Friday, Nov. 9, 2001 | 11:11 a.m.
All times Pacific.
NASCAR WINSTON CUP Pennzoil 400
Site: Homestead, Fla.
Schedule: Today, qualifying (CNN/SI, noon; Sunday, race (NBC, 9:30 a.m.)
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway (oval 1.5 miles, 8 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 400.5 miles, 267 laps.
Last race: Joe Nemechek was never challenged over the final 100 laps in the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 in Rockingham, N.C., and beat Kenny Wallace by 6.285 seconds. Nemechek led 196 of the 393 laps to win for car owner Andy Petree in their final season together.
Last year: Bobby Labonte clinched his first Winston Cup championship to overshadow a dominating performance by teammate and winner Tony Stewart. Because Labonte led at least one lap, he needed only a sixth-place finish. He finished fourth.
Fast facts: Two races remain after this week. ... Stewart, who also won the race in 1999, made history as the first rookie with three victories in one season. ... Ricky Rudd, Jeff Gordon's closest competitor in the title chase, gained 54 points last week, to trail by 326. ... Labonte has finished fourth or better in both races at Homestead.
Next race: NAPA 500, Nov. 18, Hampton, Ga.
Driver standings: 1. Jeff Gordon, 4,750. 2. Ricky Rudd, 4,424. 3. Tony Stewart, 4,349. 4. Dale Jarrett, 4,296. 5. Sterling Marlin, 4,231. 6. Rusty Wallace, 4,118. 7. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 4,095. 8. Bobby Labonte, 4,069. 9. Kevin Harvick, 4,000. 10. Jeff Burton, 3,983. Also, 24. Kurt Busch, 2,887.
BUSCH Miami 300
Site: Homestead, Fla.
Schedule: Qualifying was this morning; Saturday, race (NBC, 10:30 a.m.)
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway (oval 1.5 miles, 8 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.
Last race: Kevin Harvick capped his return to North Carolina Speedway by winning the Busch series championship, overshadowing Kenny Wallace's victory in the Sam's Club 200. Harvick, who made his first Winston Cup start at The Rock February as the replacement driver for the late Dale Earnhardt, finished fifth to lock up his first title.
Last year: Mark Martin, in his final race in the Busch series, settled for second place behind Jeff Gordon. Gordon led the final 71 laps and won by .241 seconds. Martin holds the Busch series record with 45 career wins, 14 more than second-best Jack Ingram.
Fast facts: This is the last race of the season. ... Harvick's win gave car owner Richard Childress championships in all three of NASCAR's top series. ... Jeff Green, who basically needed to win last week to remain alive in the points battle, led 121 of the 187 laps, but finished ninth. ... No race has been won from the pole this season.
Driver standings: 1. x-Kevin Harvick, 4,751. 2. Jeff Green, 4,546. 3. Jason Keller, 4,531. 4. Greg Biffle, 4,344. 5. Elton Sawyer, 3,925. 6. Tony Raines, 3,854. 7. Mike McLaughlin, 3,835. 8. Chad Little, 3,764. 9. Jimmie Johnson, 3,759. 10. Kenny Wallace, 3,711. x-champion
NHRA Automobile Club Finals
Site: Pomona, Calif.
Schedule: Today, qualifying, 1:45 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying (ESPN2, 1 p.m.); Sunday, eliminations, 11 a.m. (ESPN2, 4 p.m., tape).
Track: Pomona Raceway.
Last event: Rookie Darrell Russell won his second Top Fuel race of the season at the ACDelco Nationals in Las Vegas. Ron Capps (Funny Car), Mark Pawuk (Pro Stock) and Shawn Gann (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners.
Last year: Gary Scelzi and John Force, both of whom had already clinched their NHRA championships, ended the season by winning. Kurt Johnson, Tony Mullen and Greg Stanfield also were winners.
Fast facts: This is the final event of the season. ... The season has ended in California for the last 17 years. ... The track is the oldest on the circuit. ... The track has hosted the season-opening event since 1961 and the closing event since 1984.
Driver standings: Top Fuel -- 1. Kenny Bernstein, 1,984. 2. Larry Dixon, 1,930. 3. Doug Kalitta, 1,564. 4. Gary Scelzi, 1,529. 5. Mike Dunn, 1,498. Funny Car -- 1. x-John Force, 1,953. 2. Whit Bazemore, 1,650. 3. Ron Capps, 1,417. 4. Del Worsham, 1,378. 5. Tony Pedregon, 1,350. Pro Stock -- 1. Warren Johnson, 1,504. 2. Jim Yates, 1,401. 3. Bruce Allen, 1,266. 4. Mike Edwards, 1,265. 5. Mark Osborne, 1,202. Also, 10. George Marnell, 982. Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Angelle Savoie, 1,214. 2. Antron Brown, 1,141. 3. Matt Hines, 929. 4. Craig Treble, 893. 5. GT Tonglet, 766. Pro Stock Truck -- 1. Bob Panella Jr., 1,099. 2. Greg Stanfield, 965. 3. Randy Daniels, 950. 4. Jeff Gracia, 764. 5. Mike Coughlin, 708.
CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
Last race: Ted Musgrave raced to a season-high seventh victory. Jack Sprague wrecked, but still wrapped up an unprecedented third Craftsman Truck series championship in the Auto Club 200 in Fontana, Calif. Sprague, who previously won truck titles in 1997 and '99, needed only to start the race to break his tie with Ron Hornaday Jr. for the most series titles. Travis Kvapil, who also clinched Rookie of the Year honors by starting the race, finished seventh.
Final driver standings: 1. Jack Sprague, 3,670. 2. Ted Musgrave, 3,597. 3. Joe Ruttman, 3,570. 4. Travis Kvapil, 3,547. 5. Scott Riggs, 3,526. 6. Ricky Hendrick, 3,412. 7. Terry Cook, 3,327. 8. Rick Crawford, 3,320. 9. Dennis Setzer, 3,306. 10. Coy Gibbs, 2,875. 11. Lance Norick, 2,820. 12. Matt Crafton, 2,778. 13. Billy Bigley, 2,718. 14. Carlos Contreras, 2,586. 15. Bobby Dotter, 2,537. 16. Willy T. Ribbs, 2,319. 17. Jon Wood, 1,917. 18. Randy Tolsma, 1,859. 19. Lance Hooper, 1,720. 20. Jimmy Hensley, 1,708. Also, 31. Brendan Gaughan, 946.
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