The 1999 Pontiac Excitement 400 was the 11th stock car race of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 45th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, May 15, 1999, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to make a pass for the lead with 32 to go and hold onto the lead to win his 19th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 11 of 34 in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1999 Pontiac Excitement 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | May 15, 1999 | ||
| Official name | 45th Annual Pontiac Excitement 400 | ||
| Location | Richmond, Virginia, Richmond International Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.75 mi (1.21 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Average speed | 100.102 miles per hour (161.099 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 21.344 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 104 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons, Ned Jarrett | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, May 14, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes.[3] Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.379 and an average speed of 126.292 mph (203.247 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 21.379 | 126.292 |
| 2 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 21.431 | 125.985 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.486 | 125.663 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Friday, May 14, at 2:30 PM EST. The session would last for two hours.[3] Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.305 and an average speed of 126.731 mph (203.954 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 21.305 | 126.731 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.329 | 126.588 |
| 3 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 21.402 | 126.156 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Saturday, May 15, at 1:00 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[3] Positions 1-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[6]
Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 21.344 and an average speed of 126.499 miles per hour (203.580 km/h).[7]
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Dave Marcis, Buckshot Jones, and Hut Stricklin.
Full qualifying results
edit*Time not available.
Race results
editReferences
edit- ^ Poole, David (May 16, 1999). "Jarrett revels in Richmond win". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "Jarrett's victory drought ends in Pontiac 400". The Gazette. May 17, 1999. p. 23. Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 1999 Richmond 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on August 23, 2000. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "Winston Cup practice speeds from Richmond". That's Racin'. May 14, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "Saturday morning Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. May 15, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 1999 Provisional Start Status". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on April 18, 1999. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
- ^ Poole, David (May 15, 1999). "Gordon on pole for Pontiac 400". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "1999 Pontiac Excitement 400 (WCS) - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved August 19, 2022.