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UAW-GM Quality 500 preview
| NASCAR Winston Cup Series -- UAW-GM Quality
500 |
| When:Sunday, Oct. 8 -- 1:05 p.m. ET on
TBS |
| Where:Lowe's Motor Speedway |
| Distance: 500 miles/334 laps |
| Posted Awards: $2,472,382 |
| The Field: |
| Field consists of the fastest 36 cars through
time trials. Also, seven provisional starting positions
based on 2000 owner points, for maximum 43-car field. The
43rd position is reserved for a past NWCS champion, if
needed. If unused, it will go to the next eligible owner.
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| The Schedule: |
| Wednesday, Oct. 4 |
| 3pm Practice until 6pm |
| 8:05pm Qualifying (pos. 1-25, one
lap) |
| Thursday, Oct. 5 |
| 6pm Qualifying (pos. 26-36, two
laps) |
| Saturday, Oct. 7 |
| 9am Practice until 10am |
| Sunday, Oct. 8 |
| 1:05pm Start of the UAM-GM Quality
500 |
| Track facts |
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Lowe's Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile paved oval with
24-degree banking in all four turns and 5-degree banking in
the straights. The length of the frontstretch is 1,952.8
feet and the backstretch is 1,360 feet. Lowe's Motor
Speedway has hosted the UAW-GM Quality 500 since 1960.
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| UAW-GM Quality 500 Notes |
- The NASCAR Winston Cup Series Leader Bonus is worth
$50,000 this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte,
N.C.
- Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip lead all drivers
with the most wins at Lowe's Motor Speedway with six wins.
Five of Waltrip's wins took place in the Coca-Cola 600.
- Darrell Waltrip's most recent win at Lowe's Motor
Speedway occurred in the 1989 Coca-Cola 600. He started in
the fourth position.
- Like father, like son - seven-time NASCAR Winston
Cup Series Champion Dale Earnhardt got his first NASCAR
Winston Cup Series career start at Charlotte on May 5,
1975. His son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr, also made Charlotte his
first career start in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series on May
30, 1999. Dale, Jr., also posted his first career NASCAR
Winston Cup Series pole at Charlotte just one year after
his debut in the series.
- Jeff Gordon, Ward Burton and Brett Bodine all
collected their first NASCAR Winston Cup Series Bud Pole
Awards at Charlotte in the fall race (10/6/93, 10/5/94 and
10/4/90, respectively).
- NASCAR Winston Cup Series current point leader
Bobby Labonte and Raybestos Rookie of the Year leader Matt
Kenseth scored their first-ever NASCAR Winston Cup Series
career wins at Charlotte (5/28/95 and 5/28/00,
respectively).
- Kerry Earnhardt will attempt his second NASCAR
Winston Cup Series race with this weekend's race at Lowe's
Motor Speedway.
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| Other Notes |
- His margin may have dropped 36 points to just 213
points over second-place Dale Earnhardt, but Bobby Labonte
remains in control of the point lead. His lead is greater
than the difference between a first- and last-place finish.
- With six races remaining, the top-four drivers in
the NASCAR Winston Cup Series point standings are separated
by 251 points.
- What a difference a season makes - a year ago Dale
Jarrett led Bobby Labonte by 251 points and the top-four
drivers were separated by 378 points going into the final
six races of 1999. Jarrett went on to win the 1999 NASCAR
Winston Cup Series Championship - he is currently fourth in
the standings, 24 points behind third-place Jeff Burton.
- Four of the top-10 drivers in the NASCAR Winston
Cup Series point standings changed point positions at
Martinsville (Jeff Burton moved to third, while Dale
Jarrett dropped to fourth and Jeff Gordon and Ward Burton
swapped positions, with Gordon moving up to ninth and
Burton falling back to 10th).
- Four drivers in the current top 10 and 12 of the
current top-25 drivers are separated by 50 points or less.
- Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidates Matt
Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., are both in the top 20 in
points (13th and 16th, respectively).
- Ward Burton, currently 10th in points, was ranked
in the top five in the point standings for 15 consecutive
races (Atlanta through first New Hampshire) before slipping
out of the top five.
- Ricky Rudd remains the only driver in the top 10
not to have posted a win in the 2000 season.
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