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Archive for July, 2010

If you have set your sights on a career in the automotive industry, you’ll want to set yourself up for success. Just about anybody with a mechanical inclination can bust tires; but if you want your career to go beyond an entry level tire tech or”lube guy” type of position, you will need an education from a good automotive repair school.

An automotive education proves to employers that you know your trade, making them feel more comfortable about taking a chance on you. It also qualifies you for higher-level openings in the automotive industry, such as mechanic or master mechanic positions, depending on your accompanying experience. Here are some ways to ensure that the automotive repair school you choose will make a good impression on your resume.

Verify the school’s reputation. If an automotive repair school has a good reputation among employers, you can bet there is a good reason for it. Most likely, the employers have hired graduates of the school’s programs, and have been duly impressed. Even if you don’t necessarily have the money or the desire to go to one of the nation’s top automotive schools, you can easily narrow down your list of potential schools by eliminating those with questionable reputations in the industry.

Research the school’s degree programs. Almost all automotive schools have an associate’s degree to help you get started in the automotive industry. This degree can usually be completed in a relatively short amount of time, allowing you to enter the field as soon as possible. In addition, many schools also have a master’s program to help ambitious students reach more esteemed positions, such as those of mechanic or master mechanic. In all cases, do your research and make sure the program genuinely teaches all of the knowledge and skills you will need to have in your chosen career.

Ensure that the school offers ASE certification. ASE Automotive Standards of Excellence certification is extremely important to members of the automotive industry. ASE certification lets your employer know which areas you can claim expert status in, as well as reassuring your customers that their cars are in good hands. Any automotive repair school that is worth its salt will gear its programs toward ASE certification. Some schools simply help you study for the tests, while others may offer testing at their location, making it easier for you to get certified.

Make sure the school offers internship or employment opportunities. The best way to enter the automotive industry is to hold a job in the field while you are in school. Working while in school gives you valuable on-the-job experience that will help you to get your first job as a program graduate. Most automotive schools have relationships with local garages, dealerships, auto parts stores, and other businesses in the industry, enabling you to easily find internships or part-time jobs while you are attending the school.

Find out what resources the school offers its students. Most automotive schools offer a variety of student resources. One of the most important resources to look for is job placement assistance. Ensure that the school has a good program for helping students or graduates prepare for their job search, doing tasks such as creating a winning resume, teaching interviewing skills, and providing automotive job listings.

Verify the cost of the program. Most people can’t ignore the price tag on the package, a good automotive repair school also has to be affordable. Research the cost of the program, and what the cost includes: for example, some schools will quote you one price for everything, while others list only the cost of the courses itself, leaving you to buy books, tools, and other necessities separately. Also, find out if the school provides any type of financial aid; many well-established schools can help qualified students get loans to afford their schooling.

What you do to prepare for your automotive career can literally affect the rest of your life. Attending a shoddy school can be almost as bad as getting no education at all. In your search for a good automotive repair school, you will need to look at more than just the degrees a school offers: you will also need to pay close attention to the educational program that you will undergo, the additional resources the school offers, the school’s reputation, and of course the cost of the program. As long as you take your time researching and choosing an automotive repair school, you should get off to a good start in your chosen career!

Horse is an important and valuable member of the mammalia. Among the earliest evidence of the importance of the horse to human culture are the unearthed wall paintings in the caves of Lascaux, in southern France, dating around 30,000 B.C. The horse first became useful in welfare sometimes before 1500 B.C. when Mesopotamian people began to use horses to pull their chariots. There is however a question rose by Canon Taylor in his Origin of the Aryans (p.161), whether the horse was at first used for drawing chariots or for riding. He, and William Ridgeway (Academy of 3rd January, 1891) says that, At first the horse was very small and incapable of carrying man and that it was after generations of domestication under careful feeding and breeding that the horse became of sufficient size to carry man on his back with ease. According to Max Muller, it appears from the Vedas that, in India, it was used both for chariot-driving and riding.

