TV: FOX, 1 p.m. EDT

Laps: 200
Track length: 2.5 miles
Race length: 500 miles

Qualifying record: Rusty Wallace, 171.625 mph, 2000
Race record: Rusty Wallace, 144.892 mph, 1996

DRIVERS TO WATCH

Jeff Burton -- Had good showings at Pocono Raceway last year; finished seventh in this race and second in the Pennsylvania 500; a disappointing first half of season despite winning the Coca-Cola 600 two races ago; has only two other top 10 finish including seventh at KMart 400 last Sunday; up to 17th in the standings after a low of 38th earlier in the season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Tested at Pocono Raceway a few weeks ago with good results; expects to be much better than last year in his first appearance when he finished 19th, followed by 13th in July; dropped out of the top 10 (to 11th) in the points after the 39th place finish at Michigan.

Bill Elliott -- "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville" tops the win chart at Pocono with five checkered flags; he won this event in 1985; scored only one top-five this season; has 40 career wins.

Jeff Gordon -- The three-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion has found his stride and moved into first place of the standings by 26 points ahead of Dale Jarrett; the KMart 400 at Michigan was his third win of the year, fourth if counting The Winston; made his move to the top with two wins and two second place finishes in four of the last five points races; the victory in Michigan was his 55th of career and the 100th for Hendrick Motorsports (the second team in NASCAR modern era with 100 wins); is tops in laps led with 1,135, has three poles and three wins; Won this race in 1996 and 1997 and the Pennsylvania 500 in 1998; was eighth last year in the Pocono 500 and improved to third a month later in the second race.

Dale Jarrett -- After an 18th place finish at Michigan, he lost the top position in the standings for the first time since the Carolina Dodge 400 on March 18; tied with Jeff Gordon, who moved into first place, with three wins and three poles each for most in series; has only one victory at Pocono Raceway in his career which came in the 1997 Pennsylvania 500; strong run in this race last year when he came home runner-up by less than a second behind Jeremy Mayfield; was fourth in the July race; trails Gordon by 26 points.

Bobby Labonte -- Continues to put out good runs after early-season slump; had a good car at Michigan, but a spin on lap 15 to avoid an accident in front of him prevented him of pushing the car any further than a 13th place finish; has finished 13th or better in six of the last seven points races; returns to track where he swept both races in 1999; had finishes of 13th followed by a sixth in the second event at Pocono last year.

Terry Labonte -- Recorded two victories at Pocono Raceway in his career; both were in this race in 1995 and 1989; the triumph in 1995 came from a 27th starting position; a rough year thus far with just one top five.

Mark Martin -- Has finished in the top five at Pocono in seven of the last eight races - fourth (1997), fifth (1998), fourth (1999), fifth last year in this race, and fifth (1997), second (1998) and third (1999) in the Pennsylvania 500; the streak was ended in the Pennsylvania 500 last year when his engine failed after 25 laps; a rather mediocre campaign by his standards with two fourth-place finishes (Talladega 500 and Coca-Cola 600) as top results; did improve up to 14th in the standings.

Jeremy Mayfield -- Defending champion of the Pocono 500; he bumped and past the late Dale Earnhardt on the final lap for his third career victory; comes off a fourth place finish at the KMart 400, which could indicate he may be set for a good showing; placed 10th in the later Pocono race last July; captured his first career win at Pocono in 1998; a modest 20th in the standings, but improved from a low 40th earlier in the year.

Ricky Rudd -- One of the most consistent drivers this year; has not finished lower than 14th in the past six races; finished second twice including last week at the KMart 400 in Michigan; overall he has 10 top-10s which puts him fourth in the points and in contention for the championship; is 130 points behind new leader Jeff Gordon; has 20 career wins; finished third in this race last year.

Tony Stewart -- Looks to get back on track after a disappointing 25th place finish at Michigan dropped him from fourth to fifth in points, 205 behind new leader Jeff Gordon; Stewart had finished in the top-seven in seven consecutive races prior to last Sunday; ran strong last year in the Pocono 500, leading 38 laps before a sixth place finish; also finished sixth in the Pocono 500 in 1999.

Rusty Wallace -- Four of his 54 Winston Cup wins have come at Pocono Raceway including last July in the Pennsylvania 500; won the Pocono 5000 in 1994; one of 10 winners this season, posting his triumph on April 29 at California Speedway; after poor finishes in the last two races he dropped from third to sixth in the standings.