Labonte wins at Pocono

He powered his Joe Gibbs Pontiac to first place, and seventh straight top-five finish; good enough to boost him to second in the championship, 89 points behind Dale Jarrett.

Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Sterling Marlin and Mark Martin rounded out the top five in an 11-caution race.

'I'm always worried at Pocono,' said the Texas native in Victory Lane, 'and on the (lap 159) restart I was at the back of the field wondering how I could win this race.

'Jimmy [Labonte's crew chief] made the right call.'

Every famous name in NASCAR was ahead of Labonte, but he led the final 15 laps and beat Gordon to the finish by a healthy .341 seconds.

After a fairly dull performance in Michigan, a rare NASCAR event without a caution and just one dominating car, the pendulum swung this weekend.

Tight racing, a hometown favourite and 11 yellow flag periods left the outcome uncertain until the chequered flag.

No sooner had the green waved when Jeff Burton - starting second in the points - was caught up in Wally Dallenbach's spin on lap 2.

Burton retired and fell to third in the championship race, 186 behind Jarrett.

Rusty Wallace came to grief on the lap 7 restart when his right front tire exploded and he slammed into 'one of the hardest hits I've had' in the turn one wall of this triangular, 2.5 mile track.

Chad Little added some excitement when he lost control of his Roush Ford on pit-in and slammed backwards into two pit stalls.

No caution was needed but Little was parked for four laps by NASCAR for his high speed entry.

Debris in the treacherous 'Tunnel Turn' (2) slowed the field a third time, but Dave Marcis's vicious hit on lap 90 was one for the highlight reels.

The veteran privateer tangled with Brett Bodine then smacked the turn 2 wall head-on, bounced back and did a dizzying, aerial spin beforecoming to rest on the track.

Marcis walked away with assistance, but the oldest driver in the race was taken to a nearby hospital after an evaluation.

Robert Pressley, Kenny Irwin, Darrell and Michael Waltrip also slowed the race without injury, but the crunched metal was a mere distraction to some ferocious racing.

Labonte and Jarrett dominated the first quarter of the race to the exclusion of everyone else. Jarrett had the legendary Robert Yates horsepower and Labonte had the chassis for the three distinct turns.

Martin, with Roush-power, took the point on lap 78 and haunted the top three from there on.

Gordon, who qualified poorly but rarely finishes that way, bumped Martin for the lead on lap 106 and led four laps; the three-time champion was content to settle back and look for opportunities thereafter.

'I really didn't think we had a second place car,' said Gordon. 'I was lucky to get around Mark on the restart and keep Dale behind me.'

Earnhardt's crew demonstrated new talent. The seven-time champ started 25th but ran as high as third - and always in the top ten - after a series of sub-16-second pit stops. He finished 7th, behind Tony Stewart.

Pocono is infamous for producing wins finished on fumes.

Michael Waltrip's lap 154 punt into the wall allowed the field to pit under caution just before the lap 159 restart.

The best fuel run until then was 40 laps. That's when Makar made the four-tire call. Jarrett and Mayfield, running one-two, surrendered track position and pitted under another yellow eight laps later.

That turned over the lead on the lap 171 restart to Gordon, trailed by Jimmy Spencer, polesitter Marlin, Martin, John Andretti and Earnhardt.

Spencer kept Gordon back in fifth spot after a tussle over the treacherous tunnel.

Martin challenged the hometown favourite and feinted lap after lap before surrendering to Labonte.

Labonte's pressure - and oil from Bill Elliott's engine that let go with 15 laps to go - sent Spencer brushing the turn 2 wall.

As he recouped, Labonte and Martin got by and raced him back to a lap 185 caution.

When the green waved a tenth time with 11 laps to go, the three were trailed by Gordon, Marlin, Jarrett, Stewart, Earnhardt, Andretti and Burton.