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North Wilkesboro, NC - With five races remaining in the 1990 season, Mark Martin held a 16-point lead over Dale Earnhardt. Saving the best for the final 40 laps at North Wilkesboro, Martin blasts past Earnhardt on the restart and pulls away to a 3.7-second win. Martin's team gambled, taking the runner spacer out of the right front spring and loosening up the cap for the final half of the race. Earnhardt led the most laps, however, and the pair left the track the way they came in, 16 points apart.
Charlotte, NC - In a battle of futility, Dale Earnhardt and points leader Mark Martin both have problems. Martins runs half of the race on seven cylinders and finishes 14th. Earnhardt's Chevrolet was hit on pit road in an Ernie Irvan/Alan Kulwicki incident, damaging the right rear tire. Earnhardt then spun and slapped the turn four wall. After the incident, the crew loosed lug nuts for a four-tire change. Earnhardt left pit road after just the right side tires were changed and when he pulled onto the track, the left wheels fall off his car. He loses eight laps and finishes 25th, losing 33 points to Martin and found himself 49 points behind with three races to go.
Rockingham, NC - For the second straight race, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt suffer handling problems and finished low in the field. Kyle Petty dominated early but yielded the win to Alan Kulwicki. The Intimidator finished 10th in the race while Martin was one spot behind in 11th. Earnhardt trimmed five points off Martin's lead, dropping it to 44-point margin.
Phoenix, AZ - Dale Earnhardt drove a stake into the Roush team's heart at Phoenix. He dominated the Checker 500, leading the final 272 laps. Under the final caution, Mark Martin, running fifth, pitted for tires and gave up track position in hopes of making a final run at Earnhardt. However, Martin picked up just one position and finished 10th. Martin leaves Phoenix trailing Earnhardt by six points with only Atlanta left on the schedule.
Hampton, GA - Faced with a do-or-die situation, Mark Martin and his team tested six cars at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a three-day session. The team decided none were fast enough to win the championship, so they borrowed one from Robert Yates Racing and Davey Allison. The Roush team never got the Yates Ford dialed in, however, and after qualifying 11th, Martin finishes the race in sixth place. Points leader Dale Earnhardt, meanwhile, ran up fron tall day and finished third. Earnhardt claims his fourth NASCAR Winston Cup title - and third in five years - by a final margin of 26 points over Martin. Geoffrey Bodine finished third in the final standings.
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