This week’s races

Friday, Aug. 24, 2001 | 9:30 a.m.

All Times Pacific.

NASCAR WINSTON CUP

Sharpie 500

Site: Bristol, Tenn.

Schedule: Today, qualifying (CNNSI, noon); Saturday, race (TNT, 5 p.m.)

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway (oval, .533 miles, 36 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 266.5 miles, 500 laps.

Last race: Sterling Marlin gave Dodge its first Winston Cup victory in 24 years and his first in five seasons, taking the rain-shortened Pepsi 400 in Brooklyn, Mich. The two-time Daytona 500 winner passed Bill Elliott with 53 laps to go and won when a heavy shower halted the scheduled 200-lap event at 156.

Last year: Rusty Wallace led 279 of the 500 laps for the victory, pulling off a season sweep at Bristol.

Fast Facts: Neil Bonnett got the previous victory for Dodge in Ontario, Calif., in 1977. The automaker returned to Winston Cup racing this season after a 16-year absence. ... Darrell Waltrip, who retired at the end of last season, leads all drivers with 12 wins at Bristol. Wallace leads active drivers with nine wins. ... The race was run under the lights for the first time in 1978. Cale Yarborough was the winner.

Next race: Southern 500, Sept. 2, Darlington, S.C.

Driver standings : 1. Jeff Gordon, 3,353. 2. Ricky Rudd, 3,055. 3. Dale Jarrett, 2,999. 4. Sterling Marlin, 2,972. 5. Tony Stewart, 2,870. 6. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 2,846. 7. Bobby Labonte, 2,805. 8. Rusty Wallace, 2,803. 9. Johnny Benson, 2,788. 10. Kevin Harvick, 2,743. Also, 24. Kurt Busch, 2,095.

BUSCH

Food City 250

Site: Bristol, Tenn.

Schedule: Qualifying was Thursday (Lineup on page 8D); today, race (TNT, 5 p.m.)

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway (oval, .533 miles, 36 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 133.25 miles, 250 laps.

Last race: Ryan Newman led 119 of 125 laps in the NAPA 250 in Brooklyn, Mich., and claimed his first Busch Series victory. Newman passed polesitter Jimmy Spencer on the second lap and steadily pulled away from the field. He briefly lost the lead to Kevin Harvick after a restart on lap 52, but stayed out front after passing Harvick five laps later.

Last year: Harvick survived a two-lap shootout to cap a dominating performance to win. Harvick started on the pole and led 241 of the 250 laps.

Fast Facts: Chevrolets have dominated Bristol, winning 16 times since 1982. ... Only four of 18 polesitters have won the summer-fall race.

Next race: South Carolina 200, Sept. 1, Darlington.

Driver standings: 1. Kevin Harvick, 3,543. 2. Jason Keller, 3,307. 3. Greg Biffle, 3,239. 4. Jeff Green, 3,139. 5. Tony Raines, 2,813. 6. Elton Sawyer, 2,802. 7. Mike McLaughlin, 2,799. 8. Jimmie Johnson, 2,780. 9. Chad Little, 2,664. 10. Kenny Wallace, 2,604.

CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

Chevy Silverado 200

Site: Nazareth, Pa.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, noon; Sunday, race (ESPN, 9:30 a.m.)

Track: Nazareth Speedway (tri-oval .946 miles, 1 degree banking in turn 1, 4 degrees in turn 2, 6 degrees in turns 3-4).

Race distance: 189.2 miles, 200 laps.

Last race: Scott Riggs outsmarted his rivals on pit road to win the Sears Craftsman 175 at Chicago Motor Speedway. Riggs eked out a 0.281-second victory over Dennis Setzer when he chose to take fuel only when he pitted his Dodge for the final time on the 147th of 175 laps. Riggs jumped from sixth to second behind leader Kyle Busch, who chose not to come down pit road. Busch, a 16-year-old Las Vegas high school junior, bidding to become NASCAR's youngest national touring winner, ran out of gas on lap 163.

Last year: Dennis Setzer, racing with a broken right shoulder, held off Joe Ruttman by 2.057 seconds to win.

Fast Facts: Jack Sprague is the only two-time winner of the race (1996-97). ... The 1997 race was marred by 53 caution laps. ... Sprague has completed all but one mile in the history of the race.

Next race: Kroger 200, Sept. 6, Richmond, Va.

Driver standings : 1. Scott Riggs, 2,608. 2. Joe Ruttman, 2,607. 3. Jack Sprague, 2,560. 4. Travis Kvapil, 2,560. 5. Ricky Hendrick, 2,460. 6. Ted Musgrave, 2,451. 7. Terry Cook, 2,409. 8. Dennis Setzer, 2,328. 9. Rick Crawford, 2,234. Also, 31. Brendan Gaughan, 687.

