QUALIFYING: Jeff Gordon won another Bud Pole at Sears Point with a speed of 98.711mph and a time of 01:11.080sec. Rusty Wallace will start 28th with a speed of 97.527mph and a time of 01:11.943sec. Top Ten Qualifiers: 1st-Jeff Gordon, 2nd-Jerry Nadeau, 3rd-Dale Jarrett, 4th-Geoff Bodine, 5th-Jeremy Mayfield, 6th-Bobby Hamilton, 7th-Rick Mast, 8th-Kyle Petty, 9th-Bobby Labonte, 10th-Tom Hubert. Notables in field: 11th-Michael Waltrip, 17th-Dale Earnhardt, 23rd-Jeff Burton, 26th-Mark Martin, 27th-Ken Schrader, 28th-Rusty Wallace. Starting Grid
RACE: Jeff Gordon did it the hard way Sunday at Sears Point, coming from behind to win on a track where passing is supposed to be all but impossible. He made plenty of passes as he charged from 18th place to catch Bobby Hamilton, who was as surprised as anyone to find himself in the lead late in the race. Gordon led early in the race and was locked in a battle for the top spot with Dale Jarrett until both pitted on lap 37. A number of other drivers decided to make their first stops later, leaving Gordon 18th after his stop. Gordon's big move came on lap 90 when Geoff Bodine and Ricky Rudd both spun out in the hairpin, starting a melee among the leaders that allowed Gordon to jump from seventh to fourth. He passed Rick Mast for third on lap 92, grabbed second from John Andretti on lap 96 and went after Hamilton's Chevy, cutting the margin steadily. On the pass for the lead, Gordon bumped Hamilton and Hamilton bumped him back and then tried to make his own move. Hamilton did everything he could to regain the lead, drawing alongside Gordon at the hairpin on lap 103 and staying right on the leader's rear bumper for several laps. But Gordon, with somewhat fresher tires, finally pulled away, winning by 2.748-seconds -- about 15 car-lengths. Top Ten Finishers: 1st-Jeff Gordon, 2nd-Bobby Hamilton, 3rd-John Andretti, 4th-Bobby Labonte, 5th-Rusty Wallace, 6th-Mark Martin, 7th-Sterling Marlin, 8th-Rick Mast, 9th-Kenny Irwin, 10th-Steve Grissom. Notables in the field: 11th-Dale Earnhardt, 15th-Dale Jarrett, 18th-Jeremy Mayfield, 20th-Ken Schrader, 34th-Michael Waltrip, 39th-Jeff Burton. Race Results
RACE RECAP:
After 112 Laps
Leaders: 9
Lead Changes: 9
5 Cautions for 23 Laps
Cars Out of Race: 4
Average Speed: 72.387mph
Winner: Jeff Gordon
Margin of Victory: 2.748
Time of Race: 3:00:56
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