# 1996 Jiffy Lube 300

The 1996 Jiffy Lube 300 was the 16th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the fourth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 14, 1996, in Loudon, New Hampshire, at New Hampshire International Speedway, a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) permanent, oval-shaped, low-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. In an emotional victory, Robert Yates Racing driver Ernie Irvan, who had recently came back from a near-fatal crash at the 1994 GM Goodwrench Dealer 400, would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 13th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his first victory of the season, and his first victory in over two years. To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Rudd Performance Motorsports driver Ricky Rudd would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 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 | Badcock Home Furniture |
| 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 | Loy Allen Jr. | 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, 1996 Summer Olympics |
| 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Greg Sacks | 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 |
| 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 |
| 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 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 |
| 78 | Randy MacDonald | Triad Motorsports | Ford | Diamond Rio |
| 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 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | 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, July 12, at 5:00 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, July 13, at 11:00 AM 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 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.
Ricky Craven, driving for Larry Hedrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.439 and an average speed of 129.379 miles per hour (208.215 km/h).
Loy Allen Jr. was the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.439 | 129.379 |
| 2 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 29.570 | 128.806 |
| 3 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.612 | 128.624 |
| 4 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 29.637 | 128.515 |
| 5 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.668 | 128.381 |
| 6 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.682 | 128.320 |
| 7 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 29.683 | 128.316 |
| 8 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.686 | 128.303 |
| 9 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 29.700 | 128.242 |
| 10 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.705 | 128.221 |
| 11 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.712 | 128.191 |
| 12 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.730 | 128.113 |
| 13 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.732 | 128.104 |
| 14 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.740 | 128.070 |
| 15 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 29.753 | 128.014 |
| 16 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.759 | 127.988 |
| 17 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 29.777 | 127.911 |
| 18 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 29.779 | 127.902 |
| 19 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.784 | 127.881 |
| 20 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 29.804 | 127.795 |
| 21 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.819 | 127.731 |
| 22 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.848 | 127.607 |
| 23 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.852 | 127.589 |
| 24 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.951 | 127.168 |
| 25 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 29.952 | 127.163 |
| 26 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 29.983 | 127.032 |
| 27 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.984 | 127.028 |
| 28 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 30.005 | 126.939 |
| 29 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 30.030 | 126.833 |
| 30 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 30.057 | 126.719 |
| 31 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 30.124 | 126.437 |
| 32 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 30.169 | 126.249 |
| 33 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 30.178 | 126.211 |
| 34 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 30.204 | 126.103 |
| 35 | 29 | Greg Sacks | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.304 | 125.686 |
| 36 | 78 | Randy MacDonald | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 30.352 | 125.488 |
| 37 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 30.655 | 124.247 |
| 38 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 35.372 | 107.678 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 41 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 6 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 300 | 38 | running | 180 | $112,625 |
| 2 | 10 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 300 | 2 | running | 175 | $59,725 |
| 3 | 20 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 300 | 6 | running | 170 | $49,825 |
| 4 | 24 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 160 | $31,600 |
| 5 | 12 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 48 | running | 160 | $34,825 |
| 6 | 23 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 54 | running | 155 | $42,733 |
| 7 | 17 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 146 | $30,725 |
| 8 | 8 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 1 | running | 147 | $27,025 |
| 9 | 38 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 300 | 17 | running | 143 | $27,825 |
| 10 | 31 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 134 | $30,025 |
| 11 | 21 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 2 | running | 135 | $26,425 |
| 12 | 5 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 12 | running | 132 | $32,225 |
| 13 | 32 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 299 | 0 | running | 124 | $26,125 |
| 14 | 37 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 121 | $28,325 |
| 15 | 7 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 299 | 14 | running | 123 | $26,725 |
| 16 | 26 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 115 | $25,125 |
| 17 | 29 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 112 | $24,925 |
| 18 | 40 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 109 | $24,725 |
| 19 | 15 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 106 | $17,525 |
| 20 | 2 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 299 | 41 | running | 108 | $28,625 |
| 21 | 33 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 100 | $14,000 |
| 22 | 28 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 97 | $17,000 |
| 23 | 13 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 94 | $16,800 |
| 24 | 18 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 91 | $23,700 |
| 25 | 30 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 299 | 0 | running | 88 | $28,800 |
| 26 | 1 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 299 | 1 | running | 90 | $29,500 |
| 27 | 9 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 298 | 0 | running | 82 | $13,375 |
| 28 | 4 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 297 | 0 | running | 79 | $20,275 |
| 29 | 14 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 297 | 0 | running | 76 | $29,775 |
| 30 | 35 | 29 | Greg Sacks | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 295 | 0 | running | 73 | $20,075 |
| 31 | 3 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 289 | 0 | running | 70 | $30,475 |
| 32 | 36 | 78 | Randy MacDonald | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 288 | 0 | running | 67 | $12,875 |
| 33 | 22 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 284 | 4 | running | 69 | $29,575 |
| 34 | 16 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 253 | 59 | ignition | 71 | $35,875 |
| 35 | 11 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | crash | 58 | $19,575 |
| 36 | 39 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 187 | 0 | crash | 55 | $12,475 |
| 37 | 19 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 159 | 1 | crash | 57 | $19,375 |
| 38 | 25 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 68 | 0 | engine | 49 | $19,125 |
| 39 | 34 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 0 | engine | 46 | $12,125 |
| 40 | 27 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 26 | 0 | crash | 43 | $19,125 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 41 | | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||