ON AUTO RACING: THE RECORD HAD TO END SOONER OR LATER

Before Chris Hall won Saturday, an unusually balanced group of open-wheel modified racers combined to give Auto Tire and Parts Racepark eight different feature race winners in eight weeks. It was a feat no division has matched since the track opened May 11, 1991.

The streak began June 9 when John Barnett topped a $1,000-to-win event and continued through July 29. In-between, Joe Geisler, Larry Hull, Danny Sissom, Hall, Brent Thompson, Terry Johnson and Robert Powers all raced to wins.

It's shaping up to be a competitive season in the track's marquee class as well. In the sprint division, eight drivers have reached victory lane, which ties a record set in 1991 and '93 for the number of different racers to win in that class through July.

Names and places

* Daron Clayton made quite an impression on the ATPR sprint field Saturday. The 17-year-old Sikeston, Mo., racer moved from his 16th starting spot to finish seventh in a competitive lineup, and it came in his first sprint car start. He moved to that class from mini-sprints.

* Larry Hull of Old Appleton, Mo., has moved back on top in the hunt for a points title at Malden (Mo.) Speedway. Hull, who has shifted his focus to the Malden battle and has been absent from ATPR in recent weeks, has finished second twice and won twice in the past four weeks in the modified class. He sits 20 points ahead of Claudie Cook of Portageville, Mo. Jess Short of Jackson, Mo., also remains close to the top in fifth, but is 198 points out of the lead.

On the horizon

* Winston Cup racer Tony Stewart is the latest to enter the Southern Illinois 100 stock car race sanctioned by the Automobile Racing Club of America at the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds.

ARCA officials said this week that Stewart, the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Pontiac on the Winston Cup circuit, intends to enter along with NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader and Andy Petree, who owns two Winston Cup teams.

Tickets for the Monday, Sept. 3 event are available from Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200.

* Stewart will make another Midwest stop Wednesday at the Tri-City Speedway near Granite City, Ill., east of St. Louis on Interstate 270. He will sign autographs from 5-6:30 p.m. and then compete in the $3,000-to-win late model event on the half-mile dirt track. For information, call (636) 947-7287 or (618) 931-7836.

* Mount Vernon (Ill.) Speedway will pay $10,000 to win in its annual King City Classic for late models, a two-day event Aug. 18-19. The modified event will be worth $2,000 to win and the limited late model class will pay $1,000 to win. Call (618) 244-4700 or (618) 242-7917 for information.

Jamie Hall is the editor of graphics at the Southeast Missourian. Reach him at (573) 335-6611, extension 174, or at jhall@semissourian.com