THE NEXT Winston Cup RACE
NEWS, STATS and INFO
THE RACE: Mountain Dew Southern 500
Winston Cup Race #25 of 36 for the 2001 season
Updated: often, leading up to the race
- Race: Sunday, September 2, 2001 in Darlington, SC
- TV: TNT – 1:00pm/et, re-aired on TNT Tuesday, Sept 4th, 1:00am/et
- Pre-Race Show: 12:30pm/et – Hosted by Bill Weber
- NASCAR on TV and TNT TV Schedule
- Announcers: Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach
- Pit Reporters: Bill Weber, Matt Yocum, Marty Snider, Dave Burns
- Purse/Race Awards: $3,476,288 (last year $2,602,838)
- Entry List: Entry List for the: Mountain Dew Southern 500 from NASCAR.com
- 2000 Race Winner: Bobby Labonte, 108.273mph
- Event Race Record: Jeff Gordon, Sept 1998, 139.031mph
- Track Race Record: Dale Earnhardt, Mar 1993, 139.958mph
- Track/Race Length: 1.366 egg-shaped oval, 367 laps, 501.3 miles
- Pit Road Speed: 45mph
Practice - Practice: Friday, Aug 31st 11:20am – 1:20pm/et; Saturday, Sept 1st 11:15am – 12:00noon/et
- Happy Hour Practice: Saturday, Sept 1st from 3:00 – 4:00pm/et, TV-TNT
Qualifying - Qualifying Draw: Friday, Aug 31st, 10:20am/et
- Qualfying Order:
- First Round Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-36, Friday, Aug 31st at 3:00pm/et, TV-CNN/SI and live via MRN Radio(link below)
- NASCAR.com will have live lap-by-lap coverage of Winston Cup qualifying via the web
- Second-Round Qualifying: there is no longer a 2nd round of qualifying
- Race/Event Qualifying Record: Kenny Irwin Jr, September 1999, 170.970mph
- Track Qualifying Record: Ward Burton, March 1996, 173.797mph (first race on new pavement)
- Last Year’s Pole Sitter: Jeremy Mayfield, 169.444mph, finished 41st
- Track Specs:
Track: Banking: Turns 1/2 – 25 degrees; Turns 3/4 – 23 degrees; Straights – 2 degrees.
Straights: Frontstretch 1,229 feet; Back – 1,229 feet. Repaved in late 1995 - Track Homepage: Darlington Raceway
PAST RACE/POLE WINNERS at the Southern 500
- Southern 500 Pole Sitters, Winners, and Manu Wins
RACE BONUS INFO
- The NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus is $30,000 at Darlington for leading the points and winning the race (Jeff Gordon last won the award, $10,000 at Watkins Glen on Aug 12, 2001). The $360,000 annual award is paid at $10,000 per race to the point leader at the end of each event if he is also the winner. The award increases by $10,000 each week the it goes unclaimed. If the point leader is not the race winner at the end of the year, the balance of the award is distributed among the top-10 finisher in the point
standings(8-25-2001)
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WEATHER, TV/RADIO COVERAGE
LOCAL NEWS, TRACK/FAN INFO
Radio Coverage:
Radio Coverage:
Motor Racing Network(MRN)
including RealAudio coverage
Airtime: 12:30pm/et with Announcers: Barney Hall and Joe Moore
Turn Reporters: Kurt Becker and Mike Bagley
Pit Reporters: Jim Phillips, Winston Kelley and Adam Alexander
Satellite/Backhaul Listing’s:
Satellite/Backhaul Listing’s: Stutzman Computer Service/Sales – Racing Feed Locations
Local Newspaper and other Sites that cover the Darlington, SC Area:
The State
The Myrtle Beach Sun News
GoUpstate – Spartanburg Herald Journal
Charleston Post-Courier
WEATHER FORECASTS:
Weather forecast for Darlington, SC by The Weather Channel
Weather Underground – Darlington, SC
Weather Point – Florence, SC
The Weather Pit
TRACK INFO FOR THE FANS:
Darlington Review
IN-CAR AUDIO SITES
Fans Can Online(NASCAR Online)
looks like this is all that there is out there now….
