The 1995 MBNA 500 was the 25th stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 27th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 17, 1995, in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to dominate the race to take his ninth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his seventh and final victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Petty Enterprises driver Bobby Hamilton and Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.

1995 MBNA 500
Race details
Race 25 of 31 in the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1995 Miller 500 program cover.
The 1995 Miller 500 program cover.
Date September 17, 1995
Official name 27th Annual MBNA 500
Location Dover, Delaware, Dover International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance 500 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Scheduled Distance 500 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Average speed 124.74 miles per hour (200.75 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Precision Products Racing
Time 23.461
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 400
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network TNN
Announcers Mike Joy, Dick Berggren, Buddy Baker
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Dover International Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Dover International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.

The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.

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
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
21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Ward Burton 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 Greg Sacks A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet Hardee's
32 Michael Ritch Active Motorsports Chevrolet ATS Wood Recycling
33 Robert Pressley (R) Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford Little Caesars, Kmart
40 Rich Bickle 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
66 Billy Standridge Johnson Standridge Racing Ford Duragloss
67 Terry Fisher RaDiUs Motorsports Ford NC State Wolfpack
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Terramite
75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford Factory Stores of America
77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford US Airways, Jasper Engines & Transmissions
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
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 Friday, September 15, at 3:00 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 Saturday, September 16, at 11:45 AM EST.[3] 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, 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; which was usually four. 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.

Rick Mast, driving for Precision Products Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 23.461 and an average speed of 153.446 miles per hour (246.947 km/h) in the first round.[4]

Three drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 23.461 153.446
2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 23.502 153.178
3 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 23.555 152.834
4 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 23.558 152.814
5 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 23.559 152.808
6 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 23.576 152.698
7 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 23.587 152.626
8 26 Hut Stricklin King Racing Ford 23.631 152.342
9 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 23.690 151.963
10 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 23.690 151.963
11 75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 23.698 151.912
12 33 Robert Pressley (R) Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 23.703 151.880
13 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 23.717 151.790
14 29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 23.725 151.739
15 15 Dick Trickle Bud Moore Engineering Ford 23.729 151.713
16 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 23.734 151.681
17 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Hardy Racing Ford 23.735 151.675
18 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 23.749 151.585
19 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 23.755 151.547
20 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 23.757 151.534
21 40 Rich Bickle Dick Brooks Racing Pontiac 23.767 151.471
22 41 Ricky Craven (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 23.777 151.407
23 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 23.778 151.400
24 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 23.784 151.362
25 8 Jeff Burton Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 23.788 151.337
Failed to lock in Round 1
26 28 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 23.571 152.730
27 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 23.592 152.594
28 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 23.648 152.233
29 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 23.657 152.175
30 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 23.677 152.046
31 21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 23.727 151.726
32 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 23.729 151.713
33 27 Elton Sawyer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 23.730 151.707
34 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 23.760 151.515
35 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 23.788 151.337
36 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 23.806 151.222
37 11 Brett Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 23.826 151.095
38 90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford 23.836 151.032
Provisionals
39 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford -* -*
40 32 Michael Ritch Active Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
Failed to qualify
41 66 Billy Standridge Johnson Standridge Racing Ford -* -*
42 67 Terry Fisher RaDiUs Motorsports Ford -* -*
43 31 Greg Sacks A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
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 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 400 running 185 $74,655
2 32 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 500 83 running 175 $62,505
3 7 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 500 0 running 165 $46,905
4 24 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 500 0 running 160 $34,465
5 28 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 500 0 running 155 $40,970
6 29 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 500 0 running 150 $31,515
7 18 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 499 1 running 151 $22,155
8 16 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 499 0 running 142 $31,065
9 4 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 498 0 running 138 $29,415
10 6 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 498 0 running 134 $33,665
11 13 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 498 0 running 130 $24,665
12 36 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 498 0 running 127 $24,065
13 23 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 497 0 running 124 $14,465
14 12 33 Robert Pressley (R) Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 495 11 running 126 $24,365
15 20 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 495 0 running 118 $29,865
16 34 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 495 0 running 115 $17,815
17 37 11 Brett Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 494 0 running 112 $26,615
18 17 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Hardy Racing Ford 494 0 running 109 $17,500
19 10 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 493 0 running 106 $17,215
20 25 8 Jeff Burton Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 493 0 running 103 $23,815
21 5 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 493 0 running 100 $21,915
22 22 41 Ricky Craven (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 492 0 running 97 $17,265
23 15 15 Dick Trickle Bud Moore Engineering Ford 492 0 running 94 $21,615
24 39 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 491 0 running 91 $27,765
25 14 29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 491 0 running 88 $16,615
26 3 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 490 0 running 85 $21,365
27 35 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 482 0 running 82 $16,115
28 1 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 439 3 engine 84 $26,965
29 30 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 425 1 running 81 $20,915
30 26 28 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 410 1 crash 78 $29,765
31 38 90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford 403 0 crash 70 $12,815
32 27 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 267 0 handling 67 $15,255
33 31 21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 262 0 engine 64 $17,705
34 40 32 Michael Ritch Active Motorsports Chevrolet 226 0 engine 61 $12,655
35 21 40 Rich Bickle Dick Brooks Racing Pontiac 218 0 engine 58 $17,605
36 19 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 148 0 handling 55 $17,430
37 11 75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 53 0 crash 52 $17,430
38 8 26 Hut Stricklin King Racing Ford 48 0 crash 49 $17,430
39 9 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 39 0 crash 46 $12,430
40 33 27 Elton Sawyer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 10 0 crash 43 $20,430
Failed to qualify
41 66 Billy Standridge Johnson Standridge Racing Ford
42 67 Terry Fisher RaDiUs Motorsports Ford
43 31 Greg Sacks A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Baker, Kent (September 18, 1995). "Gordon wins MBNA 500 to strengthen points lead". The Baltimore Sun. p. 38. Retrieved November 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ Schnatz, Pete (September 18, 1995). "Jeff Gordon cruises to victory at Dover". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 17. Retrieved November 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "MBNA 500". The Charlotte Observer. September 15, 1995. p. 30. Retrieved November 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Harris, Mike (September 16, 1995). "Rick Mast gains third pole of his career". The Morning Call. p. 148. Retrieved November 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
Previous race:
1995 Miller Genuine Draft 400 (Richmond)
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1995 season
Next race:
1995 Goody's 500 (Martinsville)