| | Associated Press
HOMESTEAD, Fla.-- Bobby Labonte shook the huge bottle, then
sent champagne spraying on his car, his crew, his wife and the
championship trophy he had just won.
In seconds, the champagne was gone. The smile on Labonte's face
lasted a lot longer.
|  | | Joe Gibbs, right, and his team have 10 Winston Cup victories in 2000. Series champ Bobby Labonte has four and Tony Stewart has six. |
Labonte clinched his first Winston Cup Series title with a
fourth-place finish Sunday in the Pennzoil 400. He took a victory
lap with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart, who won the race
for the second straight year.
"Our group is a quiet group, but that's as good a celebration
as I've seen," said Gibbs, who coached the Washington Redskins to
the 1983, 1988 and 1992 Super Bowl titles.
Because Labonte led two laps, he needed only a sixth-place
finish in the next-to-last race of the year to capture the title,
which was worth $3 million.
"I was hoping it was going to happen, but you never know until
it's over," the Texan said. "We had a great year, a great run.
It's pretty great to beat the guys we beat. It's just awesome."
Someone reminded Labonte that Dale Jarrett shed tears when he
clinched the Winston Cup championship at Homestead last year.
"I ain't crying," Labonte said. "Did you see that check?"
He started third and spent most of the day running fourth to
eighth, often more than half a lap behind Stewart. The steady
performance was typical of Labonte, who earned his 18th top-five
finish this year.
For the second year in a row, Stewart won the race but shared
the applause. Last year it was with Jarrett; this time it was with
a teammate.
"It's a great day for Joe Gibbs Racing," said Stewart, who led
166 of the 267 laps. "For Bobby to win the championship, I
couldn't be prouder of him."
Gibbs was doubly proud about the way the race turned out.
"I held my breath," he said. "I didn't know you could do that
for 30 laps."
Terry Labonte was the Winston Cup champion in 1984 and 1996. He
and Bobby, an eight-year veteran of the circuit, are the first
brothers to win titles.
"Just watching him sure helped a lot," Bobby Labonte said.
With a laugh he added, "I'm still one behind."
Labonte's closest pursuer in this year's points standings, Dale
Earnhardt, started 37th in the 43-car field Sunday and finished
20th.
Jeremy Mayfield took second, 4.5 seconds behind Stewart, and
Mark Martin was third. Pole-sitter Steve Park kept the lead for
only nine laps and finished eighth.
Three-time NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip struggled with
handling problems, completed only 94 laps and finished 36th in the
next-to-last race of his career.
On a warm, sunny day, Stewart became woozy during the second
half of the race. His crew dumped a bag of ice down his suit on
each of his final two pit stops.
"I've never dealt with heat very well, and I was feeling
sick," Stewart said. "You probably pay a $1.50 for a bag of ice,
and that probably won us the race. I wouldn't have made it, and
that cooled me off."
Homestead's 1½-mile, nearly flat oval makes passing difficult,
and drivers spent most of the race strung out around the track,
with little side-by-side racing.
There were two wrecks, the most serious occurring when Earnhardt
tapped Ward Burton's Pontiac in the rear bumper to start a crash
that involved four other cars.
The initial collision sent Burton into the wall on the back
straightaway, and he was then hit by Geoffrey Bodine. Cars driven
by Stacy Compton, Mike Bliss and Robert Pressley were also damaged,
while Earnhardt kept running.
"Some of it was my fault," Burton said. "And probably some of
it was Dale's fault."
Ricky Rudd, seeking his first victory in two years, twice took
the lead coming out of the pits. Each time Stewart overtook Rudd,
moving into first for the final time on the 219th lap.
When the race ended, Labonte pulled his Pontiac alongside
Stewart's and motioned that they should share a victory lap.
"I thought he was going to knock the door off my car, he was so
happy," Stewart said. "To share that moment with Bobby, that's a
moment I'll never forget the rest of my life."
| |
ALSO SEE
NASCAR Pennzoil 400 results
Winners of the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Benny Parsons wraps up this week's action at Homestead and more.
RealVideo: 28.8
ESPN's Matt Yocum looks at the team behind the champion and their rise to the top.
RealVideo: 28.8
ESPN's David Lloyd talks with the newest Winston Cup champion Bobby Labonte.
RealVideo: 28.8
Joe Gibbs joins ESPN's David Lloyd to discuss his team's championship season.
RealVideo: 28.8
ESPN's Matt Yocum reports on Joe Gibbs Racing's successful season.
RealVideo: 28.8
Tony Stewart talks with ESPN's Matt Yocum about his first place finish at Homestead.
RealVideo: 28.8
 Jeremy Mayfield was pleased with his performance and hopes to end the season on top.
wav: 104 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Mark Martin hopes he can improve on his third place finish for the final race.
wav: 95 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
It was a tough day for Dale Earnhardt, who was chasing Bobby Labonte for the points title.
wav: 111 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
The effort was there, but Jeff Burton just couldn't get it going.
wav: 134 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
For Bobby Labonte, beating the best drivers in NASCAR for the points title was a great feeling.
wav: 154 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Football or racing? Joe Gibbs compares his title runs in both sports.
wav: 102 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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