Auto Racing

Expect plenty of speed in Saturday night’s NASCAR Dodge Challenger 500 at the “new Darlington.”  Practice speeds have been off the charts at the recently-repaved 58-year-old facility, also known as the Lady in Black.  "It's pretty much a brand new racetrack," said Elliott Sadler, a pole winner at Darlington in 2003. "It's a brand new car on a brand new surface, so everybody is just trying to figure out what they want, what they've got. I think everybody's pretty much fighting the same thing. Everybody's pretty tight. Track position is going to be important. It's going to be a pretty wild race."  Bill Elliott, a former winner here, agrees.  "It's not the same Darlington," Elliott said. "It's going to be ...

She became the first woman in NHRA history to win in the funny car class when she defeated her famous father, John Force, in the final round of the 28th Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals Sunday in Atlanta. She also became the hottest racer to win on a major circuit, far surpassing Danica Patrick! Force's Ford Mustang clocked 4.837 seconds at 320.36 mph on the quarter-mile drag strip. Her father spun the tires of his funny car at the start and was never a factor. "I'm so happy for my team," said Ashley Force.  "It's kind of neat Dad was the one I beat for my first win. I had an angel in Eric Medlen [who died ...

NASCAR visits Talladega on Sunday afternoon for the Aaron’s 499, the second restrictor plate race of the season.  Jeff Gordon, the second favorite at WagerWeb.com, has been dominant here lately, as he swept both races at the superspeedway last season. In last spring’s Aaron’s 499, Gordon moved past the late Dale Earnhardt into sixth on the all-time win list.   Gordon’s fall race victory there was sixth overall at the track, breaking his tie with Dale Earnhardt Jr. for most wins by an active driver. In addition, it was Gordon’s 12th restrictor-plate victory of his career and 80th career win overall. Gordon’s victory also gave car owner Rick Hendrick the most owner wins (10) at Talladega Superspeedway, breaking a tie ...

NASCAR’s first night points race of the season takes place Saturday in Phoenix with the Subway Fresh Fit 500.  Ryan Newman is on the pole for the race, but Carl Edwards has to be considered a favorite (starting on Row 2). Edwards’ series-high three wins have come on intermediate tracks -- California, Las Vegas and Texas -- and he almost had a fourth at Atlanta, where he led with 50 laps to go when his engine failed.  Last week at Texas, Edwards lead a race-high 123 laps while building a lead of more than 7 seconds at one point on his way to victory. He is +600 to win tonight at WagerWeb.com.  Phoenix, however, is a flat 1-mile track, and ...

NASCAR’s two-week short-track run ends this week as the Sprint Cup Series visits Texas on Sunday. And perhaps this is the week Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports return to Victory Lane.  Junior lapped the 1.5-mile oval in 28.286 seconds in a Chevrolet, clocking 190.907 mph for his first pole of the season and eighth career. It’s his first pole since last August at the Pennsylvania 500.  "I don't consider myself a great qualifier," said Earnhardt, the second favorite at +500 on WagerWeb.com. "I can get the job done, but anytime we get a pole, it gives me and anybody who works with me confidence."  Earnhardt Jr. is looking for his first Sprint Cup victory since joining Hendrick Motorsports this ...

After a rare week off, NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series returns this week with a stop at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500.  Perhaps this is the week Jimmie Johnson shakes off his poor start to the season. Johnson's past three races have ended with finishes of 18th, 30th and 29th. At this point last year, Johnson had two wins on the way to a career-high 10. He was third in the point standings. This year he is a very uncharacteristic 13th. His previous low through five races was eighth in 2003, his second season.  However, he is the defending champ here and has four career wins at this short track, including the past three races at ...

It’s time for a little short-track racing in NASCAR on Sunday when the Sprint Cup Series heads to Bristol, Tenn., for the Food City 500.  Measuring in at .533 miles and featuring 36 degrees of banking in the corners. Bristol Motor Speedway is very tight and very fast.  Kyle Busch is the betting favorite at WagerWeb.com this week, as he is the defending race champion, the series points leader and coming off a win in last week's Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta. Since the spring of 2006, Busch has four consecutive top-10 finishes at Bristol. Still, his preparation is no different here than at any other race track.  “We're just going to go out there and do the best we ...

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series returns to the East Coast and stops at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday for the Kobalt Tools 500.  If history is any indication, this should be a close race, as there have been 25 since the inaugural event in 1960 that were won by a second or less. And three of the 10 closest finishes since electronic scoring became the norm in 1993 have taken place at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  Last year, Jimmie Johnson made an aggressive pass of Tony Stewart three laps from the end and went on to the first of two Atlanta victories last season. Johnson is +550 at WagerWeb.com to threepeat.  Also, for what it’s worth, Chevrolet has dominated Atlanta Motor Speedway. ...

The NASCAR Sprint Cup series stays out west this week and assumingly won’t have any rain troubles at this week’s stop in Las Vegas on Sunday.  While Jimmie Johnson is the three-time winner of this event, it’s hard to bet against Kyle Busch this week. The 22-year-old, now driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, leads the series standings for the first time in his career as he heads to his hometown.  "This is probably one of the top five Sprint Cup races of the year for me," said Busch, who is +800 at WagerWeb.com. "It's a fun place to race. The fans get to watch a great show at Las Vegas, and I am sure we'll have a good time again."  ...

It might be too little, too late, but tfter 13 years apart, open-wheel racing will again run as one. An agreement has been reached between the Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series to bring the two sides together for a unified 2008 season, using IndyCar series equipment and rules. The last major hurdle iun talks was a conflict during the April 19 race weekend. Champ Car hosts its annual race in Long Beach that weekend, while the IRL is at the Honda-owned track in Motegi, Japan. That conflict was resolved after Motegi agreed to change its date. Several Champ Car teams and a handful of races will be brought under the IRL umbrella. There ...