Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: NASCAR shifts its schedule, adds race

Friday, Sept. 4, 1998 | 10:16 a.m.

BRIAN HILDERBRAND is a Las Vegas Sun sportswriter. His motor sports column appears Fridays. He can be reached on the Internet at bh@lasvegassun.com. For the latest in the world of auto racing, check out the Sun Racing web site at http://www.lasvegassun.com/sports/ racing/

When NASCAR announced that it was moving the date for next year's Las Vegas 400 Winston Cup race from Feb. 28 to March 7, it was assumed that was being done to accommodate a new Winston Cup race in Homestead, Fla.

Not exactly.

NASCAR officials unveiled the 1999 schedule Thursday and, as expected, the Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex in Southern Florida will host its first-ever Winston Cup race on its 1.5-mile oval. But the date for that inaugural race is Nov. 14, 1999 -- the weekend before the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway and not March 28, the date previously occupied by the Las Vegas 400.

Instead, NASCAR is giving its race teams a week off between the Feb. 21 race at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham and the race here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Las Vegas 400 still will be the third race of the season, following the Daytona 500 and the Goodwrench 400.

"When you see a first-class facility in a vibrant metropolitan area like South Florida, it made the decision very easy to bring the NASCAR Winston Cup Series to Homestead," Mike Helton, NASCAR vice president of competition, said.

"Our Busch and truck series have both enjoyed great success at Homestead and I know everyone involved in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series will experience the same next November."

Buz McCall, owner of the No. 96 Caterpillar-sponsored Chevrolet, said the move into Southern Florida is a positive one for NASCAR, much as the move was this year into the Southern Nevada market.

"Markets like Miami and Vegas and Southern California and Phoenix and Detroit and Philadelphia, those are markets that are important to the (sponsors), and that makes them markets that are important to the race teams," McCall said.

Bobby Hamilton, driver of the No. 4 Kodak Max Film Chevrolet, said he doesn't think the Winston Cup schedule will hold at 34 races with new tracks coming on line in major markets such as Kansas City, Chicago and, possibly, Northern California.

"I can't see the schedule doing anything but growing the next few years," Hamilton said. "Look how far we've come in the past 10 years or so: Las Vegas, Sears Point, Texas, Phoenix -- that's some pretty big markets and some pretty big races.

"Those kinds of races help us. Hey, this sport is growing and NASCAR is smart to keep it growing."

* NASCAR: Winston Cup officials said the initial examination of tires taken from Jeff Gordon's and Mark Martin's cars following last weekend's race at New Hampshire found no wrongdoing, but they were being sent to an independent laboratory for testing. It could take 10-12 days before the results are known. The tires were impounded after several rival teams, including Martin's, complained that Gordon's team must have been using illegal tires late in the race. ... Heilig-Meyers has announced that it will not renew its sponsorship contract with Donlavey Racing and driver Dick Trickle for the 1999 Winston Cup campaign. ... Gordon, Martin, Bobby Labonte, Mike Skinner and Dale Earnhardt are eligible for the Winston No Bull 5 $1 million bonus in this weekend's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

* CART: After a three and a half-year exile, former CART driver Willy T. Ribbs is returning to the track Monday in the NASCAR Southwest Series LA Street Race near the LA Memorial Coliseum. Ribbs will be racing for Steve Petty Racing. Ribbs made history in 1991 when he became the first and only African American to qualify and race in the Indianapolis 500. ... Bobby Rahal is riding the best streak of his career as he nears his retirement as a driver. Rahal heads into Sunday's race in Vancouver with 11 consecutive finishes in the points (top 12). That's something the 45-year-old driver, a three-time series champion, had not done in 16 previous years on the Champ Car circuit.

* IRL: The Kelley Racing team has signed drivers Scott Sharp and Mark Dismore to contracts through the 2000 season. Sharp is fourth in the IRL points standings.

* BACKMARKERS: Kim Gregory, owner of KG Racing Team of Las Vegas, has purchased one of the late Steve Woomer's unlimited hydroplanes that previously ran as the Close Call and Smokin' Joe's entries. Gregory said he plans to race the hydroplane Sept. 20 in San Diego and Sept 27 on Lake Mead. Woomer died of a heart attack prior to the start of this season and had not raced the boat this year, Gregory said. ... The Petersen Motorsports team that includes Las Vegans Mike Petersen and Dale White earned their first professional road racing win last weekend at the USSRC First Union Six Hours of the Glen in Watkins Glen, N.Y. The driving team of White, Angelo Cilli and Dr. Trip Goolsby finished the endurance race with more than a lap margin of victory. ...

Las Vegas competitors Kurt Busch and Steve Rzesnowiecky will be among the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series drivers competing Monday in the Ford Los Angeles Street Race/Kragen Z-One 200 Monday on the streets of Exposition Park in Los Angeles. Qualifying and practice will be Sunday. Both drivers will compete in 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlos. Winston Cup regulars Mark Martin, Ken Schrader and Chad Little also are scheduled to compete. ... With only two NASCAR Winston Racing Series events left in the season, two divisions are still up for grabs heading into Saturday's action at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway 3/8ths-mile paved oval. Although he has not won a main event this year, C.J. Scherkenbach holds a narrow lead over Randy Swalwell in the Grand American Modifieds and Steve Burke has a four-point lead over Glen Burke in the Limited Late Models. Drivers from five states will be competing in the Area 8 Qualifier Legends Car main event. The driver who wins gets a qualifying start in the Legends Car Championship Oct 17-19 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Gates open at 4 p.m., with preliminaries set for 7 p.m.