1996 in NASCAR
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In 1996 in NASCAR, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) sanctioned three national touring series, eight regional touring series, and the Winston Racing Series for local competition. NASCAR champions in 1996 were Terry Labonte, Randy LaJoie, Ron Hornaday Jr., Lance Hooper, Dave Dion, Tony Hirschman, Lyndon Amick, Mike Cope, Kelly Tanner, Chris Raudman, Joe Kosiski, and Larry Phillips.
During 1996, NASCAR expanded its brand into several new entertainment areas. The NASCAR Online website went live during the year,[1] while the first four NASCAR Thunder stores, operated in conjunction with Gaylord Entertainment, were opened.[2] In addition, the NASCAR Racing Online Series, based on Papyrus's NASCAR Racing 2 game, was formed using the Total Entertainment Network system.[3]
National touring series
Winston Cup Series
The 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series consisted of 31 events, run at 18 race tracks in 15 states.[4] Terry Labonte won his second series championship, beating Jeff Gordon by 37 points;[5] the Rick Hendrick-owned No. 5 Kellogg's Corn Flakes Chevrolet team won the series' owner's championship.[6] Labonte's team, led by crew chief Gary DeHart, also won the series' Pit Crew Championship, held in October at North Carolina Motor Speedway.[7]
Eleven drivers won races over the course of the 31-race season; Jeff Gordon won the most events, with ten victories.[8] Bobby Hamilton was the season's only first-time winner, winning at Phoenix International Raceway in October.[9]
The Busch Pole Award was won by Jeff Gordon, who won five pole positions during the season.[10] Johnny Benson Jr. won the series' Rookie of the Year title over Randy MacDonald and Stacy Compton,[11] while Bill Elliott won his eleventh Most Popular Driver award.[12] The series' Manufacturers' Championship was won by Chevrolet, whose teams won 17 of the series' races; Ford won 13 events while Pontiac drivers scored a single win.[13]
In addition to the 31-race regular season, three exhibition races were run during the year. The Busch Clash, an event for the previous year's pole-winning drivers at Daytona International Speedway in February, was won by Dale Jarrett,[14] while The Winston, the series' all-star race for race winners at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, was won by Michael Waltrip, who had advanced into the event as a wild card from the last chance race for non-winning drivers.[15] Following the regular season, the Winston Cup Series ran the first NASCAR exhibition race in Japan, and the first overseas exhibition race since the 1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500 in Australia,[16] the Suzuka Thunder Special run on November 24 at Suzuka Circuit; competed in by invited drivers from the Winston Cup Series, Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series and Winston West Series, the event was won by Rusty Wallace.[17]
Top ten drivers standings
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Manufacturer | Owner | Pts | Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terry Labonte | 5 | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 4657 | 31 | 2 | 21 | 24 | $4,030,648 |
| 2 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 4620 | 31 | 10 | 21 | 24 | $3,428,485 |
| 3 | Dale Jarrett | 88 | Ford | Robert Yates Racing | 4568 | 31 | 4 | 17 | 21 | $2,985,418 |
| 4 | Dale Earnhardt | 3 | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | 4327 | 31 | 2 | 13 | 17 | $2,285,926 |
| 5 | Mark Martin | 6 | Ford | Roush Racing | 4278 | 31 | 0 | 14 | 23 | $1,887,396 |
| 6 | Ricky Rudd | 10 | Ford | Rudd Performance Motorsports | 3845 | 31 | 1 | 5 | 16 | $1,503,025 |
| 7 | Rusty Wallace | 2 | Ford | Penske Racing South | 3717 | 31 | 5 | 8 | 18 | $1,665,315 |
| 8 | Sterling Marlin | 4 | Chevrolet | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | 3682 | 31 | 2 | 5 | 10 | $1,588,425 |
| 9 | Bobby Hamilton | 43 | Pontiac | Petty Enterprises | 3639 | 31 | 1 | 3 | 11 | $1,151,235 |
| 10 | Ernie Irvan | 28 | Ford | Robert Yates Racing | 3632 | 31 | 2 | 12 | 16 | $1,683,313 |
Busch Series
