Friday, Oct. 3, 2003 | 9:57 a.m.
NASCAR WINSTON CUP
Banquet 400
Site: Kansas City, Kan.
Schedule: today, qualifying (Speed Channel, 1 p.m.); Sunday, race (NBC, 10 a.m.).
Track: Kansas Speedway (tri-oval 1.5 miles, 15 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 400 miles, 267 laps.
Last race: Michael Waltrip broke Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s streak at Talladega Superspeedway, sweeping high off the final turn and denying his teammate a fifth straight victory at the track by winning the EA Sports 500.
Last year: Jeff Gordon successfully defended his Protection One 400 championship at Kansas City by pulling away from Ryan Newman after a restart with three laps remaining. Gordon led a race-high 116 of the final 121 laps.
Fast facts: Matt Kenseth finished 33rd at Talladega but still has a 354-point lead over Kevin Harvick in the championship standings. ... Elliott Sadler is expected to race this week despite being hospitalized at Talladega after his car flipped several times. ... Owner Richard Childress announced Tuesday he will not renew driver Steve Park's contract at the end of the season.
Next race: UAW-GM Quality 500, Oct. 11, Concord, N.C.
Driver standings: 1. Matt Kenseth, 4,227. 2. Kevin Harvick, 3,873. 3. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 3,843. 4. Jimmie Johnson, 3,751. 5. Ryan Newman, 3,738. 6. Jeff Gordon, 3,707. 7. Bobby Labonte, 3,528. 8. Kurt Busch, 3,527. 9. Tony Stewart, 3,456. 10. Terry Labonte, 3,396.
On the net: www.nascar.com
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BUSCH SERIES
Mr. Goodcents 300
Site: Kansas City, Kan.
Schedule: today, qualifying (Speed Channel, 11:30 a.m.); Saturday, race (NBC, 11 a.m.).
Track: Kansas Speedway (tri-oval 1.5 miles, 15 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.
Last race: Winston Cup-bound teenager Brian Vickers took the lead in the Busch standings after winning the Stacker 200 at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 20. Vickers has won two of the last three races.
Last year: Jeff Burton passed Kerry Earnhardt and pulled away to win the Mr. Goodcents 300. Burton was one of 15 different leaders in the race that was interrupted nine times by cautions, all of them for accidents.
Fast facts: In the last 13 races, the lead in the point standings has changed seven times, with four drivers involved. The 106-point separation between Vickers and Jason Keller is the smallest in the history of the series with seven races remaining. ... Keller has four straight top-five finishes. ... Todd Bodine reached an agreement with Innovative Motorsports and will drive the No. 48 car this weekend. Jeff Green wrecked while driving the car at Dover.
Next race: Little Trees 300, Oct. 10, Concord, N.H.
Driver standings: 1. Brian Vickers, 3,720. 2. Scott Riggs, 3,688. 3. Ron Hornaday Jr., 3,659. 4. David Green, 3,653. 5. Jason Keller, 3,614. 6. Bobby Hamilton Jr., 3,456. 7. Johnny Sauter, 3,249. 8. Kasey Kahne, 3,249. 9. Scott Wimmer, 3,200. 10. Shane Hmiel, 3,160.
On the net: www.nascar.com
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CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
John Boy & Billy 250
Site: South Boston, Va.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 10 a.m.; Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 1:30 p.m.).
Track: South Boston Speedway (oval, 0.4 miles, 7 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 100 miles, 250 laps.
Last race: Brendan Gaughan picked up his fifth victory of the season and extended his points lead to 67 over Travis Kvapil by winning the Las Vegas 350. Gaughan is the ninth driver in series history to win five or more races in a season.
Last year: Mike Bliss dropped to 13th after a pit stop on the 92nd lap, but he rallied to win the Hardee's 250 at South Boston Speedway. He caught and passed Coy Gibbs on lap 199 and held a six-second lead when the 10th and final caution flag waved.
Fast facts: Gaughan's win gave Dodge the 2003 series manufacturer championship -- the truck maker's second in the series. ... Kvapil has 16 consecutive top-10 finish and is within two of Ron Hornaday Jr.'s 1996 record. ... Last year's race had a series record 83 of 257 laps run under caution.
Next race: Silverado 350K, Oct. 11, Fort Worth, Texas.
