1996 Coca-Cola 600
# 1996 Coca-Cola 600

The 1996 Coca-Cola 600 was the 11th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 37th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 26, 1996, in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his sixth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, as well as the UAW-GM Quality 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | Masters Inn Economy |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | Hooters |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | Miller |
| 02 | Robbie Faggart | Miles Motorsports | Chevrolet | Miles Motorsports |
| 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 | Mane 'n Tail |
| 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 |
| 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | MBNA |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | Camel Cigarettes |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 26 | Hermie Sadler | Sadler Racing | Chevrolet | Peebles Department Stores |
| 27 | Elton Sawyer | David Blair Motorsports | Ford | David Blair Motorsports |
| 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 |
| 49 | Mark Gibson | Campbell Racing | Ford | 49 Express Pit Stop |
| 57 | Steve Seligman | Seligman Racing | Ford | Matco Tools |
| 63 | Ed Berrier | Schnell Motorsports | Ford | Purina Hi-Pro |
| 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 | Randy MacDonald | Triad Motorsports | Ford | Diamond Rio, Hanes |
| 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 | Elliott-Hardy Racing | Ford | McDonald's Monopoly |
| 95 | Chuck Bown | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | Shoney's |
| 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | Sterling Cowboy |
| 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 Wednesday, May 22, at 7:00 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 Thursday, May 23, at 6:00 PM 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; up to four provisionals 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.

Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.384 and an average speed of 183.773 miles per hour (295.754 km/h) in the first round.

Seven drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.384 | 183.773 |
| 2 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.528 | 182.877 |
| 3 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.529 | 182.871 |
| 4 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.594 | 182.469 |
| 5 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.606 | 182.395 |
| 6 | 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.659 | 182.070 |
| 7 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.675 | 181.971 |
| 8 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.675 | 181.971 |
| 9 | 19 | Dick Trickle | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 29.688 | 181.892 |
| 10 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 29.700 | 181.818 |
| 11 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 29.736 | 181.598 |
| 12 | 94 | Todd Bodine | Elliott-Hardy Racing | Ford | 29.741 | 181.568 |
| 13 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.754 | 181.488 |
| 14 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 29.762 | 181.439 |
| 15 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.774 | 181.366 |
| 16 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 29.786 | 181.293 |
| 17 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 29.786 | 181.293 |
| 18 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 29.811 | 181.141 |
| 19 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 29.827 | 181.044 |
| 20 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.830 | 181.026 |
| 21 | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.836 | 180.989 |
| 22 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.850 | 180.905 |
| 23 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.853 | 180.886 |
| 24 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 29.872 | 180.771 |
| 25 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.876 | 180.747 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 26 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 29.897 | 180.620 |
| 27 | 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 29.948 | 180.313 |
| 28 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.949 | 180.307 |
| 29 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.995 | 180.030 |
| 30 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 30.005 | 179.970 |
| 31 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 30.037 | 179.778 |
| 32 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 30.045 | 179.730 |
| 33 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.059 | 179.647 |
| 34 | 95 | Chuck Bown | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | 30.059 | 179.647 |
| 35 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 30.081 | 179.515 |
| 36 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.132 | 179.211 |
| 37 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 30.137 | 179.182 |
| 38 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 30.157 | 179.063 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 42 | 27 | Elton Sawyer | David Blair Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||
| 43 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 78 | Randy MacDonald | Triad Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 63 | Ed Berrier | Schnell Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 46 | 26 | Hermie Sadler | Sadler Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 47 | 49 | Mark Gibson | Campbell Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 48 | 02 | Robbie Faggart | Miles Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 49 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 50 | 57 | Steve Seligman | Seligman Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 15 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 400 | 199 | running | 185 | $165,250 |
| 2 | 20 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 7 | running | 175 | $97,000 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 59 | running | 170 | $75,300 |
| 4 | 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 101 | running | 165 | $118,200 |
| 5 | 23 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 155 | $46,350 |
| 6 | 36 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 9 | running | 155 | $55,100 |
| 7 | 7 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 146 | $43,400 |
| 8 | 8 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 142 | $36,500 |
| 9 | 22 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 138 | $37,000 |
| 10 | 31 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 134 | $36,500 |
| 11 | 35 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 397 | 0 | running | 130 | $34,150 |
| 12 | 26 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 397 | 0 | running | 127 | $29,150 |
| 13 | 28 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 124 | $27,700 |
| 14 | 14 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 397 | 0 | running | 121 | $26,450 |
| 15 | 30 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 118 | $30,620 |
| 16 | 21 | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 395 | 0 | running | 115 | $24,200 |
| 17 | 18 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 395 | 0 | running | 112 | $23,350 |
| 18 | 13 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 395 | 0 | running | 109 | $15,490 |
| 19 | 19 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 106 | $21,800 |
| 20 | 9 | 19 | Dick Trickle | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 103 | $16,325 |
| 21 | 42 | 27 | Elton Sawyer | David Blair Motorsports | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 100 | $13,490 |
| 22 | 5 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 391 | 13 | running | 102 | $26,945 |
| 23 | 32 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 391 | 0 | running | 94 | $19,485 |
| 24 | 40 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 389 | 0 | running | 91 | $19,220 |
| 25 | 33 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 386 | 0 | running | 88 | $19,210 |
| 26 | 17 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 369 | 0 | running | 85 | $8,680 |
| 27 | 3 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 368 | 0 | running | 82 | $22,170 |
| 28 | 25 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 364 | 0 | running | 79 | $11,510 |
| 29 | 38 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 364 | 0 | running | 76 | $11,480 |
| 30 | 39 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 352 | 0 | running | 73 | $18,465 |
| 31 | 37 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 342 | 0 | running | 70 | $15,455 |
| 32 | 16 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 332 | 0 | engine | 67 | $8,445 |
| 33 | 29 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | running | 64 | $15,435 |
| 34 | 43 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 61 | $23,425 |
| 35 | 10 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 213 | 0 | handling | 58 | $15,720 |
| 36 | 12 | 94 | Todd Bodine | Elliott-Hardy Racing | Ford | 209 | 0 | accident | 55 | $15,415 |
| 37 | 2 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 9 | accident | 57 | $21,415 |
| 38 | 11 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 192 | 0 | accident | 49 | $16,400 |
| 39 | 27 | 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 189 | 0 | oil pump | 46 | $8,400 |
| 40 | 41 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 138 | 3 | accident | 48 | $9,300 |
| 41 | 24 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 136 | 0 | transmission | 40 | $8,400 |
| 42 | 34 | 95 | Chuck Bown | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | 68 | 0 | handling | 37 | $8,400 |
| 43 | 6 | 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | 0 | 0 | oil pump | 34 | $8,400 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 78 | Randy MacDonald | Triad Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 63 | Ed Berrier | Schnell Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 26 | Hermie Sadler | Sadler Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 49 | Mark Gibson | Campbell Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 48 | | 02 | Robbie Faggart | Miles Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 49 | | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 50 | | 57 | Steve Seligman | Seligman Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
