Gordon Fourth, Johnson Sixth at Lowe’s

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Oct. 14, 2002) -- Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson each scored top-10 finishes Sunday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, staying in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship picture with five races remaining on the schedule. Driving the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, Gordon earned his 10th top-five of 2002, finishing fourth overall. The four-time Winston Cup champion moved up one position in driver points to sixth, 211 behind first-place Tony Stewart. Johnson gained a spot in the championship standings, finishing sixth and moving to second in overall points, just 97 back of Stewart. It was the rookie’s 19th top-10 finish of the season in the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevy. Terry Labonte finished 21st in the No. 5 Kellogg’s Monte Carlo, fighting a tight-handling race car after starting in the 24th position. The two-time Winston Cup champion is currently 23rd in points. Joe Nemechek was credited with 40th-place after losing an engine near the midway point of Sunday’s event. The veteran made up nearly 20 positions in the No. 25 UAW-Delphi Chevy, one of the fastest cars on the race track, before going to the garage. Jamie McMurray won the UAW-GM Quality 500 in only his second career start. The NASCAR Winston Cup Series will next visit the .526-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for the Old Dominion 500. Live coverage of the event will be carried live on NBC and MRN Radio beginning at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20.