The 1995 Goody's 500 was the 26th stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 47th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 24, 1995, 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 the final laps of the race, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would make a late race pass on Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace with eight to go to take his 67th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth victory of the season, while in the process cutting down his points deficit down to 275 points with points leader Jeff Gordon.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and the aforementioned Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 26 of 31 in the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
.jpeg) The 1995 Goody's 500 program cover, featuring Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt. | |||
| Date | September 24, 1995 | ||
| Official name | 47th Annual Goody's 500 | ||
| Location | Ridgeway, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.526 mi (0.847 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Average speed | 73.946 miles per hour (119.005 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | Set by 1995 owner's points | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 253 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background edit
Martinsville Speedway is an 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.
Entry list edit
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Qualifying edit
Two round of qualifying were scheduled to be held on Friday, September 22, and Saturday, September 23. However, Friday's sessions were cancelled due to rain, with both rounds then scheduled to commence on Saturday.[3] However, Saturday's sessions would also be cancelled due to rain, leaving qualifying to be determined by a system of owner's points and postmarks on entry list blanks. The top 30 positions would be determined by the current 1995 owner's points, while the final six spots would be determined by a system of provisionals that included past winners, and finally postmarks.[4] As a result, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would win the pole.[5]
Six drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results edit
Race results edit
References edit
- ^ Harris, Mike (September 25, 1995). "Earnhardt triumphs, trims 34 points off Gordon's lead". Messenger-Inquirer. p. 7. Retrieved November 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Martin, Gerald (September 25, 1995). "Earnhardt just out for a Sunday ride". The News and Observer. p. 36. Retrieved November 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Blake, Ben W. (September 23, 1995). "Qualifying washed out, but rain tire is tested". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. 37. Retrieved November 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (September 24, 1995). "Rain stalls qualifying, Irvan's plans". The Charlotte Observer. p. 117. Retrieved November 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (September 24, 1995). "Showers grant Gordon a pole". The Charlotte Observer. p. 117. Retrieved November 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
