Rusty Wallace

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. -- Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains is the track where it all began for NASCAR and Winston Cup stock car racing.Here, behind the red clapboard walls that make up the old-fashioned face of North Wilkesboro Speedway is the oldest track on the NASCAR circuit.Tomorrow, at age 50, the .625-mile track will run its last Winston Cup race, the Tyson Holly Farms 400, ending a long, colorful history and, perhaps more than anything else, signifying the end of an era.The little track that ran its first race in 1947, where the legendary Junior Johnson left the plowing of a cornfield to drive a race among moonshiners' cars in 1948 and that ran its first NASCAR race in a division called Strictly Stock, has reached the end of its road.

DOVER, Del. -- Move over, Dale Earnhardt, Davey Allison and Rusty Wallace.Harry "Life Begins at 51" Gant is on the prowl on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit.Gant isn't making a comeback. He never left. He just hadn't won a lot of races in 19 years. Then, two weeks ago, he started a surge of three consecutive Winston Cup victories.A victory in the Southern 500 in Darlington, S.C., on Sept. 1 again made him the oldest driver to win a Winston Cup race. Before that, though, Gant was 3-for-159 in his latest starts and had won only 11 Winston Cup races in 19 years.

IMSA driver Geoff Brabham will start on the pole tomorrow for the 100-mile International Race of Champions at Daytona. Right beside Brabham on the front row with be Dale Earnhardt, defending NASCAR Winston Cup and IROC series champion.A pair of road racers, Tommy Kendall and Bob Wollek, will start third and fourth, respectively. CART drivers Scott Pruett and Al Unser Jr. will start fifth and sixth. NASCAR driver Bill Elliott will start seventh, beside road racer Dorsey Schroeder. NASCAR drivers Geoff Bodine and Mark Martin will start ninth and 10th, respectively.

What: Maryland Seafood Festival When: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. tomorrow, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Where: Sandy Point State Park, off U.S. 50 at the western end of the Bay Bridge near Annapolis Why: Three days packed with live music, arts and crafts and, of course, seafood. New this year are the rockfish-catching tournament, wine-tasting tent, beer garden and Rusty Wallace's racecar display. Prices: $10 for adults, $6 with a military ID, $4 for children 7-12 and children under 7 are free with a paying adult.

Site: Dover Downs International Raceway, Dover, Del.Today: Grand National practice, 9-10:50 a.m. and 12:40-1:10 p.m.; Winston Cup practice, 11 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. and 1:20 - 2 p.m.; Grand National pole qualifying, 2:15; Winston Cup pole qualifying, 3 p.m.Tomorrow: Winston Cup practice, 9:30-11 a.m.; Winston Cup qualifying, 11:30 a.m.; GM Goodwrench/Delco Battery 200, 1:10 p.m.Sunday: Miller Genuine Draft 500 Winston Cup race, noonTV/Radio: TNN/WXCY (103.7...

Drivers to watch: Chevy drivers Sterling Martin, Dale Earnhardt, Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon; Pontiac drivers Bobby Labonte, John Andretti and Ernie Irvan. And Ford drivers Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin.Best bets: Dale Earnhardt or Terry Labonte will break his 20-year Daytona 500 winless streak.Dark horses: Keep an eye out for Michael Waltrip, in his 13th full season without one Winston Cup win. He is looking strong in his Wood Brothers Ford; And 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope, driving for a first-year team owned by Chuck Rider, has been impressing with strong practice sessions.

Moves Auto racing NASCAR: Mike Ford resigned as crew chief for Nextel Cup driver Dale Jarrett. Penske Performance Inc., majority shareholder of Penske Racing South, said it has bought out Rusty Wallace, Don Miller and John Erickson. Baseball MLB: Placed Devil Rays P Dewon Brazelton on restricted list for failure to report to Triple-A Durham. METS: Placed C Ramon Castro on 15-day DL with strained right quadriceps. Purchased contract of C Mike DiFelice from Triple-A Norfolk. Basketball NETS: Named Charlie Mierswa senior VP of finance and business administration.

LineupPos., Car, No., Driver, Hometown, Car, Qualifying time31, Mike Skinner , Susanville, Calif., Chevrolet, 189.8132. 41, Steve Grissom, Gadsden, Ala., Chevrolet, 188.31888, Dale Jarrett, Hickory, N.C., Ford4. 3, Dale Earnhardt, Kannapolis, N.C., Chevrolet5. 28, Ernie Irvan, Modesto, Calif., Ford6. 24, Jeff Gordon, Pittsboro, Ind., Chevrolet7. 23, Jimmy Spencer, Berwick, Pa., Ford8. 94, Bill Elliott, Dawsonville, Ga., Ford9. 4, Sterling Marlin, Columbia, Tenn., Chevrolet10. 33, Ken Schrader, Fenton, Mo., ChevroletvTC 11. 6, Mark Martin, Batesville, Ark., Ford12.

The Indianapolis 500 is over and Indy cars have moved on, but there will be cars streaking down the track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Monday -- Winston Cup stock cars.It is being billed as a "Goodyear tire test", but no one associated with the sport believes that is all it is.It could be the first step toward running a NASCAR race at the 83-year-old track that is used for only one race a year -- the Indy 500.Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott, Davey Allison and Rusty Wallace are among the 11 teams invited to participate at the 2.5-mile oval.

RICHMOND, Va. -- Mark Martin's record-tying Winston Cup run ended at Richmond International Raceway Saturday night, but Rusty Wallace sounded convinced that he had started a string of his own.Martin was the main draw in the Miller Genuine Draft 400, as he tried to put his Valvoline Ford in victory lane for a record fifth straight time.After leading twice for 155 laps, Martin's car ran into handling problems and an inspired performance by Wallace, who overcame a stop-and-go penalty for a three car-length victory over Bill Elliott.