1996 Save Mart Supermarkets 300

The 1996 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 was the tenth stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the fourth race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston West Series, and the eighth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 5, 1996, in Sonoma, California, at the Grand Prix layout of Sears Point Raceway, a 2.52 miles (4.06 km) permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 74 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would manage to pull away on the final restart with six to go to take his 43rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Bud Moore Engineering driver Wally Dallenbach Jr. would finish second and third, respectively.

1996 Save Mart Supermarkets 300
Race details
Race 10 of 31 in the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1996 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 program cover.
The 1996 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 program cover.
Date May 5, 1996
Official name 8th Annual Save Mart Supermarkets 300
Location Sonoma, California, Sears Point Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.52 mi (4.06 km)
Distance 74 laps, 186.48 mi (300.11 km)
Scheduled Distance 74 laps, 186.48 mi (300.11 km)
Average speed 77.673 miles per hour (125.003 km/h)
Attendance 102,000
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 1:38.050
Most laps led
Driver Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South
Laps 36
Winner
No. 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Sears Point Raceway used by NASCAR at the time.

Sears Point Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International. The standard road course at Sears Point Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long;[3] the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km). The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout.[4] In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99 miles (3.20 km).[5]

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
00 Scott Gaylord Oliver Racing Chevrolet Oliver Gravity Separators
1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac Hooters
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford Miller
02 Bill McAnally Bill McAnally Racing Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Service Plus
03 Joe Bean Bean Racing Ford Bean Racing
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 Dave Rezendes Geoff Bodine Racing Ford QVC
07 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford QVC
07W Lance Hooper Golden West Motorsports Pontiac Golden West Motorsports
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
14 Jeff Krogh Excel Motorsports Chevrolet Clearwater Forest Industries
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
20 Mark Krogh Excel Motorsports Chevrolet Clearwater Forest Industries
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
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
35 Larry Gunselman Race Stuff Motorsports Ford Race Stuff Motorsports
37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford Kmart, Little Caesars
38 Rich Woodland Jr. Bill Stroppe Motorsports Chevrolet Bill Stroppe Motorsports
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
45 Chad Little JTC Racing Chevrolet Star Race Computers
58 Wayne Jacks Jacks Motorsports Pontiac Imperial Palace Hotel
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
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 Tommy Kendall 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, May 3, at 6:00 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, May 4, at 3:00 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,[6] and four spots would be determined by NASCAR Winston Cup Series provisionals, while two more additional provisionals would be given to teams in the Winston West Series.

Terry Labonte, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:38.050 and an average speed of 92.524 miles per hour (148.903 km/h).[7]

Seven drivers would fail to qualify: Geoff Bodine, Chad Little, Mark Krogh, Joe Bean, Wayne Jacks, Bill McAnally, and Lance Hooper.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:38.050 92.524
2 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 1:38.407 92.189
3 41 Ron Hornaday Jr. Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:38.436 92.161
4 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 1:38.461 92.138
5 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:38.528 92.075
6 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:38.671 91.942
7 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 1:38.866 91.761
8 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 1:38.877 91.750
9 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 1:38.979 91.656
10 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford 1:39.009 91.628
11 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 1:39.093 91.550
12 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:39.155 91.493
13 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 1:39.250 91.406
14 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 1:39.327 91.335
15 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 1:39.357 91.307
16 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 1:39.362 91.303
17 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 1:39.375 91.291
18 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 1:39.387 91.280
19 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 1:39.388 91.279
20 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 1:39.534 91.145
21 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 1:39.580 91.103
22 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 1:39.697 90.996
23 7 Dave Rezendes Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 1:39.782 90.918
24 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 1:39.868 90.840
25 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 1:39.924 90.789
Failed to lock in Round 1
26 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 1:39.624 91.062
27 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 1:39.663 91.027
28 14 Jeff Krogh Excel Motorsports Chevrolet 1:39.737 90.959
29 00 Scott Gaylord Oliver Racing Chevrolet 1:39.854 90.853
30 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 1:39.923 90.790
31 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 1:40.000 90.718
32 94 Tommy Kendall Bill Elliott Racing Ford 1:40.001 90.713
33 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 1:40.223 90.516
34 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 1:40.250 90.494
35 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 1:40.432 90.330
36 19 Ken Petersen TriStar Motorsports Ford 1:40.437 90.325
37 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 1:40.445 90.318
38 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 1:40.462 90.303
Winston Cup provisionals
39 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford -* -*
40 29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
41 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet -* -*
42 90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford -* -*
Winston West provisionals
43 35 Larry Gunselman Race Stuff Motorsports Ford -* -*
44 38 Rich Woodland Jr. Bill Stroppe Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
Failed to qualify
45 07 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford -* -*
46 45 Chad Little JTC Racing Chevrolet -* -*
47 20 Mark Krogh Excel Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
48 03 Joe Bean Bean Racing Ford -* -*
49 58 Wayne Jacks Jacks Motorsports Pontiac -* -*
50 02 Bill McAnally Bill McAnally Racing Chevrolet -* -*
51 07W Lance Hooper Golden West Motorsports Pontiac -* -*
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 7 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 74 36 running 185 $58,395
2 4 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 74 0 running 170 $58,640
3 10 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford 74 0 running 165 $50,850
4 5 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 74 6 running 165 $39,160
5 1 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 74 13 running 160 $41,995
6 6 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 74 12 running 155 $48,145
7 2 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 74 0 running 146 $31,195
8 12 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 74 0 running 142 $26,495
9 21 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 74 0 running 138 $29,945
10 15 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 74 0 running 134 $36,740
11 25 37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 74 0 running 130 $24,430
12 20 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 74 0 running 127 $20,530
13 35 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 74 0 running 124 $19,230
14 27 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 74 0 running 121 $23,130
15 14 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 74 0 running 118 $29,130
16 26 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 74 0 running 115 $22,880
17 19 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 74 0 running 112 $22,205
18 31 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 74 0 running 109 $23,055
19 38 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 74 1 running 111 $21,830
20 13 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 74 0 running 103 $23,505
21 22 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 74 0 running 100 $21,505
22 16 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 74 0 running 97 $21,355
23 11 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 74 0 running 94 $21,230
24 24 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 74 0 running 91 $14,060
25 40 29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 74 0 running 88 $21,150
26 39 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 74 0 running 85 $10,730
27 33 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 74 0 running 82 $10,705
28 32 94 Tommy Kendall Bill Elliott Racing Ford 73 4 running 84 $20,730
29 36 19 Dick Trickle TriStar Motorsports Ford 73 0 running 76 $10,620
30 8 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 73 0 running 73 $20,590
31 3 41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 73 0 running 70 $20,840
32 37 98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 73 0 running 67 $12,790
33 41 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 73 2 running 69 $10,255
34 30 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 72 0 running 61 $17,240
35 28 14 Jeff Krogh Excel Motorsports Chevrolet 71 0 running 58 $10,215
36 43 35 Larry Gunselman Race Stuff Motorsports Ford 70 0 running 55 $10,200
37 44 38 Rich Woodland Jr. Bill Stroppe Motorsports Chevrolet 68 0 running 52 $10,095
38 29 00 Scott Gaylord Oliver Racing Chevrolet 67 0 running 49 $10,095
39 17 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 65 0 accident 46 $17,095
40 23 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 65 0 running 43 $17,095
41 9 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 64 0 running 40 $17,095
42 18 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 61 0 running 37 $26,095
43 34 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 55 0 running 34 $10,095
44 42 90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford 52 0 rear end 31 $10,095
Failed to qualify
45 07 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford
46 45 Chad Little JTC Racing Chevrolet
47 20 Mark Krogh Excel Motorsports Chevrolet
48 03 Joe Bean Bean Racing Ford
49 58 Wayne Jacks Jacks Motorsports Pontiac
50 02 Bill McAnally Bill McAnally Racing Chevrolet
51 07W Lance Hooper Golden West Motorsports Pontiac
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (May 6, 1996). "Wallace springs into action at Sears Point". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  2. ^ "Wallace wins in California". Asheville Citizen-Times. May 6, 1996. p. 19. Retrieved October 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Sears Point". www.gt-racing.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  4. ^ "Passing is tough in Chute | chronicle.augusta.com". 2011-06-07. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  5. ^ "SEARS POINT BREAKS GROUND ON MODIFIED CHUTE - RacingWest". 2007-09-29. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  6. ^ "Save Mart 300". The Charlotte Observer. May 3, 1996. p. 28. Retrieved October 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  7. ^ Higgins, Tom (May 4, 1996). "Terry Labonte wins fourth pole this year". The Anniston Star. p. 15. Retrieved October 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
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1996 Winston Select 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1996 season
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1996 Coca-Cola 600