Earnhardt has points mountain to climb

Earnhardt had targeted outscoring Labonte by at least 50 points at Rockingham, then doing the same again at Phoenix and Homestead in order to make a viable final attack in the season finale at Atlanta on November 19th.

But by outscoring the Texan by only nine points at 'The Rock' (finishing 17th to Labonte's 20th), Earnhardt has a mountain to climb. Should the Intimidator win all three remaining races and gain the bonus points for most laps led, Labonte still need only finish 14th in each of them to guarantee a third title for the Labonte family, adding to two for older brother Terry.



After race 31, Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at Rockingham


1 BOBBY LABONTE, 4645, 31, 4, 16
2 DALE EARNHARDT, 4444, 31, 2, 12
3 JEFF BURTON, 4394, 31, 3, 14
4 DALE JARRETT, 4315, 31, 2, 15
5 RICKY RUDD, 4272, 31, 0, 12
6 TONY STEWART, 4210, 31, 5, 11
7 RUSTY WALLACE, 4115, 31, 4, 11
8 MARK MARTIN, 4042, 31, 1, 12
9 JEFF GORDON, 3904, 31, 3, 10
10 WARD BURTON, 3809, 31, 1, 3
11 MIKE SKINNER, 3514, 31, 0, 1
12 STEVE PARK, 3512, 31, 1, 5
13 MATT KENSETH, 3436, 31, 1, 4
14 JOHNNY BENSON, 3389, 30, 0, 3
15 JOE NEMECHEK, 3246, 31, 0, 3
16 DALE EARNHARDT JR, 3207, 31, 2, 3
17 KEN SCHRADER, 3203, 31, 0, 0
18 TERRY LABONTE, 3121, 29, 0, 3
19 STERLING MARLIN, 3018, 31, 0, 1
20 BILL ELLIOTT, 2955, 29, 0, 3
21 JOHN ANDRETTI, 2932, 31, 0, 0
22 JERRY NADEAU, 2862, 31, 0, 2
23 JIMMY SPENCER, 2840, 31, 0, 1
24 JEREMY MAYFIELD, 2761, 29, 2, 4
25 ROBERT PRESSLEY, 2741, 31, 0, 1