NASCAR WCUP: Pepsi 400 Race Wrap-Up
4 July 1999
Race Winner: Dale JarrettTeam: Quality Care/Ford Credit Ford
* Dale Jarrett won the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway, his third victory in 1999. It is his 21st career victory in 372 NASCAR Winston Cup races. He moved into a four-way tie for 23rd on the all-time winners list joining Benny Parsons, Jack Smith and Terry Labonte. His most recent victory came in the Kmart 400 at Michigan, three races ago. It is his 15th top-10 finish, including 13 top-fives, in 17 races this season.
* Jarrett scored his 14th straight top-10 finish this season, extending a streak that began at Atlanta.
* This was Jarretts third victory in 25 races at Daytona and first in the Pepsi 400. It was only his sixth top-five finish at the Florida superspeedway.
* Jarrett led three times and 40 of the 160 laps raced. He did not lead the most laps. Rusty Wallace led 75 of the 160 laps raced tonight, the most of all drivers. Wallace has only led in four races in 1999 and he led the most laps in each of those four races.
* Jarrett won the $30,000 NASCAR Winston Cup Leader bonus for the third time in 1999. He has won $120,000 of the $170,000 bonus paid out by Winston in 1999.
* Jarretts victory from a 12th-place starting position ended an 18-race streak that the winner has started from a top-10 starting position at Daytona.
* At the half-way point of the 1999 season, Ford has eight victories, Chevrolet has six and Pontiac has three victories.
NOTEBOOK ITEMS...
* In the last six years the leader of the NASCAR Winston Cup points standings at the half-way point of the season has gone on to claim the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship (Earnhardt 93 and 94, Gordon 95, 97 and 98 and Terry Labonte 96). The last time the leader of the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings failed to go on to win the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship occurred in 1992 when Davey Allison led the points standings after race 15 at Daytona and Alan Kulwicki won the NASCAR Winston Cup championship by 10 points over Bill Elliott in the closest points race in NASCAR Winston Cup history.
* Jarrett holds a 177-point lead over Bobby Labonte, the biggest point margin of the season.
* Dale Earnhardt (second) has finished in the top 10 in 13 of his last 14 races at Daytona. It was Earnhardts 33rd top-10 finish in 43 career NASCAR Winston Cup races at Daytona. He finished second in both races at Daytona in 1999.
* Jeff Burton (third) posted his career-best NASCAR Winston Cup finish in 12 races at Daytona.
* Mike Skinner (fourth) posted his fourth straight top-10 NASCAR Winston Cup finish in six races at Daytona. Skinner finished fourth in both races in 1999 at Daytona.
* Bobby Labonte (fifth) scored his fourth top-10 finish in the last five races at Daytona. Labonte has scored eight top-10 finishes in the last nine races this season. Labonte is the only driver to lead at least one lap in 15 of the 17 races this season.
* Tony Stewart (sixth) has been the highest finishing rookie in 16 of the 17 races this season. This was his ninth top-10 finish in 17 races in 1999.
* Ernie Irvan (ninth) scored his third top-10 finish in the last four races in 1999.
* Terry Labonte (10th) scored his first top-10 finish in the last six races this season.
* Ricky Rudd (13th) led 11 of the 160 laps raced, the most laps he has led in 1999 and only the second time in 1999 that he has led a race. He led three laps at Rockingham in February. This is Rudds best finish in 1999.
* Mark Martin (17th) ended a 12-race streak of leading at least one lap per race in a streak that began at Darlington.
* Jeff Gordon (24th) posted his sixth finish outside the top 20 this season. The defending NASCAR Winston Cup Champion is now 403 points behind points leader Dale Jarrett.
* Jeff Burton won the $30,000 Gatorade Front-Runner Award for leading the Gatorade Front Runner points at mid-season. A $50,000 award will also be made at seasons end to the driver who has accumulated the most Gatorade Front Runner points for the entire season.
Editors Note: For hundreds of hot racing photos and racing art, be sure to visit The Racing ImageGalleries and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.