(Tucson times)
NASCAR SPRINT CUP
Aaron’s 499
Site: Talladega, Ala.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, (Speed, 8:30 a.m.); Sunday, race (Fox, 10 a.m.)
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-mile tri-oval, 33 degrees in turns)
Distance: 500 miles, 188 laps
Last race: Mark Martin, 50, became the third-oldest winner in NASCAR Sprint Cup history, snapping a 97-race winless streak with a dominating run at Phoenix International Raceway.
Last year: Kyle Busch came back from a lap down, then survived a near wreck with Jamie McMurray for his first win at Talladega.
Fast facts: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Casey Mears were penalized for intentionally bumping cars after the race at Phoenix International Raceway. NASCAR put both drivers on probation for the next six races, starting with Talladega, but neither was fined or lost any points.
NASCAR NATIONWIDE
Aaron’s 312
Site: Talladega, Ala.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed, 8 a.m.), Saturday, race (ABC, 11:30 a.m.)
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-mile tri-oval, 33 degrees in turns)
Distance: 312 miles, 118 laps
Last race: Greg Biffle picked up his second victory in four races this season.
Last year: Kyle Busch fought his way back from a lap down after missing his pit box and having to go around again and later coasted to the checkered flag when a massive crash took out a dozen cars behind him, bringing out the yellow.
Fast facts: Kyle Busch took the series lead from Carl Edwards last weekend, and leads the series with 1,075 points. Edwards is third, 47 points back.
INDY RACING LEAGUE
Road Runner Turbo Indy 300
Site: Kansas City, Kan.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Versus, 3 p.m.); Sunday, race (Versus, 1 p.m.)
Track: Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval, 15-degrees banking in turns).
Distance: 300 miles, 200 laps
Last race: Dario Franchitti won in only his second race back in IndyCar, and only his second race driving an open-wheel car for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
Last year: Dan Wheldon won even though Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon led 145 of the first 151 laps.
Fast facts: Helio Castroneves, recently acquitted of tax evasion charges, will be running his first oval race since winning at Chicago last September. He’ll race at Indy next month and compete in as many races as he can in hopes of winning his first IRL season championship.
FORMULA ONE
Bahrain Grand Prix
Site: Sakhir, Bahrain
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (SPEED, 4 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed, 4:30 a.m.)
Track: Bahrain Int’l Circuit (road course, 3.37 miles, 15 turns)
Distance: 191.53 miles, 57 laps
Last race: Sebastian Vettel gave the Red Bull team its first Formula One victory.
Last year: Felipe Massa won his second straight Bahrain Grand Prix, edging teammate Kimi Raikkonen by 3.339 seconds.
Fast facts: Ferrari is off to its worst start in 28 years . . . After a 1-2 finish in Shanghai, Red Bull is second in the constructors’ standings after three races, trailing Brawn GP by 16.5 points.
NASCAR TRUCKS
O’Reilly Auto Parts 250
Site: Kansas City, Kan.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying; Saturday, race (Speed, 2:30 p.m.)
Track: Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval, 15-degrees banking in turns)
Distance: 250.5 miles, 167 laps
Last race: Kevin Harvick passed Kyle Busch with just over nine laps to go and held onto win at Martinsville.
Last year: Defending champion Ron Hornaday Jr. held off teammate Jack Sprague by 0.149 seconds.
Fast facts: Kyle Busch will be in Talladega, leaving the points lead open, and it will likely be taken over by Todd Bodine, Ron Hornaday Jr. or Mike Skinner.