Driver standings: 1. Brendan Gaughan, 3,151. 2. Travis Kvapil, 3,084. 3. Ted Musgrave, 3,051. 4. Dennis Setzer, 3,015. 5. Jon Wood, 2,866. 6. Bobby Hamilton, 2,856. 7. Rick Crawford, 2,815. 8. Carl Edwards, 2,683. 9. Terry Cook, 2,606. 10. Chad Chaffin, 2,537.
On the net: www.nascar.com
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NHRA
Lucas Oil Nationals
Site: Reading, Pa.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 8 a.m.; Sunday, eliminations, 8 a.m..
Track: Maple Grove Raceway.
Last event: Kenny Bernstein picked up his first Top Fuel victory of the season and passed Don Garlits for second place on the career wins list with his 36th at the NHRA Nationals in Joilet, Ill. ... Tony Pedregon (Funny Car) and Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) also won.
Last year: Jim Yates gained his first win of the 2002 season after winning Pro Stock at the Lucas Oil Nationals. Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Tony Pedregon (Funny Car) and Angelle Savoie (Pro Stock Bike) also won during the eliminations that were delayed one day by rain.
Fast facts: The event was originally scheduled for Sept. 12-14, but was postponed because of rain. One round of qualifying was completed and will count toward this weekend's event. ... Five NHRA national records were set and 52 pro racers recorded career-best elapsed times during the 2001 event. ... Funny Car driver John Force has won this event six times.
Next event: O'Reilly Fall Nationals, Oct. 12, Dallas.
Driver standings: Top Fuel -- 1. Larry Dixon, 1,783. 2. Doug Kalitta, 1,460. 3. Tony Schumacher, 1,171. 4. Darrell Russell, 1,130. 5. Cory McClenathan, 944. Funny Car -- 1. Tony Pedregon, 1,483. 2. Whit Bazemore, 1,414. 3. John Force, 1,260. 4. Gary Densham, 1,135. 5. Del Worsham, 1,094. Pro Stock - 1. Greg Anderson, 1,785. 2. Kurt Johnson, 1,499. 3. Jeg Coughlin, 1,349. 4. Warren Johnson, 1,156. 5. Ron Krisher, 842. Pro Stock Bike -- 1. Geno Scali, 949. 2. Shawn Gann, 816. 3. Reggie Showers, 786. 4. Angelle Savoie, 768. 5. Antron Brown, 715.
On the net: www.nhra.com
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CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS
Last race: Mario Dominguez overcame a fourth-row starting spot to win the Grand Prix of the Americas in Miami. Drivers starting outside the first three rows have won just twice in the last 33 races, with Dominguez claiming both of them.
Next race: Telmex Gigante Gran Premio Mexico, Oct. 12, Mexico City.
On the net: www.cart.com
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FORMULA ONE
Last race: Michael Schumacher overcame rainy weather and moved closer to his sixth series championship after winning the U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis. Schumacher leads Kimi Raikkonen by nine points in the standings heading into the season-ending Japanese Grand Prix on Oct. 12.
Next race: Japanese Grand Prix, Oct. 12, Suzuka
Driver standings: 1. Paul Tracy, 204. 2. Bruno Junqueira, 191. 3. Michel Jourdain, 171. 4. Sebastien Bourdais, 142. 5. Patrick Carpentier, 136. 6. Oriol Servia, 108. 7. Mario Dominguez, 101. 8. Adrian Fernandez, 99. 9. Alex Tagliani, 91. 10. Darren Manning, 83. 11. Mario Haberfeld, 70. 12. Roberto Moreno, 67. 13. Jimmy Vasser, 58. 14. Ryan Hunter-Reay, 42. 15. Max Papis, 25.
On the net: www.formula1.com
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INDY RACING LEAGUE
Last race: Sam Hornish Jr. won the fastest open-wheel race in history, averaging 207.151 mph in the Toyota Indy 400 at California Speedway. Hornish and four other drivers will compete for the championship at the season-ending race Oct. 12 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Next race: Chevy 500, Oct. 12, Fort Worth, Texas.
Driver standings: 1. Helio Castroneves, 467. tie. Scott Dixon, 467. 3. Tony Kanaan, 460. 4. Sam Hornish Jr., 448. 5. Gil de Ferran, 437. 6. Al Unser Jr., 352. 7. Tomas Scheckter, 341. 8. Kenny Brack, 328. 9. Scott Sharp, 323. 10. Tora Takagi, 291.
On the net: www.indyracingleague.com
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