NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus Worth $140,000 at Pocono 500
14 June 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Bobby Labonte just might have a very big day this Sunday. The driver of the Interstate Batteries Pontiac won both Pocono races last season, and he's been a model of consistency this season with eight top-five finishes. If he wins the Pocono 500 this weekend, it'll be the third straight win for him at Pocono, and he'll take home the $140,000 NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus.
The NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus hasn't been collected since Dale Jarrett won the season-opening Daytona 500. That means someone could win an extra $140,000 this Sunday at Long Pond, Pa.
Just three drivers will have a shot at the $140,000 bonus in the Pocono 500. Labonte enters the race with a 98-point lead over Dale Earnhardt in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings. Third-place Ward Burton trails Labonte by 102 points. Should a driver win the leader bonus this weekend, it would be the second-largest payout in the history of the program The Leader Bonus is awarded to any NASCAR Winston Cup driver who wins a race and takes or maintains the lead in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings.
The NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus was collected six times during the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup season. After winning the season-opening Daytona 500, Jeff Gordon took home an additional $10,000 as the NASCAR Winston Cup points leader. When Jeff Burton won the rain-shortened TranSouth Financial 400 at Darlington, S.C., he maintained his points lead and won an additional $40,000 bonus from Winston. Dale Jarrett, the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup champion, won the leader bonus four times for a total of $150,000.
The season ended with $140,000 of leader-bonus money on the table. When Jarrett did not win the season's last race, the money was divided among the top-10 drivers in the final NASCAR Winston Cup point standings. Jarrett also collected the leader bonus this year when he won the season-opening Daytona 500.
Top Five NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus Individual Payouts
Winner Amount Event
Jeff Gordon $160,000 1996 DieHard 500 (Talladega)
Jeff Gordon $110,000 1998 Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte)
Jeff Gordon $80,000 1997 Pocono 500 (Pocono)
Jeff Gordon $70,000 1996 MBNA 500 (Dover)
Jeff Gordon $60,000 1998 Pepsi 400 (Daytona)
Dale Jarrett $60,000 1999 Pontiac 400 (Richmond)
2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus Results
Race Winner/Pts. Pos. Bonus Points Leader Daytona 500 Dale Jarrett (1) $10,000 Dale Jarrett Dura-Lube 500 Bobby Labonte (2) -- Dale Jarrett Las Vegas 400 Jeff Burton (5) -- Bobby Labonte Cracker Barrel 500 Dale Earnhardt (3) -- Bobby Labonte Mall.com 400 Ward Burton (1) -- Bobby Labonte Food City 500 Rusty Wallace (6) -- Bobby Labonte DirecTV 500 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (18) -- Bobby Labonte Goody's 500 Mark Martin (2) -- Bobby Labonte Diehard 500 Jeff Gordon (7) -- Mark Martin Napa 500 Jeremy Mayfield (7) -- Bobby Labonte Pontiac 400 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (17) -- Bobby Labonte Coca-Cola 600 Matt Kenseth (13) -- Bobby Labonte MBNA 400 Tony Stewart (9) -- Bobby Labonte K-Mart 400 Tony Stewart (7) -- Bobby Labonte
Text provided by Rob Goodman
Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot photos
and racing art, please visit The Racing Image
Galleries and The
Visions of Speed Art Gallery .