This week’s races

Thursday, March 15, 2001 | 5:03 a.m.

All times Pacific

NASCAR

Winston Cup

Carolina Dodge Dealers 400

Site: Darlington, S.C.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Fox Sports Net, 7:30 a.m.); Sunday, race (Fox, 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: 400.238 miles, 293 laps.

Last race: Kevin Harvick, who took over Dale Earnhardt's car after The Intimidator's death in the season-opening Daytona 500, won his first Winston Cup race by edging Jeff Gordon in the Cracker Barrel 500 in Hampton, Ga.

Last year: Ward Burton took the lead from Matt Kenseth with 36 laps to go and was barely pressured the rest of the way.

Fast facts: Earnhardt set the race record of 139.958 mph in 1993. Earnhardt won nine of his 76 Winston Cup races at Darlington. David Pearson, with 10, was the only driver with more Darlington trophies. ... Bill Elliott, driving a Dodge this season, leads active drivers with five poles at Darlington. ... The race has been won from the pole 19 times, the most of any starting position. ... Only 10 of the 95 Winston Cup races at Darlington have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.

Next race: Food City 500, March 25, Bristol, Tenn.

BUSCH

Suncom 200

Site: Darlington, S.C.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying (FX, 10 a.m.); Saturday, race (FX, 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 race: Joe Nemechek ended Todd Bodine's recent stranglehold on the series by winning the Aaron's 312 in Hampton, Ga. Nemechek, a Winston Cup regular, gambled by pitting five laps before the rest of the field did. That allowed him to build a comfortable lead when the rest of the cars stopped with 31 laps to go. Bodine, winner of the past two Busch races, was fifth.

Last year: Mark Martin held off teammate Jeff Burton to win. Martin swept past Burton with 23 laps to go and won a side-by-side duel in the final stretch.

Fast facts: Martin, who retired from the series after last season, leads drivers with seven wins at the track. ... Greg Biffle has led at least one lap in all four races this season.

Next race: Bristol 250, March 24, Bristol, Tenn.

CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

OSH 250

Site: Bakersfield, Calif.

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

Track: Mesa Marin Raceway (oval, .500 mile, 17 degrees banking in turns.

Race distance: 125 miles, 250 laps.

Last race: Ted Musgrave squeezed the last few ounces of fuel out of his dominating Dodge to win the Florida Dodge Dealers 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Musgrave, who became the event's fifth first-time series winner, led a race-high 86 laps including the final 15 circuits.

Last year: Joe Ruttman survived a brush with Andy Houston to win, picking up his first series victory in two years. Ruttman, 55, at the time, became the oldest winner in series history.

Fast facts: Ruttman won the season-opening Florida Dodge Dealers 250 in Daytona. ... Scott Riggs leads the standings by five points over Ricky Hendrick. Ruttman is third.

Next race: Advance Auto Parts 250, April 7, Martinsville, Va.

FORMULA ONE

Malaysian Grand Prix

Site: Kuala Lumpur.

Schedule: Friday, qualifying, (Speedvision, 9 p.m.); Sunday, race, (Speedvision 10:30 p.m.)

Track: Sepang International Circuit (permanent road course, 3.443 miles, 15 turns).

Race distance: 189.365 miles, 55 laps.

Last race: Series champion Michael Schumacher led from start to finish to win his fifth consecutive Formula One race in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. A track marshal was killed and 13 people were injured from debris that flew off Jacques Villeneuve's car when it became airborne and hit a catch fence.

Last year: Schumacher won, giving Ferrari its first sweep of the driver's and constructor's titles since 1979.

Fast facts: With Schumacher's win in Australia, he tied the modern-era record of five straight victories held by Nigel Mansel. ... The race was the final event last year. ... Schumacher needs six victories to match Alain Prost's record of 51.

Next race: Brazilian Grand Prix, April 1, Sao Paulo.

INDY RACING LEAGUE

Pennzoil Copper World 200

Site: Avondale, Ariz.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, Noon (ESPN2, taped, see local listings); Sunday, race (ABC, 1 p.m.)

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

Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps.

Last year: Buddy Lazier became the first Indy Racing League driver to start last and finish first.

Fast facts: This is the first race of the season. ... This is the sixth year the IRL has raced at Phoenix. There has not been a repeat winner. ... Lazier won the season title last year by 18 points over Scott Goodyear. ... No driver has repeated as series champion. ... Davey Hamilton is the only driver to compete in every IRL race to date.

Next race: Infiniti Grand Prix, April 8, Homestead, Fla.

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION

Mac Tools Gatornationals

Site: Gainesville, Fla.

Schedule: Friday, first-round qualifying 8 a.m.; Saturday, second-round qualifying, 8 a.m. (ESPN, tape, see local listings); Sunday, final eliminations, 8 a.m. (ESPN2, tape, see local listings)

Track: Gainesville Raceway.

Last event: John Force raced to his 93rd career Funny Car victory, beating Bruce Sarver in the final round of the Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals in Chandler, Ariz. Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Warren Johnson (Pro Stock) won their divisions.

Last year: Jerry Toliver earned his second victory of the season. Other winners included Doug Kalitta, Warren Johnson, Dave Schultz and Randy Daniels.

Fast facts: This is the 32nd year of the event. ... Kenny Bernstein recorded the sport's first 300-mph run at Gainesville in 1992. ... Daniels recorded a then-record 179.78 mph in the Pro Stock Truck division last year.

Next race: O'Reilly Nationals, March 24, Baytown, Texas.

CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS

Last race: Cristiano da Matta, who replaced Michael Andretti for the Newman-Haas team, won the season-opening Telmex Tecate Grand Prix in Monterrey, Mexico. Da Matta came out on top in a mid-race battle with polesitter Kenny Brack, then held off series champion Gil de Ferran over the last few laps of the race shortened to 78 laps - two fewer than scheduled - by a two-hour time limit.

Next race: Toyota Grand Prix, April 8, Long Beach, Calif.