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| Dale Earnhardt's Chevy nips Bobby Labonte by inches at Atlanta Motor Speedway to win one of the closest races in years. Ironically, NASCAR allowed Chevy teams to extend the nose of their cars by two inches prior to the race. |
Mark wasn't happy. He didn't feel
competitive even though he finished third. He moved from third
to second in the Winston Cup standings. Nevertheless, he sounded
almost despondent."We didn't run good at all, but the team did a good job of getting me a third place finish out of it," Mark said. "We just couldn't keep up with them guys. I got more than I deserved today. That was a 15th place car." Mark led twice for seven laps early in the race, but it was the only time he felt even close to competitive.. "Early, we maybe had a shot, but later on, we just couldn't keep up," he said. After starting 11th, Mark struggled with the handling of his Ford Taurus throughout most of the race. Four caution periods in the final 62 laps gave Mark the opportunity to pit for fresh tires and a few changes. When leader Mike Skinner retired with a blown engine on lap 306, Mark moved into third place. As Dale Earnhardt nosed Bobby Labonte at the finish line, Mark held on to third. "I'm thrilled with third place," Mark said. "We struggled all day with the handling of the car. Nothing we tried seemed to work until the very end. We finally found the right combination so that I could at least hold my own out there. We may not have had a car to challenge for the win, but it was a great day for us in the points standings." Although it wasn't his best outing, it was the kind of finish that makes title dreams come true. |
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