1996 Hanes 500
# 1996 Hanes 500

The 1996 Hanes 500 was the 26th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 48th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 22, 1996, in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. In a one-lap shootout to the finish, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to defend the field to take his 18th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his ninth victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and Petty Enterprises driver Bobby Hamilton would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

### 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 Silver Splash |
| 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 |
| 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 | Chad Little | 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 |
| 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 46 | Stacy Compton | Monroe Racing | Chevrolet | First Union |
| 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 |
| 78 | Billy Standridge | Triad Motorsports | Ford | Diamond Rio |
| 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

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 20, at 3:00 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, September 21, at 12:30 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 26-32 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 20.119 and an average speed of 94.120 miles per hour (151.471 km/h).

Six drivers would fail to qualify: Derrike Cope, Brett Bodine, Chad Little, Ward Burton, Billy Standridge, and Gary Bradberry.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 20.119 | 94.120 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 20.170 | 93.882 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.194 | 93.770 |
| 4 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 20.255 | 93.488 |
| 5 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 20.292 | 93.318 |
| 6 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 20.292 | 93.318 |
| 7 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 20.299 | 93.285 |
| 8 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 20.305 | 93.258 |
| 9 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 20.307 | 93.249 |
| 10 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.326 | 93.161 |
| 11 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.327 | 93.157 |
| 12 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 20.328 | 93.152 |
| 13 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 20.342 | 93.088 |
| 14 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 20.350 | 93.052 |
| 15 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.350 | 93.052 |
| 16 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.353 | 93.038 |
| 17 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.369 | 92.965 |
| 18 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 20.397 | 92.837 |
| 19 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.406 | 92.796 |
| 20 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 20.407 | 92.792 |
| 21 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.412 | 92.769 |
| 22 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 20.414 | 92.760 |
| 23 | 46 | Stacy Compton | Monroe Racing | Chevrolet | 20.426 | 92.705 |
| 24 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 20.435 | 92.665 |
| 25 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 20.448 | 92.606 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 26 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 20.337 | 93.111 |
| 27 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.360 | 93.006 |
| 28 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 20.375 | 92.937 |
| 29 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 20.453 | 92.583 |
| 30 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.465 | 92.529 |
| 31 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 20.471 | 92.502 |
| 32 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 20.472 | 92.497 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 33 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 34 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 35 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | -* | -* |
| 36 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 37 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 38 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 39 | 29 | Chad Little | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 40 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 41 | 78 | Billy Standridge | Triad Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 95 | Gary Bradberry | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 10 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 133 | running | 180 | $93,825 |
| 2 | 11 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 1 | running | 175 | $56,175 |
| 3 | 1 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 500 | 331 | running | 175 | $50,426 |
| 4 | 29 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 500 | 0 | running | 160 | $36,125 |
| 5 | 6 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 155 | $26,235 |
| 6 | 5 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 150 | $19,625 |
| 7 | 20 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 146 | $29,875 |
| 8 | 7 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 500 | 0 | running | 142 | $25,450 |
| 9 | 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 138 | $31,350 |
| 10 | 24 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 134 | $18,050 |
| 11 | 17 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 130 | $17,085 |
| 12 | 18 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 127 | $26,500 |
| 13 | 8 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 124 | $15,300 |
| 14 | 26 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 121 | $22,500 |
| 15 | 19 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 498 | 0 | running | 118 | $29,100 |
| 16 | 4 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 115 | $19,500 |
| 17 | 22 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 498 | 0 | running | 112 | $22,600 |
| 18 | 9 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 497 | 0 | running | 109 | $21,105 |
| 19 | 35 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 497 | 0 | running | 106 | $20,450 |
| 20 | 21 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 497 | 0 | running | 103 | $22,050 |
| 21 | 12 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 496 | 0 | running | 100 | $25,750 |
| 22 | 14 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 494 | 0 | running | 97 | $19,950 |
| 23 | 30 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 493 | 0 | running | 94 | $19,800 |
| 24 | 31 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 493 | 0 | running | 91 | $12,650 |
| 25 | 25 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 492 | 0 | running | 88 | $12,650 |
| 26 | 36 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 491 | 0 | running | 85 | $19,350 |
| 27 | 27 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 490 | 0 | running | 82 | $18,800 |
| 28 | 28 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 489 | 0 | running | 79 | $16,200 |
| 29 | 32 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 484 | 0 | running | 76 | $9,100 |
| 30 | 16 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 477 | 0 | running | 73 | $16,050 |
| 31 | 34 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 455 | 0 | crash | 70 | $25,650 |
| 32 | 15 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 439 | 0 | running | 67 | $16,050 |
| 33 | 23 | 46 | Stacy Compton | Monroe Racing | Chevrolet | 403 | 0 | running | 64 | $9,050 |
| 34 | 13 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 325 | 0 | brakes | 61 | $16,050 |
| 35 | 33 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 283 | 0 | rear end | 58 | $24,050 |
| 36 | 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 148 | 35 | water pump | 60 | $31,550 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 37 | | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 38 | | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 39 | | 29 | Chad Little | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 40 | | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 41 | | 78 | Billy Standridge | Triad Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 42 | | 95 | Gary Bradberry | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
