Sprint Cup
Dodge Challenger 500 - Darlington Raceway - Darlington, SC
Kyle Busch will have a pretty big target on his rear deck lid when the NASCAR caravan stops this week in Darlington, SC. Not only did Busch knock Dale Earnhardt Jr. out of the lead late in last Saturday night's race at Richmond, but his second-place finish gave him the Sprint Cup points lead.
And he is not the most likable driver to begin with.
Busch's aggressive style on the track has led to run-ins with a number of drivers over the years. He has been immature at times, throwing items at drivers and insults at team members. Even when he wins a race he has been known to complain. When he won the first COT race, it was Busch that blurted out his hatred for the new car.
To Earnhardt Jr.'s credit, he called the incident a racing move, even recalling a race in 2007 at Kansas when the shoe was on the other foot.
"It was just hard racing," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Kyle has his style of driving. Maybe I went at it as hard as he did; I don't know what I would have done. I took him out at Kansas during the Chase and that's really why I wouldn't be any more vocal or angry about it."
Still, Earnhardt Jr.'s fans, and there are quite a few of them, will claim Busch is the reason that Junior's winless string has been extended at least one more week. But then they irrationally blame anyone other than Earnhardt Jr. when he comes close, but doesn't win.
Who can forget when Jeff Gordon was declared the winner in Talladega and his fans pelted the No.24 Chevrolet with anything and everything they could get their hands on.
So it will be no surprise if Busch is the new Public Enemy No.1 for the Earnhardt Jr. "fan club."
In addition, his second-place finish pushed him 18 points ahead of Jeff Burton in the standings. Earnhardt Jr. is third, 104 points behind the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
The series heads to a "new" old track - Darlington.
Fans will see a "new" 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval - known as the "Lady in Black." The track had a new surface installed. New in this case, means faster. In recent tire tests, some cars were clocked unofficially at 200 m.p.h. on the backstretch.
It should be quite a race.
Nationwide
Diamond Hill Plywood 200 - Darlington Raceway - Darlington, SC
The Nationwide Series remains a three-man race. Clint Bowyer leads by a scant nine points over defending series champion Carl Edwards and just 12 points over Kyle Busch.
Bowyer has fashion his lead with one win among eight top-10s in the first 11 races. But unlike last year when Edwards charged out to a huge lead and cruised to the title, Bowyer's consistency has not led to a big lead in the standings. That's because Edwards has seven top-10s and Busch's six top-10s include three wins.
But if you are looking for a winner in the race, ignore the "Big Three" and pick Mark Martin.
Martin, the series' all-time leader in wins (48) and poles (30) is scheduled for his second Nationwide Series start of the season.
Martin won at Las Vegas earlier this season, in controversial style, and owns the record for career series wins at Darlington with eight. His wins there have come in three groups - three straight from 1993-94; two in a row in 1995-96 and another three straight from 1999-2000. He also finished second to Denny Hamlin last year.
With seven laps to go in last year's race, Hamlin led the field to the restart. The No.20 Chevrolet got a great restart and pulled away as Edwards and Martin battled him for the second spot. Hamlin crossed the finish line comfortably as Martin won the battle for second, but couldn't get anywhere near the leader. Jeff Burton and Bowyer completed the top-five.
FORMULA ONE
Turkish Grand Prix - Istanbul Autodrom - Istanbul, Turkey
It's beginning to look like a very "red" summer in the Formula One Series. The red Ferrari has been taking over of late, with both World Champion Kimi Raikkonen and teammate Felipe Massa both showing strong.
Raikkonen has scored points in all four events, opening with a mediocre eighth-place finish, but posting two wins and a second place since. Massa made a couple of mistakes in the first two races, but has finished first and second in the last two events.
So between them they have won the last three events...and by convincing margins. Raikkonen won the Malaysian Grand Prix by 19 seconds and the last two events have been Ferrari sweeps.
"It was a perfect weekend for us in Barcelona," said Raikkonen of his win two weeks ago at the Spanish GP. "We were going really fast all the time and we didn't have the slightest problem. Many times I have won and afterwards still had the feeling that it could have gone better. This time I did not have that feeling: this was probably the best weekend I've ever had in my career."
Last year's race, which was held later in the season, was also a Ferrari sweep with Massa leading Raikkonen over the line.
"It is a fantastic circuit," says McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who is second in points. "It is quite demanding, particularly through Turn Eight, but it provides a good challenge. I always look forward to the race and hope to improve on last year's result."
In last year's race Hamilton blew a tire which helped set up the Ferrari sweep. Hamilton won the season opener, but since then has not been competitive with the Ferrari. He will have to step up his game to last year's level, and quickly, if he wants to win the title this year.
INDYCARS
Indianapolis 500 Pole Day - Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Indianapolis, IN
They don't race in Indianapolis for three more weeks, but the activity on the speedway heats up this weekend. Sunday is the "race" for the Indianapolis 500 pole. It is a unique format, this four-lap average qualifying, but it can make for an exciting day.
Helio Castroneves will be the likely favorite. The Brazilian captured last year's Indianapolis 500 pole. The No.3 Penske Racing driver posted a four-lap average of 225.817 m.p.h. to edge his close friend Tony Kanaan for the top spot.
But there are others who are fast and have a shot for the pole. Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti all have the equipment to capture a pole. In the last race at Kansas, Dixon led a Target Chip Ganassi sweep of the front row.
Danica Patrick, who at Twin Ring Motegi became the first woman to win an IndyCar event, also has the equipment to win a pole. And she is fast. Patrick has started in the top-10 in each of her three visits to Indianapolis with a best start of fourth in 2004. She has three career IndyCar pole wins.
While Castroneves or Kanaan will likely win the pole, it would not be a huge upset if Patrick beats them. Wouldn't that make for a fun three weeks of media frenzy?
