The 1995 Coca-Cola 600 was the 11th stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 36th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 28, 1995, before an audience of 175,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would manage to dominate the late stages of the race with the help of changing his racing line according to Labonte. The victory was Labonte's first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and Bahari Racing driver Michael Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.

1995 Coca-Cola 600
Race details
Race 11 of 31 in the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1995 Coca-Cola 600 program cover, with artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
The 1995 Coca-Cola 600 program cover, with artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
Date May 28, 1995
Official name 36th Annual Coca-Cola 600
Location Concord, North Carolina, Charlotte Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.41 km)
Distance 400 laps, 600 mi (965.606 km)
Scheduled Distance 400 laps, 600 mi (965.606 km)
Average speed 151.952 miles per hour (244.543 km/h)
Attendance 175,000
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 29.370
Most laps led
Driver Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 169
Winner
No. 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network TBS
Announcers Ken Squier, Ernie Irvan, Richard Petty
Radio in the United States
Radio Performance Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Charlotte Motor Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, as well as the UAW-GM Quality 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac Skoal
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford Miller Genuine Draft
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Service Plus
4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Valvoline
7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford Exide
8 Jeff Burton Stavola Brothers Racing Ford Raybestos
9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford Spam
10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford Tide
11 Brett Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates Ford Lowe's
12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford Mane 'n Tail
14 Jimmy Hensley Hagan Racing Ford International Brotherhood of Teamsters
15 Dick Trickle Bud Moore Engineering Ford Ford Quality Care
16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford The Family Channel
17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet Western Auto
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet Interstate Batteries
19 Loy Allen Jr. TriStar Motorsports Ford HealthSource RI
20 Bobby Hillin Jr. Moroso Racing Ford FINA
21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Randy LaJoie (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac MBNA
23 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Smokin' Joe's
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Budweiser
26 Hut Stricklin King Racing Ford Quaker State
27 Elton Sawyer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford Hooters
28 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet Meineke
30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac Pennzoil
31 Ward Burton A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet Hardee's
32 Chuck Bown Active Motorsports Chevrolet FINA
33 Robert Pressley (R) Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford Little Caesars, Kmart
40 Greg Sacks Dick Brooks Racing Pontiac Kendall
41 Ricky Craven (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kodiak
42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac Coors Light Silver Bullet
43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Jeff Purvis Phoenix Racing Chevrolet Jackaroo Barby-Q-Sauce
67 Johnny Chapman RaDiUs Motorsports Ford RaDiUs Motorsports
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Olive Garden
75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford Factory Stores of America
77 Davy Jones Jasper Motorsports Ford US Airways, Jasper Engines & Transmissions
81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford TIC Financial Systems
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet Burger King
90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford Heilig-Meyers
94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Hardy Racing Ford McDonald's, Batman Forever
97 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Ford Harris Teeter
98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford RCA

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Wednesday, May 24, at 7:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 25 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Thursday, May 25, at 6:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 26-38 would be decided on time,[3] and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; up to four provisionals were given. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.

Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.370 and an average speed of 183.861 miles per hour (295.896 km/h) in the first round.[4]

