1996 season recap

Terry Labonte, despite posting only two victories in the 1996 season, won his second NASCAR Winston Cup championship, giving him the longest gap between championship seasons in NASCAR history as his first title had come 12 years earlier. Labonte outgunned some of the biggest names in NASCAR for the title, beating Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt while a new championship challenger - Dale Jarrett - let everyone know he would be a contender for years to come.

Labonte endured some late season scares and held off the challenges of his teammate, Jeff Gordon, to wrap up the title in the season finale.

FIVE RACES TO GO:

North Wilkesboro, NC - Defending champion Jeff Gordon unloaded at North Wilkesboro with a 81-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Terry Labonte and a 162-point lead over third place Dale Jarrett. In the final NASCAR Winston Cup race scheduled at North Wilkesboro, Gordon made it to victory lane for the fourth time in five weeks and the tenth time in 1996. He led 207 of the 400 laps and increased his lead to 111 points over Labonte, who finished fifth. Jarrett tried to stay close as he finished third, but he was 182 behind the defending champion. Seven-time champ Dale Earnhardt posted his first top five finish in 12 races with a runner-up effort, but he was 351 points off the lead.

FOUR RACES TO GO:

Charlotte, NC - Championship momentum swung back to Terry Labonte at Charlotte as led the most laps and posted his second victory of the season. He led six times during the event and was never seriously challenged after assuming the top spot with 27 laps remaining. Dale Jarrett was steady once again as he finished third, but Jeff Gordon suffered a cracked cylinder head. He limped across the finish line 31st and saw all but one point disappear from his lead in the overall standings. Jarrett also climbed back into the hunt and was only 92 points away.

THREE RACES TO GO:

Rockingham, NC - Terry Labonte's momentum continued as he finished third at Rockingham, and coupled with Jeff Gordon's 12th-place showing, he forced another change atop the standings. Dale Jarrett continued his charge as well, leading the most laps and finishing behind winner Ricky Rudd, who extended his streak of winning at least one race to 14 years. Labonte assumed the series lead for the third time in 1996 and had a 32-point edge over Gordon while Jarrett lurked only 76 points behind.

TWO RACES TO GO:

Phoenix, AZ - The drama began to build as Terry Labonte's lead appeared to be a tenuous one, especially after he suffered a broken finger in an accident during Friday practice. Despite the injury, Labonte bounced back from a 30th-place starting position to finish third and solidify his top spot in the standings. Jeff Gordon finished fifth and Dale Jarrett eighth as both kept their title hopes alive. Bobby Hamilton won his first NASCAR Winston Cup event, edging Mark Martin. Labonte led Gordon by 47 points and Jarrett by 99 points going into the season finale at Atlanta.

FINAL RACE:

Hampton, GA - Despite driving with a cast around his left hand, the left-handed Terry Labonte managed to clinch his second career NASCAR Winston Cup championship with a fifth-place finish in the NAPA 500. What made the day even more special was that his younger brother, Bobby, won the race and then drove alongside him for a Labonte family victory lap. Labonte ran in the top five most of the day while Jeff Gordon suffered early mechanical problems with a loose wheel that left him two laps down by the 10th lap. Dale Jarrett finished second in the race but never led a lap and finished third in the standings. Labonte won the championship by 37 points over teammate Gordon and 89 over Jarrett.