THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 7, 1995 TAG: 9509070583
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
After introducing USAC sprint and Silver Crown cars to Richmond International Raceway earlier this year, track president Paul Sawyer has yet another new twist for his facility.
The NASCAR SuperTrucks join the Winston Cup and Busch Grand National series in Richmond for the first time. Thus Richmond becomes the only track in 1995 to host NASCAR's three major series on the same weekend.
Completing their appointment at Richmond today in a single day, the trucks will practice in the morning, qualify at 2 p.m. and race at 8:40 p.m. The race is 150 laps in two segments - 76 and 74 laps.
Coming into tonight's event, the 15th of 20 races in the trucks' inaugural season, Mike Skinner leads Joe Ruttman by 46 points in the championship standings. Ron Hornaday Jr. is 94 points behind.
Skinner, an also-ran in Winston Cup and Busch racing, is a standout in the truck series, driving for Richard Childress. He's won six races.
Hornaday, who drives the truck owned by Dale Earnhardt, has five victories. The only other winners, with one apiece, are Ruttman, Butch Miller and Ken Schrader.
A record 41 trucks have been entered in the $165,945 race, and 25 teams tested during an open session at the 3/4-mile oval on Aug. 23. Among those entered are Winston Cup regulars Schrader, Terry Labonte, Geoff Bodine, Todd Bodine and Derrike Cope.
The Grand National series also has a huge entry list, with at least 60 cars vying for the 38 starting spots in the Autolite 250. Qualifying for Friday night's race will be at 6 p.m. today.
The Winston Cup finale - the Miller Genuine Draft 400 - takes the green flag at 7:40 p.m. Saturday.
Sawyer, as usual, has had the construction workers busy at the track this summer. The backstretch grandstand is now about twice as big as it used to be, with the 8,106-seat Henrico Tower sitting atop the existing stands. The track now seats more than 82,000 people.
Sawyer also has built a 12,000-car parking lot near the track and has added 59 2,000-watt lights around the inside of the track.
The Winston Cup race has been sold out for months, despite the new seats, but tickets for tonight's SuperTruck race and Friday night's Grand National race are general admission, and plenty remain.
Tickets are on sale at the raceway ticket office. For more information, call (804) 345-RACE. Gates open at 9 a.m. today and Friday. The track is located at the Virginia State Fairgrounds at 600 E. Laburnum Ave. by CNB