DATE: Wednesday, September 3, 1997          TAG: 9709030664

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BOB ZELLER

                                            LENGTH:   70 lines

NASCAR REPORT

Fox will feature NASCAR in Sept. 23 made-for-TV movie

The latest effort to portray NASCAR racing in a dramatic setting airs Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. when the Fox network presents ``Steel Chariots'' as its Tuesday night movie.

The show, according to NASCAR, combines the exciting world of NASCAR racing and the personal dramas of a family in danger of being torn apart by a rivalry between two brothers who feel the need for speed.

NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin play themselves in cameo roles, as do announcers Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons.

The two-hour, made-for-television movie was filmed with the support and cooperation of NASCAR at five tracks - Talladega, Charlotte, Texas, Concord and Hickory.

Bodine squashes rumors his team's shutting down

Geoff Bodine said there is no truth to the rumors that his team is shutting down or that his new majority owners, Jim Mattei and John Porter, are trying to depose him as driver.

``People have left here. Probably some more will leave here,'' he said Tuesday. ``Whenever things changes and you have a management change, you're bound to have that happen. But this place is not shutting down. This place is not trying to get rid of Geoff Bodine.''

Gordon rules at the end, but start's up for grabs

While Jeff Gordon is cleaning everyone's clocks in race victories with his nine wins so far this season, the toughest competition is being waged for pole positions.

With only nine of the 32 races left in the year, no driver has won more than two pole positions. And there are a half-dozen with two: Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin, Joe Nemechek, Kenny Wallace and rookie Mike Skinner.

Speed pulls out, then back into Exide 400

Lake Speed's unsponsored Ford team, which is owned by Harry Melling, withdrew from the Exide 400 Tuesday afternoon, then canceled the withdrawal about 90 minutes later and made plans to make the trip to Richmond International Raceway after all. The team has been without a full-time sponsor this year. The Cartoon Network has signed to sponsor the No. 9 Ford next season.

Hornaday will run Falk's Ford at Richmond

Ron Hornaday, Jr., who drives Dale Earnhardt's truck in the NASCAR truck series, has signed to drive Joe Falk's No. 91 Ford Thunderbird in the Exide 400 Winston Cup race at Richmond.

Hornaday, who is still sore from the rib injury he received in a crash during practice at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 22, will also compete in Thursday night's truck race at Richmond.''

Burton still unhappy with Gordon's bump

Two days after his final-lap duel with Jeff Gordon in the Southern 500, Jeff Burton was busy Tuesday testing at Martinsville Speedway along with teammate Ted Musgrave.

Reflecting on his fender-rubbing duel with Gordon and his failed pass as the last lap started Sunday at Darlington Raceway, Burton told the speedway's Steve Sheppard: ``I didn't think (Gordon) would block me the way he blocked me. It's borderline unethical but when there is a million dollars on the line, you probably don't have a lot of ethics.''

'98 schedule out today

The 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup schedule will be released today. The tracks receive it at about 10 a.m. and the media gets it about two hours later, NASCAR officials said.

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