INDY RACING LEAGUE

Gateway Indy 250

Site: Madison, Ill.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, noon (ESPN2, 9 p.m., tape); Sunday, race (ESPN, noon)

Track: Gateway International Raceway (egg-shaped oval, 1.25 miles, 11 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 9 degrees in turns 3-4).

Race distance: 250 miles, 200 laps.

Last race: Buddy Lazier took his first lead on lap 112 and held off Robbie Buhl to win the Belterra Casino Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway. Lazier won last year's Kentucky event en route to the series championship.

Last year: Inaugural event.

Fast Facts: Lazier is the first IRL driver to win four races in a single season. ... Lazier trails leader Sam Hornish Jr. by 25 points. ... Lazier has finished in the top five the last six races.

Next race: Delphi Indy 300, Sept. 2, Joliet, Ill.

Driver standings: 1. Sam Hornish Jr., 374. 2. Buddy Lazier, 349. 3. Scott Sharp, 286. 4. Felipe Giaffone, 265. 5. Eliseo Salazar, 251. 6. Billy Boat, 249. 7. Buzz Calkins, 192. 8. Al Unser Jr., 185. 9. Eddie Cheever, 182. 10. Airton Dare, 180.

CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS

Last race: Bruno Junqueira gave car owner Chip Ganassi his first victory of the season, taking advantage of a collision by former teammates Michael Andretti and Christian Fittipaldi to win the chaotic Motorola 220 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Junqueira became the ninth different winner in 14 races this season.

Next race: Molson Indy, Sept. 2, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Driver standings: 1. Helio Castroneves, 110. 2. Kenny Brack, 105. 3. Gil de Ferran, 99. 4. Michael Andretti, 89. 5. Scott Dixon, 82. 6. Dario Franchitti, 81. 7. Cristiano da Matta, 78. 8. Patrick Carpentier, 69. 9. Paul Tracy, 65. 10. Roberto Moreno, 54. Also, 13. Jimmy Vasser, 50. 14. Alex Tagliani, 49.

FORMULA ONE

Last race: Michael Schumacher won his fourth Formula One championship and matched Alain Prost's series record of 51 victories by taking the Hungarian Grand Prix. With teammate Rubens Barrichello finishing second, the Italian Ferrari team also won the constructors' title for the second consecutive year. Schumacher, a winner in seven of 13 races this season, moved into a second-place tie with Prost for career F1 titles. Juan Manuel Fangio leads with five.

Next race: Belgian Grand Prix, Sept. 2, Spa-Francorchamps.

Driver standings: 1. x-Michael Schumacher, 94. 2. David Coulthard, 51. 3. Rubens Barrichello, 46. 4. Ralf Schumacher, 44. 5. Mika Hakkinen, 21. 6. Juan Montoya, 15. 7. Jacques Villeneuve, 11. 8. Nick Heidfeld, 11. 9. Kimi Raikkonen, 9 10. Jarno Trulli, 9. (x-clinched championship)

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION

Last event: Larry Dixon and Ron Capps gave team owner Don "The Snake" Prudhomme a pair of victories in the Colonel's Truck Accessories NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. Dixon won in Top Fuel, Capps in Funny Car. Three-time Top Fuel champion Gary Scelzi and John Smith were involved in a spectacular crash in the first round of eliminations. Smith had fractures to his left arm, leg and wrist. Scelzi was not injured. Bruce Allen (Pro Stock) and Antron Brown (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners.

Next race: U.S. Nationals, Sept. 3, Clermont, Ind.

Driver Standings: Top Fuel -- 1. Larry Dixon, 1,412. 2. Kenny Bernstein, 1,404. 3. Doug Kalitta, 1,154. 4. Gary Scelzi, 1,132. 5. Mike Dunn, 1,100. 6. Darrell Russell, 1,091. 7. Doug Herbert, 933. 8. Tony Schumacher, 861. 9. David Grubnic, 727. 10. Rhonda Hartman-Smith, 601. Funny Car -- 1. John Force, 1,450. 2. Whit Bazemore, 1,125. 3. Del Worsham, 1,081. 4. Ron Capps, 1,053. 5. Bruce Sarver, 1,020. 6. Tony Pedregon, 1,001. 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., 810. 8. Dean Skuza, 800. 9. Frank Pedregon, 782. 10. Gary Densham, 714. Pro Stock -- 1. Warren Johnson, 1,182. 2, Jim Yates, 1,084. 3. Mike Edwards, 978. 4. Jeg Coughlin, 972. 5. Mark Pawuk, 924. 6. Bruce Allen, 924. 7. Ron Krisher, 906. 8. Kurt Johnson, 900. 9. Mark Osborne, 868. 10. Brad Jeter, 699.