The 1996 Food City 500 was the sixth stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 36th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 31, 1996, in Bristol, Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race was shortened from its scheduled 500 laps to 342 laps due to rain. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to dominate a majority of the race to take his 12th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

1996 Food City 500
Race details
Race 6 of 31 in the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1996 Food City 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt. Artwork by Sam Bass.
The 1996 Food City 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt. Artwork by Sam Bass.
Date March 31, 1996
Official name 36th Annual Food City 500
Location Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
0.533 mi (0.858 km)
Distance 342 laps, 182.286 mi (293.36 km)
Scheduled Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km)
Average speed 91.308 miles per hour (146.946 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Roush Racing
Time 15.527
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 148
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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

The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac Hooters
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford Miller
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 QVC
8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford Circuit City
9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford Spam
10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford Tide
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford Lowe's
12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford Mane 'n Tail
15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford Hayes Modems
16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford PrimeStar, The Family Channel
17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet Parts America
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet Interstate Batteries
19 Dick Trickle TriStar Motorsports Ford HealthSource RI
21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac MBNA
23 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Camel Cigarettes
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Budweiser
27 Elton Sawyer David Blair Motorsports Ford David Blair Motorsports
28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet Cartoon Network, The Flintstones
30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac Pennzoil
31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Team Realtree
33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet Skoal
37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford Kmart, Little Caesars
41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kodiak
42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac Coors Light Silver Bullet
43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Prodigy
75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford Remington Arms
77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford Square D, TIC Financial Systems
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet Burger King
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford Quality Care Service, Ford Credit
90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford Heilig-Meyers
94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford McDonald's
95 Chuck Bown Sadler Brothers Racing Ford Shoney's Inn
98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford RCA
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Exide

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 29, 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, March 30, at 12:30 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 26-32 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.

Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 15.527 and an average speed of 123.578 miles per hour (198.880 km/h).[4]

Six drivers would fail to qualify: Mike Wallace, John Andretti, Johnny Benson Jr., Dave Marcis, Bobby Hillin Jr., and Chuck Bown.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 15.527 123.578
2 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.610 122.921
3 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 15.627 122.787
4 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 15.637 122.709
5 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 15.653 122.584
6 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.653 122.584
7 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 15.657 122.552
8 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.677 122.396
9 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 15.678 122.388
10 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 15.690 122.294
11 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 15.704 122.185
12 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 15.709 122.147
13 41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.710 122.139
14 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 15.713 122.115
15 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 15.716 122.092
16 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 15.726 122.014
17 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 15.727 122.007
18 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 15.728 121.999
19 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.730 121.983
20 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 15.743 121.883
21 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 15.744 121.875
22 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 15.760 121.751
23 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 15.761 121.744
24 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 15.765 121.713
25 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 15.770 121.674
Failed to lock in Round 1
26 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 15.774 121.643
27 27 Elton Sawyer David Blair Motorsports Ford 15.790 121.520
28 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.791 121.512
29 19 Dick Trickle TriStar Motorsports Ford 15.804 121.412
30 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 15.806 121.397
31 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford 15.832 121.198
32 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 15.838 121.152
Provisionals
33 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 15.947 120.324
34 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 15.989 120.008
35 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 15.856 121.014
36 29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 15.864 120.953
37 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 15.991 119.992
Failed to qualify
38 90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford -* -*
39 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford -* -*
40 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac -* -*
41 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet -* -*
42 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford -* -*
43 95 Chuck Bown Sadler Brothers Racing Ford -* -*
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 8 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 342 148 running 185 $93,765
2 2 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 342 0 running 170 $54,215
3 1 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 342 59 running 170 $44,815
4 19 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 342 0 running 160 $35,351
5 11 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 342 76 running 160 $29,895
6 7 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 342 0 running 150 $26,395
7 5 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 341 2 running 151 $28,895
8 29 19 Dick Trickle TriStar Motorsports Ford 341 0 running 142 $15,495
9 13 41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 341 0 running 138 $25,190
10 25 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 340 0 running 134 $27,040
11 14 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 340 0 running 130 $16,190
12 32 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 340 0 running 127 $23,340
13 15 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 340 0 running 124 $22,565
14 9 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 340 9 running 126 $26,115
15 34 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 340 0 running 118 $23,265
16 16 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 340 0 running 115 $25,890
17 23 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 340 0 running 112 $21,940
18 4 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 340 0 running 109 $27,490
19 21 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 340 0 running 106 $14,780
20 22 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 339 0 running 103 $23,321
21 35 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 338 0 running 100 $14,215
22 17 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 338 0 running 97 $21,065
23 33 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 338 0 running 94 $10,415
24 31 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford 338 0 running 91 $20,840
25 30 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 336 0 running 88 $20,895
26 3 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 333 0 crash 85 $21,865
27 36 29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 326 0 running 82 $20,441
28 37 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 324 38 running 84 $20,290
29 28 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 305 0 running 76 $20,160
30 18 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 304 0 running 73 $12,835
31 20 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 261 0 running 70 $18,835
32 24 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 203 0 running 67 $15,835
33 12 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 200 0 running 64 $24,785
34 10 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 184 0 running 61 $8,835
35 26 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 152 0 running 58 $15,835
36 6 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 72 10 crash 60 $8,835
37 27 27 Elton Sawyer David Blair Motorsports Ford 29 0 crash 52 $8,835
Failed to qualify
38 90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford
39 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford
40 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac
41 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
42 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford
43 95 Chuck Bown Sadler Brothers Racing Ford
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (April 1, 1996). "Gordon `rains' in Bristol victory". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  2. ^ Harris, Mike (April 1, 1996). "Rain is Gordon's friend". Public Opinion. p. 16. Retrieved October 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Food City 500". The Charlotte Observer. March 29, 1996. p. 15. Retrieved October 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Harris, Mike (March 30, 1996). "Martin zips to Bristol pole". Messenger-Inquirer. p. 17. Retrieved October 12, 2022.  
Previous race:
1996 TranSouth Financial 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1996 season
Next race:
1996 First Union 400