Winston Cup

FAST FACTS
Event	Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400
Site	Rockingham, N.C.
Schedule	Friday, qualifying (TNT, 3 p.m.); Sunday, race (TNT, 1 p.m.).
Track	North Carolina Speedway (tri-oval, 1.017 miles, 22 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 25 degrees in turns 3-4).
Distance	400 miles, 393 laps.

Last race: Dale Earnhardt Jr. kept his slim championship hopes alive by winning the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix. Earnhardt is still 228 points behind standings leader Matt Kenseth, who finished sixth.

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

Last year: Johnny Benson won for the first time in 226 Winston Cup starts, at the Pop Secret Microwave 400. Benson was coming back from two separate rib injuries that sidelined him for six races.

Fast facts: Kenseth can wrap up his first title by finishing among the top 30 in the final two races or if he retains a lead of at least 186 points following this event. ... Dale Jarrett won the Subway 400 at Rockingham on Feb. 23 and has finished 10th or better in 14 of the last 17 races at the track. ... Jimmie Johnson has four straight top-three finishes.

Next race: Ford 400, Nov. 16, Homestead, Fla.

Busch Series

FAST FACTS
Event	Target House 200
Site	Rockingham, N.C.
Schedule	Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 1:30); Saturday, race (TNT, 1 p.m.).
Track	North Carolina Speedway (tri-oval, 1.017 miles, 22 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 25 degrees in turns 3-4).
Distance	200 miles, 197 laps.

Last race: Bobby Hamilton Jr. won the rain-shortened Bashas' Supermarkets 200 and Scott Riggs took the lead in the tight five-man points chase at Phoenix International Raceway.

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

Last year: Jamie McMurray picked up an unlikely victory at the Sam's Club 300 at Rockingham after a next-to-last lap crash knocked out race leaders Jeff Green and Michael Waltrip.

Fast facts: The top four drivers in the standings are separated by just 22 points with two races remaining. ... Hamilton has six top-five finishes, including two wins, in his last eight starts. ... Winston Cup regular Kevin Harvick won his fifth pole last weekend.

Next race: Ford 300, Nov. 15, Homestead, Fla.

NHRA

FAST FACTS
Event	Automobile Club Finals
Site	Pomona, Calif.
Schedule	Thursday, qualifying, 5 p.m.; Friday, qualifying, 5 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN2, 11 p.m., tape); Sunday, early eliminations, 2 p.m. (ESPN2, 4:30 p.m.), final eliminations (ESPN2, 10 p.m., tape).
Track	Pomona Raceway.
Distance	400 miles, 393 laps.

Last event: Tony Pedregon clinched his first Funny Car championship after defeating Whit Bazemore, the No. 2 driver in the standings, in the final round of the ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals on Oct. 26. Kenny Bernstein (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Craig Treble (Pro Stock Bike) also won.

Last year: John Force clinched his 10th consecutive Funny Car title and 12th overall when he defeated Pedregon in the semifinals at the Automobile Club Finals. Force went on to win the event, as did Cory McClenathan and Kurt Johnson in their respective categories.

Fast facts: This is the final event of the season. ... Force suffered lacerations on both hands last week while moving a crystal trophy and is questionable for this event. ... Shirley Muldowney, the first female to win a major motorsports championship, will be one of five people inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame next April.

CART
Race canceled: The season-ending Taco 500, scheduled for Nov. 2 at California Speedway, was canceled due to the state of emergency caused by a series of wildfires in and around San Bernardino County. Paul Tracy won his first CART championship the previous week during the Gold Coast Indy at Australia.

Craftsman Trucks
Last race: Kevin Harvick held off Ted Musgrave to win the Silverado 150 at Phoenix International Raceway, and the close season points race got even tighter. The top four drivers are separated by just 39 points heading into the season-ending Ford 200 on Nov. 14. Next race: Ford 200, Nov. 14, Homestead, Fla.

Formula One
Last race: Michael Schumacher won a record sixth Formula One title on Oct. 12 by finishing eighth at the Japanese Grand Prix and holding off Kimi Raikkonen for the championship. Schumacher got strong support from Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello, who won the season-ending race ahead of Raikkonen.

Indy Racing League
Last race: A terrifying crash that left Kenny Brack badly injured ended the season-finale Chevy 500 five laps early, sending Gil de Ferran to victory lane in his last career start and giving runner-up Scott Dixon the series championship. Dixon gave Chip Ganassi his first IRL championship after four titles in the rival CART series.