It was sort of appropriate that Dale Jarrett would clinch his first Winston Cup title Sunday by finishing in fifth place. It was his 23rd top-five finish in 33 races.

Dura-Lube/Big Kmart 400
Track: North Carolina Speedway
Date: Feb. 21
Qualified: 11th | Finished: 2nd
Jarrett left Daytona's disaster behind him and finished where he usually does at "The Rock" -- in second place. This time he was beaten by Mark Martin. It was his sixth runner-up finish in the past seven races at Rockingham.

Las Vegas 400
Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Date: March 7
Qualified: 9th | Finished: 11th
Hasn't cracked the top 10 in points yet, but he's on the way.

Cracker Barrel 500
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Date: March 14
Qualified: 4th | Finished: 5th
A strong finish gives D.J. his second top-five finish of the season on a wet day in Atlanta.

TranSouth Financial 400
Track: Darlington Raceway
Date: March 21
Qualified: 21st | Finished: 4th
Would have battled Jeremy Mayfield for a victory had the rain not saved winner Jeff Burton's bacon.

Primestar 500
Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Date: March 28
Qualified: 12st | Finished: 2nd
Another case of being just a little weaker than the winner, Terry Labonte. Lead with 13 laps to go before Labonte took the lead for good. But guess what? His third straight top-five finish has him third in the points, just 62 points behind Jeff Burton.

Food City 500
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Date: April 11
Qualified: 16th | Finished: 3rd
Never led a lap on a day that belonged to Rusty Wallace, who won his 49th career Winston Cup race. But when Bobby Labonte finished 37th, it allowed D.J. to move into second place, 52 points behind Jeff Burton.

Goody's Body Pain 500
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Date: April 18
Qualified: 31st | Finished: 8th
In what would become a familiar sight, D.J. charges through the field to salvage a respectable finish after poor qualifying effort. Remains second to Burton in points, now 85 points off the lead.

DieHard 500
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Date: April 25
Qualified: 23rd | Finished: 2nd
Battled Dale Earnhardt all the way to the end, but couldn't get past the king of restrictor-plate racing. 40 points is all that separates him from Burton now.

California 500
Track: California Speedway
Date: May 2
Qualified: 2nd | Finished: 5th
Led the first lap, but that was it. Lost a few points to Burton, but Richmond is two weeks down the road ... I think we all know what happens there.

Pontiac Excitement 400
Track: Richmond International Speedway
Date: May 15
Qualified: 21st | Finished: 1st
The question over the first 10 races was, "When is D.J. going to win a race?" Well, the answer comes in Richmond. But nobody knew he'd also take over the points lead for good with win No. 1 in 1999.

Coca Cola 600
Track: Lowe's Motor Speedway
Date: May 30
Qualified: 28th | Finished: 5th
Jeff Burton wins under Charlotte lights to trim D.J.'s lead to 32 points. But it's the closest anyone would get the rest of the year.

MBNA Platinum 400
Track: Dover Downs International Speedway
Date: June 6
Qualified: 2nd | Finished: 5th
In case you haven't been counting, it's now 10 straight top-10 finishes and five top-fives in a row. This one extends his lead to 51 points over Burton.

KMart 400
Track: Michigan Speedway
Date: June 13
Qualified: 6th | Finished: 1st
A defining race of a championship season. Jarrett's No. 88 dominated the field and was clearly the man to beat on this day and the rest of the season. Left with a 66-point lead over Burton.

Pocono 500
Track: Michigan Speedway
Date: June 20
Qualified: 2nd | Finished: 3rd
Once again had a strong car, leading the most laps. But a change in the weather late cost him a victory, as Bobby Labonte won, Jeff Burton crashed and Jarrett moved on with an 89-point lead over Labonte.

Save Mart 350/Kragen 350
Track: Sears Point Raceway
Date: June 27
Qualified: 29th | Finished: 6th
The road was never kind to Jarrett -- until he became a champion. Or was it the other way around? Anyway, Jarrett showed he could compete on any track by finishing a career-best sixth to stretch his lead to 157 points.

Pepsi 400
Track: Daytona Motor Speedway
Date: July 3
Qualified: 12th | Finished: 1st
The return to Daytona was much better than the first visit in '99. His 15th top-10 finish of the season came with a little help from late yellow flags that conserved just enough fuel to hold off Bobby Labonte, who now trails by 177 points.

