Nov. 22, 1999 5:12 AM AP

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) For Dale Jarrett, it was a chance to celebrate his first Winston Cup championship in proper fashion.

For Bobby Labonte, it was a chance to show why he might have a title in his future.

The younger brother of two-time Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte closed the NASCAR season in dominating fashion Sunday, winning the NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway for his fifth victory of 1999.

"We had a great year," Bobby Labonte said. "Winning five races is more than we ever dreamed we could do."

Of course, it wasn't enough to prevent Jarrett from winning the season championship. He actually clinched the title in Homestead, Fla., the previous weekend, but the official celebration is held after the final race in Atlanta.

Sticking to the formula that worked all year, Jarrett closed the season with his 24th top-five finish in 34 races, edging Jeremy Mayfield at the line for second place.

While Labonte celebrated in victory lane, Jarrett and his team boarded a tractor-trailer rig that carried them on a champagne-spraying trip around the 1.54-mile oval.

"You sit and wonder what this is going to be like and how special it'll be," said Jarrett, who also was accompanied by his wife and children. "It's even better than we ever thought it could be."

Labonte finished about half a straightaway ahead of Jarrett in the race, but 201 points behind for the season.

"There's still areas we need to work on," Labonte said. "But there's things we learned this year that made me better and made the team as a whole better. When you're running up front, you learn more. That's what we did this year."

Jarrett has no doubts that Labonte will again be one of the main challengers for the title in 2000.

"He had a couple of unfortunate situations or the points race would have been closer at the end," Jarrett said. "They've got a good thing going over there. Looking at it now, I would have to say he's one of the guys who has an opportunity to win the Winston Cup championship next year. He's near the top of the list or at the top of the list."

The 35-year-old Labonte, with 12 career victories, won for the fourth time in his last seven starts at the track about 30 miles south of Atlanta. This was his third victory since the oval was redesigned midway through the 1997 season.

His No. 18 Pontiac pulled away at the end of the 325-lap race to give Joe Gibbs Racing its third straight victory, with Labonte adding to the two straight by rookie teammate Tony Stewart in Phoenix and Homestead.

Labonte hardly looked like a winner at the beginning of the weekend. His car performed miserably in qualifying, forcing him to claim a provisional spot just to get in the 43-car field.

"Going to Atlanta, we always feel confident that we're going to run good," said Labonte, who started 37th. "But Friday was totally, absolutely miserable for me. I was like, `Oh, no, can I still drive?"'

The crew made the necessary adjustments during Saturday's practice sessions, and it quickly became apparent on race day that Labonte's team had rediscovered their Atlanta magic.

He took his first lead on lap 91 and went on to lead the way for 147 laps - nearly half the 325-lap race, even though there were a season-high 38 lead changes among 15 drivers.

Steve Park, who started second, led 72 laps. No one else was at the front for more than 27.

Labonte took the lead for the final time during a restart on lap 290, roaring past Jeff Burton, who had beaten Labonte out of the pits on the last stop by the leaders. Then Labonte pulled steadily ahead, winning by 2.428 seconds.

Nobody had ever won at this track from farther back than 30th, a feat accomplished in 1983 by Dale Earnhardt.

There were eight caution flags in Sunday's race, slowing Labonte's winning speed to 137.932 mph.

The worst crash came on lap 198 when Michael Waltrip, Terry Labonte, Rick Mast and Kenny Wallace tangled in the fourth turn.

Waltrip, the younger brother of three-time series champion Darrell Waltrip, apparently cut a tire and was rammed hard by Labonte's car. Knocked unconscious momentarily, Waltrip was awake and alert before being taken by helicopter to an Atlanta hospital.

Diagnosed with a minor concussion, he was released Sunday night.

"I talked to him a little bit," Labonte said. "I don't know if he'll remember me talking to him, but I was just thankful to see that he was in good shape."