the `2000 "Talladega Winston 500"

Earnhardt charges like a slingshot to front, defends Winston 500 win!

Dale Earnhardt, seemingly out of contention for victory with less than a dozen laps left in the `2000 "Winston 500", came roaring through traffic and scored an absolutely remarkable  victory in an absolutely remarkable race.

It is impossible to adequately describe either the racing action that marked Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway or the comeback that Earnhardt fashioned to win for the 76th time in his career.

He earned a $1 million bonus from Winston for winning the No Bull 5 event - and earned every penny. He also won a $1 million prize for a race fan from Maryland in the process. 

Richard Sturz, a 45-year-old truck driver from Mt. Savage, Md., claimed one million dollars in Winston's No Bull 5 "They Win, You Win." Sturz, who plans to give $10,000 to each of the other four fans selected by Winston, says he and his wife plan to "take it easy" with his share of the prize money.

"I'm totally shocked," Sturtz said. "Dale Earnhardt made our lives a lot easier since he won.

The big wreck that everybody expected didn't come until after the checkered flag flew. Cars racing behind Earnhardt, runner-up Kenny Wallace and third-place Joe Nemechek and the  remainder of the lead pack crashed as they came across the finish line four- and possibly five-wide. Nobody was hurt.

Earnhardt was 15th on the final restart on Lap 174. He was 18th with 11 laps to go. 

He was still 15th on Lap 180. But it was the final 5 laps where Earnhardt came alive and brought race fans to their feet. It didn't matter. 

With drafting help from Kenny Wallace, including a few raps on the bumper, Earnhardt fought his way through the pack. Suddenly, with two laps remaining, he popped out through the middle of a three-wide race off Turn 4 and was suddenly right back in the hunt.

Up front, Skinner and Andretti were battling for the lead when Earnhardt started bearing down on them. 

At the last two laps, 170.000 people at the stands are going strong, jumping up and down, yelling, screaming as the "three" car going to the lead.

As the cars came to the white flag, Earnhardt had the lead. He pulled ahead of the pack with only Wallace and Joe Nemechek in tow, and held on for the victory for the final lap around the 2.66-mile track.

It looked like the winner would come from that group, but that was before Earnhardt hooked up in the draft with Wallace and Nemechek and came to the front and to the victory, the 10th of his career here and the third in the past four Talladega races.

"I was very lucky," Earnhardt said. "I kept working the outside and it didn't work. I started working the middle and finally it started moving. Kenny helped me get up there. It worked out."

Richard Childress, car owner for Earnhardt, said the race stacks up as one of the Earnhardt's most exciting wins. "I never count Dale Earnhardt out," Childress said. "He knows what he's doing with restrictor plate racing." And he did it. He makes impossible things possible...!

The last laps at Talladega in words:

The action slowed 21 laps from the finish when Mark Martin and Bobby Hamilton crashed. As the field followed the pace car under caution, Earnhardt debated strategy with crew chief Kevin Hamlin and Childress.

Earnhardt wanted four tires. Hamlin and Childress said no.

"You give me four tires, and I'll win," Earnhardt radioed.

Childress feared a four-tire stop would drop Earnhardt too deep in the pack because most cars would change no tires or two and come out of the pits faster.

Earnhardt persisted. His determined voice swayed Childress. They compromised. Earnhardt got two right-side tires.

Whether it mattered is debatable. Except to Earnhardt. Give him four tires and he drove like Superman. Even two tires infused the man known as the Intimidator with new powers.

Now was Earnhardt's time to prove he was right.

He restarted 15th. Jeff Gordon led.

Fifteen laps remained.

•••

Earnhardt's car dangled like a wobbly tight-rope artist over the yellow line that separated the track's bottom lane from the apron. Five laps remained.

He had to climb up the track before he reached turn 1. If not, he would crash. Or he would slow, lose his momentum and fall so far back that he'd ruin his chance to win.

Rich Bickle was where Earnhardt needed to go. Rusty Wallace ran above them. It was too late for courtesy. Earnhardt created an opening. They hit. Smoke rose.
Bickle's left front tire smeared the white No. 3 of Earnhardt's car in black. Earnhardt's right rear tire lost its yellow Goodyear lettering when it rubbed Bickle's car. Bickle slid up the track into Wallace, who climbed the banking.

Earnhardt's car wiggled. He recovered and drove by both. He settled in behind Gordon. Earnhardt was 16th with four laps left.

•••

Dale Earnhardt, running 15th, saw his chance exiting turn 2 with four laps to go. His son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., helped.
Earnhardt Jr., a rookie, pulled four car lengths ahead as the field formed two conga lines. Problem was, a group of cars nose-to-tail runs faster than a single car. As the cars behind Earnhardt Jr. grew larger in his rear-view mirror, they hit the brakes to avoid running over him. That allowed cars in the middle and outside lanes to race by.

This was Earnhardt's moment.
He steered his Chevrolet into the middle lane and pulled alongside Gordon. Earnhardt rocketed.
He passed Gordon. Joe Nemechek. Matt Kenseth. Ward Burton. Kenny Wallace. Steve Grissom.

Six cars. Two in the high lane, four in the low lane. A backstretch banzai charge that lasted 14 seconds.
After Earnhardt shot by entering turn 3, Kenny Wallace cut down behind Earnhardt and in front of Nemechek, his teammate. Wallace and Nemechek would never leave Earnhardt.

