Labonte, who started third, nosed his No. 18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac owned by NFL coaching legend Joe Gibbs ahead of Wallace in Turn 3. But Wallace, who started 10th, didn’t throw in the towel.
Wallace and Labonte raced side by side down the front straightaway, with the right front of Labonte’s car rubbing against the left rear of Wallace’s car as they approached the Yard of Bricks. Labonte led at the line by a scant .004 of a second.
Labonte finally pulled clear of Wallace in Turn 1 on Lap 147 and then poured on the speed, building a gap of 4.229 seconds by the time the checkered flag flew after Lap 160. It was an impressive power play and the largest margin of victory in the race at the time, topped only once since then.
Labonte’s victory served as a major springboard for his sole Cup Series championship that season. He became the third consecutive Brickyard winner to also capture the series championship in the same season, following Jeff Gordon in 1998 and Dale Jarrett in 2000.