CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY NOTEBOOK: QUALIFYING IS ALL WASHED UP.

Byline: Jim Gazzolo and Louis Brewster

For some, Friday was a total washout. But for Butch Gilliland, it was only a partial one. Gilliland, the Chino Hills driver, will not get a chance to compete in two races this weekend, as rain canceled qualifying for both the Busch and Winston Cup events. Gilliland had already qualified for today's Winston West California 200, but was hoping to get a shot at Sunday's main event, the California 500.

``It is very disappointing,'' Gilliland said. ``We had set such high goals for this weekend. The good news is we are going to race (today) and we are not going home. But we were really looking forward to going in both races.''

Three other drivers were left on the outside of Sunday's race when NASCAR went to the automatic points qualifying system. The top 35 car owners will be joined by eight others who received provisional spots in the 43-car field. That gives the pole to points leader Jeff Burton, who will be joined on the front row by Dale Jarrett.

``It is probably the best thing to do, but a lot of guys are left scrambling,'' said Jeremy Mayfield, who will start from the outside of row 7. ``It left us with an hour to get some race set-up decisions.''

Practice for the California 500 is set for 8:30 this morning and will last until about 10 a.m. The Busch race will begin at 11 a.m., with another hour of practice for the 500 set for 2 p.m. At 3 p.m. the California 200 will begin. Five Busch racers also received bad news when rain wiped out their chances of qualifying without their even getting on the track. Included is former NFL head coach Jerry Glanville, who is both the owner and driver of a car.

Ticket policy: Those who bought tickets for Friday can apply the face value for today's events at the speedway, according to track officials. Tickets can be redeemed at gates 12 and 14. Grandstand tickets were available for Friday at $10 and $15. The price range is $35 and $45 for today, which includes a musical performance by Chris Isaak at 5:30 p.m. in the infield. A 20-minute fireworks show follows.

Me and my shadow: Les Richter, executive vice president for the speedway, was shadowed by an NFL Films crew. The footage will be shown in August on ESPN and ESPN2.

``It's one of two pieces on the NFL connection with NASCAR,'' said David Plaut, one of the producers. ``It will be called `Revving Up for the NFL season.' ''

Richter played for more than a decade in the NFL after being drafted out of Cal. A first-round draft pick, he was traded by the Dallas Texans to the Los Angeles Rams for 11 players. A member of the Collegiate Hall of Fame, Richter has not been listed on the pro ballot.

``Hopefully, this will give him more exposure,'' said Plaut. ``We've talked to many people about him, including former teammates Tank Younger and Don Paul.''

Richter's first association with racing was at Riverside International Raceway, where he worked for Ed Pauley and Bob Hope. They not only owned part of the track, but also the Rams. After his playing days, Richter served as general manager at Riverside for 15 years before taking a position with NASCAR. He left NASCAR in 1995 to work for Roger Penske on the California Speedway.

Playing it safe: Bobby Labonte, fourth in the Winston Cup points standings, will not drive in any more Busch Grand National races this year. He has withdrawn as the driver of the No. 18 Pontiac owned by Joe Gibbs. Labonte, who was not scheduled to race at California, drove with a broken shoulder to a third-place finish at Texas on March 28 and reportedly does not want to risk further injury. He was injured at Darlington (S.C.) at the fifth race of the season.

Solid future: According to Randy LaJoie, the future of stock car racing looks pretty good. LaJoie is speaking of the youthful competitors in the Busch Grand National series. The names range from NASCAR royalty Dale Earnhardt Jr., Adam Petty and Jason Jarrett to those trying to make the transition to Winston Cup: drivers such as Mike Dillon, Matt Kenseth, Kevin and Wayne Grubb and Dave Blaney.

``Two thumbs up,'' said LaJoie, who has opted to race in the Busch series in order to spend more time with his family. ``They're very smart. And they are very talented.''

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

TODAY

7 a.m. - Track opens to the public.

8:30 a.m. - Winston Cup practice.

11 a.m. - NASCAR Busch Series Auto Club 300 (150 laps).

2 p.m. - Winston Cup practice.

3:30 p.m. - NASCAR Winston West 200.

6 p.m. - Chris Isaak concert.

SUNDAY

7 a.m. - Track opens to the public.

11 a.m. - NASCAR Winston Cup California 500.

CAPTION(S):

Box

Box: SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (See text)