Earned Hard

If it took NASCAR 50 years to put on a race like Sunday’s Daytona 500, it was worth the wait.

In what may have been the most intense race in the 1,814 held since the late Bill France organized stock car racing in 1947, Dale Earnhardt powered his Chevrolet Monte Carlo to a dramatic victory in his 20th attempt to win the Great American Race.

A record $7 million was at stake and the drivers drove like it.

So torrid was the pace that 43 cars ran the first 300 miles with no caution flags, barreling around the 2.5-mile tri-oval at upward of 185 mph. After 400 miles there were 18 cars in the lead draft, most of them lined up two-by-two so close together it was as if the race had just begun.

Earnhardt won under a caution flag caused by an accident on lap 199, but that made the finish all the more nerve-racking because under NASCAR rules, cars race back to the finish line before lining up behind a pace car.

At the time, Earnhardt was in front of a four-car draft with pole-sitter Bobby Labonte, Jeremy Mayfield and Rusty Wallace on his bumper. As Labonte and Mayfield battled to see which one would challenge Earnhardt, the pack came up on the lapped car of Rick Mast.

Racing three abreast off the fourth turn, Labonte, Mayfield and Mast banged together several times in tight quarters, no one giving an inch. Their fight enabled Earnhardt to streak across the finish line a winner at last.

Labonte finished second, followed by Mayfield, Ken Schrader, Rusty Wallace, Ernie Irvan, Chad Little and Mike Skinner, all of whom were in the hunt until the very end.

“I knew they were all back there waiting to get after me,” Earnhardt said. “I just hoped they would fight amongst themselves. When I got past the lapped car, I figured no one could catch me.”

There was one lap remaining, but it was immaterial to Earnhardt and the more than 190,000 fans who were on their feet the last 10 to 15 laps, most of them screaming for Earnhardt.

Even the Earnhardt haters seemed to appreciate the situation.

The Intimidator, as Earnhardt has been known for years, ended two distasteful streaks.

He had gone 94 Winston Cup races without a win, and he had gone 19 years without a Daytona 500 victory.

“Hey guys, I got that damned monkey off my back,” he shouted to writers after the race. “Now you can quit asking me when I’m going to win the Daytona 500.”

The intensity of the two-hour, 53-minute race--third fastest in Daytona history and the fastest since carburetor restrictor plates dropped speeds from the 210 mph range down to 190--was spellbinding as cars kept shuffling up and down the leaderboard.

There were 13 lead changes among seven drivers, but that didn’t tell the story of the daring moves made by drivers battling their way toward the front, or of those who took a chance and found themselves sliding back toward the rear.

“One bad decision out there can cost you 18 positions, but one good decision can get you two,” said one crew chief.

Earnhardt led 107 of the 200 laps, including the final 61, but most important was the one after the last pit stop by the leaders.

“The crew just did an awesome job,” Earnhardt said. “I was working real hard to keep the race car in front. When they kept me in front, I was determined from then on to get there first unless someone turned me over.

“It was my time, that’s all I can say. I’ve been passed here. I’ve run out of gas. I’ve been cut down by a tire. I ‘ve done it all. I wrote the book and this is the last chapter in this book.

“I’m going to start a new book next year. I’ve lost it, now I’ve won it, and I don’t care how. I know I won.”

Until Sunday, not winning the Daytona 500 had been a thorn in the side of a racing man who had won seven Winston Cup championships, 30 other races at Daytona International Speedway, 70 Winston Cup races and $30 million.

At Daytona, he had finished second four times, twice losing on the last lap, in 1990 to Derrike Cope when a tire went flat on the last turn, and in 1993 when Dale Jarrett drafted past him.

“I didn’t even think about all those things that happened here before,” Earnhardt said. “After I won that [125-mile qualifying] race Thursday, everybody kept saying, ‘this is your week, this is your year.’ I knew we had a good race car. This Monte Carlo is something else.

“Now we’re going for that eighth championship. This team can win it. Richard Childress has got himself one heck of a race team. I’m talking about everybody that worked so hard. It says a lot for the team, how we won it in the fashion we did, racing ‘em hard.”

The longer Earnhardt went, the faster he got. The fastest lap of the race was 190.006 mph on the 183rd lap, remarkably close to the 192.415 pole qualifying speed by Bobby Labonte.

The win was worth $1,059,105 to Earnhardt and the Childress team.

Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon appeared ready to give Earnhardt his most serious challenge in mid-race, but after several futile attempts to move into position, he dropped back quickly.

“I had some good runs on some guys there a couple of times,” said Gordon, who finished 16th after leading 56 laps. “They slammed the door on me.”

Schrader’s fourth-place finish was the most surprising of the race. The veteran Chevrolet driver had suffered a broken sternum in Thursday’s race and was doubtful for Sunday’s 500. Because the car he qualified was damaged in the accident, Schrader had to start last.

Working in a draft with Gordon, who started 29th, Schrader was up to 16th in the first 20 laps and was third at the 400-mile mark.

“I knew everybody thought we were crazy, but we thought we had a chance to win the thing when we lined up today,” said Schrader. “I was sore after [practice] Saturday, but there was a $7 million purse there, so I darned well was going to drive.”