The thoroughbred racehorse, whose remote ancestor, Eohippus, was a small, hoofed quadruped about the size of a fox, is the most beautiful animal bred by man. By a careful process of selection through the race-course test over a period of two hundred and fifty years, a noble and courageous beast has been fashioned in the hands of skilled breeders, from an original blend of the imported, pure-bred Arabian, and so called Turkish or Barbary sires, and the English hybrid mares existing in Europe at the end of 17th century.

The earliest dates for horse-racing have not yet been confirmed. Such contests were however held in Babylonian, Syria and Egypt. Clay tablets excavated in Cappadocia in Asia Minor, written in 1400 B.C. reveal on the training of horses for racing. The four horse chariot races were introduced into Olympic Games of Greece in 23rd Olympiad, or about 664 B.C. It was 33rd Olympiad that the race for mounted horses was first introduced about 624 B.C., and the first race for saddled horses was held in the games of 564 B.C.

Horse-racing is derived from warfare, chariot racing, and the chase, and it is not without significance that, at the time of the Roman occupation of Britain, Queen Boadicea and her people, the tribe of the Iceni, lived on Newmarket Heath and that their gold and silver coins were stamped on the reverse side with the effigy of a horse. The earliest horse-race in England, of which a record still exists, took place at Netherby in Yorkshire in about A.D. 210 between Arabian steeds brought to Europe by the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus Alexander, who made special arrangements for the shelter and training of these delicate horses. In the reign of King Richard I, the horse race became a fashionable pastime for the barons and knights. It was not until the reign of King Henry VIII that the first race-course was officially established on the Roodee at Chester in 1540, and an annual prize first instituted, which took the form of a silver bell; and moreover this monarch did much to improve the royal studs and the breed of the horse in general throughout the country.

The Arabian is regarded as the oldest pure breed, but its exact origins remain unproven for lack of scientific evidence. Antique sculpture and ancient rock drawings depicting horses of Arabian appearance found in the Arabian peninsular, as well as wall inscriptions in Egypt, confirm that an Arabian type has existed in the Middle East for well over 3000 years. These Eastern or Oriental, horses are considered to be the taproot stock of all Southern hot-blooded equines, as opposed to the Northern cold-blooded.

As an old pure breed the Arabian is extremely prepotent, and for centuries has been used up-grade, with the result that there is hardly a breed of light horse that does not contain some Arab blood – the most outstanding breed to evolve from Arabian sources is the Thoroughbred. The foundation stock was an admixture of eastern mares and stallions, and Gallowavs and other British horses. Three phenomenal stallions -The Darley Arabian, The Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk – dominated Thoroughbred ancestry, and every Thoroughbred traces in the male line to just these three.

Originally most Arabians were nomadic. With a climate of extremes, scarcity of food, and the hard work expected of horses, it was a cast of survival of the fittest. In the days when the tribes were constantly at war or raids were a regular occurrence, the Arab relied on the speed and endurance of his mount for his very survival. Mares were used for forays against enemies, as stallions could not be relied upon to remain quiet, and the Arabian mare thus became a most treasured possession of their owner.

When fighting the rider carried a lance (which in some Northern tribes could be as much as 6 meters long) and the mare had to be extremely agile, able to stop dead in her stride, spin on her hocks, and dart off again. The mares were kept tethered in the Bedouin camps and sometimes shared a tent with their master. Centuries of living in close proximity with humans have endowed the Arabian with an exceptional ability to form strong companionships with people. It is probable that there were no horses in Arabia prior to the Christian era, and that they are direct descendants of the wild Libyan horse of North Africa, which was domesticated in Egypt. Ridgeway states the kings of Egypt had these horses 1500 years B.C., and they probably came to Arabia through Palestine between the 1st and 6th centuries.

