Victory LapsJeremy Mayfield* Pocono Speedway* Race No. 15Jeremy Mayfield took his second victory this season, this one at Pocono, in exciting "that's racin'" style. Mayfield bumped Dale Earnhardt, sending him up the bank on the last lap as Mayfield sped ahead to the finish.*Winner: Pocono 500
Jeff Gordon* Sears Point Raceway* Race No. 16The "King of the Road," Jeff Gordon, motored his way to his second victory of the season and his third straight win at Sears Point. "Every-body said, 'If they don't win on a road course, there's really something wrong.' Well, we dodged that bullet," said Gordon. His take for the win: $143,025.*Winner: Save Mart/Kragen 350
Quick StatWinston Cup teams making the bicoastal trek following the rain-delayed race at Pocono, Pennsylvania, had to travel an estimated 2,807.8 miles to Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, California.
In The SpotlightRobert Yates: Doing Whatever It TakesRobert Yates, team owner of the #28 and #88 Winston Cup teams pulled hauler duty when both of his hauler drivers-Tommy Mullis and Rick Garcia, who also double as test-car drivers-needed relief help because of their own busy schedules. So what does Yates do but hop behind the wheel of the #88 car hauler and drive it to Pocono Raceway.
His son, Doug Yates remarked, "He loves doing things like that. He didn't think twice about it. It was something the team needed and he did it. He's always been like that with his teams."
Dale Jarrett"Mr. Consistency," Dale Jarrett, has logged five consecutive top-fives and as of this writing stands third in the championship points race.
Joe NemechekJoe Nemechek led for three laps and finished second at Loudon after starting 30th. "It was one of those close-but-not-enough days," he remarked.
Potent Quotable"It's easy to run over somebody and take them out, but it's a whole lot harder to do what Jeremy did when the guy that you move around is not even sure he got hit or not. So right there, Jeremy gets a pat on the back the way he did it-at least within the garage area."
-Ricky Rudd, commenting on Pocono winner Jeremy Mayfield's bumping technique. During the final laps, Mayfield bumped The Intimidator (Dale Earnhardt) out of the way and moved on ahead to take the checkers.
"I told him he was number one."-Dale Earnhardt, describing what he gestured to Jeremy Mayfield as he pulled alongside Mayfield on the track after his win at Pocono.
News MakersTerry LabonteTerry Labonte was knocked unconscious in a crash at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona. The accident occurred on lap 83 when Labonte drove into Michael Waltrip. "Something had to break on his car," said Waltrip. "We were right behind him, and he spun out. I've never seen anything quite like it." Labonte was taken to Halifax Medical Center where he was treated and later released after a CAT scan turned up negative.
Kenny IrwinKenny Irwin died tragically in practice after a crash at New Hampshire International Speedway. For more on Irwin, see last month's issue (Oct. 2000) of Circle Track.
By The Numbers3Three drivers notched their second wins of the season last month-Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, and Jeremy Mayfield.
6The record set by Jeff Gordon at Sears Point Raceway: for consecutive road course victories.
7The number of poles Rusty Wallace has won this year.
9The number of laps Jeremy Mayfield led in the 200-lap race at Pocono, the third win of his career.
107The number of laps led by Rusty Wallace in the 200-lap race at Pocono before finishing 10th.
Victory LapsJeff Burton * Daytona International Speedway* Race No. 17Jeff Burton fended off the likes of Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace, and a bevy of challengers in a duel during the final laps under the lights at Daytona. Crew chief Frank Stoddard made a gutsy call to take two tires instead of four during a caution in the waning laps, putting Burton in the lead-and the rest is history.*Winner: Pepsi 400