Laps: 293
Track length: 1.36 miles
Race length: 400 miles

Qualifying record: Ward Burton, 173.797 mph (March 1996)
Race record (400-mile race): David Pearson, 132.703 mph (1968)

DRIVERS TO WATCH

Johnny Benson -- Third in the Winston Cup points standings following his third consecutive top-seven finish at Atlanta last Sunday; highest ranking in six years in Winston Cup; was fourth in Las Vegas and sixth at Rockingham; co-owns the Valvoline-sponsored car.

Jeff Burton -- Has finished 37th and lower in last three races but heads to the "Track Too Tough To Tame" anticipating a turnaround to his fortunes; has been so good at Darlington in last four years, finishing fifth or better; swept both races in 1999, with this event shortened by rain; had four victories last year and finished third in the Winston Cup standings; highlight of 2000 was start-to-finish victory at New Hampshire in September.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Taken out of contention while running third with five laps to go when debris hit his Chevrolet, causing a flat right front tire; tire change pushed him back to 15th; was second at Daytona 500, in which his father died.

Bill Elliott -- Leads all active drivers with five poles at Darlington; has posted 18 top-fives, including five wins at the track during his career; sixth in the standings with 495 points.

Jeff Gordon -- Finished in the top 10 in both races here last year (eighth in spring, fourth in fall); winner of this event in 1996; finishes of first, second and third in the last three races have propelled him to the top of theWinston Cup standings with 613 points; won in Las Vegasfor his 53rd career triumph.

Kevin Harvick -- Proving that he has earned the opportunityto move up to the Winston Cup circuit one year ahead ofschedule; won the Cracker Barrel 500 at Atlanta MotorSpeedway for his first checkered flag in just his thirdstart, an emotional win as the rookie drove the RichardChildress Racing Chevrolet of the late Dale Earnhardt toa photo finish victory of .006 of a second over Jeff Gordon.

Dale Jarrett -- Another racer who performs well at Darlington,finishing in the top five in both events last year; was secondto Ward Burton in this race and fifth in the Pepsi Southern500; won the race in 1997 and 1998; results of second andfourth in Las Vegas and Atlanta, respectively, vaulted himto second behind Jeff Gordon in the standings; captured hisfirst Winston Cup championship in 1999.

Bobby Labonte -- Looks to tame NASCAR's oldest track; last September,luck and good teamwork in the pits helped him to his firstcheckered flag at Darlington; finished 13th in this race lastspring; finished 25th or lower in three of the four races thisyear; second at the Dura Lube 400 at North Carolina Speedway.

Mark Martin -- One of several drivers who do well at Darlington;has 19 top-10s in 30 career starts and won the Southern 500in 1993; was ninth in this race last year; best effort earlyin the season was sixth at Las Vegas two races ago.

Ricky Rudd -- The 44-year-old veteran will make his 700th careerWinston Cup start, which began on March 2, 1975 at NorthCarolina Speedway in Rockingham; becomes only the fifth driverto reach the milestone, joining Richard Petty (1,177), DaveMarcis (878), Bobby Allison (717) and Darrell Waltrip (809);"That's a lot of races," Rudd said. "I'm really happy to besitting where I'm sitting for my 700th start."; Rudd entersSunday's race ninth in the points standings following asixth-place finish in Atlanta.

Tony Stewart -- In four career starts at Darlington Raceway,he has three top-10 finishes, with fourth last year his best;his average finish is eighth at the 1.36-mile oval; in thirdseason in Winston Cup, with nine wins and four poles.

Rusty Wallace -- After finishes of third at Daytona and seventhat Rockingham, fell out of the top 10 in Las Vegas andAtlanta; looks to get back to better results at Darlington,where he had good runs in 1998 with third in the spring andseventh in the fall race; led series with nine poles lastyear and posted four wins for a career total of 53, leavinghim tied with Jeff Gordon for eighth; won at least one racein 15 consecutive seasons.