Auto Racing Capsules: Win gives McMurray bittersweet sendoff at Roush

TALLADEGA, Ala. — When Jamie McMurray got home on Sunday night following his dramatic win at Talladega hours earlier, he turned to his wife, Christy, and asked what they should do to celebrate his first victory in nearly three years.

Champagne? A nice dinner? Not exactly.

Christy hopped on the computer while her emotionally drained husband crawled into bed with the couple’s two dogs. Sorry, McMurray’s partying days are long gone.

"I’ve grown up a lot the last four years," the 33-year-old driver said.

He hasn’t really had a choice. His four seasons at Roush Fenway Racing have been uneven at best. He moved to Roush from Chip Ganassi Racing in 2006 to compete for a championship. It simply hasn’t happened.

McMurray failed to make the Chase in each of his four seasons and started 2009 knowing he’d likely be out of a job at the end of the year when Roush trimmed its Cup operation from five cars to four as part of a NASCAR mandate to limit team size.

His impending departure, however, seemed to alleviate some of the tension between McMurray and Roush. The team owner’s tough love when McMurray struggled didn’t produce the kind of results Roush expected, leading him to do something unexpected: change tactics.

"He came to me and said ‘Jamie, I have learned that some people are motivated by humiliation, some are motivated by kicking them in the butt and I’ve learned with you that you’re motivated more by positive reinforcement more than me yelling at you,"’ McMurray said.

Now the prerace talks between owner and driver are friendlier. There are handshakes, compliments and the occasional joke.

There was plenty to smile about in the fading twilight at Talladega, where McMurray avoided the usual carnage to pick up his first victory since the 2007 summer race at Daytona.

McMurray and Roush doused each other with champagne, and Roush sounded wistful talking about McMurray’s impending departure.

"(It’s) a great sadness, but I hope that we can win another race with Jamie, and certainly am happy for this one," Roush said. "The guys did a nice job. The car had speed in it, and they didn’t make a mistake all day."

It’s a difficult task at the notoriously tricky 2.66-mile tri-oval. But after wrecking six laps in at the spring race at Talladega, McMurray opted to hang toward the back early on Sunday during the single-file parade. He figured he was in good company running alongside three-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.

"I thought (Jimmie) has pretty good luck," McMurray said. "If I’m around him, that’s a good sign."

McMurray began his move to the front with about 50 laps to go, and benefited from a decision to take two tires instead of four on his last pit stop. It gave him the track position he needed to get to the front, and he found a friend in teammate Matt Kenseth, who gave McMurray a partner to fend off the usual late-race insanity.

"I was lucky he was behind me," said McMurray, who is close friends with Kenseth. "He kept pushing me until the end. The fact he was behind me made it easier."

Yet the win may have been a perfect summary of McMurray’s time at Roush. Instead of talking about his brilliant run, much of the postrace questions surrounded NASCAR’s edict to ban bump-drafting in the corners, Johnson’s move toward a fourth straight title or McMurray’s own future.

"It just kind of is what it is," said McMurray, who admitted to googling himself after the race to read the coverage. "I’ll just take it for what it’s worth. It was big for us and big for our team."

Particularly crew chief Donnie Wingo, who worked with McMurray at Ganassi Racing before coming over to Roush.

"To do it with your friends, it was really special to me," McMurray said.

And the resume booster couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s no fun being a free agent driver in the middle of a recession.

Full-time job opportunities are hard to come by, and there’s only one job that’s really open right now: the No. 1 Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet.

McMurray is well aware of the speculation he may be heading back to Ganassi, the place where he began his career. He said he still has a good relationship with Ganassi and Felix Sabates, and Sabates said earlier this month he held no grudge toward McMurray for his decision to leave for Roush.

The truth was, Ganassi wasn’t that good at the time and Roush was coming off a year in which all its cars got into the Chase.

"When Jamie (McMurray) went to Roush, they were on top of the world," Sabates said. "They had just won the championship."

Something McMurray expected to duplicate. He never imagined he’d fail to make the Chase in four years with Roush. Yet he’s not angry. He gladly went and tire-tested at Daytona on Tuesday even though he knows he won’t be in the No. 26 next year. Wednesday he headed to Roush’s shop to hang out with the team and celebrate his win.

