1996 Miller 400 (Michigan)
# 1996 Miller 400 (Michigan)

The 1996 Miller 400 was the 14th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 28th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 23, 1996, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. Depending on fuel mileage, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would manage to drive a conservative race for the last 52 laps of the race to take his 44th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Sterling Marlin would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

### Entry list

* (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, Melling Engine Parts 50th Anniversary |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 94 | Todd Bodine | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | McDonald's Monopoly |
| 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | RCA |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 21, at 3:30 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, June 22, at 10:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 26-38 would be decided on time, 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.

Bobby Hamilton, driving for Petty Enterprises, would win the pole, setting a time of 38.884 and an average speed of 185.166 miles per hour (297.996 km/h).

No drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 38.884 | 185.166 |
| 2 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 39.098 | 184.153 |
| 3 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 39.213 | 183.613 |
| 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.214 | 183.608 |
| 5 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 39.220 | 183.580 |
| 6 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.260 | 183.393 |
| 7 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.263 | 183.379 |
| 8 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.278 | 183.309 |
| 9 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 39.279 | 183.304 |
| 10 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 39.338 | 183.029 |
| 11 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 39.345 | 182.997 |
| 12 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.360 | 182.927 |
| 13 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 39.382 | 182.825 |
| 14 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 39.391 | 182.783 |
| 15 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.410 | 182.695 |
| 16 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 39.440 | 182.556 |
| 17 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 39.473 | 182.403 |
| 18 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 39.477 | 182.385 |
| 19 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 39.482 | 182.362 |
| 20 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 39.487 | 182.338 |
| 21 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 39.508 | 182.242 |
| 22 | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.520 | 182.186 |
| 23 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 39.547 | 182.062 |
| 24 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.577 | 181.924 |
| 25 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.592 | 181.855 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 26 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.649 | 181.593 |
| 27 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.680 | 181.452 |
| 28 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 39.732 | 181.214 |
| 29 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 39.735 | 181.200 |
| 30 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 39.762 | 181.077 |
| 31 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 39.770 | 181.041 |
| 32 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 39.790 | 180.950 |
| 33 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 39.852 | 180.668 |
| 34 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 39.885 | 180.519 |
| 35 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.917 | 180.374 |
| 36 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 40.053 | 179.762 |
| 37 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 40.103 | 179.538 |
| 38 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 40.225 | 178.993 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 94 | Todd Bodine | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

*Time not available.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 18 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 200 | 10 | running | 180 | $71,380 |
| 2 | 6 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 6 | running | 175 | $59,730 |
| 3 | 8 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 78 | running | 175 | $55,930 |
| 4 | 40 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 160 | $43,775 |
| 5 | 32 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 155 | $40,525 |
| 6 | 7 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 42 | running | 155 | $41,650 |
| 7 | 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 146 | $35,350 |
| 8 | 12 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 142 | $29,200 |
| 9 | 11 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 138 | $33,350 |
| 10 | 30 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 3 | running | 139 | $27,850 |
| 11 | 3 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 44 | running | 135 | $19,900 |
| 12 | 5 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 7 | running | 132 | $30,425 |
| 13 | 31 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 124 | $25,375 |
| 14 | 28 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 121 | $13,525 |
| 15 | 1 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 199 | 5 | running | 123 | $26,025 |
| 16 | 27 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 115 | $23,950 |
| 17 | 25 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 112 | $16,625 |
| 18 | 17 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 199 | 0 | running | 109 | $23,290 |
| 19 | 9 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 106 | $22,875 |
| 20 | 39 | 94 | Todd Bodine | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 103 | $24,360 |
| 21 | 21 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 100 | $22,240 |
| 22 | 10 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 97 | $22,025 |
| 23 | 35 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 94 | $21,790 |
| 24 | 23 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 91 | $21,580 |
| 25 | 26 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 88 | $21,545 |
| 26 | 36 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 85 | $14,085 |
| 27 | 33 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 197 | 0 | running | 82 | $13,925 |
| 28 | 38 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 197 | 0 | running | 79 | $13,865 |
| 29 | 15 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 76 | $20,255 |
| 30 | 13 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 196 | 0 | out of gas | 73 | $17,690 |
| 31 | 14 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 195 | 5 | running | 75 | $35,540 |
| 32 | 20 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 192 | 0 | running | 67 | $17,490 |
| 33 | 16 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 192 | 0 | running | 64 | $10,385 |
| 34 | 22 | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 166 | 0 | engine | 61 | $10,315 |
| 35 | 34 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 156 | 0 | engine | 58 | $25,245 |
| 36 | 24 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | engine | 55 | $17,165 |
| 37 | 37 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 130 | 0 | engine | 52 | $16,165 |
| 38 | 29 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 125 | 0 | engine | 49 | $17,080 |
| 39 | 19 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 119 | 0 | engine | 46 | $10,080 |
| 40 | 2 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 53 | 0 | piston | 43 | $24,080 |
| Official race results |||||||||||
