1996 Dura Lube 500
# 1996 Dura Lube 500

The 1996 Dura Lube 500 was the 30th and penultimate stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the 14th and penultimate race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston West Series, and the ninth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 27, 1996, in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 312 laps to complete. In the late stages of the race, Petty Enterprises driver Bobby Hamilton would manage to make a late race pass and dominate to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.

Heading into the final race of the season, the 1996 NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, points leader Terry Labonte would come into the race with a 47 point lead over teammate Jeff Gordon. To clinch the championship, Labonte would need to finish eighth or better.

## Background

Phoenix International Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.

The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 00 | Scott Gaylord | Oliver Racing | Chevrolet | Oliver Gravity Separators |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | Hooters |
| 01 | Jeff Krogh | Excel Motorsports | Chevrolet | Clearwater Forest Industries |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | Miller Silver Splash |
| 02 | Bill McAnally | Bill McAnally Racing | Chevrolet | Bill McAnally Racing |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 03 | Joe Bean | Bean Racing | Ford | Bean Racing |
| 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 |
| 07 | Lance Hooper | Golden West Motorsports | Pontiac | Cinema Vehicle Services |
| 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 | Dick Trickle | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | HealthSource RI |
| 20 | Mark Krogh | Excel Motorsports | Chevrolet | Excel Motorsports |
| 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 | Robert Pressley | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Cartoon Network, The Flintstones |
| 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 33 | Todd Bodine | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal |
| 35 | Larry Gunselman | Race Stuff Motorsports | Ford | Race Stuff Motorsports |
| 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | Kmart, Little Caesars |
| 38 | Rich Woodland Jr. | Bill Stroppe Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bill Stroppe Motorsports |
| 40 | Robby Gordon | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | First Union |
| 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 |
| 52 | Jack Sprague | Hendrick Motorsports | Pontiac | Pedigree, Kal Kan |
| 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 |
| 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | RCA |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was scheduled to be held on Friday, October 25, at 4:30 PM EST. However, only six drivers were able to set a lap before qualifying was rained out and postponed until Saturday, October 26, at 2:00 PM EST. Qualifying was eventually combined into only one 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 Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, setting a time of 27.465 and an average speed of 131.076 miles per hour (210.946 km/h).

