Auto Racing Glance -- July 9, 1998
Thursday, July 9, 1998 | 9:02 a.m.
By JOHN NICHOLSON
Associated Press Writer
All Times EDT
NASCAR
WINSTON CUP
Jiffy Lube 300
Site: Loudon, N.H.
Schedule: Friday, first-round qualifying, 4 p.m.; Saturday, second-round qualifying, 11 a.m.; Sunday, race, 1 p.m. (TNN).
Track: New Hampshire International Speedway (oval, 1.058 miles, 12 degrees banking in corners).
Race distance: 317.4 miles, 300 laps.
Last year: Jeff Burton raced to the second of three 1997 victories, beating Dale Earnhardt by 5.392 seconds. Jeff Gordon won the New Hampshire 300 in September.
Last race: Gordon won the Save Mart-Kragen 350k in Sonoma, Calif., on June 28. Gordon, a four-time winner this year, beat Bobby Hamilton by about 15 car-lengths. The two-time Winston Cup champion moved 40 points ahead of Jeremy Mayfield in the season standings.
Fast facts: The Pepsi 400 was postponed last week because of fires in the Daytona Beach, Fla., area. It was rescheduled for Oct. 17. ... Ricky Craven, returning from post-concussion syndrome, is making his first Winston Cup start since the Primestar 500 on March 9. He finished ninth two weeks ago in the Grand National race in Watkins Glen, N.Y. ... Buckshot Jones won the Busch race at Loudon on May 9.
Next race: Pennsylvania 500, July 26, Long Pond, Pa.
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BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL
Myrtle Beach 250
Site: Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 5 p.m.; Saturday, race, 9 p.m. (TNN).
Track: Myrtle Beach Speedway (oval, 0.538 miles, 13 degrees banking in corners).
Race distance: 134.5 miles, 250 laps.
Last year: Elliot Sadler got the second of three 1997 victories, beating Mike McLaughlin in the race that ended under caution.
Last week: Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced to his series-leading third victory of the year, dominating the DieHard 250 at West Allis, Wis. He led 208 of the 250 laps en route to a 5.483-second margin over Elton Sawyer.
Fast facts: Kerry Earnhardt, the 28-year-old son of seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt and half-brother of Dale Earnhardt Jr., is trying to make his first series start. He will drive the Doug Taylor Motorsports Chevrolet. ... Matt Kenseth, fifth last week, leads McLaughlin by 20 points in the series standings. Earnhardt is third, 22 points back. ... Randy LaJoie, the two-time defending series champion, is winless this year.
Next race: Kenwood 300, July 19, Fontana, Calif.
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CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
NAPA AutoCare 200
Site: Nazareth, Pa.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 3 p.m.; Sunday, race, 3:30 p.m. (CBS).
Track: Nazareth Speedway (oval .946 miles, 3 degrees banking in turn 1, 4 degrees in turn 2, and 6 degrees in turns 3 and 4).
Race distance: 189.2 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Jack Sprague successfully defended his title, holding off Joe Ruttman by .761 seconds. Sprague won the 1997 series championship.
Last week: Mike Bliss won the Diehard 200 in West Allis, Wis., beating Jimmy Hensley by 2.161 seconds.
Fast facts: Sprague, third last week in Wisconsin, has a 72-point lead over Ron Hornaday in the season standings. ... Hornaday has a series-record 20 victories, three this year. ... Hensley is the first Dodge driver to finish in the top five this season.
Next race: The No Fear Challenge, July 18, Fontana, Calif.
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CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS
Grand Prix of Cleveland
Site: Cleveland.
Schedule: Friday, first-round qualifying, 3 p.m.; Saturday, second-round qualifying, 1:30 p.m.; Sunday, race, 12:30 p.m. (ABC).
Track: Burke Lakefront Airport (road course, 2.106 miles, 10 turns).
Race distance: 189.54 miles, 90 laps.
Last year: Italy's Alex Zanardi beat Brazil's Gil de Ferran by 1.281 seconds, rallying from 22nd place with a series of late passes.
Last race: Zanardi won the Budweiser-G.I. Joe's 200 on June 28 in Portland, Ore. He has four victories this year and 12 in 33 races dating to his first victory at Portland in 1996.
Fast facts: Bobby Rahal, an Ohio native in his final season as a driver, won the 1982 race in only his fifth series start. The three-time series champion has 24 career victories, the last in 1992. ... Zanardi and Target-Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Jimmy Vasser have combined to win 19 of their last 41 starts. ... Al Unser Jr., the 1985 and 1994 winner, is winless in 43 races, the longest drought of his career. He has 31 career victories.
Next race: Molson Indy, July 19, Toronto.
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FORMULA ONE
British Grand Prix
Site: Silverstone, England.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 8 a.m. (Speedvision); Sunday, race, 9 a.m. (Speedvision; also Fox Sports Net, check listings).
Track: Silverstone Circuit (road course, 3.196 miles, 14 turns).
Race distance: 191.76 miles, 60 laps.
Last year: Canada's Jacques Villeneuve raced to the fourth of his seven 1997 victories, beating France's Jean Alesi by 10 seconds. Villeneuve averaged 128.445 mph in his Williams-Renault.
Last race: Michael Schumacher won the French Grand Prix on June 28, beating Ferrari teammate Eddie Irvine by nearly 20 seconds. The German star, a two-time series champion, has three victories this year and 31 overall.
Fast facts: Finland's Mika Hakkinen, a four-time winner this year for McLaren, leads the series standings with 50 points, six more than Schumacher. ... Villeneuve, the 1997 series champion, is winless this year.
Next race: Austrian Grand Prix, July 26, Spielberg.
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INDY RACING LEAGUE
Next race: Pep Boys 400K, July 19, Dover, Del.
Last week: Tony Stewart won the New England 200 on June 28 at Loudon, N.H., beating Scott Goodyear by 1.788 seconds. Stewart also won the IRL's season-opening Indy 200 on Jan. 24 at Orlando, Fla.
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NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
Next event: Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals, July 16-19, Denver.
Last event: Gary Scelzi raced to his first Top Fuel victory of the year, beating Kenny Bernstein in the final of the Sears Craftsman Nationals on June 28. Frank Pedregon won his second straight Funny Car victory, and Kurt Johnson took the Pro Stock division.
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