=== This Week in Auto Racing April 20 - April 23 ===

by Steve Schwarz, Motorsports Editor

Philadelphia, PA (Best E Casino) - NASCAR Nextel Cup returns to the track in Arizona after a rare weekend off. Meanwhile IndyCars travels to Japan and the home of engine manufacturer Honda and Formula One makes its first appearance in Europe at the famed Imola circuit.

NASCAR

Nextel Cup

Subway Fresh 500 - Phoenix International Raceway - Phoenix, AZ

After a week to recharge their batteries and in some cases make roster changes (Roush Racing crew chief changes on No.26 and No.99), Nextel Cup gets back on the track at the one-mile oval in Phoenix, Arizona this Saturday night.

While Jimmie Johnson maintained the series lead, four drivers (Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin and defending series champion Tony Stewart) are within 100 points through the first seven events.

In two of the last three races, Johnson has finished outside the top-10 to allow the competition to close the gap.

Kenseth has used four top-three finishes in the last six events and is just 15 points behind the No.48 Hendrick Motorsports driver.

Kahne joined Johnson as the only multiple winners in the series this season after his second victory in the Samsung/Radio Shack 500 on April 9th.

"We made some great adjustments," said Kahne. "The final run was the best the car had been all day."

Martin has been the quiet man, no victories, but finishing all seven races in the top-13 to tie Kahne for third place just 46 points behind Johnson.

And after another slow start to his season, Stewart has become a force with his win in Martinsville and a third-place showing at the Texas Motor Speedway. In 2005, after seven events and just three top-10s, Stewart was in 11th place overall, 393 points behind Johnson.

Stewart has a good history on Phoenix's one-mile oval with a win and five top-10s in eight starts.

"When we come out to Phoenix two times a year, it's like a homecoming each time," said Stewart on his website. "It's a place where I feel comfortable. I know every inch of that race track. I've driven six different types of cars there (Silver Crown, USAC Midgets, IndyCars, Supermodifieds, Busch, Nextel Cup), and between all those cars I've run at least five different lines. I feel like I know it better than most of the other folks who've just run stock cars there."

The Busch brothers dominated at Phoenix last year, Kurt holding off Michael Waltrip in the spring race and Kyle Busch winning the fall event. Kyle Busch's 4.5 average finish in two Phoenix events is the best of all drivers. Kurt Busch's four straight top-10 finishes at PIR is the longest current streak there.

Another driver who loves PIR is Jeff Burton who won the race in back-to-back years (2000,2001). He has finished in the top-15 in each of his last 10 starts at PIR.

Also watch out for the No.29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driven by Kevin Harvick. The winner of the Busch race last weekend at the Nashville Superspeedway, Harvick has climbed from 23rd to ninth in the standings over the last three weeks.

Qualifying at PIR does not seem that big a factor in winning the race. In 19 Nextel Cup events no driver has won from the pole and just seven events (36.8%) were won by top-10 starters.

The first night race of the 2006 Nextel Cup season will begin Saturday at 8:25 p.m. (et).

Busch

Bashas' Supermarket 200 - Phoenix International Raceway - Phoenix, AZ

Kevin Harvick and his band of merry "Buschwhackers" continue to dominate the Busch Series.

Harvick's win last week at the Nashville Superspeedway was the 11th consecutive Busch win for a current full-time Nextel Cup driver. The last win by a full-time Busch Series only driver was by Clint Bowyer (now a Nextel Cup rookie) in the Sam's Town 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park last October.

In the 11 races since then, only Nextel Cup drivers have made the additional left-hand turn into Victory Lane. More to the point, 73 of the last 110 top-10 finishers in the Busch Series have been Nextel Cup regulars.

At Nashville, Jon Wood (sixth) was the highest ranked Busch driver, though rookie Burney Lamar, Kenny Wallace and Paul Menard also finished in the top-10.

Last year's Bashas' Supermarket 200 was won by Greg Biffle who started 20th on the grid. Biffle recovered from an early race spin and beat Elliott Sadler to the checkered flag. It was Biffle's second Busch Series win at PIR. He is the Busch Series leader in leader in wins (two), laps led (409), top-fives (five) and average finish (4.1).

Interestingly, there have been 10 different winners in the last 10 Busch events. The series record is 13 consecutive different winners which occurred at the start of the 1988 season.

Veteran Jason Keller, who had started every Phoenix race, and Chris Wimmer are out as drivers for their respective Busch Series teams beginning this week in Phoenix.

Phoenix Racing said on Monday that Keller would be replaced by Mike Wallace in the No.1 Miccosukee Resort Dodge. Keller was scheduled to make his 400th career start this weekend. His 399 Busch starts are second all-time to Tommy Houston (417).

Wimmer and Keith Coleman Racing have mutually parted ways also effective Monday.

"I wish things would have worked out differently between Keith Coleman Racing and me," Wimmer said. "Sometimes, a fresh start is what both the driver and the team needs. I wish them the best of luck as they continue their season and I am looking forward to see what other opportunities may arise for me."

The race is scheduled for Friday night.

