1999 Cracker Barrel 500
# 1999 Cracker Barrel 500

The 1999 Cracker Barrel 500 was the fourth stock car race of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 40th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 14, 1999, in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.54 miles (2.48 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 325 laps to complete. In the closing laps of the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to pull a sizable lead over the rest of the field to win his 44th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second of the season. To fill out the podium, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a 1.54-mile race track in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.

The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of 1.54-mile (2.48 km) where before it was 1.522-mile (2.449 km). The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.

### Entry list

* (R) - denotes rookie driver

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 00 | Buckshot Jones (R) | Buckshot Racing | Pontiac | Crown Fiber |
| 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Pennzoil |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | Miller Lite |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | Philips, Klaussner Furniture |
| 9 | Jerry Nadeau | Melling Racing | Ford | Atlanta Braves, TBS |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | Paychex |
| 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | Mobil 1, 1999 Kentucky Derby |
| 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | PrimeStar |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | Interstate Batteries |
| 20 | Tony Stewart (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | The Home Depot |
| 21 | Elliott Sadler (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | Caterpillar |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Winston No Bull |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | Cheerios, Betty Crocker |
| 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Bryan Foods |
| 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal |
| 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | M&M's |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | Coors Light |
| 41 | David Green | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | BellSouth |
| 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | Hot Wheels |
| 45 | Rich Bickle | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 10-10-345 |
| 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Square D |
| 58 | Ricky Craven | SBIII Motorsports | Ford | Hollywood Video |
| 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | Power Team |
| 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Big Kmart |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Team Realtree |
| 75 | Ted Musgrave | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Remington Arms |
| 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Quality Care Service, Ford Credit |
| 90 | Morgan Shepherd | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Accu-Turn |
| 91 | Steve Grissom | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | Textilease |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | John Deere |
| 98 | Rick Mast | Burdette Motorsports | Ford | Burdette Motorsports |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide Batteries |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, March 12, at 10:00 AM EST. The session would last for two hours and 25 minutes. Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.603 and an average speed of 193.825 mph (311.931 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 28.603 | 193.825 |
| 2 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.663 | 193.420 |
| 3 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 28.691 | 193.231 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Friday, March 12, at 12:00 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes. Joe Nemechek, driving for Team SABCO, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.474 and an average speed of 194.703 mph (313.344 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 28.474 | 194.703 |
| 2 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 28.504 | 194.499 |
| 3 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 28.534 | 194.294 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Third practice

The third practice session was held on Saturday, March 13, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes. Derrike Cope, driving for Bahari Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.118 and an average speed of 190.397 mph (306.414 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 29.118 | 190.397 |
| 2 | 45 | Rich Bickle | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.222 | 189.720 |
| 3 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 29.289 | 189.286 |
| Full third practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 13, after the preliminary 1999 Yellow Freight 300. The session would last for one hour. Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.359 and an average speed of 188.834 mph (303.899 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.359 | 188.834 |
| 2 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.432 | 188.366 |
| 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.462 | 188.174 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 12, at 2:30 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, March 13, at 11:00 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. 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.

Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 28.437 and an average speed of 194.957 miles per hour (313.753 km/h).

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Robert Pressley, Steve Grissom, and Morgan Shepherd.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 28.437 | 194.957 |
| 2 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.544 | 194.226 |
| 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 28.549 | 194.192 |
| 4 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 28.630 | 193.643 |
| 5 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 28.690 | 193.238 |
| 6 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 28.699 | 193.177 |
| 7 | 00 | Buckshot Jones (R) | Buckshot Racing | Pontiac | 28.777 | 192.654 |
| 8 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.786 | 192.594 |
| 9 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 28.817 | 192.386 |
| 10 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 28.829 | 192.306 |
| 11 | 75 | Ted Musgrave | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 28.847 | 192.186 |
| 12 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau | Melling Racing | Ford | 28.854 | 192.140 |
| 13 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.856 | 192.126 |
| 14 | 25 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.864 | 192.073 |
| 15 | 21 | Elliott Sadler (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 28.865 | 192.067 |
| 16 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.868 | 192.047 |
| 17 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 28.870 | 192.033 |
| 18 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 28.877 | 191.987 |
| 19 | 98 | Rick Mast | Burdette Motorsports | Ford | 28.885 | 191.934 |
| 20 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 28.906 | 191.794 |
| 21 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 28.913 | 191.748 |
| 22 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 28.923 | 191.681 |
| 23 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 28.928 | 191.648 |
| 24 | 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.957 | 191.456 |
| 25 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.983 | 191.285 |
| 26 | 41 | David Green | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.903 | 191.814 |
| 27 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 28.934 | 191.608 |
| 28 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.996 | 191.199 |
| 29 | 58 | Ricky Craven | SBIII Motorsports | Ford | 29.014 | 191.080 |
| 30 | 45 | Rich Bickle | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.018 | 191.054 |
| 31 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 29.019 | 191.047 |
| 32 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 29.030 | 190.975 |
| 33 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.055 | 190.811 |
| 34 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 29.078 | 190.660 |
| 35 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 29.089 | 190.588 |
| 36 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.092 | 190.568 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 38 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 39 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||
| 43 | 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 29.136 | 190.280 |
| 45 | 91 | Steve Grissom | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 29.242 | 189.590 |
| 46 | 90 | Morgan Shepherd | Donlavey Racing | Ford | - | - |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

