Sprint Cup
AIR GUARD 400
Site: Richmond, Va.
Schedule: Friday, practice (ESPN2, noon-3:30 p.m.), qualifying (ESPN2, 5:30-7 p.m.); Saturday, race, 7:30 p.m. (ABC, 7-11:30 p.m.).
Track: Richmond International Raceway (oval, 0.75 miles).
Race
distance: 300 miles, 400 laps.
Last
year: Denny Hamlin won for the first time on his home track, beating Kurt Busch in the regular-season finale. Hamlin is from Chesterfield.
Last
week: Tony Stewart raced to his first victory of the year, pulling away from Carl Edwards off the final restart at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Stewart snapped a 31-race winless streak, the second-longest drought in his 12-year career.
Fast
facts: The event ends the 26-race regular season. The top 10 in the season standings – leader Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Stewart, Edwards, Jeff Burton, four-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Hamlin – have clinched spots in the 10-race, 12-driver Chase. Greg Biffle (3,110 points) is 11th, followed by Clint Bowyer (3,066), Ryan Newman (2,949), Jamie McMurray (2,938) and Mark Martin (2,919). ... Johnson and Hamlin lead the series with five victories, with each worth 10 bonus points when the points are reset for the Chase. Harvick has three victories. ... Kyle Busch won the May race at the track.
Next
race: Sylvania 300, Sept. 19, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
Nationwide
VIRGINIA 529 COLLEGE SAVINGS 250
Site: Richmond, Va.
Schedule: Today, practice; Friday, practice, qualifying, race, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2, 7-10 p.m.).
Track: Richmond International Raceway (oval, 0.75 miles).
Race
distance: 187.5 miles, 250 laps.
Last
year: Carl Edwards took the lead from Kevin Harvick on pit road with 24 laps to go, then held off Harvick for the fourth of his five 2009 victories. Racing with a broken right foot, Edwards had to start at the back of the field after his team made adjustments to his Ford after the cars were impounded.
Last
week: Jamie McMurray won at Atlanta Motor Speedway, holding off Kyle Busch for his first series victory since 2004. Edwards was third.
Fast
facts: Busch has a record-tying 10 victories in 21 Nationwide starts this year. He also won 10 times in 2008 to match the record set by Sam Ard in 1983. Busch, not running for the season championship this year after winning the 2009 title, is second on the Nationwide victory list with 40 – eight behind Mark Martin. ... Brad Keselowski, the May winner at the track, leads the standings – 332 points ahead of second-place Edwards with nine races left. Keselowski has four victories this season. ... The race is the third of four this season for the series’ new car model.
Next
race: Dover 20, Sept. 25, Dover International Speedway, Dover, Del.
Camping World Trucks
Next
race: TheRaceDayRaffleSeries.com 175, Sept. 18, New Hampshire Motor Speedway Loudon, N.H.
Last
week: Series leader Todd Bodine raced to his fourth victory of the season, holding off Johnny Sauter at Kentucky Speedway. Kyle Busch was seventh, ending his three-series winning streak at four races.
Formula One
ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
Site: Monza, Italy.
Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 8-9:30 a.m.), Saturday, practice, qualifying (Speed, 8-9:30 a.m.); Sunday, race, 8 a.m. (Speed, 7:30-10 a.m., 1-3:30 p.m.).
Track: Autodromo Nazionale di Monza (road course, 3.6 miles).
Race
distance: 190.8 miles, 53 laps.
Last
year: Rubens Barrichello raced to the second of his two 2009 victories, beating Brawn GP teammate Jenson Button.
Last
race: McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix on Aug. 29 to take the lead in the season standings. Red Bull’s Mark Webber was second.
Fast
facts: Hamilton, a three-time winner this year, has 182 points – three more than Webber with six races left. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel is third with 151, followed by defending series champion Button (147). ... Button is racing for McLaren this season, and Barrichello is driving for Williams.
Next race: Singapore Grand Prix, Sept. 26, Marina Bay, Singapore.
