GEARING UP

1 Every major series is racing this weekend, starting Saturday night with the IndyCar Series at Texas Motor Speedway and, on Sunday, NASCAR’s Nextel Cup Series at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and the Champ Car World Series at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway.

The Formula One series also starts its North American swing Sunday with the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, followed by the U.S. Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on June 17.

2 John Force, the 14-time NHRA funny car champion, is languishing 17th in points in the Powerade Drag Racing Series, the lowest he has been in 25 years.

“Last week I said we needed to start making our move,” the Yorba Linda-based driver/team owner said ahead of this weekend’s event in Joliet, Ill. “Well, this week, I really mean it.”

3 Carl Edwards beat several other Nextel Cup stars to win a 30-lap charity race at Eldora Speedway, a small dirt track in Rossburg, Ohio, owned by two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart.

For Colombia native Juan Pablo Montoya, the former Formula One driver who moved to NASCAR this year, it was his first race on a dirt track, where many American drivers cut their teeth.

“I picked up a lot of respect for the guys that run in dirt,” said Montoya, who finished 15th. “It’s very hard to appreciate how tough it is.”

4 The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series also resumes Saturday with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at the Watkins Glen International road course in New York.

In the Daytona Prototype class, the entries include Los Angeles-based Team Sigalsport BMW with drivers Matt Alhadeff of Los Angeles, Bill Auberlen of Redondo Beach and Joey Hand of Sacramento.

5 In local racing Saturday night, USAC/CRA sprint cars return to Perris Auto Speedway, and Ventura Raceway plays host to the USAC Western Midget series. Late-model stock cars will head multi-race programs at Irwindale Speedway and the Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino.