36xRacing

Fast facts:
Winner: Dale Earnhardt
Most laps led: Tony Stewart (225 – 45%)

Race notes:

• Rookie Tony Stewart started from pole. After losing the lead on the initial start to Rusty Wallace, Stewart went on to dominate the first half of the race, leading from lap 27 to the caution at lap 251.
• On lap 78, points leader Dale Jarrett spun into traffic – Jarrett made multiple stops under yellow
• While slow with damage, Jarrett spun again on lap 100 (with help from Jerry Nadeau). Jarrett would head to the garage and return to the track later, finishing the race in 38th and over 150 laps down. This result would end a streak of 19 consecutive top tens for Jarrett.
• Around lap 275 Rusty Wallace reported a flat tire while running in the top ten – Wallace had to make an unscheduled green flag stop
• Terry Labonte and Dale Earnhardt put themselves off-sequence during a series of yellows just after halfway – Labonte led from the lap 305 restart for 80 laps, the two would battle for the lead (featuring Gordon/Stewart) for the final third of the race
  • Under the lap 411 caution pit stops, Earnhardt was able to maintain a top five position despite pitting on the backstretch
• With less than 15 to go, Bobby Labonte lost his engine from sixth and Jeremy Mayfield was slow on the track. As the yellow was thrown, Terry Labonte was spun while leading following contact with Darrell Waltrip.
  • Earnhardt, Stewart, and Gordon stayed out while Terry Labonte pit after his spin
• Terry Labonte was able to pounce with fresh tires and quickly pass the leaders (Martin, Gordon, Stewart, and Earnhardt). Labonte took the lead at the white and held it for half a turn when Earnhardt spun Labonte in turn two.
• “I meant to rattle his cage” – This race is known for the iconic Earnhardt-Labonte final lap contact, itself a sequel to their end-of-race contact from the fall Bristol race in 1995
  • (Motorsports on NBC recap of both events (4 min))
• Earnhardt won from the 26th starting position, setting a new record for worst starting position for a Bristol winner. This also made Earnhardt the first driver to win Bristol from a starting spot worse than 10th since he won from 24th in the spring of ’94 (11 races prior).

Top finishing drivers:

Pos	Driver	Laps
1.	Dale Earnhardt #3	500
2.	Jimmy Spencer #23	500
3.	Ricky Rudd #10	500
4.	Jeff Gordon #24	500
5.	Tony Stewart #20	500