Labonte

	Stewart

JOLIET, Ill. -- And then there were only three.

Joe Gibbs Racing, which has fielded the two most successful Pontiacs on the Winston Cup circuit -- the No. 18 of 2000 Cup champion Bobby Labonte and the No. 20 of Tony Stewart -- since switching from Chevrolet in 1997, announced prior to Sunday's Tropicana 400 that the team's entire Winston Cup and Busch operation will switch back to the Chevy nameplate in 2003, if not sooner.

The basic reason for Gibbs in deciding to make the switch is simple strength in numbers: There's more Chevrolets in Winston Cup.

"This is (a decision) that we've been thinking about for a while," Gibbs said. "We feel like starting next year, we'll be in a better position as a race team, where we can benchmark our cars against a lot of other good cars. It's just pure numbers (more Chevy teams) for us and we feel like we'll be better off in that situation. So, that is really the reason for the change."

Gibbs wouldn't directly say it, but there's no question Pontiac is the poor stepchild in Winston Cup when it comes to getting chassis breaks or other advantages that Fords, Chevys and Dodges enjoy. Whenever a controversy develops -- usually having to do with aerodynamic design -- NASCAR invariably alters rule modifications to equalize things between the top 3 manufacturers, leaving Pontiac to fend for itself.

"When we went to Pontiac, there were quite a few more Pontiacs," Gibbs said. "A lot of those guys left and went on. It's an evolution-type thing. It was just a process. ... We just felt like to position ourselves for the future that this was the best decision for us."

Gibbs is wasting no time in making the transition from Pontiac to Chevrolet. Both Stewart and Labonte will test Monday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, piloting both their current Grand Prixs as well as the Chevy Monte Carlo.

"We'll be testing two Pontiacs and two Chevrolets," Gibbs said. "Then, it will depend on how our testing goes -- for the rest of the year we'll continue to do that some -- and if we feel like at any one point that we would be better off racing (Chevrolets), we may race the Chevrolet at the end of the year, but only if we think it tests better."

The "end of the year" that Gibbs referred to may come a lot sooner, however, as he revealed the team may debut the new Chevrolet as early as the Brickyard 400 in three weeks (Aug. 4).

"Yes, that was our reason (for Monday's test), and really it's for our drivers and crew chiefs as much as anything," Gibbs said. "I'm as excited about that as anything because I want to see what we've got. I want to thank GM (allowing Gibbs' team to switch from Pontiacs before the current season ends), because they are going to let us run what we think is the best car."

Barring any teams switching to Pontiac for 2003 -- which would seem highly unlikely if Gibbs' team is bailing out -- just three Grand Prix's will remain on the circuit: Johnny Benson's No. 10, Stacy Compton's No. 14 and Ken Schrader's No. 36. With Gibbs' team going, it would not be a surprise to see any of the remaining Pontiac teams also join in the exodus to Chevrolet.

However, Pontiac officials remain confident their nameplate will continue to be ever-present on the Winston Cup scene.

"Obviously there is going to be some questions about the Pontiac lineup and the situation for Pontiac," said Doug Duchardt, NASCAR group manager for General Motors Racing. "The first thing that I need to clear up is that Pontiac will be racing in 2003."

Gibbs' surprising switch to Chevrolet is made even more startling by the fact that the team has worked hand-in-hand with Pontiac executives in designing the next-generation Grand Prix for the 2003 season.

	Bobby Labonte and Joe Gibbs won the 2000 Winston Cup title in a Pontiac.

"As you all know, the Pontiac was approved in late June for competition in 2003 -- the new Pontiac was approved," Duchardt said. "We're very excited about the new car. We're working on some new teams; we're in negotiations with some teams. I've been contacted by quite a few teams about potentially becoming Pontiacs. We're quite confident that we'll have a good lineup next year to campaign ... and there is really no question that we're going to be there. I know there has been speculation about that, but with the new Grand Prix and the new production car, we're excited about next year."

Since coming on board in 1997, Pontiac has powered Joe Gibbs Racing to 29 of its 35 career Winston Cup wins, as well as 20 of the 26 poles it has earned.

