The 1995 NAPA 500 was a NASCAR racing event that took place on November 12, 1995, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, United States. It was the final round of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and was won by Dale Earnhardt, who also led the most laps, while Jeff Gordon won the championship.

1995 NAPA 500
Race details[1]
Race 31 of 31 in the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
1995 NAPA 500 program cover
1995 NAPA 500 program cover
Date November 12, 1995 (1995-November-12)
Official name NAPA 500
Location Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton, Georgia
Course Permanent racing facility
1.522 mi (2.449 km)
Distance 328 laps, 499.2 mi (803.3 km)
Weather Comfortable and sunny with temperatures reaching up to 66 °F (19 °C); wind speeds reaching of 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
Average speed 163.633 mph (263.342 km/h)
Pole position
Driver DarWal Inc.
Time 29.610
Most laps led
Driver Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Laps 268
Winner
No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins
Benny Parsons
Ned Jarrett

Background

edit
 
Atlanta Motor Speedway, the race track where the race was held.

Atlanta Motor Speedway is one of ten intermediate to hold NASCAR races; the others are Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Homestead Miami Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway.[2] The standard track at Atlanta Motor Speedway is a four-turn quad-oval track that is 1.54 miles (2.48 km) long.[3] The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at five.[3]

NASCAR banned tinted windshields starting with this race, confiscating any that teams had in the pits before this one. The move to mandate clear windshields was to make it easier for drivers to see through cars ahead of them and see if a driver in front was signaling them for any reason.[citation needed]

Most of the cars entered were Chevrolets and Fords, with a limited number of Pontiacs competing.[4][5] This was the final career race for owner Alan Dillard Jr., the owner of A.G. Dillard Motorsports.[4][5] It was also the final career race for long time veteran owner D.K. Ulrich.[4][5] The 1995 NAPA 500 was also the final race for Bobby Hillin in the #77, Michael Waltrip in the #30, Morgan Shepherd in the #21, Dick Trickle in the #15, Dale Jarrett in the #28, Jeff Burton in the #8, Hut Stricklin in the #26 and Todd Bodine in the #75.[4][5] Junior Johnson would make his final appearance in this race as a car owner. He sold his #11 team to Brett Bodine during the off-season.[4][5] Some of the more notable crew chiefs to fully participate in this race were Robin Pemberton, Andy Petree, Donnie Wingo, Cecil Gordon, Ray Evernham, Larry McReynolds, and Tim Brewer.[6] Kenny Bernstein would retire from his career as a NASCAR team owner to spend more time with his family after this race.[citation needed]

Points leader Jeff Gordon was ahead of Dale Earnhardt by 147 points entering the race. To win his eighth Cup championship, Earnhardt had to win the race and lead the most laps during the race to earn the maximum 185 points while Gordon had to finish 42nd (the last-place finish) and not lead a single lap during the race (drivers that lead a lap during a race earn 5 bonus points). If all this occurred, Earnhardt would win the championship by only one point. For Gordon to win his first Cup championship, he had to finish no worse than 41st without leading a single lap during the race. If Gordon led a single lap during the race, he would secure his first championship regardless of where he finished.

Race report

edit

Dale Earnhardt defeated Sterling Marlin by nearly four seconds after 22 lead changes during the event, with a record low of two safety car periods totaling eleven laps.[4][5] Earnhardt started in 11th place and came back from behind to win this race, which set a new race record for fastest 500-mile Cup race at the circuit in 3 hours, 3 minutes, 3 seconds, with an average speed of 163.633 MPH, a record that still stands after the 2019 season at the circuit.[4][5][7] Dale Earnhardt was able to dominate this race, as they set up a very aggressive engine package that would make him untouchable all race long, and the engine held up for the win.[4][5] The average speed of the race was 163.632 miles per hour or 263.340 kilometres per hour.[4][5]

Darrell Waltrip scored his 59th pole position with a qualifying time of 29.6099 seconds for an average speed of 185.046 miles per hour or 297.803 kilometres per hour, in what would be the final pole of his illustrious Hall of Fame career.[4] Ken Schrader finished dead last in this race in a coincidental manner;[clarification needed] his engine blew and that happened to be a situation that helped Jeff Gordon clinch his championship, as he was required to finish 41st or better to win.[4][5] The #26 of Hut Stricklin would be involved in an accident on the third turn.[4] Billy Standridge, Jack Sprague, Mike Wallace, Shane Hall, Delma Cowart, and Eric Smith would fail to qualify for this race.[8] Out of the 42-driver grid, only six of them would not finish the race.[4][5] All 42 of the qualifying drivers were born in the United States.[4]