Six drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.370 183.861
2 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 29.550 182.741
3 41 Ricky Craven (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.624 182.285
4 11 Brett Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 29.680 181.941
5 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 29.732 181.622
6 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.749 181.519
7 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 29.765 181.421
8 27 Elton Sawyer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 29.845 180.935
9 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 29.857 180.862
10 21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 29.860 180.844
11 15 Dick Trickle Bud Moore Engineering Ford 29.870 180.783
12 26 Hut Stricklin King Racing Ford 29.874 180.759
13 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.909 180.548
14 75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 29.910 180.542
15 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 29.933 180.403
16 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 29.933 180.403
17 97 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Ford 29.933 180.403
18 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 29.953 180.282
19 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Hardy Racing Ford 29.962 180.228
20 8 Jeff Burton Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 29.964 180.216
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 29.968 180.192
22 28 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.979 180.126
23 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 29.983 180.102
24 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 29.984 180.096
25 33 Robert Pressley (R) Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 29.986 180.084
26 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 30.009 179.946
27 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 30.048 179.712
28 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 30.095 179.432
29 90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford 30.114 179.319
30 31 Ward Burton A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet 30.115 179.313
31 19 Loy Allen Jr. TriStar Motorsports Ford 30.120 179.283
32 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 30.143 179.146
33 32 Chuck Bown Active Motorsports Chevrolet 30.149 179.110
34 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 30.160 179.045
35 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 30.226 178.654
36 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 30.241 178.566
37 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 30.263 178.436
38 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 30.269 178.400
Provisionals
39 29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 30.303 178.200
40 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 30.333 178.024
41 22 Randy LaJoie (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 30.324 178.077
42 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 30.349 177.930
Failed to qualify
43 40 Greg Sacks Team SABCO Pontiac 30.278 178.347
44 20 Bobby Hillin Jr. Moroso Racing Ford 30.360 177.866
45 14 Jimmy Hensley Hagan Racing Ford 30.379 177.754
46 77 Davy Jones Jasper Motorsports Ford 30.623 176.338
47 44 Jeff Purvis Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 30.885 174.842
48 67 Johnny Chapman RaDiUs Motorsports Ford 31.310 172.469
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 2 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 400 85 running 180 $163,850
2 13 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 1 running 175 $93,050
3 5 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 400 9 running 170 $70,650
4 7 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 399 31 running 165 $62,700
5 18 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 399 3 running 160 $49,000
6 34 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 399 38 running 155 $52,500
7 12 26 Hut Stricklin King Racing Ford 399 0 running 146 $30,000
8 16 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 398 0 running 142 $27,500
9 23 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 398 0 running 138 $25,400
10 3 41 Ricky Craven (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 397 0 running 134 $30,400
11 10 21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 397 7 running 135 $28,300
12 29 90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford 397 0 running 127 $20,800
13 39 29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 397 0 running 124 $21,500
14 15 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 397 0 running 121 $23,300
15 27 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 397 0 running 118 $23,300
16 11 15 Dick Trickle Bud Moore Engineering Ford 397 0 running 115 $20,550
17 36 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 396 0 running 112 $14,600
18 21 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 396 0 running 109 $18,750
19 26 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 396 0 running 106 $13,000
20 9 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 395 0 running 103 $11,350
21 33 32 Chuck Bown Active Motorsports Chevrolet 394 0 running 100 $8,800
22 42 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 394 0 running 97 $11,650
23 41 22 Randy LaJoie (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 393 0 running 94 $16,725
24 25 33 Robert Pressley (R) Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 393 0 running 91 $15,820
25 8 27 Elton Sawyer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 392 0 running 88 $16,300
26 28 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 391 0 running 85 $22,000
27 38 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 390 0 engine 82 $10,250
28 32 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 390 4 running 84 $21,310
29 40 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 380 0 running 76 $14,480
30 6 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 358 169 engine 83 $40,300
31 37 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 333 0 rear end 70 $6,750
32 22 28 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 317 0 engine 67 $21,050
33 1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 283 37 suspension 69 $64,950
34 24 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 258 10 handling 66 $22,500
35 4 11 Brett Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 230 0 accident 58 $21,950
36 31 19 Loy Allen Jr. TriStar Motorsports Ford 225 0 accident 55 $6,405
37 35 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 159 0 engine 52 $6,360
38 14 75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 146 6 engine 54 $11,920
39 19 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Hardy Racing Ford 134 0 accident 46 $6,320
40 20 8 Jeff Burton Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 134 0 camshaft 43 $11,320
41 30 31 Ward Burton A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet 71 0 accident 40 $6,320
42 17 97 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Ford 9 0 engine 37 $6,320
Failed to qualify
43 40 Greg Sacks Team SABCO Pontiac
44 20 Bobby Hillin Jr. Moroso Racing Ford
45 14 Jimmy Hensley Hagan Racing Ford
46 77 Davy Jones Jasper Motorsports Ford
47 44 Jeff Purvis Phoenix Racing Chevrolet
48 67 Johnny Chapman RaDiUs Motorsports Ford
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Coble, Don (May 29, 1995). "Bobby Labonte finds real groove at Coca-Cola". The Times. p. 23. Retrieved January 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ Macenka, Joe (May 29, 1995). "Bobby Labonte puts brakes on brother". Austin American-Statesman. p. 47. Retrieved January 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Race week at Charlotte". The Charlotte Observer. May 23, 1995. p. 12. Retrieved January 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Macenka, Joe (May 25, 1995). "Gordon grabs pole, seeks new nickname". The Advocate-Messenger. p. 15. Retrieved January 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
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NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1995 season
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1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500 (Dover)