Bloggin' is Racin'

Texas Motor Speedway Samsung 500 weekend driver appearances, show car schedule

UPDATED April 2 with several more appearances 

Courtesy of Texas Motor Speedway and team releases
(All times Central)

Thursday (April 2)
Nationwide driver Eric McClure, Brookshires' Campground Store at TMS (outside Turn 3 near the Lone Star Circle Reserved campgrounds), 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

No. 27 Kleenex Racing Ford (Nationwide Series), Brookshires, 1201 N. Saginaw Blvd., Saginaw, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

No. 27 Kleenex Racing Ford (Nationwide Series), Alberstons, 6308 Lake Worth Blvd., Lake Worth, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
No. 31 Prilosec OTC Chevy (Sprint Cup), Texas Motor Speedway, 11 a.m.

Friday (April 3)
Nationwide driver Eric McClure, Wal-Mart, 1515 South Loop 288, Denton, 10 a.m.-noon

Nationwide driver Eric McClure, Wal-Mart, 800 South US Hwy 81/287, Decatur, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

Sprint Cup driver Clint Bowyer, Brookshire's campground store near Turn 3 at Texas Motor Speedway, 5 p.m.-6 p.m.

Sprint Cup driver Mark Martin, Wal-Mart Supercenter, 3060 FM 407, Highland Village, 5 p.m.

Nationwide Series driver Justin Allgaier, Verizon Wireless store, 12550 South Fwy, Ste 100, Burleson, 6 p.m.-7 p.m.

Sprint Cup driver David Ragan, SpeedZone, 11130 Malibu Drive, Dallas, 6 p.m. For info here.

Sprint Cup driver Kurt Busch, Wal-Mart, 1228 Northwest Hwy. 377, Roanoke, 7 p.m.

No. 27 Kleenex Racing Ford (Nationwide Series), Brookshire's, 9300 Clifford St., Fort Worth, 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
No. 27 Kleenex Racing Ford (Nationwide Series), Albertsons, 6700 West Freeway, Forth Worth 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
No. 31 Prilosec OTC Chevy (Sprint Cup), Texas Motor Speedway, 11:30 a.m.
No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevy (Sprint Cup), Brookshires, 3601 Texas 114, Fort Worth, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Saturday (April 4)
Sprint Cup driver Ryan Newman, Aaron's Fish and Fun at the Races (Speedway Children's Charities), lake at TMS, 3545 Lone Star Circle, Fort Worth, 9 a.m. It's a fishing tournament open to families. Free and open to children 16 and under. 

Nationwide driver Eric McClure, Nationwide display on TMS midway, 10:30 a.m.-11 a.m.

Sprint Cup driver Greg Biffle, Red River Speedway, 7300 Kiel Lane, Wichita Falls, 6:30 p.m.-7:15 p.m. More info here.

No. 27 Kleenex Racing Ford (Nationwide Series), Texas Motor Speedway, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

No. 27 Kleenex Racing Ford (Nationwide Series), Albertsons, 10800 N. Beach, Fort Worth, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
No. 27 Kleenex Racing Ford (Nationwide Series), Albertsons, 4400 Western Center Blvd., Fort Worth, 3 p.m.-6 p.m.
No. 31 Prilosec OTC Chevy (Sprint Cup), Texas Motor Speedway, 10 a.m.
No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevy (Sprint Cup), Super Save, 904 W. 1st St., Justin, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Sunday (April 5)
Sprint Cup driver David Stremme, Penske Racing souvenir trailer, TMS midway, 8:30 a.m.

Sprint Cup driver Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite merchandise trailer, TMS frontstretch midway, 9 a.m. Tickets for the autograph line will be distributed at a time TBD.

Sprint Cup driver AJ Allmendinger, Richard Petty Motorsports merchandise trailer, TMS frontstretch midway, 9 a.m.

Sprint Cup driver Casey Mears, Jack Daniel's souvenir trailer, TMS frontstretch midway, 9:15 a.m. A limited number of tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis.

Sprint Cup driver Kevin Harvick, Chevy stage, Texas Motor Speedway souvenir midway, 9:30 a.m.

Sprint Cup driver Ryan Newman, Chevy stage, Texas Motor Speedway souvenir midway, 9:45 a.m.

Sprint Cup driver Tony Stewart, Chevy stage, Texas Motor Speedway souvenir midway, 10:10 a.m.

Sprint Cup driver Brian Vickers, Red Bull merchandise hauler, Texas Motor Speedway souvenir midway, time TBA

Sprint Cup drivers Jeff Gordon, Elliott Sadler and David Ragan, PRN Up To Speed Fan Forum, SPEED stage located outside of Gate 3 on the Texas Motor Speedway midway, 9:30 a.m.-10:15 a.m.

Clint Bowyer's No. 33 Richard Childress Racing over-the-wall crew will be signing autographs, Chevrolet display on the TMS frontstretch midway, 10 a.m.-10:20 a.m.

Sprint Cup driver Clint Bowyer, Prilosec OTC BBQ Shootout Series display, TMS frontstretch midway, Q&A session at 10:45 a.m.

No. 27 Kleenex Racing Ford (Nationwide Series), Albertsons, 8428 Denton Hwy., Watauga, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
No. 27 Kleenex Racing Ford (Nationwide Series), Albertsons, 1108 N. Hwy. 377, Roanoke, 3 p.m.-6 p.m.
No. 31 Prilosec OTC Chevy (Sprint Cup), Texas Motor Speedway, 9 a.m.

