Dale Jarrett was coming off a Brickyard 400 win the previous week and had a commanding points leads as the NASCAR Winston Cup series headed to Watkins Glen for the second road race of the season. Jeff Gordon was looking for a record breaking 5th consecutive road course win. Pole sitter Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, and a few road course ringers like Ron Fellows were hoping to stop the streak. Although no one knew at the time this proved to be a historical moment in NASCAR history.