1996 Goodwrench Service 400
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 31 in the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1996 Goodwrench Service 400 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt. | |||
| Date | February 25, 1996 | ||
| Official name | 31st Annual Goodwrench Service 400 | ||
| Location | Rockingham, North Carolina, North Carolina Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.017 miles (1.637 km) | ||
| Distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
| Average speed | 113.959 miles per hour (183.399 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 23.339 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 198 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN | ||
| Announcers | Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 1996 Goodwrench Service 400 was the second stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 25, 1996, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. In a controversial and wreck-filled race, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to pass for the lead with 15 to go to take his 69th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Larry Hedrick Motorsports driver Ricky Craven would finish second and third, respectively.
The race was marred by a crash with TriStar Motorsports driver Loy Allen Jr. on lap 179. Allen's car would blow a right front tire, sending Allen's car into the turn two wall. The car then ricocheted into the inside retaining wall before coming to a stop. Allen was initially unconscious when checked by paramedics, and was placed on a stretcher before regaining consciousness in the ambulance. Allen was eventually diagnosed with a slight head injury and an injured shoulder blade.[3]
Entry list
North Carolina Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.[4]
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
