Auto Racing Glance

Thursday, Oct. 29, 1998 | 1:34 a.m.

By JOHN NICHOLSON

Associated Press Writer

All Times EST

NASCAR

WINSTON CUP

ACDelco 400

Site: Rockingham, N.C.

Schedule: Friday, first-round qualifying, 2 p.m.; Saturday, second-round qualifying, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday, race, 12:30 p.m. (TNN).

Track: North Carolina Speedway (oval, 1.017 miles, 22 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 25 degrees in turns 3-4).

Race distance: 399.681 miles, 393 laps.

Last year: Bobby Hamilton won the rain-delayed race, beating Dale Jarrett by 0.941 seconds. Hamilton gave Pontiac its first victory of the season.

Last week: Rusty Wallace ended a 59-race winless streak, winning the rain-shortened Dura-Lube 500 in Phoenix. The former Winston Cup champion was declared the winner after rain washed out the final 55 laps.

Fast facts: Jeff Gordon, seeking his third Winston Cup title in four years, needs only to finish 40th or better, or simply start each of the last two races to win the championship and a $1 million bonus. Mark Martin is second, 329 points back. ... Gordon, an 11-time winner this year, won the Goodwrench 400 in February at NCS, and also took the 1995 and 1997 spring races. He finished seventh in Phoenix, ending his string of top-five finishes at 17. ... Wallace has five Rockingham victories, including three straight in 1993-94. He finished second in the February race.

Next race: NAPA 500, Nov. 8, Hampton, Ga.

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BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL

ACDelco 200

Site: Rockingham, N.C.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 12:45 p.m.; Saturday, race, 2 p.m. (TNN).

Track: North Carolina Speedway (oval, 1.017 miles, 22 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 25 degrees in turns 3-4).

Race distance: 200.349 miles, 197 laps.

Last year: Matt Kenseth raced to his first series victory, bumping past Tony Stewart on the final turn. Winston Cup star Mark Martin finished third, ending his BGN winning streak at NCS at four races.

Last race: Dale Earnhardt Jr. claimed his series-high seventh victory, beating Kenseth by 3.254 seconds in the Carquest Auto Parts 250 on Oct. 17 in Madison, Ill.

Fast facts: Earnhardt has a 102-point lead over Kenseth with three races remaining. Mike McLaughlin is third, 306 points back. ... Martin has nine BGN victories at NCS, and also won the 1989 spring Winston Cup race.

Next race: Stihl Power Tools 300, Nov. 7, Hampton, Ga.

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CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

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

Last week: Mike Bliss won the GM Goodwrench/ACDelco 300 in Phoenix, beating Greg Biffle by 2.917 seconds. Ron Hornaday finished third to take a 13-point lead over Jack Sprague with one race left.

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CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS

Marlboro 500

Site: Fontana, Calif.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 3 p.m.; Sunday, race, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN).

Track: California Speedway (D-shaped oval, 2.0 miles, 14 degrees banking in corners).

Race distance: 500 miles, 250 laps.

Last year: England's Mark Blundell won the inaugural race, taking the lead when Greg Moore's car slowed because of engine problems with 11 laps left. Jimmy Vasser finished second, 0.847 seconds back.

Last race: Alex Zanardi won the Australian IndyCarnival on Oct. 18 for his seventh victory of the season. The Italian star clinched his second straight series title Sept. 6 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Fast facts: Bobby Rahal, 45, is making his final career start. The three-time series champion has 24 victories, including the 1986 Indy 500. He is winless since 1992. ... Brazil's Mauricio Gugelmin ran the fastest qualifying lap in Indy-car history last year, averaging 240.942 mph. He went 242.333 in practice, the unofficial fastest lap ever in an open-wheel racer. ... Zanardi, moving to Formula One next season, missed the season-ending race last year after crashing both of his cars in practice. ... The race winner will receive $1 million. Second-place is worth $60,000.

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FORMULA ONE

Japanese Grand Prix

Site: Suzuka, Japan.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 11 p.m. (Speedvision); Saturday, race, 11 p.m. (Speedvision; also Fox Sports Net, see listings).

Track: Suzuka Circuit (road course, 3.636 miles, 21 turns).

Race distance: 192.708 miles, 53 laps.

Last year: Germany's Michael Schumacher raced to the last of five 1997 victories, beating countryman Heinz-Harald Frentzen by 1.378 seconds. Schumacher also won the 1995 race.

Last race: Finland's Mika Hakkinen took a four-point lead over Schumacher in the series standings, beating the German by 2.212 seconds in the Luxembourg Grand Prix on Sept. 27. Hakkinen has seven victories this year.

Fast facts: Schumacher, seeking his third series title, has six victories this year and 33 in his F1 career. If Schumacher wins the race and Hakkinen finishes second, Hakkinen would get the title because of a 3-2 advantage in second-place finishes. ... Hakkinen gained four points - the difference between first and second place - in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix when McLaren teammate David Coulthard willingly surrendered the lead with two laps remaining.

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NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION

Matco Tools SuperNationals

Site: Baytown, 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 (TNN, 6-7:30 p.m.; replay Monday, 12:30-2 a.m.).

Track: Houston Raceway Park.

Last year: Gary Scelzi raced to the last of five 1997 victories en route to the Top Fuel title, driving his burning dragster past Larry Dixon in the final round. Dean Skuza raced to his first Funny Car victory.

Last week: Scelzi won the Revell Nationals in Ennis, Texas, to take a 73-point lead over Cory McClenathan with two events left. Scelzi, a five-time winner this year, had a record quarter-mile run of 4.525 seconds in qualifying. John Force won the Funny Car competition, and Warren Johnson raced to his ninth Pro Stock victory of the year.

Fast facts: McClenathan, a six-time winner this year, finished second in the 1992, 1995 and 1997 points races. ... Force, seeking his eighth Funny Car title, has a 90-point lead over Ron Capps. ... Johnson wrapped up his fourth Pro Stock title two weeks ago.

Next event: Winston Finals, Nov. 11-14, Pomona, Calif.