This week’s races

Thursday, March 16, 2000 | 9:35 a.m.

All time PT.

NASCAR

WINSTON CUP

Mall.com 400

Site: Darlington, S.C.

Schedule: Friday, first-round qualifying (ESPN2, 12:30 p.m.); Saturday, second-round qualifying, 8:30 a.m. (ESPN2, 3:30 p.m., tape); Sunday, race (ESPN, 9:30 a.m.)

Track: Darlington Raceway (egg-shaped oval, 1.366 miles, 25 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 23 degrees in turns 3-4).

Race distance: 400.238 miles, 293 laps.

Last year: Jeff Burton won the rain-shortened event. Jeremy Mayfield finished second and pole-sitter Jeff Gordon was third.

Last race: Dale Earnhardt held off a determined effort by Bobby Labonte to win the Cracker Barrel 500 in Hampton, Ga., by less than 2 feet.

Fast facts: Both Darlington races were shortened because of rain last year. ... Earnhardt leads active drivers with nine wins at Darlington. ... Dale Jarrett ended a 36-race streak of running at the finish last week. He also ended an 11-race streak of top-10 finishes. ... Labonte leads Mark Martin by 18 points in the standings. Earnhardt is third.

Next race: Food City 500, March 26, Bristol, Tenn.

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BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL

SunCom 200

Site: Darlington, S.C.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 11 a.m.; Saturday, race (ESPN, 10 a.m.)

Track: Darlington Raceway (egg-shaped oval, 1.366 miles, 25 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 23 degrees in turns 3-4).

Race distance: 200.802 miles, 147 laps.

Last year: Matt Kenseth won by a whopping 13.959 seconds over Elton Sawyer.

Last race: Mark Martin overwhelmed the field to win the Aaron's 312 in Hampton, Ga. Rain interrupted the race for almost six hours, and Martin overcame late-race engine trouble for his second win in three starts.

Fast facts: Martin has won the pole for the spring race four times. ... Ford has won three of the last four Busch events. ... Kenseth leads the point standings by 91 over Randy LaJoie.

Next race: Cheez-It 250, March 25, Bristol, Tenn.

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CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

Chevy Trucks 150

Site: Avondale, Ariz.

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

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

Race distance: 150 miles, 150 laps.

Last year: Ron Hornaday beat Jack Sprague by .509 seconds. Sprague had lost a lap early in the race when he was penalized for speeding on pit row.

Last race: Andy Houston overcame a pit-stop accident to win the Florida Dodge Dealers 400 in Homestead, Fla., on Feb. 26. It was Houston's first victory in the series since 1998.

Fast facts: This is the 10th Craftsman Trucks race at Phoenix, the most of any track. ... Sprague has led 45 percent of all laps raced in Phoenix. ... Mike Wallace needs just $27,096 to become the 12th $1 million winner in series history.

Next race: Dodge California Truck Stop 250, March 26, Bakersfield.

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INDY RACING LEAGUE

MCI WorldCom 200

Site: Avondale, Ariz.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 1 p.m. (ESPN2, 2:30 p.m., tape); Sunday, race (ABC, 2 p.m.)

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

Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps.

Last year: Scott Goodyear beat Jeff Ward by 4.738 seconds.

Last race: Robbie Buhl passed Eddie Cheever for the lead and the win with less than two laps remaining in the season-opening Delphi Indy 200 at Walt Disney World Speedway.

Fast facts: There has not been a repeat winner at Phoenix in series history. ... Series champion Greg Ray finished 17th in the season opening race. ... Al Unser Jr. is racing at Phoenix for the first time since 1995. CART defectee Unser has not won in Phoenix, but finished second in 1985, 1989 and 1994. ... Sarah Fisher, a 19-year-old driver, will make her second IRL race start. She finished 25th at the Mall.com 500 in October.

Next race: Las Vegas 500, April 22, Las Vegas.

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NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION

Mac Tools Gatornationals

Site: Gainesville, Fla.

Schedule: Friday, first-round qualifying; Saturday, second-round qualifying (ESPN2, 5 p.m., tape); Sunday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 2 p.m., tape).

Track: Gainesville Raceway.

Last year: Mike Dunn won in Top Fuel, John Force in Funny Car and Warren Johnson in Pro Stock.

Last race: Nine-time Funny Car champion Force moved closer to Bob Glidden's record for career victories by winning the Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals in Chandler, Ariz. Force has 82 career victories, three fewer than Glidden. Tony Schumacher won in Top Fuel and Jeg Coughlin Jr. in Pro Stock.

Fast facts: This is the 31st year of the event. ... Tony Pedregon's 4.779-second run last year was the fastest elapsed time in NHRA history for a Funny Car. ... Force had two 324.05-mph runs last year to set the national speed record in Funny Car.

Next: Las Vegas Nationals, April 9, Las Vegas.

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FORMULA ONE

Last week: Michael Schumacher won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Schumacher, a two-time series champion, went to the front when Mika Hakkinen, who had led by 2.6 seconds, left on the 18th of 58 laps with smoke billowing from the rear of his car.

Next race: Brazilian Grand Prix, March 26, Sao Paolo.