The 1996 Miller 500 was the 17th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 24th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 21, 1996, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would manage to pull away from the field on the final restart with 14 to go to take his 45th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Rudd Performance Motorsports driver Ricky Rudd and Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver.
#DriverTeamMake1Rick MastPrecision Products RacingPontiac2Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet5Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord7Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord8Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingFord9Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord10Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord11Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord12Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFord14Jeff GreenDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet15Wally Dallenbach Jr.Bud Moore EngineeringFord16Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord17Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet19Loy Allen Jr.TriStar MotorsportsFord21Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord22Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac23Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord29Greg SacksDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet30Johnny Benson Jr. (R)Bahari RacingPontiac33Robert PressleyLeo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet37Jeremy MayfieldKranefuss-Haas RacingFord41Ricky CravenLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet42Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac43Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet75Morgan ShepherdButch Mock MotorsportsFord77Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord78Randy MacDonaldTriad MotorsportsFord81Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord87Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord90Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord94Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord98Jeremy MayfieldCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord99Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord
Qualifying Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was scheduled to be held on Friday, July 19, at 3:00 PM EST. However, only six drivers were able to set a lap before qualifying was rained out and postponed until Friday, July 20, at 9:00 AM EST. Qualifying was eventually combined into only one 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.
Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 53.441 and an average speed of .
No drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed16Mark MartinRoush RacingFord53.441168.410275Morgan ShepherdButch Mock MotorsportsFord53.737167.482318Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet53.738167.47947Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord53.906166.957522Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac53.910166.945630Johnny Benson Jr. (R)Bahari RacingPontiac53.976166.741710Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord53.993166.68883Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet53.997166.676999Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord53.998166.6731012Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFord54.007166.645119Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord54.070166.4511294Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord54.109166.331132Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord54.118166.3031487Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet54.131166.2631524Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet54.136166.2481611Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord54.271165.834174Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet54.297165.7551823Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord54.306165.7281978Randy MacDonaldTriad MotorsportsFord54.315165.7002088Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord54.357165.572215Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet54.367165.5422225Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet54.377165.511231Rick MastPrecision Products RacingPontiac54.400165.4412421Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord54.418165.3862581Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord54.440165.3202642Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac54.479165.2012715Wally Dallenbach Jr.Bud Moore EngineeringFord54.482165.1922816Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord54.485165.1832971Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet54.504165.1253077Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord54.541165.0133143Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac54.548164.9923298Jeremy MayfieldCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord54.569164.9293390Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord54.601164.8323441Ricky CravenLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet54.661164.6513528Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord54.737164.4233637John AndrettiKranefuss-Haas RacingFord54.965163.7413714Jeff GreenDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet55.088163.3753829Greg SacksDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet55.100163.339Provisionals3933Robert PressleyLeo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet -* -*408Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingFord -* -*4117Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet -* -*Official starting lineup
Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings1132Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord20030running180$59,1652710Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord2009running175$56,61532088Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord20013running170$35,70543528Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord20010running165$44,5905630Johnny Benson Jr. (R)Bahari RacingPontiac2005running160$36,4006174Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet2000running150$35,92571524Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet2001running151$35,8258119Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord2000running142$24,925916Mark MartinRoush RacingFord200121running148$46,950101012Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFord2000running134$27,8251147Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord2003running135$22,975123298Jeremy MayfieldCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord1990running127$15,625132421Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord1990running124$22,3251483Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet1990running121$27,925152225Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1990running118$22,92516215Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1990running115$27,02517275Morgan ShepherdButch Mock MotorsportsFord1992running117$14,525183390Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord1990running109$14,225192816Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord1990running106$20,975203441Ricky CravenLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet1990running103$22,550211294Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord1990running100$20,42522522Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac1990running97$24,825233637John AndrettiKranefuss-Haas RacingFord1990running94$20,100241823Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord1980running91$19,950253933Robert PressleyLeo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet1980running88$19,975262642Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac1981running90$19,625271611Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord1980running82$19,475282971Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet1970running79$12,425293829Greg SacksDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet1973running81$18,87530231Rick MastPrecision Products RacingPontiac1960running73$16,325311978Randy MacDonaldTriad MotorsportsFord1950running70$9,27532408Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingFord1940running67$9,225332715Wally Dallenbach Jr.Bud Moore EngineeringFord1890running64$16,175341487Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet1792crash66$16,05035999Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord1760running58$8,975362581Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord1750engine55$8,90037318Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet1680engine52$24,835383077Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord1390engine49$8,125393143Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac60crash46$16,125404117Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet40crash43$15,125413714Jeff GreenDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet20crash40$8,125Official race results
References