PREVIEW, FACT SHEETS and MISC News
- Darlington Facts: Thirty-nine drivers have posted Bud Poles at Darlington. A total of 38 drivers have won NASCAR Winston Cup Series races at Darlington. Bill Elliott and Jeff Gordon lead all active drivers, each with five victories at Darlington. Jeff Burton
was the last driver to win both Darlington races in the same year (1999). In the 44 years of twice-yearly NASCAR Winston Cup Series
racing at Darlington (1957 to 2000), a sweep has occurred nine times.(NASCAR PR)(8-29-2001) - : Mountain Dew Southern 500 Race Info
- CBS Sportsline: Southern 500 Preview
- CNN/SI: Mountain Dew Southern 500 – Southern hospitality – Gordon looks to continue Darlington dominance
- Crew Chief Club
- FoxSports: Mountain Dew Southern 500 preview – Burton needs a boost
- Frontstretch: Raceday Today – Mountain Dew Southern 500
- NASCAR.com: Mountain Dew Southern 500 Race Page
- Yahoo: Mountain Dew Southern 500 – Preview
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RACE ODDs
- note: this is not to promote gambling but to offer readers odds and ideas on what the
‘experts’ think about the upcoming race and the Cup series season
- United Bet – Mountain Dew Southern 500 Odds (need to navigate the site a bit)
- Vegas Insider – Mountain Dew Southern 500 odds
- World Sports Exchange – Mountain Dew Southern 500 odds
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QUALIFYING, PRACTICE and RESULTS
news and links
- Burton wins at Darlington in the Southern 500: #22-Ward Burton wins the 52nd Southern 500, his 3rd career Winston Cup win, 2nd at Darlington (won in the 2000 spring race – 53 races ago). Burton won from the 37th starting spot, a provisional spot, only the fifth driver to do so. #24-Jeff Gordon was 2nd and extended his Winston Cup Points lead to 343 points over #28-Ricky Rudd (who finished 7th). #40-Sterling Marlin is now in 3rd place, 481 points behind Gordon. See for Unofficial Southern 500 Results and Unofficial Standings along with a column: Ward Burton, Dodge win a wild one at Darlington(9-2-2001)
- Leffler Subs for Buckshot: #01-Jason Lefflerm who fell out of the Southern 500 early, was able to gain experience and get some track time at Darlington Raceway in the #44 Dodge as he took over for Buckshot Jones on lap 197 and finished the event bringing the team a 35th place finish. Jones has the flu and was feeling bad so they asked Leffler to take over driving the 44 car because Leffler is about the same size as Jones(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(9-3-2001)
- Hornaday Penalized: Ron Hornaday was penalized three laps by NASCAR for disobeying a black flag, dropping him five places to 37th(St Petersburg Times)(9-3-2001)
- Brothers and the Southern 500: Ward Burton’s first victory in the event, coupled with Jeff Burton’s win in 1999, marks the second time that brothers won the race. Terry Labonte won in 1980 and Bobby Labonte in 2000.(St Petersburg Times), and of note, only one father-son duo have won the race, Buck Baker (1953-60-64) and Buddy Baker, 1970.(9-3-2001)
- How did the Rookies of the Year Candidiates do at Darlington:
#01-Leffler, 164.155, started 38th-provisional, finished 43rd, 7 rookie points
#14-Hornaday, 164.854, started 40th-provisional, finished 37th, 9
#19-Atwood, 165.726, started 30th, finished 25th, 10
#29-Harvick, 167.871, started 5th, finished 8th, 14
#96-Houston, 164.336, missed the race, 1 point
#97-Busch, 168.048, on the pole – started 1st, finished 39th, 8
(9-2-2001) - Top 10 Important at Darlington UPDATE: in 96 races at Darlington Raceway, 86 of the winners started in the top 10 (8-31-2001)
UPDATE: a 37th starting place for 22-Burton didn’t bother him as he won the Southern 500, now it’s 86 of 97 (9-2-2001) - Busch the 2nd: Kurt Busch today becomes only one of two rookies to start on a Winston Cup pole in Darlington’s 52-year history. Davey Allison was the other, in 1987.(Tennessean), for years NASCAR would not allow rookies on the track before the first practice and qualifying sessions(9-2-2001)
- Happy Hour Practice is over at Darlington for the Southern 500. Kenny Wallace was in the #1 Pennzoil Chevy for Steve Park(see next story). Only one incident, #18-Bobby Labonte spun at speed but didn’t hit anything, but had something break in the rear-end which has been repaired and Labonte went back on the track.
