March 25, 2001
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tennessee
Race 6 of 37 on Winston Cup circuit
TV: FOX, 1:00 p.m. EST
Laps: 500
Track length: .533 miles
Race length: 267 miles
Qualifying record: Steve Park, 126.370 mph, 2000
Race record: Cale Yarborough, 100.989 mph, 1977
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Johnny Benson -- Solid start this year with four straight top seven finishes; comes off another seventh place finish at Darlington Raceway; highest finish was fourth at Las Vegas; nearly ran down Rusty Wallace to win this race last April, but settled for second place; third in the Winston Cup standings is highest ranking of his six years on the circuit; co-owns the Valvoline-sponsored car.
Jeff Burton -- Despite an improved 18th place finish at Darlington, is still in early season slump; did well at the short track of Bristol with ninth in the Food City 500 and sixth in the GoRacing.com 500 in August; best performance in four wins last year was the start-to-finish run at New Hampshire in September.
Ward Burton -- Pretty efficient at the short track of Bristol, Tennessee; was third in the Food City last year and 11th in the August event; the previous year finished ninth in both races.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Always ran well in the Busch series at Bristol, but suffered from bad luck in both Winston Cup races last year; in the spring race, was swept into a multi-car crash on lap two; was able to continue until a second accident on lap 401 knocked him out; in the fall night race, he was in the top-10 all evening until a late spin left him one lap behind the leaders for a 16th finish; was second at Daytona 500, in which his father died.
Jeff Gordon -- Winner of this race four straight times between 1995-98 (never won the night race at Bristol); went in front by lap 52 last year and led five times between laps 52 and 386; on lap 287, hit a tire when exiting pit road and made repeated stops to fix the problem; ended up with an eight place finish; this past Sunday at Darlington, he led 72 laps before an overheated engine caused him to finish 40th; lost points lead to Dale Jarrett and dropped to fourth place, 95 points behind; victory in Las Vegas earlier this month was 53rd of career.
Kevin Harvick -- Highest finishing rookie for the fourth straight race following his 14th place at Darlington; 13th in the series points standings, 192 points behind leader Dale Jarrett.
Dale Jarrett -- Able to hold off Steve Park over the final seven laps for his first victory of the season and for new sponsor UPS at Darlington Raceway; it was his 25th career victory and the first for Ford manufacturer this season; win gave him top spot in the Winston Cup standings by 65 points over Sterling Marlin and Johnny Benson; finished third in the Food City 500 in 1998 and 1999 before a 21st last season; his first career short-track triumph was here in the fall of 1997; captured his first Winston Cup championship in 1999.
Bobby Labonte -- The 2000 Winston Cup champion is having a tough time early this year; three of four races were finishes of 29 or lower; best result was second in the Dura Lube 400 at North Carolina Speedway; was sixth last year in the Food City 500.
Terry Labonte -- Won races at Bristol in the fall of 1995 and 1984; 32 top-10s in 45 starts at Bristol; finished fifth in the Food City 500 last year; best result this season was fifth in Atlanta.
Sterling Marlin -- Consistent runs early in the season puts him second in the standings, 65 points behind Dale Jarrett; posted four top-10 finishes including fifth at Darlington last Sunday, third in Las Vegas, eighth at Rockingham and seventh at the season-opener in Daytona.
Mark Martin -- A good short-track racer; the team will bring a brand new Ford for this race; has 28 starts at Bristol, including two wins and an impressive 20 top-10 finishes; in the past six years he has earned eight top-fives and 11 top-10 finishes; was third in the second race last year; slow start to the season, with sixth as best effort in Las Vegas.
Jeremy Mayfield -- Third-place finish at Darlington was his second top-10 of the season; made the points leap from 400th to 28th in the Winston Cup standings.
Steve Park -- Had the best car at Darlington but after late caution could not pass Dale Jarrett and settled for second; led four times for 164 laps for his third top-10 finish in five races; climbed from 13th to fifth in the Winston Cup points standings; won pole last year with record mark of 126.370 miles per hour in his Chevrolet; finished seventh in the race and improved that to fifth in the GoRacing.com 500 later in August.
Ricky Rudd -- Has been running at the finish the last 20 races, a streak that began at Indianapolis in August 2000; his 700th Winston Cup start last week at Darlington was a respectable eighth place finish; only the fifth driver to reach milestone, joining Richard Petty (1,177), Dave Marcis (878), Bobby Allison (717) and Darrell Waltrip (809); also has the longest active streak of consecutive starts at 613; up to sixth in the points with 609.
Tony Stewart -- Started from top six positions in three of four races at Bristol including one pole since joining the Winston Cup circuit in 1999; led a total of 358 laps and finished in the top five twice; runner-up in the second race last year; one top-five this season by way of a fourth place finish at Rockingham; 1999 NASCAR Rookie of the Year; has nine wins and four poles entering his third Winston Cup season.
Rusty Wallace -- The master of short tracks; two-time defending champion of this race at the "World's Fastest Half-Mile"; swept both events at the track last year; the win in the spring race was the 50th of his distinguished career (has won three other races since); leads all active drivers with seven poles at Bristol; also won fall race in 1994 and 1996; led series with nine poles last year and posted four wins; tied with Jeff Gordon for eighth in the all-time win list (53); won at least one race in 15 consecutive seasons.
2000 Top 10
1. Rusty Wallace (2) Ford
2. Johnny Benson (10) Pontiac
3. Ward Burton (22) Pontiac
4. Jeremy Mayfield (12) Ford
5. Terry Labonte (5) Chevrolet
6. Bobby Labonte (18) Pontiac
7. Steve Park (1) Chevrolet
8. Jeff Gordon (24) Chevrolet
9. Jeff Burton (99) Ford
10. Sterling Marlin (40) Chevrolet
Past Champions
2000 Rusty Wallace, Ford 88.018 mph
1999 Rusty Wallace, Ford 93.363 mph
1998 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 82.850 mph
1997 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 75.035 mph
1996 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 91.308 mph
1995 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 92.011 mph
1994 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 89.647 mph
1993 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac 84.730 mph
1992 Alan Kulwicki, Ford 86.316 mph
1991 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac 72.809 mph
1990 Davey Allison, Ford 87.258 mph
1989 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac 76.034 mph
1988 Bill Elliott, Ford 83.115 mph
1987 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 75.621 mph
1986 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac 89.747 mph
1985 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 81.790 mph
1984 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet 93.967 mph
1983 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet 93.445 mph
1982 Darrell Waltrip, Buick 94.025 mph
1981 Darrell Waltrip, Buick 89.530 mph
1980 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 96.977 mph
1979 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 91.033 mph
1978 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet 92.401 mph
1977 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet 100.989 mph
1976 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet 87.377 mph
1975 Richard Petty, Dodge 97.053 mph
1974 Cale Yarborough, 74 Chevrolet 64.533 mph
1973 Cale Yarborough, 73 Chevrolet 88.952 mph
1972 Bobby Allison, 72 Chevrolet 92.826 mph
1971 David Pearson, 71 Ford 91.704 mph
1970 Donnie Allison, 69 Ford 87.543 mph
1969 Bobby Allison, 69 Dodge 81.455 mph
1968 David Pearson, 68 Ford 77.247 mph
1967 David Pearson, 67 Dodge 75.930 mph
1966 Dick Hutcherson, 66 Ford 69.952 mph
1965 Junior Johnson, 65 Ford 74.938 mph
1964 Fred Lorenzen, 64 Ford 72.196 mph
1963 Fireball Roberts, 63 Ford 76.910 mph
1962 Jim Paschal, 62 Plymouth 75.280 mph
1961 Joe Weatherly, 61 Pontiac 72.450 mph
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tennessee
Race 6 of 37 on Winston Cup circuit
TV: FOX, 1:00 p.m. EST
Laps: 500
Track length: .533 miles
Race length: 267 miles
Qualifying record: Steve Park, 126.370 mph, 2000
Race record: Cale Yarborough, 100.989 mph, 1977
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Johnny Benson -- Solid start this year with four straight top seven finishes; comes off another seventh place finish at Darlington Raceway; highest finish was fourth at Las Vegas; nearly ran down Rusty Wallace to win this race last April, but settled for second place; third in the Winston Cup standings is highest ranking of his six years on the circuit; co-owns the Valvoline-sponsored car.
Jeff Burton -- Despite an improved 18th place finish at Darlington, is still in early season slump; did well at the short track of Bristol with ninth in the Food City 500 and sixth in the GoRacing.com 500 in August; best performance in four wins last year was the start-to-finish run at New Hampshire in September.
Ward Burton -- Pretty efficient at the short track of Bristol, Tennessee; was third in the Food City last year and 11th in the August event; the previous year finished ninth in both races.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Always ran well in the Busch series at Bristol, but suffered from bad luck in both Winston Cup races last year; in the spring race, was swept into a multi-car crash on lap two; was able to continue until a second accident on lap 401 knocked him out; in the fall night race, he was in the top-10 all evening until a late spin left him one lap behind the leaders for a 16th finish; was second at Daytona 500, in which his father died.
Jeff Gordon -- Winner of this race four straight times between 1995-98 (never won the night race at Bristol); went in front by lap 52 last year and led five times between laps 52 and 386; on lap 287, hit a tire when exiting pit road and made repeated stops to fix the problem; ended up with an eight place finish; this past Sunday at Darlington, he led 72 laps before an overheated engine caused him to finish 40th; lost points lead to Dale Jarrett and dropped to fourth place, 95 points behind; victory in Las Vegas earlier this month was 53rd of career.
Kevin Harvick -- Highest finishing rookie for the fourth straight race following his 14th place at Darlington; 13th in the series points standings, 192 points behind leader Dale Jarrett.
Dale Jarrett -- Able to hold off Steve Park over the final seven laps for his first victory of the season and for new sponsor UPS at Darlington Raceway; it was his 25th career victory and the first for Ford manufacturer this season; win gave him top spot in the Winston Cup standings by 65 points over Sterling Marlin and Johnny Benson; finished third in the Food City 500 in 1998 and 1999 before a 21st last season; his first career short-track triumph was here in the fall of 1997; captured his first Winston Cup championship in 1999.
Bobby Labonte -- The 2000 Winston Cup champion is having a tough time early this year; three of four races were finishes of 29 or lower; best result was second in the Dura Lube 400 at North Carolina Speedway; was sixth last year in the Food City 500.
Terry Labonte -- Won races at Bristol in the fall of 1995 and 1984; 32 top-10s in 45 starts at Bristol; finished fifth in the Food City 500 last year; best result this season was fifth in Atlanta.
Sterling Marlin -- Consistent runs early in the season puts him second in the standings, 65 points behind Dale Jarrett; posted four top-10 finishes including fifth at Darlington last Sunday, third in Las Vegas, eighth at Rockingham and seventh at the season-opener in Daytona.
Mark Martin -- A good short-track racer; the team will bring a brand new Ford for this race; has 28 starts at Bristol, including two wins and an impressive 20 top-10 finishes; in the past six years he has earned eight top-fives and 11 top-10 finishes; was third in the second race last year; slow start to the season, with sixth as best effort in Las Vegas.
Jeremy Mayfield -- Third-place finish at Darlington was his second top-10 of the season; made the points leap from 400th to 28th in the Winston Cup standings.
Steve Park -- Had the best car at Darlington but after late caution could not pass Dale Jarrett and settled for second; led four times for 164 laps for his third top-10 finish in five races; climbed from 13th to fifth in the Winston Cup points standings; won pole last year with record mark of 126.370 miles per hour in his Chevrolet; finished seventh in the race and improved that to fifth in the GoRacing.com 500 later in August.
Ricky Rudd -- Has been running at the finish the last 20 races, a streak that began at Indianapolis in August 2000; his 700th Winston Cup start last week at Darlington was a respectable eighth place finish; only the fifth driver to reach milestone, joining Richard Petty (1,177), Dave Marcis (878), Bobby Allison (717) and Darrell Waltrip (809); also has the longest active streak of consecutive starts at 613; up to sixth in the points with 609.
Tony Stewart -- Started from top six positions in three of four races at Bristol including one pole since joining the Winston Cup circuit in 1999; led a total of 358 laps and finished in the top five twice; runner-up in the second race last year; one top-five this season by way of a fourth place finish at Rockingham; 1999 NASCAR Rookie of the Year; has nine wins and four poles entering his third Winston Cup season.
Rusty Wallace -- The master of short tracks; two-time defending champion of this race at the "World's Fastest Half-Mile"; swept both events at the track last year; the win in the spring race was the 50th of his distinguished career (has won three other races since); leads all active drivers with seven poles at Bristol; also won fall race in 1994 and 1996; led series with nine poles last year and posted four wins; tied with Jeff Gordon for eighth in the all-time win list (53); won at least one race in 15 consecutive seasons.
2000 Top 10
1. Rusty Wallace (2) Ford
2. Johnny Benson (10) Pontiac
3. Ward Burton (22) Pontiac
4. Jeremy Mayfield (12) Ford
5. Terry Labonte (5) Chevrolet
6. Bobby Labonte (18) Pontiac
7. Steve Park (1) Chevrolet
8. Jeff Gordon (24) Chevrolet
9. Jeff Burton (99) Ford
10. Sterling Marlin (40) Chevrolet
Past Champions
2000 Rusty Wallace, Ford 88.018 mph
1999 Rusty Wallace, Ford 93.363 mph
1998 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 82.850 mph
1997 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 75.035 mph
1996 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 91.308 mph
1995 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 92.011 mph
1994 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 89.647 mph
1993 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac 84.730 mph
1992 Alan Kulwicki, Ford 86.316 mph
1991 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac 72.809 mph
1990 Davey Allison, Ford 87.258 mph
1989 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac 76.034 mph
1988 Bill Elliott, Ford 83.115 mph
1987 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 75.621 mph
1986 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac 89.747 mph
1985 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 81.790 mph
1984 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet 93.967 mph
1983 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet 93.445 mph
1982 Darrell Waltrip, Buick 94.025 mph
1981 Darrell Waltrip, Buick 89.530 mph
1980 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 96.977 mph
1979 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 91.033 mph
1978 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet 92.401 mph
1977 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet 100.989 mph
1976 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet 87.377 mph
1975 Richard Petty, Dodge 97.053 mph
1974 Cale Yarborough, 74 Chevrolet 64.533 mph
1973 Cale Yarborough, 73 Chevrolet 88.952 mph
1972 Bobby Allison, 72 Chevrolet 92.826 mph
1971 David Pearson, 71 Ford 91.704 mph
1970 Donnie Allison, 69 Ford 87.543 mph
1969 Bobby Allison, 69 Dodge 81.455 mph
1968 David Pearson, 68 Ford 77.247 mph
1967 David Pearson, 67 Dodge 75.930 mph
1966 Dick Hutcherson, 66 Ford 69.952 mph
1965 Junior Johnson, 65 Ford 74.938 mph
1964 Fred Lorenzen, 64 Ford 72.196 mph
1963 Fireball Roberts, 63 Ford 76.910 mph
1962 Jim Paschal, 62 Plymouth 75.280 mph
1961 Joe Weatherly, 61 Pontiac 72.450 mph
