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NASCAR WCUP: Winston No Bull Five Fast Facts

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
August September 1, 2001

  • Location: Richmond International Raceway
  • Date: Saturday, Sept. 8, 2001
  • Start time: 7:30 p.m., Eastern Time

2001 Winston No Bull 5 -- Event No. 4 of 5 Qualified drivers:

  • * Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet Monte Carlo)
  • * Michael Waltrip (No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet Monte Carlo)
  • * Elliott Sadler (No. 21 Motorcraft Ford Taurus)
  • * Ward Burton (No. 22 Caterpillar Dodge Intrepid)
  • * Bobby Labonte (No. 18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac Grand Prix)

Winston No Bull 5 Notes

* At the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400, Sadler will become the 31st eligible driver in the four-year history of the Winston No Bull 5 program.

* Three of the five drivers eligible for the Winston No Bull 5 bonus in the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 had solid finishes in last year's event. Burton finished eighth, Earnhardt, Jr., finished 13th and Labonte came home in 15th place. Sadler and Waltrip were involved in an early accident. Sadler finished 42nd and Waltrip 43rd.

* Six of the 10 Winston No Bull 5 winners won from a starting position of fifth or better. The furthest back a Winston No Bull 5 winner has started the race is 24th. Jeff Gordon did so when he won the 2001 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400.

* Bobby Labonte returns to the Winston No Bull 5 program for the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400. Labonte has yet to claim the million-dollar bonus in his 10 previous appearances in the program, which is more than any other driver.

* The 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 marks the first time there have been two eligible fans from the state of Illinois.

* Two Virginia natives, Burton (South Boston) and Sadler (Emporia) could be local favorites for the Winston No Bull 5 at Virginia's fastest NASCAR Winston Cup facility, Richmond International Raceway.

* There have been 10 winners in the previous 18 Winston No Bull 5 events. Jeff Gordon has won the million four times. Jeff Burton has won the million-dollar bonus three times. Dale Jarrett has won the million twice.

* When he won the Winston No Bull 5 bonus at Las Vegas, Jeff Gordon became the only driver to win the million-dollar bonus with two crew chiefs. He pocketed the big check three times with Ray Evernham (1998 Brickyard 400, '98 Pepsi Southern 500 and the 1999 Daytona 500). Robbie Loomis was his crew chief for the 2001 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400. Gordon has won the million-dollar bonus four times in nine attempts.

* Roush Racing has made 18 previous attempts at the Winston No Bull 5 program, more than any other team. Jeff Burton has won the bonus three times, making Roush Racing three-for-18. Richard Childress Racing and Hendrick motorsports are tied for second with 12 previous attempts each. RCR has one win while Hendrick Motorsports has four.

* The 1999 Winston 500 marked the only time three cars from the same team competed for the million-dollar bonus. Mark Martin, Kevin Lepage and Jeff Burton all competed out of the Roush Racing stable.

* Three sets of brothers in NASCAR Winston Cup Series' competition have competed in a Winston No Bull 5 event: Kenny and Rusty Wallace; Ward and Jeff Burton; and Terry and Bobby Labonte.

* When Gordon won the 2001 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 at Las Vegas, lucky NASCAR Winston Cup fan Rodney Mims, of Clanton, Ala., became an instant millionaire.

* Three NASCAR Winston Cup fans became millionaires through the Winston No Bull 5 program last year. When Dale Jarrett won the season-opening Daytona 500, he and his fan, Melissa Brown from Pittsburgh, each won a million dollars from Winston. Two races later at Las Vegas, Jeff Burton won a rain-shortened event to make a millionaire out of Joyce Williams from Port Isabel, Texas. Richard Sturtz, from Mt. Savage, Md., won a million dollars when Dale Earnhardt won the Winston 500.

* Burton won the Winston No Bull 5 million-dollar bonus twice in 1999 taking the checkered flag at the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and the Pepsi Southern 500 at Darlington. When Burton won, NASCAR Winston Cup fans Wade Smith, of Metropolis, Ill., and Phyllis Farmer, of Hillsboro, Mo., each took home $1 million. Jeff Gordon captured the Winston No Bull 5 million-dollar bonus at the 1999 Daytona 500. With Gordon's win, NASCAR Winston Cup fan Ray Grimm, of Hagerstown, Md., also won $1 million.

* In the 18 previous Winston No Bull 5 events, there have been five eligible fans from the state of Texas. Joyce Williams from Port Isabel was eligible for the CarsDirect.com 400 at Las Vegas. Bryon Pratt, from Houston, was eligible for the 1999 Winston 500 at Talladega. Jennifer McCann, from Grand Prairie, and Ritchie Gregory, from Dallas, were eligible for the 1999 Daytona 500. Rhonda Traylor, from Highlands, was eligible for the 1999 Coca-Cola 600. Williams is the only Texas winner.

* The Winston No Bull 5 was created in 1998 as a tribute to NASCAR's 50th anniversary season. The Winston No Bull 5 replaced the Winston Million, which had been in existence since 1985. Bill Elliott in 1985 and Jeff Gordon in 1997 were the only winners of the Winston Million in its 13-season run.

* The original Winston No Bull 5 schedule (1998) featured the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400, Pepsi Southern 500 and the Winston 500.

* In October of 1998, the Carsdirect.com 400 was added to the 1999 Winston No Bull 5 lineup, replacing the Brickyard 400. In November of 1999, the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 at Richmond, Va. joined the fray replacing the Pepsi Southern 500. This season, the program trades races at Daytona. The Daytona 500 is replaced with the July Daytona race, the Pepsi 400.

* The $1 million Winston No Bull 5 bonus was captured three times in each of its first three seasons. In 1998, Jeff Gordon won the bonus at the Brickyard 400 and the Pepsi Southern 500 at Darlington. Dale Jarrett won the Winston No Bull 5 at the Winston 500 at Talladega, Ala. In 1999, Jeff Gordon won the Daytona 500 and the Winston No Bull 5. Jeff Burton collected the bonus when he won the Coca- Cola 600 and the Pepsi Southern 500. Last season, Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500, Jeff Burton won the Carsdirect.com 400 at Las Vegas and Dale Earnhardt captured the Winston 500 at Talladega.

Winston No Bull 5 Format

1. Drivers become eligible to win the $1 million Winston No Bull 5 bonus by finishing in the top five at the previous Winston No Bull 5 event. The five races comprising the Winston No Bull 5 in 2000 are, in chronological order: the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 (March 4); the Coca-Cola 600 (May 27); the Pepsi 400 (July 7) at Daytona; the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 (Sept. 8) at Richmond; and the Oct. 21 race at Talladega.

NOTE: Eligible drivers for the 2001 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 at Las Vegas were determined by the top-five finishers at the final Winston No Bull 5 event of 2000, the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mike Skinner finished sixth and raced in Dale Earnhardt's place.

2. Eligible drivers at a particular Winston No Bull 5 event can win the Winston No Bull 5 million-dollar bonus by finishing first in said event.

3. If all five qualified drivers fail to capture the $1 million Winston No Bull 5 bonus at a particular Winston No Bull 5 event, the bonus will not roll over to the next event. Each Winston No Bull 5 event is worth $1 million to the qualified drivers.

4. If a qualified driver wins a Winston No Bull 5 event, one fan will also win a $1 million bonus as part of Winston's "They Win, You Win" sweepstakes. Five fans are eligible at each Winston No Bull 5 event. They are selected at random through a nationwide sweepstakes program, and each is paired, at random, with one of the eligible Winston No Bull 5 drivers. If an eligible driver wins the Winston No Bull 5 bonus, the fan paired with that driver also wins a $1 million check from Winston.

The following fans are qualified for the Winston No Bull 5 "They Win, You Win" fan sweepstakes at Richmond International Raceway. The fans were paired with the drivers through a go-kart race at NASCAR Speedpark in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2001. The finishing order determined the pairing.

  • * Doris De Berry from Savannah, Tenn., is paired with Burton.
  • * Sharon Bauer from Peoria, Ill., is paired with Sadler.
  • * Eric Wolf from Peotone, Ill., is paired with Labonte.
  • * Allen Fitch from Hamptonville, N.C., is paired with Waltrip.
  • * Joseph Brennan from Eufaula, Ala., is paired with Earnhardt, Jr.

WINSTON NO BULL 5 HISTORY Including The Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400

Previous winners:

  • Jeff Gordon, 2001 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400
  • Dale Earnhardt, 2000 Winston 500
  • Jeff Burton, 2000 CarsDirect.com 400
  • Dale Jarrett, 2000 Daytona 500
  • Jeff Burton, 1999 Pepsi Southern 500
  • Jeff Burton, 1999 Coca-Cola 600
  • Jeff Gordon, 1999 Daytona 500
  • Jeff Gordon, 1998 Brickyard 400
  • Jeff Gordon, 1998 Pepsi Southern 500
  • Dale Jarrett, 1998 Winston 500

Most consecutive events qualified - 6: Jeff Gordon (1998 - Brickyard 400, Pepsi Southern 500, Winston 500, 1999 - Daytona 500, Las Vegas 400 and Coca-Cola 600)

Text provided by Denny Darnell

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