1999 Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer
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The 1999 Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on August 22, 1999, at Michigan Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. This was the twenty-second race in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series schedule.
Date
August 22, 1999
Location
Michigan Speedway,
Brooklyn, Michigan, U.S.
Brooklyn, Michigan, U.S.
Course length
3.219 km (2.0 miles)
Distance
200 laps, 400 mi (643.738 km)
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 22 of 34 in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 1999 Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer program cover | |||
| Date | August 22, 1999 | ||
| Location |
Michigan Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan, U.S. | ||
| Course length | 3.219 km (2.0 miles) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 400 mi (643.738 km) | ||
| Average speed | 144.332 miles per hour (232.280 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Bill Davis Racing | ||
| Time | 38.127 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 73 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons, and Ned Jarrett | ||
The Michigan Speedway is a 2-mile tri-oval built in 1969. The frontstretch is 3,600 feet while the backstretch is 2,242 feet. The track features 18 degrees in the corners, 12 degrees in the frontstretch, and 5 degrees in the backstretch.[1]
Ernie Irvan suffered head and lung injuries in a Busch Series practice session the previous day.[2] His #36 M&Ms Pontiac was relieved by Dick Trickle for this race. Ernie would later announce his retirement from racing two weeks later.[2]
Future 2000 Winston Cup rookies and then-Busch Series championship contenders Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Matt Kenseth made one of their pre-rookie season starts in this race.
Entry list
| Car[3] | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Sponsor | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Pennzoil | |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | Miller Lite | |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Sr. | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus | |
| 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak | |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's, Rice Krispies Treats | |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline, Cummins | |
| 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | Philips Electronics | |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Budweiser | |
| 9 | Jerry Nadeau | Melling Racing | Ford | WCW | |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide Hydrogen Peroxide Bubbles | |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | Paychex | |
| 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | Mobil 1 | |
| 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | TV Guide, NFL '99 | |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | DeWalt | |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | Interstate Batteries | |
| 19 | Tom Hubert | Roehrig Motorsports | Pontiac | Bradford White Corp. | |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | Home Depot | |
| 21 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo | |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | Caterpillar | |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | Team Winston | |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont Automotive Finishes | |
| 25 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser | |
| 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | Frosted Cheerios | |
| 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline | |
| 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Jimmy Dean / Sara Lee | |
| 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Lowe's | |
| 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal | |
| 36 | Dick Trickle | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | M&M's | |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | SABCO Racing | Chevrolet | Coors Light, Brooks & Dunn | |
| 41 | David Green | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak | |
| 42 | Joe Nemechek | SABCO Racing | Chevrolet | BellSouth | |
| 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP | |
| 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | Hot Wheels | |
| 45 | Rich Bickle | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 10-10-345 | |
| 50 | Ricky Craven | Midwest Transit Racing | Chevrolet | Midwest Transit | |
| 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Square D | |
| 58 | Hut Stricklin | SBIII Motorsports | Ford | Turbine Solutions | |
| 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Motorsports | Chevrolet | Power Team | |
| 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Big Kmart / Route 66 | |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Realtree | |
| 75 | Ted Musgrave | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Remington Arms | |
| 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions | |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Quality Care, Ford Credit | |