If he wants to get in the Chase, he’ll have to do it somewhere else. Ganassi seems to be the landing spot, and McMurray said Wednesday he expects an announcement on his future before the end of the season.

The Ganassi team he would head back to isn’t the same one he left. McMurray has marveled at the success of EGR driver Juan Pablo Montoya, who is fourth in the Chase standings heading into this weekend’s race at Texas.

"Ganassi’s team right now is as good as anybody," he said.

And right now, McMurray’s as good a free agent as there is out there.

A glance at the 12 drivers in the Chase

A glance at the 12 drivers competing in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship heading into this weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway (in order of points):

DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson

CHASE POINTS: first, 6,248

CAR: No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAREER TEXAS STARTS: 12

AVERAGE TEXAS FINISH: 8.5 (won in 2007)

LAST WEEK: Signs you’re having a magical year: your strategy backfires and you spend the first 180 laps at Talladega at the back of the pack. A red flag, a brilliant fuel call and boom, you’re sixth. This is Johnson’s chase to lose. Again.

CHASE CHATTER: "I am feeling much better about things," Johnson said. "I was so concerned about this race. I thought I was going to lose points with about three or four to go. So to have it turn around and lead with points over the guys, I didn’t expect it."

DRIVER: Mark Martin

CHASE POINTS: second, -184

CAR: No. 5 Carquest/Kellogg’s Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAREER TEXAS STARTS: 17

AVERAGE TEXAS FINISH: 13.8 (won in 1998)

LAST WEEK: Became a part of the carnage at Talladega, finishing 28th while getting collected in a major wreck that left his car a mangled mess.

CHASE CHATTER: "I don’t know what it looked like," Martin said. "It looked pretty exciting from my view point. I don’t have a clue. I don’t know what happened out there."

DRIVER: Jeff Gordon

CHASE POINTS: third, -192

CAR: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAREER TEXAS STARTS: 17

AVERAGE TEXAS FINISH: 15.2 (won in 2009)

LAST WEEK: Ran near the front at Talladega before having a fuel problem during a red flag following Ryan Newman’s accident and finished 20th as part of the melee at the end.

CHASE CHATTER: "I certainly didn’t think we were going to run out right then, but I guess I’m kind of glad we ran out when we did because we were at least able to get back out there and destroy our car," Gordon said.

DRIVER: Juan Pablo Montoya

CHASE POINTS: fourth, -239

CAR: No. 42 Target Chevrolet

TEAM: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1

CAREER TEXAS STARTS: 5

AVERAGE TEXAS FINISH: 20.4 (best finish: seventh in 2009)

LAST WEEK: Finished 19th at Talladega, stuck somewhere in the middle of the chaos at the end.

CHASE CHATTER: "I wanted to run up front, but you couldn’t do anything," Montoya said.

DRIVER: Tony Stewart

CHASE POINTS: fifth, -279

CAR: No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart/Haas Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1

CAREER TEXAS STARTS: 15

AVERAGE TEXAS FINISH: 12.6 (won in 2006)

LAST WEEK: Received an ill-timed nudge from teammate Ryan Newman with five laps to go, sending Newman on a wild ride down the backstretch and Stewart into the wall. He finished 35th.

CHASE CHATTER: "I’m just glad (Newman) is all right," Stewart said. "He’ll be sore, for sure, but he’s OK."

DRIVER: Kurt Busch

CHASE POINTS: sixth, -312

CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAREER TEXAS STARTS: 13

AVERAGE TEXAS FINISH: 14.8 (best finish: fourth in 2001)

LAST WEEK: Collected in a crash a couple laps from the finish, only question now is whether crew chief Pat Tryson will finish out the season in the box. Tryson is heading to Michael Waltrip Racing next year.

CHASE CHATTER: "It was the most emotional highs and lows that I’ve experienced since I’ve been racing here at Talladega," he said.

DRIVER: Greg Biffle

CHASE POINTS: seventh, -340

CAR: No. 16 3M Scotch Brand Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1

CAREER TEXAS STARTS: 11

AVERAGE TEXAS FINISH: 22.1 (won in 2005)

LAST WEEK: One of the few Chasers to emerge from Talladega unscathed, Biffle was a strong fourth behind winner Jamie McMurray.

