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Wednesday, May 28

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 MBNA Armed Forces Family 400
Site Dover, Del.
Schedule Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 2:30 p.m.); Sunday, race (FX, 12:30 p.m.).
Track Dover Downs International Speedway (oval, 1-mile, 24 degrees banking in turns).
Distance 400 miles, 400 laps.

Last race: Jimmie Johnson was declared the winner of the Coca-Cola 600 at Concord, N.C., after the race was stopped through 276 laps because of a brief but heavy rain shower. Johnson completed the two-race sweep of the showcase events at Lowe's Motor Speedway after winning The Winston on May 17.

Drivers to Watch
Check out a short list of drivers to keep an eye on this weekend at Dover.

Last year: Johnson earned his second Winston Cup victory by taking the MBNA Platinum 400. Johnson became only the second rookie winner in the track's 65-year history and the first since Davey Allison in 1987.

Fast facts: Johnson won both races at Dover last year, also taking the MBNA All-American Heroes 400 on Sept. 22. Jeff Gordon was the last driver to win three straight races at the track (1995-96). ... Jerry Nadeau was released from a Richmond, Va., hospital and moved to a rehabilitation center on Tuesday, nearly a month after crashing during practice at Richmond International Raceway. ... Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, was fined $2,500 by NASCAR on Tuesday for using an unapproved refrigerant near the fuel system before qualifying last weekend. ... The race was shortened to 400 miles in 1997 to try to make it more competitive. It was 500 miles from 1971-96. ... Richard Petty and Bobby Allison share the track record with seven wins apiece. Petty won the first two races in 1969 and 1970. ... Sterling Marlin does not have a victory in 34 career starts at Dover. ... Dover and Bristol are the only two tracks to feature concrete surfaces.

Next race: Pocono 500, June 8, Long Pond, Pa.

Busch Series
FAST FACTS
Event MBNA Armed Forces Family 200
Site Dover, Del.
Schedule Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 1 p.m.); Saturday, race (FX, 12:30 p.m.).
Track Dover Downs International Speedway (oval, 1-mile, 24 degrees banking in turns).
Distance 200 miles, 200 laps.

Last race: Matt Kenseth took the lead on the last restart and cruised to victory in Carquest Auto Parts 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch, who was making his Busch Series debut, finished second. The race finished under caution as Greg Biffle spun out in Turn 4 with four laps to go.

Drivers to Watch
Check out a short list of drivers to keep an eye on this weekend at Dover.

Last year: Biffle overcame a spinout and won a three-lap shootout after the race was red-flagged to claim the MBNA Platinum 200. Biffle, who injured his neck at Nazareth two weeks earlier, claimed his first victory of the 2002 season.

Fast facts: Four of the top 10 finishers in last week's race _ Kenseth, Todd Bodine, Kevin Harvick and Michael Waltrip _ are Winston Cup regulars. Cup regulars have now won 10 of 13 Busch Series races this season. ... Bodine leads with three wins at Dover. He took the series point lead from David Green after his fourth-place finish last weekend. ... Morgan Shepherd is the only polesitter to win at the track in 1986. There have been no winners from the pole in the 21 spring races.

Next race: The Nashville 300, June 7, Gladeville, Tenn.

CART
FAST FACTS
Event Milwaukee Mile 250
Site West Allis, Wis.
Schedule Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 9:30 p.m.); Saturday, race (Speed Channel, 9 p.m.).
Track The Milwaukee Mile (oval 1.032 miles, 9 degrees banking in turns).
Distance 258 miles, 250 laps.

Last race: France's Sebastien Bourdais won for the second straight week by outlasting Mario Dominguez on the final lap to capture the German 500 on May 11. Bourdais, who started from the pole for the third time in five races, picked up his first CART victory at Brands Hatch, England, the previous week.

Last year: After his disputed loss at the Indianapolis 500, Paul Tracy bounced back with a win at the Miller Lite 250 in Milwaukee. It was Tracy's third win at Milwaukee and first since Vancouver in 2000.

Fast facts: This is the first night event in CART and track history. ... Milwaukee, which has hosted a CART event every year since 1979, is celebrating its 100th season in 2003. ... Adrian Fernandez has five consecutive top-10 finishes at Milwaukee, including last year's second-place placing from the pole. He has led laps in two of his last three trips to the track. ... William Jones set the very first track record at The Milwaukee Mile with a 72-second, 50 mph lap in 1903. Patrick Carpentier now holds the mark at 20.028 seconds at 185.500 mph set in 1998.

Next race: Grand Prix of Monterey, June 15, Monterey, Calif.

CTS
FAST FACTS
Event MBNA Armed Forces Family Truck 200
Site Dover, Del.
Schedule Thursday, qualifying, 3:15 p.m.; Friday, race (Speed Channel, 4:30 p.m.).
Track Dover Downs International Speedway (oval, 1-mile, 24 degrees banking in turns).
Distance 200 miles, 200 laps.

