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Wednesday, May 14

Viewer's Guide
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
FAST FACTS
Event The Winston
Site Concord, N.C.
Schedule Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 7 p.m.); Saturday, race (FX, 9 p.m.).
Track Lowe's Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).
Distance 135 miles, 90 laps.

Last race: Joe Nemechek overcame a pit-road blunder that cost him 24 spots by gambling on tires and getting help from late-race cautions and rain to win the Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond, Va. Nemechek missed the turn for pit road and was shuffled from first to 25th place but rebounded and was in the lead when rain ended the race with 6½ laps to go.

Drivers to Watch
Check out a short list of drivers to keep an eye on this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Last year: Ryan Newman recorded his first career victory at The Winston despite qualifying in the 27th and final transfer spot. Newman became the second rookie driver, and first since Dale Earnhardt Jr. two years earlier, to win NASCAR's all-star event.

Fast facts: Those eligible for the race are winners from last year, this year, past Winston Cup champions, any driver who has won The Winston in the last five years, and the Winston Open winner. The Winston Open is Saturday at 7:30 p.m., just before The Winston. ... The Winston will consist of three segments totaling 40, 30 and 20 laps. The top-20 finishers of the first segment advances to the second, with the top-14 in that stage advancing to the finals. ... The Winston does not count in the series standings. ... The race's only three-time winners are Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr. ... Mark Martin won the 1998 event after Gordon's car ran out of gas on the final lap. ... Davey Allison is the only driver to win this race in consecutive years (1991-92).

Next race: Coca-Cola 600, May 25, Concord, N.C.

Busch
FAST FACTS
Event Goulds Pumps ITT Industries 200
Site Nazareth, Pa.
Schedule Saturday, qualifying, 3:35 p.m.; Sunday, race (FX, 1 p.m).
Track Nazareth Speedway (tri-oval .946 miles, 1 degree banking in turn 1, 4 degrees in turn 2, 6 degrees in turns 3-4).
Distance 189.20 miles, 200 laps.

Last race: Scott Riggs raced to his third victory of the season, taking the Charter Pipeline 250 in Madison, Ill., when Mike Bliss ran out of fuel on the final lap. David Green finished second, 0.543 seconds behind Riggs, to take a five-point lead over Todd Bodine in the season standings.

Drivers to Watch
Check out a short list of drivers to keep an eye on this weekend at Nazareth.

Last year: Jason Keller recorded his third win in five races by taking the Stacker2 200 at Nazareth Speedway. The final 30 laps were run under caution after a two-car accident involving Jeff Purvis and defending race winner Greg Biffle.

Fast facts: Tim Fedewa won the race in 1995 and 1998, becoming the only driver to win more than once. ... Matt Kenseth outlasted a five-hour rain delay to win the 1999 race. ... Ron Hornaday Jr. raced to his first Busch series victory in the 2000 event, beating Elton Sawyer by 1.992 seconds. ... Keller has finished within the top five in each of his last three races at Nazareth. He is expected to make his 300th career Busch start this weekend. ... Penske Speedway, Inc. purchased the 90-acre Nazareth Speedway in 1986.

Next race: Carquest Auto Parts 300, May 24, Concord, N.C.

Craftsman Trucks
FAST FACTS
Event Hardee's 200
Site Concord, N.C.
Schedule Thursday, qualifying, 5:45 p.m.; Friday, race (Speed Channel, 8:30 p.m.).
Track Lowe's Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).
Distance 201 miles, 134 laps.

Last race: Dennis Setzer passed Chad Chaffin with 51 laps to go and held on through a series of late restarts to win the Advance Auto Parts 250 at Martinsville, Va., on April 12. Setzer, the defending champion, earned his second straight win overall and became the first driver to win twice on tight, narrow Martinsville Speedway, where the close quarters produced 11 caution flags.

Last year: Inaugural race.

