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| | Thursday, March 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On the Track
What's that old saying? "Give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile." Well, NASCAR gave Chevrolet two inches on Tuesday and it may allow the new Monte Carlos to take Sunday's 500-mile race in Atlanta. The decision by Winston Cup officials to allow Chevy teams to extend their front air dam two inches forward below the bumper is designed to even the playing field. Through three races, two Fords and a Pontiac had reached Victory Lane, while only Dale Earnhardt's second-place finish in Rockingham gave a Chevrolet team reason to smile. Even with the modification, a Chevrolet will be hard-pressed to win Sunday's high-speed chase around Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sure, Jeff Gordon is the defending champion. But that was an entirely different No. 24 in Victory Lane. These Rainbow Warriors haven't been a threat so far in 2000. Atlanta is the fastest track on the Winston Cup schedule. Restrictor plates aren't used, despite speeds that reach nearly 195 mph. That's good news for both Chevrolet and Pontiac. Remember Daytona? The top five was restricted to Fords. As a result, the favorites Sunday will come out of two stables -- Roush and Gibbs -- and be mixed between Pontiacs and Fords. Bobby Labonte -- a winner four of the past seven times they've dropped the green in Atlanta -- has the points lead for the first time in his career. He was second to Gordon in this race last season and won the season finale. He also put his No. 18 Pontiac on the pole for this event last season. Jack Roush put three Fords in the top 10 in both races last season. Mark Martin (3rd), Jeff Burton (4th) and Chad Little (9th) all bring plenty of horses and momentum into Atlanta. 10 Drivers to WatchBobby Labonte: The younger Labonte brings a new title into Atlanta: "Winston Cup Points Leader." Figures to extend a mere four-point advantage over Dale Jarrett in Atlanta -- a track he's owned since 1997. Labonte has finished fourth or better in six of the past seven Atlanta races. Mark Martin: Atlanta was good to Martin in '99. He finished third in March and then finished the season with a fourth-place run. He's the only driver to lead all three races this season, but hasn't won yet. He'll run in Saturday's Busch Series event, which means a sweep could be in order by Sunday night. Tony Stewart: Last year's rookie of the year is back in the top five in points after starting the season 17th in Daytona. Like his teammate, he has the car under him to win. Doesn't he already seem overdue to win? Dale Jarrett: For the first time since leaving Richmond last May, DJ isn't the series points leader. Shouldn't affect the champ, however, who feeds off consistency. Finished fifth and second last year at Atlanta. Believe it or not, he's one of only three drivers this year to finish in the top 10 in each race. The others? Labonte and Martin. Jeff Gordon: His luck has to change somewhere. Why not Atlanta? It's a track Gordon has celebrated both first wins and Winston Cup championships on. The rule change could help No. 24 more than any other Chevy in the garage. Oh, by the way, Gordon has won two of the past three races in Atlanta. Dale Earnhardt: Earnhardt leads all active drivers with eight career wins in Atlanta. Prior to rule change, his No. 3 seemed at least able to keep up with the Fords and Pontiacs until midway through long runs. Will the rule change lead to serious challenge for eighth Winston Cup? Jeff Burton: What's the forecast? That's what Burton must be asking after claiming his third straight rain-shortened race in Vegas last week. But even without the wet stuff, Burton would have been tough to beat and figures to once again be among the leaders most of the day. Finished fourth and then fifth in Atlanta last year. Bill Elliott: It figures to be a big weekend for Elliott, even before he climbs into his Ford to qualify and race. All indications are he'll be named as one of Ray Evernham's drivers next season with Dodge. But the 2000 season has already gotten off to a great start with two top-five finishes in three races. Elliott has five career wins in Atlanta. Rusty Wallace: Wallace seems to always do better in the fall race in Atlanta. Both of his career wins on the track have come with a chill in the air. Next victory will be No. 50 in his career and keep alive a winning streak of 14 straight seasons. Johnny Benson: The feel-good story of 2000 just keeps getting better. Benson was sixth in Las Vegas and currently stands 11th in the points standings. The last time speeds reached 190 mph, Benson put his Pontiac out front for a long, long time. Ron Buck is ESPN.com's auto racing editor. | ALSO SEE Weber: Good times ahead for Gordon Labonte knows the key to Atlanta is speed Gordon keeps himself, team calm during slow start McReynolds: Busted in Vegas This week on the track  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
