The 1999 Las Vegas 400 was the third stock car race of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, the second of five No Bull 5 races of the 1999 season, and the second iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 7, 1999, in North Las Vegas, Nevada at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. In the closing laps of the race, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton would manage to be victorious in a battle with Bill Davis Racing driver and brother Ward Burton to win his sixth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Ward Burton and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3 of 34 in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1999 Las Vegas 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | March 7, 1999 | ||
| Official name | Second Annual Las Vegas 400 | ||
| Location | North Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 148 laps, 222 mi (357.272 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Average speed | 137.537 miles per hour (221.344 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 31.645 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 111 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, March 5, at 10:30 AM PST. The session would last for two hours and 25 minutes.[3] Mike Skinner, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 31.828 and an average speed of 169.661 mph (273.043 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.828 | 169.661 |
| 2 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 31.871 | 169.433 |
| 3 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 31.924 | 169.151 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Saturday, March 6, at 9:00 AM PST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes. Ward Burton, driving for Bill Davis Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 32.431 and an average speed of 166.507 mph (267.967 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 32.431 | 166.507 |
| 2 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 32.754 | 164.865 |
| 3 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 32.769 | 164.789 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
editThe final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 6, after the preliminary 1999 Sam's Town 300. The session would last for one hour.[3] Jeff Burton, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 32.942 and an average speed of 163.924 mph (263.810 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 32.942 | 163.924 |
| 2 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 32.995 | 163.661 |
| 3 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 33.110 | 163.093 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 5, at 2:00 PM PST. 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 6, at 11:30 AM PST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[3] Positions 26-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[6]
Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 31.645 and an average speed of 170.643 miles per hour (274.623 km/h).[7]
Eight drivers would fail to qualify: Ted Musgrave, Kyle Petty, Robert Pressley, Ron Hornaday Jr., Butch Gilliland, Dave Marcis, Morgan Shepherd, and Ron Burns.
Full qualifying results
edit*Time not available.
Race results
editReferences
edit- ^ Poole, David (March 7, 1999). "Burtons put on a show worthy of Las Vegas". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
- ^ Harris, Mike (March 8, 1999). "Vegas 400 turns into brother battle". Hattiesburg American. Associated Press. p. 11. Retrieved August 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 1999 Las Vegas Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on October 13, 1999. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
- ^ "Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. March 5, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
- ^ "Happy Hour practice speeds". That's Racin'. March 6, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
- ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 1999 Provisional Start Status". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on April 18, 1999. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
- ^ Poole, David (March 5, 1999). "Bobby Labonte steals pole from Michael Waltrip". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
- ^ "1999 Las Vegas 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved August 10, 2022.