This week’s races

Friday, May 18, 2001 | 9 a.m.

All Times Pacific. Check local listings for taped broadcasts.

NASCAR

WINSTON CUP

The Winston

Site: Concord, N.C.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying (FX, 7 p.m.); Saturday, race (FX, 7:30 p.m.)

Track: Lowe's Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: The Winston Open qualifying race, 69 miles, 46 laps. The Winston, 105 miles, 70 laps.

Last race: Tony Stewart beat Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace and Jeff Gordon, taking the lead with 39 laps to go in the Pontiac Excitement 400 and driving to his first victory this year.

Last year: Dale Earnhardt Jr. became the first rookie to win NASCAR's all-star event when he overpowered Dale Jarrett with one lap to go. After the race, a walkway at Lowe's Motor Speedway collapsed, injuring 107 people.

Fast facts: The Winston does not count in the series standings. ... This is the 17th annual race. ... Those eligible for the race are: winners from last year, this year, past Winston Cup champions, any driver who has won The Winston in the last five years and the Winston Open winner.

Next race: Coca-Cola 600, May 27, Concord, N.C.

BUSCH

Nazareth 200

Site: Nazareth, Pa.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 3 p.m.; Sunday, race (FX, 1 p.m.)

Track: Nazareth Speedway (tri-oval .946 miles, 1 degree banking in turn 1, 4 degrees in turn 2, 6 degrees in turns 3-4).

Race distance: 189.2 miles, 200 laps.

Last race: Jason Keller sped by points leader Kevin Harvick on the 185th lap to win the CVS Pharmacy 200 in Loudon, N.H. Keller's victory came one year to the day Adam Petty was killed while practicing at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Last year: Ron Hornaday raced to his first Busch series victory, beating Elton Sawyer by 1.992 seconds. Hornaday - a two-time Craftsman Truck Series champion - had been winless his first 18 starts in the Busch series.

Fast facts: Tim Fedewa won the race in 1995 and 1998. ... Fedewa is the only driver to win more than once. ... Matt Kenseth outlasted a five-hour rain delay to win the 1999 race. ... Defending series champion Jeff Green has 66 top-five finishes in the series. He is the only active drive to rank in the top 10 in that category.

Next race: Carquest Auto Parts 300, May 26, Concord, N.C.

CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

Jelly Belly 200

Site: Fountain, Colo.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 5:15 p.m; Sunday, race (ESPN, 4 p.m.)

Track: Pikes Peak International Raceway (d-shaped oval, 1 mile, 10 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps.

Last race: Bobby Hamilton won the Darlington 200, beating fellow Winston Cup driver Ken Schrader in the rain-shortened event. Hamilton, who won the Talladega 500 on April 22 for his first Winston Cup victory since 1998, led 125 of the 135 laps on the 1.366-mile Darlington Raceway oval.

Last year: Greg Biffle led 164 of 200 laps to win.

Fast facts: There have been three different winners and three different polesitters in the three years of the race. ... The inaugural event featured the first "live" pit stop in the series. ... Chevrolets won the first two races at the track.

Next race: MBNA e-commerce 200, June 1, Dover, Del.

CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS

Firestone Firehawk 500

Site: Motegi, Japan.

Schedule: Thursday, qualifying, 11:30 p.m.; Friday, race, 10:30 p.m. (ABC, Saturday, 1 p.m., tape).

Track: Twin Ring Motegi (egg-shaped oval, 1.549 miles).

Race distance: 311.349 miles (501 kilometers), 201 laps.

Last race: Scott Dixon, a 20-year-old rookie, became the youngest winner in major open-wheel racing when he held off Kenny Brack to take the Lehigh Valley Grand Prix. Dixon beat Brack by 0.366 seconds. Sam Hornish Jr., was 21 when he won this season in the IRL. The late Greg Moore was 22 when he won for the first time on the CART circuit.

Last year: Michael Andretti won, using a 24-hour rain delay to improve his car. He extended his record of CART victories to 39.

Fast facts: This is the fourth time CART has raced in Japan. ... Adrian Fernandez set the race record of 176.195 mph last year. ... Fernandez won the inaugural race in 1998.

Next race: Miller Lite 225, June 3, West Allis, Wis.

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION

Matco Tools Supernationals

Site: Englishtown, N.J.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 5 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 3 p.m. (ESPN2, 7 p.m, tape); Sunday, eliminations, 11 a.m. (ESPN2, 8 p.m., tape).

Track: Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

Last event: Frank Pedregon raced to his fourth career NHRA Funny Car victory, beating Ron Capps in the final of the Advance Auto Parts Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga. Mike Dunn won the Top Fuel division, and Jim Yates took the Pro Stock competition.

Last year: Cruz Pedregon won the Funny Car division in the rain-delayed event for his 22nd career victory. Doug Kalitta, Jeg Coughlin and Angelle Seeling also were winners.

Fast facts: Englishtown has held the event since 1971. ... In 1998, Joe Amato increased the national speed record in Top Fuel to 323.50 mph in his quarterfinals victory. ... Minnesota Timberwolves forward Tom Hammonds, who qualified for his first NHRA event in 1997, will be in the Pro Stock field.

Next event: Advance Auto Parts Nationals, May 27, Topeka, Kan.

FORMULA ONE

Last race: David Coulthard took advantage of a near-crash between Michael Schumacher and Juan Montoya to win the Austrian Grand Prix. Coulthard, driving a McLaren-Mercedes, got his second Formula One victory of the season to cut Schumacher's lead to four points in the standings.

Next race: Monaco Grand Prix, May 27, Monte Carlo.

INDY RACING LEAGUE

Last week: Scott Sharp won the pole for the Indianapolis 500 at 226.037 mph. Chip Ganassi qualified four drivers for the race: late entries Bruno Junqueira and Nicolas Minassian, rookies who didn't even know they would be racing until late Saturday, and Tony Stewart and Jimmy Vasser.

Next race: Indianapolis 500, May 27, Indianapolis.