Racing

PENSKE POWER: It was a good day Saturday for Roger Penske. Helio Castroneves earned Penske’s 16th pole as an owner for the Indianapolis 500 early in the day and Kurt Busch captured Penske’s second NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race that night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Robert Hight earns third-consecutive win of the season and Tony Schumacher takes the 100th drag racing win for the U.S. Army team; tickets for the highly anticipated NHRA Unleashed event in Indianapolis will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, May 29; upcoming race dates and locations; and more news from the NHRA.

Jimmie Johnson gets busted for pit row speeding, Kyle Busch wins Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway; Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman O. Bruton Smith said last week that he would like to offer a $20 million bonus to any driver who can win the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500 on the same day; and more racing news.

Larry Dixon powered his Al-Anabi Racing dragster past the likes of Steve Torrence, T.J. Zizzo, Tony Schumacher and Brandon Bernstein to pick up his 52nd career win in the Top Fuel category and fourth win of the season at the 30th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.

Brandon Bernstein, Jack Beckman and Tim Wilkerson look to grab precious championship points in Georgia; NHRA unleashed enters into agreement with Outlaw Racing Street Car Association; upcoming dates for NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

Ana Beatriz to start her first Indianapolis 500 this season in a fourth Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry; Denny Hamlin completes weekend sweep of the NASCAR events at Darlington Raceway; the NASCAR Hall of Fame (Charlotte, North Carolina) officially opened its doors Tuesday (May 11); and more news from the world of racing.

News from the NHRA: Warren Johnson earns 97th career win and third at Gateway International Raceway; Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Michael Phillips holds off former world champs Matt Smith and Eddie Krawiec en-route to his first win of the season, fourth of his career; and NHRA names Fox Sports Net as the television home for NHRA Unleashed.

Reports of Formula One working on a United States Grand Prix continue to circulate; Former Indy 500 winning car owner Barry Green has agreed to work as race strategist for Paul Tracy and the KV Racing Technology team; Popular Irish road racer Adam Carroll will drive some races for Andretti Autosport in the IZOD IndyCar Series later this season; and more racing news.

Seventy-eight cars comprise the 40 entries filed for the 2010 Indianapolis 500, including four past winners and four women.

Dixon looks to maintain his points lead in Top Fuel heading into St. Louis; Gateway International Raceway and NHRA are providing a 15% discount to active-duty and retired service members for this weekend’s AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals; NHRA has rescheduled the conclusion of the NHRA Arizona Nationals for most competitors in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series to Monday, July 19, following the 23rd annual Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, scheduled for July 16–18; and more news from the NHRA.