Auto Racing Glance — October 22, 1998

Thursday, Oct. 22, 1998 | 12:57 p.m.

All Times EDT

NASCAR

WINSTON CUP

Dura Lube/Kmart 500K

Site: Phoenix.

Schedule: Friday, first-round qualifying, 5:15 p.m.; Saturday, second-round qualifying, 2 p.m.; Sunday, race, 2 p.m. (TNN).

Track: Phoenix International Raceway (oval, 1.0 miles, 11 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 9 degrees in turns 3-4).

Race distance: 312 miles (500 kilometers), 312 laps.

Last year: Dale Jarrett raced to the last of seven 1997 victories, beating Rusty Wallace by 2.105 seconds. Bobby Hamilton finished third.

Last week: Jeff Gordon won the fire-delayed Pepsi 400 in Daytona Beach, Fla., holding off Bobby Labonte in a three-lap sprint to the finish. Gordon, closing in on his third Winston Cup title in four years, has 11 victories this season and 40 in 186 career starts.

Fast facts: Gordon can end the championship race Sunday if he earns 12 more points than runner-up Mark Martin. Gordon needs only to finish among the top 32 in each of the final three races to wrap up the title and the $2 million bonus that goes with it. He has 17 straight top-five finishes. ... Martin has a career-high seven victories. He won the 1993 race and finished second in 1992, 1994 and 1996. ... Mike Skinner, coming off consecutive top-seven finishes in Talladega and Daytona, swept the 1995 Craftsman Trucks races at PIR. ... Terry Labonte is making his 600th Winston Cup start.

Next race: ACDelco 400, Nov. 1, Rockingham, N.C.

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CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

GM Goodwrench Service Plus/ACDelco 300K

Site: Phoenix.

Schedule: Thursday, first-round qualifying, 6 p.m.; Friday, second-round qualifying, 12:30 p.m.; Saturday, race, 3:35 p.m. (TBS).

Track: Phoenix International Raceway (oval, 1.0 miles, 11 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 9 degrees in turns 3-4).

Race distance: 186 miles (300 kilometers), 186 laps.

Last year: Joe Ruttman raced to the fourth of five 1997 victories, beating Roush Racing teammate Chuck Bown by 0.419 seconds.

Last week: Dennis Setzer won the Dodge California Truck Stop 300 in Bakersfield, Calif., holding off series leader Jack Sprague by 0.990 seconds.

Fast facts: Three-time Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip is expected to drive the Ridge Gate entry under a partnership agreement with Tyler Jet. Waltrip also is expected to make five truck starts in 1999. ... Sprague, a four-time winner this year, has a 28-point lead over Ron Hornaday with two races left. The defending series champion swept the 1996 Phoenix races and also won the 1997 spring race. ... Hornaday, the April winner in Phoenix, has six victories this year to push his series-record total to 23.

Next race: Sam's Town 250, Nov. 8, Las Vegas.

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BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL

Next race: ACDelco 200, Oct. 31, Rockingham, N.C.

Last week: Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced to his series-high seventh victory of the year, beating Matt Kenseth by 3.254 seconds in the Carquest Auto Parts 250 in Madison, Ill. Earnhardt has a 102-point lead over Kenseth in the series standings with three races remaining.

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NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION

Revell Nationals

Site: Ennis, Texas.

Schedule: Friday, first-round qualifying, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Saturday, second-round qualifying, noon and 4 p.m.; Sunday, final eliminations, noon.

Track: Texas Motorplex.

Last year: Cory McClenathan matched the Top Fuel record with his sixth victory of the year, overpowering the field with a performance that included the first 320-mph run in drag racing history. Al Hofmann won the Funny Car division, and Jim Yates topped the Pro Stock competition.

Last week: McClenathan reached six victories again, winning the rain-delayed Parts America Nationals in Topeka, Kan. Warren Johnson raced to his eighth Pro Stock victory of the season to win his fourth series championship. Ron Capps won the Funny Car division.

Fast facts: McClenathan, seeking his first season title, leads defending champion Gary Scelzi by 11 points with three events left. ... Joe Amato is third, 85 points back. ... John Force has a 47-point lead over Capps in the Funny Car race. ... Johnson has 71 career Pro Stock victories.

Next event: Matco Tools Supernationals, Oct. 29-Nov. 1, Houston.

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CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS

Next race: Marlboro 500, Nov. 1, Fontana, Calif.

Last week: Alex Zanardi won the Australian IndyCarnival for his seventh victory of the season. The Italian star clinched his second straight series title early last month. Scotland's Dario Franchitti finished second.

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FORMULA ONE

Next race: Japanese Grand Prix, Nov. 1, Suzuka, Japan.

Last race: Finland's Mika Hakkinen broke a tie with Michael Schumacher in the championship standings, beating the German by 2.212 seconds in the Luxembourg Grand Prix on Sept. 27. Hakkinen, a seven-time winner this year, leads Schumacher 90-86 with one race remaining.