*Time not available.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 8 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 325 | 109 | running | 185 | $117,650 |
| 2 | 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 325 | 103 | running | 175 | $98,850 |
| 3 | 13 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 325 | 0 | running | 165 | $62,775 |
| 4 | 37 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 325 | 1 | running | 165 | $64,900 |
| 5 | 4 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 325 | 0 | running | 155 | $53,675 |
| 6 | 2 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 325 | 79 | running | 155 | $64,145 |
| 7 | 21 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 325 | 0 | running | 146 | $40,220 |
| 8 | 20 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 325 | 0 | running | 142 | $42,995 |
| 9 | 16 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 325 | 1 | running | 143 | $38,545 |
| 10 | 24 | 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | 325 | 0 | running | 134 | $48,685 |
| 11 | 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 325 | 3 | running | 135 | $35,815 |
| 12 | 28 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 325 | 0 | running | 127 | $41,295 |
| 13 | 25 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 324 | 0 | running | 124 | $40,075 |
| 14 | 9 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 324 | 4 | running | 126 | $37,755 |
| 15 | 31 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 324 | 0 | running | 118 | $38,165 |
| 16 | 19 | 98 | Rick Mast | Burdette Motorsports | Ford | 324 | 0 | running | 115 | $29,370 |
| 17 | 39 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 324 | 12 | running | 117 | $35,560 |
| 18 | 18 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 324 | 9 | running | 114 | $35,040 |
| 19 | 40 | 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | 324 | 0 | running | 106 | $35,330 |
| 20 | 43 | 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 323 | 0 | running | 103 | $25,925 |
| 21 | 26 | 41 | David Green | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 323 | 0 | running | 100 | $30,900 |
| 22 | 36 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 323 | 0 | running | 97 | $34,735 |
| 23 | 17 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 322 | 0 | running | 94 | $34,425 |
| 24 | 11 | 75 | Ted Musgrave | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 322 | 0 | running | 91 | $26,890 |
| 25 | 41 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 322 | 0 | running | 88 | $33,985 |
| 26 | 38 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 322 | 0 | running | 85 | $33,630 |
| 27 | 12 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau | Melling Racing | Ford | 321 | 0 | running | 82 | $26,920 |
| 28 | 10 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 319 | 0 | running | 79 | $30,445 |
| 29 | 34 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 319 | 0 | running | 76 | $23,905 |
| 30 | 30 | 45 | Rich Bickle | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 318 | 0 | running | 73 | $23,370 |
| 31 | 15 | 21 | Elliott Sadler (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 318 | 0 | running | 70 | $30,085 |
| 32 | 32 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 317 | 0 | running | 67 | $30,025 |
| 33 | 42 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 316 | 0 | out of gas | 64 | $29,965 |
| 34 | 35 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 315 | 4 | running | 66 | $23,735 |
| 35 | 23 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 311 | 0 | running | 58 | $38,915 |
| 36 | 5 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 251 | 0 | handling | 55 | $37,895 |
| 37 | 7 | 00 | Buckshot Jones (R) | Buckshot Racing | Pontiac | 248 | 0 | fatigue | 52 | $22,880 |
| 38 | 6 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 233 | 0 | crash | 49 | $22,860 |
| 39 | 14 | 25 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 191 | 0 | engine | 46 | $29,845 |
| 40 | 33 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 151 | 0 | handling | 43 | $41,625 |
| 41 | 27 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 150 | 0 | crash | 40 | $22,805 |
| 42 | 29 | 58 | Ricky Craven | SBIII Motorsports | Ford | 65 | 0 | engine | 37 | $22,785 |
| 43 | 22 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 45 | 0 | engine | 34 | $22,765 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 91 | Steve Grissom | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 90 | Morgan Shepherd | Donlavey Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
