|
 TV: Sunday, March 20, 3:30 pm ET - Fox (Radio: Motor Racing
Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).
THEN AND NOW: This will be the 27th time the Sprint Cup Series has
raced on the high-speed, two-mile oval about 50 miles east of Los
Angeles. ... Brad Keselowski is the defending winner of this race,
having captured it for the first time in last year's event. Kyle
Busch won the two previous years in 2013 and 2014, as well in 2005.
... Jimmie Johnson is the all-time winner at Fontana with five
victories. ... Brian Vickers will drive for the injured Tony Stewart
in this Sunday's race. ... Kevin Harvick, who has just one career
win at Fontana, won last Sunday's race at Phoenix for the eighth
time in his career. Harvick joins three other race winning drivers
as being already locked into this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup:
Denny Hamlin (Daytona 500), Jimmie Johnson (Atlanta) and Keselowski
(Las Vegas). ... The Sprint Cup standings remain tight after the
first four races of the 36-race season. Kyle Busch and Harvick are
tied for the lead with 154 points each. Jimmie Johnson is in third
place (-14 points), followed by Kurt Busch (-17), Carl Edwards
(-18), Denny Hamlin (-23), Joey Logano (-27), Austin Dillon (-32),
Martin Truex Jr. (-37) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (-39).
 NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: NASCAR Xfinity Series 300 (150 laps, 300
miles), Auto Club Speedway; Fontana, California.
TV: Saturday, March 19, 4 pm ET - Fox Sports 1 (Radio: Motor Racing
Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).
THEN AND NOW: Like the parent Sprint Cup Series, this will also be
the 27th Xfinity Series race to be held at Auto Club Speedway. ...
Kevin Harvick is the defending champion, having won last year's race
there. ... Kyle Busch is the undisputed king at Fontana in the
Xfinity Series, having won six races there. He's also won two Truck
Series and three Sprint Cup races there. ... Sprint Cup regulars
have dominated Xfinity races at ACS, winning all of the last 20
races, dating back to 2001. The last true Xfinity driver to win at
Fontana was Hank Parker Jr., in April 2001. ... Winners of the first
four Xfinity Series races this season have been Chase Elliott (won
Daytona) and Kyle Busch (won Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix). ...
Daniel Suarez remains in the lead in the Xfinity Series point
standings after last Saturday's race at Phoenix. Elliott Sadler is
in second place, eight points behind Suarez. Ty Dillon is third (-9
points), followed by Justin Allgaier (-12) and Brandon Jones in
fifth place (-15). Sixth through 10th are Erik Jones (-18), Brendan
Gaughan (-25), Ryan Reed (-38), Brennan Poole (-42) and Darrell
Wallace Jr. (-48).
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES: Series is off until April 2 at
Martinsville Speedway.
THEN AND NOW: 18-year-old John Hunter Nemechek won the most recent
Truck Series race, three weeks ago at Atlanta. ... Parker Kligerman
is the surprising leader in the Truck series points standings. He
leads Daniel Hemric by one point, followed by Nemechek (-3), Timothy
Peters (-6), Tyler Young (-8), Ryan Truex (-10), Brandon Brown
(-12), Ben Rhodes (-12), Grant Enfinger (-13) and Daytona winner
Johnny Sauter in 10th place (-14).
[to top of second column] |
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES: Series is off this weekend. Next race is
April 2, a Saturday night race under the lights at Phoenix
International Raceway.
THEN AND NOW: For the second consecutive year, Juan Pablo Montoya
won the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this
past Sunday in St. Petersburg, Florida. ... With the win, Montoya
takes over the points lead in the IndyCar Series. Montoya led the
series standings through the first 15 races of last season, only to
lose the championship to Scott Dixon in the season finale at Sonoma,
Calif. ... Following Montoya (51 points) in the standings is
teammate Simon Pagenaud (43 points), Ryan Hunter-Reay (36), Helio
Castroneves (32), Mikhail Aleshin (30), Takuma Sato (28), defending
series champion Scott Dixon (26), Carlos Munoz (24), Tony Kanaan
(22) and Charlie Kimball (20). ... The next race on the 16-race
schedule, at Phoenix, marks the return of the series to the one-mile
track in suburban Avondale, Arizona, since 2005.
NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES: Amalie
Motor Oil Gatornationals, March 17-20, at Gainesville Raceway in
Gainesville, Florida.
TV: Sunday, March 20, 1 to 4 p.m. ET - Semifinal and final
eliminations, Fox Sports 1.
THEN AND NOW: Defending Gatornationals winners from last year's
event are: Spencer Massey (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Greg
Anderson (Pro Stock) and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle). ...
Winners from the most recent race, three weeks ago at Phoenix, were
Leah Pritchett (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car) and Jason Line
(Pro Stock). ... It was Pritchett's first career Top Fuel win,
defeating Brittany Force in only the second all-female Top Fuel
final in NHRA history. The other race was in 1982, when Shirley
Muldowney defeated Lucille Lee. ... Doug Kalitta leads the Top Fuel
point standings with 171 points, followed by Pomona winner Steve
Torrence (163), Brittany Force (133), Clay Millican (131) and
Pritchett (129). Defending Top Fuel champ Antron Brown is sixth
(110). ... Ron Capps maintains his lead in the Funny Car point
standings with 183 points, followed by 16-time series champ John
Force (168), Robert Hight (158), defending series champ Del Worsham
(154) and Wilkerson (147). ... Line took over the Pro Stock point
standings lead (227 points), followed by Greg Anderson (209), Bo
Butner (171), Drew Skillman (131) and Chris McGaha (129). Defending
series champ Erica Enders continues to struggle with rough starts in
the first two races. She's ranked 11th, 163 points behind Line.
-----------------------------------------------
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
