ON THE TRACKS | This weekend’s events NASCAR NEXTEL CUP Dickies 500 Fort Worth, Texas

ON THE TRACKS | This weekend’s events
NASCAR NEXTEL CUP
Dickies 500
Fort Worth, Texas

Schedule: Friday, qualifying (ESPN2, 4:30 p.m.); Sunday, race (ABC, 3 p.m.).
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 501 miles, 334 laps.
Last race: A two-tire stop for Jimmie Johnson paid off with a victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, making the Chase a virtual dead heat at the top between the reigning champion and Jeff Gordon, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate and friend.
Last year: Tony Stewart led 278 of 339 laps, including the five extra laps because of a late caution, to win the Dickies 500. Jimmie Johnson quietly grabbed the point lead away from Matt Kenseth with a second-place finish.

Fast facts: Jeff Burton became the series’ only repeat winner at Texas after taking the Samsung 500 on April 15. He won the first-ever race at the track in 1997. The top three drivers in the standings — Gordon, Johnson and Clint Bowyer — have yet to win a Cup event there. ... Carl Edwards jumped to fourth in the standings after finishing second at Atlanta. He is 61 points ahead of fifth-place Stewart. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. is mired in a 59-race winless drought dating to his last win at Richmond on May 6, 2006.
Next race: Checker Auto Parts 500, Nov. 11, Avondale, Ariz.

NASCAR BUSCH
O’Reilly Challenge
Fort Worth, Texas

Schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 6:30 p.m.); Saturday, race (ESPN2, 3 p.m.).
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.
Last race: David Reutimann kept his slim championship hopes alive by winning the caution-filled Sam’s Town 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park. Carl Edwards needed to finish eighth to clinch the title, but placed 25th. It was the 37-year-old Toyota driver’s first Busch victory in 63 starts, and owner Michael Waltrip’s first victory for the manufacturer.
Last year: Kevin Harvick dominated the field again in the O’Reilly Challenge 300, winning for the second straight week and third time in his last four starts. It was his ninth Busch victory of 2006.
Fast facts: Edwards can clinch the title if his finishes 36th or better, 37th if he leads at least one lap or 39th if he has the most laps led. He has a 531-point lead in the standings, down from the 852 he owned after the Gateway event in July. ... Matt Kenseth won the at Texas on April 14. ... The last two Indianapolis 500 winners — Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr. — are expected to compete this weekend. Franchitti finished 32nd in his Busch debut after qualifying third.

Next race: Travel 200, Nov. 10, Avondale, Ariz.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
Silverado 350
Fort Worth, Texas

Schedule: Thursday, qualifying, 8 p.m.; Friday, race (Speed Channel, 8:30 p.m.).
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 219 miles, 146 laps.
Last race: Kyle Busch made the most out of a lucky break, pulling away from Ron Hornaday Jr. to win at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Busch was rolling along in third place with 26 laps to go in the 130-lap race when he was blackflagged by NASCAR for having the driver-side window net unhooked. Seconds before he would have had to pit, a crash brought out the caution flag and allowed the Nextel Cup star to make his stop under yellow and remain in contention. Busch took full advantage, passing Hornaday on a restart with eight to go and pulling away to his fifth truck victory.
Last year: Clint Bowyer had a dominating run at Texas, then held the lead after a green-white finish to win in only his third truck start. Bowyer led 103 of 148 laps and finished 0.279 seconds ahead of Kyle Busch, giving Chevrolet a 1-2 finish on the night that Toyota captured the season manufacturer title on the strength of Mike Skinner’s third-place finish.
Fast facts: Ron Hornaday finished second at Atlanta and regained the standings lead over Mike Skinner by four points. The two have swapped the lead for five straight races. ... Todd Bodine has won four of the last six truck races at Texas, including the Sam’s Town 400 on June 8. ... Skinner has led at least one lap in a series-record 21 of the 22 races this season. The previous mark of 19 was shared by Greg Biffle (1999) and Jack Sprague (2001). The only race Skinner failed to lead a lap was at Bristol on Aug. 22.

Next race: Casino Arizona 150, Nov. 9, Avondale, Ariz.

Associated Press