NASCAR WCUP: Dale Earnhardt wins Talladega Again

18 October 1999

It was DALE and DALE, down to the wire, delighting the full-house crowd at the NASCAR Winston 500 race at Talladega Speedway Sunday afternoon. It was drama, it was show biz, it was everything that NASCAR extols at the drivers' meetings. The Margin of Victory of DALE EARNHARDT/No.3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet over DALE JARRETT/No.88 Quality Care Ford was 0.144 seconds. Winning for the second time this year at Talladega was the third victory this season for The Intimidator, who now has 74 to his name. And this from someone who started 27th on the grid, the furthest back any Talladega winner has ever started.... a man who had to change an engine Saturday and requalify for the race, as did his RCR teammate, MICHAEL SKINNER/No.31 Lowes Chevrolet.

Jarrett left Talladega with even more of a points lead over BOBBY LABONTE/No.18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac, 246 points, with four races remaining in the 1999 season. Next year there will be 34 races in much the same order and at the same tracks, with no new tracks.

Pole sitter JOE NEMECHEK/No.42 BellSouth Chevrolet finished 30th.

MICHAEL WALTRIP/No.7 Philips Chevrolet was leading in the waning laps of the race, perhaps on to his way to finally winning a race when his engine thought otherwise, and yet again Waltrip finished out of the money - this time in 39th place, 34 laps down. Talk about a Malox moment.

There were 32 lead changes among 16 drivers, and only three cautions for a total of 17 laps out of 188. Twenty-one drivers finished on the lead lap, with six of the 43 failing to finish - three from accidents and three from mechanicals.

Chevrolet claims bragging rights at Talladega, and Daytona International Speedway, for 27 of 40 restrictor-plate races - 67.5%. With Earnhardt's win Sunday, RCR Racing and RICHARD CHILDRESS now lay claim to the most such wins - ten. Monday and Tuesday BOBBY HAMILTON runs a NASCAR test in his new 2000 Chevy Monte Carlo at Talladega.

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it's only fitting to acknowledge all that Jarrett, Ford, Ford Credit and Quality Care have done for the cause. Ford Credit donates money for every podium finish, $10,000 for first, $7500 for second and $5000 third, as well as $5000 for every pole. Their total this year is $95,000. The collectible profits, $86,013,from Jarrett's special Cancer car at The Winston in May were donated to the Susan B. Koman Breast Cancer Foundation by DALE and KELLY JARRETT, ROBERT YATES, MARK BODONI of Quality Care Service and BERNARD SILVERSTONE of Ford Credit. Just last week in Dallas, Jarrett and his wife Kelly received the JILL IRELAND Award from the Koman Foundation for voluntarism. At the lunch the Jarretts, MARK BONDONI of Quality Care Service and BERNARD SILVERSTONE from Ford Credit gave a check for to the Foundation.

UNOFFICIAL WINSTON CUP STANDINGS

 1  DALE JARRETT/Ford          4602
 2  BOBBY LABONTE/Pontiac      4356
 3  MARK MARTIN/Ford           4283
 4  JEFF GORDON/Chevrolet      4168
 5 *TONY STEWART/Pontiac       4159
 6  JEFF BURTON/Ford           4063
 7  DALE EARNHARDT/Chevrolet   4039
 8  RUSTY WALLACE/Ford         3677
 9  WARD BURTON/Pontiac        3507
10  MIKE SKINNER/Chevrolet     3491


