# 1996 Save Mart Supermarkets 300

The 1996 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 was the tenth stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the fourth race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston West Series, and the eighth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 5, 1996, in Sonoma, California, at the Grand Prix layout of Sears Point Raceway, a 2.52 miles (4.06 km) permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 74 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would manage to pull away on the final restart with six to go to take his 43rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Bud Moore Engineering driver Wally Dallenbach Jr. would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Sears Point Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International. The standard road course at Sears Point Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long; the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km). The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout. In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99 miles (3.20 km).

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 00 | Scott Gaylord | Oliver Racing | Chevrolet | Oliver Gravity Separators |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | Hooters |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | Miller |
| 02 | Bill McAnally | Bill McAnally Racing | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 03 | Joe Bean | Bean Racing | Ford | Bean Racing |
| 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Dave Rezendes | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | QVC |
| 07 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | QVC |
| 07W | Lance Hooper | Golden West Motorsports | Pontiac | Golden West Motorsports |
| 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Circuit City |
| 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | Spam |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | Lowe's |
| 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | Mane 'n Tail |
| 14 | Jeff Krogh | Excel Motorsports | Chevrolet | Clearwater Forest Industries |
| 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Hayes Modems |
| 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | PrimeStar, The Family Channel |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Parts America |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Dick Trickle | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | HealthSource RI |
| 20 | Mark Krogh | Excel Motorsports | Chevrolet | Clearwater Forest Industries |
| 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | MBNA |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Camel Cigarettes |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Cartoon Network, The Flintstones |
| 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Skoal |
| 35 | Larry Gunselman | Race Stuff Motorsports | Ford | Race Stuff Motorsports |
| 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | Kmart, Little Caesars |
| 38 | Rich Woodland Jr. | Bill Stroppe Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bill Stroppe Motorsports |
| 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | Coors Light Silver Bullet |
| 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 45 | Chad Little | JTC Racing | Chevrolet | Star Race Computers |
| 58 | Wayne Jacks | Jacks Motorsports | Pontiac | Imperial Palace Hotel |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Prodigy |
| 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Remington Arms |
| 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | Square D, TIC Financial Systems |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | Burger King |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Quality Care Service, Ford Credit |
| 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 94 | Tommy Kendall | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | RCA |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, May 3, at 6:00 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, May 4, at 3:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 26-38 would be decided on time, and four spots would be determined by NASCAR Winston Cup Series provisionals, while two more additional provisionals would be given to teams in the Winston West Series.
Terry Labonte, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:38.050 and an average speed of 92.524 miles per hour (148.903 km/h).
Seven drivers would fail to qualify: Geoff Bodine, Chad Little, Mark Krogh, Joe Bean, Wayne Jacks, Bill McAnally, and Lance Hooper.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:38.050 | 92.524 |
| 2 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 1:38.407 | 92.189 |
| 3 | 41 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:38.436 | 92.161 |
| 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:38.461 | 92.138 |
| 5 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:38.528 | 92.075 |
| 6 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:38.671 | 91.942 |
| 7 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 1:38.866 | 91.761 |
| 8 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 1:38.877 | 91.750 |
| 9 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:38.979 | 91.656 |
| 10 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 1:39.009 | 91.628 |
| 11 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:39.093 | 91.550 |
| 12 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:39.155 | 91.493 |
| 13 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 1:39.250 | 91.406 |
| 14 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:39.327 | 91.335 |
| 15 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 1:39.357 | 91.307 |
| 16 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 1:39.362 | 91.303 |
| 17 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 1:39.375 | 91.291 |
| 18 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:39.387 | 91.280 |
| 19 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 1:39.388 | 91.279 |
| 20 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:39.534 | 91.145 |
| 21 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 1:39.580 | 91.103 |
| 22 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 1:39.697 | 90.996 |
| 23 | 7 | Dave Rezendes | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 1:39.782 | 90.918 |
| 24 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 1:39.868 | 90.840 |
| 25 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 1:39.924 | 90.789 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 26 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 1:39.624 | 91.062 |
