NASCAR NEXTEL CUP

NASCAR NEXTEL CUP
All-Star Challenge
Site: Concord, N.C.
Nextel Open Schedule:Today, qualifying (Speed Channel, 6:05 p.m.); Saturday, race (FX, 7 p.m.).
All-Star Challenge Schedule: Today, qualifying (Speed Channel, 7:10 p.m.); Saturday, race (FX, 9 p.m.).
Track: Lowe's Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 135 miles, 90 laps.
Last race: Kasey Kahne raced to his first Cup victory and temporarliy halted the recent domination of Roush Racing and Hendrick Motorsports at the Chevy American Revolution 400 in Richmond, Va.
Last year: Matt Kenseth passed Ryan Newman with four laps left to win the All-Star Challenge, taking home the $1 million prize. Kenseth beat Newman by about five car lengths, with the Chevrolets of Tony Stewart, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounding out the top five.
Fast facts: Eligible drivers are race winners from the previous and current seasons, active Cup champions, previous All-Star Challenge winners and the victor of the Nextel Open, a preliminary race for teams that have yet to win in 2004 and 2005. One of the Nextel Open losers will be voted into the All-Star Challenge by the fans. ... The race will be run in three segments of 40, 30 and 20 laps. ... Mark Martin won the 1998 event after Jeff Gordon ran out of gas on the final lap. ... Davey Allison is the only driver to win consecutive All-Star Challenges (1991-92). ... Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr. are the only three-time winners of this event. ... This event does not count in the standings.
Next race: Coca-Cola 600, May 29, Concord, N.C.
On the Net: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
Quaker Steak & amp; Lube 200
Site: Concord, N.C.
Schedule: Today, race (Speed Channel, 8:30 p.m.).
Track: Lowe's Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 201 miles, 134 laps.
Last race: Bobby Hamilton edged defending race winner Jack Sprague in a two-lap shootout Sunday to win the UAW/GM Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway.
Last year: Dennis Setzer took advantage of Carl Edwards' mental error and won the Infineon 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Edwards inexplicably slowed for what he thought was a caution with four laps left and finished 0.869 seconds -- about 10 truck lengths -- behind Setzer.
Fast facts: Hamilton is the first multiple winner of the season. ... Tony Stewart is expected to make his fifth career truck start this weekend. He has two wins in his first four appearances. ... Ted Musgrave won the inaugural event in 2003.
Next race: MBNA 200, June 3, Dover, Del.
On the Net: http://www.nascar.com.
CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES
Monterrey Grand Prix
Site: Monterrey, Mexico.
Schedule: Today, qualifying, 3 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 3 p.m. (Speed Channel, 8:30 p.m., tape); Sunday, race, 3:45 p.m. (Speed Channel, 11 p.m., tape).
Track: Fundidora Park (permanent road course, 2.104 miles, 12 turns).
Race distance: 159.904 miles, 76 laps.
Last race: Sebastien Bourdais moved past Paul Tracy on lap 38 and built a pair of leads of more than 5.5 seconds to give Newman/Haas Racing its fourth Long Beach victory, but first in 19 years, on April 10. Bourdais was 8 when Mario Andretti won America's longest-running downtown street race in 1987.
Last year: Sebastien Bourdais had a clean sweep in Monterrey. The 25-year-old Bourdais beat fellow Newman Haas driver Bruno Junqueira by 3.852 seconds to win the Monterrey Grand Prix. The day before, Bourdais broke his own course record to capture the pole, and before that drove away with the provisional pole during the first day of time trials.
Fast facts: Bourdais has won eight of 15 races dating to the start of last season. ... Cristiano da Matta finished 10th at Long Beach, his first start in the series since winning the championship in 2002. He spent the previous two seasons in Formula One. ... Mexico native Jorge Goeters is expected to compete this weekend after signing with PKV Racing. Goeters won the pole and led 24 laps during the Busch Series event at Mexico City on March 6 before encountering engine trouble.
Next race: June 4, West Allis, Wis.
On the Net: http://www.cart.com
FORMULA ONE
Monaco Grand Prix
Site: Monte Carlo.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 7 a.m.); Sunday, qualifying, 4 a.m. (Speed Channel, 6:30 a.m., tape), race (Speed Channel, 7:30 a.m.).
Track: Monte Carlo street circuit (2.068 miles).
Race distance: 161.304 miles, 78 laps.
Last race: Kimi Raikkonen led all the way in winning the Spanish Grand Prix, denying Fernando Alonso a fourth straight victory before a home crowd of 115,000 that included King Juan Carlos.
Last year: Michael Schumacher's five-race winning streak ended when he crashed during the Monaco Grand Prix, which was won by Jarno Trulli. Trulli, who was on the pole for the first time, recorded his first victory in 119 Grand Prix races.
Fast facts: This race was first held in 1929. ... Schumacher will try to equal Ayrton Senna's record of six Monaco victories. He has not won in six straight races overall, matching his longest stretch since joining Ferrari in 1996. ... Ferrari has failed to score a point in two of the last three races.
Next race: May 29, Nuerburgring, Germany.
On the Net: http://www.formula1.com
NHRA
Pontiac Performance Nationals
Site: Columbus.
Schedule: Today, qualifying, 4 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2, 11 p.m., tape); Sunday, eliminations, 11 a.m. (ESPN2, 7 p.m., tape).
Track: National Trail Raceway.
Last event: John Force raced to his NHRA-record 116th Funny Car victory and Doug Kalitta recorded his second straight Top Fuel win at the Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. Grag Anderson (Pro Stock) and GT Tonglet (Pro Stock Bike) also won.
Last year: Anderson won his eighth Pro Stock event of 2004 during the Pontiac Excitement Nationals. Darrell Russell won Top Fuel, Del Worsham took Funny Car and Andrew Hines won Pro Stock Bike.
Fast facts: Force took over first in the Funny Car standings, 24 points ahead of Whit Bazemore. ... Columbus native Jeg Coughlin recorded his first NHRA national event victory during the 1990 event. ... Only Indianapolis Raceway Park and Pomona Raceway have been around longer than National Trail Raceway, which has hosted an NHRA national event every year since 1972.
Next event: O'Reilly Summer Nationals, May 29, Topeka, Kan.
On the Net: http://www.nhra.com
INDY RACING LEAGUE
Last race: England's Dan Wheldon became the first IndyCar Series driver to win three of the first four races of a season on April 30. Wheldon successfully defended his Indy Japan 300 title after leader Tomas Scheckter ran out of fuel with two laps to go. Wheldon easily held off Scott Sharp by 3.4612 seconds on the Honda-built 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi oval.
Next race: Indianapolis 500, May 29
On the Net: http://www.indyracingleague.com