In 1996, Jeff Gordon won ten races; more than any other driver on the circuit. However, his teammate, Terry Labonte, won the Winston Cup title as he put together a string of consistent finishes to end the season. The season got off to a rocky start for Jeff. A lap 8 crash at Daytona and a blown engine at Rockingham resulted in back-to-back last place finishes. Showing the mettle of a champion, Jeff rebounded and won the following week at Richmond. He won the TranSouth 400 at Darlington and followed that up with a rain-shortened victory at Bristol. At Talladega, Jeff was in the middle of a major wreck but rebounded with victories at Dover and Pocono in June. As the summer wore on, Jeff won the DieHard 500 at Talladega which was marred by Dale Earnhardt's major crash. At the Brickyard in August, a cut tire put him into the wall. However, he finished the summer strong with victories at Darlington, Dover, Martinsville, and he won the last race ever at North Wilkesboro. In October, an engine problem at Charlotte allowed Labonte back into the title hunt. Labonte took the points lead for good at Rockingham and won by 32 points over Jeff. A ten win season is great; but without a Winston Cup title, it's just empty dominance.