According to Encyclopaedia Americana (14:391), Horses begin to appear in Arabia in the 1st century B.C., and by the time of (Prophet) Muhammad a distinct and unique type of Arabic horse had evolved. The Prophet used horses to great effect in the holy wars. They proved faster and more maneuverable than camels. It was the Prophet who directed that horses should be bred by the faithful, so that they would be better prepared to gallop out and spread the Faith of Islam. The order from the Prophet, enshrined in the Koran meant that horse breeding began to spread among the Bedouin and the true Arabian breed began. Historian Ibn Khallikan (3:476) writes that We know that in the 12000 Berber cavalry who disembarked in Spain under the command of Tariq bin Zihad, there were twelve Arabian horses. Hence the Arabian horses introduced into the West. Thus, Arab became the home of Englands Derby.

The common Arabic word for horse is faras, whether stallion (fahl) or mare; as a collective al-khayl. The word khayl for horse occurs five times in the Koran. The title and the first verse of Sura 79 (Those that Draw, al-naziat) and Sura 100 (The Runners, al-adiyat) are probably further references to horses. The title of Sura 37 (Those who Dress the Ranks, al-saffat), Sura 51 (Those that Scatter, al-dhariyat) and Sura 77 (Those that are Sent, al-mursalat) may also refer to them as well.

According to the Koran: By the adiyat that run panting, and those that strike fire dashing (100:1-2). Most of the commentators suggest the meaning of adiyat as panting horses on the authority of Ibn Abbas.

And (He created) horses and mules and asses for you to ride and as zinat (16:8). The Arabic word zina or zinat means ornament, amusement, or entertainment. Hence, the horses, mules and asses, in which horses are prominent; are meant not only for riding, but breeding and racing.

The tradition has it that the first to ride a horse was Prophet Ismael. Others again claim that the Arab horses are descended from those of Solomon. The latter inherited 1000 horses from David. It is said that the tribe of Azd once came to Solomon and asked for a present, he gave them one of the steeds, to which they gave the name zad al-rakib; from it are descended all the Arab horses.

An ancient race that came to prominence with the rise of Islam. They have bred closely guarded pure strains of hot blooded desert horses for centuries it is said an Arab can recite the pedigree of his favorite horses going back to 600 A.D. The best horses were never sold and never left Arabia. God is said to have created the horse out of the south wind, and some Arabian horse bear the Prophets thumb mark on their neck, where Mohammed was supposed to have touched them

Horse Racing (sibak al-khayl or ijra al-khayl) had been a major sport and a favorite pastime in pre-Islamic Arabia. It was a part of equitation (furusiyya), regarded as essential for military training and also as an object of entertainment for the people from all walks of life. During the Islamic period the breeding, maintenance and training of horses became one of the means of facilitating the prosecution of the holy war. The Prophet regarded horse-breeding as a meritorious calling, and assigned to it a share in the booty obtained on the battle field. This religious sanction fostered a competitive attitude amongst the breeders and encouraged the augmentation of the stock, which suffered considerable depletion in the course of the wars of that time. Cavalry was in fact to become an important factor in the military success of the Muslims.

Kunwar Muhammad Ashraf writes in Life and Conditions of the people of Hindustan (Karachi, 1978, p. 187) that, Horse-racing was just as popular. It had the additional advantage of the blessings of the Prophet who had prohibited other amusements and gambling in no uncertain terms, but was indulgent towards betting on horse-racing. A regular literature soon sprang up on the study of the habits, the foods, and the nourishment, the care and the training of horses, which does credit to the scientific methods of the age. It is quite reasonable to infer from these facts that the number of pedigree horses was quite large in the studs of the Sultans and the nobles. Special Arab horses were imported for racing purposes from Yamen, Oman, and Fars. Each animal is reported to have cost from one hundred to four thousand tankas.

