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Wednesday, May 15

Viewer's Guide
A look at the weekend in racing
Associated Press

Here's a breakdown of this weekend's action in the world of motorsports. (All times ET)

Winston Cup
FAST FACTS
Event The Winston
Site Concord, N.C.
Schedule Friday, qualifying (FX, 7 p.m.); Saturday, race (FX, 7 p.m.).
Track Lowe's Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns)
Distance 135 miles, 90 laps

Last race: Tony Stewart pulled away on a restart with 17 laps to go and won the rain-delayed Pontiac Excitement 400 on May 5 by avoiding a record number of accidents. Stewart, the defending race champion, moved his Pontiac past Ryan Newman on lap No. 373 and led the last 27 laps.

Last year: Jeff Gordon won The Winston for the third time while driving a backup car.

Fast Facts:For the first time in the race's 17-year history, drivers will be eliminated from the grid following both the first and second segments of the 90-lap event, leaving the 10 fastest drivers to compete in a 20-lap shootout for a share of a $3 million purse. Fan voting will determine the starting order for the 10-car field for the final 20-lap segment. ... Those eligible for the race are winners from last year, this year, past Winston Cup champions, any driver who has won The Winston in the last five years, and the Winston Open winner. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. became the first rookie to win NASCAR's all-star event when he overpowered Dale Jarrett with one lap to go in the 2000 event. ... The Winston does not count in the series standings. ... Mark Martin won the 1998 event after Gordon's car ran out of gas on the final lap.

Next race: Coca-Cola 600, May 26, Concord, N.C.

IRL
FAST FACTS
Event Indy 500 Bump Day qualifying
Site Indianapolis
Schedule Sunday (2 p.m., ESPN; 4 p.m., ABC; 6 p.m., ESPN2).
Track Indianapolis Motor Speedway (rectangular oval, 2.5 miles, 9 degrees banking)

Last race: Scott Sharp earned his first IRL victory of the season when leader Gil de Ferran ran out of fuel on the final lap of the Firestone Indy 225 at Nazareth Speedway on April 21.

Fast facts: Bruno Junqueira won the pole last weekend for the Indy 500. ... 24 of the 33 spots in the field have been filled (including two provisional spots). ... Robbie Buhl and Raul Boesel join Junqueira in the front row.

RPM2Night: RPM2Night will air live from Indianapolis throughout the week and on the weekend.

Next race: Indianapolis 500, May 26, Indianapolis.

Busch
FAST FACTS
Event Stacker2 200
Site Nazareth, Pa.
Schedule Saturday, qualifying, 1 p.m.; Sunday, race (FX, 1 p.m.).
Track Nazareth Speedway (tri-oval .946 miles, 1 degree banking in Turn 1, 4 degrees in Turn 2, 6 degrees in Turns 3-4)
Distance 189.2 miles, 200 laps

Last race: Bobby Hamilton Jr. came from 17th with 64 laps to go and won the Busch 200 at New Hampshire. Hamilton, who set a race record with an average speed of 110.368 mph, won for the first time in 96 career starts.

Last year: Greg Biffle went to the lead on the 114th lap of the Nazareth 200 and held on for the victory, beating Kevin Harvick by nearly nine seconds.

Fast Facts: Tim Fedewa won the race in 1995 and 1998, becoming the only driver to win more than once. ... Matt Kenseth outlasted a five-hour rain delay to win the 1999 race. ... Ron Hornaday raced to his first Busch series victory in the 2000 event, beating Elton Sawyer by 1.992 seconds. ... Jason Keller has finished within the top five in each of his last two races at Nazareth. He is second in the points standings, 64 behind leader Jack Sprague. ... Penske Speedway, Inc. purchased the 90-acre Nazareth Speedway in 1986 and began a renovation that included paving the track.

Next race: Carquest Auto Parts 300, May 25, Concord, N.C.

Craftsman Trucks
FAST FACTS
Event Rocky Mountain 200
Site Fountain, Colo.
Schedule Saturday, qualifying, 5:15 p.m.; Sunday, race (ESPN, 4 p.m.).
Track Pikes Peak International Raceway (d-shaped oval, 1 mile, 10 degrees banking in turns)
Distance 200 miles, 200 laps

Last race: Terry Cook broke an 88-race victory drought, winning the Dodge Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., on May 5. Cook, who went to the emergency room with flu symptoms Wednesday, recovered enough to take his Ford F-150 from the eighth starting position to the lead by the 91st of 160 laps.

Last year: Joe Ruttman held off Scott Riggs and Jack Sprague to win the Jelly Belly 200 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. The race ended in a two-lap sprint after a caution flag on lap 198 after Jonathon Price hit the wall in turn two on the one-mile oval. Because an NCTS race can't end under caution, the race went 204 laps.

Fast facts: There have been three different winners and three different polesitters in the last three years of the race. ... Chevrolets have won the last three races at the track. ... Andy Houston set both the fastest qualifying lap (133.442 mph) and fastest race lap (130.652 mph) during the 2000 event. ... Pikes Peak Raceway was originally a horse track, but was reconfigured and rebuilt for race cars in 1997.

Next race: MBNA America 200, May 31, Dover, Del.

NHRA
FAST FACTS
Event Matco Tools Supernationals
Site Englishtown, N.J.
Schedule Friday, qualifying, 4:15 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN, 5 p.m. tape); Sunday, eliminations (ESPN2, 7 p.m., tape).
Track Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

Last race: Larry Dixon raced to his fifth Top Fuel victory of the season, beating Doug Herbert in the final of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals on May 5. Whit Bazemore, Allen Johnson and Angelle Savoie also won their divisions at Atlanta Dragway.

Last year: Kenny Bernstein won the Top Fuel division, beating Doug Kalitta in the finals at the Matco Tools SuperNationals. Tony Pedregon won in the Funny Car division, Richie Stevens in Pro Stock and Matt Hines in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Fast facts: Englishtown has held the event since 1971. ... In 1998, Joe Amato increased the national speed record in Top Fuel to 323.50 mph in his quarterfinals victory. ... Dixon, the Top Fuel points leader, has five victories in six final rounds this season while grabbing the top spot in qualifying four times. He is 23-2 in elimination rounds. ... For the first time in NHRA history, there have been seven different Pro Stock winners in as many races this season. ... Minnesota Timberwolves forward Tom Hammonds qualified for his first NHRA event in 1997.

Next race: O'Reilly Summer Nationals, May 26, Topeka, Kan.

Formula One
Last race: Michael Schumacher won his first Austrian Grand Prix after teammate Rubens Barrichello moved aside to hand him the victory. Barrichello had been in charge all afternoon after starting from pole position, but then relinquished the lead because of team orders during the final lap.

Next race: Monaco Grand Prix, May 28, Monte Carlo.

CART
Last race: Bruno Junqueira, who had the fastest time in practice and started from the pole, used outstanding pit strategy to win the Bridgestone Potenza 500 in Japan on April 27. It is Junqueira's second career CART win.

Next race: Miller Lite 225, June 2, West Allis, Wis.

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