08/31/1997 – Mountain Dew Southern 500 – Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC – Bobby Labonte starts from the pole in the Interstate Batteries Grand Prix but can only lead 2 laps and finish 7th, the highest finishing Pontiac and the only Pontiac in the top-10. This event was the classic where Dale Earnhardt passed out at the beginning of the race and Jeff Gordon held off Jeff Burton to win the Winston Million.
08/30/1998 – Farm Aid on CMT 300 – New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, NH – On the only Cup race (to date) that has been ran on August 30, John Andretti finished 3rd in the Petty Enterprises STP Grand Prix and Bobby Labonte finished 7th in the Gibbs Racing Interstate Batteries Grand Prix, placing 2 Pontiacs in the top-10. Labonte led 1 lap on the day after starting 2nd, the only Pontiac-led lap for this race.
08/29/1960 – Birthdate of Cup driver Brad Noffsinger who had 1 career Pontiac Cup attempt, the 1989 Daytona 500 in the Jaehne Motorsports Grand Prix. Today Brad is a successful businessman with Brown & Noffsinger Racing which specializes in providing goods and services related to midget racing.
08/28/1999 – Goody’s Headache Powder 500 – Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN – Tony Stewart starts from the pole in the Home Depot Grand Prix and leads 225 laps, but finishes 5th to eventual winner Dale Earnhardt in the famous ‘rattle his cage‘ race where Earnhardt moved Terry Labonte out of the way on the last lap. Ward Burton finishes 9th in Bill Davis’ Caterpillar Grand Prix to place 2 Pontiacs in the top-10.
08/27/1961 – South Boston Speedway, South Boston, VA – Junior Johnson nails down another win in Rex Lovette’s Holly Farms 1960 Pontiac, leading 168 of 200 laps and finishing as the only car on the lead lap. Cotton Owens started from the pole in his self-owned 1960 Pontiac, but retires early due to transmission problems.
08/26/1989 – Busch 500 – Bristol International Speedway, Bristol, TN – At his final visit to Bristol in a Pontiac, Dale Jarret finishes 6 laps down in 10th driving Cale Yarborough’s Hardee’s Grand Prix; Rusty Wallace was the highest finishing Pontiac with a 6th place finish in Raymond Beadle’s Kodiak Grand Prix.
08/25/2001 – Sharpie 500 – Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN – Tony Stewart takes the win in Joe Gibbs’ Home Depot/Apex/Husky Grand Prix, holding off Kevin Harvick in Richard Childress’ Goodwrench Chevrolet by .4 seconds; Bobby Labonte finishes 9th on the lead lap in the Interstate Batteries Grand Prix, placing both Gibbs’ Pontiacs in the top-10.
08/24/2002 – Sharpie 500 – Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN – Mike Wallace gets his final career Pontiac Cup top-10 – finishing 10th – on the lead lap in A.J. Foyt’s Conseco Grand Prix.
08/23/2003 – Sharpie 500 – Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN – Ricky Craven finishes 8th in the Tide Grand Prix in what would be his last career short-track top-10 in a Pontiac.
08/22/1999 – Pepsi 400 – Michigan Speedway, Brooklyn, MI – Bobby Labonte takes the win in the Interstate Batteries Grand Prix; Ward Burton had won the pole position in Bill Davis’ Caterpillar Grand Prix, but only managed to lead 1 lap and then crash out to finish last (43rd).
Pontiac Racing 