1995 Mountain Dew Southern 500
# 1995 Mountain Dew Southern 500

The 1995 Mountain Dew Southern 500 was the 23rd stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 46th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 3, 1995, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 367 laps to complete. On the final restart with nine to go, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to pull away from the field to take his eighth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his sixth victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | Skoal |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | Miller Genuine Draft |
| 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 | Exide |
| 8 | Jeff Burton | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Raybestos |
| 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | Spam |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Lowe's |
| 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | Mane 'n Tail |
| 15 | Dick Trickle | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Ford Quality Care |
| 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | The Family Channel |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Western Auto |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Loy Allen Jr. | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | HealthSource RI |
| 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | MBNA |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Smokin' Joe's |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 26 | Hut Stricklin | King Racing | Ford | Quaker State |
| 27 | Elton Sawyer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Hooters |
| 28 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Meineke |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 31 | Greg Sacks | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hardee's |
| 32 | Ed Berrier | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | ATS Wood Recycling |
| 33 | Robert Pressley (R) | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | Little Caesars, Kmart |
| 40 | Rich Bickle | Dick Brooks Racing | Pontiac | Kendall |
| 41 | Ricky Craven (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | Coors Light Silver Bullet |
| 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 66 | Billy Standridge | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | Duragloss |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Terramite |
| 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Factory Stores of America |
| 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | US Airways, Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | Burger King |
| 88 | Gary Bradberry | Bradberry Racing | Chevrolet | Bradberry Racing |
| 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Hardy Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | RCA |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 24, at 2:30 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 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 25, at 10:00 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-38 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; up to four were given. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.

John Andretti, driving for Kranefuss-Haas Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.380 and an average speed of 167.379 miles per hour (269.370 km/h) in the first round.

Three drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.380 | 167.379 |
| 2 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 29.414 | 167.186 |
| 3 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.535 | 166.501 |
| 4 | 15 | Dick Trickle | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 29.557 | 166.377 |
| 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.559 | 166.366 |
| 6 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.611 | 166.073 |
| 7 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 29.682 | 165.676 |
| 8 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 29.684 | 165.665 |
| 9 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 29.756 | 165.264 |
| 10 | 26 | Hut Stricklin | King Racing | Ford | 29.759 | 165.247 |
| 11 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 29.767 | 165.203 |
| 12 | 28 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.771 | 165.181 |
| 13 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.803 | 165.004 |
| 14 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.848 | 164.755 |
| 15 | 33 | Robert Pressley (R) | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.870 | 164.633 |
| 16 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.884 | 164.556 |
| 17 | 41 | Ricky Craven (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.885 | 164.551 |
| 18 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.887 | 164.540 |
| 19 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 29.887 | 164.540 |
| 20 | 31 | Greg Sacks | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.888 | 164.534 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 29.642 | 165.900 |
| 22 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 29.671 | 165.738 |
| 23 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 29.768 | 165.198 |
| 24 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Hardy Racing | Ford | 29.780 | 165.131 |
| 25 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 29.785 | 165.103 |
| 26 | 8 | Jeff Burton | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.799 | 165.026 |
| 27 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 29.810 | 164.965 |
| 28 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.819 | 164.915 |
| 29 | 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 29.845 | 164.771 |
| 30 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.852 | 164.733 |
| 31 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 29.853 | 164.727 |
| 32 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 29.899 | 164.474 |
| 33 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 29.913 | 164.397 |
| 34 | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.914 | 164.391 |
| 35 | 27 | Elton Sawyer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 29.921 | 164.353 |
| 36 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.952 | 164.183 |
| 37 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 29.960 | 164.139 |
| 38 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.012 | 163.854 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 41 | 40 | Rich Bickle | Team SABCO | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 42 | 32 | Ed Berrier | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 66 | Billy Standridge | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 44 | 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 88 | Gary Bradberry | Bradberry Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 | 54 | running | 180 | $70,630 |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 208 | running | 180 | $62,155 |
| 3 | 21 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 367 | 9 | running | 170 | $40,580 |
| 4 | 8 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 367 | 1 | running | 165 | $39,090 |
| 5 | 25 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 367 | 1 | running | 160 | $28,870 |
| 6 | 2 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 367 | 37 | running | 155 | $34,865 |
| 7 | 10 | 26 | Hut Stricklin | King Racing | Ford | 367 | 0 | running | 146 | $20,620 |
| 8 | 13 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 0 | running | 142 | $27,700 |
| 9 | 7 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 367 | 0 | running | 138 | $18,670 |
| 10 | 6 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 | 1 | running | 139 | $29,580 |
| 11 | 30 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 367 | 0 | running | 130 | $22,740 |
| 12 | 1 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 41 | running | 132 | $24,445 |
| 13 | 32 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 366 | 0 | running | 124 | $12,955 |
| 14 | 22 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 365 | 0 | running | 121 | $16,965 |
| 15 | 31 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 363 | 0 | running | 118 | $17,775 |
| 16 | 26 | 8 | Jeff Burton | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 363 | 0 | running | 115 | $21,405 |
| 17 | 15 | 33 | Robert Pressley (R) | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 361 | 0 | running | 112 | $22,535 |
| 18 | 17 | 41 | Ricky Craven (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 361 | 0 | running | 109 | $17,260 |
| 19 | 16 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 360 | 0 | running | 106 | $26,680 |
| 20 | 42 | 32 | Ed Berrier | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 358 | 0 | running | 103 | $15,460 |
| 21 | 41 | 40 | Rich Bickle | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 352 | 0 | running | 100 | $16,375 |
| 22 | 28 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 350 | 0 | engine | 97 | $19,855 |
| 23 | 38 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 349 | 0 | running | 94 | $19,635 |
| 24 | 40 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 347 | 0 | running | 91 | $19,360 |
| 25 | 14 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 342 | 0 | running | 88 | $14,350 |
| 26 | 39 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 333 | 0 | running | 85 | $18,890 |
| 27 | 34 | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 333 | 0 | running | 82 | $13,680 |
| 28 | 12 | 28 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 331 | 0 | running | 79 | $24,870 |
| 29 | 11 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 325 | 0 | running | 76 | $13,360 |
| 30 | 27 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 322 | 0 | running | 73 | $13,300 |
| 31 | 23 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 319 | 0 | running | 70 | $23,115 |
| 32 | 35 | 27 | Elton Sawyer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 313 | 0 | handling | 67 | $18,025 |
| 33 | 36 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 313 | 0 | running | 64 | $23,960 |
| 34 | 33 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 309 | 0 | running | 61 | $9,925 |
| 35 | 9 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 308 | 1 | running | 63 | $24,415 |
| 36 | 4 | 15 | Dick Trickle | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 292 | 0 | crash | 55 | $17,255 |
| 37 | 19 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 289 | 0 | running | 52 | $9,691 |
| 38 | 20 | 31 | Greg Sacks | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 264 | 0 | crash | 49 | $9,545 |
| 39 | 29 | 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 264 | 0 | engine | 46 | $9,545 |
| 40 | 18 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 263 | 0 | crash | 43 | $14,545 |
| 41 | 24 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Hardy Racing | Ford | 251 | 1 | crash | 45 | $10,545 |
| 42 | 37 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 147 | 13 | crash | 42 | $14,545 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 66 | Billy Standridge | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 44 | | 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 88 | Gary Bradberry | Bradberry Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
