Auto Racing Glance
Thursday, July 30, 1998 | 2:13 a.m.
By JOHN NICHOLSON
Associated Press Writer
All Times EDT
NASCAR
WINSTON CUP
Brickyard 400
Site: Indianapolis.
Schedule: Thursday, first-round qualifying, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN); Friday, second-round qualifying, 1 p.m. (ESPN2, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.; ESPN, 7:30 p.m.); Saturday, race, 1:15 p.m. (ABC).
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval, 2.5 miles, 9 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 400 miles, 160 laps.
Last year: Ricky Rudd beat Bobby Labonte by 0.183 seconds, racing the last 115 miles without a stop with the help of two caution periods in the final 17 laps. Dale Jarrett, the 1996 winner, was third.
Last week: Jeff Gordon won the Pennsylvania 500, leading a track-record 164 of 200 laps en route to a 1.153-second victory over Mark Martin. Gordon, a five-time winner this year, leads Martin by 62 points in the standings.
Fast facts: Darrell Waltrip will drive the No. 35 Chevrolet, the result of a deal Monday between Tyler Jet Motorsports and ISM Racing. Tabasco has agreed to sponsor the TJM-operated entry through 1999. Waltrip, 51, the leading active driver with 84 victories, drove the Dale Earnhardt-owned No. 1 Chevrolet the last 13 races as a substitute for the injured Steve Park. ... Earnhardt, the 1995 winner, has only victory - the season-opening Daytona 500 - in his last 77 starts. The seven-time Winston Cup champion has 71 career victories. ... Rudd has only one top-10 finish this year. He has at least one victory in 15 straight seasons, a streak surpassed only by Richard Petty (18). ... Gordon, Martin, Jarrett, Labonte and Rusty Wallace - the top five in the Coca-Cola 600 - are eligible for the Winston No Bull 5 $1 million victory bonus. Gordon won the inaugural race in 1994.
Next race: The Bud at the Glen, Aug. 9, Watkins Glen, N.Y.
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BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL
Kroger NASCAR 200
Site: Clermont, Ind.
Schedule: Thursday, first-round qualifying, 4 p.m.; Friday, second-round qualifying, 2 p.m.; race, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN).
Track: Indianapolis Raceway Park (oval, 0.686 miles, 7.5 degrees banking in corners).
Race distance: 137.2 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Pole-sitter Randy LaJoie raced to the fourth of five 1997 victories, holding off Elliott Sadler by 0.42 seconds in a three-lap sprint. LaJoie also won from the pole in 1996.
Last week: Tim Fedewa won the Lycos.Com 300 at South Boston, Va., taking advantage of a penalty to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt, a four-time winner this year, led the first 245 laps, but was penalized for rough driving when he spun Joe Bessey's car. Earnhardt was held for a one-lap penalty.
Fast facts: Jeff Purvis was suspended for four races, fined $5,000 and placed on probation for the rest of the season Monday for a pit-row fight at South Boston. Purvis appealed the suspension, allowing him to race this week. Purvis and Mark Green made contact halfway through the race, with Purvis' Chevrolet crashing. Purvis rammed Green's Chevrolet on pit row, triggering a fight involving Purvis and crew members from both teams. ... Indianapolis Raceway Park has a new surface and reconfigured banking. ... Fedewa also won the First Union 200 on May 17 at Nazareth, Pa.
Next race: Pepsi 200, Aug. 15, Brooklyn, Mich.
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CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
Cummins 200
Site: Clermont, Ind.
Schedule: Thursday, qualifying, about 6 p.m. following Kroger NASCAR 200 qualifying; race, 9 p.m. (ESPN).
Track: Indianapolis Raceway Park (oval, 0.686 miles, 7.5 degrees banking in corners)
Race distance: 137.2 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Ron Hornaday beat Jack Sprague by 0.947 seconds following a restart with two laps remaining. Jimmy Hensley, the leader for the first 193 laps, finished third.
