1996 Hanes 500
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 26 of 31 in the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1996 Hanes 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt. | |||
| Date | September 22, 1996 | ||
| Official name | 48th Annual Hanes 500 | ||
| Location | Ridgeway, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 0.526 miles (0.847 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Average speed | 82.223 miles per hour (132.325 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Petty Enterprises | ||
| Time | 20.119 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | |
| Laps | 331 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 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 Hanes 500 was the 26th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 48th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 22, 1996, in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. In a one-lap shootout to the finish, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to defend the field to take his 18th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his ninth victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and Petty Enterprises driver Bobby Hamilton finished second and third, respectively.
Entry list
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
