This week’s races

Thursday, June 29, 2000 | 9:44 a.m.

NASCAR

WINSTON CUP

Pepsi 400

Site: Daytona Beach, Fla.

Schedule: Thursday, first-round qualifying, 8 p.m.; Friday, second-round qualifying, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, race (CBS, 8 p.m.)

Track: Daytona International Speedway (tri-oval, 2.5 miles, 31 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 400 miles, 160 laps.

Last year: A late-race caution enabled Dale Jarrett to conserve enough gas - his tank went dry on the cooldown lap - to win.

Last race: Jeff Gordon extended his road-course winning streak to six, taking the Save Mart/Kragen 350k in Sonoma, Calif. It was Gordon's third straight victory on the track.

Fast facts: David Pearson (1974) and Cale Yarborough (1981) are the only drivers to win the race from the pole. ... Bobby Allison set the race record of 173.473 mph in 1980. ... The Winston Cup leader bonus, which goes to the leader of the point standings if he wins that week's race, is at $160,000. It is the highest the bonus has been since the inception of the award in 1996. ... Jimmy Spencer (1994) and John Andretti (1997) earned their first Winston Cup victories in the Pepsi 400.

Next race: Jiffy Lube 300, July 9, Loudon, N.H.

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BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL

Sears DieHard 250

Site: West Allis, Wis.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 11:30 a.m.; Sunday, race (CBS, 2 p.m.)

Track: The Milwaukee Mile (oval, 1 mile, 9 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 250 miles, 250 laps.

Last year: Casey Atwood, 18 at the time, won by passing Jeff Green on the final lap. Atwood's victory made him the youngest driver to win a Busch race.

Last race: Ron Fellows started from the pole and led 35 of 82 laps to win the Lysol 200 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. It was the second Busch victory at the Glen for Fellows, who also won in 1998.

Fast facts: There have been no repeat winners in nine previous races. ... Atwood won the pole last year. ... Jeff Green leads the point standings by 273 over Todd Bodine.

Next race: Nazareth 200, July 16, Nazareth, Pa.

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CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

Sears DieHard 200

Site: West Allis, Wis.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 2:30 p.m.; Saturday, race (CBS, 2:30 p.m.)

Track: The Milwaukee Mile (oval, 1 mile, 9 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps.

Last year: Greg Biffle survived a botched pit stop and was able to race through the field to win. Biffle overshot his stall on his final stop. His crew then dropped the jack from underneath his Ford, and he went back on the track in eighth position.

Last race: Biffle became the third driver in series history to win three consecutive races, leading a one-two Roush Racing sweep of the Bully Hill Vineyards 150 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. Teammate Kurt Busch finished second.

Fast facts: Biffle won the pole last year. ... This is the first of three straight races to be televised on CBS. ... There have been five winners in five events at The Milwaukee Mile. ... Jack Sprague and Joe Ruttman are the only drivers to compete in all five previous races.

Next race: New Hampshire 200, July 8, Loudon.

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CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS

Marconi Grand Prix

Site: Cleveland.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 3 p.m.; Sunday, race (ABC, 1:30 p.m.)

Track: Burke Lakefront Airport (temporary road course, 2.106 miles, 10 turns).

Race distance: 210.6 miles, 100 laps.

Last year: Juan Montoya finished more than 10 seconds ahead of Gil de Ferran for his fourth victory in nine starts. The race ended on lap 90, 10 before the scheduled finish, because of a midrace downpour.

Last race: Gil de Ferran gave Team Penske its third victory in the last four races, holding off Roberto Moreno at the end to win the Freightliner-G.I. Joe's 200 in Portland, Ore.

Fast facts: Danny Sullivan and Emerson Fittipaldi share the record of three victories at Cleveland. ... Alex Zanardi won the event in 1997 and 1998. ... Moreno leads de Ferran by one point in the standings.

Next race: Molson Indy, July 16, Toronto.

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FORMULA ONE

French Grand Prix

Site: Magny-Cours.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speedvision, 7 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speedvision, 8 a.m.)

Track: Magny-Cours (road course, 2.641 miles).

Race distance: 72 laps, 190.152 miles.

Last year: Heinz-Harald Frentzen won thanks to pit-stop strategy. Frentzen took a heavy fuel load on his sole stop, while other drivers pitted twice for lighter loads but were unable to make up for time lost in the pits.

Last race: Michael Schumacher won his fourth Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. Schumacher led all but eight laps. Schumacher tightened his grip on the points lead as when series runner-up David Coulthard was unable to overcome a penalty near the start of the race and failed to score.

Fast facts: Schumacher won the 1998 race, beating Eddie Irvine by nearly 20 seconds. ... Ferrari leads the constructor's standings by 18 points over McLaren. ... Jos Verstappen will compete in the event despite injuring his neck during testing at Magny-Cours last week.

Next race: Austrian Grand Prix, July 16, Spielberg.

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NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION

Last event: Gary Scelzi raced to his fifth Top Fuel victory of the season, beating Kenny Bernstein in the final of the Sears Craftsman Nationals in Madison, Ill. Jerry Toliver, Ron Krisher, Matt Hines and John Coughlin also won their divisions.

Next race: Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals, July 16, Denver.

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INDY RACING LEAGUE

Last race: Eddie Cheever Jr. got his fourth career IRL victory and the first ever for an Infiniti engine in 34 races. Cheever took the lead on lap 172 and crossed the finish line with the Radisson 200 under caution in Fountain, Colo. Cheever also took over the season points lead from Buddy Lazier, who blew his engine on the first lap.

Next race: Atlanta 500, July 15, Hampton, Ga.