NOTES: MARTIN, SCHRADER RACE-TEST TRACK.

Byline: Bill Schlotter Daily News Staff Writer

Racing made its debut at the brand new California Speedway Saturday.

Mark Martin won the International Race of Champions event. Ken Schrader won the Winston West Automobile Club 200. And both will be back in their cars today when the Fontana track stages its first main event, the NASCAR Winston Cup California 500. Joe Nemechek will be on the pole alongside Ernie Irvan, winner of last week's Miller 400 in Michigan.

Schrader will start fifth and Martin 12th. Season points leader Jeff Gordon, already a six-time winner this season, will start in third. Those positions were determined in qualifying on Friday.

Saturday's qualifying session added 17 drivers to the field. Greg Sacks, subbing for Robby Gordon, who will miss the race on the advice of his doctors after hitting the wall Friday, turned in a track record 183.753 mph to make the field.

Veteran racers Ricky Rudd, Ward Burton, Steve Grissom and Dick Trickle failed to make qualifying times but were added as provisional qualifiers, an honor extended to racers with long records of success.

Failing to make the cut were Kenny Wallace, Mike Wallace and Billy Standridge.

Martin rolls in IROC: Martin made an aggressive move on Bobby Labonte with three laps left and held him and his brother Terry Labonte off to the finish line to take a commanding lead in in season points.

Martin (65 points), who has won two of the three races, has a 19 point lead over second-place Robby Gordon (46) and 20 over Al Unser Jr. (45). One race remains, July 27 at the Michigan Speedway.

Martin made his first move of the day on the seventh lap when he followed Unser past the early leaders around Turn 2, then shot past the CART star down the back straightaway.

He had held the lead for 15 laps when Bobby Labonte - driving for the injured Gordon - made a bold inside move down the front straight to take over the lead. Labonte kept the lead until Martin snuck near the end.

``The timing was just right,'' Martin said. ``Bobby was so fast on the straight that I knew I wouldn't be able to hold on for long.''

Bobby Labonte was second, Terry Labonte was third and Busch Grand National driver Randy LaJoie was fourth.

Long flight, short drive: Alex Zanardi and fellow CART drivers Unser and Jimmy Vasser flew in from Portland, Ore., for the IROC race after qaulifying for Budweiser/G.I. Joe 200 earlier in the day.

Zanardi started on the pole and led for one lap before having a wheel problem that sent him skidding into the wall on the second lap.

IROC officials put Zanardi in a new car and sent him back out. But on the fourth lap, the Italian driver went too high in Turn 1 and again hit the wall, seriously damaging a second car.

``It is the most embarrassing day of my life,'' Zanardi said. ``Smashing two cars in five minutes . . .''

Opening act: Five accidents after it started - after Darrel Krentz's car was went up in flames, after Ron Peterson was hauled off to the hospital for observation - the Auto Club 200 was finally won by Winston Cup driver Schrader.

Schrader and fellow Winston Cup driver Mike Wallace went head-to-head over the last 50 miles of the race, Schrader taking the lead for the final time with 12 laps left.

``The Winston Cup guys just ran off with it,'' said Simi Valley driver Craig Rayburn, who finished eighth.

Saugus' Sean Woodside was a factor early in the race but went out after 34 laps with a blown engine.

The race was slowed by frequent accidents and stopped by two. The cars were parked for 13 minutes by a red flag while track firemen extinguished the flames on Krentz's car, which hit the wall after 10 laps.

They sat idle on pit row for about six minutes while Peterson was loaded into an ambulance and taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center and his car pulled off the track after he hit the wall.

Peterson was held in the hospital over night Saturday for further observation.

Schrader said it was nice to win the first event ever held at the speedway. But his goal was simply to gain experience for today's California 500.

``Today won't mean much if we run 30th tomorrow,'' Schrader said.

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Photo: Mark Martin (1) moves past Bobby Labonte during the final laps of the IROC race Saturday at the California Speedway.

Associated Press