TOP Ten Speeds:
1) #8-Earnhardt Jr 163.191mph
2) #24-Gordon 162.764
3) #6-Martin 162.641
4) #93-Blaney 162.641
5) #12-Mayfield 162.345
6) #40-Marlin 162.163
7) #88-Jarrett 162.158
8) #2-Wallace 161.934
9) #9-Elliott 161.678
10) #20-Stewart 161.567
Pole sitter #97-Busch was 20th at 160.219mph, Kenny Wallace was 27th fastest in the #1-Pennzoil Chevy with a speed of 159.611mph, slowest(43rd) was #27-Mast at 157.383. See NASCAR.com for Southern 500 Happy Hour Speeds(9-1-2001) - Qualifying at Darlington is over. And…surprise..#97-Kurt Busch is on the pole for the Southern 500 with a speed of 168.048mph and the outside pole was #24-Jeff Gordon with a speed of 167.916mph. Busch is the 4th first time Bud Pole winner (others are #02-Newman, #30-Green and #92-Compton) in 2001 and the 15th differeent Bud Pole winner in 2001. The pole will get Busch in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. 20 drivers are now eligible for the 2002 Budweiser Shootout. The top five starters:
1) #97-Kurt Busch 168.048
2) #24-Gordon 167.916
3) #12-Mayfield 167.911
4) #2-Wallace 167.882
5) #29-Harvick 167.871
Missing the race (DNQ’s) was #96-Andy Houston(44th in owners points) and #71-Dave Marcis(47th in owners points). Three drivers who needed to use a provisional are now out of provisionals until Talladega in Oct (race 32 of 36): #44-Jones, #7-Wallace and #14-Hornaday. #22-Ward Burton brushed the wall on his lap and pancaked the left side of the car, no speed recorded, Burton had to use a provisional. See or MotorsportsOne for lineups(8-31-2001) - BGN Speed Faster: #02-Ryan Newmans pole speed for the BGN race at Darlington was faster then the Cup pole speed by Kurt Busch, Newman’s speed was 169.246, Busch’s was 168.048. That is the 2nd race in a row that the BGN pole speed was faster then the Cup pole speed (Bristol Skinner in the BGN over Green in Cup)(9-1-2001)
- Pole Progression for the Southern 500:
#43-Andretti, went out 1st, 167.493mph, starts 6th
#12-Mayfield, out 11th, 167.911, starts 3rd
#97-Busch, out 37th, 168.048, starts 1st (8-31-2001) - Saturday AM Practice #55-Bobby Hamilton was the fastest at 163.067mph with #93-Dave Blaney at 162.759. Slowest was #27-Rick Mast at 156.587mph. Only 41 cars listed at , the #4-Lepage and #40-Marlin cars are listed as DNP(did not practice). Happy Hour practice will start after the BGN race, around 3:30pm/et and be televised on TNT(9-1-2001)
- Friday Practice at Darlington for the Souther 500 had #12-Jeremy Mayfield the fastest at 167.991mph with #1-Steve Park was 2nd at 167.939. The two slowest drivers were #27-Rick Mast at 163.099 and #44-Buckshot Jones at 162.743. #17-Matt Kenseth blew an engine just as practice ended and was allowed to qualify when the car was ready, he was to qualify 6th and went out 25th. See for the Friday’s practice speeds(8-31-2001)
- Qualifying Order is up for the Southern 500 at Darlington. 45 cars/drivers are listed for 43 starting spots. First driver scheduled out is #43-John Andretti, last scheduled out is #24-Jeff Gordon. See above for the link(s). Qualifying will be televised on CNN/SI at ~3:00pm/et (after BGN qualifying) and can be hard on MRN Radio and followed on NASCAR.com(8-31-2001)
- Entry List is up for the Southern 500. See above for the link. 45 cars/drivers listed, only non-regular listed is #71-Dave Marcis(8-29-2001)
- Back to 2 laps UPDATE: it was announced at the beginning of CNN/SI’s qualifying coverage that qualifying would go back to 2 laps of qualifying at all Super Speedways (1 mile or more) starting this week at Michigan. So I guess that means 2 laps is back for all the tracks since 2 laps were going to be the cast at the two short tracks and restrictor plate tracks. All but the road courses which there will be no more in 2001(8-17-2001)
UPDATE: NASCAR officials have changed their minds again and gone back to two laps during its single round of qualifying. NASCAR announced at Daytona in early July that qualifying would be reduced to a single lap at tracks of 1-mile or longer except for Daytona and Talladega, beginning at New Hampshire on July 22. Teams ran two laps at New Hampshire, however, because of a new sealer that had been applied to the track’s surface. The cars then ran one lap for three races, but after complaints from the teams that a single lap prevented them from overcoming a mistake, the policy has been changed again and cars can now once more run a second lap if they choose()(8-18-2001) - Qualifying Rules Changed UPDATE: ESPN2’s RPM 2Night mentioned tonight that starting at New Hampshire that qualifying would consist of one lap of qualifying instead of the two laps that have been run this year. The exceptions are tracks smaller then one mile (Bristol, Richmond and Martinsville) and the two restrictor plate tracks, Daytona and Talladega(7-5-2001)
UPDATE: it was mentioned on FSN’s Totally NASCAR show on Thurs that the Cup drivers would run 2 laps of Qualifying for the New England 300 at New Hampshire. The plan is to still have one lap of qualifying at all intermediate tracks (1 to 2 miles in length) but the format will be determined in a track-to-track basis for the rest of the season(7-19-2001) - an interesting point: When NASCAR officials decided to disallow Jerry Nadeau’s qualifying time at Daytona in Feb 2001, it raised an interesting question. With the Winston Cup series having only one round of qualifying the rest of the season, what happens if an unapproved part is found? According to NASCAR, drivers no longer have to post an official qualifying time to use a provisional, they only have to practice. So a driver could have a penalty on a qualifying issue but still have access to one of the seven provisionals for the race(Richmond Times Dispatch)(2-11-2001)
- How to break a tie during qualifying?(same speed/time) When drivers are tied for a starting spot during qualifying, it is broken by owners points standings(not drivers). For provisionals standings see the Jayski’s Provisional Status page
- Links: Practice speeds, qualifying and results can be found at these
sites: NASCAR Online, Racin Network, and
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TRACK/RACE NEWS
- Johnson at Darlington: Legendary driver and car owner Junior Johnson is the grand marshal for the Sept. 2 Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington(Winston Cup Scene – need sub to read online)(8-9-2001)
- Darlington Spring Race Moves? UPDATE Looks like yes but… Darlington will replace Rockingham as the second race of the year. Rockingham has hosted the second race of the season since 1992. Before that, the second race alternated between Rockingham and Richmond; and Daytona, when Riverside remained on the schedule. The change in schedule for next season will allow Fox to begin coverage of the first half of the season at Darlington. NBC and Fox rotate coverage of the season-opening Daytona 500. NBC will broadcast the race in 2002. Sources said Rockingham’s first race of the 2002 season will move to April, likely one of the weeks following the April 7 race at Talladega. The track’s second race will continue to remain near the end of the season’s schedule()(7-6-2001)
UPDATE: In a reversal of plans, NASCAR has decided not to move next season’s spring Winston Cup race at Darlington up to the second race of the season. Darlington Raceway officials were made aware of the proposed change in July, but sources confirmed Monday NASCAR has now backed off the move and will likely keep the second race of the season at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, which has hosted the race since 1992. The proposed change in schedule for next season would have allowed Fox to begin coverage of the first half of the season at Darlington. NBC and Fox rotate coverage of the season-opening Daytona 500. NBC will broadcast the race in 2002. Sources said Darlington’s first race of the 2002 season could move to the spot that was reserved for Rockingham – Sunday, April 21. This season’s spring date was March 18. Darlington Raceway officials declined to comment on the change Monday, preferring to wait until NASCAR releases its schedule, expected by next month()(8-15-2001) - Dodge Rules Change: NASCAR officials announced that modifications to the front air dam for the NASCAR Winston
Cup Series 2001 Dodge Intrepid will go into effect beginning with next weekend’s NASCAR Winston Cup event at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. This modification will allow Intrepid teams to extend their front air dam two inches forward below the bumper from the current
measurement. The front air dam is described as the area below the bumper. The bumper will remain in its standard position(NASCAR PR)(7-27-2001) - How to Calculate Track Speeds: use the formula Speed = Distance divided by Time. Distance is Track Length, and Lap Time into Hours. Once hour is 3600 seconds, so the calculation for a 48 second lap at Daytona(2.5 miles) would be: Speed = 2.5 x (3600/48), = 2.5 x 75 = 187.500mph. For a 19 second lap at Bristol(.533 miles): Speed = .533 x (3600/19), = .533 x 189.474 = a speed of 100.990mph
- Past track news: posted in the past at Jayski’s Past Track News/Rumors – Darlington
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DRIVER/TEAM NEWS
- #300 for Hut: after a week delay (missed the race at Bristol), #90-Hut Stricklin will make his 300th career Winton Cup start when he starts 36th at Darlington for the Southern 500(9-1-2001)
- See the 2001 Team Chart which has links to past news for each team and the 2002 Team Chart
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PAINT SCHEME NEWS
- Announcement UPDATE Spiderman Schemes for Elliott/Atwood: There will be a web launch/announcement on www.4adodge.com today at 7:00pm/et and at the same time goracing.com will also be announcing a new special paint scheme with graphics and a press release(6-27-2001)…spiderman maybe?
Spiderman?/REPOST: hearing the #9-Bill Elliott and #19-Casey Atwood Dodge’s will run a Spiderman (the movie) paint scheme at Charlotte, not sure if it’s in May or Oct(4-3-2001)
and the UPDATE: found the web launch about the two spiderman cars at www.4adodge.com but no announcement, but it is about #9-Bill Elliott and #19-Casey Atwood driving Spiderman paint schemes at the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway on Oct 7th. See images of the cars on my Paint Scheme Gallery and/or get wallpapers at www.4adodge.com(6-28-2001) - #99 and the MDA: On September 2 at Darlington Raceway, the #99 CITGO SUPERGARD Motor Oil Taurus will sport a special red, white, and blue paint scheme to help raise money and awareness for the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. Also in the works, the CITGO SUPERGARD Motor Oil race team will play host to 15-year old Taylor McEntire of Blythewood, SC. Taylor, who suffers from Infantile Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), will be the MDA Goodwill Ambassador for the Pepsi Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. CITGO driver Jeff Burton and his #99 pit crew, the reigning World Pit Crew Champions, will treat Taylor to a visit plus, Taylor will tour the garage area, attend the drivers¹ meeting and watch the race in the #99 pits. Once the race is over, fans can place bids on Jeff¹s MDA racing suit and helmet worn during the Pepsi Southern 500. The items will be auctioned off following the race to benefit MDA. Jeff¹s wife Kim is also impressed by CITGO Petroleum¹s commitment to the MDA since the charity¹s logo is proudly displayed on the #99 car every weekend. To help kick off this year¹s telethon, both Jeff and Kim took part in the videotaping of several introductions for CITGO executives to be aired throughout the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. In the intros, the Burtons talk about their support towards CITGO as well as sharing with viewers their passion for Duke¹s Children¹s Hospital and Health Center, home of ³The Jeff Burton Zone². Monies raised by the MDA help Duke continue their research efforts in finding a cure for muscular dystrophy.(Cox Marketing PR)(8-24-2001)
- #17 Paint Scheme for Aug/Sept: The #17 DeWalt Ford will debut its New Products paint scheme which will run from Indianapolis through Dover. The paint scheme is an integration of the new product line and the designs submitted through the DEWALT 2002 Paint Scheme contest. The winners were Robert Williams Lutherville, MD and Brian Grossman of Cincinnati, OH. This scheme will
run thru the Sept June race at Dover(Grandstand PR)(7-31-2001) - More Paint Scheme news can be found on Paint Schemes Gallery, choose current news
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STATS and STUFF
- Bodine – 30 races – no DNF UPDATE: #11-Brett Bodine has been running at the end of 30 consecutive races(counting last season since he DNF’d at Martinsville), which is the circuit’s longest active streak. Two other drivers have made all the races in 2001 and not DNF’d(did not finish): 9-Bill Elliott (now 29 races straight) and #55-Bobby Hamilton (now 26 straight without a DNF)(8-25-2001)
- Top Fives: There have been 30 different Cup drivers(no new drivers at Bristol) who have scored a Top-5 so far in 2001….2000’s total was 28, 1999’s total was 28 and 1998’s total number was 27(8-25-2001)
- Top Tens: There have been 40 different Cup drivers (no new drivers at Bristol) who have scored a Top-10 in 2001…..2000’s total was 41, 1999’s total was 40 and 1998’s total number was 41(8-25-2001)
- Provisional Finishes in 2001: In 154 provisional starts(22 races x 7 no qualifying at Darlington 3/2001 or Dover 6/2001), drivers have accumulated 1 Win, 6 Top 5’s and 20 Top 10’s. #1-Steve Park was the highest provisional starter/finisher at Bristol with a 7th. See my Provisional Finishes Page for each race finish by the provisionals starters(8-25-2001)
- No Laps Lead by Labonte yet: #5-Terry Labonte remains the only driver to race in all 24 events this season and not lead at least one lap. The last time Labonte led a lap was the Winston 500 last October at Talladega. 47 drivers have now led laps, add #4-Kevin Lepage and #30-Jeff Green at Bristol. See the Bonus Points/Laps Led page(8-25/27-2001)
- Consecutive Winston Cup Starts: Ricky Rudd is the current leader with with 632 consecutive starts followed by Rusty Wallace at 541, Ken Schrader with 511 and Mark Martin has 425 consecutive Cup starts. Terry Labonte had 655 (and holds the all time record) but sat out the 2000 Brickyard 400 to end his record streak. Dale Earnhardt had 648 consecutive Winston Cup starts until his death at Daytona(8-25-2001)
- 2000 winners who have not won in 2001: Mark Martin, Ward Burton, Jeremy Mayfield, Matt Kenseth and Jerry Nadeau. Terry Labonte, Joe Nemechek and John Andretti earned victories in 1999 and have not won since.(8-25-2000)
- No Top Fives Since…. It has been a while since some drivers have had a top five finish on the Winston Cup circuit. Here are those with the longest streak of races without a top-five finish:
Driver Races Finish Track Date Since Dave Marcis* 316 3rd Watkins Glen 8-10-87 Brett Bodine 223 2nd Indianapolis 8-6-94 Rick Mast 139 4th Martinsville 9-22-96 Kyle Petty 106 3rd Dover 9-21-97 Ken Schrader 100 4th Richmond 9-12-98 Hut Stricklin 82 2nd Darlington 9-1-96 Mike Wallace 64 5th Atlanta 11-13-94 Dave Marcis has not had a top 10 since April 10, 1994 in the Food City 500 at Bristol, he finished 10th. Regular Drivers Without a Career Top Five Driver Races Dave Blaney 57 Stacy Compton 50 Buckshot Jones 37 Cup drivers(not including 2001 rookies) (* not full time Cup in 2001) (compiled from UMI Press Guides, Winston Cup Updates) (8-25-2001) - No Wins Ever…. Some regular drivers in Winston Cup who have
never won a Cup race and how many starts they have:
Active Drivers Driver Races Run Rick Mast 350 Ted Musgrave 299* Hut Stricklin 286 Dick Trickle 266* Kenny Wallace 231* Wally Dallenbach 226* Chad Little 216* Robert Pressley 192 Johnny Benson 186 Ricky Craven 168 Mike Skinner 165 Steve Grissom 141* Todd Bodine 133 Kevin Lepage 113 David Green 78* Dave Blaney 57 Stacy Compton 50 Buckshot Jones 38 All Time - Over 400 Starts Driver Races Run JD McDuffie 653 Buddy Arrington 560 Neil Castles 497 Jimmy Means 455 Cecil Gordon 450 G.C. Spencer 415
*not a full time or regular Cup driver
(8-25-2001)(UMI Press Guides Stats/Winston Cup Updates)
Driver Races Run Last Win Track Dave Marcis 481* 2/21/82 Richmond Brett Bodine 350 4/22/90 North Wilkesboro Ken Schrader 327 6/2/91 Dover Derrike Cope 272* 6/3/90 Dover Jimmy Spencer 226 7/24/94 Talladega Bill Elliott 217 9/4/94 Darlington Kyle Petty 177 6/4/95 Dover Geoffrey Bodine 121* 8/11/96 Watkins Glen Terry Labonte 83 3/28/99 Texas John Andretti 82 4/18/99 Martinsville Joe Nemechek 60 9/19/99 New Hampshire Ward Burton 53 3/19/00 Rockingham Mark Martin 49 4/9/00 Martinsville Matt Kenseth 46 5/28/00 Lowes Jeremy Mayfield 41 6/19/00 Pocono Jerry Nadeau 22 11/20/00 Atlanta *not a full time or regular Cup driver (8-25-2001)(UMI Press Guides Stats/Winston Cup Updates)
Have already won in 2001 and extended or started their streaks: Driver Years Last Win Rusty Wallace 16 California, Apr 2001 Dale Jarrett 9 New Hamsphire, July 2001 Jeff Gordon 8 Watkins Glen, Aug 2001 Bobby Labonte 7 Pocono, July 2001 Jeff Burton 5 Lowes, May 2001 Tony Stewart 3 Bristol, Aug 2001 Steve Park 2 Rockingham, Feb 2001 Dale Earnhardt Jr 2 Daytona, July 2001 Michael Waltrip 1 Daytona, Feb 2001 Kevin Harvick 1 Chicago, July 2001 Elliott Sadler 1 Bristol, Mar 2001 Bobby Hamiton 1 Talladega, Apr 2001 Ricky Rudd 1 Pocono, June 2001 Sterling Marlin 1 Michigan, August 2001 Thru 2000 season: Mark Martin 4 Martinsville, Apr 2000 Ward Burton 1 Darlington, Mar 2000 Jeremy Mayfield 1 Pocono, June 2000 Matt Kenseth 1 Charlotte, May 2000 Jerry Nadeau 1 Atlanta, Nov 2000 Streaks that ended in 2000 that were thru 1999 season: Driver Years Last Win Terry Labonte 6 Texas, Apr 1999 John Andretti 1 Martinsville, Apr 1999 Joe Nemechek 1 New Hampshire, Sept 1999
All Time Record is Richard Petty – 18 years from 1960-1977
(info from UMI Official NASCAR Preview and Press Guides
and Winston Cup Updates)(8-25-2001)
UPDATE: and an addition to the story: Others in early season points peril by David Poole(4-6-2001)
The drivers who won in 2000: Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Steve Park, Jeremy Mayfield, Ward Burton, Jeff Gordon and Jerry Nadeau.
Terry Labonte, Joe Nemechek and John Andretti are the drivers who earned victories in 1999 and did not win in 2000. Two drivers who won in 1998 Bobby Hamilton and Ricky Rudd, have not won since(11-21-2000)
UPDATE: Add Bobby Labonte as the 2nd ever provisional winner by winning the 1999 NAPA 500 at Atlanta(11-21-1999)
UPDATE 2: Add Bobby Labonte as the 3rd ever provisional winner by winning the 2000 Southern 500 at Darlington(9-3-2000)
UPDATE 3: Add Elliott Sadler as the 4th ever provisional winner by winning the 2001 Food City 500 at Bristol(3-25-2001)
NASCAR
Starting Position Race Driver 43 1950 Southern 500, Darlington Johnny Mantz 43 1953 Raliegh, NC Fonty Flock 38 provisional 2001 Food City 500, Bristol Elliott Salder 38 provisional 1999 Jiffy Lube 300, Loudon Jeff Burton 38 1988 Firecracker 400, Daytona Bill Elliott 37 provisional 1999 NAPA 500, Atlanta Bobby Labonte 37 provisional 2000 Southern 500, Darlington Bobby Labonte 37 1995 Miller 500, Dover Kyle Petty 37 1959 Lakewood Speedway, Atl, GA Lee Petty 36 2000 Diehard 500, Talladega Jeff Gordon 35 2000 Cracker Barrel 500, Atlanta Dale Earnhardt (3-25-2001)
and his brother Terry, who won it in 1984 and 1996, have become the first brothers to do so in
Winston Cup history. There have been two father-son pairs; Lee and Richard Petty, and Ned and
Dale Jarrett AND Bobby Labonte is the first former BGN champ(since the series began in
1982, not counting the old Sportsman division) to win the Winston Cup championship(11-12-2000)