Jiffy Lube 300
Track: New Hampshire International Speedway
Date: July 11
Qualified: 9th | Finished: 4th
We saw just how important the Winston Cup was to D.J. when he let off a few choice words to Jeff Gordon after a final-lap nudge from behind cost Jarrett a position. But, when cooler heads prevailed in a few days, it was Jarrett who now had a commanding 240-point lead in the standings.

Pennsylvania 500
Track: Pocono Raceway
Date: July 25
Qualified: 15th | Finished: 2nd
The lead just keeps growing. It's now up to 254 points despite Bobby Labonte's sweep of Pocono races. A balky clutch kept Jarrett from catching Labonte, but it's now nine top-five finishes in the past 10 races. "Consistency" become the catch word when talking about D.J.

Brickyard 400
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Date: Aug. 7
Qualified: 4th | Finished: 1st
Redemption at the Brickyard for the No. 88 team and crew chief Todd Parrott. Plenty of gas at the end meant a trip to racing's hallowed Victory Lane. Victory gives Jarrett 276-point lead.

Frontier at the Glen
Track: Watkins Glen International
Date: Aug. 15
Qualified: 9th | Finished: 4th
The road once again just keeps getting better for D.J., who suddenly is contending for a win on a road course. He settles for fourth place and leaves the King of the points race with a 300-point bulge.

Pepsi 400
Track: Michigan Speedway
Date: Aug. 22
Qualified: 3rd | Finished: 4th
A different tire kept D.J. from dominating like he did two months earlier. But he was back in the top five and rolling along with his sixth straight top-five finish. Oh, the lead is now 314 points over Mark Martin.

Goody's Headache Powder 500
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Date: Aug. 28
Qualified: 25th | Finished: 38th
Well, the run had to end sometime and why not at a place where everything and anything can happen. D.J. runs into trouble early and often under the lights on a wild night of racing to snap a 19-race streak of top-10 finishes. He leaves with 213-point lead over Martin.

Pepsi Southern 500
Track: Darlington Raceway
Date: Sept. 5
Qualified: 36th | Finished: 16th
Not exactly the best weekend of racing for the No. 88 team. A spin in qualifying leaves them well back in the pack and 16th is all D.J. can manage on a wet day in South Carolina. Martin's within 168 points with 10 races remaining.

Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400
Track: Richmond International Raceway
Date: Sept. 11
Qualified: 13th | Finished: 3rd
On the track where it all started back in May, D.J. gets back in gear under the lights. Trouble for Martin results in a 100-point swing in points and Jarrett's lead growing back up to 270 points

Dura-Lube/Kmart 300
Track: New Hampshire International Speedway
Date: Sept. 19
Qualified: 2nd | Finished: 18th
A costly mistake in the pits turned a possible victory into a disappointing finish. But the lead still stands at 254 points and the title race begins to look academic.

MBNA Gold 400
Track: Dover Downs International Speedway
Date: Sept. 26
Qualified: 26th | Finished: 3rd
If the substantial lead was looking shaky, D.J. left no doubt about his status after this race.

NAPA AutoCare 500
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Date: Oct. 3
Qualified: 14th | Finished: 10th
The lead is 251 points. There are just six races remaining. People are starting to do the math on a weekly basis.

UAW/GM Quality 500
Track: Lowes Motor Speedway
Date: Oct. 11
Qualified: 9th | Finished: 7th
Looking at the big picture more and more each week. He's still trying to win races, but with a 222-point lead, D.J. doesn't need to win races -- just finish where he usually does -- in the top 10.

Winston 500
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Date: Oct. 17
Qualified: 17th | Finished: 2nd
So much for that finishing in the top 10 stuff. D.J. battles Dale Earnhardt all the way to the line before finishing second. Lead grows to 246 points over Bobby Labonte.

Pop Secret 400
Track: North Carolina Speedway
Date: Oct. 24
Qualified: 3rd | Finished: 4th
Dominated the first half of the race, leading 160 of the first 261 laps. But his top-five finish leaves him with only the task of finishing 19th in the final three races to clinch the title.

Checker Auto Parts/Dura Lube 500K
Track: Phoenix International Raceway
Date: Nov. 7
Qualified: 5th | Finished: 6th
Got into a lot of trouble, but still finished plenty high to all but clinch the title. The task in Homestead was eighth or better. We know what he did.