It is therefore not surprising that a rich literature came into being which contained information on hippology, horse-breeding, the genealogies of horses and their various categories, on race-courses, horse-racing, farriery and equitation. No other animal evoked from the writers of the time so large a number of literary works, both in prose and in poetry. Ibn Nadim in his famous catalogue of Arabic books, compiled in 377/987, Kitab al-Fihrist (tr. by Bayard Dodge, London, 1970, pp. 80-213), mentions the following works on the horse and on matters relating to it: Kitab al-Khayl by Abu Ubaidah (d. 210/825), Kitab al-Khayl, Kitab khalq al-Faras and Kitab al-Sarj wal-lijam by Asmai (d. 213/828), Kitab al-Khayl by Ahmed bin Hatim (d. 231/846), Kitab khalq al-Faras by Ibrahim al-Zujaj (d. 310/914), Kitab khayl al-Kabir and Kitab khayl al-Saghir and Kitab al-Sarj wal-lijam by Ibn Durayd (d. 321/925), Kitab al-khayl and Kitab Nasab al-khayl by Mohammad bin Ziyad al-Arabi (d. 231/846), Kitab khalq al-Faras by Abi Thabit, Kitab khalq al-Khayl by Hisham bin Ibrahim al-Kirmani, Kitab khalq al-Faras by Kassim al-Anbari, Kitab al-khayl al-Sawabik by Khawlani, Kitab khalq al-Faras by Washsha (d. 325/930), Kitab al-khayl by Hisham al-Kalbi (d. 207/822), Kitab al-khayl wal-Rihan by Madaini (d. 215/830), Kitab al-Halaib wal-Rihan by Ahmed al-Khazzaz (d. 258/871), Kitab al-khayl bi Khatt Ibn al-Kufi by Mohammad bin Habib, Kitab al-Fursan by Abu Khalifa (d. 305/909), Kitab Sifat al-khayl wal Ardiya wa Asmaiha bin Makka wa ma Walaha by Abu al-Ashath, Kitab Akhbar al-Faras wa-Ansabuha by Abul Hasan al-Nassaba, Kitab al-khayl by Qadi al-Ashnai, Kitab al-khayl by Attabi, Kitab al-khayl by Utabi (d. 228/843), Kitab al-khayl al-Kabir by Ahmed bin Abi Tahir (d. 280/894) and Kitab Jamhara al-Ansab al-Faras by Ibn Khurdadhbih (d. 300/904). Masudi (d. 345/950) in his Muruj al-Dhahab (Paris, 1861, 4:24-5) refers a book, called al-Jalaib wal Halaib by Issa bin Lahia, a work which, according to him, included a detailed description of almost every race (halba) of pre-Islamic and Islamic periods.

In the Hidayah (2:432), it is said that horses are of four kinds: 1) Birzaun or Burzun (a heavy draught horse brought from foreign countries). 2) Atiq (a first blood horse of Arabia). 3) Hain (a half-bred horse whose mother is an Arab and father a foreigner), and 4) A half-bred horse whose father is an Arab and whose mother is a foreigner).

Long maydans (hippodromes) were set apart for this purpose in Arabia. According to Hilayat al-Fursan fi Shiar al-Shujan (Leiden, 1872, p. 142) by Ibn Hudhayl, Islam forbade gambling (maisar) but allowed the placing of wagers on archery (nasal), foot-racing (qadam) and horse-racing (hafir) The Egyptian scholar Isa bin Lahiah (d. 762) is already credited with a book entitled al-Jalaib wal Halaib in which he mentioned every race, where horses were run in pre-Islamic and Islamic times. The work of al-Asmai, Kitab al-khayl (ed. Haffner, Vienna, 1875) and Kitab al-Sarj of Abu Ubaidah are very rich to provide the relative informations.

