Allstate 400

at the Brickyard

Site: Indianapolis

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 10 a.m.); Sunday, race (ESPN, 1 p.m.).

Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (rectangular oval, 2.5 miles, 9 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 400 miles, 160 laps.

Last race: Tony Stewart won at Chicagoland Speedway on July 15, breaking a 20-race winless streak that dated to last season and turning around what had otherwise been a tumultuous week for the two-time series champion.

The win came a day after a brief but intense lecture from Joe Gibbs about his rift with teammate Denny Hamlin.

Last year: Jimmie Johnson pulled off a gritty win at Indianapolis, battling back from an early tire problem to take the lead, only to see it evaporate when a late debris caution bunched up the field. It dropped him from first to eighth and forced him to slice his way to the front in the final 14 laps. But he did it with ease and pulled away for his second major victory of 2006.

Fast facts: After 19 of 36 races this season, Jeff Gordon has four wins -- tied with teammate Johnson for the most in the series -- 12 top fives, 17 top 10s and has been leading the points since Bristol, the fifth race of the season. ... Ginn Racing has replaced Sterling Marlin in its No. 14 Chevrolet with 23-year-old rookie Regan Smith, and released veteran Joe Nemechek.

Hendrick cars have been shut out of victory lane for the past five races after taking 10 of the first 14. ... Matt Kenseth has four top-five finishes in seven career starts at Indianapolis, but no victories. ... Thirteen different drivers have won this season.

Next race: Pennsylvania 500, Aug. 5, Long Pond, Pa.

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