EVENTS
 Sportsman of the Year
 Heisman Trophy
 Swimsuit 2001

CNNSI.com GROUP
 Sports Illustrated
 Life of Reilly
 SI Women
 SI for Kids
 Press Room
 TBS/TNT Sports
 CNN Languages

COMMERCE
 SI Customer Service
 SI Media Kits
 Get into College
 Sports Memorabilia
 TeamStore

Dog days of autumn

Drivers press on at Dover's concrete oval

	• Lugnuts • On the track • In the pits • Stop 'n' Go • Finish Line

There's no great significance to this weekend's MBNA Cal Ripken Jr. 400 -- that is, if you're willing to discount the fact that it signals the beginning of the end, both to Ripken's baseball career and the Winston Cup season.

Make no mistake about it, NASCAR's season is long, not just for drivers and their teams, but for fans, too -- and there isn't a sane man among us who isn't aware that after this weekend, there are just nine races remaining.

Summer may be over, but these are NASCAR's true dog days, the time of the season when one race blurs into the next. Certainly, Jeff Gordon's 222-point lead on Ricky Rudd isn't what it was a few weeks ago and it could, in fact, evaporate altogether in the coming weeks. After all, Rudd has won three fall races at Dover to Gordon's two.

Then again, it might not ... which is precisely why they run the races, all 36 of 'em.

But if the MBNA Cal Ripken Jr. 400 is merely the 27th of those 36, it is a demanding one, as much as any other. The one-mile concrete oval is notoriously fickle, tough on both man and machine.

"The drawback is it's a concrete track and you slip and slide," says Rudd. "I wish it was asphalt again like it used to be, but that's not the case."

Mark Martin Martin has 18 top-10 finishes at Dover Downs in 29 career starts. Martin won this race three consecutive times from 1997-99. He was ninth in the MBNA Platinum 400 in June. Tony Stewart Stewart is the defending champion of this week's race. In fact, he won both Winston Cup races at Dover Downs in 2000. He was seventh in the MBNA Platinum 400 at Dover in June. Jeff Gordon Gordon has four wins at Dover, most recently in this year's MBNA Platinum 400. He won this race in 1995-96 and was ninth a year ago. In all, Gordon has 11 top-10 finishes at Dover in 17 starts. Ricky Rudd Rudd has 24 top-10 finishes in 45 career starts at Dover. He's won there four times, most recently in 1997. He's also the winner of the last Winston Cup race two weeks ago in Richmond.

Flattery NASCAR -- an organization known for going on despite tragedies within its own family -- deserves credit for making the right call when it postponed both of its races this past weekend. Flag Jeff Gordon's hold on the Winston Cup championship got a little looser when he was sent into the wall at RIR 35 laps into the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400. He would come back on the track, but finished 36th. Flattery Aside from Ricky Rudd's impressive victory in the most recent Winston Cup race at RIR, the win gave Rudd two top-five finishes at Richmond this year. He was fifth in the Pontiac Excitement 400 there in May. Flag Terry Labonte likely is pleased he won't see Richmond International Raceway again this season. After finishing 38th there in May, Labonte finished 38th there again in the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400.

Retiring baseball star Cal Ripken Jr. will be the grand marshal for the MBNA Cal Ripken Jr. 400 on Sunday at Dover. Ripken will meet the drivers, take a lap before the start of the race and then wave the green flag to start the race. Kevin Harvick's lead in the Busch series championship race is shrinking. Harvick finished 27th in the Autolite FRAM 250. Jason Keller -- second to Harvick in the points -- finished 13th, closing the gap to 274 points. Speaking of Harvick, he pulled off a rare tripleheader at RIR two weekends ago. Harvick finished second in the Winston Cup race, 27th in the Busch series race, and second in the Kroger 200 Truck series race. If you want an exciting points battle, look no further than the Truck series. With five races to go, Jack Sprague, last week's winner, leads Joe Ruttman by just 27 points. The Truck series is idle this week.

MBNA.com 200 -- 1 p.m. Saturday (TNT): 200 miles, 200 laps. 2000 pole winner: Mike Skinner. 2000 winner: Matt Kenseth. MBNA Cal Ripken Jr. 400 -- 12:30 p.m. Sunday (NBC): 400 miles, 400 laps. 2000 pole winner: Jeremy Mayfield. 2000 winner: Tony Stewart.

It's kind of interesting how Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick are being punished for the same actions that made Dale Earnhardt famous. -- Bill, Pittsburgh, Pa. Hey, race fans, Jeff Gordon is the best because he works for the best owner, has best crew and is the simply the most talented driver. Remember, this is a TEAM sport! -- Stan, Los Olivos, Calif. NASCAR missed a golden opportunity for a great new-blood rivalry between Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon by coming down so hard on Stewart this year. This sport's history was made off great rivalries. I think the sport could really use a new one right now. They make the sport even more exciting. -- Cathy, Nashville, Tenn. Talking about tracks that should be cut, a superspeedway should never be one of them. Please cut races away from Bristol and other short tracks which have far too many wrecks and too many drivers having to hold back just to be safe. -- Tim, Johnson City, Tenn. It takes a team to win, but it takes a driver to make it work. -- Charles, Marysville, Wash. I would prefer my children look to Jeff Gordon and Dale Jarrett as role models, rather than emulate the poor sportsmanship of Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart. -- Delia, Winter Haven, Fla.

Got something to say? Tell us.

Your name: Your e-mail address: Your hometown: Comment or question -- or whatever: (in 25 words or less)

Copyright © 2001 CNN/Sports Illustrated An AOL Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines.