| | The 2000 Winston Cup racing season is two-thirds over if you have not noticed. And what a year it has been.
The point's race has had something interesting to watch just about every week. Who would have thought that Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin would have been 400 points out at this stage and out of contention for the title?
|  | | If Bobby Labonte stumbles, Dale Jarrett figures to be right there to take advantage. |
Who would have thought that Terry Labonte and Jeremy Mayfield would fall out of the top-20?
Who would have thought that six drivers still have a realistic shot at the title?
And who could have guessed we'd have 13 different winners already, including three first timers -- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth and Steve Park.
Bobby Labonte still has a great deal of work to do in order to garner his first trip to the head table at the Waldorf Astoria. The Interstate Batteries team has performed flawlessly so far. Although Dale Jarrett's consistency has been better with 17 top-10's compared to Bobby's 15, the key stat is 0 DNF's for Labonte.
The worst finish of the year so far for the No. 18 has been 26th at Richmond. You certainly do not have to win every race to capture the Winston Cup, but you can't finish in the 40s more than once to be in contention.
A quick look at the final third of the year shows a few big obstacles for the Jimmy Makar-led crew.
The cakewalks should be this weekend at Michigan, then Charlotte, Rockingham and Atlanta. These four tracks should not pose much of a threat to Bobby's point lead. Now, I speak based only from past performance by Labonte at these tracks. Any given race can ruin your momentum and hurt a team badly in a system designed like the NASCAR points chase.
The biggest hurdles down the road might just be Bristol, Dover and Talladega.
Bristol, of course, because of how fast things can happen. A second-lap accident can put you behind the wall for 80 laps, or end your night in 43rd position before you even broke a sweat.
Dover is a much bigger Bristol in my mind, and even though he has six straight top fives at Dover, if Labonte wrecks on the Monster Mile, repairs often are out of the question.
Not much needs to be said about Talladega. It's 43 cars running at 200 mph in a tight pack wondering on which lap the "Big One" will come -- and will I be in it or not.
If Labonte gets through these three, he just may get to hoist the Winston Cup trophy over his head four weeks later in Atlanta!
The Pepsi 400 at Michigan (I thought the Pepsi 400 was run at Daytona in July) should be like a day in the park for the Joe Gibbs owned teams. Tony Stewart has posted top-10 finishes in all three races he has run in Michigan, including a win in June. Labonte has strung together 11 top-10 runs in his past 12 events at the 2-mile oval, including seven top-fives and three victories.
But for as steady as the 18 gang has been, and for as much success Labonte has enjoyed in Michigan, Dover and Charlotte, it figures to be tough to gain too many points on Jarrett over this stretch run.
D.J. has put together nine straight top-10s at MIS, and has very few weaknesses of his own on the remaining tracks we'll visit. Just look at how he closed out his championship run a year ago.
As for the other contenders, Dale Earnhardt has obviously slipped more than just a little over the past few races. He'll need to revitalize that No. 3 team if he's going to notch a record eighth championship. And Michigan has not been kind to the intimidator in recent past.
Yes, he ran second to Stewart in June, but in the past 12 events in Michigan, he has posted seven finishes of 15th or worse.
I think Jeff Burton and Stewart will be fun to watch in the final third of the season. Burton cut a tire early on in Atlanta and finished 43rd. Remember, I said your only allowed one of those each year.
Stewart lost an engine after only 73 laps at Bristol and retired 42nd. Again, it may be his only DNF column on the final standings in November that determines the champion -- not the three wins and counting in the 20 team's win column.
Labonte and Jarrett will need to find some serious trouble for the 99 or 20 cars to get in the thick of this title run, but it sure could happen. Earnhardt can't afford any more runs like Watkins Glen to remain a factor.
The stretch from Michigan to New Hampshire will be crucial. But it's after that when the season gets really tough. From New Hampshire to Dover to Martinsville is always a period of apathy for those of us who travel to every race each season.
Your tired, the teams are tired. It is hot, and most teams are planning for next year. Silly season is in full gear and many relationships are a bit frazzled from stress. The end is in sight, but not close enough.
But if you're a title contender, and this year we could have three or four teams still in the hunt, Atlanta is the beacon in the distance. And for the leader, let's say Labonte for argument's sake, it won't get here fast enough.
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