Winston Cup Ford Facts - AutoWorld.Com

Winston Cup Ford Facts: Top 3 drivers drive Taurus

NASCAR Winston Cup

After nine races in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup season there is a lot to be happy about from a Ford Racing perspective. After all, the top three drivers in the point standings all sport the blue oval and the manufacturer’s standings also have Ford sitting on top of Chevrolet and Pontiac. Here are some Ford Racing notes going into this weekend’s California 500.

Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin are first, second and third, respectively, in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings. Burton, who took over the points lead for the first time in his career after winning at Darlington, has a 40-point advantage over Jarrett while teammate Martin is only 84 points off the lead.

This marks the first time Ford has held the top three spots in the NASCAR Winston Cup standings since 1996 when Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton and Ricky Rudd were all separated by only 89 points after three races.

Even though they have finished second or third in the point standings each of the last two seasons, Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett haven’t led the circuit for quite some time. The last time Mark Martin held the points lead was Aug. 23, 1997 after a second-place finish at Bristol put him 13 points ahead of Jeff Gordon with 10 races remaining. Jarrett’s drought has been even longer. The last time he sat atop the series heap was May 5, 1997 when he led Terry Labonte by 40 points after nine races.

The last Ford driver to win the NASCAR Winston Cup championship was Alan Kulwicki in 1992 when he edged Bill Elliott by 10 points. That remains the closest finish in NASCAR Winston Cup history.

Ford leads the 1999 manufacturer’s standings by six points over second-place Chevrolet. Ford has 64 points while Chevrolet has 58 and Pontiac 49.

Ford is once again dominating the circuit in terms of top five finishes. Through nine races this season, Ford has captured 24 of the 45 top five spots (53 percent). Burton, Jarrett and Martin lead the way in that department with six top-fives apiece. Last season, the new Ford Taurus had 100 of the 165 top-five finishers for an eye-popping 61 percent.

Ford has led twice as many laps as any other manufacturer in 1999. After nine races, Ford has led 1,618 laps compared to 805 for Chevrolet and 448 for Pontiac.

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