The week ahead in motorsports

Friday

Drag racing at Auto Tire and Parts Racepark, Benton, 6 p.m.

Late models, modifieds, pure stocks, mini stocks at Fredericktown Raceway, 7:30 p.m.

Late models, modifieds, hobby stocks, pure stocks, cruisers at Malden Speedway, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday

Karts, ATVs, motorcycles at SEMO Raceway, Blodgett, 6 p.m.

Super pro, pro, ET classes at Sikeston Drag Strip, 6 p.m.

Sprints, modifieds, pure stocks, cruisers at Auto Tire and Parts NAPA Racepark, Benton, 7 p.m.

Sprints, modifieds, hobby stocks, multis at St. Francois County Raceway, Farmington, 7 p.m.

NASCAR WINSTON CUP

Sylvania 300Site: Loudon

Schedule: Friday, qualifying (TNT, 3 p.m.); Sunday, race (TNT, 1 p.m.).

Track: New Hampshire International Speedway (oval, 1.058 miles, 12 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 317.4 miles, 300 laps.

Last race: Ryan Newman held on through three restarts, the last with four laps to go, and won the Chevrolet 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

Last year: After consecutive second-place finishes the previous two weeks, Newman finally won for the first time, at the rain-shortened New Hampshire 300. The caution flag came out on lap 199 before NASCAR officials ended the race eight laps later.

Fast facts: Kevin Harvick was fined $35,000 and put on probation by NASCAR on Monday for his role in a post-race melee last week. Three other members of Harvick's team and Pat Tryson, Ricky Rudd's crew chief, were also punished. ... Matt Kenseth has a 418-point lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr. and a 441-point advantage over Harvick with 10 races remaining. Kenseth has 20 top-10 finishes in 26 races. ... The 2001 race was postponed until November due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Next race: Dover 400, Sept. 21, Dover, Del.

On the net: http://www.nascar.com

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CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

New Hampshire 200Site: Loudon

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 1:30 p.m.; Saturday, race (Speed Channel, 1 p.m.).

Track: New Hampshire International Speedway (oval, 1.058 miles, 12 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 211.6 miles, 200 laps.

Last race: Tony Stewart passed Ted Musgrave for the lead with 16 laps to go and won his second consecutive truck race at Richmond International Raceway. Stewart was making only his third career appearance in the series.

Last year: Terry Cook benefited when bad luck struck Jason Leffler, then held off Dennis Setzer in a two-lap shootout to win the New England 200 at New Hampshire Speedway. Leffler was poised for his first Craftsman victory when he crashed into the lapped truck of Tom Carey Jr. with 38 laps to go.

Fast facts: Bobby Hamilton was fined $10,000 and placed on probation for the rest of the year on Monday for intentionally hitting Brendan Gaughan's truck during last week's race. ... Gaughan is atop the points standings after finishing seventh at Richmond. It was the sixth consecutive race that produced a new points leader. ... Jimmy Spencer made his truck debut last week and finished 29th after crashing into the wall. ... Jack Sprague was the only polesitter to win this race in 2001.

Next race: American Racing Wheels 200, Sept. 20, Fontana, Calif.

On the net: http://www.nascar.com

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FORMULA ONE

Italian Grand PrixSite: Monza

Schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 8 a.m.); Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 8 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 7:30 a.m.).

Track: Autodromo Nazionale di Monza (road course, 3.599 miles, seven turns).

Race distance: 190.747 miles, 53 laps.

Last race: Spain's Fernando Alonso led from the start in the Hungarian Grand Prix on Aug. 24, becoming the youngest winner of a Formula One race. Alonso lapped five-time world champion Michael Schumacher. Alonso, who turned 22 last month, capped the youngest podium celebration in F1 history by leading 23-year-old Kimi Raikkonen and 27-year-old Juan Pablo Montoya across the finish line.

Last year: Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher delighted the Italian Ferrari fans with a one-two sweep in the Grand Prix of Italy. It was Barrichello's third win of the 2002 season and Ferrari's 13th in 15 races.

Fast facts: Formula One announced on Aug. 29 that the circuit signed a seven-year agreement to race in Turkey, beginning in 2005. ... Juan Pablo Montoya recorded his first career victory at the 2001 event in a race preceded by an aborted action by drivers in which a no-passing rule was proposed. ... Michael Schumacher won the 2000 event, but the victory was marred when accidents on the first lap knocked out seven cars and killed a course worker. ... The track was built in 1922.

Next race: United States Grand Prix, Sept. 28, Indianapolis.

On the net: http://www.formula1.com

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NHRA

Lucas Oil NationalsSite: Reading, Pa.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 3:30 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 10 a.m. (ESPN2, 4 p.m., tape); Sunday, eliminations, 11 a.m. (ESPN2, 4:30 p.m., tape).

Track: Maple Grove Raceway.

Last event: Tony Schumacher took Top Fuel for the second straight year at Indianapolis Raceway Park after defeating Darrell Russell in the finals of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Greg Anderson won Pro Stock and Tim Wilkerson beat Johnny Gray to win Funny Car.

Last year: Jim Yates gained his first win of the 2002 season after winning Pro Stock at the Lucas Oil Nationals. Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Tony Pedregon (Funny Car) and Angelle Savoie (Pro Stock Bike) also won during the eliminations that were delayed one day by rain.

Fast facts: Funny Car leader Tony Pedregon has failed to make it past the first round in four of the last five events. ... Reggie Showers, a double amputee, won his first national event by taking the Pro Stock Bike category at Indianapolis. ... Anderson has won eight of his 10 final-round appearances this season. ... Funny Car driver John Force has won this event six times.

Next event: O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals, Sept. 21, Memphis, Tenn.

On the net: http://www.nhra.com

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BUSCH SERIESLast race: Johnny Sauter bumped Matt Kenseth into the wall and out of the way in the final turn and won the Funai 250 at Richmond for his second career Busch victory. David Green finished fifth and moved atop the points standings.

Next race: Stacker 200, Sept. 20, Dover, Del.

On the net: http://www.nascar.com

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INDY RACING LEAGUELast race: Sam Hornish Jr. edged Scott Dixon and Bryan Herta for his second straight victory at the Delphi Indy 300 at Joliet, Ill.. Hornish won by just .0099 seconds, the third-closest finish in IRL history.

Next race: Toyota Indy 400, Sept. 21, Fontana, Calif.

On the net://www.indyracingleague.com

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CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMSLast race: For the second straight year, Bruno Junqueira started from the pole and won the Grand Prix of Denver, on Aug. 31. Junqueira lost the lead for 30 laps and also brushed the wall with 16 laps to go, but he overtook Oriol Servia in the pits midway through the race and led the final 44 laps for his fifth career CART victory.

Next race: Grand Prix Americas, Sept. 28, Miami.

On the net:http://www.cart.com