Moments later, Earnhardt picked off Ricky Rudd in the tri-oval.
Three laps to go. Earnhardt was eighth. John Andretti led.
And Earnhardt was closing.

•••

As Andretti tried to cut down on Mike Skinner after taking the lead on the frontstretch, Earnhardt plotted his next move.
Andretti couldn't clear Skinner, who retook the lead. The field stacked up three- and four-wide behind Skinner as it entered turn 1.
Earnhardt climbed to the third lane behind Dale Jarrett. Earnhardt knew he needed to run the middle lane.

General Motors engineers showed him and other drivers computer simulation data beforehand that suggested the middle would be the best.
Earnhardt tested that theory all day. Now, the middle contained only Andretti. Earnhardt dived behind him in turn 1. Wallace, Nemechek, Gordon and others followed.

Earnhardt closed on Andretti in turn 4. Earnhardt faked to the outside lane. Andretti blocked, but Earnhardt took his spot. Wallace, focused on Earnhardt's car a few feet ahead, never noticed Earnhardt's subtle move. All Wallace saw was Andretti alone at the top of the track.
Earnhardt led the outside line. He was fourth. Two laps to go.

•••

"The Intimidator is scraped and beaten on the right side, but he will not be denied!" ESPN's Dr. Jerry Punch said over the screaming engines and fans as the field raced in turn 2.

"Mr. Restrictor Plate knows there are two laps to go! Earnhardt drives to the high side of Bobby Labonte. Wow."

After Earnhardt passed Labonte for third down the backstretch, he gripped the wheel with his left hand and raised his right hand. He waved it back and forth.
Hit me, he was telling Kenny Wallace. Hit me hard.
Wallace, riding inches behind Earnhardt, bumped his friend. That contact shot Earnhardt past his son and into second place.

Now Earnhardt raced beside Skinner, his teammate, for the lead in turn 3. The crowd noise nearly drowned out the engines.

Suddenly, Earnhardt Jr. faced a dilemma. He was going for the win, but he had to be careful not to help Skinner pass Earnhardt. How would that look, the son helping someone beat his daddy? At Talladega? Earnhardt Jr. knew his daddy would cuss him out for such a move.

So as they raced side-by-side about 90 seconds from the finish, Earnhardt Jr. debated what to do. Skinner, preoccupied with Earnhardt on his outside, left Earnhardt Jr. an opening underneath. Earnhardt Jr. went for it. He moved under Skinner along the frontstretch. It came as his father lunged ahead on the outside lane for the race's 49th lead change. They crossed the start/finish line three abreast. Earnhardt Jr. on the apron. Skinner in the middle. Earnhardt ahead on the outside.

One lap left.

•••

Wallace tried to make a move on Earnhardt at the start/finish line but Skinner blocked his path in the middle lane. Wallace couldn't slow and bumped Earnhardt.

Earnhardt flashed forward. Wallace followed. Nemechek behind. They broke away.

Earnhardt weaved down the backstretch. He wanted to break the draft and prevent Wallace and Nemechek from getting a run. Wallace closed in turn 3. He readied to make a move and score his first career Winston Cup victory. He glanced in his rear-view mirror.

"Who's that?" Wallace thought to himself.
He didn't recognize his teammate. Nemechek normally drove a blue-and-white car, but for this race his car carried a metallic maroon and silver paint scheme. Not knowing who was behind him, Wallace hesitated. His chance disappeared.

Spotter Danny Culler's baritone voice climbed higher as Earnhardt neared the checkered flag.
"Clear all around," Culler said, as the crowd of 140,000 stood and yelled. "Three cars single file and then they're three by three behind that."

Earnhardt headed toward the tri-oval.
"Coming to the checkered," Culler said. "Watch your mirror. Watch your mirror."
Wallace could do nothing but follow Earnhardt to the finish line.
"You the man!" Culler said as Earnhardt won. "Congratulations, champ!"

•••

Long after the race that night, Kenny Wallace and Dale Earnhardt met in the motor home lot. They shared celebratory drinks of Sunny Delight orange juice and vodka.
Earnhardt knew he couldn't have won without Wallace riding behind him those final laps, pushing him to the front. He owed Wallace.

As they drank, Earnhardt placed his arm around Wallace's neck, tugged his friend closer and asked, "So, what do you want for Christmas?"
Wallace, beaming from the praise Earnhardt gave him earlier in victory lane, just said he was thankful Earnhardt had given him his first Busch ride in 1988. They smiled, laughed and enjoyed the night.

About a month after the race, Earnhardt appeared at the Charlotte studio of the ESPN auto racing program, RPM2Night. Bill Weber was there.
Weber had interviewed Earnhardt in victory lane on live TV that day. Afterward, Weber grabbed a handful of fake million dollars bills dropped on Earnhardt to celebrate the $1 million bonus he won from Winston.
Between segments at the studio, Weber asked Earnhardt to sign those bills so Weber could frame them and give them to staff members.

As Earnhardt signed, they talked about that race and the finish. Earnhardt's blue-green eyes glowed.
"I never thought I could get back to the front," he said.

Then Earnhardt winked.