"STRETCH RUN CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW" >Page 1, 2
The Intimidator
Seven-time champ Dale Earnhardt is no stranger to the title chase but four finishes of 17th or worse including a disastrous 39th place run in Bristol earlier this year have left the GM Goodwrench team 107 points behind Labonte in third. One more poor finish for Earnhardt will clearly dent (but not demolish) his hopes for a record-setting eighth crown.
Nobody knows what it takes to win the Winston Cup more than Earnhardt. He's as reliable a guy in the seat as they come. With his reckless days slipping away behind him Earnhardt is finding his way into victory lane less often but is also bending less equipment and has found himself in a great position to bring home number eight.
The Rest
Fourth place runner Jeff Burton is over 200 points out of the lead. Although the Jack Roush team has been doing things right this year it would take a miracle for all three of the drivers in front of him to have enough problems for Burton to get his first Championship.
There is a lot of room for shuffling within the top ten (strangely enough there is a whopping 232 point gap between tenth place Ricky Rudd and eleventh place Mike Skinner) but your 2000 Winston Cup Champ will be one of the current top three drivers.
The Verdict
It is interesting to note the parity at the top of the Winston Cup points these days. Three drivers vying for a title, one Pontiac, one Ford and one Chevrolet and all three drivers have only one win each. Gary Nelson (NASCAR Director of Competition) has clearly done his job well in leveling the playing field.
The 2000 Winston Cup championship will likely be decided based on mistakes. The team that makes the fewest from here to the end of the season will win the big prize.
Rock-solid equipment, clean pit work and a level-headed driver in the seat are the foundations of any Championship winning team. All three of these guys clearly have all of these qualities and more but only one team can sit at the head table at the Waldorf Astoria in November. Earnhardt and Jarrett have both survived the pressure before and gone on to win the Cup, but Bobby Labonte and the Joe Gibbs team are looking like a Championship team to me.
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