Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 23 · column 1 of 4 · from the scan, no model involved
By Craig Murto
Times-Deraocrat Staff Writer
Mark Martin and Dale
Jarrett needed NASCAR
Winston Cup point leader
Jeff Gordon to have a bad
race when the series rolled into Talladega, Ala., Oct. 12 for the Diehard 500.
What they didn’t need was to be collected in the 20-car accident caused when Gordon blew a left-rear tire on lap 140 of the 188-lap race. Gordon retained his sizable point lead as Jarrett’s and Martin’s wounded steeds also finished well back in the running order.
With three races remaining on the 31-race Winston Cup schedule, Gordon, the 1995 champion, led the series with 4,321 points. The 26-year-old driver from Indiana had 10 wins under his belt, and scored 22 top-10 finishes, 21 of those in the top five.
As of Oct. 25, Martin, from Batesville, Ark., sat second in points, 110 behind the leader. Four wins, 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes highlight Martin’s most successful year in racing, in which he had won numerous NASCAR Busch Grand National events and the invitational International Race of Champions title. The 38-year-old driver finished second in points in 1994, third in 1989 and 1993, fourth in 1995, fifth in 1996 and sixth in 1991 and ‘92.
Third in points is Jarrett, 40, from Hickory, N.C. His 4,166 points placed him 155 behind Gordon. He had six wins, 17 top five and 20 top-10 finishes. He finished third in the final 1996 point standings, and fourth in .1993.
In order for Martin or Jarrett to win the championship, Gordon must have a very bad race. He needs to drop out of an event and finish out of the top 20. At the same time, Jarrett and Martin need to finish well, to show the same consistency that put them iwhere they are now.
The current Winston Cup point system has been in place since the 1975 season. It rewards consistency by
94.4%