Jeff Gordon won the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship after finishing in 32nd-place in this race.[4][5]

Qualifying

edit
Grid[4][9] No. Driver Manufacturer Team Time Avg. Speed (mph)
1 17 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet DarWal Inc. 29.610 185.046
2 10 Ricky Rudd Ford Rudd Performance Motorsports 29.630 184.921
3 43 Bobby Hamilton Pontiac Petty Enterprises 29.653 184.777
4 15 Dick Trickle Ford Bud Moore Engineering 29.667 184.690
5 98 Jeremy Mayfield Ford Cale Yarborough Motorsports 29.672 184.659
6 2 Rusty Wallace Ford Penske Racing South 29.717 184.379
7 30 Michael Waltrip Pontiac Bahari Racing 29.732 184.286
8 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 29.756 184.138
9 6 Mark Martin Ford Roush Racing 29.805 183.835
10 41 Ricky Craven Chevrolet Larry Hedrick Motorsports 29.811 183.798
11 3 Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 29.823 183.724
12 5 Terry Labonte Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 29.849 183.564
13 1 Rick Mast Ford Precision Products Racing 29.856 183.521
14 26 Hut Stricklin Ford King Racing 29.875 183.404
15 94 Bill Elliott Ford Bill Elliott Racing 29.886 183.337
16 7 Geoffrey Bodine Ford Geoff Bodine Racing 29.890 183.312
17 16 Ted Musgrave Ford Roush Racing 29.909 183.196
18 4 Sterling Marlin Chevrolet Morgan–McClure Motorsports 29.929 183.073
19 8 Jeff Burton Ford Stavola Brothers Racing 29.930 183.067
20 11 Brett Bodine Ford Junior Johnson & Associates 29.931 183.061
21 18 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing 29.934 183.043
22 37 John Andretti Ford Kranefuss-Haas Racing 29.938 183.018
23 31 Gary Bradberry Chevrolet A.G. Dillard Motorsports 29.959 182.890
24 12 Derrike Cope Ford Bobby Allison Motorsports 29.972 182.811
25 19 Loy Allen, Jr. Ford TriStar Motorsports 29.978 182.774
26 88 Ernie Irvan Ford Robert Yates Racing 29.983 182.744
27 27 Elton Sawyer Ford Junior Johnson & Associates 30.001 182.654
28 87 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet NEMCO Motorsports 30.010 182.579
29 71 Dave Marcis Chevrolet Marcis Auto Racing 30.018 182.530
30 32 Greg Sacks Chevrolet Active Motorsports 30.029 182.464
31 22 Ward Burton Pontiac Bill Davis Racing 30.062 182.263
32 25 Ken Schrader Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 30.065 182.245
33 21 Morgan Shepherd Ford Wood Brothers Racing 30.101 182.027
34 58 Jeff Purvis Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 30.137 181.810
35 77 Bobby Hillin, Jr. Ford Jasper Motorsports 30.152 181.719
36 9 Lake Speed Ford Melling Racing 30.170 181.611
37 23 Jimmy Spencer Ford Travis Carter Enterprises 30.184 181.527
38 28 Dale Jarrett Ford Robert Yates Racing 30.225 181.280
Provisionals
39 29 Steve Grissom Chevrolet Diamond Ridge Motorsports 30.403 180.219
40 33 Robert Pressley Chevrolet Leo Jackson Motorsports 30.346 180.558
41 42 Kyle Petty Pontiac Petty Enterprises 30.323 180.695
42 75 Todd Bodine Ford Butch Mock Motorsports 30.239 181.196
Failed to qualify
43 66 Billy Standridge Ford RaDiUs Motorsports 30.335 180.623
44 44 Jeff Purvis Chevrolet Phoenix Racing 30.477 179.781
45 90 Mike Wallace Ford Donlavey Racing 30.609 179.006
46 59 Jack Sprague Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 30.692 178.522
47 40 Shane Hall Pontiac Dick Brooks Racing 30.695 178.505
48 0 Delma Cowart Ford H. L. Waters Racing 32.068 170.862
49 49 Eric Smith Ford Smith Racing 33.200 165.036

