# 1999 MBNA Platinum 400

The 1999 MBNA Platinum 400 was the 13th stock car race of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 6, 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. Depending on fuel mileage, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would manage to save enough fuel to almost lap the field to win his eighth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

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.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 00 | Buckshot Jones (R) | Buckshot Racing | Pontiac | Crown Fiber |
| 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Pennzoil |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | Miller Lite, Harley-Davidson |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | Philips, Klaussner Furniture |
| 9 | Jerry Nadeau | Melling Racing | Ford | World Championship Wrestling |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 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 |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | Interstate Batteries |
| 20 | Tony Stewart (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | The Home Depot |
| 21 | Elliott Sadler (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | Caterpillar |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Winston No Bull |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | Cheerios, Betty Crocker |
| 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Jimmy Dean |
| 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal |
| 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | M&M's |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | Coors Light |
| 41 | David Green | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | 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 |
| 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Square D |
| 58 | Ricky Craven | SBIII Motorsports | Ford | Turbine Solutions |
| 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | Power Team |
| 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Big Kmart |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Team 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 Service, Ford Credit |
| 90 | Hut Stricklin | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Suburban Lodge |
| 91 | Dick Trickle | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | Larry's Homes |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | John Deere |
| 98 | Rick Mast | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Guess Who?!! "Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!" |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide Batteries |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, June 4, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for one hour. Kenny Wallace, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.678 and an average speed of 158.744 mph (255.474 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 22.678 | 158.744 |
| 2 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 22.736 | 158.339 |
| 3 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.739 | 158.318 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Friday, June 4, at 1:20 PM EST. The session would last for 40 minutes. Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.677 and an average speed of 158.751 mph (255.485 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.677 | 158.751 |
| 2 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 22.717 | 158.472 |
| 3 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 22.726 | 158.409 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Third practice

