NASCAR

August 20, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

NASCAR

Irwin Tools Night Race

Site: Bristol, Tenn.

Schedule: Today, practice (Speed, noon-3:30 p.m.), qualifying (ESPN, 5:30-7 p.m.); Saturday, race, 7:30 p.m. (ABC, 7-11 p.m.).

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway (oval, 0.533 miles).

Race distance: 500 laps, 266.5 miles.

Last year: Kyle Busch completed a season sweep at Bristol Motor Speedway, holding off Mark Martin by 0.098 seconds in a frantic four-lap sprint.

Last week: Points leader Kevin Harvick raced to his third victory of the season, passing Denny Hamlin with 11 laps to go at Michigan International Speedway. Harvick also won at Talladega and Daytona for Richard Childress Racing.

Fast facts: Harvick has a 293-point lead over second-place Jeff Gordon with three races left before the 10-race, 12-driver Chase. Hamlin and three-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson (fifth in the standings) lead the series with five victories, with each worth 10 bonus points when the points are reset for the Chase. Clint Bowyer is 12th, 35 points ahead of No. 13 Martin and 129 ahead of No. 17 Dale Earnhardt Jr. ... In March, Johnson won for the first time at Bristol, powering from sixth to first in three laps after a late four-tire stop. Tony Stewart finished second, and Kurt Busch was relegated to third after leading 278 laps. ... The race is the 100th Cup event at Bristol. Darrell Waltrip holds the track record with 12 victories, winning seven straight races from 1980-84. Gordon and Kurt Busch each have five Bristol wins to top the active drivers. Kyle Busch has won three of the last seven Bristol races.

Next race: Emory Healthcare 500, Sept. 5, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Ga.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

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NATIONWIDE

Food City 250

Site: Bristol, Tenn.

Schedule: Today, practice (Speed, 10:30 a.m.-noon), qualifying (Speed, 4-5:30 p.m.), race, 8 p.m. (ESPN, 7-10:30 p.m.).

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway (oval, 0.533 miles).

Race distance: 250 laps, 133.25 miles.

Last year: David Ragan held off Roush Fenway teammate Carl Edwards in a two-lap sprint to the finish.

Last week: Michigan driver Brad Keselowski won at Michigan International Speedway, holding off rival Edwards. Keselowski has four victories this year and leads the season standings, 347 points ahead of second-place Edwards.

Fast facts: Kyle Busch has nine victories this season, one short of the series record he shares (2008) with Sam Ard (1983). Busch is second in series history with 39 victories — nine behind Mark Martin. Busch isn’t running for the championship after taking the season title last year. ... In March at the track, Justin Allgaier raced to his first NASCAR victory, holding off Keselowski in Penske Racing’s first 1-2 finish in the Nationwide Series. Keselowski won the August 2008 race. ... Kevin Harvick, the series leader with five Bristol victories, is skipping the race. Elliott Sadler will drive Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 33 Chevrolet.

Next race: NAPA Auto Parts 200, Aug. 29, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal.

Online: http://www.nascar.com

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INDYCAR

Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma

Site: Sonoma, Calif.

Schedule: Today, practice; Saturday, practice, qualifying (Versus, 6-7 p.m.); Sunday, race, 5:30 p.m. (Versus, 5-8 p.m.).

Track: Infineon Raceway (road course, 2.303 miles).

Race distance: 184.2 miles, 80 laps.

Last year: Target Chip Ganassi’s Dario Franchitti raced to the fourth of his five 2009 victories en route to the season title, leading from start to finish.

Last race: Franchitti won at Mid-Ohio on Aug. 8. The Indianapolis 500 winner in May, Franchitti tied Gordon Johncock for 12th place on the open-wheel victory list with 25. Series leader Will Power was second.

Fast facts: Power leads the series with four victories — all on street and road courses — and tops the standings with 461 points. The Penske driver swept the season-opening races in Sao Paulo and St. Petersburg and also won consecutive events at Watkins Glen and Toronto. ... Franchitti is second with 420 points.

Next race: PEAK Antifreeze Indy 300, Aug. 28, Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Ill.

Online: http://www.indycar.com

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FORMULA ONE

Next race: Belgian Grand Prix, Aug. 29, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

Last race: Mark Webber won the Hungarian Grand Prix on Aug. 1 for his fourth victory of the year, taking advantage of a penalty against Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel. Webber took the lead in the series standings, four points ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton. Vettel was given a drive-through penalty for falling more than 10 car-lengths behind the safety car.

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NHRA FULL THROTTLE

Next event: Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Sept. 1-6, O’Reilly Raceway Park, Clermont, Ind.

Last event: Top Fuel points leader Larry Dixon remained perfect in final-round appearances in 2010 by defeating Cory McClenathan at the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minn. Bob Bode (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won.

Online: http://www.nhra.com