El Cajon's Austin Cameron ranks sixth in NASCAR's Camping World West point standings going into Saturday's Pipe Careers 200 at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale.

But Cameron is the favorite to win the race.

Cameron has a record five wins in 15 Camping World starts at Irwindale, including a victory in the inaugural Toyota All-Star Showdown in 2003.

“It's a great facility and it really provides for the type of racing I like to do,” Cameron, 31, said of the half-mile oval. “It's basically my home track. It caters to my personality and driving style. It's fast, it's on the edge.

“It just might be the confidence that I have at Irwindale. I feel confident when I go to that place. I have no issues with whether or not I'm going to figure out which racing line is going to be the best. I've just got to make sure I have the right setup.

“There's really a fine line between going fast and going slow at that place. To really go fast, you've rally got to have the car right on the edge of being loose and being tight. And you've also got to be able to run down low, run down the middle and run up high.

“Your car has to work in all the different areas and for 150 to 200 laps.”

Cameron finished third Saturday in the Camping World West race on the three-mile road course at Toole, Utah. Ramona's Johnny Borneman was 17th and now ranks eighth in the standings topped by Eric Holmes.

Winners' circle

Last weekend was all about numbers of victories in the nation's major racing series.

Start with Kyle Busch, who became the first driver in NASCAR history to win three road-course races in the same season. He won the Sprint Cup races at Infineon Raceway (June) and Watkins Glen (Sunday) and the Nationwide Series race in Mexico in April. Plus, Busch has 16 wins on the season (eight in the Sprint Cup Series, six in the Nationwide and two in Craftsman Trucks).

Then there's Scott Dixon, who won his record-equaling sixth IndyCar Series race of the season Saturday at Kentucky Speedway, tying Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dan Wheldon (six wins in 2005).

Dixon claimed the race when Helio Castroneves ran out of fuel on the final lap. Castroneves finished second for the seventh time this season – and for the third time to Dixon.

And Tony Schumacher scored his fourth straight Top Fuel victory of the National Hot Rod Racing Association on Sunday at Brainerd, Minn. The victory was Schumacher's ninth of the season and the 50th of his career – leaving him two shy of Joe Amato's NHRA Top Fuel record.

Also, Tony Pedregon scored his fourth Funny Car victory of the season and his 40th career victory.

Said sad

After rain again washed out his hopes – for the third time in four years – of qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race on the road course at Watkins Glen, N.Y., Boris Said was given the chance to drive Kyle Petty's car in Sunday's race.

Said was hoping for a top-10 finish but wound up 24th.

“It's tough getting into someone else's car,” said Said. “It's a little uncomfortable without any real practice. You just don't drive it like you drive a car you own. At least I didn't.

“I was about half the Boris Said I usually am. I drove a conservative race and brought them home a consistent finish with some points. If it were my car, I definitely would have been more aggressive.”

Kanaan re-ups

Tony Kanaan stopped rumors that he might be headed to Chip Ganassi Racing when he re-signed a contract with Andretti Green Racing that keeps the Brazilian with the team through the 2013 season.

Kanaan, 33, won the Indy Racing League title in 2004 and has 13 wins in 95 career starts.

Antinucci pads lead

San Diego resident Richard Antinucci finished fourth in the Indy Lights race at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday and leads the season points race by four over Raphael Matos.

Miscellaneous

Santee's Darren Amidon got his seventh Legends Car victory of the season Saturday at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino.

The Indianapolis 500 will remain on ABC through 2013 as part of a new contract between the IndyCar Series and ABC/ESPN.

CHECKERED FLAGS

Marcos Ambrose: Australian finishes third after starting last in the Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen on Sunday, one day after scoring his first NASCAR victory in the Nationwide Series race on the famed road course.

Scott Speed: Former Red Bull Formula One driver earns his fourth ARCA victory of the season to pad his points lead.

Keith Jones: De Ferran Motorsports crewman burned July 19 in a pit fire during the American Le Mans Series race at Mid-Ohio is released from burn center.

SCHEDULE

TOMORROW

NASCAR Sprint Cup: Qualifying, 3M Performance 400, Brooklyn, Mich. (2-mile, D-shaped oval; Speed Channel, 3:30 p.m.).

Barona 1/8-Mile Drag Strip: Gambler Grudge, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY

NASCAR Nationwide Series: Carfax 250, Brooklyn, Mich. (125 laps; ESPN2, 12:30 p.m.) – Marcos Ambrose defeated Kyle Busch on the road course at Watkins Glen, N.Y., last week to become the first Australian driver to win a NASCAR race. Ambrose took the lead when Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Burton ran out of gas with four laps to go. Denny Hamlin is the defending race champion.

Barona Speedway: Street, factory and pony stocks; IMCA Modifieds, 600cc mini-sprints, Dwarf Cars. Practice and qualifying, 2 p.m.; racing, 5 p.m.

Championship Off-Road Racing: Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, Pomona, noon.

SUNDAY

NASCAR Sprint Cup: 3M Performance 400, Brooklyn, Mich. (200 laps; ESPN, 11 a.m.) – Kurt Busch held off Martin Truex Jr. over the final laps to win last year's race. Kyle Busch became the first driver to clinch a spot in the Chase for the Championship playoffs with his eighth Sprint Cup win of the season at Watkins Glen last Sunday. Matt Kenseth moved into the 12th and last position in the Chase standings with a 12th at Watkins Glen. He leads Clint Bowyer by 22 points. Former Craftsman Truck Series champion Mike Skinner is replacing Michael McDowell in the Toyota fielded by Michael Waltrip Racing for the next three races.

NHRA Drag Racing: Toyo Tires Nationals, Reading, Pa. Tony Schumacher has reached the finals in nine of the last 11 Top Fuel events and hasn't lost a race since June. He has won four straight events and has nine wins on the season. Carlsbad's Ron Capps is in eighth in the Funny Car standings with two events remaining before the field is pared to the top 10 for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Barona 1/8-Mile Drag Strip: Renegade Bracket Drags, 10 a.m.

Championship Off-Road Racing: Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, Pomona, noon.

WEDNESDAY

NASCAR Craftsman Trucks: O'Reilly 200, Bristol, Tenn. (200 laps, .533-mile oval; Speed Channel, 5 p.m.) – Johnny Benson is coming off his third straight win, becoming only the fifth driver in series history to win three straight events. Benson, who is also the defending champion of this race, has won four of the past five truck races and leads the standings by 45 points over Ron Hornaday with 10 races to go. Jimmie Johnson is to drive NFL star Randy Moss' truck in this race.

RACING NUMBERS

4 – San Diego County drivers who competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen on Saturday (Jimmie Johnson, Boris Said, Brian Simo and Brandon Whitt).

14 – Team-record wins by Chip Ganassi Racing this season, eight in the IndyCar Series (Scott Dixon six, Dan Wheldon two) and six in the Grand-Am Rolex Series (Scott Pruett and Meme Rojas).