Thursday, June 4, 1998 | 7:41 a.m.
All Times EDT
NASCAR
WINSTON CUP
Pontiac Excitement 400
Site: Richmond, Va.
Schedule: Friday, first-round qualifying, 6 p.m. (ESPN2, 9:30 p.m.); Saturday, second-round qualifying, 2 p.m.; race, 7:40 p.m. (ESPN).
Track: Richmond International Raceway (oval, 0.75 miles, 14 degrees banking in corners).
Race distance: 300 miles, 400 laps.
Last year: Rusty Wallace raced to the most recent of his 47 career victories, beating Geoff Bodine by 0.453 seconds. Dale Jarrett won the Exide NASCAR Select 400 in September.
Last week: Jarrett won the MBNA Platinum 400 in Dover, Del., taking the lead when a dominant Jeff Gordon was forced to stop for fuel with eight laps left. Gordon led 375 of 400 laps.
Fast facts: Buckshot Jones is making his second straight start in the Stavola Brothers' Chevrolet. The Busch Grand National star finished eighth in Dover in his second career Winston Cup appearance. ... Gordon, the two-time Winston Cup champion, leads the points race with 1,765, followed by Penske teammates Jeremy Mayfield (1,718) and Wallace (1,673). Gordon and Mark Martin share the series lead with three victories.
Next race: Miller Lite 400, June 14, Brooklyn, Mich.
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BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL
Hardee's 250
Site: Richmond, Va.
Schedule: Friday, first-round qualifying, 11 a.m.; second-round qualifying, 2:30 p.m.; race, 7:40 p.m. (ESPN2).
Track: Richmond International Raceway (oval, 0.75 miles, 14 degrees banking in corners).
Race distance: 187.5 miles, 250 laps.
Last year: Mark Martin raced to the second of three straight victories, beating Jeff Green by 1.060 seconds. Steve Park won the Autolite Platinum 250 in September.
Last week: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the MBNA Platinum 200 in Dover, Del., overcoming a midrace spin at the entrance to pit road. The Chevy driver also won the Coca-Cola 300 in April in Fort Worth, Texas.
Fast facts: Ken Schrader is attempting to make his first BGN start since 1995, driving Andy Petree's Chevrolet. Schrader also drives for Petree on the Winston Cup circuit. ... Mike McLaughlin tops the points standings with 1,850, followed by Matt Kenseth (1,737), Earnhardt (1,691), Buckshot Jones (1,556) and two-time defending BGN champion Randy LaJoie (1,538).
Next race: Lycos.Com 250, June 14, Fountain, Colo.
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CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
Pronto Auto Parts 400k
Site: Fort Worth, Texas.
Schedule: Thursday, qualifying, 7:45 p.m.; Friday, race, 9 p.m. (TNN).
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in corners).
Race distance: 250.5 miles, 167 laps.
Last year: Kenny Irwin, now a rookie on the Winston Cup circuit, beat Boris Said by 0.228 seconds. Irwin, driving a Ford co-owned by former NBA star Brad Daugherty, averaged a series-record 131.822 mph.
Last week: Joe Ruttman won the Parts America 150 in Watkins Glen, N.Y., when leader Ron Hornaday was penalized for jumping the race's final restart. Hornaday was dropped to fourth place.
Fast facts: Jack Sprague tops the points race with 1,150, followed by Hornaday (1,132) and Ruttman (1,028). ... Ruttman, 53, is the series' oldest winner. ... Freddy Fryar is out as crew chief of the Richard Petty-owned Dodge driven by Jimmy Hensley.
Next race: Loadhandler 200, June 20, Bristol, Tenn.
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CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS
Detroit Grand Prix
Site: Detroit.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 12:45 p.m. (ESPN2, 10 p.m.); Sunday, race, 2:30 p.m. (ABC).
Track: The Raceway on Belle Isle (road course, 2.362 miles, 14 turns).
Race distance: 181.9 miles, 77 laps.
Last year: Canada's Greg Moore raced to his second victory in two weeks, taking the lead when PacWest teammates Mauricio Gugelmin and Mark Blundell ran out of fuel on the last lap.
Last week: Jimmy Vasser outlasted Brazilian rookie Helio Castro-Neves in a fuel-economy duel at the Miller Lite 200 in West Allis, Wis. Vasser also won in April in Nazareth, Pa.
Fast facts: Vasser and Target-Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Alex Zanardi have combined to win 17 of their last 39 starts. ... Al Unser Jr., third last week in Wisconsin, is winless in 41 races, the longest drought of his career. He has 31 career victories. ... Zanardi leads the series standings with 92 points, followed by Moore (84) and Vasser (72).
Next race: Budweiser-G.I. Joe's 200, June 21, Portland, Ore.
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INDY RACING LEAGUE
True Value 500
Schedule: Thursday, qualifying, 9:15 p.m. (Speed Vision); Saturday, race, 9 p.m. (TNN).
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in corners).
Race distance: 312 miles, 208 laps.
Last year: Arie Luyendyk was declared the winner following an all-night review of the wild race that ended with A.J. Foyt punching the Dutch driver in the head. When the race ended, Foyt drivers Billy Boat and Davey Hamilton were listed 1-2 and Luyendyk third because of a malfunction in the transmitters used to count laps.
Last race: Eddie Cheever won the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, beating Buddy Lazier by 3.191 seconds. Cheever, a former Formula One driver, averaged 145.155 mph in the race slowed by 12 cautions.
Fast facts: Texas Motor Speedway recently completed a $3 million project to improve drainage, increase banking on two turns and resurface the oval with better asphalt. ... Tony Stewart, fifth last year, was 15th in April in the Busch series' Coca-Cola 300 at TMS. He finished last in the Indianapolis 500. ... The driver with the most points in the race and the Lone Star 500 on Sept. 20 will earn a $100,000 bonus.
Next race: Pennzoil 200, June 28, Loudon, N.H.
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FORMULA ONE
Canadian Grand Prix
Site: Montreal.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 1 p.m. (Speed Vision); Sunday, race, 1 p.m. (Speed Vision, Fox Sports Net).
Track: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (road course, 2.747 miles, 15 turns).
Race distance: 189.5 miles, 69 laps.
Last year: Germany's Michael Schumacher won the race cut short by 15 laps following an accident involving France's Olivier Panis. Schumacher also won the 1994 race.
Last race: Finland's Mika Hakkinen won the Monaco Grand Prix on May 24, the McLaren driver's fourth victory in six races this year. Italy's Giancarlo Fisichella finished second in a Benetton-Playlife.
Fast facts: Canada's Jacques Villeneuve, a seven-time winner last year en route to the series title, is winless this year. He also is winless on the Notre Dame Island track named after his late father.
Next race: British Grand Prix, July 12, Silverstone, England.
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NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
Next event: Pontiac Excitement Nationals, June 11-14, Columbus, Ohio.
Last week: Kenny Bernstein won the Top Fuel title in the FRAM Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Ill., beating Gary Scelzi in the final. Whit Bazemore took the Funny Car division, and Mike Thomas won the Pro Stock competition.
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