Despite a crash that relegated him to a 41st-place finish in the Dura-Lube/Big Kmart 400 at North Carolina Speedway, Earnhardt hasn't lost sight of his ultimate goal for the 1999 season: To win a record-breaking eighth NASCAR Winston Cup championship.

It takes more than just one bad result to deter the enthusiasm of "The Intimidator," who heads into this Sunday's Las Vegas 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with redemption on his mind.

"This business doesn't cut you any breaks," said Earnhardt, who opened the season with a second-place finish in the Daytona 500. "We came away from Daytona with momentum going our way, but to finish the way we did at Rockingham threw that right out the door.

"This team knows that we have to perform every week to win the championship, and it's my job to get the car to the front. We're ready to go for Vegas and don't look for us to stop there. It's a long season and we're ready for it. We got our bad luck out of the way early."

The driver of the No. 3 GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet is searching for his first victory since last year's Daytona 500, and if he gets one on Sunday, he'll add a hefty sum to his bank account. By virtue of his top-five finish at Daytona International Speedway in February, Earnhardt is one of the five drivers eligible to win the Winston "No Bull Five" million dollar bonus, available to the winner of the Las Vegas 400.

Richard Childress Racing teammate Mike Skinner is also eligible for the bonus after finishing fourth at Daytona.

"I'll take my odds at Las Vegas for the million dollar bonus," Childress said. "We've got two really strong teams that can win on any Sunday. Hopefully, it will be this Sunday when there is a million dollars up for grabs."

"Winston continues to show that they are leaders when it comes to supporting NASCAR," Earnhardt said. "They have provided added incentives with their million dollar bonus programs over the years to the teams, tracks and now the race fans. They've made it so it pays to be a NASCAR Winston Cup race fan. You don't find that in any other sport."

Five race fans will also have a chance to win $1 million as well, should the driver they're paired with win the Las Vegas 400. Besides Earnhardt and Skinner, Jeff Gordon, Kenny Irwin and Michael Waltrip also have a shot at the Winston "No Bull 5" million.