This week in motor sports

Friday, July 5, 2002 | 9:31 a.m.

All Times PDT

NASCAR

WINSTON CUP

Pepsi 400

Site: Daytona Beach, Fla.

Schedule: Qualifying today; Saturday, race (Fox, 4:30 p.m.).

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

Race distance: 400 miles, 160 laps.

Last race: Ricky Rudd picked up his first victory of the season by winning the Dodge/Save Mart 350 in Sonoma, Calif. Jerry Nadeau appeared to have the victory with two laps to go, but rear-end gear failure ended his day. Jeff Gordon led for 30 laps, but also encountered rear-end gear failure and finished 37th, extending his winless streak to 24 races.

Last year: Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove to an emotional victory in the Pepsi 400, where his father was killed the previous February. Pushed back to seventh place after a late caution flag, Earnhardt regained the lead with 4 1/2 laps remaining. A few laps later, teammate Michael Waltrip overtook Bobby Labonte for second place.

Next race: Tropicana 400, July 14, Cicero, Ill.

Driver standings: 1. Sterling Marlin, 2,198. 2. Mark Martin, 2,136. 3. Jeff Gordon, 2,116. 4. Jimmie Johnson, 2,112. 5. Tony Stewart, 2,110. 6. Rusty Wallace, 2,054. 7. Ricky Rudd, 2,050. 8. Matt Kenseth, 2,020. 9. Kurt Busch, 2,003. 10. Bill Elliott, 1,972.

On the net: www.nascar.com

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BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL

GNC Live Well/Stacker2 250

Site: Daytona Beach, Fla.

Schedule: Qualifying was Wednesday; Today, race (FX, 5 p.m.).

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

Race distance: 250 miles, 100 laps.

Last race: Greg Biffle became the repeat winner at Milwaukee by taking the GNC Live Well 250.

Last year: Inaugural race

Next race: Hills Brothers Coffee 300, July 13, Cicero, Ill.

Driver standings: 1. Jack Sprague, 2,413. 2. Greg Biffle, 2,367. 3. Jason Keller, 2,338. 4. Scott Riggs, 2,276. 5. Kenny Wallace, 2,184. 6. Scott Wimmer, 2,173. 7. Randy LaJoie, 2,169. 8. Bobby Hamilton Jr., 2,165. 9. Mike McLaughlin, 2,087. 10. Stacy Compton, 1,991.

On the net: www.nascar.com

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CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS O'Reilly Auto Parts 250

Site: Kansas City, Kan.

Schedule: Today, qualifying, 1 p.m.; Saturday, race (ESPN, 10 a.m.).

Track: Kansas Speedway (tri-oval, 1.5 miles, 15 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 250.5 miles, 167 laps.

Last race: Terry Cook overcame a slow pit stop and passed Jason Leffler with two laps remaining to win the GNC Live Well 200 at The Milwaukee Mile.

Last year: Ricky Hendrick became the youngest driver to win a truck series race, leading the final 32 laps to take the inaugural O'Reilly Auto Parts 250. At 21 years, 3 months, 5 days, Hendrick is more than seven months younger than Kurt Busch was when he won on July 1, 2000, at The Milwaukee Mile.

Next race: Kroger 225, July 13, Sparta, Ky.

Driver standings: 1. Ted Musgrave, 1,378. 2. David Starr, 1,374. 3. Rick Crawford, 1,325. 4. Mike Bliss, 1,297. 5. Jason Leffler, 1,293. 6. Terry Cook, 1,249. 7. Travis Kvapil, 1,234. 8. Robert Pressley, 1,222. 9. Dennis Setzer, 1,206. 10. Brendan Gaughan, 1,200.

On the net: www.nascar.com

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CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS

Molson Indy

Site: Toronto

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 10:30 a.m.); Sunday, race (CBS, 10:30 a.m.).

Track: Toronto street circuit (temporary road course, 1.755 miles, 13 turns).

