ON THE TRACKS | This weekend's events

NASCARWINSTON CUPChevy Rock & amp; Roll 400
Schedule: Today, qualifying (TNT, 3 p.m.); Saturday, race (TNT, 7:30 p.m.).Track: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (tri-oval, 0.75 mile, 14 degrees banking in turns).Race distance: 300 miles, 400 laps.Last race: Terry Labonte ended a 156-race winless streak with a victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington, S.C. Labonte took control of the 367-lap event late in the race with a fast pit stop, and went on to win the 54th running of NASCAR's oldest 500-mile race.Last year: Matt Kenseth rallied to win the Monte Carlo 400 at Richmond despite being two laps down after blowing a tire. Kenseth took the lead from polesitter Ryan Newman on lap 293 and went on to his fourth win of the 2002 season.Fast facts: Matt Kenseth finished 14th at Darlington but still increased his lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the standings to 389 with 11 races remaining. ... Brian Vickers will become the youngest full-time competitor ever in NASCAR's top series next season when he takes over the No. 25 Chevrolet now driven by Joe Nemechek. ... Jeff Burton signed a contract extension Tuesday to continue driving the No. 99 Ford for Roush Racing.
BUSCH SERIESFunai 250
Schedule: Today, race (TNT, 8 p.m.)Track: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (tri-oval, 0.75 mile, 14 degrees banking in turns).Race distance: 187.5 miles, 250 laps.Last race: Teenage teammates Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch finished 1-2 in the Winn-Dixie 200 at Darlington Raceway. Vickers' Chevrolet crossed the line 1.977-seconds -- about 10 car-lengths -- ahead of Busch's Monte Carlo.Last year: Dale Earnhardt Jr. completed a dominating week by winning the Funai 250. Earnhardt shattered the track qualifying record with a speed of 126.868 mph before leading 190 of the 250 laps for his second Busch win in three races.Fast facts: Vickers recorded his second Busch victory in 50 starts at Darlington while Busch posted his second runner-up finish in his last three outings. ... Scott Riggs finished 17th at Darlington and his lead over David Green, who finished 14th, shrank from 28 to 19 points. The win vaulted Vickers from fifth to third in the standings, just 67 points behind the leader with nine races remaining.Next race: Stacker 200, Sept. 20, Dover, Del.
INDY RACING LEAGUEDelphi Indy 300
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 5:30 p.m.; Sunday, race (ABC, 2 p.m.).Track: Chicagoland Speedway (oval 1.5 miles, 18 degrees banking in turns), Joliet, Ill.Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.Last race: Helio Castroneves claimed the top spot in the IRL standings and gave Toyota its first series championship with a victory at the Firestone Indy 225 at Nazareth Speedway on Aug. 24. Castroneves held off Sam Hornish Jr. by 0.169 seconds.Last year: Hornish moved a step closer to claiming his second straight IRL championship by holding off Al Unser Jr. by .0024 seconds to win the Delphi Indy 300. The pair swapped the lead nine times in the final 21 laps before Hornish recorded the closest finish in circuit history.Fast facts: Castroneves leads Gil de Ferran by 25 points in the standings. The top nine drivers are still eligible for the championship with three races remaining. ... Scott Dixon won his fifth pole of the season at Nazareth and joined Billy Boat and Greg Ray as the only drivers to win at least five poles in a season. Boat holds the record with six in 1998.Next race: Toyota Indy 400, Sept. 21, Fontana, Calif.
NHRAMac Tools U.S. Nationals
Schedule: Today, qualifying, 5:45 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 4 p.m. (ESPN2, 11 p.m., tape); Sunday, early eliminations, Noon (ESPN2, 2 p.m., tape), final eliminations (ESPN2, 11 p.m., tape).Track: Indianapolis Raceway Park, Clermont, Ind.Last event: Doug Kalitta beat Tony Schumacher in the Top Fuel finals of the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd, Minn., on Aug. 17. Kalitta and Schumacher ran identical times of 4.698, but Kalitta's .044 reaction time, compared with Schumacher's .057, was enough for the victory. Greg Anderson beat Kurt Johnson in the Pro Stock final while Gary Densham took the Funny Car category by beating Tim Wilkerson.Last year: Schumacher, John Force and Jeg Coughlin won at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Force defeated Tommy Johnson Jr. for his 104th career win while Coughlin bested Jim Yates in Pro Stock. Schumacher beat Larry Dixon in the Top Fuel category.Fast facts: This event was originally scheduled for last weekend but postponed because of rain. ... Dixon has a 48-8 record in eliminations this season. He needs eight more to tie Pro Stock driver Warren Johnson for 10th in circuit history for most round wins in one season. ... Funny Car points leader Tony Pedregon has never won at Indianapolis Raceway Park.Next event: Lucas Oil Nationals, Sept. 14, Reading, Pa.