This week's racing schedule

Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)

NASCAR Sprint Cup
Goody’s Fast Relief 500
Site: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (oval, 0.526 miles, 12 degrees banking in turns)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 2:30 p.m.); Sunday, race (Fox, 12:30 p.m.)
Race distance: 263 miles/500 laps
2008 winner: Denny Hamlin
Fast facts: A Busch brother has won the past three races. Kyle Busch won at Las Vegas earlier this month, and Kurt followed it with a win at Atlanta and then Kyle won last weekend at Bristol. Kyle Busch has now won a race in at least one of NASCAR’s top three series every weekend this season. ... Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have combined to win nine of the last 12 Cup events at Martinsville. They finished 1-2 in the Spring 2007 event, with Johnson edging Gordon. ... Travis Kvapil finished 18th at Bristol in what was likely his final race for Yates Racing. The No. 28 team probably will be closed down due to a lack of sponsorship, making it the first casualty this year of the recession. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. has three top-10 finishes in his last four starts at Martinsville. ... This weekend’s event marks the first in which drivers who are not in top 35 in the 2009 owner standings must qualify for a starting position.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Camping World Trucks
Kroger 250
Site: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (oval, 0.526 miles, 12 degrees banking in turns)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 8 a.m.), race (Fox, 1 p.m.)
Race distance: 131.5 miles, 250 laps.
2008 winner: Dennis Setzer
Fast facts: Kyle Busch won the most recent truck event at Martinsville on Oct. 18. ... Mike Skinner swept both Martinsville events in 2007. ... HT Motorsports is still seeking its first truck win since entering the series in 2001. Team newcomer David Starr took the 2006 event, but is winless since. ... This is the first short-track race of the Truck Series season. ... Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with six Martinsville wins, but none since April 2005. ... Martinsville is one of four tracks still remaining from the inaugural 1995 schedule.
www.nascar.com

NHRA
O’Reilly Spring Nationals
Site: Baytown, Texas, Houston Raceway
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 7 p.m., taped); Sunday, eliminations (ESPN2, 3:30 p.m., taped)
2008 winners: Antron Brown (Top Fuel); Del Worsham (Funny Car); Greg Anderson (Pro Stock); Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle)
Fast facts: Tony Pedregon won his first elimination race of the season at the Gatornationals two weeks ago and advanced to the Funny Car final before losing to Bob Tasca, the best man at his wedding. ... Jason Line has won two of the first three Pro Stock events. ... Hector Arana, the winner in Gainesville, Fla., two weeks ago, is atop the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings for the first time in his career. His only other win came at Norwalk, Ohio, on June 29. ... Larry Dixon recorded the first-ever sub-4.5 Top Fuel run during the 1999 event.
www.nhra.com

Formula One
Australian Grand Prix
Site: Melbourne, Albert Park Circuit (3.30 miles, 16 turns)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 1 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 12:30 a.m.)
Race distance: 191.4 miles, 58 laps
2008 winner: Lewis Hamilton
Fast facts: Formula One’s ruling body backed down and agreed to put off a new points system for the sport until next season, responding to objections from teams and top drivers. FIA says awarding the championship based on wins rather than points would improve the racing. ... Red Bull says it will lodge a protest if cars from rival teams Toyota, Brawn and Williams pass scrutiny. The three teams are at the center of a dispute over their rear diffusers, the part of the bodywork that comes up from the undertray to disperse air from under the car. ... The winner in Melbourne has gone on to win the title in three straight years. Hamilton won last year, Kimi Raikkonen won in 2007 en route to the title and 2006 champion Fernando Alonso also won, though the Melbourne was the third race that year.
www.formula1.com

Martinsville Speedway: By the numbers

A historical and statistical look at Sunday's Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway:

9 Wins at Martinsville for Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon in the past 12 races. Johnson has five in that span and Gordon has four. Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart and Rusty Wallace, with one win each, account for the other victories in that span.

7 Total victories at Martinsville for Jeff Gordon, most among active drivers. Gordon also has 20 top-five finishes, 26 top-10 results and seven career poles in 32 starts at the track.

15 Victories by Richard Petty, most all-time at the .526-mile track.

19 Wins by Petty Enterprises, more than any other organization.

120 Sprint Cup races at Martinsville since it opened in 1947. The first Cup race was held on Sept. 25, 1949, when the track had a dirt surface. The track was paved in 1955. The concrete corners were added atop the aspalt track in 1976.

8 Martinsville poles for Darrell Waltrip, a track record. His 11 wins is second most all-time.

17 Races have been won from the pole, but none since Jeff Gordon swept both races from the No. 1 starting spot in 2003.

4 Consecutive races won by Fred Lorenzen. He won the fall race in 1963, both races in 1964 and the spring race in 1965.

13 Consecutive top-10 finishes for Jimmie Johnson in 14 starts at Martinsville. His first start, in April 2002, was his only poor outing. He finished 35th for his only Did Not Finish result there.

36 Kurt Busch's starting spot when he won the 2002 fall race. It's the furthest back a race winner has started.

21 Cautions in the 2007 fall race, the most ever at the track. Of the 506 laps completed, 127 were run under caution.

Note: All stats and information courtesy of NASCAR media services.

-- Michele Vincze
Photo: Getty Images