Six drivers would fail to qualify: Mark Krogh, Scott Gaylord, Larry Gunselman, Rich Woodland Jr., Joe Bean, and Bill McAnally.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 27.465 | 131.076 |
| 2 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.545 | 130.695 |
| 3 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 27.587 | 130.496 |
| 4 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.617 | 130.354 |
| 5 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 27.669 | 130.110 |
| 6 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 27.680 | 130.058 |
| 7 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 27.693 | 129.997 |
| 8 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 27.694 | 129.992 |
| 9 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 27.701 | 129.959 |
| 10 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 27.734 | 129.805 |
| 11 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 27.746 | 129.748 |
| 12 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 27.749 | 129.734 |
| 13 | 33 | Todd Bodine | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 27.762 | 129.674 |
| 14 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 27.763 | 129.669 |
| 15 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.781 | 129.585 |
| 16 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.792 | 129.534 |
| 17 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 27.794 | 129.524 |
| 18 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.810 | 129.450 |
| 19 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.815 | 129.427 |
| 20 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 27.817 | 129.417 |
| 21 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 27.826 | 129.375 |
| 22 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 27.856 | 129.236 |
| 23 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 27.870 | 129.171 |
| 24 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.884 | 129.106 |
| 25 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 27.896 | 129.051 |
| 26 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 27.900 | 129.032 |
| 27 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 27.902 | 129.023 |
| 28 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 27.911 | 128.981 |
| 29 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 27.922 | 128.931 |
| 30 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.954 | 128.783 |
| 31 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 27.954 | 128.783 |
| 32 | 40 | Robby Gordon | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 27.954 | 128.783 |
| 33 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 27.960 | 128.755 |
| 34 | 52 | Jack Sprague | Hendrick Motorsports | Pontiac | 27.981 | 128.659 |
| 35 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 27.991 | 128.613 |
| 36 | 29 | Robert Pressley | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.017 | 128.493 |
| 37 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 28.038 | 128.397 |
| 38 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 28.063 | 128.283 |
| Winston Cup provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 40 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 42 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| Winston West provisionals |||||||
| 43 | 07 | Lance Hooper | Golden West Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 44 | 01 | Jeff Krogh | Excel Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 45 | 20 | Mark Krogh | Excel Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 46 | 00 | Scott Gaylord | Oliver Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 47 | 35 | Larry Gunselman | Race Stuff Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 48 | 38 | Rich Woodland Jr. | Bill Stroppe Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 49 | 03 | Joe Bean | Bean Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 50 | 02 | Bill McAnally | Bill McAnally Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 17 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 312 | 40 | running | 180 | $95,550 |
| 2 | 6 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 312 | 83 | running | 180 | $59,795 |
| 3 | 30 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 61 | running | 170 | $61,590 |
| 4 | 25 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 312 | 2 | running | 165 | $35,153 |
| 5 | 19 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | running | 155 | $45,065 |
| 6 | 28 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 312 | 31 | running | 155 | $30,555 |
| 7 | 12 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 312 | 0 | running | 146 | $31,555 |
| 8 | 5 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 312 | 29 | running | 147 | $22,055 |
| 9 | 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 54 | running | 143 | $34,555 |
| 10 | 18 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | running | 134 | $27,155 |
| 11 | 13 | 33 | Todd Bodine | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | running | 130 | $23,955 |
| 12 | 24 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | running | 127 | $29,055 |
| 13 | 2 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 0 | running | 124 | $12,255 |
| 14 | 3 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 311 | 0 | running | 121 | $26,855 |
| 15 | 20 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 311 | 0 | running | 118 | $22,355 |
| 16 | 31 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 311 | 0 | running | 115 | $22,055 |
| 17 | 26 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 311 | 0 | running | 112 | $14,855 |
| 18 | 37 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 311 | 10 | running | 114 | $22,330 |
| 19 | 14 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 310 | 0 | running | 106 | $14,330 |
| 20 | 29 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 310 | 0 | running | 103 | $15,745 |
| 21 | 11 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 310 | 0 | running | 100 | $20,820 |
| 22 | 41 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 310 | 0 | running | 97 | $25,195 |
| 23 | 34 | 52 | Jack Sprague | Hendrick Motorsports | Pontiac | 310 | 2 | running | 99 | $10,170 |
| 24 | 38 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 0 | running | 91 | $13,620 |
| 25 | 16 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 309 | 0 | running | 88 | $20,695 |
| 26 | 35 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 309 | 0 | running | 85 | $20,370 |
| 27 | 15 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 308 | 0 | running | 82 | $26,465 |
| 28 | 33 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 308 | 0 | running | 79 | $20,220 |
| 29 | 22 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 307 | 0 | oil leak | 76 | $20,095 |
| 30 | 40 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 307 | 0 | running | 73 | $12,970 |
| 31 | 21 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 304 | 0 | running | 70 | $12,945 |
| 32 | 23 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 304 | 0 | running | 67 | $19,170 |
| 33 | 43 | 07 | Lance Hooper | Golden West Motorsports | Pontiac | 302 | 0 | running | 64 | $9,645 |
| 34 | 39 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 296 | 0 | running | 61 | $16,620 |
| 35 | 4 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 288 | 0 | rear end | 58 | $16,790 |
| 36 | 36 | 29 | Robert Pressley | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 257 | 0 | engine | 55 | $16,565 |
| 37 | 7 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 254 | 0 | engine | 52 | $9,525 |
| 38 | 8 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | engine | 49 | $18,465 |
| 39 | 42 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 153 | 0 | accident | 46 | $9,465 |
| 40 | 9 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 151 | 0 | engine | 43 | $24,465 |
| 41 | 44 | 01 | Jeff Krogh | Excel Motorsports | Chevrolet | 151 | 0 | accident | 40 | $9,465 |
| 42 | 32 | 40 | Robby Gordon | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | accident | 37 | $9,465 |
| 43 | 27 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 114 | 0 | accident | 34 | $17,465 |
| 44 | 10 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 | 0 | engine | 31 | $17,065 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 45 | | 20 | Mark Krogh | Excel Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 00 | Scott Gaylord | Oliver Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 35 | Larry Gunselman | Race Stuff Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 48 | | 38 | Rich Woodland Jr. | Bill Stroppe Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 49 | | 03 | Joe Bean | Bean Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 50 | | 02 | Bill McAnally | Bill McAnally Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