Last race: Ted Musgrave held off Brendan Gaughan after a late-race restart to win the inaugural Hardee's 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Musgrave, who earned his 11th career series victory, recovered from a speeding penalty on pit road early in the race.

Last year: Musgrave withstood multiple late cautions and took advantage of lapped traffic to win the MBNA America 200 for his second victory of the 2002 season. Musgrave led the final 78 laps after overtaking polesitter Rick Crawford.

Fast facts: Kurt Busch won the first truck event at Dover in 2000. That race was held the same weekend as the fall events for the Winston Cup and Busch series. ... Dennis Setzer's bid to become the first truck driver since 2000 to win three consecutive races fell short when he broke down almost 20 laps into the race. ... Winston Cup regular Jeremy Mayfield made his truck series debut last weekend and finished sixth. ... Bill Lester became the first black driver to win the pole of NASCAR's modern era during last weekend's truck event. Wendell Scott had been NASCAR's only black driver to win a pole, at Savannah, Ga., on July 20, 1962. ... All three truck winners at Dover qualified in the front row.

Next race: O'Reilly 400K, June 6, Fort Worth, Texas.

F1
FAST FACTS
Event Monaco Grand Prix
Site Monte Carlo
Schedule Thursday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 8 a.m.); Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 8 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 7:30 a.m.).
Track Monte Carlo street circuit (2.068 miles).
Distance 161.304 miles, 78 laps.

Last race: After failing to finish in the top three in the season's first three races, Michael Schumacher moved within two points of standings leader Kimi Raikkonen after winning the Austrian Grand Prix. Schumacher outlasted Raikkonen for his third straight win, calmly handling a fire in the pits to earn the 65th victory of his career.

Drivers to Watch
Check out a short list of drivers to keep an eye on this weekend at Monte Carlo.

Last year: David Coulthard edged Michael Schumacher to win the Monaco Grand Prix. Coulthard won his first race of the 2002 season while handing Schumacher his second defeat and first since the Malaysian Grand Prix over two months earlier.

Fast facts: This race was first held in 1929. ... Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard and Olivier Panis are the only drivers on the current grid to win at Monte Carlo. ... The track is known as one of the more dangerous on the circuit because of the slippery surface caused by dirt thrown by the regular use of the streets from road traffic. ... Team Renault announced plans for the 2004 season that will abandon their current wide-angle V10 in favor of an engine with a more traditional architecture. The move is in response to the new 2004 regulations, which will require each engine to last for a full race weekend.

Next race: Canadian Grand Prix, June 15, Montreal.

NHRA
FAST FACTS
Event Route 66 Nationals
Site Chicago
Schedule Friday, qualifying, 5 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, Noon (ESPN, 8 p.m., tape); Sunday, eliminations, Noon (ESPN2, 7:30 p.m., tape).
Track Route 66 Raceway.

Last event: Tony Pedregon earned his fifth Funny Car victory of the season and third straight at Heartland Park Topeka at the O'Reilly Summer Nationals. Larry Dixon earned his fourth victory of the season and the 29th of his career in Top Fuel by edging Doug Kalitta while Anderson also claimed his fourth by defeating Kurt Johnson in a close Pro Stock battle.

Last year: Bruce Allen became the first two-time Pro Stock winner of the 2002 season by defeating Tom Hammonds in the finals of the Route 66 Nationals. Dixon defeated Kenny Bernstein in Top Fuel while Del Worsham earned his second Funny Car win of the season and second straight at Route 66 Raceway.

Fast facts: Dixon has a 147-point lead over Kalitta and a 260-point advantage over third-place Gary Densham in the Top Fuel standings. ... John Force is still looking for his first victory of the season. ... Pedregon has earned the top qualifying position five times this season. ... Kenny Bernstein filled in for injured son Brandon last weekend and was eliminated by Kalitta in the semifinals. Brandon, who suffered a fractured vertebra in Englishtown, N.J., on May 18, was cleared to leave the hospital Sunday. ... Tim Wilkerson beat Force in the 1999 finals. It was Force's only finals loss that season.

Next event: Pontiac Excitement Nationals, June 15, Columbus, Ohio.

IRL
Last race: Gil de Ferran held off Helio Castroneves on a six-lap sprint to the end to win the Indianapolis 500, spoiling his Brazilian teammate's bid for an unprecedented third straight victory. De Ferran, who was severely injured in a crash March 23 in Phoenix, passed Castroneves for the lead on lap 170 of the 200-lap race and had to fend off his Penske Racing teammate through three restarts.

Next race: Longhorn 500K, June 7, Fort Worth, Texas.

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Related
All-time MBNA Platinum 400 winners

All-time winners at Monaco

All-time winners at Milwaukee

Drivers to watch

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