The 1996 Jiffy Lube 300 was the 16th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the fourth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 14, 1996, in Loudon, New Hampshire, at New Hampshire International Speedway, a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) permanent, oval-shaped, low-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. In an emotional victory, Robert Yates Racing driver Ernie Irvan, who had recently came back from a near-fatal crash at the 1994 GM Goodwrench Dealer 400, would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 13th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his first victory of the season, and his first victory in over two years.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Rudd Performance Motorsports driver Ricky Rudd would finish second and third, respectively.

1996 Jiffy Lube 300
Race details
Race 16 of 31 in the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1996 Jiffy Lube 300 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon.
The 1996 Jiffy Lube 300 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon.
Date July 14, 1996
Official name 4th Annual Jiffy Lube 300
Location Loudon, New Hampshire, New Hampshire International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.058 mi (1.704 km)
Distance 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km)
Scheduled Distance 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km)
Average speed 98.93 miles per hour (159.21 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Larry Hedrick Motorsports
Time 29.439
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 59
Winner
No. 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing
Television in the United States
Network TNN
Announcers Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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The layout of New Hampshire International Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac Hooters
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford Miller
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
19 Loy Allen Jr. TriStar Motorsports Ford HealthSource RI
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, 1996 Summer Olympics
28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Greg Sacks 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
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
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
98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford RCA
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Exide

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, July 12, at 5:00 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, July 13, 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 26-38 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.

Ricky Craven, driving for Larry Hedrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.439 and an average speed of 129.379 miles per hour (208.215 km/h).[4]

Loy Allen Jr. was the only driver to fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.439 129.379
2 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 29.570 128.806
3 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 29.612 128.624
4 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 29.637 128.515
5 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.668 128.381
6 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.682 128.320
7 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 29.683 128.316
8 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.686 128.303
9 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 29.700 128.242
10 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.705 128.221
11 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 29.712 128.191
12 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 29.730 128.113
13 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 29.732 128.104
14 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 29.740 128.070
15 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 29.753 128.014
16 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.759 127.988
17 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 29.777 127.911
18 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 29.779 127.902
19 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 29.784 127.881
20 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 29.804 127.795
21 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 29.819 127.731
22 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.848 127.607
23 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.852 127.589
24 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 29.951 127.168
25 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 29.952 127.163
26 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 29.983 127.032
27 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 29.984 127.028
28 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 30.005 126.939
29 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 30.030 126.833
30 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 30.057 126.719
31 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 30.124 126.437
32 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 30.169 126.249
33 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 30.178 126.211
34 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 30.204 126.103
35 29 Greg Sacks Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 30.304 125.686
36 78 Randy MacDonald Triad Motorsports Ford 30.352 125.488
37 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 30.655 124.247
38 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 35.372 107.678
Provisionals
39 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford -* -*
40 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford -* -*
Failed to qualify
41 19 Loy Allen Jr. TriStar Motorsports 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 6 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 300 38 running 180 $112,625
2 10 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 300 2 running 175 $59,725
3 20 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 300 6 running 170 $49,825
4 24 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 300 0 running 160 $31,600
5 12 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 300 48 running 160 $34,825
6 23 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 300 54 running 155 $42,733
7 17 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 300 0 running 146 $30,725
8 8 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 300 1 running 147 $27,025
9 38 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 300 17 running 143 $27,825
10 31 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 300 0 running 134 $30,025
11 21 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 300 2 running 135 $26,425
12 5 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 300 12 running 132 $32,225
13 32 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 299 0 running 124 $26,125
14 37 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 299 0 running 121 $28,325
15 7 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 299 14 running 123 $26,725
16 26 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 299 0 running 115 $25,125
17 29 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 299 0 running 112 $24,925
18 40 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford 299 0 running 109 $24,725
19 15 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 299 0 running 106 $17,525
20 2 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 299 41 running 108 $28,625
21 33 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 299 0 running 100 $14,000
22 28 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 299 0 running 97 $17,000
23 13 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 299 0 running 94 $16,800
24 18 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 299 0 running 91 $23,700
25 30 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 299 0 running 88 $28,800
26 1 41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 299 1 running 90 $29,500
27 9 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 298 0 running 82 $13,375
28 4 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 297 0 running 79 $20,275
29 14 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 297 0 running 76 $29,775
30 35 29 Greg Sacks Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 295 0 running 73 $20,075
31 3 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 289 0 running 70 $30,475
32 36 78 Randy MacDonald Triad Motorsports Ford 288 0 running 67 $12,875
33 22 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 284 4 running 69 $29,575
34 16 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 253 59 ignition 71 $35,875
35 11 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 197 0 crash 58 $19,575
36 39 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 187 0 crash 55 $12,475
37 19 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 159 1 crash 57 $19,375
38 25 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 68 0 engine 49 $19,125
39 34 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 54 0 engine 46 $12,125
40 27 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 26 0 crash 43 $19,125
Failed to qualify
41 19 Loy Allen Jr. TriStar Motorsports Ford
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (July 15, 1996). "Irvan gets back to Victory Lane". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  2. ^ Recht, Mike (July 15, 1996). "Irvan gets back in victory lane". Indiana Gazette. p. 16. Retrieved October 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Jiffy Lube 300". The Charlotte Observer. July 12, 1996. p. 26. Retrieved October 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Martin, Gerald (July 13, 1996). "Craven's homecoming produces pole". The News and Observer. p. 35. Retrieved October 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
Previous race:
1996 Pepsi 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1996 season
Next race:
1996 Miller 500 (Pocono)