Race results

edit
Fin St # Driver Make Team Sponsor Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 11 3 Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing GM Goodwrench Service 328 268 running 185 $141,850
2 18 4 Sterling Marlin Chevrolet Morgan–McClure Motorsports Kodak Film 328 6 running 175 $58,250
3 6 2 Rusty Wallace Ford Penske Racing South Miller Genuine Draft 328 0 running 165 $40,300
4 15 94 Bill Elliott Ford Bill Elliott Racing McDonald's 328 17 running 165 $29,700
5 31 22 Ward Burton Pontiac Bill Davis Racing MBNA America 328 0 running 155 $30,000
6 37 23 Jimmy Spencer Ford Travis Carter Enterprises Smokin' Joe's 328 0 running 150 $21,025
7 26 88 Ernie Irvan Ford Robert Yates Racing Texaco, Havoline 327 0 running 146 $19,955
8 21 18 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing Interstate Batteries 327 13 running 147 $27,275
9 35 77 Bobby Hillin, Jr. Ford Jasper Motorsports Jasper Engines & Transmissions, USAir 327 0 running 138 $12,350
10 2 10 Ricky Rudd Ford Rudd Performance Motorsports Tide 327 11 running 139 $29,775
11 16 7 Geoffrey Bodine Ford Geoff Bodine Racing Exide Batteries 327 0 running 130 $26,100
12 7 30 Michael Waltrip Pontiac Bahari Racing Pennzoil 326 0 running 127 $20,575
13 12 5 Terry Labonte Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports Kellogg's 326 0 running 124 $25,650
14 28 87 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet NEMCO Motorsports Burger King 326 0 running 121 $14,825
15 22 37 John Andretti Ford Kranefuss-Haas Racing Kmart, Little Caesars 325 0 running 118 $15,800
16 1 17 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet DarWal Inc. Western Auto 325 3 running 120 $30,100
17 9 6 Mark Martin Ford Roush Racing Valvoline 325 0 running 112 $23,530
18 5 98 Jeremy Mayfield Ford Cale Yarborough Motorsports RCA 325 0 running 109 $13,215
19 36 9 Lake Speed Ford Melling Racing Spam, Melling 324 0 running 106 $12,775
20 20 11 Brett Bodine Ford Junior Johnson & Associates Lowe's 324 0 running 103 $23,410
21 13 1 Rick Mast Ford Precision Products Racing Skoal 324 0 running 100 $17,145
22 33 21 Morgan Shepherd Ford Wood Brothers Racing Citgo, GoldenEye 322 0 running 97 $16,730
23 4 15 Dick Trickle Ford Bud Moore Engineering Ford Quality Care 322 0 running 94 $16,415
24 25 19 Loy Allen, Jr. Ford TriStar Motorsports Healthsource 322 0 running 91 $7,730
25 3 43 Bobby Hamilton Pontiac Petty Enterprises STP 321 9 running 93 $11,985
26 34 58 Jeff Purvis Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports Leukemia Society 320 0 running 85 $7,370
27 17 16 Ted Musgrave Ford Roush Racing The Family Channel 320 0 running 82 $15,555
28 27 27 Elton Sawyer Ford Junior Johnson & Associates Hooters 318 0 running 79 $15,140
29 23 31 Gary Bradberry Chevrolet A.G. Dillard Motorsports Hardee's 318 0 running 76 $10,280
30 10 41 Ricky Craven Chevrolet Larry Hedrick Motorsports Kodiak 317 0 running 73 $10,105
31 38 28 Dale Jarrett Ford Robert Yates Racing Texaco, Havoline 316 0 running 70 $21,340
32 8 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports DuPont Auto Finishes 314 1 running 72 $19,975
33 41 42 Kyle Petty Pontiac Petty Enterprises Coors Light 312 0 running 64 $14,810
34 30 32 Greg Sacks Chevrolet Active Motorsports Fina Lube, Lance Snacks 307 0 running 61 $6,745
35 24 12 Derrike Cope Ford Bobby Allison Motorsports Straight Arrow 301 0 running 58 $9,680
36 19 8 Jeff Burton Ford Stavola Brothers Racing Raybestos 294 0 running 55 $14,115
37 29 71 Dave Marcis Chevrolet Marcis Auto Racing Olive Garden 289 0 engine 52 $6,585
38 14 26 Hut Stricklin Ford King Racing Quaker State 202 0 crash 49 $11,500
39 39 29 Steve Grissom Chevrolet Diamond Ridge Motorsports Meineke 194 0 transmission 46 $6,500
40 42 75 Todd Bodine Ford Butch Mock Motorsports Factory Stores of America 141 0 engine 43 $11,500
41 40 33 Robert Pressley Chevrolet Leo Jackson Motorsports Skoal Bandit 104 0 engine 40 $12,000
42 32 25 Ken Schrader Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports Budweiser 92 0 engine 37 $12,500
Failed to qualify or driver change
43 66 Billy Standridge Ford RaDiUs Motorsports DuraGloss, TropArtic
44 44 Jeff Purvis Chevrolet Phoenix Racing Jackaroo
45 90 Mike Wallace Ford Donlavey Racing Heilig-Meyers
46 59 Jack Sprague Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports Pedigree
47 40 Shane Hall Pontiac Dick Brooks Racing Kendall Oil
48 0 Delma Cowart Ford H. L. Waters Racing Masters Economy Inns
49 49 Eric Smith Ford Smith Racing Express Pit Stop
DC 58 Jimmy Horton Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports Leukemia Society

