Jamie Mcmurray

THIS WEEK'S RACE NASCAR Sprint Showdown and All-Star Race Charlotte Motor Speedway Concord, N.C. When: Saturday, 7 p.m. TV/Radio: Speed/WNPV (1440-AM) Race course: 1.5-mile oval Race distance: For the All-Star race: four 20-lap segments, followed by a mandatory four-tire pit stop and a 10-lap segment. Race forecast: scattered thunderstorms, high 70s Last year's winner: Jimmie Johnson Track facts: The All-Star race winner will collect more than $1 million . . . Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr. are three-time All-Star winners . . . Mark Martin has the most All-Star race starts (24)

Much of the attention heading into the Neighborhood Excellence 400 was focused on a noted fill-in driver who was tabbed to take over for the ailing defending series champion. But when push came to shove in the waning laps on the high banks of Dover International Speedway late yesterday afternoon, the spotlight belonged to a guy who made his Nextel Cup Series debut on this track as a reserve eight years ago. Matt Kenseth, whose sixth-place finish as Bill Elliott's substitute in September 1998 proved a portent of success to come, used his experience on the one-mile concrete oval to overtake Roush Racing stablemate Jamie McMurray four laps from the finish and pull away to the Nextel Cup victory.

Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa. When: Sunday, 1 o'clock TV/Radio: TNT/WNPV (1440-AM), WDSD (94.7-FM) Course: 2.5-mile trioval Distance: 500 miles/200 laps 2009 pole: Tony Stewart 2009 winner: Tony Stewart Qualifying record: Kasey Kahne, 172.533 mph, June 11, 2004 Winners: Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin (3 each); Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch (2 each); Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman (1 each). Track facts: Stewart won last year's race from the rear of the field in a backup car after he damaged his No. 14 Chevrolet in practice.

LONG POND, Pa. - Pocono Raceway's repaved 2.5-mile track is making a good first impression with NASCAR's Sprint Cup drivers. On Wednesday, the second day of a Goodyear tire test at the raceway, drivers offered favorable reviews of the track. Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, predicted that his track qualifying record of 172.533 m.p.h., set in June 2004, will be broken. Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Chevy, said, "The corner speeds are way, way quicker.

THIS WEEK'S RACE Coca-Cola 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway Concord, N.C. When: Sunday, 6 p.m. TV/Radio: Fox 29/WNPV (1440-AM) Course: 1.5-mile oval Distance: 400 laps/600 miles Forecast: partly cloudy, mid-70s Last year's winner: Kasey Kahne Last year's pole winner: Aric Almirola, 192.94 mph Track qualifying record: Greg Biffle, 193.708 mph (October 2012) Track facts: The latest NASCAR Hall of Fame class was announced yesterday: drivers Tim Flock, Jack Ingram, Dale Jarrett and Fireball Roberts, and engine builder Maurice Petty.

THIS WEEK'S RACE NASCAR Sprint Showdown and All-Star Race Charlotte Motor Speedway Concord, N.C. When: Saturday, 7 p.m. TV/Radio: Speed/WNPV (1440-AM) Race course: 1.5-mile oval Race distance: For the All-Star race: four 20-lap segments, followed by a mandatory four-tire pit stop and a 10-lap segment. Race forecast: scattered thunderstorms, high 70s Last year's winner: Jimmie Johnson Track facts: The All-Star race winner will collect more than $1 million . . . Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr. are three-time All-Star winners . . . Mark Martin has the most All-Star race starts (24)

THIS WEEK'S RACE NRA 500 Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. TV: FOX29 Course: 1.5-mile oval Distance: 334 laps/501 miles Forecast: partly cloudy, low 70s Last year's winner: Greg Biffle Last year's pole winner: Martin Truex Jr., 190.360 mph Track qualifying record: Brian Vickers, 196.235 mph (November 2006) Track facts: Greg Biffle passed Jimmie Johnson with 31 laps to go to win last year's race.

At Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa. When: Sunday, 1 p.m. TV/Radio: TNT; WNPV-AM (1440) Race course: 2.5-mile tri-oval Race distance: 400 miles/160 laps Lineup Pos.   No.   Driver   Car   MPH 1.   20     Joey Logano    Toyota   179.598 2.    99     Carl Edwards    Ford   178.866 3.    27     Paul Menard    Chevrolet   178.582 ...

LONG POND, Pa. - Pocono Raceway's repaved 2.5-mile track is making a good first impression with NASCAR's Sprint Cup drivers. On Wednesday, the second day of a Goodyear tire test at the raceway, drivers offered favorable reviews of the track. Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, predicted that his track qualifying record of 172.533 mph, set in June 2004, will be broken. Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Chevy, said, "The corner speeds are way, way quicker," The new asphalt is changing McMurray's mind about Pocono.

LONG POND, Pa. - Pocono Raceway's repaved 2.5-mile track is making a good first impression with NASCAR's Sprint Cup drivers. On Wednesday, the second day of a Goodyear tire test at the raceway, drivers offered favorable reviews of the track. Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, predicted that his track qualifying record of 172.533 m.p.h., set in June 2004, will be broken. Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Chevy, said, "The corner speeds are way, way quicker.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - First came the rain. Then came the fire. Everything that could go wrong with this Daytona 500 did go wrong, and the race will be remembered for everything but the eventual winner. Journeyman driver Dave Blaney was leading when a problem with Juan Pablo Montoya's car sent him spinning into a safety truck. The truck, which holds 200 gallons of jet kerosene, burst into flames. Montoya's car slid into the grass, and he gingerly climbed from it as fire trucks rushed to the scene.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - First came the rain. Then came the fire. NASCAR races rarely come off without a hitch, but what happened Monday night on the 160th lap of the Daytona 500 is without precedent. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Journeyman driver Dave Blaney was leading when a problem with Juan Pablo Montoya's car sent him spinning under caution into a safety truck. The truck, which holds 200 gallons of jet kerosene, burst into flames. Montoya's car slid into the grass, and he gingerly climbed from it as fire trucks rushed to the scene.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR has raced on the beach at Daytona, under the lights, and even around a pesky pothole. But never on a Monday - until now. The Daytona 500 was postponed Sunday for the first time in its 54-year history after heavy rain saturated Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR officials spent more than four hours waiting for a window to dry the track, but it never came. When the last storm cell passed over the speedway around 5 p.m., they had little choice but to call it a day. The 500-mile race was rescheduled for noon Monday.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR has raced on the beach at Daytona, under the lights and even around a pesky pothole. But never on a Monday - until now. The Daytona 500 was postponed yesterday for the first time in its 54-year history after heavy rain saturated Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR officials spent more than 4 hours waiting for a window to dry the famed track, but it never came. When the latest storm cell passed over the speedway around 5 p.m., they had little choice but to call it a day. The 500-mile race was rescheduled for noon today.