03/25/2017 – When the 2001 Cup season rolled around, Pontiac fans couldn’t believe how their fortune had changed starting in 1999 following the grim years of the mid-1990’s – Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte were driving Joe Gibbs Racing’s Pontiacs and were legitimate contenders every week regardless of the track, Tony won Rookie of the Year for 1999, Bobby won the Cup Championship for 2000, and Stewart landed the plum cover of PlayStation’s NASCAR game for 2001, and we hadn’t even gotten to Stewart’s 2002 Cup Championship yet. Hard to believe that by the end of the 2003 season, the Red Dart would be officially and completely (for all practical purposes) out of the sport.
Pontiac Racing 