The 1996 Purolator 500 was the fourth stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 37th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 10, 1996, in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.522 miles (2.449 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 328 laps to complete. With the help of a fast final pit stop with 38 laps to go, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to charge to the front and secure his 70th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon, both drivers for Hendrick Motorsports, would finish second and third, respectively.

1996 Purolator 500
Race details
Race 4 of 31 in the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1996 Primestar 500 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon and David Pearson. Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
The 1996 Primestar 500 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon and David Pearson. Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
Date March 10, 1996
Official name 37th Annual Purolator 500
Location Hampton, Georgia, Atlanta Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.522 mi (2.449 km)
Distance 328 laps, 499.216 mi (803.41 km)
Scheduled Distance 328 laps, 499.216 mi (803.41 km)
Average speed 161.298 miles per hour (259.584 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Bahari Racing
Time 29.548
Most laps led
Driver Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Laps 136
Winner
No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network ABC
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Performance Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Atlanta Motor Speedway, the circuit where the race was held.

Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a 1.522-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

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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 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 Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Camel Cigarettes
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Budweiser
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
65 Steve Seligman O'Neil Racing Ford O'Neil Racing
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 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford Heilig-Meyers
94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford McDonald's
95 Chuck Bown Sadler Brothers Racing Ford Shoney's Inn
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, March 8, at 12:30 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 9, 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.

Johnny Benson Jr., driving for Bahari Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.548 and an average speed of 185.434 miles per hour (298.427 km/h).[4]

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Jeff Burton, Steve Seligman, and Randy MacDonald.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 29.548 185.434
2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.588 185.183
3 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.602 185.096
4 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 29.626 184.946
5 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 29.653 184.777
6 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 29.658 184.746
7 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 29.696 184.510
8 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 29.700 184.485
9 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 29.747 184.193
10 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford 29.772 184.039
11 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 29.793 183.909
12 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 29.817 183.761
13 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 29.851 183.552
14 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 29.857 183.515
15 41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.860 183.496
16 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 29.861 183.490
17 19 Dick Trickle TriStar Motorsports Ford 29.867 183.453
18 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.870 183.435
19 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 29.887 183.331
20 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 29.904 183.226
21 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.922 183.116
22 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 29.941 183.000
23 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 29.952 182.933
24 29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 29.952 182.933
25 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 29.968 182.835
Failed to lock in Round 1
26 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 29.978 182.774
27 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 30.013 182.561
28 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 30.022 182.506
29 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 30.045 182.366
30 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 30.047 182.354
31 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 30.050 182.336
32 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 30.071 182.209
33 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 30.147 181.749
34 95 Chuck Bown Sadler Brothers Racing Ford 30.169 181.617
35 27 Elton Sawyer David Blair Motorsports Ford 30.173 181.593
36 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 30.178 181.563
37 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 30.192 181.479
38 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 30.221 181.304
Provisionals
39 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford -* -*
40 90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford -* -*
41 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet -* -*
Failed to qualify
42 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford -* -*
43 65 Steve Seligman O'Neil Racing Ford -* -*
44 78 Randy MacDonald Triad 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 18 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 328 136 running 185 $91,050
2 3 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 328 100 running 175 $60,500
3 21 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 328 24 running 170 $61,600
4 37 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 328 6 running 165 $40,400
5 4 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 328 4 running 160 $32,100
6 30 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 328 5 running 155 $28,500
7 39 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 327 0 running 146 $27,150
8 20 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 327 1 running 147 $29,650
9 27 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 327 2 running 143 $25,450
10 23 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 327 7 running 139 $27,950
11 36 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 326 0 running 130 $20,820
12 15 41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 326 0 running 127 $23,600
13 28 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 325 0 running 124 $28,780
14 17 19 Dick Trickle TriStar Motorsports Ford 325 0 running 121 $12,060
15 16 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 325 0 running 118 $28,030
16 6 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 325 0 running 115 $22,870
17 12 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 323 0 running 112 $22,660
18 25 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 323 0 running 109 $22,340
19 35 27 Elton Sawyer David Blair Motorsports Ford 322 0 running 106 $11,430
20 10 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford 321 0 running 103 $23,760
21 7 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 320 0 running 100 $21,800
22 33 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 315 0 running 97 $21,640
23 5 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 314 0 running 94 $21,430
24 19 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 314 0 running 91 $21,195
25 9 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 312 0 running 88 $14,190
26 2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 300 0 engine 85 $27,535
27 14 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 297 0 engine 82 $21,725
28 29 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 294 0 running 79 $13,550
29 41 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 293 0 running 76 $13,410
30 32 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 293 0 running 73 $12,750
31 8 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 286 4 running 75 $26,190
32 13 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 236 0 running 67 $17,130
33 40 90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford 235 3 engine 69 $10,035
34 31 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 205 0 engine 61 $17,000
35 26 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 181 0 overheating 58 $16,965
36 22 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 178 36 engine 60 $25,540
37 38 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 155 0 engine 52 $9,925
38 1 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 107 0 handling 49 $24,345
39 24 29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 99 0 engine 46 $16,845
40 34 95 Chuck Bown Sadler Brothers Racing Ford 85 0 rear end 43 $9,275
41 11 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 29 0 engine 40 $16,845
Failed to qualify
42 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford
43 65 Steve Seligman O'Neil Racing Ford
44 78 Randy MacDonald Triad Motorsports Ford
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (March 11, 1996). "Pit pass leads to victory". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  2. ^ Harris, Mike (March 11, 1996). "Earnhardt wins again". Citizens' Voice. p. 46. Retrieved October 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Purolator 500". The Charlotte Observer. March 8, 1996. p. 30. Retrieved October 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Fry, Darrell (March 9, 1996). "Rookie rides to Purolator 500 pole". Tampa Bay Times. p. 40. Retrieved October 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
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1996 Pontiac Excitement 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1996 season
Next race:
1996 TranSouth Financial 400