Fast facts: This is just the third time, and first since 1996, that the series has competed in North Carolina. Lowe's is the 41st different venue to host a NASCAR truck race. ... Setzer will be looking to become the fourth driver in series history to win three straight races, joining Mike Skinner (1996), Ron Hornaday Jr. (1997) and Greg Biffle (2000). No driver has even won four races in a row. ... Hornaday has won the most first-time races in series history with 10. ... Bobby Hamilton leads the points standings by 41 over Rick Crawford.

Next event: MBNA America 200, May 30, Dover, Del.

Formula One
FAST FACTS
Event Austrian Grand Prix
Site Spielberg
Schedule Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 8 a.m.); Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 8 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 7:30 a.m.).
Track A1-Ring (road course, 2.688 miles).
Distance 191.386 miles, 71 laps.

Last race: Michael Schumacher won the Spanish Grand Prix on May 5 for his second straight victory, moving within four points of leader Kimi Raikkonen, who crashed just after the start. Schumacher, driving his new Ferrari F2003-GA, won his third straight and fifth overall Spanish Grand Prix title.

Drivers to Watch
Check out a short list of drivers to keep an eye on this weekend at Austria.

Last year: Schumacher won his first Austrian Grand Prix after teammate Rubens Barrichello moved aside on the very last straight to hand him the victory. Barrichello had been in charge after starting from the pole position but then relinquished the lead because of team orders in the final lap.

Fast facts: This is the seventh race at the A1-Ring. ... Mika Hakkinen won this race three straight years before Michael Schumacher's victory last season. ... Fernando Alonso and Ralf Schumacher are the only two drivers to score points in the first five races of the season. ... Toyota and Jaguar both picked up their first points of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix. ... Juan Pablo Montoya had his driver's license suspended after being caught speeding on a French highway at nearly 128 mph on May 11. He is still allowed to race.

Next event: Monaco Grand Prix, June 1, Monte Carlo.

NHRA
FAST FACTS
Event K&N Filters Supernationals
Site Englishtown, N.J.
Schedule Friday, qualifying, 3:30 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 12:45 p.m. (ESPN2, 6 p.m., tape); Sunday, eliminations, 11 a.m. (ESPN2, 4:30 p.m., tape).
Track Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

Last race: Larry Dixon reclaimed the Top Fuel points lead with his win at the Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway on May 4. Tony Pedregon collected his fourth win of the season and 23rd of his career in Funny Car while Warren Johnson earned his 90th career Pro Stock victory.

Last year: Kenny Bernstein took advantage of Larry Dixon's bucking car to win the Top Fuel finals at Raceway Park. Gary Densham won the Funny Car category and Greg Anderson became the eighth different Pro Stock winner of 2002.

Fast facts: John Force advanced to the semifinals for the first time this season at the Southern Nationals, but lost to Johnny Gray. ... Geno Scali moved into the Pro Stock Bike points lead at Atlanta Dragway when final-round opponent Antron Brown fouled by leaving the starting line early. It was Scali's first victory of the season and second of his career. ... Englishtown has held the event since 1971. ... In 1998, Joe Amato increased the national speed record in Top Fuel to 323.50 mph in his quarterfinal victory. ... Former NBA forward Tom Hammonds qualified for his first NHRA event in 1997.

Next event: O'Reilly Summer Nationals, May 25, Topeka, Kan.

CART
Last race: France's Sebastien Bourdais won for the second straight week by outlasting Mario Dominguez on the final lap to capture the German 500. Bourdais, who started from the pole for the third time in five races, picked up his first CART victory at Brands Hatch, England, the previous week.

Next race: Milwaukee Mile 250, May 31, West Allis, Wis.

IRL
Last event: American Scott Sharp won the crash-filled Indy Japan 300 on April 13 and moved into a tie for the lead in career victories in the series. Sharp finished under the yellow flag at Twin Ring Motegi for his eighth career IRL victory, matching Sam Hornish Jr. and Buddy Lazier for wins in the series.

Next event: Indianapolis 500, May 25.

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Related
All-time winners of The Winston

All-time Austrian Grand Prix winners

All-time Goulds Pumps 200 winners

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