According to Fadl al-khayl (p.389) by ad-Dimyati (1217-1306), Contrary to the hadith of the Prophet which permitted competitions with camel, horse and arrow (khuff, hafir, nasl), some people even contented that racing for stakes was permissible only for horses, as this was what the Arabs of old were accustomed to. We may also quote what ad-Dimyati has to say in the 5th chapter of his Fadl al-khayl that, Ibn Banin (1181-1263) has mentioned in his book that the Messenger of God raced horses with garments that had come to him from Yamen as stakes. He gave the winner (sabiq) three, the second horse (musalli) two, the third horse one, the fourth horse one dinar, the fifth horse one dhiram, and the sixth horse a rod (qasabah). He said: May God bless you and all of you, the winner (sabiq) and the loser (fiskil).

Abul Hasan Ahmad bin Yahya bin Jabir al-Baladhuri, Ibn Sad, al-Waqidi, Abd al Muhaymin bin Abbas bin Sahl bin Sad, his father (Abbas), his grandfather (Sahl), who said: (Once) when the Messenger of God raced horses, I was riding on his az-Zarib. He gave me a Yamenite cloak.

He (al-Baladhuri) said: I have been told by Muhammad bin Sad, al-Waqidi, Sulayman bin al-Harith, az-Zubayr bin al-Mundhir bin Abi Usayd, who said: Abu Usayd as-Saidi raced on the Prophets horse Lizaz, and he gave him a Yemenite garment.

Al- Khuttali reports in his book a tradition of Ibn Lahiah, Bakr bin Amr, Ibrahim bin Muslim, Abu Alqamah, the client of the Banu Hashim (stating) that the Messenger of God had ordered the horses to be raced, and he put up as prizes for them (sabbaqaha) three bunches of dates from three palm trees. He gave one bunch to the winner, one to the second horse, and one to the third horse. They were fresh dates. (vide Fadl al-Khayl by ad-Dimyati)

According to Dar-Qutni (2:552), Sanjah was another horse the Prophet used to ride on. Once it was made to have a race. It won and the Prophet was much delig

Amazing driving, this is the last 3 laps, of the French Grand Prix, the Renault (yellow car) is attempting to take the lead of the Ferrari, but it’s not what the driver of the Ferrari (Gilles Villeneuve) this drivers were not going to back down, and hit wheels an incredible 6 times, and kept fighting.

David Reutimann pulled off the win at Chicagoland for Michael Waltrip Racing. It was the second one, unlike the first was which the result of a rain-shortened race. This time he roared into the lead around Jeff Gordon earning himself a decisive win without any excuses.

The fact that Jimmie Johnson didn’t do very well in the Windy City (a 25th place finish) tightens things up in the Cup Series. As of last Sunday, Kevin Harvick still leads the point tally with Jeff Gordon next and JJ in third.

Tim Hessert won the ARCA race, while Austin Dillon took the NASCAR Truck event at Iowa. Todd Bodine is on top of the points in that series. Elsewhere, Mark Weber won the F1 race at Silverstone in the UK. Sebastian Loeb won the Rally of Bulgaria.

The return of the No. 3 with an Earnhardt on board, coupled with the debut of the Nationwide Series CoT, proved to be a boost for sagging TV ratings. Friday night’s race at Daytona registered a 1.9 rating, a 27 percent increase in viewership over 2009. The event was the highest-rated Nationwide Series race broadcast on ESPN as well as the most-viewed race in that series since Las Vegas this February (as broadcast on ESPN2).

The increase in TV ratings as the Nationwide Series took its first steps in converting to its next generation race car undoubtedly was largely in response to Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s much-hyped return to the No. 3 car that his father made famous at Daytona and across the NASCAR circuit. This came from ESPN.

TNT enjoyed its first increase for a Sprint Cup telecast this year as it earned a 3.6 national rating and 6.127 million viewers for its coverage of the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday night from Daytona International Speedway. Despite starting more than 90 minutes late because of rain, coverage of the race saw a 16.1 percent increase in ratings and viewership from the race last year. The 2009 race was held on July 4, while the race this year was on the third.

