Remembering the night Dale Earnhardt rattled Terry Labonte's cage at Bristol

The towering high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway encase a half-mile bull ring deserving of the nickname, "The Last Great Colosseum."

Like its Roman counterpart, NASCAR's Colosseum plays host to daring gladiators that, instead of fighting to the death, fight for glory at a track that has hosted races since 1961. 

On August 28, 1999, two giants of Winston Cup racing collided at Bristol in one of the most iconic finishes in NASCAR history. The two men at the center of the action were seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt and two-time champion Terry Labonte, who drove for powerhouse organizations in Richard Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. 

Earnhardt and Labonte were both part of the 1979 Winston Cup rookie class. Two decades prior, Earnhardt had walked away with the Rookie of the Year award, which was a precursor to one of the greatest careers in racing history. 

Labonte found his first championship with team owner Billy Hagan in 1984, but the most famous stretch of his career came from 1994-2003, when Labonte drove for Rick Hendrick in HMS' flagship No. 5 car. In 1996, Labonte won his second Winston Cup title with Hendrick Motorsports. 

In 1995, Earnhardt and Labonte tangled at Bristol in a race that saw a wrecking Labonte crash the finish line first. Four years later, the result would be different. 

Ryan Newman crashed on Lap 491, which led to Darrell Waltrip inadvertently spinning Labonte in an attempt to get his lap back. After a trip down pit road, Labonte found himself back in the chase, though with a limited number of laps remaining. 

Labonte muscled his way by Tony Stewart with two laps to go, and as he and Earnhardt crossed the line to take the white flag, it was Labonte who nosed out in front and took the lead. 

That was until Turn 1, when Earnhardt drove his black No. 3 deep into the corner, spinning Labonte out. 

As Earnhardt scurried away, Labonte's No. 5 was hit by Ricky Rudd, Stewart and Mark Martin, leaving the Kellogg's Chevrolet to rest by the inside wall on the backstretch.