The 1999 Primestar 500 was the sixth stock car race of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the third iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 28, 1999, in Fort Worth, Texas at Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. Nearing the end of the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte would make a late-race move to pass Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett for the lead. With three to go, the caution came out for Jimmy Spencer, handing the win to Labonte.[1][2] The win was Labonte's 21st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Jarrett and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 6 of 34 in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1999 Primestar 500 program cover, with artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass. | |||
| Date | March 28, 1999 | ||
| Official name | Third Annual Primestar 500 | ||
| Location | Fort Worth, Texas, Texas Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 334 laps, 501 mi (806.281 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 334 laps, 501 mi (806.281 km) | ||
| Average speed | 144.276 miles per hour (232.190 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Robert Yates Racing | ||
| Time | 28.398 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 124 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Ned Jarrett, Buddy Baker | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The track measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) around and is banked 24 degrees in the turns. It is of the oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly. The track layout is similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Lowe's Motor Speedway). The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the same company that owns Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedway, as well as the short-track Bristol Motor Speedway.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editOriginally, four practice sessions were scheduled to be held, with two on Friday and two on Saturday. However, due to rain, the second practice session on Saturday was cancelled.[3]
First practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, March 26, at 11:00 AM CST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes.[3] Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.402 and an average speed of 190.127 mph (305.980 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.402 | 190.127 |
| 2 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 28.418 | 190.020 |
| 3 | 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 28.637 | 188.567 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Friday, March 26, at 1:05 PM CST. The session would last for one hour and 20 minutes.[3] Geoff Bodine, driving for Joe Bessey Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.402 and an average speed of 190.127 mph (305.980 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 28.406 | 190.101 |
| 2 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 28.486 | 189.567 |
| 3 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 28.523 | 189.321 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
editThe final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 27, at 9:00 AM CST. The session would last for one hour. Geoff Bodine, driving for Joe Bessey Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.347 and an average speed of 190.496 mph (306.574 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 28.347 | 190.496 |
| 2 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 28.686 | 188.245 |
| 3 | 91 | Dick Trickle | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 28.805 | 187.467 |
| Full final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 26, at 3:30 PM CST. 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 27, at 10:45 AM CST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[3] Positions 26-36 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]
Kenny Irwin Jr., driving for Robert Yates Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 28.398 and an average speed of 190.154 miles per hour (306.023 km/h).[7]
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Dick Trickle, Kyle Petty, Dave Marcis, and Stanton Barrett.
Full qualifying results
edit*Time not available.
Race results
editReferences
edit- ^ Poole, David (March 28, 1999). "T. Labonte earns Texas-sized victory". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ Strubin, John (March 29, 1999). "Terry Labonte returns to Texas for victory". The Leaf-Chronicle. The New York Times. p. 19. Retrieved August 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 1999 Texas Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on October 30, 2000. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ "Friday's first Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. March 26, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ "Friday's second-session practice speeds". That's Racin'. March 26, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 13, 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.
- ^ Strubin, John (March 27, 1999). "Kenny Irwin tops 190 mph for Texas pole position". That's Racin'. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ "1999 Primestar 500 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved August 12, 2022.