GEARING UP

What’s new in motor sports heading into this weekend:

1. Berths in the inaugural Countdown to the Championship, the NHRA’s new playoff to determine the drag racing series’ title winners, will be decided this weekend at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pa.

After this weekend, the top eight drivers in points in each of the National Hot Rod Assn.’s major classes -- top fuel, funny cars, pro stock and pro stock motorcycle -- will compete over the next four races to determine which four drivers in each class can move on to the final two events, at Las Vegas and Pomona, to decide the title.

Rod Fuller and Brandon Bernstein are among those who have clinched spots in top fuel, while funny car drivers Ron Capps and 14-time champion John Force of Yorba Linda also made the playoff.

2. Only four races are left to determine the 12-driver field for NASCAR’s Chase for the Nextel Cup, and top contenders Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports will get an extra lift this weekend when their crew chiefs return from suspensions.

Steve Letarte, crew chief for four-time champion and current points leader Gordon, and Chad Knaus, crew chief for reigning champ Johnson, were suspended before the race in Sonoma in June for having cars that ran afoul of NASCAR’s aerodynamic rules.

They’ll all be reunited for the 3M Performance 400 on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, near Detroit.

3. In other Cup developments, Furniture Row Racing said Kenny Wallace stepped down as driver of the team’s No. 78 Chevrolet; he was 43rd in points. John Andretti was hired to drive the No. 49 Dodge for BAM Racing for the rest of the season.

4. Colin Braun, an 18-year-old driver in the Daytona Prototype class of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, was suspended until Sept. 1 for “a series of on-track incidents” with other cars.

The series called the Texan “one of the brightest talents” in racing but said “occasionally these young drivers need to be refocused.”

5. In local racing Saturday night, USAC/CRA sprint cars return to Perris Auto Speedway, and late-model stock cars are scheduled at Irwindale Speedway and Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino.