DATE: Wednesday, October 22, 1997           TAG: 9710220729

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BOB ZELLER

LENGTH: 104 lines

NASCAR REPORT

J. Gordon's points

lead safe, if he

finishes mediocre

With three races to go in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup season, Jeff Gordon is firmly in command of the championship, although potential disaster still lurks, capable of striking at any moment.

Gordon is 110 points ahead of Mark Martin.

This is a lead large enough to guarantee the title as long as Gordon keeps a solid-but-mediocre pace in the last three events. He is guaranteed the title with finishes of sixth or better in the last three races. That's somewhat better than his season average finish of 9.2.

On the other hand, Gordon's lead is small enough that is can evaporate with one bad race, as long as Martin continues to do well. In any one NASCAR Winston Cup race, the difference between first and 42nd is 138 points.

Pole qualifications at the Rock are at 2 p.m. Friday. The race is at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Atlanta Speedway gives

drivers a lot more speed

Winston Cup drivers have been busy testing at the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway and two things are obvious: It's faster than ever and it's nothing like the old Atlanta.

``You just have to turn left and hang on,'' said Bill Elliott who reached 191.370 miles per hour last Wednesday in his Ford Thunderbird. Elliott told track public relations director Richard Sowers said it would take 194.5 to win the pole for the season-ending NAPA 500 on Nov. 16.

``It will be faster than Daytona and Talladega,'' said Michael Waltrip, who reached 188.8 mph in a Ford.

Speeds were down somewhat when Ken Schrader and others tested Monday. Schrader reach 189.798 mph in a Chevrolet, which is still more than three miles per hour faster than Robby Gordon's track record of 186.507 mph set last March.

Others who tested Monday included Dale Earnhardt (189.603 mph) and Dale Jarrett (188.086 mph).

The track was reconfigured from a 1.522-mile oval into a 1.54-mile quad oval with a Charlotte-style double-dogleg on the frontstretch.

In a couple of instances, the speeds were a bit too much for man or equipment.

Rick Mast crashed coming out of the fourth turn last Wednesday, as did Jerry Nadeau, who was driving Bill Elliott's car.

``I lost the engine and there was nothing I could do about it,'' Mast said.

``We had been real fast all day,'' Nadeau told Sowers. ``I just got a little high going into turn three and hit the marbles, and it went around on me.''

NAPA signs on as

Martinsville sponsor

For the first time in the 1990s, Martinsville Speedway will have a new sponsor for one of its Winston Cup races.

The September 27, 1998 Winston Cup race at the short track will be the NAPA AutoCare 500. NAPA auto parts also will sponsor the NASCAR truck series race on Sept. 26, which will be the NAPA 250.

NAPA will be the title sponsor of both events through the year 2000, the speedway announced.

NAPA replaces Hanes, which had been a Martinsville Winston Cup race sponsor since 1990.

Late models, modifieds

have late date at Richmond

Richmond International Raceway is gearing up for its late-season double-header featuring late model stock cars and the modified tour.

The Ukrop's General Mills Fall 300 on Nov. 1 features a 150-lap modified race at 2 p.m., followed by a 150-lap late model race. The day's events also include two 20-lap late model qualifying races before the late model feature.

Some 120 late model cars are expected to battle for 40 starting spots. Among them: Winston Racing Series National champion Dexter Canipe, Jason Jarrett (son of Dale), J.D. Gibbs (son of Joe), Jason Rudd (nephew of Ricky) and Roy Hendrick (son of the late Ray Hendrick).

Many of the late model entrants will be back in Martinsville this weekend for the rain-delayed Taco Bell 300 at Martinsville Speedway, which is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

Labonte-Labonte finish

not unique to NASCAR

The one-two finish by Terry and Bobby Labonte in the DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 12 was nothing special as a brother act in NASCAR racing.

It was the 22nd time in NASCAR history that brothers had finished first and second.

In fact, this was the third time the Labontes have done it. The three Flock brothers, did it 13 times in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Who's hot . . .

who's not

HOT: Bobby Labonte - He is quietly developing the same kind of methodical consistency as his brother. He's been seventh in points since the first Dover. Now, in the stretch run, he seems determined to solidify or improve that position, with two straight runner-up finishes.

NOT: Sterling Marlin - It's gone from bad to worse for snakebit Sterling, who hasn't seen a top 10 finish since his 10th-place finish, two laps down, at Bristol. He was looking for salvation at Talladega, one of his favorites. He crashed. He's 27th in points.

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