1999 MBNA Gold 400
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 27 of 34 in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1999 MBNA Gold 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | September 21, 1999 | ||
| Official name | 31st Annual MBNA Gold 400 | ||
| Location | Dover, Delaware, Dover International Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.6 km (1 miles) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 400 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Average speed | 127.434 miles per hour (205.085 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | ||
| Time | 22.505 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 161 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN | ||
| Announcers | Eli Gold, Dick Berggren, Buddy Baker | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 1999 MBNA Gold 400 was the 27th stock car race of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 26, 1999, in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to dominate the late stages of the race from lap 349 to take his 31st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Tony Stewart and Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second and third, respectively.
Entry list
Dover International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.
The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, September 24, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes.[3] Steve Park, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.592 and an average speed of 159.348 mph (256.446 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 22.592 | 159.348 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 22.601 | 159.284 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 22.683 | 158.709 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Friday, September 24, at 1:20 PM EST. The session would last for 40 minutes.[3] Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.523 and an average speed of 159.836 mph (257.231 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 22.523 | 159.836 |
| 2 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 22.616 | 159.179 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 22.622 | 159.137 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third practice
The third practice session was held on Saturday, September 25, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Todd Bodine, driving for Bahari Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.958 and an average speed of 156.808 mph (252.358 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 | Todd Bodine | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 22.958 | 156.808 |
| 2 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 23.020 | 156.385 |
| 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 23.062 | 156.100 |
| Full third practice results | ||||||
Final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 24, after the preliminary 1999 MBNA Gold 200. The session would last for one hour.[3] Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.257 and an average speed of 154.792 mph (249.114 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 23.257 | 154.792 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.337 | 154.261 |
| 3 | 21 | Elliott Sadler (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 23.348 | 154.188 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||