GEARING UP
What’s new in motor sports heading into this weekend:
1 Race fans get their fill this Memorial Day weekend with the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar Series race Sunday followed by the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.
Also Sunday, the Formula One series holds the Monaco Grand Prix on the streets of Monte Carlo, with English rookie Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes leading the series’ points.
2 Richard Petty, NASCAR’s “King” with a record 200 victories, is scheduled to see the start of the Indy 500 in person for the first time Sunday.
Petty will visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to support driver John Andretti, who also drives part time for Petty’s NASCAR team. Petty then will fly back to suburban Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600.
3 It’s also a two-race, 1,100-mile day for Chip Ganassi’s Target Team, which has Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon in the Indy 500 and Reed Sorenson in the Cup race driving a Dodge.
“This weekend is what auto racing is all about,” Ganassi said.
4 Local tracks also will be busy Saturday night, with multi-race programs scheduled at Irwindale Speedway, Ventura Raceway, Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino and Perris Auto Speedway in Riverside County.
5 The Los Angeles Concours d’Elegance, featuring vintage and exotic race cars and passenger vehicles, is scheduled June 3 at the Rose Bowl and adjacent Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena. Tickets are $30 and proceeds benefit the Assistance League of Southern California.
*
ON THE WEB
Get the answers: Have a question about motor racing? E-mail motor sports reporter Jim Peltz at james.peltz@latimes.com, and each week we’ll post the best questions and his answers on latimes.com.
*
INDY 500 ODDS
Driver odds to win Sunday’s Indianapolis 500:
*--* DRIVER ODDS Dan Wheldon 3-1 Helio Castroneves 9-2 Sam Hornish Jr. 9-2 Scott Dixon 5-1 Tony Kanaan 5-1 Dario Franchitti 10-1 Marco Andretti 12-1 Michael Andretti 15-1 Danica Patrick 25-1 Vitor Meira 30-1 Tomas Scheckter 35-1 Ryan Briscoe 45-1 Buddy Rice 50-1 Scott Sharp 65-1 Kosuke Matsuura 80-1 Ed Carpenter 150-1 A.J. Foyt IV 150-1 Jeff Simmons 150-1 Sarah Fisher 250-1 Field (all others) 20-1
*--*
Source: Glantz-Culver
*
THE RACES
INDYCAR SERIES
Indianapolis 500
* When: Sunday, race
(Ch. 7, 10 a.m.).
* Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (rectangular oval, 2.5 miles, 9 degrees banking in turns), Indianapolis
* Race distance: 500 miles, 200 laps.
* 2006 winner: Sam Hornish Jr.
NASCAR NEXTEL CUP
Coca Cola 600
* When: Sunday, race
(Ch. 11, 2 p.m.).
* Where: Lowe’s Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns), Concord, N.C.
* Race distance: 600 miles, 400 laps.
* 2006 winner: Kasey Kahne.
NASCAR BUSCH
Carquest Autoparts 300
* When: Saturday, qualifying
(Speed Channel, 1 p.m.),
race (ESPN2, 5 p.m.).
* Where: Lowe’s Motor Speedway
* Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.
* 2006 winner: Carl Edwards.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
Ohio 250
* When: Today, qualifying, 3:30 p.m.; Saturday, race (Ch. 11, 10 a.m.).
* Where: Mansfield Motorsports Speedway (oval, .50 miles; turns: compound banking 12-14-16 degrees), Mansfield, Ohio.
* Race distance: 125 miles, 250 laps.
* 2006 winner: Ron Hornaday Jr.
FORMULA ONE
Monaco Grand Prix
* When: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 5 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 4:30 a.m.).
* Where: Monte Carlo street circuit (2.068 miles), Monte Carlo.
* Race distance: 161.304 miles, 78 laps.
* 2006 winner: Fernando Alonso.
Associated Press
*
STAT OF THE WEEK
* Indianapolis 500 pole-sitter Helio Castroneves holds the record for the best finishes in a driver’s first three Indy 500s: 1st in 2001, 1st in 2002 and 2nd in 2003.
*
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
Dale Earnhardt Jr., on the suspension of his crew chief and cousin, Tony Eury Jr., after NASCAR found unauthorized rear-wing mounts on Earnhardt’s Chevrolet at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway:
‘This isn’t the end of the world, or the season. We’re not going to panic now.’
-- JIM PELTZ