The 1996 Miller 400 was the 24th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 39th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 7, 1996, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to completion. In the final laps of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Ernie Irvan would manage to defend and come out victorious against Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon, only beating Gordon by a tenth of a second. The win was Irvan's 14th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton would finish third.
Background
Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. Known as "America's premier short track".
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 MotorsportsFord15Wally Dallenbach Jr.Bud Moore EngineeringFord16Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord17Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet21Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord22Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac23Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet27Todd BodineDavid Blair MotorsportsFord28Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord29Chad LittleDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet30Johnny Benson Jr. (R)Bahari RacingPontiac33Robert PressleyLeo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet37Jeremy MayfieldKranefuss-Haas RacingFord40Jay SauterTeam SABCOChevrolet41Ricky CravenLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet42Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac43Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac46Stacy ComptonMonroe RacingChevrolet71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet75Morgan ShepherdButch Mock MotorsportsFord77Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord81Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord87Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord90Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord94Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord95Gary BradberrySadler Brothers 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, September 6, at 5:30 PM EST. However, only six drivers were able to set a lap before qualifying was rained out and postponed until Saturday, September 7, at 12:00 PM EST. Qualifying was eventually combined into only one round. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 26-36 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 21.997 and an average speed of .
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Stacy Compton, Jay Sauter, and Gary Bradberry.
Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed16Mark MartinRoush RacingFord21.997122.744224Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet22.022122.605399Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord22.060122.393418Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet22.065122.366522Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac22.078122.294687Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet22.079122.288794Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord22.085122.255888Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord22.088122.238916Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord22.132121.995102Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord22.145121.9241125Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet22.149121.9021243Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac22.169121.792139Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord22.172121.7751427Todd BodineDavid Blair MotorsportsFord22.183121.7151590Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord22.187121.6931628Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord22.189121.682174Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet22.199121.6271812Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFord22.205121.5941942Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac22.208121.5782081Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord22.214121.545211Rick MastPrecision Products RacingPontiac22.225121.4852221Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord22.229121.463233Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet22.241121.397245Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet22.250121.3482541Ricky CravenLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet22.258121.3052611Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord22.263121.2772771Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet22.275121.2122823Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord22.276121.2072933Robert PressleyLeo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet22.278121.196307Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord22.285121.1583198John AndrettiCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord22.338120.8703229Chad LittleDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet22.309121.0273315Wally Dallenbach Jr.Bud Moore EngineeringFord22.336120.8813430Johnny Benson Jr. (R)Bahari RacingPontiac22.338120.8703537Jeremy MayfieldKranefuss-Haas RacingFord22.306121.0443617Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet22.349120.811Provisionals3710Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord -* -*3875Morgan ShepherdButch Mock MotorsportsFord -* -*398Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingFord -* -*4077Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord -* -*Failed to qualify4146Stacy ComptonMonroe RacingChevrolet -* -*4240Jay SauterTeam SABCOChevrolet -* -*4395Gary BradberrySadler Brothers RacingFord -* -*Official starting lineup
Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings11628Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord40088running180$86,6652224Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet400168running180$59,6403399Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord400113running170$50,7554888Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord40011running165$30,5055245Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet4001running160$37,1556102Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord4000running150$30,00571243Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac4000running146$29,00581812Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFord4000running142$24,705916Mark MartinRoush RacingFord4001running143$34,805103430Johnny Benson Jr. (R)Bahari RacingPontiac40013running139$26,15511418Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet4000running130$28,105123710Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord3990running127$29,405131125Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3990running124$23,155142221Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord3990running121$22,95515916Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord3990running118$23,85516794Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord3994running120$23,50017307Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord3990running112$26,400181942Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac3990running109$22,15019211Rick MastPrecision Products RacingPontiac3980running106$22,02520233Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet3980running103$30,10021174Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet3980running100$27,850223617Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet3980running97$21,825233875Morgan ShepherdButch Mock MotorsportsFord3980running94$14,65024398Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingFord3980running91$14,525252611Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord3970running88$21,575262933Robert PressleyLeo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet3970running85$21,250271590Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord3970running82$14,125282541Ricky CravenLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet3970running79$21,000293537Jeremy MayfieldKranefuss-Haas RacingFord3960running76$20,975302823Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord3960running73$20,92531139Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord3960running70$20,375324077Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord3960running67$10,850333315Wally Dallenbach Jr.Bud Moore EngineeringFord3950running64$17,845342771Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet3951running66$10,825351427Todd BodineDavid Blair MotorsportsFord3950running58$10,825363198John AndrettiCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord3940running55$10,82537522Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac3620crash52$25,825382081Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord3080rear end49$10,82539687Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet3010transmission46$17,825403229Chad LittleDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet380crash43$17,825Official race results
References