The Associated Press
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VERIZON INDYCAR
INDIANAPOLIS 500
Site: Indianapolis.
Schedule: Friday, practice (NBC Sports Network, 11 a.m.-noon); Sunday, race, noon (ABC, 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.).
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval, 2.5 miles).
Race distance: 500 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Tony Kanaan raced to his first victory in the event, winning under caution for KV Racing Technology. The Brazilian took the lead on a restart with three laps to go, zipping inside Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Last race: France’s Simon Pagenaud won the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 10 for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, stretching his fuel on the speedway’s road course.
Fast facts: Hometown driver Ed Carpenter won the pole for the second straight year, finishing with a four-lap average of 231.067 mph in his own Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet. Andretti Autosport’s James Hinchcliffe, back after a concussion in the road race, qualified second. Team Penske’s Will Power took the final spot in the front row and teammate Helio Castroneves, a three-time Indy 500 winner, will start fourth. … Kurt Busch is attempting to become the fourth driver to also race in NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, following John Andretti, Robby Gordon and Tony Stewart. Busch qualified 12th Sunday for Andretti Autosport. The former NASCAR champion will use teammate Marco Andretti’s backup car after crashing in practice Monday. Stewart, Busch’s NASCAR team owner, had the most successful double in 2001, finishing sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte. He’s the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles. … The race, first run in 1911, is the first oval event of the season. … The Indy Lights’ Freedom 100 is Friday (NBC Sports Network, noon-1 p.m.).
Next races: Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, May 31 and June 1, Belle Isle, Detroit.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
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NASCAR
SPRINT CUP
COCA-COLA 600
Site: Concord, North Carolina.
Schedule: Thursday, practice (Fox Sports 1, 2:30-4 p.m.), qualifying (Fox Sports 1, 7-8:30 p.m.); Saturday, practice (Fox Sports 1, 9:30-10:30 a.m., 1-2 p.m.); Sunday, race, Fox, 6 p.m. (5:30-10:30 p.m.).
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).
Race distance: 600 miles, 400 laps.
Last year: Kevin Harvick won the race for the second time in three seasons, beating Kasey Kahne on a restart with 11 laps left.
Last week: Jamie McMurray won the non-points Sprint All-Star race at the track, pulling away after a door-to-door battle with Carl Edwards in the 10-lap finale.
Fast facts: Jimmie Johnson, winless this season, has six Charlotte victories. The six-time series champion won five times in a six-race stretch, taking the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 and sweeping the spring and fall races in 2004 and 2005. He also took the 2009 fall race. … Kurt Busch also is racing in the Indianapolis 500. … Harvick and Joey Logano are the only two-time winners in the first 11 races of the season. … Jeff Gordon won in 1994 for his first Cup victory. He also won in 1997 and 1998 and has two Charlotte fall victories. … Brad Keselowski won in October at the track. … Darrell Waltrip won the race a record five times.
Next race: FedEx 400, June 1, Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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NATIONWIDE
HISTORY 300
Site: Concord, North Carolina.
Schedule: Thursday, practice (Fox Sports 1, 4-5 p.m., 5:30-7 p.m.); Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 10:30 a.m.-noon), race, 2:45 p.m. (ABC (2:30-5:30 p.m.).
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).
Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Kyle Busch raced to the sixth of his 12 2013 series victories. He also won the October race to extend his series victory record at the track to eight.
Last week: Sam Hornish Jr. won at Iowa Speedway, driving Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 Toyota usually driven by Busch. Ryan Blaney was second.
Fast facts: Busch won this year at Phoenix and Bristol to push his series-record victory total to 65. He’s racing along with fellow Sprint Cup drivers Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth. Keselowski won the 2012 race. … Chase Elliott leads the standings, two points ahead of Elliott Sadler and Regan Smith. The 18-year-old Elliott won consecutive races at Texas and Darlington. Smith won the opener at Daytona, and Sadler took the Talladega race.
Next race: Buckle Up 200, May 31, Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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CAMPING WORLD TRUCK
Next race: Lucas Oil 200, May 30, Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware.
Last week: Kyle Busch raced to his third victory in three events this year, dominating at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He has six series victories at the track.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
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FORMULA ONE
MONACO GRAND PRIX
Site: Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Schedule: Thursday (NBC Sports Network, 8-9:30 a.m.); Saturday, practice, qualifying (NBC Sports Network, 8-9:30 a.m.); Sunday, race, 8 a.m. (NBC, 7:30-10 a.m.; NBC Sports Network, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., 4:30-7 p.m.).
Track: Circuit de Monaco (street course, 2.075 miles).
Race distance: 161.9 miles, 78 laps.
Last year: Nico Rosberg won the crash-marred race to give Mercedes its first victory of the season. His father, Keke Rosberg, won the 1983 race.
Last race: Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton won the Spanish Grand Prix on May 11 for his fourth straight victory. Rosberg was second for the fourth race in a row after opening the season with a victory in Australia.
Fast facts: Hamilton has a three-point lead over Rosberg in the standings. … Four-time defending series champion Sebastian Vettel won 13 races last year for Red Bull to match Michael Schumacher’s record. Vettel is fourth in the standings, 55 points behind Hamilton. … Three-time champion Jack Brabham died Monday in Australia. He was 88. The Australian won the 1959 race en route to his first season title.
Next race: Canadian Grand Prix, June 8, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
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NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING
NHRA KANSAS NATIONALS
Site: Topeka, Kansas.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 6-8 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 10 p.m.-1 a.m.).
Track: Heartland Park Topeka.
Last year: Johnny Gray won the third of his four 2013 Funny Car victories. Shawn Langdon won in Top Fuel, and Jeg Coughlin topped the Pro Stock field.
Last week: Robert Hight won the rain-delayed Southern Nationals on Monday in Commerce, Georgia, for his third straight Funny Car victory and fourth of the season. Spencer Massey won in Top Fuel, Coughlin in Pro Stock and Eddie Krawiec in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Fast facts: Hight leads the Funny Car standings, 206 points ahead of teammate and owner John Force. The 65-year-old Force won the season-opening Winternationals for his record 139th victory. He won his record 16th season title last year. … Doug Kalitta has a seven-point lead over Antron Brown in Top Fuel. Kalitta has one victory this season, and Brown has three. … Erica Enders-Stevens, a two-time winner, leads the Pro Stock division.
Next event: NHRA Summernationals, May 29-June 1, Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, New Jersey.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
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OTHER RACES
U.S. AUTO RACING CLUB: Silver Crown: Hoosier 100, Thursday, Indiana State Fairgrounds, Indianapolis. Online: http://www.usacracing.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Sprint Car: Friday, The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Concord, North Carolina; Monday, Lawrenceburg Speedway, Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Late Model: Saturday-Sunday, Tyler County Speedway, Middlebourne, West Virginia. Online: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com
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