CHASE CHATTER: "It was a good run," Biffle said. "I’m glad we avoided the big wreck."

DRIVER: Ryan Newman

CHASE POINTS: eighth, -402

CAR: No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart/Haas Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1

CAREER TEXAS STARTS: 12

AVERAGE TEXAS FINISH: 23.2 (won in 2003)

LAST WEEK: Miraculously escaped a late-race crash unhurt after flying through the air, landing on Kevin Harvick’s car then sliding the roof into turn three and flipping several times. Had to be cut out of his car after finishing 36th.

CHASE CHATTER: "When I hit the roll cage and landed on my head I was a little worried and I was happy to be able to walk out of that in a roundabout way," Newman said.

DRIVER: Kasey Kahne

CHASE POINTS: ninth -414

CAR: No. 9 Budweiser Dodge

TEAM: Richard Petty Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2

CAREER TEXAS STARTS: 10

AVERAGE TEXAS FINISH: 21.9 (won in 2006)

LAST WEEK: Another lap and Kahne might have chased down Jamie McMurray. Still, was remarkably competitive after a series of early race problems had him chasing the field.

CHASE CHATTER: "We just kind of shot up through there, had great track position on that restart and ran second," Kahne said."

DRIVER: Carl Edwards

CHASE POINTS: 10th, -437

CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAREER TEXAS STARTS: 9

AVERAGE TEXAS FINISH: 13.4 (won three times)

LAST WEEK: Got his turn at Talladega, leading a few laps but didn’t have enough time or room at the end to do better than 14th.

CHASE CHATTER: "My car just wasn’t as fast as it needed to be," Edwards said. "We were lucky to avoid those wrecks at the end and get out of here in one piece."

DRIVER: Denny Hamlin

CHASE POINTS: 11th, -448

CAR: No. 11 FedEx Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2

CAREER TEXAS STARTS: 8

AVERAGE TEXAS FINISH: 11.6 (best finish: fourth in 2006)

LAST WEEK: Roller coaster Chase continued when his engine blew at Talladega, his third finish of 30th or worse in his last four races.

CHASE CHATTER: "Hopefully it will make our engine department stronger and our team stronger and when we setup ourselves for a championship next year, we won’t have mechanical issues and then we’ll be able to fight them at the end," Hamlin said.

DRIVER: Brian Vickers

CHASE POINTS: 12th, -556

CAR: No. 83 Red Bull Toyota

TEAM: Red Bull Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAREER TEXAS STARTS: 10

AVERAGE TEXAS FINISH: 22.2 (best finish: 12th in 2004)

LAST WEEK: Mixed it up as usual at Talladega, giving Kahne a much-appreciated bump at times before finishing 13th and was hardly impressed with the bump-drafting ban in the corners.

CHASE CHATTER: "We crashed just as much today on the straightaway as we’ve ever done and the new rule was in place," Vickers said. "I don’t know what the intent was."

-- Will Graves

Formula One

Champion Button expects more competition in 2010

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — After clinching one of the most unexpected championships in Formula One history this season, Jenson Button is predicting the traditional powers will be back to confront the new order next season.

Button believes Ferrari and McLaren, which both fell out of contention with dismal starts to 2009, will challenge his Brawn GP team and 2009 runner-up Red Bull in 2010.

It is a prospect that the British driver relishes, and a challenge he believes Brawn can withstand.

"Ferrari and McLaren will be competitive next season, they have the experience and resources," Button said. "But I don’t think suddenly they are going to be faster than the Red Bulls or Brawns.

"Having four teams fighting out in front is something that has not happened before. Eight drivers fighting for wins is exciting."

Button didn’t feature in championship calculations in the preseason, and wasn’t even sure he’d make it back to the grid. He was part of the Honda team that folded its F1 operations last December and then was taken over by former team principal Ross Brawn just weeks before the Australian GP.

Button took a pay cut to keep his job, then made the most of it by taking advantage of the Brawn car’s early dominance to build a huge lead in an extraordinary first half of the season.

He won six of the first seven races of the season and then was consistent enough the rest of the year to maintain a comfortable lead in the championship standings.