The 1996 NASCAR Busch Series consisted of 26 events, run at 20 race tracks in 14 states.[18] Randy LaJoie won his first series championship, beating David Green by 29 points.[19]
Thirteen drivers won races over the course of the 26-race season; Mark Martin won the most events, with six victories.[20] Randy LaJoie,[21] Buckshot Jones,[22] Greg Sacks,[23] Jeff Fuller,[24] and Kevin Lepage were first-time winners during the season.[25]
The series' Busch Pole Award was won by David Green for the third consecutive season, winning four pole positions during the season.[26] Glenn Allen Jr. won the series' Rookie of the Year title over Mike Dillon and Shane Hall,[26] while David Green won the series' Most Popular Driver award.[27] The series' Manufacturers' Championship, the Bill France Performance Cup, was won by Chevrolet.[26]
Top ten drivers standings
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Manufacturer | Owner | Pts | Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy LaJoie | 74 | Chevrolet | BACE Motorsports | 3714 | 26 | 5 | 11 | 20 | $532,823 |
| 2 | David Green | 96 | Chevrolet | American Equipment Racing | 3685 | 26 | 2 | 13 | 18 | $469,118 |
| 3 | Todd Bodine | 81 82 |
Chevrolet | Pro Tech Motorsports | 3064 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 9 | $281,616 |
| 4 | Jeff Green | 3 | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | 3059 | 26 | 0 | 5 | 13 | $269,285 |
| 5 | Chad Little | 23 | Pontiac | Mark Rypien Motorsports | 2984 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 7 | $317,394 |
| 6 | Jason Keller | 57 | Chevrolet | KEL Racing | 2900 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 10 | $281,902 |
| 7 | Jeff Purvis | 4 | Chevrolet | Phoenix Racing | 2894 | 26 | 2 | 4 | 7 | $266,026 |
| 8 | Kevin Lepage | 71 88 |
Chevrolet | Lepage Racing Ridling Motorsports |
2870 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 10 | $254,925 |
| 9 | Phil Parsons | 10 | Chevrolet | Phil Parsons Racing | 2854 | 26 | 0 | 5 | 6 | $215,023 |
| 10 | Mike McLaughlin | 34 | Chevrolet | Team 34 | 2853 | 26 | 0 | 7 | 10 | $290,701 |
Craftsman Truck Series
The 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, renamed from the SuperTruck Series presented by Craftsman,[28] consisted of 24 events, run at 23 race tracks in 19 states.[29] Ron Hornaday Jr. won his first series championship, beating Jack Sprague by 53 points.[30]
Seven drivers won races over the course of the 26-race season; Mike Skinner won the most events, with eight victories.[31] Dave Rezendes,[32] Jack Sprague,[33] Rick Carelli,[34] and Mark Martin were first-time winners during the season.[35]
The series' Busch Pole Award was won by Mike Skinner, winning five pole positions during the season.[36] Bryan Reffner won the series' Rookie of the Year title over Doug George and Lance Norick,[36] while Jimmy Hensley won the series' Most Popular Driver award.[37] The series' Manufacturers' Championship was won by Chevrolet, followed by Ford and Dodge.[36]
Top ten drivers standings
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Manufacturer | Owner | Pts | Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | 16 | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | 3831 | 24 | 4 | 18 | 23 | $614,084 |
| 2 | Jack Sprague | 24 | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 3778 | 24 | 5 | 18 | 21 | $580,112 |
| 3 | Mike Skinner | 3 | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | 3771 | 24 | 8 | 17 | 20 | $590,995 |
| 4 | Joe Ruttman | 80 | Ford | Roush Racing | 3275 | 24 | 0 | 7 | 16 | $276,012 |
| 5 | Mike Bliss | 2 | Ford | Ultra Motorsports | 3190 | 24 | 2 | 9 | 11 | $345,322 |
| 6 | Dave Rezendes | 7 | Ford | Geoff Bodine Racing | 3179 | 24 | 3 | 8 | 13 | $335,840 |
| 7 | Butch Miller | 98 28 19 |
Ford Ford Dodge |
Liberty Racing Irvan-Simo Racing Walker Evans Racing |
3126 | 24 | 0 | 7 | 11 | $258,333 |
| 8 | Jimmy Hensley | 30 | Dodge | Grandaddy Racing | 3029 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 14 | $228,936 |
| 9 | Bryan Reffner | 44 | Ford | Irvan-Simo Racing | 2961 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 9 | $200,898 |
| 10 | Rick Carelli | 6 | Chevrolet | Chesrown Racing | 2953 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 9 | $216,625 |