| 27 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:39.663 | 91.027 |
| 28 | 14 | Jeff Krogh | Excel Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:39.737 | 90.959 |
| 29 | 00 | Scott Gaylord | Oliver Racing | Chevrolet | 1:39.854 | 90.853 |
| 30 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:39.923 | 90.790 |
| 31 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 1:40.000 | 90.718 |
| 32 | 94 | Tommy Kendall | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 1:40.001 | 90.713 |
| 33 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 1:40.223 | 90.516 |
| 34 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 1:40.250 | 90.494 |
| 35 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 1:40.432 | 90.330 |
| 36 | 19 | Ken Petersen | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 1:40.437 | 90.325 |
| 37 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 1:40.445 | 90.318 |
| 38 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 1:40.462 | 90.303 |
| Winston Cup provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 41 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 42 | 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Winston West provisionals |||||||
| 43 | 35 | Larry Gunselman | Race Stuff Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 44 | 38 | Rich Woodland Jr. | Bill Stroppe Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 45 | 07 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 46 | 45 | Chad Little | JTC Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 47 | 20 | Mark Krogh | Excel Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 48 | 03 | Joe Bean | Bean Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 49 | 58 | Wayne Jacks | Jacks Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 50 | 02 | Bill McAnally | Bill McAnally Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 51 | 07W | Lance Hooper | Golden West Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 7 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 74 | 36 | running | 185 | $58,395 |
| 2 | 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 170 | $58,640 |
| 3 | 10 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 165 | $50,850 |
| 4 | 5 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 74 | 6 | running | 165 | $39,160 |
| 5 | 1 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 74 | 13 | running | 160 | $41,995 |
| 6 | 6 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 74 | 12 | running | 155 | $48,145 |
| 7 | 2 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 146 | $31,195 |
| 8 | 12 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 74 | 0 | running | 142 | $26,495 |
| 9 | 21 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 74 | 0 | running | 138 | $29,945 |
| 10 | 15 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 74 | 0 | running | 134 | $36,740 |
| 11 | 25 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 130 | $24,430 |
| 12 | 20 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 127 | $20,530 |
| 13 | 35 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 124 | $19,230 |
| 14 | 27 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 74 | 0 | running | 121 | $23,130 |
| 15 | 14 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 74 | 0 | running | 118 | $29,130 |
| 16 | 26 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 115 | $22,880 |
| 17 | 19 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 74 | 0 | running | 112 | $22,205 |
| 18 | 31 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 74 | 0 | running | 109 | $23,055 |
| 19 | 38 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 74 | 1 | running | 111 | $21,830 |
| 20 | 13 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 103 | $23,505 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 100 | $21,505 |
| 22 | 16 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 97 | $21,355 |
| 23 | 11 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 94 | $21,230 |
| 24 | 24 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 91 | $14,060 |
| 25 | 40 | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 74 | 0 | running | 88 | $21,150 |
| 26 | 39 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 85 | $10,730 |
| 27 | 33 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 74 | 0 | running | 82 | $10,705 |
| 28 | 32 | 94 | Tommy Kendall | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 73 | 4 | running | 84 | $20,730 |
| 29 | 36 | 19 | Dick Trickle | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 73 | 0 | running | 76 | $10,620 |
| 30 | 8 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 73 | 0 | running | 73 | $20,590 |
| 31 | 3 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 73 | 0 | running | 70 | $20,840 |
| 32 | 37 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 73 | 0 | running | 67 | $12,790 |
| 33 | 41 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 73 | 2 | running | 69 | $10,255 |
| 34 | 30 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 72 | 0 | running | 61 | $17,240 |
| 35 | 28 | 14 | Jeff Krogh | Excel Motorsports | Chevrolet | 71 | 0 | running | 58 | $10,215 |
| 36 | 43 | 35 | Larry Gunselman | Race Stuff Motorsports | Ford | 70 | 0 | running | 55 | $10,200 |
| 37 | 44 | 38 | Rich Woodland Jr. | Bill Stroppe Motorsports | Chevrolet | 68 | 0 | running | 52 | $10,095 |
| 38 | 29 | 00 | Scott Gaylord | Oliver Racing | Chevrolet | 67 | 0 | running | 49 | $10,095 |
| 39 | 17 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 65 | 0 | accident | 46 | $17,095 |
| 40 | 23 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 65 | 0 | running | 43 | $17,095 |
| 41 | 9 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 64 | 0 | running | 40 | $17,095 |
| 42 | 18 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 61 | 0 | running | 37 | $26,095 |
| 43 | 34 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 55 | 0 | running | 34 | $10,095 |
| 44 | 42 | 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 52 | 0 | rear end | 31 | $10,095 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 45 | | 07 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 45 | Chad Little | JTC Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 20 | Mark Krogh | Excel Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 03 | Joe Bean | Bean Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 49 | | 58 | Wayne Jacks | Jacks Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 50 | | 02 | Bill McAnally | Bill McAnally Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 51 | | 07W | Lance Hooper | Golden West Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||