1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500 (Pocono)

The 1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500 was the 17th stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 23rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 16, 1995, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. Depending on fuel mileage, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to stretch his last fuel run for 41 laps to take his fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Rudd Performance Motorsports driver Ricky Rudd would finish second and third, respectively.

1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500
Race details
Race 17 of 31 in the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500 program cover, featuring Rusty Wallace. Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
The 1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500 program cover, featuring Rusty Wallace. Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
Date July 16, 1995
Official name 23rd Annual Miller Genuine Draft 500
Location Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Scheduled Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Average speed 134.038 miles per hour (215.713 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Elliott-Hardy Racing
Time 55.386
Most laps led
Driver Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South
Laps 74
Winner
No. 28 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing
Television in the United States
Network TBS
Announcers Ken Squier, Buddy Baker, Chad Little
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Pocono Raceway, the venue where the race was held.

The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.

Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.

Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

Entry list

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  • (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
14 Randy MacDonald Hagan Racing Pontiac Big V Drug Stores
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
21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Jimmy Hensley 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 Ward Burton A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet Hardee's
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
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Prodigy
75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford Factory Stores of America
77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford US Airways, Jasper Engines & Transmissions
81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford TIC Financial Systems
82 Terry Byers Byers Racing Ford Byers Racing
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet Burger King
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

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, July 7, at 4:00 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, July 8, at 11:00 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,[3] 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.

Bill Elliott, driving for Elliott-Hardy Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 55.386 and an average speed of 162.496 miles per hour (261.512 km/h).[4]

Two drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Hardy Racing Ford 55.386 162.496
2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 55.558 161.993
3 21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 55.749 161.438
4 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 55.795 161.305
5 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 55.806 161.273
6 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 55.824 161.221
7 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 55.825 161.218
8 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 55.877 161.068
9 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 55.884 161.048
10 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 55.894 161.019
11 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 55.917 160.953
12 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 55.946 160.869
13 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 55.981 160.769
14 31 Ward Burton A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet 55.983 160.763
15 28 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 56.041 160.597
16 11 Brett Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 56.105 160.414
17 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 56.174 160.216
18 26 Hut Stricklin King Racing Ford 56.196 160.154
19 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 56.208 160.120
20 22 Jimmy Hensley Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 56.219 160.088
21 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 56.248 160.006
22 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 56.281 159.912
23 8 Jeff Burton Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 56.296 159.869
24 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 56.305 159.844
25 15 Dick Trickle Bud Moore Engineering Ford 56.317 159.810
26 29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 56.325 159.787
27 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 56.449 159.436
28 33 Robert Pressley (R) Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 56.466 159.388
29 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 56.475 159.363
30 40 Rich Bickle Dick Brooks Racing Pontiac 56.481 159.346
31 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 56.573 159.086
32 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 56.631 158.924
33 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 56.639 158.901
34 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 56.741 158.615
35 90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford 56.834 158.356
36 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 56.976 157.961
37 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 56.992 157.917
38 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 57.062 157.723
Provisionals
39 41 Ricky Craven (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
40 75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford -* -*
41 27 Elton Sawyer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford -* -*
Failed to qualify
42 14 Randy MacDonald Hagan Racing Pontiac -* -*
43 82 Terry Byers Byers Racing Ford -* -*
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 15 28 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 26 running 180 $72,970
2 11 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 18 running 175 $48,520
3 13 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 200 0 running 165 $41,010
4 7 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 200 1 running 165 $32,135
5 1 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Hardy Racing Ford 200 15 running 160 $32,780
6 27 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 200 1 running 155 $29,180
7 2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 200 41 running 151 $38,760
8 38 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 200 0 running 142 $19,080
9 9 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 138 $12,080
10 25 15 Dick Trickle Bud Moore Engineering Ford 200 0 running 134 $23,780
11 14 31 Ward Burton A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 130 $15,530
12 33 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 200 0 running 127 $10,980
13 10 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 200 0 running 124 $19,980
14 24 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 121 $25,380
15 16 11 Brett Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 200 0 running 118 $24,480
16 22 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 200 74 running 125 $30,480
17 31 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 200 2 running 117 $19,280
18 6 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 109 $23,080
19 8 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 199 0 running 106 $13,930
20 5 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 199 0 running 103 $31,555
21 21 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 199 0 running 100 $18,380
22 29 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 199 0 running 97 $13,180
23 40 75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 199 0 running 94 $17,980
24 3 21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 199 0 running 91 $17,830
25 39 41 Ricky Craven (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 199 2 running 93 $13,880
26 35 90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford 198 0 running 85 $12,530
27 23 8 Jeff Burton Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 198 2 running 87 $17,355
28 17 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 198 0 running 79 $17,205
29 41 27 Elton Sawyer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 196 0 running 76 $17,055
30 30 40 Rich Bickle Dick Brooks Racing Pontiac 196 0 running 73 $14,005
31 26 29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 196 0 running 70 $11,955
32 20 22 Jimmy Hensley Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 194 0 running 67 $16,905
33 37 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 186 2 engine 69 $11,305
34 28 33 Robert Pressley (R) Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 166 0 running 61 $14,230
35 32 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 162 1 running 63 $21,655
36 12 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 156 0 engine 55 $13,580
37 34 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 149 0 crash 52 $8,515
38 36 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 136 0 engine 49 $8,390
39 19 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 108 0 engine 46 $8,390
40 4 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 93 15 engine 48 $14,390
41 18 26 Hut Stricklin King Racing Ford 38 0 engine 40 $13,390
Failed to qualify
42 14 Randy MacDonald Hagan Racing Pontiac
43 82 Terry Byers Byers Racing Ford
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (July 17, 1995). "Yates team proves it's resourceful". The Charlotte Observer. p. 17. Retrieved November 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ Huneke, Bill (July 17, 1995). "Jarrett bounces back in Miller Genuine Draft 500". The Central New Jersey Home News. p. 26. Retrieved November 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Miller Genuine Draft 500". The Charlotte Observer. July 14, 1995. p. 26. Retrieved November 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Brinster, Dick (July 15, 1995). "Elliott wins Miller 500 pole; roof flaps controversy". The Daily American. p. 11. Retrieved November 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
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1995 Slick 50 300
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1995 season
Next race:
1995 DieHard 500