Ferrari and McLaren, meanwhile, paid the price this year for fighting out the 2008 title to the final race. Having put all their resources into marginal improvements in the 2008 car, development of a 2009 car was put on the back burner despite the need for a radical redesign to comply with new regulations.

Ferrari learned its lesson, and after the poor start to 2009, soon gave up on trying to improve the car, instead starting early on producing a 2010 challenger.

McLaren took a different approach. Even after a slow start, McLaren kept improving its 2009 car to the point where it was the fastest by season’s end. The team insists it has not ignored 2010 development, but argues the changes needed in this offseason are only incremental, compared with the drastic change of the previous year.

Will Brawn and Red Bull pay a similar price in 2010 for their season-long scrap for this year’s championship? Not according to driver Sebastian Vettel.

"The regulations don’t change too much," the Red Bull driver said. "There is no refueling (next season), but other than that the cars will remain similar."

Vettel won the season’s final race last weekend in Abu Dhabi to secure second place in the championship. Teammate Mark Webber clung onto second after an exciting last-lap dogfight with the pursuing Button, giving Red Bull its fourth one-two finish of the season.

Vettel believes Red Bull will make the requisite improvement next season to overcome Brawn and hold off a resurgent Ferrari and McLaren.

"I am very confident we can only get stronger," Vettel said.

While Red Bull will have stability on its side in 2010, it is quite possibly the only team that will start next season with the same drivers as this year.

Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock are among those who will be looking for new teams next year after Toyota announced on Wednesday that it was withdrawing from all participation in Formula One, citing the need to cut costs. Its departure means the 2010 season will be first in eight years without a Japanese constructor on the grid.

Button will have a new teammate at Brawn, as veteran Brazilian Rubens Barrichello will move to Williams. It is expected that Nico Rosberg will be going in the opposite direction, though no announcement has been made and the German has also been linked to McLaren. The Williams team, which used Toyota engines this season, had already said it would be switching to Cosworth engines for 2010.

The other man in the picture for a McLaren move is Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn has said it is McLaren or bust. Should the move back to his old team fall through, Raikkonen has said he might switch to rally driving or take a year off.

Whether it’s Rosberg or Raikkonen who joins McLaren, the team’s balance is likely to be upset. Heikki Kovalainen, who is expected to depart, had been a willing No. 2 to Lewis Hamilton. It is hard to imagine the headstrong Rosberg or former world champion Raikkonen accepting a secondary role.

Raikkonen is making way for the arrival of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso at Ferrari. Alonso is generally regarded as the most talented driver in F1, but the chemistry of Ferrari may also be at risk.

Alonso left McLaren in a huff after a single season in 2007, upset that he was not made the clear No. 1 to teammate Hamilton. Now he arrives at a Ferrari team that will also welcome back Felipe Massa from injury. The Brazilian — who had come within one corner of the 2008 title and is a fixture at the team — is unlikely to react well should the new driver get moved above him in the pecking order.

Renault also will start next season vastly changed from 2009. The team will begin the campaign without Alonso, team principal Flavio Briatore and major sponsor ING.

Having signed Robert Kubica from BMW Sauber to be its No. 1 driver, it remains to be seen whether Renault can quickly rebound from a dire season on and off the track to become a contender again.

Formula One is expanding to 14 teams from 10, with Manor, Lotus, Campos and USF1 having been granted entries, although doubts remain as to whether all will make it. BMW had also announced it was ending its participation in Formula One, but Toyota’s departure paves the way for the remnant Sauber team to remain on the grid next season.

-- Chris Lines

Toyota pulls out of Formula 1 to cut costs

TOKYO — Toyota is pulling out of Formula One racing.

The world’s largest automaker announced Wednesday it needs to cut costs and focus on its core business.

"Based on the current economic environment, we realize we have no choice but to withdraw from Formula One," Toyota president Akio Toyoda said at a news conference. "This has been a very painful decision for the company."

Toyota follows Honda Motor Co. as the second major Japanese automaker to withdraw from the sport in the last 11 months. Honda pulled out last December amid worsening economic conditions. Brawn GP, which took over the old Honda team, won the 2009 F1 championship.

Toyota officials called the withdrawal from F1 complete, making a return to the sport when and if conditions improve unlikely.

Toyota is seeking to cut costs as it expects to post an operating loss for the six months ending on Sept. 30. It is due to report earnings Thursday.

