ON THE TRACKS This weekend’s events

INDY RACING LEAGUE
Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis

Schedule: Sunday, race (ABC, 1 p.m.)
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (rectangular oval, 2.5 miles, 9 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 500 miles, 200 laps.
Last race: Dan Wheldon, a close runner-up in his two previous races at Kansas Speedway, won the Kansas Lottery Indy 300 under caution on April 29. Wheldon was 10 seconds ahead of Dario Franchitti when Ed Carpenter crashed with two laps to go. It was Wheldon’s second victory in four races this year, along with the season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Last year: Sam Hornish Jr. overcame a big mistake in the pits and a pair of Andrettis to win the Indianapolis 500. Hornish was penalized a lap late in the race for leaving his pit with the fuel hose still connected. Somehow, he found himself back on the lead lap and in fourth, trailing Michael Andretti, his 19-year-old son Marco and Scott Dixon with two laps to go. A late caution flag then set up one of the most dramatic finishes in Indy history. In a last-second move, Hornish whipped around Marco Andretti on the final straightaway and won the second-closest Indy, by 0.0635 seconds.
Fast facts: The race has taken place every year since 1911, except for when the United States was in World War I (1917-18) and World War II (1942-45). ... The closest finish in Indy 500 history came in 1992, when Al Unser Jr. edged Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds. ... Each winner receives an 18-inch sterling silver replica of the Borg-Warner Trophy. The original stands 5-foot-43⁄4, weighs 150 pounds and has a bas-relief bust of each winner. It is valued at $1 million. ... Two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves won the pole with a speed of 225.817 mph. ... The lineup includes six drivers at least 44 years old — cousins John and Michael Andretti, two-time winner Al Unser Jr., and veterans Davey Hamilton, Marty Roth and Roberto Moreno. ... Three women are also in the lineup — Danica Patrick, Sarah Fisher and Milka Duno — a first in Indy 500 history.
Next race: A.J. Foyt 225, June 3, West Allis, Wis.

NASCAR
NEXTEL CUP
Coca Cola 600
Concord, N.C.

Schedule: Sunday, race (FOX, 5 p.m.)
Track: Lowe’s Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 600 miles, 400 laps.
Last race: Kevin Harvick cashed in for the second time this season, holding off Jimmie Johnson to pick up a $1 million payday in the Nextel All-Star Challenge. Harvick, who opened the year with a Daytona 500 victory, has earned $2.5 million from his two wins this season.
Last year: Kasey Kahne ended Jimmie Johnson’s run of three straight Coca-Cola 600 victories by taking the lead with 29 laps to go and pulling out to such a huge lead that Johnson never had a chance to catch him.
Fast facts: This is the longest race of the year. ... Five drivers have won the All-Star Challenge and Coca-Cola 600 in consecutive weeks, most recently Jimmie Johnson in 2003. ... Jeff Gordon’s first victory in the series was the 1994 Coca-Cola 600, while Matt Kenseth picked up his first win in the 2000 event. ... Kasey Kahne and Jimmies Johnson finished 1-2 in both races last year at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

BUSCH SERIES
Carquest Autoparts 300
Concord, N.C.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 4 p.m.), race (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)
Track: Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.
Last race: Denny Hamlin won the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 on May 11 for the second straight year, again surviving a wreck-filled race at historic Darlington Raceway. Hamlin, a Virginia native, then paid tribute to the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre, taking a school flag along for his victory lap. Hamlin picked his way through a record-tying 10 caution periods to take his third checkered flag of the season. The race matched the 10 cautions from April 1984. A year ago, there were nine caution periods.
Last year: Carl Edwards passed Casey Mears on a restart with six laps to go to win the Carquest Auto Parts 300. Kurt Busch finished second, J.J. Yeley was third and Mears recovered to finish fourth. Edwards’ win made Nextel Cup regulars a perfect 13-for-13 in Busch races for the season.
Next race: AAA Insurance 200, June 1, Dover, Del.

CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
Ohio 250
Mansfield

Schedule: Today, qualifying, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, race (FOX, 1 p.m.)
Track: Mansfield Motorsports Speedway (oval, .50 miles; turns: compound banking 12-14-16 degrees).
Race distance: 125 miles, 250 laps.
Last race: Ron Hornaday Jr. passed A.J. Allmendinger with 36 laps to go, then held on over two restarts to win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. It was Hornaday’s 30th career trucks victory, but the first at LMS. Hornaday, driving for Kevin Harvick Inc., also scored the first win of the season for Chevrolet after Toyotas won four of the first five events.
Last year: Hornaday won the City of Mansfield 250 for his series-record 28th career victory, while former baseball star Mike Greenwell finished 26th in his NASCAR debut. Hornaday, who benefited from pit strategy that gave his Chevrolet the lead at mid-race, held off persistent challenges from Jack Sprague and David Starr and ended up finishing 0.961 seconds ahead of Sprague.
Next race: AAA Insurance 200, June 1, Dover, Del.

FORMULA ONE
Monaco Grand Prix
Monte Carlo

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 8 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 7:30 a.m.)
Track: Monte Carlo street circuit (2.068 miles).
Race distance: 161.304 miles, 78 laps.
Last race: Felipe Massa won the Spanish Grand Prix for his second straight Formula One victory, and Lewis Hamilton finished second to move into sole possession of first place in the driver’s standings. Massa, driving a Ferrari, led from the start to beat Hamilton — the first rookie driver to finish in the top three in each of his first four races — by 6.7 seconds.
Last year: Fernando Alonso captured his first victory in Formula One’s most prestigious race. Alonso, in a Renault, won for the fourth time in seven races.
Next race: Canadian Grand Prix, June 10, Montreal.

Associated Press