VINTAGE TOURS MEAN LONG, HOT ROD SUMMER.

Byline: BILL SCHLOTTER

Southern California car buffs are running rich on nostalgia this summer.

Or so promoters of two vintage car racing tours hope, anyway.

Last week, L.A. Events announced formation of the Los Angeles Grand Prix, a downtown road race for classic race cars Aug. 30-Sept. 1.

Now comes word that the Goodguys Hot Rod Happenin' - a tour of pre-1973 drag racers - will visit Pomona Raceway July 26 and 27.

``Southern California is synonomous with hot rodding and drag racing: It's where the sport began,'' said Goodguys promoter John Drummond. ``Our tour takes people back to the glory days of the sport.''

In Drummond's opinion, that would be back to the 1960s and 1970s, when drag racing was a small-time, small-money enterprise.

``It was a time when four or five guys could pool their resources and start a team without having to get corporate sponsorship,'' Drummond said.

The Goodguys show isn't just a walk down memory lane, however. It's 250 mph, engine-roaring, tire-smoking racing.

``This will be race No. 3 in a five-race West Coast series,'' he said. ``A lot of vintage tours are car shows. This is heads-up, winner-take-all racing with prize money and points.''

The tour holds two races each in Bakersfield and Sonoma. Classes include top fuel, junior fuel, gassers, blown altered and dragsters. Drummond expects more than 400 racers, 1,000 show cars and more than 30,000 fans.

Information: [phone].

Down the back straightaway: With 15 races gone, NASCAR's Winston Cup tour reaches the halfway point of the 32-race season Saturday with the Pepsi 400 at Daytona Beach, Fla.

Halfway through the season, teams are pausing to reflect on what is finished and what lies ahead.

Jeff Gordon started the year with a victory in the Daytona 500 and has won six times since, dominating the competition. And not only has the 25-year-old driver amazed fans, he's won the respect of his rivals as well.

``He's showing he's the best in the business right now,'' said veteran driver Dale Jarrett.

Gordon leads the Winston Cup circuit in points with 2,295 and earnings, $1,874,869.Jarrett is the money runner-up with $1,234,974. Mark Martin is second in points (2,203).

Sterling Marlin is one of many drivers hoping the second half the of the season will be kinder than the first.

Marlin, who finished eighth in points and had two wins last season, feels Daytona Beach will be a good place to start: He won the Pepsi 400 last year.

``I figure Daytona is the best place to throw the monkey,'' said Marlin, winless so far this season. ``But not for the reasons you might think. I figure it's the best place because it's the next place we run.

``We're planning on being up there at the front. It's time we got back on track and got our season under way.''

Rookie Robby Gordon also is hoping for a better second half.

Gordon has missed four races due to injuries and finished 30th or lower in seven of the 11 races he's run.

To complicate matters, he and owner Felix Sabates have been quarreling over Gordon's desire to continue to race in the Indianapolis 500. Sabates would prefer Gordon devote himself to improving his NASCAR results.

Gordon, sidelined by a practice crash at the California 500 two weeks ago, was expected back in Sabates' No. 40 Chevy for the Pepsi 400. Whether he is there next year is open to question.

Another team making a change is the Cartoon Network's No. 29 Chevrolet.

Scooby Doo's run as the featured cartoon character on the hood and side panels is over. Starting this weekend, Tom and Jerry take over.

Fast laps: Paul Tracy turned in the fastest lap so far at the new California Speedway last week, clocking a 230.4 mph lap during a two-day test by CART drivers at the Fontana track.

Tracy and fellow drivers Greg Moore, Max Papis and Gil de Ferran drove the track, where the CART series finishes its 1997 season with the Marlboro 500 on Sept. 28.

``There's still a lot left in the car,'' Tracy said. ``We haven't done a lot with the (chassis) set-up; we just wanted to get a feel for the track.''

Every string has an end: Jimmy Vasser's run of consecutive races finished ended at 25 at Portland two weeks ago.

The defending CART champion spun out on the rain-slicked road course near the end of the race and crashed. Vasser was just four laps from breaking the CART record for consecutive races finished he holds with Al Unser Jr.

Of music and machines: CART driver Parker Johnstone turned down a career in music to go racing.

Johnstone was principal trumpet in the Oakland Youth Symphony as a child, toured Europe and had offers to attend Julliard and the Berklee School of Music.

Steve Witser, a childhood friend from the youth symphony, is now principal trombonist with the Cleveland Orchestra and plans to bring a lot of his fellow musicians to the Cleveland Grand Prix to watch Johnstone race July 13.

``Last year he brought about half the orchestra's brass section with him,'' Johnstone said. ``For some reason, brass players are car nuts. You wouldn't catch a cellist dead at an automobile race.''

COMING UP

NASCAR WINSTON CUP

Saturday - Pepsi 400, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.

PPG CART WORLD SERIES

This week - off.

FORMULA ONE

This week - off.

NHRA 

This week - off.

LOCAL

Perris Auto Speedway - Tonight: SCRA sprint cars and fireworks.

Kern County Raceway (Rosamond) - This week: off.

Ventura Raceway - Tonight: Dwarf car nationals, IMCA sprint cars, VRA go-karts. Saturday: Dwarf car nationals, IMCA sprint cars.

CAPTION(S):

Box

Box: COMING UP (see text)