The first five finishers will be will eligible for a $1-million bonus in the No Bull 5 promotion if they win the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte in May.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

DAYTONA 500 40th ANNUAL

How they finished, with starting position in parentheses, car make, laps completed and purse: *--*

1. (4) Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 200 $1,059,105 2. (1) Bobby Labonte, Pontiac 200 $548,555 3. (13) Jeremy Mayfield, Ford 200 $375,005 4. (31) Ken Schrader, Chevrolet 200 $312,780 5. (12) Rusty Wallace, Ford 200 $232,005 6. (10) Ernie Irvan, Pontiac 200 $204,500 7. (21) Chad Little, Ford 200 $126,980 8. (8) Mike Skinner, Chevrolet 200 $135,005 9. (6) Michael Waltrip, Ford 200 $142,005 10. (19) Bill Elliott, Ford 200 $128,455 11. (39) Kyle Petty, Pontiac 200 $125,155 12. (22) Bobby Hamilton, Chevrolet 200 $117,455 13. (2) Terry Labonte, Chevrolet 200 $116,005 14. (32) Ricky Craven, Chevrolet 200 $107,710 15. (7) Jimmy Spencer, Ford 200 $115,555 16. (29) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 200 $114,730 17. (16) Lake Speed, Ford 200 $96,005 18. (17) John Andretti, Pontiac 200 $105,480 19. (38) Kenny Irwin, Ford 199 $106,580 20. (37) Ted Musgrave, Ford 199 $101,030 21. (26) Jerry Nadeau, Ford 199 $87,155 22. (3) Sterling Marlin, Chevrolet 199 $121,305 23. (23) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet 199 $85,405 24. (42) Brett Bodine, Ford 199 $94,855 25. (9) Ward Burton, Pontiac 199 $98,105 26. (28) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet 199 $92,380 27. (34) Dick Trickle, Ford 198 $91,005 28. (41) Steve Grissom, Chevrolet 198 $90,030 29. (18) Andy Hillenburg, Chevrolet 198 $79,505 30. (27) Rick Mast, Ford 197 $78,355 31. (25) Geoff Bodine, Ford 197 $84,880 32. (30) Robert Pressley, Ford 197 $76,355 33. (43) Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet 196 $82,005 34. (5) Dale Jarrett, Ford 196 $110,805 35. (36) Billy Standridge, Ford 196 $73,300 36. (35) Dave Marcis, Chevrolet 193 $72,230 37. (11) Derrike Cope, Pontiac 191 $80,605 38. (15) Mark Martin, Ford 187 $87,505 39. (24) Greg Sacks, Ford 173 $77,430 40. (14) Jeff Burton, Ford 160e $89,205 41. (33) Steve Park, Chevrolet 158i $70,030 42. (40) Ricky Rudd, Ford 117i $86,480 43. (20) Kevin Lepage, Chevrolet 78e $70,480

*--*

Legend: e--engine, i--ignition

Winner’s average speed: 172.712 mph.

Time of race: 2 hours, 53 minutes, 42 seconds.

Margin of victory: Under caution.

Caution flags: 3 for 9 laps.

Lead changes:13 among 8 drivers.

LAP LEADERS

B. Labonte: 1-14

Marlin: 15-16

Earnhardt: 17-36

B. Labonte: 37-44

Earnhardt: 45-58

Gordon: 59-106

T. Labonte: 107-108

Nemechek: 109-114

Gordon: 115-122

Earnhardt: 123-126

R. Wallace: 127-130

Earnhardt: 131-138

Skinner: 139

Earnhardt: 140-200

Series points leaders: 1. Earnhardt, 185 points. 2. B. Labonte, 175. 3. Mayfield, 165. 4. tie between Schrader and R. Wallace, 160. 6. Irvan, 150. 7. Skinner, 147. 8. Little, 146. 9. M. Waltrip. 138. 10. Elliott, 134. 11. Petty, 130. 12. T. Labonte, 129. 13. Hamilton, 127. 14. Craven, 121. 15. Spencer, 118.

PAST WINNERS

Champions list at the Daytona 500, won Sunday by Dale Earnhardt:

*--*

Year Driver Avg. Speed 1998 Dale Earnhardt 172.712 1997 Jeff Gordon 148.295 1996 Dale Jarrett 154.308 1995 Sterling Marlin 141.710 1994 Sterling Marlin 156.931 1993 Dale Jarrett 154.972 1992 Davey Allison 160.256 1991 Ernie Irvan 148.148 1990 Derrike Cope 165.761 1989 Darrell Waltrip 148.466 1988 Bobby Allison 137.531 1987 Bill Elliott 176.263 1986 Geoff Bodine 148.124 1985 Bill Elliott 172.265 1984 Cale Yarborough 150.994 1983 Cale Yarborough 155.979 1982 Bobby Allison 153.991 1981 Richard Petty 169.651 1980 Buddy Baker 177.602 1979 Richard Petty 143.977 1978 Bobby Allison 159.730 1977 Cale Yarborough 153.218 1976 David Pearson 152.181 1975 Benny Parsons 153.649 1974 Richard Petty 140.894 1973 Richard Petty 157.205 1972 A.J. Foyt 161.550 1971 Richard Petty 144.462 1970 Pete Hamilton 149.601 1969 LeeRoy Yarbrough 157.950 1968 Cale Yarborough 143.251 1967 Mario Andretti 149.926 1966 Richard Petty 160.627 1965 Fred Lorenzen 141.539 1964 Richard Petty 154.334 1963 Tiny Lund 151.566 1962 Fireball Roberts 152.529 1961 Marvin Panch 149.601 1960 Junior Johnson 124.740 1959 Lee Petty 135.521

*--*