1999 MBNA Platinum 400

1999 MBNA Platinum 400
Race details
Race 13 of 34 in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1999 MBNA Platinum 400 program cover.
The 1999 MBNA Platinum 400 program cover.
Date June 6, 1999
Official name 31st Annual MBNA Platinum 400
Location Dover, Delaware, Dover International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance 400 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Scheduled Distance 400 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Average speed 120.603 miles per hour (194.092 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Joe Gibbs Racing
Time 22.596
Most laps led
Driver Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 127
Winner
No. 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network TNN
Announcers Eli Gold, Dick Berggren, Buddy Baker
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1999 MBNA Platinum 400 was the 13th stock car race of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 6, 1999, in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. Depending on fuel mileage, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would manage to save enough fuel to almost lap the field to win his eighth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

[edit]
The layout of Dover International Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Dover International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.

The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
00 Buckshot Jones (R) Buckshot Racing Pontiac Crown Fiber
1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Pennzoil
2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford Miller Lite, Harley-Davidson
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Service Plus
4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Valvoline
7 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Chevrolet Philips, Klaussner Furniture
9 Jerry Nadeau Melling Racing Ford World Championship Wrestling
10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford Tide
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford Paychex
12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford Mobil 1
16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford TV Guide
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac Interstate Batteries
20 Tony Stewart (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac The Home Depot
21 Elliott Sadler (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac Caterpillar
23 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Winston No Bull
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Budweiser
26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford Cheerios, Betty Crocker
28 Kenny Irwin Jr. Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac Jimmy Dean
31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Lowe's
33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Skoal
36 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac M&M's
40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet Coors Light
41 David Green Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kodiak
42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet BellSouth
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac Hot Wheels
45 Rich Bickle Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac 10-10-345
55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Square D
58 Ricky Craven SBIII Motorsports Ford Turbine Solutions
60 Geoff Bodine Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet Power Team
66 Darrell Waltrip Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Big Kmart
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Team Realtree
75 Ted Musgrave Butch Mock Motorsports Ford Remington Arms
77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford Quality Care Service, Ford Credit
90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford Suburban Lodge
91 Dick Trickle LJ Racing Chevrolet Larry's Homes
94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford McDonald's
97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford John Deere
98 Rick Mast Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford Guess Who?!! "Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!"
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Exide Batteries
Official entry list

Practice

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First practice

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The first practice session was held on Friday, June 4, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for one hour.[3] Kenny Wallace, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.678 and an average speed of 158.744 mph (255.474 km/h).[4]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 22.678 158.744
2 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 22.736 158.339
3 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 22.739 158.318
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The second practice session was held on Friday, June 4, at 1:20 PM EST. The session would last for 40 minutes.[3] Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.677 and an average speed of 158.751 mph (255.485 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 22.677 158.751
2 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 22.717 158.472
3 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 22.726 158.409
Full second practice results

Third practice

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The third practice session was held on Saturday, June 5, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Dick Trickle, driving for LJ Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.100 and an average speed of 155.844 mph (250.807 km/h).[3]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 91 Dick Trickle LJ Racing Chevrolet 23.100 155.844
2 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 23.116 155.736
3 60 Geoff Bodine Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet 23.137 155.594
Full third practice results

Final practice

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The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 5, after the preliminary 1999 MBNA Platinum 200. The session would last for one hour.[3] Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.293 and an average speed of 154.552 mph (248.727 km/h).[6]

During the session, Ernie Irvan would crash on the frontstretch, forcing Irvan to go to a backup car and to start at the rear for the race.[7]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 23.293 154.552
2 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 23.351 154.168
3 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 23.403 153.826
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 4, at 3:30 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, June 5, at 11:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[3] Positions 26-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[8]

Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 22.596 and an average speed of 159.320 miles per hour (256.401 km/h).[9]

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Darrell Waltrip, Buckshot Jones, and Hut Stricklin.

