The next great team in drag racing might be based in Qatar.

Alan Johnson, one of the top crew chiefs in National Hot Rod Association history, will be leaving Tony Schumacher's near-unbeatable Top Fuel team at the end of this season to build a two-car team for Qatar-based Al-Anabi Racing.

The team, led by Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani, is hoping to promote motorsports in the Middle East nation. Al-Anabi Racing is also putting the final touches on a state-of-the-art drag strip in Qatar. The track is to open in December.

Johnson has prepared Top Fuel cars for seven Top Fuel champions with 76 event wins. No drivers have been announced for the new team, which will field drivers in the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes.

“This is an exciting opportunity,” said Johnson. “We look forward to our relationship with Al-Anabi Racing and the people of Qatar.

“It's widely known that my goal for quite some time has been to become a team owner again. This is my best opportunity to achieve that goal.”

Johnson came into drag racing owning a team with his brother Blaine driving. Blaine, now deceased, and Alan Johnson won four Top Alcohol championships before moving to the premier Top Fuel division.

Johnson last week helped Schumacher to a record-setting weekend during the 54th U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Schumacher set NHRA records for consecutive wins (six) and wins in a season (11), and tied Joe Amato for the lead in all-time Top Fuel wins with 52. Schumacher won the U.S. Nationals for the third straight year and seventh time overall.

“We want people to remember this as one of the greatest teams ever,” said Schumacher, who appears headed to a record sixth Top Fuel championship (both he and Amato have five).

Schumacher defeated Doug Kalitta in the finals. Robert Hight won the Funny Car title and Dave Connolly won the Pro Stock title.

In Funny Cars, the big news was who didn't make the field. Neither 14-time Funny Car champion John Force nor four-time NHRA champion Gary Scelzi qualified for the eliminations.

Antinucci has shot

San Diego resident Richard Antinucci will attempt to win the Indy Racing League's Indy Lights championship Saturday in the season finale at Chicagoland Speedway.

Antinucci, 27, has two wins and nine top-five finishes this season and trails Raphael Matos by four points going into the last race. Antinucci and Matos have swapped the points lead throughout the season.

“It's almost a fair crack at it,” said Antinucci of the showdown on the 1 1/2-mile oval. “We're coming in with momentum because we've run pretty well on the superspeedways. We need to get two cars between us and Matos. Hopefully, we'll be good enough.”

Stewart, Villopoto triumph

Kawasaki riders James Stewart and Ryan Villopoto have won the AMA Nationals Motocross championships for 2008.

Stewart won every heat to post a perfect score in all 12 events to win the featured title by the margin of 3 1/2 events over Kawasaki teammate Tim Ferry. Honda's Andrew Short was third in the final standings, Suzuki's Michael Byrne fourth.

Stewart, Ferry and Yamaha's Broc Hepler ran 1-2-3, respectively, in both of the final two rounds at Delmont, Pa., on Saturday.

In the Motocross Lites final standings, Villopoto won the title by 72 points over Delmont winner Ryan Dungey (Suzuki).

Miscellany

Penske Racing has named David Stremme to replace Ryan Newman on its NASCAR Sprint Cup team next year. Newman is leaving to join Tony Stewart's new team.

CHECKERED FLAGS

Jimmie Johnson: His winning run at Fontana was as dominant a performance as you are likely to see in NASCAR. Not so much for the laps he led as how quickly he ran down the cars in front of him when he didn't lead.

James Stewart: Completes sweep of AMA Nationals Motocross season, winning all 24 heats to tie Ricky Carmichael's record for perfection.

RED FLAGS

Auto Club Speedway: Yes, it was hot again, but not that hot. The empty seats (both last week and in February, when it rained) must have NASCAR officials concerned about the decision to run two races a year at Fontana. The real test will come in 2009 when the second race, in October, is part of the Chase for the Championship.

Indy Racing League: Removing Helio Castroneves from the lead last week for blocking Justin Wilson was an iffy call, especially with the IndyCar Series title on the line.

SCHEDULE

Tomorrow

NASCAR Nationwide Series: Emerson Radio 250, Richmond, Va. (250 laps, .75-mile tri-oval; ESPN2, 4:30 p.m.) – Kyle Busch scored his seventh win of the season Saturday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, leading 144 of the 150 laps. Now he returns to a Richmond race he dominated last year, leading all but 25 of the 250 laps. Clint Bowyer, who has finished in the top 10 in each of his past 11 races, leads the points race by 204 with eight races to go. Team owner Richard Childress' grandson Austin Dillon makes his series debut this week for the family team.

NASCAR Sprint Cup: Qualifying, Chevy Rock & Roll 400, Richmond, Va. (3 p.m., ESPN2).

RaceLegal Drags: Qualcomm Stadium, west access road, 6 p.m. to midnight.

Saturday

NASCAR Sprint Cup: Chevy Rock & Roll 400, Richmond, Va. (400 laps; Channel 10, 4 p.m.) – This is the last race of the regular season, with the top 12 in points qualifying for the Chase for the Championship. Jimmie Johnson, who dominated Sunday night at Auto Club Speedway, is also the defending champion at Richmond. Clint Bowyer, who won at Richmond last May and has three top-10 finishes at the track, goes into the race holding the last spot for the Chase with a 17-point lead on rookie David Ragan.

NASCAR Craftsman Trucks: Camping World 200, Madison, Ill. (160 laps, 1.25-mile egg-shaped oval; Speed Channel, 11 a.m.) – Current points leader Johnny Benson is the defending champion of the race.

SCORE Off-Road Racing: Primm 300, Primm, Nev. (6 a.m.)

Barona 1/8-Mile Drag Strip: NHRA bracket drags, 10 a.m.

Sunday

IndyCar Series: Chicagoland 300, Joliet, Ill. (200 laps, 1.5-mile oval; Channel 10, 12:30 p.m.) – This is the final points race of the season and Scott Dixon would win his second championship with a finish of ninth or better. Helio Castroneves, who finished second to Justin Wilson in a controversial finish at Detroit on Sunday, is the only other driver with a shot at the title.

Formula One: Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps (44 laps, 4.329-mile road course; Speed Channel, 5 a.m.) – Ferrari's Felipe Massa is coming off his fourth win of the season at the European Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen has won the past three Belgian Grands Prix and last year led all the way from the pole in a 1-2 Ferrari sweep.

Barona 1/8-Mile Drag Strip: NHRA bracket drags, 10 a.m.

RACING NUMBERS

2 – Drivers who will clinch berths in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship simply by starting Saturday's race at Richmond. (Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick).

5 – Drivers who have clinched spots in the Chase (Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton).

QUOTABLE

“I've been trying to stay consistent through the season. When I qualified second for this race, I was still just hoping to stick with the leaders and get a good result. On the back straight, I got a good draft and was able to take the lead while braking. When I got the lead, I would look back in turn seven and there were guys on my tail. But I was able to find more speed when I needed it.”

– Ramona's Jake Gagne, 15, on his first win in the Red Bull U.S. Rookie Cup motorcycle road races