This years race featured TNTs wide open format that featured only full-screen local commercial breaks. All national advertising was shown in one part of the screen while race coverage continued on the remainder of the screen. According to the SportsBusiness Daily, it was the networks best rating since the July 2008 race at Daytona, which earned a 3.8 rating and attracted 6.39 million viewers. This came from InsiderRacingNews.com and StockCarGazette.com.

International Speedway Corporation has seen ticket revenue drop 18.9 percent for its events through May and expects ticket revenues to be down as much as 15 percent in all of 2010. In reporting its financials for the first six months of 2010, ISC reported admissions revenue down from $91.5 million to $74.2 million. That primarily is from the NASCAR weekends at Daytona (in February), Auto Club Speedway, Martinsville, Phoenix, Talladega, Richmond and Darlington. Overall capacity has dropped from mid-90 percent a few years ago to 80-81 percent,

ISC President John Saunders and ISC Chief Financial Officer Dan Houser acknowledged this during a conference call with financial analysts. Customers continue to purchase tickets much closer to the event than in the past as they wait to make sure they have the financial means to attend and with the knowledge races wont be sold out. According to Saunders, ISCs average ticket price was reduced 4-6 percent for 2010. This came from InsiderRacingNews.com and StockCarGazette.com.

Formula One is currently in discussions to host a Grand Prix event in South Africa in around three years time, according to the sport’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
Ecclestone has pursued a relentless expansion program in recent years, concentrating primarily on countries where tobacco advertising is not banned. India is scheduled to stage its first Grand Prix in 2011, with the United States returning to the calendar in 2012.
Africa is another continent where we should be, Ecclestone told BBC Radio 5 live’s Sportsweek’s program. We have been talking to the people in South Africa for quite a long time off and on. The chances are OK. It’s a case of getting the right venue always.” He went on to say, We’ve been talking to the people in Cape Town. There are one or two places where it could happen and are coming on quite strong. We’re talking about building a circuit. It’s probably about three years away. I’ve been hoping that for five years. Hopefully, what the World Cup has done for Africa, people will think it will be good for Formula One to be there.

Ecclestone said, however that getting a foothold in Russia was more important at the present time. Two years ago, Ecclestone met the governor of St. Petersburg to discuss the possible building of a new circuit on the outskirts of the city after a previous plan to stage a race in Moscow came to nothing. This came from SportsBusinessInternational.

The Speed Report on that channel stated that there will be changes to the Sprint Cup schedule in 2011. Atlanta, Fontana and NHMS will all lose a Cup race. Among those gaining a Cup race are Kansas, Kentucky and Vegas. Based on the criteria that’s used by the principals who make these major decisions, ticket sales were one of the big factors. It was no secret that Atlanta and Fontana had major ticket sale problems. Ticket sales were also down at NHMS for the late June event. NHMS announced that 91,000 were in attendance, while NHMS’ capacity is just over 100,000. That comes out to nine percent.

In addition, NHMS management had a problem with excessive public safety costs and threatened to move a NASCAR weekend if it couldn’t be resolved. The present relationship between NHMS management and local government/public safety officials has been less than friendly, according to published reports in the Concord (NH) Monitor.

We found THE WEEKEND STARTS ON WEDNESDAY-TRUE STORIES OF REMARKABLE NASCAR FANS by Andrew Giangola to be a very enjoyable and enlightening read. We knew that NASCAR fans came from all walks of life, and we had heard that there were NASCAR fanatics, but after reading the book, we can really believe it. Some of these fans eat, sleep and drink NASCAR. Giangola spent much time interviewing folks, especially in the infields of NASCAR’s coast-to-coast venues. It’s great reading with some surprising insights into what makes NASCAR fans tick.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series will race in prime time at the Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis on Saturday night, July 17. ESPN2 will have a live telecast in high definition. NASCAR Countdown airs at 7 p.m. ET, while the race telecast starts at 8 p.m. with the green flying at 8:15 p.m. ESPN2 is the home of the series all season with selected races airing over ESPN and ABC.