The company posted its worst loss in the financial year at the end of March.

Formula One’s governing body will review the legality of Toyota’s pullout from the sport.

FIA says that since the Japanese team’s announcement comes only weeks after it committed to the sport through 2012. It will seek "urgent clarification" as to the team’s "legal position" in the F1 championship.

Like other Japanese exporters, Toyota has been hurt by a strong yen. The dollar has recently hovered around 90 yen. Toyoda, grandson of the company’s founder who became president this year, has vowed to avoid a third straight year of losses.

On Monday, Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone Corp. announced it would not renew its exclusive deal to supply tires for F1 when its contract expires in 2010.

That announcement came one day after the 2009 F1 season concluded with the Abu Dhabi GP.

In July, Toyota-owned Fuji International Speedway announced it would not host the Japanese F1 GP from 2010 and beyond amid the faltering global economy.

F1 is not the only motor sport to be affected by the economic crisis. Citing similar concerns to Toyota and Honda, fellow Japanese automakers Subaru and Suzuki pulled out of the World Rally Championship ahead of the 2009 season.

Ferrari said the fraught relationship between the FIA and the F1 teams was part of the reason for why teams are quitting the sport.

"The reality is that this gradual defection from the F1 fold has more to do with a war waged against the major car manufacturers by those who managed Formula 1 over the past few years, than the result of any economic crisis," Ferrari said in a statement

Toyota made its F1 debut in 2002 but never won a grand prix. The team’s best result was in 2005 when Jarno Trulli finished second in Malaysia and Bahrain.

Toyoda said the team’s poor results were not a factor in the decision to leave the sport.

"Our decision would not have changed even if we had a victory," Toyoda said. "The fact that we are unable to give our drivers a chance to compete is very sad."

Despite a promising start to the 2009 season, Toyota finished fifth in the constructors’ standings.

Trulli and Timo Glock raced for Toyota this season. Trulli finished eighth in the driver standings and Glock was 10th.

Kamui Kobayashi filled in for an injured Glock in the last race of the season and posted a sixth-place finish at Abu Dhabi.

Japanese manufacturers have supplied engines to various constructors over the decades, as well as operating their own teams. Toyota’s withdrawal will mean that for the first time in eight years there will be no Japanese constructor on the grid for the 2010 F1 season.

The withdrawal will leave just three manufacturers in F1 — Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault — as well as open the way for the Sauber team to become the 13th team in next year’s championship.

Ryoichi Saito, an auto analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co. Ltd., said Toyota’s move underscored a severe slump in the global auto market.

"The withdrawal from F1 is part of Toyota’s cost-cutting efforts amid a global downturn," Saito said.

"The company can no longer stay in costly F1 while making massive losses. Toyota’s decision means that the company wants to invest more in hybrid vehicles rather than F1," he said.

Despite leaving F1, Toyoda said the company is excited about the future.

"Eco-friendly cars are our top priority," Toyoda said. "I have called for Toyota to service our customers one at a time with exciting vehicles that meet our customer’s needs."

-- Jim Armstrong

American F1 team signs off on European base

ZARAGOZA, Spain — American Formula One team USF1 has signed an agreement to make Spain’s Motorland Aragon race complex its European base for the next three years.

Team principals Ken Anderson and Pete Windsor signed off on the deal with Aragon province representatives Wednesday.

Anderson said the deal was perfect "from both competitive and business perspectives."

USF1, which is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., said it will use the soon-to-be completed track as a "European testing, race-car development and logistics headquarters."

Auto Racing Glance

NASCAR

SPRINT CUP

Dickies 500

Site: Fort Worth

Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, Noon-1:30 p.m.), qualifying (Speed, 3:30-5:30 p.m.); Saturday, practice (Speed, 8:30-9:30 a.m., 10 a.m.- 11 a.m.); Sunday, race, 2:15 p.m.(ABC, 1:30-6:30 p.m.).

Track: Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).

Race distance: 501 miles, 334 laps.

Last year: Carl Edwards completed a season sweep at the track, racing the last 69 laps without pitting. The victory, his Cup-best third at Texas, was the eighth of his series-high nine 2008 wins.

