This week’s races

Thursday, Oct. 7, 1999 | 8:33 a.m.

WINSTON CUP

UAW-GM Quality 500

Site: Concord, N.C.

Schedule: Thursday, second-round qualifying, 7:45 a.m.; Sunday, race (TBS, 10:05 a.m.)

Track: Lowe's Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 501 miles, 334 laps.

Last year: Mark Martin led 215 of 334 laps for his seventh victory of the season. Ward Burton finished second.

Last race: Jeff Gordon won in his first race without crew chief Ray Evernham. New car boss Brian Whitesell helped lead Gordon to victory in the NAPA AutoCare 500 in Martinsville, Va.

Fast facts: Gordon has a series-high six victories this season. ... Five polesitters have won the race, but none since Harry Gant in 1982.

Next race: Winston 500, Oct. 17, Talladega, Ala.

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BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL

All Pro 300

Site: Concord, N.C.

Schedule: Thursday, first-round qualifying, 10:30 a.m.; Friday, second-round qualifying, 10 a.m.; Saturday, race (TNN 10:10 a.m.)

Track: Lowe's Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.

Last year: Mike McLaughlin went the final 140 miles without stopping for fuel to win the race. Matt Kenseth finished second, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Last race: Earnhardt crashed into Kenseth, and Casey Atwood made the best of it, winning the wreck-filled MBNA Gold 200 in Dover, Del. Earnhardt picked up 10 valuable points in the race for the series title with Kenseth. Earnhardt leads by 113 points with five of 32 races remaining.

Fast facts: Mark Martin, the career leader in Busch victories with 39, won the spring race. ... Earnhardt has led in a season-high 17 races.

Next race: Rockingham 200, Oct. 23, Rockingham, N.C.

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CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

Kroger 225

Site: Louisville Ky.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 3 p.m.; Friday, race (ESPN, 5 p.m.)

Track: Louisville Motor Speedway (triangle oval, 0.438 miles, 12 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 98.55 miles, 225 laps.

Last year: Tony Raines passed Mike Bliss with 10 laps to go en route to a 1.285-second victory.

Last race: Greg Biffle won the Orleans 250 in Las Vegas. Biffle's strategy of changing four tires under the green flag on the 118th lap while Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday changed two was the deciding factor. NASCAR allowed the victory - which set a series record of nine in one season - but said an unapproved intake manifold was found during the post-race inspection. Crew chief Randy Goss was fined $48,860, and 120 championship points were taken from Biffle, leaving him just 10 in front of Sprague.

Fast facts: Hornaday is the only two-time winner in Louisville. He won in 1996-97. ... Only four drivers - Hornaday, Sprague, Bliss and Joe Ruttman - who competed in the first Kroger 225 in 1995 are expected to race in Louisville.

Next race: Texas 400, Oct. 15, Fort Worth.

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NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION

Pennzoil Nationals

Site: Millington, Tenn.

Schedule: Friday, first-round qualifying, Noon; Saturday, second-round qualifying, 9 a.m.; Sunday, final eliminations, 8 a.m.

Track: Memphis Motorsports Park.

Last year: Joe Amato raced to his fourth victory of the year, beating Kenny Bernstein in the Top Fuel division. Al Hofmann won the Funny Car division, and Warren Johnson raced to his seventh Pro Stock win of the season.

Last event: John Force defeated Tommy Johnson Jr. to win the Funny Car division at the Advance Auto Parts Nationals in Topeka, Kan. Doug Herbert, Mike Edwards and Bob Panella were winners of their respective categories.

Fast facts: There are four events remaining this season. ... Force is looking for his ninth Funny Car championship. He leads Tony Pedregon in the points race 1,665-1,346. ... Tony Schumacher has just a 14-point lead over Amato in the Top Fuel division.

Next race: Revell Nationals, Oct. 21-24, Dallas.

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CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS

Last race: Paul Tracy finished 13.733 seconds - nearly a quarter of a lap - ahead of teammate Dario Franchitti to win the Texaco Grand Prix of Houston. Franchitti, who went into the 100-lap race trailing Juan Montoya by 29 points, is now just 13 behind with two races remaining.

Next race: Honda Indy, Oct. 17, Surfers Paradise, Australia.

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INDY RACING LEAGUE

Last race: Sam Schmidt slipped passed Kenny Brack with three laps remaining and went on to win for the first time in his IRL career, taking the Vegas.com 500 on his hometown track. Greg Ray, who had won three of four previous races, including two straight, retained his lead in the standings by 13 points over Brack.

Next race: Lone Star 500, Oct. 17, Fort Worth, Texas.

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FORMULA ONE

Last race: Johnny Herbert earned his third Formula One victory. He won the European Grand Prix, which began with a crash and ended with many top drivers out of the race. Defending champion Mika Hakkinen finished fifth, taking a 2-point lead over Eddie Irvine in the standings.

Next race: Malaysian Grand Prix, Oct. 17, Kuala Lumpur.