Full qualifying results

[edit]
Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 22.596 159.320
2 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 22.702 158.576
3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 22.738 158.325
4 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 22.764 158.144
5 16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford 22.795 157.929
6 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 22.811 157.819
7 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 22.825 157.722
8 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 22.827 157.708
9 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 22.849 157.556
10 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 22.859 157.487
11 21 Elliott Sadler (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 22.863 157.460
12 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 22.868 157.425
13 9 Jerry Nadeau Melling Racing Ford 22.891 157.267
14 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.895 157.240
15 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 22.910 157.137
16 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 22.912 157.123
17 41 David Green Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.912 157.123
18 25 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.952 156.849
19 28 Kenny Irwin Jr. Robert Yates Racing Ford 22.958 156.808
20 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 22.970 156.726
21 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 22.975 156.692
22 98 Rick Mast Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 22.994 156.563
23 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 23.003 156.501
24 20 Tony Stewart (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 23.006 156.481
25 7 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Chevrolet 23.020 156.386
26 91 Dick Trickle LJ Racing Chevrolet 22.915 157.102
27 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 22.989 156.597
28 26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford 23.020 156.386
29 36 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 23.022 156.372
30 30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac 23.035 156.284
31 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 23.048 156.196
32 60 Geoff Bodine Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet 23.060 156.114
33 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 23.061 156.108
34 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 23.066 156.074
35 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 23.068 156.060
36 75 Ted Musgrave Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 23.083 155.959
Provisionals
37 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford -* -*
38 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
39 23 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford -* -*
40 45 Rich Bickle Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac -* -*
41 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford -* -*
42 58 Ricky Craven SBIII Motorsports Ford -* -*
43 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet -* -*
Failed to qualify
44 66 Darrell Waltrip Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 23.378 153.991
45 00 Buckshot Jones (R) Buckshot Racing Pontiac 23.467 153.407
46 90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford 23.779 151.394
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin[10] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 1 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 400 44 running 180 $144,820
2 14 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 104 running 175 $96,805
3 3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 399 100 running 170 $77,480
4 24 20 Tony Stewart (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 399 127 running 170 $63,205
5 2 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 399 21 running 160 $67,745
6 8 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 399 0 running 150 $56,830
7 28 26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford 399 3 running 151 $52,860
8 37 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 399 0 running 142 $56,535
9 9 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 398 0 out of fuel 138 $50,335
10 19 28 Kenny Irwin Jr. Robert Yates Racing Ford 398 0 running 134 $56,275
11 34 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 398 0 running 130 $49,510
12 7 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 397 0 running 127 $48,660
13 12 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 397 0 running 124 $53,420
14 23 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 397 0 running 121 $45,210
15 32 60 Geoff Bodine Joe Bessey Racing Chevrolet 396 0 running 118 $37,310
16 31 1 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 396 0 running 115 $42,310
17 38 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 396 0 running 112 $47,265
18 17 41 David Green Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 396 0 running 109 $34,810
19 10 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 396 0 running 106 $41,385
20 18 25 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 396 0 running 103 $43,675
21 35 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 395 0 running 100 $45,910
22 15 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 395 0 running 97 $40,735
23 39 23 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 395 0 running 94 $40,485
24 36 75 Ted Musgrave Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 395 0 running 91 $33,530
25 27 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 395 0 running 88 $40,255
26 5 16 Kevin Lepage Roush Racing Ford 394 0 running 85 $39,705
27 11 21 Elliott Sadler (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 394 0 running 82 $40,355
28 21 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 394 0 running 79 $39,180
29 33 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 393 1 running 81 $39,030
30 13 9 Jerry Nadeau Melling Racing Ford 393 0 out of fuel 73 $31,980
31 42 58 Ricky Craven SBIII Motorsports Ford 392 0 running 70 $28,730
32 6 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 392 0 running 67 $28,570
33 40 45 Rich Bickle Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac 392 0 running 64 $28,645
34 22 98 Rick Mast Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 391 0 running 61 $28,270
35 29 36 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 391 0 running 58 $35,120
36 30 30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac 389 0 running 55 $28,005
37 20 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 358 0 running 52 $34,895
38 43 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 307 0 overheating 49 $27,785
39 4 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 289 0 crash 46 $31,275
40 41 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 255 0 electrical 43 $27,565
41 16 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 132 0 running 40 $34,455
42 25 7 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Chevrolet 99 0 engine 37 $34,345
43 26 91 Dick Trickle LJ Racing Chevrolet 6 0 crash 34 $28,435
Failed to qualify
44 66 Darrell Waltrip Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford
45 00 Buckshot Jones (R) Buckshot Racing Pontiac
46 90 Hut Stricklin Donlavey Racing Ford
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Poole, David (June 6, 1999). "Gamble returns big payday for Labonte". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  2. ^ Brinster, Dick (June 7, 1999). "Crew chief's call fuels Bobby Labonte's victory". Messenger-Inquirer. p. 13. Retrieved August 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 1999 Dover 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on August 23, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  4. ^ "First session practice speeds". That's Racin'. June 4, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "Second-session practice speeds". That's Racin'. June 4, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  6. ^ "Happy Hour practice speeds". That's Racin'. June 5, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  7. ^ Utter, Jim (June 5, 1999). "Crash in practice moves Irvan to back of field". That's Racin'. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  8. ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 1999 Provisional Start Status". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on April 18, 1999. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  9. ^ Brinster, Dick (June 4, 1999). "Labonte shatters Dover record". That's Racin'. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  10. ^ "1999 MBNA Platinum 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
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