NASCAR'S WILD WEST ROOKIES LEADERS MAKE WINSTON CUP CHARGE.

Byline: Tim Haddock Staff Writer

FONTANA - Look atop the rookie leaders in NASCAR Winston Cup and the first three drivers all have one striking similarity.

1. Kevin Harvick of Bakersfield: 1998 NASCAR Winston West champion.

2. Kurt Busch of Las Vegas: 1999 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series champion.

3. Ron Hornaday Jr. of Palmdale: 1992 and 1993 NASCAR Southwest Tour champion.

All three drivers are graduates of West Coast NASCAR circuits. And all three have attacked the Winston Cup ranks with the fury of a last-lap dash for the checkered flag at California Speedway, site of Sunday's NAPA Auto Parts 500.

Add to this list a couple of other West Coast drivers - Brendan Gaughan from the Winston West and Craftsman Truck Series and Jimmie Johnson from the Busch Grand National Division, who are lying in wait to make claim to Winston Cup competition - and a trend has begun to develop in NASCAR.

The West Coast, particularly the Southwest, is producing some of the top NASCAR talent in the country in a sport that has deep roots buried in the South and where Mooresville, N.C., is considered stock-car Valhalla for racing gods and heroes.

``We're all race-car drivers out there on the track,'' said Busch, who is coming off his best race of the season, when he finished third and led for two laps at the Talladega 500 last weekend. ``But the West Coast drivers carry a little feather in their cap. Being from the West Coast holds a little different personality to it.''

Maybe the West Coast drivers have a reputation for being a little more aggressive, a little more surprising. That aggressive reputation has a little to do with Hornaday's style of driving. That surprising reputation has a little to do with Harvick's win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in only his third Winston Cup start.

Hornaday, in many ways the senior and leader of this class of drivers, developed his hard-charging brand of racing while learning the tracks of California, particularly Saugus Speedway. He used that style to win two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championships and two Busch Series races.

``At Saugus Speedway, the fast cars started at the back and you had to fight through the pack in 40 laps to get to the front,'' said Hornaday, who claims Palmdale as his hometown even though he lives in Mooresville, where he can be closer to his team's shops. ``That competitiveness week after week helped form my driving style.''

That style has resurfaced in recent weeks for Hornaday, who is the oldest Winston Cup rookie this season at 42. He charged to the front of the Talladega 500 and the Virginia 500 in his No. 14 Conseco Pontiac, the first two times he has led races all season.

Harvick, who learned much of what he knows about racing from Hornaday, followed his mentor on the Truck Series. He outperformed him, too, winning rookie of the year on the Busch Series in 2000.

In addition to learning how to drive through traffic and charge to the front, Hornaday also said the Southwest Tour and Winston West Series gave him invaluable experience. The seat time alone provided Hornaday with the means to develop his racing skills. He is trying to apply that same philosophy to his son, Ronnie's, career.

Hornaday is providing his son with the opportunity to drive on a regular basis. Ronnie has driven in an American Speed Association race and on the Truck Series already this season. He also will be making a few appearances on the Busch Series with engines and cars provided by Hornaday's Winston Cup team owner A.J. Foyt.

In his years of racing on the Southwest and Winston West Series, Busch said the most important thing he learned was how to make adjustments.

The biggest changes from week to week on the Southwest Series were the tracks. Drivers went from racing on third- and half-mile speedways, like Cajon Speedway and Irwindale Speedway, to 1.5-mile superspeedways like Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway, to street courses, like the old L.A. Street Race and at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma.

The different tracks provide a foundation for the changing conditions that are standard at the Winston Cup level, Busch said.

``You have to adapt to change quickly,'' said Busch, who drives the No. 97 Rubbermaid/Sharpie Ford Taurus. ``You have to be open to change and have to be willing to work with the best situation possible.''

Busch also had to adjust to a crew-chief switch in midseason. Matt Chambers was replaced by Ben Leslie and, almost immediately, Busch's performances improved. He has two top-fives in his last three races and might soon challenge for a victory. California Speedway might be that place. He won his fourth Truck Series race at the Fontana track and claimed rookie of the year to close out the 2000 season.

When it comes to finding rising stars in NASCAR, it's hard to look past Johnson and Gaughan. Johnson, who started his racing career on dirt bikes and in off-road cars and trucks near his hometown of El Cajon, had the unfortunate timing to start his Busch career with Harvick and Hornaday. Johnson finished third in rookie points last season behind the two California-born drivers.

Gaughan, the defending Winston West champion from Las Vegas, is already proving to be a threat at the next level. He led the Truck Series OSH 250 at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield before dropping to third in the closing laps and finishing behind Ted Musgrave and Jack Spague. It was his best Truck Series result, and he plans on running six more races before trying a full Truck Series schedule in 2002.

Gaughan, like Johnson, started his racing career in off-road. Johnson later was plucked from the off-road ranks and landed in the American Speed Association, where he claimed rookie of the year in 1998. He is seventh in points on the Busch Series and will be competing in seven Winston Cup races this season with Hendrick Motorsports.

Gaughan made the transition from off-road to stock car racing on the Winston West Series in 1998.

Even though he has reached the Busch Series and Winston Cup ranks quicker than Gaughan, Johnson, who drives the No. 92 Excedrin Chevy, said he would rather have gone the Winston West route.

``Before ASA, the only asphalt driving I did was on the road,'' Johnson said. ``It taught me all the basics. But I was kind of thrown to the wolves, driving against guys who grew up on short tracks. The learning curve was super steep. ASA was a great foundation, but Winston West would have helped me more.''

Gaughan, the Las Vegas driver of the No. 16 NAPA Chevy on the Winston West Series, competed against Johnson in SCORE and Mickey Thompson off-road events. And while he admits ASA produces more Winston Cup and Busch drivers, he said the Winston West Series prepares drivers better.

``A lot of drivers come out of ASA, but Winston West cars are full on Winston Cup cars,'' Gaughan said. ``I believe it prepares me better than ASA. It's a dream come true for (Johnson), but I want to be a guy to do it from the West Coast. I want to prove you don't have to be in Mooresville to succeed.''

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, 4 boxes

Photo:

(1) The Talladega 500 gave drivers Kurt Busch and Ron Hornaday a chance to show off.

Phil Manson/Associated Press

(2) KURT BUSCH

(3) RON HORNADAY

Box: (1) NAPA AUTO PARTS 500 QUALIFYING

(2) RESULTS

(3) SCHEDULE

(4) SEASON POINT LEADERS