THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 5, 1996 TAG: 9609050541
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 60 lines
For a full dose of NASCAR racing, few events on the schedule can top the Miller 400 weekend at Richmond International Raceway, which starts today, weather permitting.
No other track features NASCAR's three biggest series on successive nights.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck series' 200-lap race is scheduled for 8 tonight, the Busch Grand National Autolite 250 for 7:40 p.m. Friday and the Miller 400 Winston Cup race for 7:40 p.m. Saturday.
All three races are to be run on the 3/4-mile, D-shaped track at the Virginia State Fairgrounds. The low-banked track is famous for side-by-side racing, and it tied for third (with Daytona, behind Charlotte) when this paper asked Winston Cup drivers to name their favorite tracks in June.
The Winston Cup race, however, usually turns into a Rusty Wallace show. Wallace is the defending champion, and he has won three of the last four Miller 400s. His record at Richmond is particularly impressive, with five victories in 25 career starts, and 13 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. Since 1989, he's finished every Richmond race, and his worst finish was 17th.
``Richmond is the type of racetrack where I just really like the shape of the track,'' Wallace said. ``I like the layout, and when I go there, I go there with a smile and feeling good.''
Wallace will be driving a new race car with a new paint scheme - a silver-and-black Miller Ford Thunderbird - when Winston Cup practice gets under way at 11:30 a.m. Friday. The new paint scheme commemorates his sponsor's 25th anniversary in motorsports.
``It seems like every time we come to Richmond with a new car, I win the race,'' he said. ``So we're going to try that again. Night races and new cars have always had a little mystique about them, always brought a lot of good luck for me.''
A driver swap is expected for the Winston Cup race, with John Andretti and Jeremy Mayfield switching to each other's teams to get a head start on 1997. Andretti was expected to drive Cale Yarborough's No. 98 Ford, while Mayfield was expected to take over Michael Kranefuss' No. 37 Ford.
Andretti finished fifth in the Kranefuss car at Darlington, however, and the swap was still unofficial as of Wednesday evening. But a Richmond newspaper on Wednesday advertised a Mayfield appearance this weekend at a Richmond-area Kmart, which is one of Kranefuss' sponsors.
The NASCAR truck race at 8 tonight is actually the beginning of a doubleheader weekend for the trucks. After Richmond, they're off to New Hampshire for a race Sunday. There are eight races left in the 1996 truck schedule. Ron Hornaday Jr., who drives the truck owned by Dale Earnhardt, has a 64-point lead over defending champion Mike Skinner, who drives for Richard Childress.
Five races remain on the Grand National schedule, with former champion David Green leading Randy LaJoie by 100 points.
Tonight's truck race is to be preceded by pole qualifying for the Grand National cars at 3 p.m.
Friday's schedule, in addition to the Grand National race, includes Winston Cup pole qualifying at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets for today's events are $25, with general-admission seating.
Saturday tickets are $30 and also are general admission. As in the past, children 12 and under are admitted free with an adult both Thursday and Friday.
Sunday's Miller 400 is sold out. by CNB