ON TRACK This weekend's events
NASCAR
BUSCH SERIES
GNC Live Well 250
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 1:05 p.m.); Sunday, race (FX, 2:30 p.m.).
Track: The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (oval, 1 mile, 9 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 250 miles, 250 laps.
Last race: Bobby Hamilton Jr. overcame a pit-stop miscue to win the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway on June 14. Hamilton pitted during a caution, and a NASCAR official ruled that his crew failed to tighten the lugnuts on the front left tire sufficiently. Hamilton returned to pit row and dropped to 13th. He worked his way back to second, dropped back to fourth and then picked off three drivers in front of him.
Last year: Greg Biffle became the first repeat winner at Milwaukee by taking the GNC Live Well 250. It was Biffle's second victory of the 2002 season and seventh in 50 career Busch starts.
Fast facts: This is the only Sunday race of the season. ... The top four drivers in the standings are separated by only 98 points. David Green leads with 2,180. ... David Stremme has four top-10 finishes in his first seven Busch races. ... Todd Bodine edged Biffle by .036 seconds to win the 2001 race. ... The race was extended to 250 miles in 1993. ... Jason Keller has placed among the top five in each of his last three trips to Milwaukee, including a second-place finish last year. ... Polesitters have won three of the last four races at Milwaukee after failing to do so in the first seven years of this race.
Next race: NASCAR Busch Series 250, July 4, Daytona Beach, Fla.
CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
GNC Live Well 200
Schedule: Today, qualifying, 4 p.m.; Saturday, race (Speed Channel, 3 p.m.).
Track: The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (oval, 1 mile, 9 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps.
Last race: Ted Musgrave raced close to the lead, then shoved his way past Jon Wood with 14 laps remaining to win the O'Reilly 200 at Memphis Motorsports Park. Musgrave caught Wood at the line to begin lap 187 and looked for passing room both high and low -- moves the leader blocked entering the first turn. The trucks touched briefly and slid sideways before Musgrave recovered to take the advantage in Turn 2.
Last year: Terry Cook overcame a slow pit stop and passed Jason Leffler with two laps remaining to win the GNC Live Well 200 at The Milwaukee Mile. The third caution of the race extended the 200-lap, 200-mile event for three laps -- the last two under green.
Fast facts: Steadman Marlin, son of Winston Cup's Sterling Marlin, is expected to make his series debut this weekend. ... Travis Kvapil jumped from fourth to second in the points standings after his second-place finish at Memphis. He is 84 points behind leader Bobby Hamilton. ... Musgrave's win last weekend was also the record-tying 28th for Ultra Motorsports team owner Jim Smith. It matches the mark of Roush Racing -- Wood's team owner. ... There has never been a repeat winner in eight truck races at Milwaukee. ... Each of the series' five champions has won at this track. ... Four of the eight winners at Milwaukee have started from the pole.
Next race: O'Reilly Auto Parts 250, July 5, Kansas City, Kan.
FORMULA ONE
European Grand Prix
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 8 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 7:30 a.m.).
Track: Nuerburgring, Germany (permanent road course, 3.196 miles).
Race distance: 191.76 miles, 60 laps.
Last race: Michael Schumacher won his fourth race of the season and finally took over the lead in the standings by beating his brother, Ralf, at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on June 15. Schumacher took over the lead when Fernando Alonso had to make his stop, and because passing is so difficult on the 2.709-mile, 15-turn track, no one challenged him the rest of the way.
Last year: Rubens Barrichello recorded his second career win at the European Grand Prix, finishing .20 seconds ahead of Michael Schumacher. Juan Pablo Montoya started from the pole for the third straight race, but did not finish after colliding with David Coulthard on lap 27.
Fast facts: Following the 2001 race, the course's mileage was lengthened from 2.831 to 3.196, while laps were shortened from 67 to 60. The track has also been modified since then, including changes on the first corner. ... Jacques Villeneuve has won twice at Nuerburgring in his seven-year Formula One career. In 1996, the European Grand Prix was his first ever win in only his fourth race with Williams. ... Nuerburgring has held the European Grand Prix since 1984. The city previously had its license to hold Formula One events revoked after Niki Lauda was badly burned during an accident in 1976. ... The original Nuerburgring, the Nordschleife, ran for 14 miles. ... All of Michael Schumacher's wins this season have come over the last five weeks. He leads Kimi Raikkonen by three points in the standings.
Next race: French Grand Prix, July 6, Magny-Cours
INDY RACING LEAGUE
SunTrust Indy Challenge
Schedule: Today, qualifying, 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, race (ESPN, 8 p.m.).
Track: Richmond, Va., International Raceway (d-shaped oval, .75 miles, 14 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 187.50 miles, 250 laps.
Last race: Scott Dixon won the Honda Indy 225 on June 15 under a yellow flag for his second victory this season. Dixon, who also won the season-opening race at Homestead, Fla., led 89 laps, including the final 84. Two cars spun out in the final 10 laps, producing two yellows.
Last year: Sam Hornish Jr. passed Gil de Ferran with two laps left to win the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond, his third victory of the 2002 season.
Fast facts: This is the second of three night race this season. Al Unser Jr. won the Bombardier 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 7. ... Dario Franchitti is expected to have season-ending back surgery in the next few weeks. He broke a bone in his back in a motorcycle accident in April and is expected to be out of the car for about six months. ... There have been five different winners in the season's first six races. In those six races, 14 different drivers have finished in the top five in at least one event. ... Tony Kanaan is the only driver to lead at least one lap in every event. ... Richmond International Raceway is the shortest track on which the IRL competes and the only track in the series less than one mile. ... Buddy Lazier set three IRL records during the inaugural race in 2001. He led 224 laps, the most in one race and the most by a race winner. He also led a record 187 consecutive laps.
Next race: Indy 300, July 6, Kansas City, Kan.
NHRA
Sears Craftsman Nationals
Schedule: Today, qualifying, 6:15 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 6:15 p.m. (ESPN2, 10 p.m., tape); Sunday, early eliminations (ESPN, 5 p.m.), final eliminations (ESPN2, 9 p.m., tape).
Track: Gateway International Raceway, St. Louis.
Last event: Larry Dixon became the first Top Fuel driver to win three straight races with his victory at the Pontiac Excitement Nationals in Hebron, Ohio, on June 15. Tony Pedregon earned his sixth Funny Car victory of the season when team owner John Force was disqualified for crossing the center line in the final round while Greg Anderson drove to his fifth Pro Stock victory.
Last year: Kenny Bernstein (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car) and Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) all recorded victories at the Sears Craftsman Nationals. It was Force's 101st career victory while Coughlin became the 10th different Pro Stock winner of the 2002 season.
Fast facts: Dixon failed to qualify for last year's event after advancing to the final at 10 of the first 11 events of the 2002 season. ... Anderson took the lead in the Pro Stock lead for the third time in 2003 with his victory at Hebron. He has won all five of his final round appearances this season and has held the top qualifying spot in each of the last five events. ... Because of the oppressive heat, the 1999 and 2000 events had a Thursday-Saturday format, with all qualifying and eliminations held at night. The 2000 event was delayed by rain and completed in the early morning hours on Sunday. It went back to the normal format of Friday-Sunday in 2001. ... Mike J. Mazza, a six-time national event winner and Super Gas racer, died on June 19 at age 49.
Next event: Mile-High Nationals, July 20, Denver.
-- Associated Press