John Graham News

Mike Helton, president of NASCAR walks through the garages during a rain shower prior to the Sprint Cup series auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Saturday, July 5, 2014.

The Chase math is shrinking, getting skinny for those winless teams seeking a precious win to catapult their efforts this year.

"I love driving race cars, I love driving next to sharks more dangerous than these," said Brendan Gaughn as he was in the middle of the shark tank at the Tennessee Aquarium.

THOSE ATTENDING Sunday's Pocono IndyCar 500 witnessed the fastest Indy-car race ever: The average speed was 202.402 mph.

Coke Zero 400 Aric Almirola celebrates in the rain in Victory Lane after winning the rain-shortened Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach on Sunday, July 6, 2014.

The Camping World Truck Series teams up with the Verizon IndyCar Series for this weekend's action at Iowa Speedway , with the Trucks headlining on Friday night in the American Ethanol 200.

It came during a dinner Tuesday night when he finally saw car owner Richard Petty, whose famed No.

Aric Almirola was the surprise winner Sunday at Daytona International Speedway and now it appears he will make the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the first time in his career.

Schedule: Friday, practice , qualifying ; Saturday, practice ; Sunday, race, 1 p.m. .

Round 4 of the AMA Pro Road Racing series from the FIM Superbike World Championship, Geico Motorcycle U.S. Round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will not be available for live broadcast on FansChoice.tv or post-race viewing.

No stranger to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where he has won three times in K&N Pro Series East races in 2008 and 2009, Eddie MacDonald says his familiarity with the 1.058-mile oval in Loudon, N.H., will help him feel at home when he makes NASCAR Sprint Cup debut in Sunday's Camping World RV Sales 301.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon before last weekend's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

K. Busch 1, Wallace Jr 2-35, K. Busch 36-50, Sauter 51-53, K. Busch 1, Wallace Jr 2-35, K. Busch 36-50, Sauter 51-53, Keselowski 54-58, K. Busch 59-78, Keselowski 79-95, K. Busch 96-150.

In just a few days the voting will close for the ESPN ESPYs, the ultimate sports/entertainment awards.

Gilliland 1-4, Kenseth 5-16, Stewart 17-19, Ragan 20-24, Bowyer Gilliland 1-4, Kenseth 5-16, Stewart 17-19, Ragan 20-24, Bowyer 25, Mears 26, Ragan 27-28, Sorenson 29-32, Cassill 33-34, Gilliland 35, Cassill 36-38, McMurray 39-41, Annett 42-43, McMurray 44-51, Biffle 52-59, Ku.

Verizon IndyCar Series drivers Simon Pagenaud and Mikhail Aleshin arrived at the Pocono Raceway with smiles on their faces after finishing one-two in Houston a week ago.

During Sunday's extended rain delay, with his No. 43 Ford sitting first in a severely depleted field, Aric Almirola said he resorted to some "hard-core praying."

As the IndyCar crews loaded up the haulers late Sunday afternoon at Pocono Raceway, the big question was whether they would be unloading them next year at the track.

Here they come. NASCAR's Sprint Cup stars wrapped up their rain-delayed Fourth of July weekend stay in Daytona with a rain-shortened and topsy-turvy Coke Zero 400 on Sunday: Next stop Loudon.

Daytona 500 champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. is driving as well as he ever has in making his best case to win a first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.