1996 Miller 400
Race details
Race 24 of 31 in the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1996 Miller 400 program cover, featuring Rusty Wallace. Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
The 1996 Miller 400 program cover, featuring Rusty Wallace. Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
Date September 7, 1996
Official name 39th Annual Miller 400
Location Richmond, Virginia, Richmond International Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
0.75 mi (1.21 km)
Distance 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km)
Scheduled Distance 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km)
Average speed 105.469 miles per hour (169.736 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Roush Racing
Time 21.997
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 168
Winner
No. 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1996 Miller 400 was the 24th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 39th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 7, 1996, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Ernie Irvan would manage to defend and come out victorious against Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon, only beating Gordon by a tenth of a second. The win was Irvan's 14th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton would finish third.

Background

The layout of Richmond International Raceway, the venue where the race was at.

Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.

Entry list

  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac Hooters
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford Miller Silver Splash
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
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 Todd Bodine David Blair Motorsports Ford David Blair Motorsports
28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Chad Little 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
40 Jay Sauter Team SABCO Chevrolet First Union
41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kodiak
42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac Coors Light
43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
46 Stacy Compton Monroe Racing Chevrolet Monroe 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
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
95 Gary Bradberry Sadler Brothers Racing Ford Shoney's Inn
98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford RCA
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Exide

Qualifying

Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was scheduled to be held on Friday, September 6, at 5:30 PM EST. However, only six drivers were able to set a lap before qualifying was rained out and postponed until Saturday, September 7, at 12:00 PM EST. Qualifying was eventually combined into only one round.[3] Each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 26-36 would be decided on time,[4] 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.

Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 21.997 and an average speed of 122.744 miles per hour (197.537 km/h).[5]

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Stacy Compton, Jay Sauter, and Gary Bradberry.

Full qualifying results

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 21.997 122.744
2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.022 122.605
3 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 22.060 122.393
4 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 22.065 122.366
5 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 22.078 122.294
6 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 22.079 122.288
7 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 22.085 122.255
8 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 22.088 122.238
9 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 22.132 121.995
10 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 22.145 121.924
11 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.149 121.902
12 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 22.169 121.792
13 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 22.172 121.775
14 27 Todd Bodine David Blair Motorsports Ford 22.183 121.715
15 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 22.187 121.693
16 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 22.189 121.682
17 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 22.199 121.627
18 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 22.205 121.594
19 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 22.208 121.578
20 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 22.214 121.545
21 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 22.225 121.485
22 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 22.229 121.463
23 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 22.241 121.397
24 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.250 121.348
25 41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.258 121.305
26 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 22.263 121.277
27 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 22.275 121.212
28 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 22.276 121.207
29 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 22.278 121.196
30 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 22.285 121.158
31 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 22.338 120.870
32 29 Chad Little Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 22.309 121.027
33 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford 22.336 120.881
34 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 22.338 120.870
35 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 22.306 121.044
36 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 22.349 120.811
Provisionals
37 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford -* -*
38 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford -* -*
39 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford -* -*
40 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford -* -*
Failed to qualify
41 46 Stacy Compton Monroe Racing Chevrolet -* -*
42 40 Jay Sauter Team SABCO Chevrolet -* -*
43 95 Gary Bradberry Sadler Brothers Racing Ford -* -*
Official starting lineup

Race results

Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 16 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 400 88 running 180 $86,665
2 2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 168 running 180 $59,640
3 3 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 400 113 running 170 $50,755
4 8 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 400 11 running 165 $30,505
5 24 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 1 running 160 $37,155
6 10 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 400 0 running 150 $30,005
7 12 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 400 0 running 146 $29,005
8 18 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 400 0 running 142 $24,705
9 1 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 400 1 running 143 $34,805
10 34 30 Johnny Benson Jr. (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 400 13 running 139 $26,155
11 4 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 400 0 running 130 $28,105
12 37 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 399 0 running 127 $29,405
13 11 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 399 0 running 124 $23,155
14 22 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 399 0 running 121 $22,955
15 9 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 399 0 running 118 $23,855
16 7 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 399 4 running 120 $23,500
17 30 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 399 0 running 112 $26,400
18 19 42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 399 0 running 109 $22,150
19 21 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac 398 0 running 106 $22,025
20 23 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 398 0 running 103 $30,100
21 17 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 398 0 running 100 $27,850
22 36 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 398 0 running 97 $21,825
23 38 75 Morgan Shepherd Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 398 0 running 94 $14,650
24 39 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 398 0 running 91 $14,525
25 26 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 397 0 running 88 $21,575
26 29 33 Robert Pressley Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 397 0 running 85 $21,250
27 15 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 397 0 running 82 $14,125
28 25 41 Ricky Craven Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 397 0 running 79 $21,000
29 35 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 396 0 running 76 $20,975
30 28 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 396 0 running 73 $20,925
31 13 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 396 0 running 70 $20,375
32 40 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 396 0 running 67 $10,850
33 33 15 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Bud Moore Engineering Ford 395 0 running 64 $17,845
34 27 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 395 1 running 66 $10,825
35 14 27 Todd Bodine David Blair Motorsports Ford 395 0 running 58 $10,825
36 31 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 394 0 running 55 $10,825
37 5 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 362 0 crash 52 $25,825
38 20 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 308 0 rear end 49 $10,825
39 6 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 301 0 transmission 46 $17,825
40 32 29 Chad Little Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 38 0 crash 43 $17,825
Failed to qualify
41 46 Stacy Compton Monroe Racing Chevrolet
42 40 Jay Sauter Team SABCO Chevrolet
43 95 Gary Bradberry Sadler Brothers Racing Ford
Official race results

References

  1. Higgins, Tom (September 8, 1996). "Irvan holds off Gordon for 2nd Richmond win". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  2. Kurz Jr., Hank (September 8, 1996). "Irvan comeback includes Miller 400 win". The Indianapolis Star. p. 30. Retrieved October 23, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. "Rain pushes NASCAR qualifying to today, Busch race to Sunday". Star-Gazette. September 7, 1996. p. 5. Retrieved October 23, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. "Miller 400". The Charlotte Observer. September 6, 1996. p. 30. Retrieved October 23, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. Kurz Jr., Hank (September 8, 1996). "Martin nabs pole for Miller 400". The Belleville News-Democrat. p. 40. Retrieved October 23, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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