Qualifying for Daytona 500 in 2010 is changed

ASSOCIATED PRESS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Qualifying for next season’s Daytona 500 will be held one day earlier than usual, a move that avoids running the session on the same day as the Super Bowl.

The top two spots for NASCAR’s biggest race of the year are typically determined in qualifying on the first Sunday of “Speedweeks.” But the NFL moved the Super Bowl back one week in 2010.

Although NASCAR’s qualifying would have ended before kickoff, the move avoids any conflicts with the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 in Miami.

Qualifying will be part of a Today tripleheader at Daytona on Feb. 6 that includes the exhibition Budweiser Shootout and the season-opening ARCA race.

Daytona International Speedway president Robin Braig said the move provides “even more value to our race fans, who can now enjoy a unique racing tripleheader as well as all the festivities surrounding the Super Bowl the following day.”

NASCAR Trucks

JOLIET, Ill. — Kyle Busch held off Todd Bodine on a restart with seven laps to go, then cruised to a victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck series race at Chicagoland Speedway on Friday night.

It was the second Trucks series victory in as many weeks for Busch, who also won at Bristol Motor Speedway last week. With Friday’s win, the Sprint Cup series regular has four Trucks series victories this season and 13 in his career.

Busch previously won at Chicagoland in NASCAR’s top two series, winning the Cup race there last season and winning in NASCAR’s second-tier series, now referred to as the Nationwide Series, in 2005.

IRL qualifying

JOLIET, Ill. — Ryan Briscoe has won the pole for tonight’s IndyCar series race at Chicagoland Speedway, averaging 215.364 mph in Friday’s qualifying session.

Helio Castroneves qualified second, followed by Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan and Graham Rahal. Danica Patrick qualified ninth.

Under IndyCar rules, the pole position winner is awarded one point. With three races left in the IndyCar season, Briscoe now leads Franchitti by five points in the championship standings.

Grand Am

MONTREAL — Jon Fogarty has won his third straight Grand-Am Rolex pole at the Montreal 200.

Fogarty turned a lap of 105.734 mph at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Friday.

It was the fourth pole of the season and 12th of his career for Fogarty, who co-drives the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley with Alex Gurney. Scott Pruett will join Fogarty on the front row after a lap of 105.721 mph in the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley co-driven by Memo Rojas.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards, who will share the No. 77 Aflec/iRacing.com Ford Dallara with fellow Cup driver Marcos Ambrose, qualified eighth.

Pruett and Rojas lead Fogarty and Gurney 248-244 in the standings going into Today’s race, the 10th in 12 stops.

Formula One

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium — The season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be the first Formula One race to start in daylight and end at night.

Organizers announced Friday that the Nov. 1 race will start in the late afternoon.

Singapore hosted F1’s first nighttime race last season.

Abu Dhabi is the second Middle East location to host an F1 race after Bahrain. It will host the race through 2015.

Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management chief executive Richard Cregan says the “Yas Marina Circuit has been built from the outset to host day and nighttime activities.”

MotoGP

INDIANAPOLIS — Motorcycle racers are hoping clear weather will give Indianapolis fans a better look at their sport.

The forecast for Sunday’s Indianapolis GP race includes cool temperatures and no rain.

A year ago, the event was stopped early because of heavy rain and gusty winds that sent debris onto the street course and blew down tents in the infield.