Race distance: 166.725 miles, 95 laps.

Last race: Cristiano da Matta recorded his third straight CART victory by winning in Chicago.

Last year: Michael Andretti, shuffled to last place on the first lap of the Molson Indy, took advantage of 11 cautions and won the Toronto race for the seventh time in its 16-year history. With his 41st career victory, Andretti broke a record he shared with Al Unser Jr. for most wins in one event. Unser won six times in Long Beach, Calif.

Next race: Marconi Grand Prix, July 14, Cleveland.

Driver standings 1. Cristiano da Matta, 95. 2. Bruno Junqueira, 70. 3. Dario Franchitti, 64. 4. Michel Jourdain Jr., 57. 5. Christian Fittipaldi, 43. 6. Scott Dixon, 42. 7. Patrick Carpentier, 38. 8. Paul Tracy, 36. 9. Alex Tagliani, 30. 10. Michael Andretti, 34. 14. Jimmy Vasser, 26.

On the net: www.cart.com

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FORMULA ONE British Grand Prix

Site: Silverstone, England

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 5 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 4:30 a.m.).

Track: Silverstone Circuit (road course, 3.196 miles, 14 turns).

Race distance: 191.76 miles, 60 laps.

Last race: Rubens Barrichello recorded his second career win at the European Grand Prix in Germany, finishing .20 seconds ahead of Michael Schumacher on June 23.

Last year: Mika Hakkinen defeated series leader Michael Schumacher to get his 19th career victory, first this year and first ever in the British Grand Prix. Schumacher was denied his 51st career victory, which would have tied him with Alain Prost for the most in Formula One history.

Next race: French Grand Prix, July 21, Magny-Cours.

Driver standings: 1. Michael Schumacher, 76. 2. Ralf Schumacher, 30. 3. Juan Pablo Montoya, 27. 4. Rubens Barrichello, 26. 5. David Coulthard, 26. 6. Kimi Raikkonen, 11. 7. Jenson Button, 10.

On the net: www.formula1.com

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INDY RACING LEAGUE

Ameristar Casino Indy 200

Site: Kansas City, Kan.

Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 1:30 p.m.; Sunday, race (ABC, 10 a.m.).

Track: Kansas Speedway (tri-oval 1.5 miles, 15 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.

Last race: Sam Hornish Jr. passed Gil de Ferran with two laps left to win the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond, his third victory of the season.

Last year: Eddie Cheever Jr. passed Hornish with slightly more than two laps to go, earning his first IRL victory of the season in the inaugural Ameristar Casino Indy 200.

Next race: Firestone Indy 200, July 20, Gladeville, Tenn.

Driver standings: 1. Helio Castroneves, 280. 2. Gil de Ferran, 277. 3. Sam Hornish Jr., 256. 4. Felipe Giaffone, 237. 5. Al Unser Jr., 194. 6. Jeff Ward, 181. 7. Airton Dare, 176. 8. Alex Barron, 169. 9. Scott Sharp, 156. 14. Richie Hearn, 126.

On the net: www.indyracingleague.com

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NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSN.

Last event: Kenny Bernstein (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car) and Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) all recorded victories at the Sears Craftsman Nationals in St. Louis.

Next event: Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals, July 21, Morrison, Colo.

Driver Standings: Top Fuel -- 1. Larry Dixon, 1,152. 2. Kenny Bernstein, 995. 3. Tony Schumacher, 777. 4. Cory McClenathan, 739. 5. Darrell Russell, 619. Funny Car -- 1. John Force, 877. 2. Gary Densham, 839. 3. Tony Pedregon, 720. 4. Del Worsham, 710. 5. Whit Bazemore, 678. Pro Stock -- 1. Jim Yates, 822. 2. Greg Anderson, 720. 3. Warren Johnson, 712. 4. Jeg Coughlin, 651. 5. Darrell Alderman, 619.

On the net: www.nhra.com