INDYCARS

Indy Japan 300 - Twin Ring Motegi - Motegi, Japan

The IndyCar Series travels to Japan for the final tune-up before the 2006 Indianapolis 500.

So far the season has stuck pretty much to the script with defending series champion Dan Wheldon winning the season opener at Homestead and Helio Castroneves taking the victory on the streets of St. Petersburg.

The Brazilian's win and second-place finish in the first two events gives him a 23-point lead over Scott Dixon (two top-fives). Wheldon, who crashed at St. Pete is third overall.

But the Japan Indy 300 is a good place for Wheldon and the No.10 Target Chip Ganassi team to return to the top of the charts.

Wheldon, while driving for Andretti/Green Racing, won the last two races at the 1.5-mile, Twin Ring Motegi oval. The Englishman won his first IndyCar race in 2004 in dominating fashion leading 192 of 200 laps. In 2005, he didn't lead until lap 123 and made the winning move on lap 198 when Tomas Scheckter ran out of fuel on the frontstretch.

The victory was Wheldon's third of the season, in four starts, and propelled him to the championship.

Dixon, Wheldon's teammate at Ganassi and 2003 IndyCar champion, has started off the season with a fifth and a second-place finish. Castroneves' Penske Racing teammate Sam Hornish Jr. is fourth overall.

Noticeably missing from the top-five are any of the Andretti/Green Racing drivers - Tony Kanaan, Bryan Herta, Dario Franchitti and Marco Andretti. Winners of the last two titles, AGR has started off slowly in 2006. Through the first two events the team has earned just two top-10s. Last year after two races, AGR had collected six top-10s (including one win) out of a possible eight.

"I think we definitely have a competitive car, but trying to keep up with those guys made it a very hard day. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough," said Kanaan after the race at St. Pete.

While Kanaan doesn't seem very confident, Castroneves' confidence is sky high.

"Its an interesting feeling with a Honda engine," said Castroneves. "Last time we were here (2005 Penske Racing used a Toyota powerplant) we were off in power and now you can feel it."

Watch for another Castroneves win this week.

FORMULA ONE

Gran Premio Foster's di San Marino - Autodromo Enzo E Dino Ferrari - Imola, Italy

After traveling from Bahrain to Kuala Lumpur to Brazil, the Formula One Series finally begins its European swing with a race on the famed Imola Circuit.

Defending series champion Fernando Alonso has come through the "fly away" portion with a stunning 28 points out of a possible 30. His 14-point lead over teammate Giancarlo Fisichella and McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen after just three races bodes well for his title defense, but not for the competition.

"Yes, a fantastic start," said Alonso. "The R26 performed really well, we had no mechanical problems, and it is always important to score a lot of points at the start of the year. We know Renault is the team to beat at the moment, the reference. I am really happy with our position, and very confident for the coming races."

McLaren and drivers Raikkonen (22nd at Malaysia) and Juan Montoya (14th at Australia) have each thrown in a "clunker" and are already in trouble.

Ferrari and Honda are more competitive than in 2005 but are still a level below the top-two teams.

"This is the start to the world championship for us," said a surprisingly confident Michael Schumacher.

Ferrari claims to have worked out their early-season engine problems and confirmed that they will debut a new aero and rear suspension package this weekend.

Honda also has made changes in the three weeks since Australia.

"We are introducing a more powerful spec for the start of the European season," said the team's Japanese Engineering Director, Shuhei Nakamoto.

Still, it is unlikely that either Ferrari or Honda will be able to keep pace with Renault.

Imola is the site of one of Alonso's most famous wins - a head-to-head battle with Schumacher in 2005.

"It became maybe the most talked-about win of my career so far I think," said Alonso. "For me, it was a win like the others - a special achievement. But when you are fighting with Michael, then I think the media talk about it in a special way, and make it something bigger."

The seven-time champion Schumacher started 13th after going off-course at the Rivazza corner in the second qualifying session. He was in third place, but 31.6 seconds behind leader Alonso after returning to the track following his first pit stop.

Despite a full fuel load, Schumacher began posting times 1.5 - 1.8 seconds faster than both Alonso and second-place Jenson Button. By lap 40 of a scheduled 62, Schumacher had closed to within 2.8 seconds of Button for second place.

While Alonso made his final stop, Schumacher moved in on Button and passed him as the drivers were approaching traffic. That put the Ferrari in the lead and the crowd went crazy. But the No.1 Ferrari still had to make one more stop and Schumacher needed to expand his lead to more than 20 seconds if he wanted to stay the leader after his pit stop.

On lap 48 he set another fastest lap of the day and built the lead to 14.5 seconds, but he was running out of fuel and had to pit. He re-entered in second place behind Alonso with 13 laps remaining.

Schumacher again charged to within 0.3 second of Alonso and had a faster car, but the tight, twisting 3.065-mile road course has only a few passing opportunities. Schumacher kept trying to find an opening or force an Alonso mistake but none was forthcoming and Schumacher finished second.

Hopefully we can see another exciting head-to-head battle like that this Sunday.