Stewart and crew chief Greg Zipadelli both endorse the move

"I've always said that these cars all look the same from behind the steering wheel, and I never really got into the debate about manufacturers," Stewart said. "But lately, especially this year, I think we've seen areas where the Pontiac could use some help.

"I just want what everybody else has. I don't want to be beat by a rules package. If I'm going to get beat, I want it to be by another driver. And I think being in a larger group, where Joe (Gibbs) can go into the NASCAR hauler and plead our case if it needs pleading, will help, because it won't just be Joe, it'll be Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick and DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.).

"We've been so good with the Pontiac for so long that we need to find new ways to make ourselves better. Comparing our cars to a bunch of different teams that have the same stuff we do should make us a better a race team. As a driver, that's all I'm ever looking for."

Zipadelli concurs with the assessments from both his driver and boss.

"Being involved with a large group of people, being able to share more information, more ideas, more thoughts as to what's going on with Hendrick, DEI and Childress will be easier to do with the same car they all have," Zipadelli said. "Pontiac has been a great partner for a number of years. We've been really good. We just felt like it was time for us to make a change and to get into that group of people so that we have something to compare ourselves to.

"There have been a lot of Sundays where we've run fifth, eighth, 10th, and we don't know how much better we could've been. When we're the best Pontiac, which we have been for the last year and a half, two years, along with the '18' car, what do you judge yourself against? How do you know that the car is the main factor, or the motors, or the chassis setups, or the driver, or the crew chief, or the pit crew? It's just important to know where you're off and know where you're good. Switching to Chevrolet is more of a gauge for us as a group."

Waltrip staying put

	Waltrip

Speaking of changes, one rumored deviation will not happen.

NAPA Auto Parts, primary sponsor of the No. 15 Chevrolet driven by Michael Waltrip and owned by Dale Earnhardt, Inc., announced Sunday morning that it has extended its sponsorship with DEI through the 2004 season, and that Waltrip will remain as the team's driver.

The announcement negates rumors that Waltrip might lose his ride with NAPA and DEI at the end of this season. Much of the reason for Sunday's revelation was the grassroots movement by fans over the last month to convince both NAPA and DEI to retain Waltrip.

"It was overwhelming," NAPA president Steve Handschuh said. "It gets kind of personal, too. Basically, 'If you guys don't sign (Waltrip), I'm never coming back to a NAPA store and I'm telling my friends not to come back.' That kind of grassroots effort does make a difference, and when we started seeing that ... it was obvious there was a ground swell of support out there. ... Yes, the grassroots effort meant something."

Waltrip, winner of the Pepsi 400 in Daytona, had been rumored most of the season to be on his way out at DEI after the team struggled. However, despite being where they thought they would be a year ago, Waltrip said the team was progressing.

''When there was talk about what I was doing or whether I would be back next year or not, that didn't affect me or (crew chief) Slugger (Labbe) at all,'' Waltrip said. ''Because we understand that the race track is where we want to perform.

''If we go out on the race track and do our job, all the rest of the issues will take care of themselves.''

Despite the good news, Sunday's race was a disappointment. Waltrip's engine let go on lap 138 of the Tropicana 400 later in the day and he finished 42nd.

Burton bummed
Ward Burton was responsible for two of the caution periods Sunday, including one when his Dodge began dropping parts.

The first caution came on lap four when Burton hit the wall coming out of turns three and four. Another caution came on lap 17 when he began dropping parts.

''The car was vibrating a little bit at the start of the race, and it looked like we broke the yoke off the drive shaft,'' Burton said. ''The same thing broke at Richmond.''

That was not the end of the bad luck. Rear tire changer Tom Hubert drilled his left index finger while making repairs on the car behind the wall. Hubert was treated at the infield care center, then taken for X-rays at a local hospital as a precaution.

Burton, the 2002 Daytona 500 winner, finished 41st.

For the kids
A helmet worn by Kyle Petty on his recent Charity Ride Across America was auctioned for $20,000. The auction and ride benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a facility founded in 2000 for children as an honor to son Adam.

On Sunday, Petty presented the helmet to Jaclyn Bauer of Morton Grove, Ill. Bauer designed the helmet's paint scheme as part of national competition. The design features the American flag, with smiling white stars on a field of blue, and children on the red and white stripes.

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