TV: FOX, 1:00 pm EST

Laps: 325
Track length: 1.54 miles
Race length: 500 miles

Qualifying record: Geoffrey Bodine, 197.478 mph (November 1997)
Race record: Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 161.298 mph (March 1996)

DRIVERS TO WATCH

Jeff Burton -- Has not finished higher than 19th after three races this year; drove well at Atlanta two years ago, but was 43rd in this race in 2000; recorded four victories last year and finished third in the Winston Cup standings; best performance of the year was the start-to-finish victory at New Hampshire in September where he led all 300 laps of competition.

Bill Elliott -- Leads all active drivers with five wins and five poles at Atlanta Motor Speedway; one of four drivers to sweep both races at Atlanta since the track opened in 1960; turned the trick twice in 1985 and 1992; finished 10th in this race last year and 11th in the NAPA 500, the season's final race.

Jeff Gordon -- Recorded his 53rd career victory last Sunday at Las Vegas taking the lead 19 laps from the finish; won the $1 million bonus as part of the Winston No Bull 5 promotion; it may have signaled he is ready to reclaim his place as one of the dominant racers in NASCAR; jumped from seventh to second in the points after three races; has four wins at Atlanta; last year he finished ninth in the Cracker Barrel 500 and fourth in the NAPA 500.

Dale Jarrett -- The runner-up finish to Jeff Gordon at Las Vegas moved him up to second in the standings; it was his second top-10 of the year; was winner in Atlanta in 1997 and runner-up in both 1998 races; in 1999 also finished both event in the top five, but last year fell out of the top 10 in the spring and fall.

Bobby Labonte -- The defending Winston Cup champion has performed well at Atlanta in the past; last year he finished second in this race to the late Dale Earnhardt in one of the closest finishes in Winston Cup history, by .01 seconds; also second to Jeff Gordon in 1999 but won the race in the previous year; in last year's season finale he finished fifth; completed all races in 2000 with four wins, three poles, 20 top-fives and 25 top-10s.

Sterling Marlin -- The early points leader after three races with all showings in the top eight; also won one of the Twin 125 races at Daytona but a seventh-place finish in the Daytona 500 was marred by the death of Earnhardt; Marlin, a two-time Daytona 500, was emotionally devastated by the death of Earnhardt; he received death threats from fans who accused him of being guilty of initiating the crash that killed Earnhardt; finished third in Las Vegas last Sunday and eighth at Rockingham, the week before.

Mark Martin -- A third-place finisher in the last two years of the Cracker Barrel 500; took checkered flags at Atlanta twice in the fall race; coming off a sixth-place result at Las Vegas.

Tony Stewart -- Heads into Atlanta fresh of a respectable 12th place finish at Las Vegas; after the disappointing outing in the Daytona 500, he has put together two good runs which vaulted him into ninth place of the standings; the 1.54-mile Atlanta oval has been somewhat of a problem for the 29-year-old; failed to finish both races last year and in four starts his highest finish was 11th in the 1999 Cracker Barrrel 500; aims to improve on that this year.

Rusty Wallace -- First to retire from the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 in Las Vegas due to an accident on lap 8; had solid third-place finish at Daytona and seventh at Rockingham a week later; tends to drive better in the fall race at Atlanta than spring; both his victories at the track have come in the second race; led series with nine poles last year and posted four wins for a career total of 53 (tied with Jeff Gordon for 8th); won at least one race in 15 consecutive seasons.