Last week: Hornaday won the Tempus Resorts 300K in Fountain, Colo., edging Tony Raines by 0.986 seconds. Hornaday, the points leader, has five victories this year to increase his series-record total to 22.
Fast facts: Mike Bliss, the Diehard 200 winner July 4 in West Allis, Wis., is Indianapolis Raceway Park's career leader with 10 USAC victories - five in Sprint Cars, three in Silver Crowns and two in Midgets. He also is scheduled to compete in the DuPont 100 Silver Crown race Wednesday night and the Busch Grand National event Friday night.
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Pennzoil-VIP Discount Auto 200
Site: Loudon, N.H.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 2 p.m.; Sunday, race, 1 p.m. (TNN).
Track: New Hampshire International Speedway (oval, 1.058 miles, 12 degrees banking in corners).
Race distance: 211.6 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Jay Sauter raced to his first series victory, overcoming a 26th-place start to beat Jack Sprague by 0.571 seconds.
Fast facts: Sprague also finished second in the 1996 race. ... The race will be followed by NASCAR Busch North and Featherlite Modified races.
Next race: Stevens Beil-Genuine Car Parts 200, Aug. 8, Flemington, N.J.
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FORMULA ONE
German Grand Prix
Site: Hockenheim, Germany.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 7 a.m. (Speedvision); Sunday, race, 8 a.m. (Speedvision; also Fox Sports Net, check listings).
Track: Hockenheimring (road course, 4.239 miles).
Race distance: 190.8 miles, 45 laps.
Last year: Austria's Gerhard Berger raced to his 10th and final F-1 victory, easily holding off German star Michael Schumacher. Berger, who retired after the season, was winless since the 1994 German Grand Prix.
Last race: Finland's Mika Hakkinen won the Austrian Grand Prix, the McLaren driver's fifth victory of the season. Hakkinen has an eight-point lead over Schumacher in the season standings.
Fast facts: Schumacher, the 1995 winner, recently signed a three-year contract with Ferrari for $42 million per season. He has four victories this year and 31 overall. ... Canada's Jacques Villeneuve, a seven-time winner last year en route to the series title, is winless this year. He is leaving Williams to join British American Racing for the 1999 season.
Next race: Hungarian Grand Prix, Aug. 16, Budapest, Hungary.
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NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
Northwest Nationals
Site: Kent, Wash.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. (ESPN2, 9:30 p.m.); Sunday, final eliminations, 2 p.m. (ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.).
Track: Seattle International Raceway.
Last year: Cory McClenathan became the second Top Fuel driver to sweep the summer Western swing, beating Gary Scelzi with a run of 4.730 seconds at 313.26 mph. McClenathan also won in Denver and Sonoma, Calif.
Last week: Doug Kalitta raced to his first Top Fuel victory, beating Bruce Sarver in the Autolite Nationals at Sonoma. Cruz Pedregon won the Funny Car division, his third victory of the year and 20th overall.
Fast facts: McClenathan, a five-time winner this year, leads the Top Fuel standings with 967 points, 35 more than Joe Amato. Chuck Etchells has a one-point lead over John Force in the Funny Car standings. Force has four victories at Seattle International Raceway.
Next event: Champion Auto Stores Nationals, Aug. 20-23, Brainerd, Minn.
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CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS
Next race: Miller Lite 200, Aug. 9, Lexington, Ohio.
Last week: Three fans were killed and six injured by a tire and other debris that hurtled into the crowd after Adrian Fernandez's one-car crash in the U.S. 500 in Brooklyn, Mich. Canada's Greg Moore won the race, holding off Jimmy Vasser and Italy's Alex Zanardi.
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INDY RACING LEAGUE
Next race: Radisson 200, Aug. 16, Fountain, Colo.
Last week: Sweden's Kenny Brack raced to his first IRL victory, overcoming a pit-stop mix-up in the VisionAire 500 in Concord, N.C. Brack, driving an A.J. Foyt-owned car, beat Jeff Ward by 5.1 seconds.
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