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 THEN AND NOW: NASCAR's longest and most grueling race of the season
-- 400 laps, 600 miles -- is always an unpredictable event. It can
be crash filled or be virtually incident free. Some races can finish
in just over three hours or last more than five. Jimmie Johnson is
the defending champion of the event, the fourth time he has captured
the 600. He led just 44 laps in 2014 but was in the right place at
the right time when the checkered flag fell. ... Heading into
Sunday's race, Kevin Harvick remains the leader atop the Sprint Cup
points standings. He holds a full race's worth of points lead over
second-ranked Martin Truex Jr. (minus-46) and Johnson is a close
third (minus-48). ... One of the big things to watch in Sunday's
race is how Denny Hamlin does. He is coming off a win in last
Saturday's non-points Sprint All-Star Race, which paid $1 million.
Hamlin believes both he and Joe Gibbs Racing are poised for a
turnaround and that the All-Star Race could be the start. ... Also
watch for Kyle Busch, who returned to the track in last Saturday's
Sprint All-Star Race after suffering a broken leg and fractured foot
less than three months ago. Will Busch, who became a father for the
first time earlier this week (wife Samantha gave birth to a baby
daughter), be able to physically stand the 400 laps Sunday? There
has been no word from Joe Gibbs Racing if Busch will have a relief
driver standing by.
XFINITY SERIES: Hisense 300, Charlotte Motor Speedway; Charlotte,
N.C.
TV: Saturday, 2:30 pm ET -- Fox Sports 1 (Radio: Performance Racing
Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).
THEN AND NOW: The undercard to the Sunday's main event typically is
an extension of the Coca-Cola 600 when it comes to winners. In the
last 12 Xfinity races on the Memorial Day weekend, 11 have been won
by Sprint Cup regulars. Kyle Busch has the most wins (five). Another
Kyle, Kyle Larson, won the race last season. ... Heading into the
race, Chris Buescher is the new points leader, having taken the top
spot by virtue of winning at Iowa Speedway this past Sunday. Former
points leader Ty Dillon slipped to second place in the standings
(minus-8), followed by defending series champ Chase Elliott
(minus-31), Darrell Wallace Jr. (minus-37) and Brian Scott
(minus-42).
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VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES: Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor
Speedway; Speedway, Ind.
TV: Sunday, May 24, 12 pm ET on ABC (Radio: Indianapolis Motor
Speedway Radio Network, Sirius Radio Ch. 213, XM Radio Ch. 209).
THEN AND NOW: One more to go to 100 -- Sunday will mark the 99th
running of the so-called Greatest Spectacle in Racing at the
legendary 2.5-mile Brickyard. ... Ryan Hunter-Reay is the defending
champion, but Helio Castroneves is going to have quite a bit of
attention as he looks to become only the fourth driver in history to
win the Indy 500 four times. The others are Rick Mears, Al Unser and
AJ Foyt. ... Canadian driver James Hinchcliffe, who suffered
critical injuries in a crash during practice on Monday was released
from Intensive Care on Wednesday. Hinchcliffe suffered injuries to
his pelvic area and upper thigh. Ryan Briscoe will replace
Hinchcliffe in the race. It's uncertain how long Hinchcliffe will
miss while recovering, but it would not be out of the question if he
misses the remainder of the 2015 IndyCar season (11 races are left).
... Juan Pablo Montoya remains atop the IndyCar points standings.
Montoya leads Will Power by five points and Castroneves by 10
points. All three drivers are with Team Penske. ... Scott Dixon won
the pole at Indy last weekend, ending a streak of pole positions in
the last eight consecutive races (the first five this season and the
last three of 2014) by Team Penske.
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