Pepsi

The first 190 laps of the Pepsi 500 produced what critics contend is the type of lackluster NASCAR Sprint Cup racing that too often defines Auto Club Speedway. Jimmie Johnson and Juan Pablo Montoya had several pitched battles for the lead, but for the most part the 43-car field was strung out around the two-mile Fontana track, passing was sparse and accidents were nonexistent. Then came the remaining 60 laps -- and, with the race now part of NASCAR's Chase for the Cup championship playoff, things got a lot less folksy.

So you're attending the Pepsi 500 NASCAR race today in Fontana, or watching it on television, but don't know much about NASCAR stock car racing and don't get the hoopla. Here's some help to put you at ease with your gear-head friends for all 500 miles. With these shortcuts, you might even feel a bit smug by the time the checkered flag falls: Pick a favorite: Choose any driver before the race starts (at noon) and root for him all day. There are 43 to pick from and it's more fun tracking his progress than getting dizzy watching the whole field go around in circles.

Matt Kenseth is known in the NASCAR garage for his quick, dry wit. And if anyone has needed a sense of humor this season, it's Kenseth. After winning the first two races on the Sprint Cup Series calendar -- the prestigious Daytona 500 and the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana -- Kenseth left Southern California riding a wave of optimism. But that was the last time he tasted victory, and now he returns to Fontana having endured what he calls "probably one of the most frustrating years of my career."

NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series is on its way to Southern California this weekend, with its championship playoff in tow, and several title contenders are looking forward to coming west. They include Tony Stewart, who won Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway in his quest to win a third championship in NASCAR's Chase for the Cup playoff. The Chase's fourth race is the Pepsi 500 on Sunday at the two-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. The race formerly was held on Labor Day weekend but was moved into the 10-race Chase starting this season.

Peter Sarkisyan is a fan of the Lakers and World Wrestling Entertainment, so when the 23-year-old Northridge resident found out WWE stars were unexpectedly coming to Staples Center on Monday because of a scheduling conflict with the Denver Nuggets, his two favorites suddenly merged. He wanted to watch the Lakers play Game 4 at the Pepsi Center in Colorado, but he also was skeptical that the outcome of the game was as scripted as the WWE action he watches.

No word yet whether the conflict will end in a steel cage match, but World Wrestling Entertainment Chairman Vince McMahon may try to lay the smack down one way or another. The Lakers are scheduled to play Game 4 of their Western Conference finals Monday night at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The only problem is that WWE is also booked at the arena the same night for an episode of "Monday Night Raw."

Pepsi Bottling Group Inc. said that it had rejected what it called a "grossly inadequate" acquisition offer from PepsiCo Inc., but analysts said a deal could still happen if PepsiCo raised its bid. Pepsi Bottling Group of Somers, N.Y., also looked to shield itself from other bids it deemed unfavorable, saying it had approved a stockholder-rights plan. Such plans, known as "poison pills," are commonly used as a way to try to hold off hostile takeover attempts. The $6-billion bid for Pepsi Bottling and PepsiAmericas would have let PepsiCo control about 80% of its total North American beverage volume.