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February 12, 2002
4:19 PM EST (2119 GMT)
The 1997 season evolved into a race that finished as the closest three-way battle in NASCAR Winston Cup Series history. Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett were in hot pursuit of their first NASCAR Winston Cup titles, but 1995 champion Jeff Gordon handled their challenge to win his second championship in the last three years.
The 1997 championship chase will go down as one of the classics in NASCAR history. Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin were all in reach of the title in the season finale at Atlanta.
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Charlotte, NC - With five races remaining in the 1997 season, 1995 champion Jeff Gordon found himself 135 points ahead of perennial contender Mark Martin and 222 points in front of Dale Jarrett. In a script that seemed to be played out repeatedly in 1997, Jarrett won the race at Charlotte but failed to make up any ground on Gordon. The points leader finished fifth, one spot behind Martin, and continued to display the consistency that had become his team's trademark. Jarrett led the final 57 laps and was never threatened, but he still found himself in third place overall, 197 points behind Gordon. Martin gained 10 points on the leader and was now 125 behind.
Talladega, AL - Two-time champion Terry Labonte avoided a 23-car accident that collected all three championship contenders and notched his victory of the season and the first by a Chevrolet other than Jeff Gordon's. Labonte held off younger brother Bobby to record his 19th career victory, but it was the accident everyone was talking about afterward. Gordon apparently blew a tire on lap 139 and went careening toward the infield. That ignited a chain reaction that damaged the cars of everyone in the top five of the point standings. Dale Jarrett came out of it best as he finished 21st while Mark Martin ended up 30th and Gordon 35th. Despite the mishap, Gordon led Martin by 110 points and Jarrett by 155.
Rockingham, NC - Weather was a concern as rain forced the race to Monday, but it didn't hamper Bobby Hamilton who won for the first time in 1997 and the second time in his career. All three championship pursuers had good days. Dale Jarrett began his stretch drive with a second-place effort, but again managed to pick up only 10 points on Jeff Gordon, who finished fourth. Mark Martin's sixth-place finish was good from a race standpoint, but dropped him 125 points behind Gordon. Jarrett was within striking distance of second place, trailing Martin by a mere 20 points and Gordon by 145.
Phoenix, AZ - The desert scenery may have been the tonic Dale Jarrett needed as the script finally changed in his favor. In posting his seventh triumph of the season at a record pace, Jarrett not only charged into second place in the standings, but he knocked his deficit for the championship in half. Mark Martin did what he had to do as well, finishing sixth and points leader Jeff Gordon opened the door when a flat tire forced him to pit under the green flag late in the race. The result was a 17th-place finish and set up a dramatic finish in Atlanta to determine the championship. Gordon needed to finish 18th or better to clinch his second title as he led Jarrett by 77 points and Martin by 97 points.
Hampton, GA - The drama continued to build when Jeff Gordon spun his car into Bobby Hamilton's on pit road during practice one day before the race. Gordon was forced to use a backup car and ran conservatively all afternoon. Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin gained valuable bonus points for leading at least one lap while Gordon did all he could to stay in the top half of the field. Bobby Labonte won the race for the second straight year with Jarrett and Martin finishing second and third, respectively. However, Gordon was able to steer his car to a 17th-place finish and win the title by 14 points over Jarrett and 29 over Martin. The championship, which was the closest three-way battle in NASCAR Winston Cup history, was the second in three years for Gordon and the third straight for car owner Rick Hendrick.
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