NASCAR
Pepsi 400
When: Green flag 5 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Daytona Beach, Fla.
Track: Daytona International Speedway.
Laps/distance: 160 laps over a 2.5-mile tri-oval, 400 miles.
TV: 3:30 p.m. on TNT.
Last year: Tony Stewart won his second consecutive Pepsi 400, crossing the finish line ahead of Kyle Busch under caution. Road specialist Boris Said won the pole and finished fourth, his best showing in a Nextel Cup oval race.
Notes: Denny Hamlin is quickly making up ground in the standings. Coming into the Toyota/Save Mart 350 two races ago, Hamlin trailed series leader Jeff Gordon by 264 points. But Gordon’s 100-point penalty at Infineon and Hamlin’s victory last week at New Hampshire have sliced the gap to 156 points.
Related series: NASCAR Busch Series Winn-Dixie 250 (100 laps, 250 miles), green flag 5 p.m. today, 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
CHAMP CAR
Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto
When: Green flag approximately 10 a.m. Sunday.
Where: Toronto.
Track: Exhibition Place, streets of downtown Toronto.
Laps/distance: 1-hour, 45-minute time limit over a 1.755-mile street course.
TV: 10 a.m. on ESPN.
Last year: A.J. Allmendinger continued his remarkable roll, becoming the first U.S.-born driver to win three in a row since Al Unser Jr. in 1994.
Notes: This is Round 2 of the three-race Canadian portion of the schedule. Robert Doornbos won last week on the road course at Mont-Tremblant. The third race is in two weeks at Edmonton.
Related series: Champ Car Atlantic Series, 7 a.m. Sunday.
INDYCAR
Camping World Watkins Glen Grand Prix
When: Green flag approximately 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Track: Watkins Glen International.
Laps/distance: 60 laps over a 3.37-mile road course, 200.2 miles.
TV: noon
Last year: Scott Dixon remained the only IndyCar winner Watkins Glen has known, winning for the second consecutive year. He beat Vitor Meira by 2.3311 seconds.
Notes: A third victory here would help Dixon in his pursuit of series leader Dario Franchitti. Dixon is second in the standings, 65 points behind. Cutting into Franchitti’s lead will be difficult. Two of the next three events will be on road courses, which play to Franchitti’s strength.
Related series: Indy Pro Series Corning Duel 1 (29 laps, 97.73 miles), 9:15 a.m. Saturday. Indy Pro Series Corning Duel 2 (29 laps, 97.73 miles), 9:15 a.m. Sunday.
FORMULA ONE
British Grand Prix
When: Cars roll off 5 a.m. Sunday.
Where: Silverstone, England.
Track: Silverstone Circuit.
Laps/distance: 60 laps over a 3.194-mile road course, 191.64 miles.
TV: 10 a.m. (after the Giants-St. Louis Cardinals telecast).
Last year: Fernando Alonso won his third in a row, beating Michael Schumacher. The victory was Alonso’s fifth in eight races in 2006.
Notes: The biggest story in Formula One comes to Silverstone for his home grand prix. Rookie Lewis Hamilton has finished on the podium in all eight races this season, including two victories. He leads the world championship standings by 14 points over McLaren-Mercedes teammate Alonso.
Related series: GP2 Series one-hour race (36 laps, 114.984 miles), 8 a.m. Saturday. GP2 Series sprint race (24 laps, 76.656 miles), 1 a.m. Sunday, 12:30 p.m. on Speed Channel.
NHRA
O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
When: Today through Sunday.
Where: Bristol, Tenn.
Track: Bristol Dragway.
TV: Final eliminations 6:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.
Last year: Doug Kalitta defeated Rod Fuller in Top Fuel, Ron Capps beat John Force in Funny Car and Jason Line defeated Greg Anderson in Pro Stock.
Notes: This event was rescheduled from May 18-20 because the track, which was undergoing resurfacing, was not ready. The concrete “launching pad,” which stretches for the first 190 feet of the drag strip, was not setting properly.
– DARRYL MATSUDA
