1984 season recap

"Texas" Terry Labonte wins his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship after holding off a late season charge by 1979 rookie classmate Harry Gant.

For the sixth straight year, the championship was not determined until the final race of the season.

FIVE RACES TO GO: Charlotte, NC - Terry Labonte found himself 91 points ahead of Harry Gant as the NASCAR Winston Cup tour headed to Charlotte. Harry Gant finished ahead of the points leader on the 1.5 mile tri-oval with a fourth place effort, but Labonte was only one spot behind in fifth. His lead was cut by five points to put him 86 points ahead of Gant. Bill Elliott climbed back into third place in the standings after winning the race and trailed Labonte by 227 points.

FOUR RACES TO GO: North Wilkesboro, NC - Harry Gant again slimmed Terry Labonte's points lead with a runner-up finish at North Wilkesboro. Labonte's ninth place finish cost him 27 points as his lead now stood at 59 points ahead. Elliott ran in eighth place, putting him 228 points behind.

THREE RACES TO GO: Rockingham, NC - For the second consecutive week, Harry Gant finishes the race in second place and gains some more points on the points leader, Terry Labonte. Gant led the most laps but Labonte had a strong third place finish and managed to stay ahead by 49 points. Bill Elliott, third in the standings, won the event to pull to 218 points behind with two races to go.

TWO RACES TO GO: Hampton, GA - Harry Gant closed on Terry Labonte once again although he finished 26th. Labonte's 30th place struggle enabled Gant to close within 42 points going into the season finale. Bill Elliott took advantage of his comrades bad luck and got within 121 points after placing second. He was still mathematically alive to win the title.

FINAL RACE: Riverside, CA - Terry Labonte clinched his first title with a third place finish in the Winston Western 500 at Riverside. Bill Elliott, who saw his title hopes vanish as he looked ahead from his fourth place position, finished the year 131 points behind Labonte and garnished third place honors on the year. Gant, who had a realistic shot at snatching the title from Labonte, placed eighth to finish the year 65 points out of first place. Texas Terry only won two races in 1984, but his remarkable consistency was good enough to win it all.