MOTOR SPORTS NOTEBOOK: BURTON WINS IN THE RAIN.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

Jeff Burton won the rain-shortened Gatorade 200 on Saturday when, after the third stoppage, the cars were led across the start/finish line to make the race official.

The race was stopped 300 yards from the halfway point of the event, just short enough to stop it from being an official event. But after an hour wait, and with darkness falling on Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, the event finally was called and the pace car led the field over the line.

``We were trying to get the race in all day, it was a long day for the competitors and we were going to do everything we could for the die-hard fans,'' NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said. ``We wanted to get some more green-flag laps in, that's why we stopped it short of the halfway point, but when it became clear we couldn't, we had to call it.''

--NHRA schedule: Pomona Raceway again will open and close the NHRA Powerade Drag Series in 2003, but the status of three summer night dates is uncertain.

NHRA president Tom Compton released next year's schedule, virtually identical to this year's 23 national events at 20 venues, at the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park. The Winternationals open the season Feb. 6-9, and the Auto Club Finals cap the season Nov. 6-9.

The events are part of the 15 racing dates - which include three nights - in the agreement the Glendora-based sanctioning body signed with Los Angeles County and the cities of Pomona and La Verne to resolve noise issues.

- Louis Brewster

--Second surgery: NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. had surgery to repair a broken hip, an injury that also led to heart-bypass surgery last week.

The 69-year-old France broke his right hip when he fell in a restaurant Tuesday night. While being evaluated after the fall, doctors recommended he have heart surgery.

He had that procedure Wednesday, then had to recover enough to have the hip surgery.

--Junqueira wins pole: Bruno Junqueira overcame an increasingly treacherous track to win the pole position for the inaugural Shell Grand Prix of Denver.

The 1.647-mile, nine-turn temporary street circuit circling the downtown Pepsi Center arena has become the chief subject of conversation heading into today's race.

--A Schumacher first: Five-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher grabbed the pole for today's Belgian Grand Prix, the first time he will start in front at the Spa-Rancorchamps track.

Schumacher clocked 1:43.726 on the 4.316-mile course, edging second-place Kimi Raikkonen by 0.424 seconds.