ON THE TRACKS \ This weekend’s events

NASCAR NEXTEL CUP
Centurion Boats at The Glen
Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Schedule: Today, qualifying (ESPN2, 3 p.m.); Sunday, race (ESPN, 1 p.m.).
Track: Watkins Glen International (permanent road course, 2.45 miles, 11 turns).
Race distance: 220.5 miles, 90 laps.
Last race: Kurt Busch dominated Pocono Raceway from the opening lap and drove his way back into championship contention, giving himself a perfect belated birthday gift: a trip to Victory Lane in the Pennsylvania 500. A day after he turned 29, Busch snapped a 51-race losing skid that lifted him into the 12th and final spot of the Chase for the Nextel Cup standings with five races left until the championship races start.
Last year: Kevin Harvick passed Tony Stewart for the lead with three laps to go to win his first road race.
Fast facts: Juan Pablo Montoya will try to become the first driver to win on three road courses in the same season. He won the Busch Series race at Mexico City before taking the Sonoma event on June 24. ... Busch hadn’t been in the top 12 in points since a 100-point penalty for reckless driving in June knocked him six spots down to 17th. ... Robby Gordon didn’t compete at Pocono after he was suspended by NASCAR for his conduct at the Busch race in Montreal the day before. On Tuesday, he was fined $35,000 and placed on probation through the end of the year. ... Jeff Gordon and Stewart have combined for seven wins, 10 top-five finishes and 13 top-10 placings at Watkins Glen. ... This will be the ninth Car of Tomorrow event this season. ... Patrick Carpentier will replace Scott Riggs in the No. 10 Dodge this weekend.
Next race: 3M Performance 400, Aug. 19, Brooklyn, Mich.

NASCAR BUSCH
Zippo 200
Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 11:35 a.m., race (ESPN2, 3 p.m.).
Track: Watkins Glen International (permanent road course, 2.45 miles, 11 turns).
Race distance: 200.9 miles, 82 laps.
Last race: Kevin Harvick won the inaugural Busch race at Montreal, even though Robby Gordon insisted he did. Gordon refused to forfeit his position on the track when ordered to by NASCAR late in the race, officials said he intentionally knocked then-leader Marcos Ambrose out of the race, and then refused to pull off the track as ordered.
Last year: Busch held off Gordon over the last lap to win the Zippo 200.
Fast facts: Gordon avoided a lengthy suspension Tuesday when NASCAR fined him $35,000 and placed him on probation through the end of the year for his misconduct during the race in Montreal. The penalties came with the stipulation that Gordon will be suspended indefinitely if he disrupts another event this season or NASCAR deems his actions inappropriate. ... Series leader Carl Edwards finished 30th at Montreal, but still has a 787-point lead over David Reutimann in the standings. ... The last nine winners of this event started in the top 10.
Next race: Carfax 250, Aug. 18, Brooklyn, Mich.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
Toyota Tundra 200
Lebanon, Tenn.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 1:30 p.m., race (Speed Channel, 6 p.m.).
Track: Nashville Superspeedway (tri-oval 1.33 miles, 14 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 200 miles, 150 laps.
Last race: Ron Hornaday Jr. passed Travis Kvapil 30 laps from the finish of the 201-lap Power Stroke Diesel 200 on July 27, then maintained his lead after two late restarts — the last of which came on lap 199.
Last year: Johnny Benson took advantage of some bumping by race leaders Todd Bodine and Mike Skinner, passing both to win the Toyota Tundra 200.
Fast facts: A victory in this race will make Hornaday the only driver to sweep all three concrete-surfaced tracks on the truck circuit. He won at Dover earlier this season and has two career victories at Bristol. Hornaday was 33rd in last year’s event. ... Points leader Mike Skinner won the pole in the 2005 Nashville event en route to a fourth-place finish, and led a race-high 50 laps last year. He has won four races this season and has finished no lower than eighth. ... Ted Musgrave has six top-5 finishes in as many starts at the Superspeedway.
Next race: O’Reilly 200, Aug. 22, Bristol, Tenn.

CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES
Generac Grand Prix
Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Schedule: Today, qualifying, 6:50 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 3:30 p.m.; Sunday, race (ABC, 3 p.m.).
Track: Road America (road course, 4.048 miles).
Race distance: 210.496 miles, 52 laps.
Last race: Robert Doornbos survived a mishap on the first lap that dropped him into last place, recovering to win the San Jose Grand Prix and close in on points leader Sebastien Bourdais. The Frenchman finished fifth and his lead over Doornbos in the championship race dwindled to 10 points (216-206). Bourdais had won the first two San Jose races and at Edmonton the previous week.
Last year: A.J. Allmendinger passed Bourdais with seven laps to go, then held onto the lead after an extended red-flag delay to win the Grand Prix of Road America. Allmendinger prevented Bourdais from clinching his third straight series title.
Fast facts: Doornbos has finished on the podium in six of the nine races this season. ... Alex Tagliani had three straight podium finishes at Road America from 2002-04. ... Tagliani, Paul Tracy and Bruno Junqueira are the only three active Champ Car drivers to win this race. ... The series did not compete at Road America in 2005.
Next race: Grand Prix of Belgium, Aug. 26, Liege.

INDY RACING LEAGUE
Kentucky 300
Sparta

Schedule: Today, qualifying, 7:15 p.m.; Saturday, race (ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.).
Track: Kentucky Speedway (tri-oval, 1.5 miles, 14 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.
Last race: Tony Kanaan held off protege Marco Andretti for the final 27 laps of the Firestone Indy 400 at Brooklyn, Mich., to earn his third win of the season and the 10th of his career. The race was marred by a spectacular crash in which Dario Franchitti’s car soared high in the air, backward and upside down before coming down on top of the car driven by Scott Dixon. Franchitti was able to walk away without injury.
Last year: Sam Hornish Jr. passed Dixon with four laps to go and quickly pulled away to win the Meijer Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway.
Next race:. Grand Prix of Sonoma (Calif.), Aug. 26

Associated Press