The third practice session was held on Saturday, June 5, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Dick Trickle, driving for LJ Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.100 and an average speed of 155.844 mph (250.807 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 91 | Dick Trickle | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 23.100 | 155.844 |
| 2 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 23.116 | 155.736 |
| 3 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 23.137 | 155.594 |
| Full third practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 5, after the preliminary 1999 MBNA Platinum 200. The session would last for one hour. Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.293 and an average speed of 154.552 mph (248.727 km/h).
During the session, Ernie Irvan would crash on the frontstretch, forcing Irvan to go to a backup car and to start at the rear for the race.
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 23.293 | 154.552 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 23.351 | 154.168 |
| 3 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.403 | 153.826 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 4, at 3:30 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 25 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, June 5, at 11:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. Positions 26-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.
Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 22.596 and an average speed of 159.320 miles per hour (256.401 km/h).
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Darrell Waltrip, Buckshot Jones, and Hut Stricklin.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 22.596 | 159.320 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 22.702 | 158.576 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.738 | 158.325 |
| 4 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 22.764 | 158.144 |
| 5 | 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.795 | 157.929 |
| 6 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 22.811 | 157.819 |
| 7 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 22.825 | 157.722 |
| 8 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 22.827 | 157.708 |
| 9 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 22.849 | 157.556 |
| 10 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.859 | 157.487 |
| 11 | 21 | Elliott Sadler (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 22.863 | 157.460 |
| 12 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 22.868 | 157.425 |
| 13 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau | Melling Racing | Ford | 22.891 | 157.267 |
| 14 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.895 | 157.240 |
| 15 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 22.910 | 157.137 |
| 16 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 22.912 | 157.123 |
| 17 | 41 | David Green | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.912 | 157.123 |
| 18 | 25 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.952 | 156.849 |
| 19 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 22.958 | 156.808 |
| 20 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 22.970 | 156.726 |
| 21 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.975 | 156.692 |
| 22 | 98 | Rick Mast | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 22.994 | 156.563 |
| 23 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 23.003 | 156.501 |
| 24 | 20 | Tony Stewart (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 23.006 | 156.481 |
| 25 | 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.020 | 156.386 |
| 26 | 91 | Dick Trickle | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 22.915 | 157.102 |
| 27 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 22.989 | 156.597 |
| 28 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.020 | 156.386 |
| 29 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 23.022 | 156.372 |
| 30 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 23.035 | 156.284 |
| 31 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 23.048 | 156.196 |
| 32 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 23.060 | 156.114 |
| 33 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 23.061 | 156.108 |
| 34 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.066 | 156.074 |
| 35 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.068 | 156.060 |
| 36 | 75 | Ted Musgrave | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 23.083 | 155.959 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 38 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 39 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 45 | Rich Bickle | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 41 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 58 | Ricky Craven | SBIII Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 43 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 23.378 | 153.991 |
| 45 | 00 | Buckshot Jones (R) | Buckshot Racing | Pontiac | 23.467 | 153.407 |
| 46 | 90 | Hut Stricklin | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 23.779 | 151.394 |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 44 | running | 180 | $144,820 |
| 2 | 14 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 104 | running | 175 | $96,805 |
| 3 | 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 399 | 100 | running | 170 | $77,480 |
| 4 | 24 | 20 | Tony Stewart (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 399 | 127 | running | 170 | $63,205 |
| 5 | 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 399 | 21 | running | 160 | $67,745 |
| 6 | 8 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 150 | $56,830 |
| 7 | 28 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 399 | 3 | running | 151 | $52,860 |
| 8 | 37 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 142 | $56,535 |
| 9 | 9 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | out of fuel | 138 | $50,335 |
| 10 | 19 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 134 | $56,275 |
| 11 | 34 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 130 | $49,510 |
| 12 | 7 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 397 | 0 | running | 127 | $48,660 |
| 13 | 12 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 397 | 0 | running | 124 | $53,420 |
| 14 | 23 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 397 | 0 | running | 121 | $45,210 |
| 15 | 32 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 118 | $37,310 |
| 16 | 31 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 115 | $42,310 |
| 17 | 38 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 112 | $47,265 |
| 18 | 17 | 41 | David Green | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 109 | $34,810 |
| 19 | 10 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 106 | $41,385 |
| 20 | 18 | 25 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 103 | $43,675 |
| 21 | 35 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 395 | 0 | running | 100 | $45,910 |
| 22 | 15 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 395 | 0 | running | 97 | $40,735 |
| 23 | 39 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 395 | 0 | running | 94 | $40,485 |
| 24 | 36 | 75 | Ted Musgrave | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 395 | 0 | running | 91 | $33,530 |
| 25 | 27 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 395 | 0 | running | 88 | $40,255 |
| 26 | 5 | 16 | Kevin Lepage | Roush Racing | Ford | 394 | 0 | running | 85 | $39,705 |
| 27 | 11 | 21 | Elliott Sadler (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 394 | 0 | running | 82 | $40,355 |
| 28 | 21 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 394 | 0 | running | 79 | $39,180 |
| 29 | 33 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 393 | 1 | running | 81 | $39,030 |
| 30 | 13 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau | Melling Racing | Ford | 393 | 0 | out of fuel | 73 | $31,980 |
| 31 | 42 | 58 | Ricky Craven | SBIII Motorsports | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 70 | $28,730 |
| 32 | 6 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 392 | 0 | running | 67 | $28,570 |
| 33 | 40 | 45 | Rich Bickle | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 392 | 0 | running | 64 | $28,645 |
| 34 | 22 | 98 | Rick Mast | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 61 | $28,270 |
| 35 | 29 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 391 | 0 | running | 58 | $35,120 |
| 36 | 30 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 389 | 0 | running | 55 | $28,005 |
| 37 | 20 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 358 | 0 | running | 52 | $34,895 |
| 38 | 43 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 307 | 0 | overheating | 49 | $27,785 |
| 39 | 4 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 289 | 0 | crash | 46 | $31,275 |
| 40 | 41 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 255 | 0 | electrical | 43 | $27,565 |
| 41 | 16 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 132 | 0 | running | 40 | $34,455 |
| 42 | 25 | 7 | Michael Waltrip | Mattei Motorsports | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | engine | 37 | $34,345 |
| 43 | 26 | 91 | Dick Trickle | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 6 | 0 | crash | 34 | $28,435 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 00 | Buckshot Jones (R) | Buckshot Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 46 | | 90 | Hut Stricklin | Donlavey Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||