Timeline

edit

Section reference: [4]

  • Start of race: Darrell Waltrip had the pole position to start the race.
  • Lap 2: Ricky Rudd took over the lead from Darrell Waltrip.
  • Lap 7: Bobby Hamilton took over the lead from Ricky Rudd.
  • Lap 16: Ricky Rudd took over the lead from Bobby Hamilton.
  • Lap 18: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Ricky Rudd.
  • Lap 55: Darrell Waltrip took over the lead from Dale Earnhardt.
  • Lap 56: Sterling Marlin took over the lead from Darrell Waltrip.
  • Lap 61: Jeff Gordon took over the lead from Sterling Marlin.
  • Lap 62: Bill Elliott took over the lead from Jeff Gordon.
  • Lap 64: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Bill Elliott.
  • Lap 72: Caution for debris; ended on lap 77.
  • Lap 82: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Ricky Rudd.
  • Lap 92: Ken Schrader became the last-place finisher due to a faulty engine. Jeff Gordon officially clinches the championship.
  • Lap 104: Robert Pressley had problems with his engine, forcing him to end the race early.
  • Lap 138: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Bobby Labonte.
  • Lap 141: Todd Bodine's engine started acting up, ending his NASCAR race weekend prematurely.
  • Lap 194: Steve Grissom's transmission stopped working properly, causing him to be the fourth DNF.
  • Lap 201: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Bobby Labonte.
  • Lap 202: Hut Stricklin had a terminal crash.
  • Lap 204: Caution due to Hut Stricklin's accident, ended on lap 208.
  • Lap 270: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Bill Elliott.
  • Lap 289: Dave Marcis' engine gave out, making him the 37th-place finisher in the race.
  • Finish: Dale Earnhardt was officially declared the winner of the event.

Standings after the race

edit
Pos Driver Points[4] Differential
1   Jeff Gordon 4614 0
2   Dale Earnhardt 4580 -34
3   Sterling Marlin 4361 -253
4   Mark Martin 4320 -294
5   Rusty Wallace 4240 -374
6   Terry Labonte 4146 -468
7   Ted Musgrave 3949 -665
8   Bill Elliott 3746 -868
9   Ricky Rudd 3734 -880
10   Bobby Labonte 3718 -896

References

edit
  1. ^ Weather information for the 1995 NAPA 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Archived from the original on September 12, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "NASCAR Tracks—The Atlanta Motor Speedway". Atlanta Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 1995 NAPA 500 racing results at Racing Reference
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 1995 NAPA 500 results at Race-Database
  6. ^ 1995 NAPA 500 crew chiefs at Racing Reference
  7. ^ NASCAR Race Results for the 1995 NAPA 500 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
  8. ^ Qualifying information for the 1995 NAPA 500 at Racing Reference
  9. ^ Press, AL PEARCE Daily. "WALTRIP CLAIMS NASCAR POLE". dailypress.com. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1995-96
Succeeded by