Winston Cup Notes

Winston Cup Rockingham/Richmond Notes

NASCAR Public Relations

Looking back at Rockingham

Strange. Sunday's Goodwrench Service 400 marked only the 11th time in 62 races at "The Rock" that the winner has come from further back than the 10th-place starting position. Earnhardt started in the 18 position on the grid.

But it has happened in four of the last seven races at "The Rock." Before that, no one had done it since Neil Bonnett in the spring of 1988. Bonnett won the Goodwrench 500 that day from 30th. No one before or since has come from that far back to win at Rockingham.

Ricky Craven's third-place finish Sunday was the best run of his young career.

Steve Grissom equaled the best finish of his career with a fifth-place run Sunday.

Dale Earnhardt has won two of the last four races at "The Rock."

Jeff Gordon, despite his troubles Sunday, picked up $31,730 in winnings putting him across the $7 million mark for his career -- which is barely into its fourth season. It's the fastest any NASCAR Winston Cup driver has hit that mark.

Speaking of the defending Series champion. Just a year ago, Gordon was seventh in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings after two events. This year, he is 43rd out of 45 drivers.

Turning to Richmond

In the six previous Pontiac Excitement 400s at Richmond International Raceway this decade, there have been six different winners.

That's right, no driver has been able to repeat as winner the spring race at this three-quarter-mile race track. But the list of winners is a mighty one nonetheless.

Since 1990, in order, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott, Davey Allison, Ernie Irvan and Terry Labonte have pulled into Victory Lane after the Pontiac Excitement 400.

Rusty Wallace has won four of the last seven fall events at Richmond, but has had to settle for two second-place finishes in the spring this decade.

Earnhardt and Wallace share honors with four top-five finishes each this decade in the spring race at Richmond.

Martin on the other hand, has not posted a top-five in the spring at Richmond since winning there in 1990.

Overall? Wallace has posted 10 top-five finishes in 12 races since 1990 at Richmond. Earnhardt is second with nine.

Labonte, whose first top-five finish at Richmond this decade came in winning the 1994 Miller 400, has won two of the last three races at Richmond and finished second in the other. Most would figure Labonte is due after leading the most laps in both the Daytona 500 and the Goodwrench Service 400 before falling out of both with engine trouble.

In 70 races at Richmond, only five active drivers have won there more than once: Darrell Waltrip (six), Dale Earnhardt (five), Rusty Wallace (five), Terry Labonte (two) and Dave Marcis (two).

STAT OF THE WEEK:

In the last 9,600 laps run at Richmond International Raceway, Earnhardt has completed 9,594 -- all but six.