ON THE TRACKS This weekend's events



NASCAR NEXTEL CUP
Aaron's 499
Talladega, Ala.
Schedule: Today, qualifying (Speed Channel, 4:10 p.m.); Sunday, race (FOX, 1:30 p.m.)
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (tri-oval, 2.66 miles, 33 degrees banking in turns)
Race distance: 500 miles, 188 laps
Last race: Rusty Wallace snapped a 105-race winless drought by taking the Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville Speedway. It was Wallace's first victory since April 29, 2001, at California Speedway.
Last year: Dale Earnhardt Jr. started at the rear of the field because of an engine change but rallied and took a disputed lead with three laps to go in winning the Aaron's 499, his fourth straight win at Talladega Speedway. Earnhardt appeared to drive below the "out of bounds" line in passing Matt Kenseth, but NASCAR ruled it was legal because he was forced out.
Fast facts: Wallace's win at Martinsville was the 55th of his career, moving him past Lee Petty for eighth place on the all-time list. ... Earnhardt Jr. has more Cup wins at Talladega (four) than any other track. He finished 42nd in his first start there.... Jamie McMurray and Larry Foyt were each docked 25 points by NASCAR on Tuesday for bringing illegal cars to Bristol last weekend. The crew chiefs for the cars, Donnie Wingo and Keith Koppenal, were placed on probation until Dec. 31.
Next race: Auto Club 500, May 2, Fontana, Calif.
BUSCH SERIES
Aaron's 312
Talladega, Ala.
Schedule: Saturday, race (FOX, 2 p.m.)
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (tri-oval, 2.66 miles, 33 degrees banking in turns)
Race distance: 311.22 miles, 117 laps
Last race: Michael Waltrip won the Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway on April 10 under caution after an accident with two laps remaining knocked out the top four drivers. Waltrip hugged the wall to avoid the crash and had just passed Johnny Sauter when the caution came out.
Last year: Dale Earnhardt Jr. had just enough gas to wiggle across the finish line and win the Aaron's 312. A caution with two laps to go allowed him to slow enough to conserve fuel by pulling down on the apron and moving his car back and forth to move the gas around.
Fast facts: Defending champion David Green has six top-ten finishes in seven races this season. ... Joe Nemechek became the first and only polesitter to win this race in 1998; he won by three car lengths over Buckshot Jones two years later. ... Martin Truex set a Nashville Superspeedway record with a qualifying lap of 166.515 mph, but had to start in the back of the field after crashing in practice.
Next race: 1-800-PIT-SHOP.COM 300, May 1, Los Angeles
FORMULA ONE
San Marino Grand Prix
Imola, Italy
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 9 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 7:30 a.m.)
Track: Enzo and Dino Ferrari Autodrome (road course, 3.057 miles, 17 turns)
Race distance: 189.534 miles, 62 laps
Last race: Michael Schumacher won his third straight race by taking the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix for his 73rd career victory. Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello was second, 1.3 seconds behind, only because Schumacher slowed after leading by 10 seconds entering the final lap.
Last year: Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix for his first victory of the 2003 season. Michael and his brother, Ralf, chose to compete after their mother passed away the previous evening.
Fast facts: Schumacher's win in the 1999 race gave Ferrari its first victory in the San Marino Grand Prix since 1983. He has seven top-two finishes in his last eight races at Imola. ... Kimi Raikkonen has yet to finish a race this season after placing second in last year's championship standings. ... Softer tires are normally used in this race compared to Australia and Malaysia because of the cooler temperatures.
Next race: Spanish Grand Prix, May 9, Barcelona
CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES
Last race: Canadian Paul Tracy passed teammates Bruno Junqueira and Sebastien Bourdais on the second lap and went on to win the season-opening Grand Prix of Long Beach. It was Tracy's fourth win at Long Beach, including three of the last five.
Next race: Monterrey Grand Prix, May 23
CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
Last race: Rick Crawford outlasted defending champion Dennis Setzer in a two-lap sprint to the finish line and won the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. Crawford gambled by making his last stop for tires and fuel with 104 laps remaining.
Next race: Ohio 250, May 16, Mansfield
INDY RACING LEAGUE
Last race: Dan Wheldon recorded his first career IRL win and gave Honda its first victory on its home track at the Indy Japan 300. Honda was winless in five CART races and one IRL event in Japan entering the weekend.
Next race: Indianapolis 500, May 30, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
NHRA
Last event: Karen Stoffer became the seventh woman in series history to win a professional race after taking Pro Stock Bike at the O'Reilly Spring Nationals in Baytown, Texas. Brandon Bernstein earned his fifth career Top Fuel win, Greg Anderson beat teammate Jason Line in the Pro Stock final while Tim Wilkserson took Funny Car.
Next event: O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals, May 2, Bristol, Tenn.
-- Associated Press
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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