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Wednesday, March 13  A look at the weekend in racing Associated Press Here's a breakdown of this weekend's action in the world of motorsports. (All times ET)
Winston Cup
Last race: Tony Stewart passed Ward Burton with 24 laps to go and held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the MBNA America 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Last year: Dale Jarrett overcame a series of unusual events before riding to victory. He started second, then fell to 31st by lap 60 when his pit crew failed to properly attach two lug nuts to his left front wheel. But in the race's most critical moment, it was Jarrett's pit crew that came through to get him out in front of Steve Park with 16 laps left. Fast Facts: Park returns to racing this week. At Darlington Raceway last September, Park crashed and suffered a brain injury in a Busch Series event. ... After a 43rd-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, Stewart has finished in the top five in three straight races. ... Jarrett also won this event in 1997 and 1998. ... Dale Earnhardt Sr. set the race record of 139.958 mph in 1993. ... Bill Elliott, driving a Dodge this season, leads active drivers with five poles at Darlington. ... The race has been won from the pole nine times. ... Only 11 of the 97 Winston Cup races at Darlington have been won from a starting position outside the top 10. ... The raceway will play host to the Southern 500 on Sept. 1. Next race: Food City 500, March 24, Bristol, Tenn.
Formula One
Last race: Michael Schumacher avoided a pileup at the start and easily held off Juan Pablo Montoya to win his third straight Australian Grand Prix on March 3.
Last year: Schumacher won his sixth straight Formula One race, taking the Malaysian Grand Prix despite tropical rain, a botched pit stop and a ride in a backup car. The three-time champion also had to overcome a spinout and two aborted starts. Fast facts: Schumacher has three poles and two victories in three career starts in Malaysia. ... Rubens Barrichello finished third in the 2000 race and second last year. ... The Australian Grand Prix featured an eight-car pileup in the opening turn of the first lap. Only eight of the 28 cars finished the race. ... Ferrari is expected to race its F2001 car rather than this season's model. ... This is the fourth year of the race. Next race: Brazilian Grand Prix, March 31, Sao Paulo.
IRL
Last race: Defending series champion Sam Hornish Jr., who won the final race last season, won the season-opening Grand Prix of Miami on March 2, leading 166 of the 200 laps.
Last year: Hornish, at 21, became the youngest winner in American open-wheel history after winning the Pennzoil Copper World 200 in Avondale, Ariz. Fast facts: Greg Ray won the pole each of the last three years, but did not win any of the races. ... Hornish has completed all but seven of the 2,850 laps he has run in his 14-race tenure with Panther Racing. He has won four of those races and finished all of them. ... Team Penske, making its Indy Racing League debut, failed to finish last year's race. But they produced a strong showing at Homestead as Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves finished second and third, respectively. ... Four Indianapolis 500 champions have entered this event, including Al Unser Jr., Buddy Lazier, Eddie Cheever Jr. and Helio Castroneves. ... This is the seventh year the IRL has raced at Phoenix. There has not been a repeat winner. Next race: California 400, March 24, Fontana, Calif.
Busch
Last race: Pole winner Jeff Burton came from behind following his final pit stop and pulled away to win at Las Vegas on March 2 -- his 16th Busch victory. Last year: Jeff Green held off Matt Kenseth in the final 25 laps to win the SunCom 200 at Darlington Raceway. Green beat Kenseth out of the pits on lap 123 and finished less than a second in front for his first victory at the track. Fast facts: Ricky Hendrick dislocated his right shoulder after a crash at Las Vegas and is expected to miss approximately six weeks. Two-time Craftsman Truck Series winner Ron Hornaday will replace him. ... Jack Sprague took over the points lead with 446 after his sixth-place finish at Las Vegas. Jason Keller, the points leader coming into the race, had a 22nd-place finish and dropped to third. ... Michael Waltrip holds the fastest winning speed at 138.140 mph in 1992. Next race: Channellock 250, March 23, Bristol, Tenn.
Craftsman Truck
Last race: Making his Craftsman debut, Robert Pressley took the lead on a restart with two laps to go and held off Ted Musgrave to win the Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona on Feb. 15. Last year: Bobby Hamilton led 125 of the 135 laps to win the inaugural Darlington 200, beating fellow Winston Cup driver Ken Schrader in the rain-shortened event. Fast facts: Darlington is one of 12 tracks to hold all three NASCAR series. ... Pressley became the second driver in Craftsman history to win a race in his first try. Mike Skinner was the other when he won the first race when the series was formed in 1995. ... Greg Biffle was the fastest among seven drivers during testing at Darlington on Wednesday. He completed a lap in 29.6 seconds with an average speed of 166.135 mph. ... Andy Houston was released as the driver of the No. 92 car following the Las Vegas race. ... There were five cautions for 34 laps in last year's race. Next race: Advance Auto Parts 250, April 13, Martinsville, Va.
NHRA
Last race: Del Worsham denied John Force his 100th career victory by beating him in the Funny Car final at the Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals in Chandler, Ariz., on Feb. 24. Tony Schumacher won the Top Fuel final over Larry Dixon and Bruce Allen topped Warren Johnson in the Pro Stock category. Last year: Doug Kalitta became the first Top Fuel repeat winner of the season, taking the Mac Tools Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. Ron Capps won in the Funny Car division and Greg Anderson in Pro Stock. Fast facts: Last year's event was postponed a month because of rain. ... Force has won seven times at Gainesville, including his 50th career win in 1996. He holds the track's speed record of 324.05 mph. ... Kenny Bernstein recorded the sport's first 300-mph run at Gainesville in 1992. ... Randy Daniels recorded a then-record 179.78 mph in the Pro Stock Truck division in 2000. ... This is the 33rd year of the event. Next race: SummitRacing.com Nationals, April 7, Las Vegas.
CART Next race: Toyota Grand Prix, April 14, Long Beach, Calif.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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