The 1996 Pepsi 400 was the 15th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 38th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 6, 1996, in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race was shortened from its scheduled 160 laps to 117 laps due to rain. After suffering an ignition failure in the middle of the race, Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Sterling Marlin was able to come back through the field and dominate a majority of the race when the race ended due to the rain. The win was Marlin's sixth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon, both drivers for Hendrick Motorsports, would finish second and third, respectively.

1996 Pepsi 400
Race details
Race 15 of 31 in the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1996 Pepsi 400 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon.
The 1996 Pepsi 400 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon.
Date July 6, 1996
Official name 38th Annual Pepsi 400
Location Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Distance 117 laps, 292.5 mi (470.733 km)
Scheduled Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Average speed 161.602 miles per hour (260.073 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 47.652
Most laps led
Driver Sterling Marlin Morgan-McClure Motorsports
Laps 88
Winner
No. 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan-McClure Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons, Ned Jarrett
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.[3] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[4]

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
19 Loy Allen Jr. 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, 1996 Summer Olympics
28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Greg Sacks 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 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac Coors Light, Independence Day
43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Jeff Purvis Phoenix Racing Chevrolet David Lee Murphy
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Prodigy 800 Starts
75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford Stren Fishing Lines, 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

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was scheduled to be held on Thursday, July 4, at 2:30 PM EST. However, only nine drivers were able to set a lap before qualifying was rained out and postponed until Friday, July 5, at 9:00 AM EST.[5] Each driver would have two laps to set a time, the fastest of which would count as their qualifying lap. 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 Friday, July 5, at 1:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have two laps to set a time. For this specific race, positions 26-38 would be decided on time,[6] 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.

Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 47.652 and an average speed of 188.869 miles per hour (303.955 km/h).[7]

No 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 47.652 188.869
2 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 48.075 187.207
3 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 48.117 187.044
4 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 48.186 186.776
5 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 48.218 186.652
6 44 Jeff Purvis Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 48.264 186.474
7 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 48.281 186.409
8 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 48.352 186.135
9 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 48.361 186.100
10 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 48.370 186.066
11 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 48.376 186.043
12 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 48.384 186.012
13 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 48.402 185.943
14 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 48.413 185.900
15 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 48.414 185.897
16 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 48.498 185.575
17 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 48.502 185.559
18 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 48.541 185.410
19 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 48.543 185.403
20 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 48.547 185.387
21 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 48.576 185.277
22 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 48.582 185.254
23 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 48.603 185.174
24 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 48.703 184.794
25 41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 48.717 184.740
Failed to lock in Round 1
26 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 48.286 186.389
27 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 48.735 184.672
28 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 48.738 184.661
29 95 Gary Bradberry Sadler Brothers Racing Ford 48.823 184.339
30 29 Greg Sacks Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 48.828 184.320
31 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 48.858 184.207
32 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 48.891 184.083
33 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 48.941 183.895
34 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 48.976 183.763
35 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford 48.985 183.730
36 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 49.012 183.628
37 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 49.035 183.542
38 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 49.086 183.352
Provisionals
39 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford -* -*
40 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford -* -*
41 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford -* -*
42 19 Loy Allen Jr. TriStar Motorsports Ford -* -*
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 2 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 117 88 running 185 $106,565
2 12 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 117 0 running 170 $63,335
3 1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 117 7 running 170 $63,735
4 7 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 117 0 running 160 $97,960
5 14 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 117 0 running 155 $44,210
6 3 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 117 14 running 155 $30,910
7 23 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 117 6 running 151 $33,760
8 8 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 117 1 running 147 $31,660
9 36 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 117 0 running 138 $37,760
10 27 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 117 0 running 134 $31,310
11 40 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 117 0 running 130 $34,095
12 35 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford 117 0 running 127 $27,990
13 38 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 117 0 running 124 $27,600
14 33 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 117 0 running 121 $20,260
15 18 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 117 0 running 118 $20,920
16 19 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 117 0 running 115 $26,530
17 16 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 117 0 running 112 $26,190
18 20 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 117 0 running 109 $25,875
19 15 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 117 0 running 106 $18,535
20 32 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 117 0 running 103 $25,670
21 6 44 Jeff Purvis Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 117 0 running 100 $14,550
22 25 41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 117 0 running 97 $24,730
23 22 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 117 0 running 94 $24,460
24 37 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 117 1 running 96 $24,240
25 5 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 117 0 running 88 $25,195
26 4 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 117 0 running 85 $23,835
27 24 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 117 0 running 82 $16,180
28 13 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 117 0 running 79 $13,560
29 9 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 116 0 running 76 $20,465
30 42 19 Loy Allen Jr. TriStar Motorsports Ford 116 0 running 73 $13,370
31 11 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 116 0 running 70 $28,315
32 31 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 116 0 running 67 $13,285
33 39 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 116 0 running 64 $28,255
34 41 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 116 0 running 61 $20,225
35 29 95 Gary Bradberry Sadler Brothers Racing Ford 116 0 running 58 $13,195
36 26 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 115 0 running 55 $13,665
37 28 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 109 0 running 52 $20,136
38 21 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 100 0 crash 49 $13,090
39 30 29 Greg Sacks Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 95 0 crash 46 $20,090
40 10 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 95 0 engine 43 $29,090
41 34 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 95 0 running 40 $28,090
42 17 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 63 0 engine 37 $20,090
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (July 7, 1996). "Marlin leaves Pepsi 400 field in a cloud". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  2. ^ Wine, Steven (July 7, 1996). "Marlin first on day of thunder". Indiana Gazette. p. 23. Retrieved October 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "NASCAR.COM : Tracks". 2010-08-11. Archived from the original on 2010-08-11. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  4. ^ "Daytona International Speedway: The World Center of Racing". 2010-08-30. Archived from the original on 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  5. ^ Wine, Steven (July 5, 1996). "NASCAR qualifying delayed". The Tribune. p. 13. Retrieved October 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  6. ^ "Pepsi 400". The Charlotte Observer. July 5, 1996. p. 28. Retrieved October 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  7. ^ Goold, Derrick (July 6, 1996). "Gordon takes first pole at Daytona (albeit 400)". The Palm Beach Post. p. 55. Retrieved October 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
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1996 Miller 400 (Michigan)
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1996 season
Next race:
1996 Jiffy Lube 300