GEARING UP

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

1. NASCAR is back Saturday night, when the Sprint Cup (formerly Nextel Cup) Series holds the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.

The 70-lap, non-points sprint race between 23 drivers -- last year’s pole-sitters and past Shootout winners -- kicks off a week of racing at the Daytona Beach, Fla., track that culminates with the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17.

The Shootout also will be the first test of NASCAR’s new Car of Tomorrow on the 2.5-mile, high-banked Daytona oval. The car was phased in at 16 of the series’ 36 races last season, but Daytona wasn’t among them.

Scheduled drivers hoping to win the Shootout and its $215,000 first prize include reigning series champ Jimmie Johnson, his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne of Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Ryan Newman of Penske Racing.

2. Another Shootout entrant is David Gilliland, a Riverside native who stunned NASCAR a year ago when he won the Daytona 500 pole.

Gilliland had just reached NASCAR’s top level after a long apprenticeship in its minor leagues, but his season generally went downhill after Daytona. He finished 28th in points, with only two top-10 finishes for Yates Racing.

Now 31, Gilliland said he’s confident about this year but admitted the pressure is on.

“This year’s probably the most critical year of my career,” he said. “I’m not the 18-year-old guy here anymore.

“Just got to get it done.”

3. NHRA drag racing also kicks off its season this weekend as its top-tier Powerade Series holds the Carquest Auto Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.

Drivers include Tony Schumacher, who won the top-fuel title at the final race last November -- also at Pomona -- on the last day of eliminations.

Funny car legend John Force, 58, also is racing in his first event since the Yorba Linda driver was seriously injured in a crash Sept. 23 in Texas.

4. The Champ Car World Series, which opens its season April 20 with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, saw several drivers change teams during the off-season.

Justin Wilson moved to Newman-Haas-Lanigan after Champ Car’s biggest star, Sebastien Bourdais, left the team to join the Formula One series.

Bourdais won the Long Beach race the last three years and the series title four years in a row.

Oriol Servia joined PKV Racing, and Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi will drive for Rocketsports Racing.

5. In local racing, Perris Auto Speedway -- a half-mile clay oval in Riverside County -- launches its season with USAC/CRA sprint-car events tonight and Saturday night. Drivers include defending series champion Tony Jones of Norco.

--

THE RACES

NASCAR SPRINT CUP:

Budweiser Shootout

When: Saturday, race (Ch. 11, 5 p.m.).

Where: Daytona Beach, Fla.

Race distance: 175 miles, 70 laps.

2007 winner: Tony Stewart.

Next race: Daytona 500, Feb. 17, Daytona Beach, Fla.

--

NHRA: CARQUEST

Auto Parts Winternationals

When: Today, qualifying, 2 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, noon (ESPN2, 5 p.m., tape); Sunday, eliminations, 11 a.m. (ESPN2, 4:30 p.m., tape).

Where: Pomona.

--

All times Pacific

Associated Press

--

STAT OF THE WEEK

Denny Hamlin, above, Buddy Baker, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Dale Jarrett are the only drivers to win the Budweiser Shootout in their first attempt.

--

SPRINT CUP RACES

February: 9 -- x-Budweiser Shootout, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.; 17 -- Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.; 24 -- California Speedway, Fontana

March: 2 -- Las Vegas Motor Speedway; 9 -- Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Ga.; 16 -- Bristol Motor Speedway, Tenn.; 30 -- Martinsville Speedway, Va.

April: 6 -- Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth; 12 -- Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.; 27 -- Talladega Superspeedway, Ala.

May: 3 -- Richmond International Raceway, Va.; 10 -- Darlington Raceway, S.C.; 17 -- x-NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge, Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.; 25 -- Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.

June: 1 -- Dover International Speedway, Del.; 8 -- Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa.; 15 -- Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn; 22 -- Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.; 29 -- New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon

July: 5 -- Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.; 12 -- Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Ill.; 27 -- Indianapolis Motor Speedway

August: 3 -- Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa.; 10 -- Watkins Glen International, N.Y.; 17 -- Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn; 23 -- Bristol Motor Speedway, Tenn.; 31 -- California Speedway, Fontana

September: 6 -- Richmond International Raceway, Va.; 14 -- New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon; 21 -- Dover International Speedway, Del.; 28 -- Kansas Speedway, Kansas City

October: 5 -- Talladega Superspeedway, Ala.; 11 -- Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.; 19 -- Martinsville Speedway, Va.; 26 -- Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Ga.

November: 2 -- Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth; 9 -- Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.; 16 -- Homestead-Miami Speedway, Fla.

Note: x-non-points race

--

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

Rick Hendrick, whose team won its second consecutive championship last season, on this year’s Sprint Cup Series:

‘Right now we’re tied for last place with 45 other teams. We did have a good year last year, but that’s not going to pay any bills, not going to get us to the Chase or get us to the [championship] stage in New York.’