| 90 | Stanton Barrett | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Hills Brothers / Nestle / Carnation | |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | McDonald's | |
| 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | John Deere | |
| 98 | Rick Mast | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Woody Woodpecker | |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide Batteries |
Qualifying
| Pos.[4] | Driver | Car | Manufacturer | Time | Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ward Burton | 22 | Pontiac | 38.127 | 188.843 |
| 2 | Mike Skinner | 31 | Chevrolet | 38.298 | 187.999 |
| 3 | Dale Jarrett | 88 | Ford | 38.382 | 187.588 |
| 4 | Geoffrey Bodine | 60 | Chevrolet | 38.387 | 187.563 |
| 5 | Jeremy Mayfield | 12 | Ford | 38.430 | 187.354 |
| 6 | Ricky Rudd | 10 | Ford | 38.464 | 187.188 |
| 7 | Mark Martin | 6 | Ford | 38.482 | 187.100 |
| 8 | John Andretti | 43 | Pontiac | 38.482 | 187.100 |
| 9 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | Chevrolet | 38.500 | 187.013 |
| 10 | Rusty Wallace | 2 | Ford | 38.512 | 186.955 |
| 11 | Ted Musgrave | 75 | Ford | 38.525 | 186.892 |
| 12 | Steve Park | 1 | Chevrolet | 38.540 | 186.819 |
| 13 | Hut Stricklin | 58 | Ford | 38.565 | 186.698 |
| 14 | Bill Elliott | 94 | Ford | 38.630 | 186.384 |
| 15 | Ernie Irvan | 36 | Pontiac | 38.687 | 186.109 |
| 16 | Chad Little | 97 | Ford | 38.696 | 186.066 |
| 17 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 8 | Chevrolet | 38.701 | 186.042 |
| 18 | Sterling Marlin | 40 | Chevrolet | 38.715 | 185.974 |
| 19 | Bobby Labonte | 18 | Pontiac | 38.732 | 185.893 |
| 20 | Michael Waltrip | 7 | Chevrolet | 38.754 | 185.787 |
| 21 | David Green | 41 | Chevrolet | 38.823 | 185.457 |
| 22 | Ricky Craven | 50 | Chevrolet | 38.834 | 185.405 |
| 23 | Kenny Wallace | 55 | Chevrolet | 38.863 | 185.266 |
| 24 | Wally Dallenbach, Jr. | 25 | Chevrolet | 38.864 | 185.261 |
| 25 | Matt Kenseth | 17 | Ford | 38.886 | 185.157 |
| 26 | Jeff Burton | 99 | Ford | 38.867 | 185.247 |
| 27 | Robert Pressley | 77 | Ford | 38.889 | 185.142 |
| 28 | Ken Schrader | 33 | Chevrolet | 38.931 | 184.943 |
| 29 | Jerry Nadeau | 9 | Ford | 38.942 | 184.890 |
| 30 | Kenny Irwin, Jr. | 28 | Ford | 38.966 | 184.776 |
| 31 | Rick Mast | 98 | Ford | 38.984 | 184.691 |
| 32 | Elliott Sadler | 21 | Ford | 38.992 | 184.653 |
| 33 | Kevin Lepage | 16 | Ford | 39.044 | 184.407 |
| 34 | Joe Nemechek | 42 | Chevrolet | 39.045 | 184.403 |
| 35 | Dave Marcis | 71 | Chevrolet | 39.058 | 184.341 |
| 36 | Jimmy Spencer | 23 | Ford | 39.069 | 184.289 |
| Provisionals | |||||
| 37 | Tony Stewart | 20 | Pontiac | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 38 | Dale Earnhardt | 3 | Chevrolet | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 39 | Terry Labonte | 5 | Chevrolet | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 40 | Bobby Hamilton | 4 | Chevrolet | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 41 | Johnny Benson, Jr. | 26 | Ford | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | 44 | Pontiac | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 43 | Rich Bickle | 45 | Pontiac | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Failed to qualify | |||||
| 44 | Derrike Cope | 30 | Pontiac | 39.117 | 184.063 |
| 45 | Stanton Barrett | 90 | Ford | 39.136 | 183.974 |
| 46 | Darrell Waltrip | 66 | Ford | 39.302 | 183.197 |
| 47 | Brett Bodine | 11 | Ford | 39.458 | 182.473 |
| 48 | Tom Hubert | 19 | Pontiac | 40.613 | 177.283 |
Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (#30), Stanton Barrett (#90), Darrell Waltrip (#66), Brett Bodine (#11), Tom Hubert (#19)[5]
Race recap
The race was very competitive with 24 lead changes among 11 drivers. Many underdog drivers ran very well throughout the race, including Chad Little, Jimmy Spencer, and the underfunded Hut Stricklin in the unsponsored SBIII Motorsports Ford. It was the only top 10 for the SBIII team.
The final 20 laps featured a fierce battle between the sport's then-current stars of Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt, Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett, and Jeff Gordon. At the end, it was Bobby Labonte who prevailed with his third win at Michigan and fourth of the 1999 season.
Timeline
- Start: Ward Burton leads the field to the green flag.
- Lap 48: First caution is out for debris on pit road. The outside pole-sitter Mike Skinner broke a pinion gear while trying to leave his pit box during the first caution flag stop of the day.
- Lap 54: The pole-sitter Ward Burton got loose underneath Bobby Labonte and crashed hard into turn 3, causing the second caution.
- Lap 130: Robert Pressley crashed in turn 4, causing the third caution.
- Lap 141: Metal debris spotted in turn 1 causes the fourth caution.
- Lap 150: Dick Trickle, Ricky Rudd, and Kevin Lepage crashed in the frontstretch, causing the fifth caution.
- Lap 163: Tony Stewart made a move on Jeff Burton, made contact when coming up the track on the frontstretch, and sent Jeff Burton into the wall, causing the sixth caution.
- Lap 184: Bobby Labonte took the lead for the final time after a fierce battle with Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon.
- Lap 200: Bobby Labonte takes the checkered flag.