Auto Racing Glance -- October 1, 1998
Thursday, Oct. 1, 1998 | 10:47 a.m.
By JOHN NICHOLSON
Associated Press Writer
All Times EDT
NASCAR
WINSTON CUP
UAW-GM Quality 500
Site: Concord, N.C.
Schedule: Wednesday, first-round qualifying, 7 p.m.; Thursday, second-round qualifying, 1:30 p.m.; Sunday, race, 1:10 p.m. (TBS).
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in corners).
Race distance: 501 miles, 334 laps.
Last year: Dale Jarrett raced to the sixth of seven 1997 victories, beating Bobby Labonte by 4.142 seconds. Dale Earnhardt finished third.
Last week: Ricky Rudd won the NAPA AutoCare 500 in sizzling heat in Martinsville, Va., giving him victories in a modern era-record 16 consecutive seasons. Rudd, a three-time Martinsville winner, beat series leader Jeff Gordon by 0.533 seconds. Mark Martin finished third.
Fast facts: Gordon successfully defended his Coca-Cola 600 title in May at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He has 10 victories this year and 39 in 143 career starts. The two-time Winston Cup champion has a 199-point lead over Martin with seven races left. ... Martin won The Winston all-star race in May at CMS after Gordon's car ran out of fuel on the final lap.
Next race: Winston 500, Oct. 11, Talladega, Ala.
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BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL
All Pro Bumper To Bumper 300
Site: Concord, N.C.
Schedule: Thursday, first-round qualifying, 2 p.m.; Friday, second-round qualifying, 2 p.m.; Saturday, race, 1:10 p.m. (TBS).
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in corners).
Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.
Last year: Jimmy Spencer beat fellow Winston Cup regular Mark Martin by 0.231 seconds. Tony Stewart finished third.
Last race: Matt Kenseth won the MBNA Gold 200 on Sept. 19 in Dover, Del., leading 158 of 200 laps. Kenseth, a three-time winner this year, moved within 97 points of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the season standings.
Fast facts: Earnhardt, a six-time winner this year, has a six-year Winston Cup sponsorship deal with Anheuser-Busch Inc. He will drive five races in a Budweiser car next year, and plans to move to Winston Cup full time in 2000. ... Martin won the 1993, 1995 and 1996 races, and also took the 1996 spring race.
Next race: Carquest Auto Parts 250, Oct. 17, Madison, Ill.
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CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
Next race: Kragen-Exide 150, Oct. 11, Sonoma, Calif.
Last week: Jay Sauter won the NAPA 250 in Martinsville, Va., beating Jimmy Hensley by 0.671 seconds. Series leader Ron Hornaday finished third.
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CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS
Texaco Grand Prix of Houston
Site: Houston.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 3:30 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 1:45 p.m.; Sunday, race, 4 p.m. (ABC).
Track: Downtown circuit (road course, 1.68 miles, 10 turns).
Race distance: 200 miles, 119 laps.
Last year: Inaugural race.
Last race: Bryan Herta won the Texaco-Havoline 300 on Sept. 13 in Monterey, Calif., for his first CART victory. Italy's Alex Zanardi, the series champion, finished second, 0.343 seconds back.
Fast facts: Zanardi will drive for Williams next year on the Formula One circuit. The two-time CART PPG Cup champion has six victories this year and 14 in 48 starts for Target-Chip Ganassi Racing. ... Al Unser Jr. is winless in 52 races. He has 31 career victories.
Next race: IndyCarnival Australia, Oct. 18, Gold Coast, Australia.
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NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
America Nationals
Site: Topeka, Kan.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.; Sunday, final eliminations, noon.
Track: Heartland Park Topeka.
Last year: Kenny Bernstein won the Top Fuel division, beating Joe Amato in the final with a quarter-mile run of 4.656 seconds at 317.34 mph. John Force topped the Funny Car competition.
Last event: Defending Top Fuel champion Gary Scelzi took over the points lead, winning the Keystone Nationals on Sept. 20 for his third straight victory. He beat Mike Dunn in the final.
Fast facts: Scelzi leads Cory McClenathan by 25 points. Amato is third, 90 points back. McClenathan, a five-time winner this year, finished second in the 1992, 1995 and 1997 points races. ... Force, the seven-time Funny Car champion, has an 89-point advantage over Ron Capps.
Next race: Pennzoil Nationals, Oct. 9-11, Memphis, Tenn.
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FORMULA ONE
Next race: Japanese Grand Prix, Nov. 1, Suzuka, Japan.
Last week: Finland's Mika Hakkinen broke a tie with Michael Schumacher in the championship standings, beating the German driver by 2.212 seconds in the Luxembourg Grand Prix. Hakkinen, a seven-time winner this year, leads Schumacher 90-86 with one race remaining.
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INDY RACING LEAGUE
Next race: Las Vegas 500, Oct. 11, Las Vegas.
Last race: John Paul Jr. won the inaugural Lone Star 500 on Sept. 20 in Fort Worth, Texas, beating Robby Unser by about 10 car lengths. Paul, who spent a little over two years in federal prison for drug trafficking, won for the first time since the 1983 Michigan 500 on the CART circuit.
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