Also from Gateway, ESPN2 will air coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Dave Burns will be the lap-by-lap announcer, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and former Sprint Cup race winner Ricky Craven. Pit reporters will be Mike Massaro, Dr. Jerry Punch and Shannon Spake while reports from two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer will originate from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.

The panel on NASCAR Nows weekly roundtable discussion program will take on a different look on Monday, July 19, at 5 p.m. ET as three journalists who regularly cover NASCAR racing sit down with host Mike Massaro. NASCAR Now is ESPN2s daily NASCAR news and information program.

Nate Ryan, motorsports writer for USA Today, will join Bob Pockrass, writer for SceneDaily.com and ESPN.com NASCAR writer David Newton as they discuss and debate the latest NASCAR news in the week leading to the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the kickoff to ESPNs coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the final 17 races of the season.

Half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now air Tuesday and Wednesday of this week at 5 p.m. and Friday at midnight (late Thursday night) with Ryan Burr hosting.

NASCAR Now is hosted by Mike Massaro, Nicole Briscoe, Allen Bestwick and Shannon Spake and originates from ESPNs high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include reporters Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, and Ricky Craven, ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton and ESPN the Magazine senior writer Ryan McGee. The NASCAR on ESPN team event coverage team of Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Marty Reid, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, and Vince Welch also make frequent contributions to NASCAR Now.

With ESPN set to kick off its coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a live telecast of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25, ESPN Classic is helping NASCAR fans get ready for the big event by re-airing some previous editions of the Brickyard 400.

Highlights of the 1998 Brickyard 400 from Indianapolis will air on ESPN Classic on Monday, July 19, at 2 p.m. ET.

NASCAR fans can enjoy a Brickyard Marathon on ESPN Classic starting on Friday night, July 23, and running through the night. The 1995 edition opens the marathon at 8 p.m., followed at 10 p.m. by the 2008 race. Highlights from the 2009 and 2007 races follow, with the inaugural Brickyard 400 from 1994 airing at 4 a.m. on Saturday, July 24.

The IZOD IndyCar Series goes north of the border to Canadas largest city this weekend with its annual race on the Toronto street racing circuit at Exhibition Place. ABC will have a live telecast of the race on Sunday, July 18, at 12:30 p.m. ET. Marty Reid will call the action on the telecast with analysis from former IndyCar star Scott Goodyear. Reporting from the pits will be Rick DeBruhl, Jamie Little and Vince Welch, The event is the final of five races in the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season to be produced by ESPN and air on ABC.

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues its annual Western Swing this weekend with the Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., and ESPN2 will air highlights of qualifying and eliminations. Qualifying action airs Saturday, July 17, at 11 p.m. ET, and coverage of eliminations airs Sunday at 6 p.m.

In the heart of Northern Californias high-tech region, the facility annually plays host to some of the tours most dramatic moments. A $70 million modernization project was completed in 2002 that included a new 660-foot concrete launchpad and led to scores of new track records. The event is usually blessed with pleasant weather that, combined with a quality racetrack, has yielded impressive performances, such as the sports second six-second Pro Stock Motorcycle pass in 2005. This year, the event is the middle leg of the Western Swing.

Paul Page anchors ESPN2s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn host NHRA RaceDay presented by Lucas Oil on Sunday at 1 p.m. to set the stage for that days eliminations action.

Also this weekend, ESPN2 airs highlights of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Pacific Raceways near Seattle on Saturday, July 17, at 6 p.m.

Here’s what else is happening this weekend. The Legends Million goes off at Charlotte, AMA Superbikes are at Mid-Ohio, the FIM MotoGP will be in Germany, Australian V8 Supercars perform in Queensland and the Grand-AM moves to NJ Motorsports Park. Check RaceFanTV.com for all of the times and details. (END)

NOTE: INFORMATION FOR THIS COLUMN CAME FROM VARIOUS REFERENCED SOURCES AND PRESS RELEASES.

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