For True Fans, Real Action Begins Early at Fontana

Pole qualifying is today and the NAPA Auto Parts 500 for Winston Cup cars is Sunday, but for hard-core NASCAR fans, Saturday may be a more entertaining day.

There will be two races, the Auto Club 300 for Busch Grand National cars and the Pontiac Wide Track Grand Prix 200 for Winston West cars.

In between, Winston Cup qualifiers will hold their weekly “Happy Hour,” in which teams do their final tweaking to get their cars ready for Sunday’s 500-mile race. It often produces action as tense and exciting as an actual race as drivers test their latest aerodynamic setup in drafting situations.

Then, if that’s not enough, the Marshall Tucker Band will perform in the infield for the camper and mobile home crowd, as well as any grandstand ticket-holders who want to stick around.

High-profile drivers will be in both Saturday races.

Continuing their practice of cherry-picking in the Busch series, at least a dozen Winston West drivers will run in the 150-lap race.

In nine races this year, Randy LaJoie is the only Busch regular to have won. Mark Martin, who is skipping this one, has won four and Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton, Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek have won the others.

Jeff Green, the Busch points leader although he has yet to win a race, won the pole Thursday with a lap of 178.258 mph around the D-shape two-mile track. Jeff Burton is second and brother Ward sixth.

Kenseth, last year’s California Speedway winner who is now a Winston Cup regular, will race Saturday, as will other Cup regulars such as Nemechek, Mike Skinner, Michael Waltrip, Terry Labonte, Chad Little, Kenny Wallace and Kenny Irwin.

P.J. Jones, who left CART champ cars to become a Busch driver, is the highest qualifying rookie, standing 13th at 176.190 mph.

Two former Saugus Speedway champions, Ron Hornaday and Lance Hooper, will add local color to the Busch race. They’re Busch rookies.

Hornaday, who moved up from the Craftsman Truck series to drive a Busch car for Dale Earnhardt, is fifth in points and the leader in the rookie-of-the-year standings by 22 points. Hornaday qualified 16th at 176.121 mph.

Hooper, who left his home in Palmdale to test the waters in NASCAR territory in North Carolina, has been scratching for rides the past several years. He drove in several truck races earlier in the year and when Shane Hall was dropped as driver of the No. 0 Chevrolet, Hooper got the ride. With it, he is reunited with crew chief Mike Steurer, who did the mechanical work on Hooper’s car when he won the Featherlite Southwest Tour in 1995 and Winston West in 1996.

“It’s great to be back with Mike,” Hooper said. “It’s his first year in Carolina since leaving Sylmar. You’ve got to be around there if you expect to get anywhere in NASCAR. Everybody and everything is there.”

Hooper, who had not tested the car before arriving at the track, stands 30th after the first round of qualifying. His speed of 175.289 mph should be good enough to make the 43-car field even without taking another shot at today’s second-round qualifying.

Several Winston Cup drivers also entered the Winston West race to get in some extra lap time and, not surprisingly, qualified first and second in Pontiac Grand Prixes.

Ken Schrader, who has won the last two Winston West races in Fontana, will start on the pole after a 180.424-mph lap. Johnny Benson will start alongside him after posting a 179.995-mph lap.

“Hopefully we’ll find some benefits in it for our Winston Cup program,” Benson said. “If nothing else it’s going to get me more track time. That, and Ken [Schrader] is going to run it. Somebody’s got to have fun with him.

“A couple of Cup guys always run in it. Kenny is always talking about how much fun it is so I thought, ‘Hey, let’s go try this and see if it can benefit us,’ so we’re going to find out. Our attitude is if we are going to run the race, then we are going to run to win.”

First-round qualifying for the top 25 positions in Sunday’s Winston Cup race is today at 2:30 p.m.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Weekend Schedule

TODAY

*--*

7 a.m. Gates Open 8:30-9:25 a.m. NASCAR Winston West practice 9:30 a.m. Walk of Fame Ceremony--Jeff Gordon (Gate 12) 9:30-10:25 a.m. NASCAR Busch Series practice 10 a.m. NASCAR Winston Cup Drawing for Bud pole qualifying 10:30 a.m. NASCAR Winston Cup practice 1:25 p.m. NASCAR Winston Cup practice 1:30 p.m. NASCAR Busch Series qualifying (positions 26-36) 1 lap 2:30 p.m. Bud pole qualifying (positions 1-25) 1 lap followed by NASCAR Busch NOTE: Busch Series and NASCAR Winston West practices 1 hour each

*--*

*

SATURDAY

*--*

7 a.m. Gates Open 8:30-9:30 a.m. NASCAR Winston Cup practice 10 a.m. NASCAR Winston Cup qualifying (positions 26-36) 1 lap 11:30 a.m. NASCAR Busch Series driver introductions Noon Start of Auto Club 300 Busch Series race, 150 laps (300 miles) Followed by NASCAR Winston Cup “Happy Hour” 3:30 p.m. Pontiac Wide Track Grand Prix 200 Winston West race (200 miles) 6:30 p.m. Music featuring the Marshall Tucker Band followed by fireworks

*--*

*

SUNDAY

*--*

7 a.m. Gates Open 9 a.m. Parade laps 9:30 a.m. Shav Glick/Dan Gurney presentation (winner’s circle) 9:45 a.m. California Canine Discmasters 10 a.m. Kyle Petty charity ride parade lap 10:30 a.m. NASCAR Winston Cup driver introductions 10:55 a.m. National Anthem performed by Yankee Grey/Flyover by the 144th Fighter Wing from March Air Force Base 11 a.m. NAPA Auto Parts 500 Winston Cup Series race, 250 Laps (500 miles)

*--*