UNOFFICIAL WINSTON 500 RACE RESULTS

 1  DALE EARNHARDT/Chevrolet
 2  DALE JARRETT/Ford
 3  RICKY RUDD/Ford
 4  WARD BURTON/Pontiac
 5  KENNY WALLACE/Chevrolet
 6 *TONY STEWART/Pontiac
 7  BOBBY LABONTE/Pontiac
 8  JEFF BURTON/Ford
 9  BOBBY HAMILTON/Chevrolet
10  KENNY IRWIN/Ford
11  RUSTY WALLACE/Ford
12  JEFF GORDON/Chevrolet
13  MIKE SKINNER/Chevrolet
14  STEVE PARK/Chevrolet
15  MARK MARTIN/Ford
16  JEREMY MAYFIELD/Ford
17  DAVID GREEN/Pontiac
18  KEVIN LEPAGE/Ford
19  KYLE PETTY/Pontiac
20  BILL ELLIOTT/Ford
21 *ELLIOT SADLER/Ford
22  STERLING MARLIN/Chevrolet
23  GEOFFREY BODINE/Chevrolet
24  JIMMY SPENCER/Ford
25  KEN SCHRADER/Chevrolet
26  RICK MAST/Ford
27  BUCKSHOT JONES/Pontiac
28  STEVE GRISSOM/Chevrolet
29  TED MUSGRAVE/Ford
30  JOE NEMECHEK/Chevrolet
31  BRETT BODINE/Ford
32  JOHN ANDRETTI/Pontiac
33  ED BERRIER/Ford
34  TERRY LABONTE/Chevrolet
35  WALLY DALLENBACH/Chevrolet
36  CHAD LITTLE/Ford
37  DERRIKE COPE/Chevrolet
38  DAVE MARCIS/Chevrolet
39  MICHAEL WALTRIP/Chevrolet
40  JERRY NADEAU/Pontiac
41  RICH BICKLE/Ford
42  JOHNNY BENSON/Ford
43  ANDY HILLENBURG/Chevrolet
 

UNOFFICIAL MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1  FORD        204
2  CHEVROLET   194
3  PONTIAC     172


NASCAR WINSTON CUP STARTING GRID

  1  JOE NEMECHEK/Chevrolet
  2  RICKY RUDD/Ford
  3  KENNY WALLACE/Chevrolet
  4  KEN SCHRADER/Chevrolet
  5 *TONY STEWART/Pontiac
  6  STERLING MARLIN/Chevrolet
  7  WALLY DALLENBACH/Chevrolet
  8  TERRY LABONTE/Chevrolet
  9  MARK MARTIN/Ford
 10  RUSTY WALLACE/Ford
 11  BOBBY LABONTE/Pontiac
 12  MICHAEL WALTRIP/Chevrolet
 13  WARD BURTON/Pontiac
 14  JEFF GORDON/Chevrolet
 15  JEREMY MAYFIELD/Ford
 16  JEFF BURTON/Ford
 17  DALE JARRETT/Ford
 18  KEVIN LEPAGE/Ford
 19  STEVE GRISSOM/Chevrolet
 20  KENNY IRWIN/Ford
 21  JOHNNY BENSON/Ford
 22  CHAD LITTLE/Ford
 23  BOBBY HAMILTON/Chevrolet
 24  JERRY NADEAU/Pontiac
 25  DAVE MARCIS/Chevrolet
 26  MIKE SKINNER/Chevrolet
 27  DALE EARNHARDT/Chevrolet
 28  DAVID GREEN/Pontiac
 29  DERRIKE COPE/Chevrolet
 30  TED MUSGRAVE/Ford
 31  KYLE PETTY/Pontiac
 32  RICH BICKLE/Ford
 33  ANDY HILLENBURG/Chevrolet
 34 *ELLIOT SADLER/Ford
 35  STEVE PARK/Chevrolet
 36  JOHN ANDRETTI/Pontiac
PROVISIONALS
 37  JIMMY SPENCER/Ford
 38  BILL ELLIOTT/Ford
 39  GEOFFREY BODINE/Chevrolet
 40  RICK MAST/Ford
 41  BRETT BODINE/Ford
 42  BUCKSHOT JONES/Pontiac
 43  ED BERRIER/Ford
DID NOT QUALIFY
     BOBBY GERHART/Chevrolet
     ROBERT PRESLEY/Ford
     DARRELL WALTRIP/Ford
     HUT STRICKLIN/Ford

*-Rookie

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