NASCAR NEXTEL CUP
UAW-Ford 500
Site: Talladega, Ala.
TV: NBC, noon MDT
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (tri-oval, 2.66 miles, 33 degrees banking in turns)
Race distance: 500 miles, 188 laps
Last race: Jimmie Johnson barely hung on to beat teammate Kyle Busch in the MBNA 400 at Dover International Speedway, a victory that vaulted Johnson into the lead in the Chase for the Championship. It was the third victory of the year for Johnson, who now leads Rusty Wallace by seven points after two of 10 races in the Chase.
Last year: Dale Earnhardt Jr. temporarily held the lead in the standings after winning the EA Sports 500 at Talladega, but dropped to second after being docked 25 points and fined $10,000 by NASCAR for using a vulgarity during a televised postrace interview.
Fast facts: Tony Stewart, the Nextel Cup points leader for the past seven races, had his streak of consecutive top-10 finishes end at 13 after his ill-handling car finished 18th at Dover.
Next race: Banquet 400, Oct. 9, Kansas City, Kan.
On the Net: www.nascar.com
NHRA
Ameriquest Nationals
Site: Joliet, Ill.
TV: ESPN2, 6 p.m. taped
Track: Route 66 Raceway
Last event: Tony Schumacher won the Toyo Tires Nationals at Mohnton, Pa., for a third straight season Sept. 18 to extend his lead in the top fuel standings to 100 points. Tony Pedregon ended an almost two-year winless streak with his victory over John Force in the funny car final, Greg Anderson took pro stock and Angelle Sampey won pro stock bike.
Fast facts: Last week’s event at Ennis, Texas, was postponed until next weekend because of Hurricane Rita.
Next event: O’Reilly Fall Nationals, Oct. 9, Ennis, Texas
On the Net: www.nhra.com
