NASCAR News

1. Jeremy Mayfield Ford Penske-Kranefuss 23.269secs. 2. Bobby Labonte Pontiac Joe Gibbs 23.283secs. 3. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Rick Hendrick 23.364secs. 4. Bill Elliott Ford Bill Elliott 23.364secs. 5. Mark Martin Ford Jack Roush 23.399secs.

It was simple, seven drivers knew that unless they beat 36th place Hut Stricklin's lap of 29.699 seconds they would be a spectator for Sunday's UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

As the Winston Cup reaches its closing stretch, Jeff Burton and Jack Roush can now fully devote their attention to the Championship battle after one of their biggest worries, sponsorship, was resolved.

Two new venues headline the release of next year's Winston Cup calendar, which stretches over a mammoth 39 weekends.

The news that Buckshot Jones has signed to drive what will be the #44 Dodge for Petty Enterprises in 2001 with sponsorship from Georgia-Pacific has come as a great relief to many within the team who feared that the intended three car assault on the 2001 Winston Cup Championship would have to be s

John Deere will now NOT be a part of the Roush Racing team next year in the wake of Chad Little's early departure from the team.

Bobby Hamilton became the third casualty of the NASCAR 'silly season' at Loudon last weekend when it was announced that he would split with Morgan-McClure Motorsports at the end of the 2000 after three disappointing years in the bright yellow machine.

Perfection is a term that is hard to apply accurately to a single drive, but Jeff Burton has fully deserved the accolade after he held off Championship leader Bobby Labonte for 300 solid laps to score his third victory of the 2000 season and move into second place in the Winston Cup title chase.

Fifteen year Winston Cup veteran Michael Waltrip announced today that he will drive a NAPA sponsored Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the 2001 NASCAR Championship alongside rising stars Steve Park and Dale Earnhardt Jr for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

In what could be the start of a long running dispute between NASCAR officials and General Motors, Jeff Gordon has been docked more than half the points he earned for winning Saturday's Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 at the Richmond International Raceway.

Ex-Busch Series campaigner Joe Bessey will join the likes of Bill Elliott and Brett Bodine as Winston Cup owner/drivers this Sunday at Loudon when he begins a nine race stint behind the wheel of the #60 Power Team Chevrolet after firing regular driver Geoffrey Bodine on Monday.

When Kyle Petty announced that he would be vacating the seat of his regular ride in the Winston Cup for the last eleven events on the schedule to take a place in his late son's Busch Grand National team, he realised that he was taking a major gamble.

Jeff Gordon scored just his second ever Winston Cup victory at the 0.75-mile Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night, timing his late race run to perfection as Dale Earnhardt closed to within seven tenths of a second.

Evernham Motorsports will make their first ever NASCAR Winston Cup start this Saturday night at Richmond with 2001 driver Casey Atwood behind the wheel of their #19 Motorola Ford Taurus.

Auburn Massachusetts resident Jeff Fuller has been granted a Winston Cup lifeline by the newly created MacPherson Motorsports group and will compete in the entire 2001 Championship as a rookie, despite being dropped by his 2000 team, Eel River earlier this season.

In what has been described as one of the most bizarre races in Winston Cup history, points leader Bobby Labonte came from 37th on the grid to win a rain shortened race.

Almost all season, Rusty Wallace has been the centre of attention at each Bud Pole qualifying contest with the Penske-South driver recording an astonishing eight pole positions so far in 2000.

After making an impressive Winston Cup debut for the PPI team at the Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer earlier in the month, 29-year-old Andy Houston has been given the ride on a full time basis for the 2001 season.

The 2001 season will see a new look Roush team take to the track in search of that elusive Winston Cup success with up to three of its five Ford Taurus' running with an all-new livery.

1. Rusty Wallace Ford Penske-South 15.292secs. 2. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Rick Hendrick 15.293secs. 3. Steve Park Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt 15.298secs. 4. Mike Skinner Chevrolet Richard Childress 15.329secs. 5. Jerry Nadeau Chevrolet Rick Hendrick 15.337secs.

Reybestos Rookie of the Year contender Stacy Compton could be forced to hand over his seat in the Melling Racing #9 Ford Taurus to veteran Bobby Hillin after breaking his collarbone while working out at his local gymnasium.

The most popular driver in the Winston Cup, Bill Elliott, could be denied the opportunity to score one last win for his self-owned team after severely fracturing his kneecap whilst working at his Blairsville home earlier this week.

As Dodge's preparations for their all-new Intrepid model continue apace, the first team to commit to the project, Ray Evernham Racing will start their own 2001 campaign some five months early when the team runs it's rookie starlet Casey Atwood in three late season events at Richmond, Martinsville

The Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer may not have been the success that Hut Stricklin may have been hoping for, retiring before half distance with mechanical troubles, but few would argue that the future of the #90 Hills Bros Ford Taurus is looking rosier race by race.