# 1996 Winston Select 500

The 1996 Winston Select 500 was the ninth stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 27th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 28, 1996, in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. At race's end, Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Sterling Marlin would manage to hold off the field in the final 20 laps to take his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would finish second and third, respectively.
The race was marred by a series of crashes and an overall wreck-filled race. The first major crash included Bill Elliott on lap 79, when Elliott's car would spin into the backstretch grass area and blow over into the air. The car would land on the ground hardly, with Elliott suffering a broken left femur, causing him to miss the next eight weeks of racing. Later into the race on lap 130, the Big One involved 14 cars and most infamously sent Ricky Craven flipping wildly into the air and into the protective catch-fence in turn 1. Craven would be knocked unconscious during the crash, and would suffer a broken back in the process.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | Masters Inn Economy |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | Hooters |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | Miller |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 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 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | QVC |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 27 | Elton Sawyer | David Blair Motorsports | Ford | David Blair Motorsports |
| 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 |
| 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Team Realtree |
| 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Skoal |
| 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | Kmart, Little Caesars |
| 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 |
| 44 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | David Lee Murphy |
| 57 | Steve Seligman | O'Neil Racing | Ford | Matco Tools |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Prodigy |
| 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Chevrolet | X-1R |
| 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 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 95 | Chuck Bown | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | Shoney's Inn |
| 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | Sterling Cowboy |
| 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, April 26, at 4:00 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, April 27, at 12:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 26-32 would be decided on time, and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points.
Ernie Irvan, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 49.654 and an average speed of 192.855 miles per hour (310.370 km/h).
Five drivers would fail to qualify: Phil Barkdoll, Steve Seligman, Bobby Hillin Jr., Delma Cowart, and Chad Little.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 49.654 | 192.855 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 49.730 | 192.560 |
| 3 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 49.911 | 191.862 |
| 4 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.973 | 191.623 |
| 5 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 50.088 | 191.184 |
| 6 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50.092 | 191.168 |
| 7 | 44 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 50.110 | 191.100 |
| 8 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.116 | 191.077 |
| 9 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 50.125 | 191.042 |
| 10 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 50.151 | 190.943 |
| 11 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.160 | 190.909 |
| 12 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 50.180 | 190.833 |
| 13 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.201 | 190.753 |
| 14 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 50.209 | 190.723 |
| 15 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 50.217 | 190.692 |
| 16 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50.287 | 190.427 |
| 17 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.290 | 190.416 |
| 18 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 50.405 | 189.981 |
| 19 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 50.414 | 189.947 |
| 20 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 50.426 | 189.902 |
| 21 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 50.440 | 189.849 |
| 22 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.483 | 189.688 |
| 23 | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.507 | 189.597 |
| 24 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 50.513 | 189.575 |
| 25 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 50.530 | 189.511 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 26 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.171 | 190.867 |
| 27 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 50.329 | 190.268 |
| 28 | 95 | Chuck Bown | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.350 | 190.189 |
| 29 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 50.430 | 189.887 |
| 30 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 50.535 | 189.492 |
| 31 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.542 | 189.466 |
| 32 | 19 | Dick Trickle | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 50.553 | 189.425 |
| 33 | 27 | Elton Sawyer | David Blair Motorsports | Ford | 50.553 | 189.425 |
| 34 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 50.655 | 189.044 |
| 35 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 50.696 | 188.891 |
| 36 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.699 | 188.879 |
| 37 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 50.706 | 188.853 |
| 38 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 50.772 | 188.608 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 40 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 41 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||
| 43 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 45 | 57 | Steve Seligman | O'Neil Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 46 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 47 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 48 | 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 4 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 48 | running | 185 | $109,845 |
| 2 | 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 188 | 20 | running | 175 | $64,145 |
| 3 | 16 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 26 | running | 170 | $64,620 |
| 4 | 13 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 20 | running | 165 | $60,570 |
| 5 | 31 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 188 | 8 | running | 160 | $44,490 |
| 6 | 23 | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 12 | running | 155 | $35,480 |
| 7 | 8 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 146 | $35,975 |
| 8 | 5 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 142 | $32,000 |
| 9 | 34 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 138 | $30,525 |
| 10 | 10 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 0 | running | 134 | $34,525 |
| 11 | 39 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 188 | 1 | running | 135 | $30,345 |
| 12 | 35 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 127 | $27,265 |
| 13 | 26 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 124 | $21,135 |
| 14 | 30 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 188 | 6 | running | 126 | $15,455 |
| 15 | 24 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 0 | running | 118 | $26,825 |
| 16 | 9 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 115 | $14,785 |
| 17 | 6 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 112 | $14,070 |
| 18 | 40 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 187 | 0 | running | 109 | $24,430 |
| 19 | 32 | 19 | Dick Trickle | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 187 | 0 | running | 106 | $13,640 |
| 20 | 17 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 103 | $25,730 |
| 21 | 43 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 100 | $23,510 |
| 22 | 36 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 186 | 0 | running | 97 | $16,290 |
| 23 | 41 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 186 | 0 | running | 94 | $23,080 |
| 24 | 14 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 185 | 0 | running | 91 | $28,775 |
| 25 | 28 | 95 | Chuck Bown | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | 185 | 0 | running | 88 | $12,870 |
| 26 | 29 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 181 | 0 | handling | 85 | $22,690 |
| 27 | 19 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 178 | 1 | running | 87 | $31,535 |
| 28 | 18 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 175 | 0 | running | 79 | $27,480 |
| 29 | 12 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 168 | 0 | running | 76 | $22,425 |
| 30 | 15 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 159 | 16 | handling | 78 | $27,370 |
| 31 | 1 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 158 | 4 | running | 75 | $32,155 |
| 32 | 3 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 157 | 0 | running | 67 | $15,410 |
| 33 | 11 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 141 | 18 | crash | 69 | $34,325 |
| 34 | 37 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 129 | 4 | crash | 66 | $28,895 |
| 35 | 7 | 44 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 129 | 0 | crash | 58 | $12,065 |
| 36 | 22 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 129 | 0 | crash | 55 | $22,535 |
| 37 | 33 | 27 | Elton Sawyer | David Blair Motorsports | Ford | 129 | 0 | crash | 52 | $11,971 |
| 38 | 42 | 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 128 | 0 | crash | 49 | $11,835 |
| 39 | 21 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 4 | crash | 51 | $11,835 |
| 40 | 38 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 80 | 0 | crash | 43 | $18,835 |
| 41 | 20 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 77 | 0 | crash | 40 | $18,835 |
| 42 | 27 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 60 | 0 | crash | 37 | $18,835 |
| 43 | 25 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 20 | 0 | crash | 34 | $11,835 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 57 | Steve Seligman | O'Neil Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 47 | | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 48 | | 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||