Of NASCAR title contenders, only Gordon totally focused

Friday, Nov. 8, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Terry Labonte, the points leader heading into Sunday's NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, has a broken bone in his left hand, which makes even turning the steering wheel a painful exercise.

"Oh, believe me, I wish I didn't have this," said Labonte, his hand wrapped in a black glove and white cast Thursday as he looked ahead to the final race of the season. "It's a little bit of an obstacle, but I just have to overcome it."

Dale Jarrett, who is running third to Labonte and Gordon in the point standings, received even more troubling news early Thursday. His brother-in-law, Kevin Spears, was seriously injured in an automobile wreck that killed another person.

Jarrett, who was scheduled to attend a news conference with the three title contenders, instead rushed to a North Carolina hospital to be at Spears' bedside.

"I'm sure everyone will understand that I needed to be with Kevin, Kelly (Jarrett's sister and Spears' wife) and all the other members of our families under these circumstances," Jarrett said in a statement released by Ford, his manufacturer. "There are times when racing is not the most important thing in life."

According to the statement, Spears suffered a punctured lung and broken ankles and thigh bones in both legs Wednesday when his car collided head-on with a truck. The driver of the truck was killed.

"There will be a long rehab before they even know if Kevin can walk again," Ford spokesman Randy Laney said.

Jarrett planned to return Friday for the opening practice and first-round qualifying at the 1.522-mile track south of Atlanta.

Labonte, broken hand and all, is clearly in the driver's seat for the second Winston Cup championship of his career -- and first since 1984. With a 47-point lead over Gordon and a 99-point advantage over Jarrett, Labonte can clinch the title by finishing eighth or better in the NAPA 500.

The soft-spoken Texan shrugged off his chance to make history. "We're preparing the same as we would any other race," Labonte said.