice (Speed, 9:30-10:30 a.m., 11 a.m.-noon); Sunday, race, 3:15 p.m. (ABC, 2:30-7:30 p.m.).
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).
Race distance: 501 miles, 334 laps.
Last year: Carl Edwards completed a season sweep at the track, racing the last 69 laps without pitting. The victory, his Cup-best third at Texas, was the eighth of his series-high nine 2008 wins.
Last week: Jamie McMurray won at Talladega, snapping an 86-race winless streak. Jimmie Johnson ended up sixth, likely wrapping up his NASCAR-record fourth straight championship. Ryan Newman's harrowing crash with five laps to go left him upside down in the grass, and Mark Martin went flipping across the track in the two-lap sprint to the finish that end under caution.
Fast facts: Johnson has a 184-point lead over second-place Martin with three races left. Jeff Gordon (-192) is third, giving Hendrick Motorsports the top three spots. Gordon won the April race at the track to end a 47-event winless streak. Johnson won the November 2007 race at Texas. ... Brad Keselowski, set to drive the No. 12 Penske Dodge next season, will finish the year in the car, replacing David Stremme. ... Edwards is winless this year. McMurray's Talladega victory was Roush Fenway's first Cup win since Matt Kenseth swept the season-opening races at Daytona and California. ... Kyle Busch also is racing in the Nationwide and Trucks races, the first of three straight tripleheaders. He has 17 victories this year in the three series — four in Cup, seven in Nationwide and six in Trucks. He also leads the Nationwide standings.
Next race: Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, Nov. 15, Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.
On the Net: http://www.nascar.com
NATIONWIDE
O'Reilly Challenge
Site: Fort Worth, Texas.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.), qualifying (Speed, 6:30-7:30 p.m.); Saturday, race, 12:45 p.m. (ESPN2, noon-3:30 p.m.).
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).
Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Kyle Busch raced to his 10th and last 2008 victory, tying Sam Ard (1983) for the series record. The victory was the second of Busch's three straight series wins at the track. Carl Edwards finished second.
Last race: Brad Keselowski raced to his fourth victory of the year, holding off series leader Busch on Oct. 24 at Memphis Motorsports Park.
Fast facts: Busch won the April race for his third straight series win at the track. He led a race-record 178 of 200 laps. ... Busch, a seven-time winner this year, has a 215-point lead over second-place Edwards with three races left. Keselowski is third, 257 points behind Busch. ... Kevin Harvick has a series-high four Texas wins.
Next race: Able Body Labor 200, Nov. 14, Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.
On the Net: http://www.nascar.com
CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS
WinStar World Casino 350
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: 220.5 miles, 147 laps.
Last year: Ron Hornaday Jr. completed a season sweep at the track, coming from a lap down for a dominating victory that moved him within six points of eventual season champion Johnny Benson with two races to go. Kyle Busch finished second.
Last week: Busch won at Talladega, passing Todd Bodine just before the finish with help from bump-drafting by Billy Ballew teammate Aric Almirola. Busch has won his last four Trucks starts to tie Hornaday for the season victory lead with six. Bodine finished third, ending his series restrictor-plate winning streak at four.
Fast facts: Hornaday has a 202-point lead over Matt Crafton with three races left. The 51-year-old Hornaday is winless since Aug. 1 in Nashville, the last of his series-record five straight victories. He has 45 career wins and three season titles, both series records. ... Bodine won the June race for his record fifth Texas victory. Hornaday was 19th after leading 52 laps. ... In 2010, the series will use double-file restarts and allow teams to get fuel and tires on the same stop.
Next race: Lucas Oil 150, Nov. 13, Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.
On the Net: http://www.nascar.com
NHRA FULL THROTTLE
Next event: Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Nov. 12-15, Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Pomona, Calif.
Last week: Robert Hight closed in his first Funny Car season championship, beating Jack Beckman in Las Vegas for his third victory of the season. Hight has a 105-point lead over teammate Ashley Force Hood with one race left. Spencer Massey (Top Fuel), Larry Morgan (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won.
OTHER RACES
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: World of Outlaws World Finals, Sprint Car and Late Model, Thursday-Saturday (Speed, Saturday, 8-11 p.m.), The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C. On the Net: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com
U.S. AUTO RACING CLUB: Sprint Car: Budweiser Oval Nationals, Thursday-Saturday, Perris Auto Speedway, Perris, Calif. On the Net: http://www.usacracing.com