1996 Goody's Headache Powder 500 (Bristol)

The 1996 Goody's Headache Powder 500 was the 22nd stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 36th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, August 24, 1996, in Bristol, Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would manage to dominate a majority of the race to take his 46th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth and final victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

1996 Goody's Headache Powder 500
Race details
Race 22 of 31 in the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1996 Goody's Headache Powder 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte.
The 1996 Goody's Headache Powder 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte.
Date August 24, 1996
Official name 36th Annual Goody's Headache Powder 500
Location Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
0.533 mi (0.858 km)
Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km)
Scheduled Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km)
Average speed 91.267 miles per hour (146.880 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Roush Racing
Time 15.368
Most laps led
Driver Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South
Laps 353
Winner
No. 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Performance 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 Badcock Home Furniture
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
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
28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Chad Little Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet Cartoon Network, The Flintstones
30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac Pennzoil
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 Jim Sauter Team SABCO Pontiac Coors Light
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 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford Heilig-Meyers
94 Bill Elliott* Bill Elliott Racing Ford McDonald's
95 Gary Bradberry Sadler Brothers Racing Ford Shoney's Inn
98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford RCA
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Exide

*Replaced by Bobby Hillin Jr. for the race due to complications from injuries suffered at the 1996 Winston Select 500.[3]

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, August 23, at 5:30 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, August 34, 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 26-34 would be decided on time,[4] 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 15.368 and an average speed of 124.857 miles per hour (200.938 km/h).[5]

Bobby Hillin Jr. was the only driver to fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 15.368 124.857
2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.401 124.589
3 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.455 124.154
4 41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.464 124.082
5 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 15.468 124.050
6 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 15.514 123.682
7 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 15.542 123.459
8 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 15.545 123.435
9 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 15.548 123.411
10 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.560 123.316
11 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 15.560 123.316
12 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 15.564 123.285
13 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 15.588 123.095
14 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 15.595 123.039
15 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 15.613 122.898
16 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 15.617 122.866
17 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 15.623 122.819
18 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 15.635 122.725
19 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 15.650 122.607
20 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 15.651 122.599
21 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 15.659 122.537
22 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 15.660 122.529
23 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.675 122.411
24 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 15.679 122.380
25 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 15.685 122.333
26 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 15.692 122.279
27 95 Gary Bradberry Sadler Brothers Racing Ford 15.692 122.279
28 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 15.696 122.248
29 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 15.698 122.232
30 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 15.701 122.209
31 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 15.726 122.014
32 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford 15.744 121.875
33 42 Jim Sauter Team SABCO Pontiac 15.761 121.744
34 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 15.773 121.651
Provisionals
35 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac -* -*
36 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford -* -*
37 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford -* -*
38 29 Chad Little Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
Champion's Provisional
39 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford -* -*
Failed to qualify
40 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports 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 5 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 500 353 running 185 $77,090
2 2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 99 running 175 $54,590
3 1 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 500 9 running 170 $46,490
4 9 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 500 18 running 165 $32,980
5 3 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 0 running 155 $37,875
6 6 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 500 0 running 150 $30,865
7 15 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 500 21 running 151 $39,240
8 21 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 500 0 running 142 $32,440
9 13 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 500 0 running 138 $32,115
10 35 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 500 0 running 134 $35,265
11 20 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 499 0 running 130 $28,015
12 28 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 498 0 running 127 $27,715
13 10 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 498 0 running 124 $27,565
14 19 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 498 0 running 121 $27,215
15 7 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 497 0 running 118 $21,060
16 26 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 497 0 running 115 $26,560
17 36 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 496 0 running 112 $19,410
18 11 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 496 0 running 109 $32,260
19 16 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 495 0 running 106 $19,250
20 17 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 492 0 running 103 $20,910
21 4 41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 492 0 running 100 $25,885
22 39 94 Bobby Hillin Jr. Bill Elliott Racing Ford 491 0 running 97 $25,735
23 38 29 Chad Little Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 486 0 running 94 $25,585
24 23 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 476 0 running 91 $32,310
25 32 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford 473 0 running 88 $25,565
26 25 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 470 0 running 85 $18,210
27 24 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 470 0 running 82 $18,187
28 29 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 465 0 running 79 $24,635
29 37 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 458 0 running 76 $22,110
30 27 95 Gary Bradberry Sadler Brothers Racing Ford 449 0 running 73 $15,060
31 33 42 Jim Sauter Team SABCO Pontiac 433 0 crash 70 $22,060
32 22 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 408 0 crash 67 $32,060
33 31 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 396 0 running 64 $22,060
34 14 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 385 0 running 61 $22,060
35 30 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 374 0 crash 58 $22,060
36 8 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 370 0 running 55 $30,060
37 18 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 348 0 running 52 $15,060
38 34 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 340 0 crash 49 $22,060
39 12 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 206 0 oil leak 46 $30,060
Failed to qualify
40 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (August 25, 1996). "Wallace masters Bristol". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  2. ^ Harris, Mike (August 25, 1996). "Wallace coasts at Bristol". The Republic. p. 32. Retrieved October 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ McLaurin, Jim (August 25, 1996). "Earnhardt wants to buy speedway". The State. p. 39. Retrieved October 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ "Goody's 500". The Charlotte Observer. August 23, 1996. p. 15. Retrieved October 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  5. ^ "Martin takes another pole at Bristol". The Sentinel. August 24, 1996. p. 34. Retrieved October 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
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NASCAR Winston Cup Series
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