Last week: Jamie McMurray won at Talladega, snapping an 86-race winless streak. Jimmie Johnson ended up sixth, likely wrapping up his NASCAR-record fourth straight championship. Ryan Newman's harrowing crash with five laps to go left him upside down in the grass, and Mark Martin went flipping across the track in the two-lap sprint to the finish that end under caution.

Fast facts: Johnson has a 184-point lead over second-place Martin with three races left. Jeff Gordon (-192) is third, giving Hendrick Motorsports the top three spots. Gordon won the April race at the track to end a 47-event winless streak. Johnson won the November 2007 race at Texas. ... Brad Keselowski, set to drive the No. 12 Penske Dodge next season, will finish the year in the car, replacing David Stremme. ... Edwards is winless this year. McMurray's Talladega victory was Roush Fenway's first Cup win since Matt Kenseth swept the season-opening races at Daytona and California. ... Kyle Busch also is racing in the Nationwide and Trucks races, the first of three straight tripleheaders. He has 17 victories this year in the three series — four in Cup, seven in Nationwide and six in Trucks. He also leads the Nationwide standings.

Next race: Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, Nov. 15, Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.

On the Net: http://www.nascar.com

NATIONWIDE

O'Reilly Challenge

Site: Fort Worth

Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 9 a.m.- Noon), qualifying (Speed, 5:30-6:30 p.m.); Saturday, race, 11:45 a.m.(ESPN2, 12- 2:30 p.m.).

Track: Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).

Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.

Last year: Kyle Busch raced to his 10th and last 2008 victory, tying Sam Ard (1983) for the series record. The victory was the second of Busch's three straight series wins at the track. Carl Edwards finished second.

Last race: Brad Keselowski raced to his fourth victory of the year, holding off series leader Busch on Oct. 24 at Memphis Motorsports Park.

Fast facts: Busch won the April race for his third straight series win at the track. He led a race-record 178 of 200 laps. ... Busch, a seven-time winner this year, has a 215-point lead over second-place Edwards with three races left. Keselowski is third, 257 points behind Busch. ... Kevin Harvick has a series-high four Texas wins.

Next race: Able Body Labor 200, Nov. 14, Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.

On the Net: http://www.nascar.com

CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS

WinStar World Casino 350

Site: Fort Worth

Schedule: Thursday, practice, qualifying; Friday, race, 8 p.m.(Speed, 7:30-10:30 p.m.).

Track: Texas Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles).

Race distance: 220.5 miles, 147 laps.

Last year: Ron Hornaday Jr. completed a season sweep at the track, coming from a lap down for a dominating victory that moved him within six points of eventual season champion Johnny Benson with two races to go. Kyle Busch finished second.

Last week: Busch won at Talladega, passing Todd Bodine just before the finish with help from bump-drafting by Billy Ballew teammate Aric Almirola. Busch has won his last four Trucks starts to tie Hornaday for the season victory lead with six. Bodine finished third, ending his series restrictor-plate winning streak at four.

Fast facts: Hornaday has a 202-point lead over Matt Crafton with three races left. The 51-year-old Hornaday is winless since Aug. 1 in Nashville, the last of his series-record five straight victories. He has 45 career wins and three season titles, both series records. ... Bodine won the June race for his record fifth Texas victory. Hornaday was 19th after leading 52 laps. ... In 2010, the series will use double-file restarts and allow teams to get fuel and tires on the same stop.

Next race: Lucas Oil 150, Nov. 13, Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.

On the Net: http://www.nascar.com

NHRA FULL THROTTLE

Next event: Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Nov. 12-15, Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Pomona, Calif.

Last week: Robert Hight closed in his first Funny Car season championship, beating Jack Beckman in Las Vegas for his third victory of the season. Hight has a 105-point lead over teammate Ashley Force Hood with one race left. Spencer Massey (Top Fuel), Larry Morgan (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won.

OTHER RACES

WORLD OF OUTLAWS: World of Outlaws World Finals, Sprint Car and Late Model, Thursday-Saturday (Speed, Saturday, 7-10 p.m.), The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C. On the Net: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com

U.S. AUTO RACING CLUB: Sprint Car: Budweiser Oval Nationals, Thursday-Saturday, Perris Auto Speedway, Perris, Calif. On the Net: http://www.usacracing.com