CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY NOTEBOOK: HEAT MAY INCREASE DANGER.

Byline: Steve Ramirez San Gabriel Valley Tribune

How much will expected high temperatures, predicted to be well over 100 degrees, affect today's NASCAR Winston West California 200 at California Speedway?

A lot, said defending series champion Butch Gilliland, who will start 11th, on the inside of row six.

``The heat is going to play a big part,'' Gilliland said. ``It's really tough on the cars, the tires and the drivers. You're probably going to see a lot of people getting sick at some point during the race.

``As for the car, right now it's kind of dangerous. The car is a little tight and if you move up and out of the groove, you get into the gray stuff where it gets slippery. Even if it gets a little hotter (today), the car will get a little tighter and (you) will move up the track.''

Still, despite his sixth-row starting position, Gilliland likes his chances for the race, which is scheduled to start following the completion of the 100-lap Craftsman Trucks No Fear Challenge.

``(Last week) at Portland, I started 10th and finished second,'' said the Chino Hills resident, who has one victory and one runner-up finish in two of the past three races. ``Especially on a big track like this, it really doesn't matter where you start. If you're in the top 15, you're plenty quick enough.

``The key is getting the car comfortable with your style of driving and with the heat and conditions you have. That's what going to move you up in the race.''

Gilliland should be challenged by pole-sitter Kevin Harvick, who qualified with a speed of 173.779, and 1998 points leader Sean Woodside of Saugus. Woodside starts sixth.

``My car's fine,'' said Woodside, who has two wins in 1998. ``We're still playing around with some things, but we should be fine (today). It's really hot and we will see who has the best endurance. Hopefully, the young guys can prevail.''

Sprague ready: Jack Sprague, who hit the wall Friday during practice for the Busch Kenwood 300, was transported to Loma Linda University Medical Center for further evaluation. He was released and is expected to race in today's Craftsman Truck No Fear Challenge.

The No Fear Challenge will mark the end of an era for the four-year old NASCAR Truck series. The event on the two-mile oval will be the last one with the infamous halftime pit stop, in which teams are allowed to make changes, including fuel and tires. Beginning next weekend, the series will be conducted under the same pit-stop formula as NASCAR Winston Cup and most racing series.

``I think it's a natural progression for this series'' said Barry Dodson, crew chief for the Team ASE Ford driven by Mike Bliss. ``That sums it up best. We've come from the bullrings that don't have pits to fantastic places like California Speedway.

``What this will do is add another opportunity to win. Now, it can be anybody's race. I know if we had this at (Nazareth, Pa.) last week, it's a different scenario and a different race. And safer, too, which we all want.''

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