Saturday, August 16, 2003
This weekend
WINSTON CUP
GFS Marketplace 400
Site: Brooklyn, Mich.
Schedule: Sunday, race (TNT, 2 p.m.).
Track: Michigan International Speedway (D-shaped oval, 2 miles, 18 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 400 miles (200 laps).
Last race: Robby Gordon stretched his fuel over the final 39 laps to complete a sweep of this year's road-course races with a victory at Watkins Glen. Gordon won at Sonoma's road course June 22 despite violating a "gentlemen's agreement" by passing teammate Kevin Harvick under caution.
Last year: Dale Jarrett rebounded from a spin on the 12th lap and passed Jeff Burton with five laps to go to win the Pepsi 400 at Michigan International. Jarrett's 30th career victory - and fourth at Michigan - came on the 11th anniversary of his first Winston Cup win.
Fast facts: Jeff Gordon was bumped twice in last week's race, once by Greg Biffle on the opening turn of the first lap, and then into the wall by Harvick after running out of gas on the final turn. Gordon has not finished two of the past three races. ... Matt Kenseth leads Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 258 points after 22 of 36 races. He has nine top-five and 16 top-10 finishes this season.
Next race: Sharpie 500, Aug. 23, Bristol, Tenn.
BUSCH SERIES
Cabela's 250
Site: Brooklyn, Mich.
Schedule: Today, race (TNT, 1:30 p.m.).
Track: Michigan International Speedway (D-shaped oval, 2 miles, 18 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 250 miles (125 laps).
Last race: Brian Vickers made the decisive pass of Shane Hmiel on lap 181, then held on to win the Kroger 200 at Clermont, Ind., Aug. 2 for his first career Busch Series victory. Vickers was making his 47th career start, and at 19, is the youngest driver in NASCAR.
Last year: Michael Waltrip outlasted Jeff Burton by 3.901 seconds to win the Cabela's 250. Waltrip recorded his ninth career Busch Series victory and first in 36 races dating to October 1999.
Fast facts: Tony Stewart is expected to compete in the Cabela's 250, his first Busch race since 1998. ... Scott Riggs leads David Green by just seven points in the championship standings. The top five drivers are separated by 99 points. ... Todd Bodine and Mark Martin are the only drivers to win this race twice.
Next race: Food City 250, Aug. 22, Bristol, Tenn.
CART
Last race: Paul Tracy earned all 23 possible points in winning the Champ Car Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio, giving him a 20-point lead over Bruno Junqueira, who had entered the weekend with a three-point lead over Tracy.
Next race: Molson Indy, Aug. 24, Montreal.
FORMULA ONE
Last race: Juan Pablo Montoya won the German Grand Prix on Aug. 3 after a crash in the opening seconds took out three contenders - Kimi Raikkonen, second in the standings, Ralf Schumacher, winner of two of the previous three races, and Rubens Barrichello, the winner of the previous race.
Next race: Hungarian Grand Prix, Aug. 24, Budapest.