ON THE TRACKS | This weekend’s events

NASCAR NEXTEL CUP
UAW-Ford 500
Talladega, Ala.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 1 p.m.); Sunday, race (ABC, 1 p.m.).
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (tri-oval, 2.66 miles, 33 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 500 miles, 188 laps.
Last race: Darkness finally ended the disaster at Kansas Speedway, where the Chase for the championship field imploded and the finish was in question long after winner Greg Biffle crossed the finish line. Biffle scored his first win of the season by winning a race that was stopped twice for rain delays, was shortened 85 miles because of darkness, ended under caution and saw six Chase drivers finish 29th or worse.
Last year: Brian Vickers stole his first Cup victory by nudging teammate Jimmie Johnson into race leader Dale Earnhardt Jr., then skirting by the two spinning cars on the last lap at Talladega Superspeedway. The wreck dropped Earnhardt to a 23rd-place finish, Johnson to 24th and prevented either from making any gains in the Chase for the championship.
Next race: Bank of America 500, Oct. 13, Concord, N.C.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
Mountain Dew 250
Talladega, Ala.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, (Speed Channel, 1 p.m.); Saturday, race (Speed Channel, 3:30 p.m.).
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (tri-oval, 2.66 miles, 33 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 250.4 miles, 94 laps.
Last race: Polesitter Travis Kvapil broke away from a tight pack with four laps to go and held on to win the Smith’s Las Vegas 350, while former Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve was 21st in his truck debut.
Last year: Mark Martin won the inaugural truck race at Talladega Superspeedway, coming back from a lap down and holding on after series leader Todd Bodine was penalized for passing illegally nine laps from the end.
Next race: Kroger 250, Oct. 20, Martinsville, Va.

FORMULA ONE
Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 2 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 2 a.m.).
Track: Shanghai International Circuit (road course, 3.387 miles, 16 turns).
Race distance: 189.672 miles, 56 laps.
Last race: Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix, using his pole position to avoid dangerous spray from rival cars in wet and wild conditions. Rain, spray and even fog caused race organizers to start the race behind a safety car until conditions improved. Hamilton took a 12-point lead in the standings over defending champion and McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso, who crashed out of the race,
Last year: Michael Schumacher won the Chinese Grand Prix, followed by Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella.
Next race: Brazilian Grand Prix, Oct. 21, Sao Paulo

NHRA
Torco Racing Fuels Nationals
Richmond, Va.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 3:45 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 11 a.m. (ESPN2, 7 p.m., tape); Sunday, eliminations, 11 a.m. (ESPN2, 7 p.m., tape).
Track: Virginia Motorsports Park.
Last event: Peggy Llewellyn raced to her first national event victory on Sept. 23, topping the Pro Stock Motorcycle field at Texas Motorplex in the competition marred by a wreck that seriously injured Funny Car star John Force. The 58-year-old broke his left ankle and his left wrist and suffered a severe abrasion to his right knee in a wreck with Kenny Bernstein during the Funny Car eliminations, which was won by Tony Pedregon. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel) and Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) also won.
Last year: J.R. Todd raced to his third Top Fuel victory, using a career-best pass of 4.494 seconds to beat Melanie Troxel in the final of the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in Richmond. Phil Burkart snapped a 53-race winless streak in Funny Car. Three-time Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson also won, while Karen Stoffer topped the Pro Stock Motorcycle field.
Next event: ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals, Oct. 28

Associated Press