The 1996 AC Delco 400 was the 29th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 20, 1996, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at Rockingham Speedway, a permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. At race's end, Ricky Rudd, driving for his own Rudd Performance Motorsports team, would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. Meanwhile, third-place finisher, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte, would manage to overtake the points lead from teammate Jeff Gordon, leading Gordon by 32 points. To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second.

Background

Rockingham Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.

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 MotorsportsChevrolet28Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord29Robert PressleyDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet30Johnny Benson Jr. (R)Bahari RacingPontiac33Todd BodineAndy Petree RacingChevrolet37Jeremy MayfieldKranefuss-Haas RacingFord40Robby GordonTeam SABCOChevrolet41Ricky CravenLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet42Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac43Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac60Ed BerrierBerrier RacingFord71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet75Morgan ShepherdButch Mock MotorsportsFord77Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord78Billy StandridgeTriad MotorsportsFord79Norm BenningT.R.I.X. RacingPontiac81Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord82Terry ByersByers RacingChevrolet87Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord90Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord94Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord95Gary BradberrySadler Brothers RacingFord98Jeremy MayfieldCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord99Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord

Qualifying Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, October 18, at 2:00 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, October 19, at 9:30 AM 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.

Dale Jarrett, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 23.291 and an average speed of .

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Ed Berrier, Norm Benning, and Terry Byers.

Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed188Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord23.291157.194210Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord23.367156.683324Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet23.399156.46846Mark MartinRoush RacingFord23.411156.388518Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet23.472155.982698John AndrettiCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord23.480155.928740Robby GordonTeam SABCOChevrolet23.492155.849881Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord23.536155.557916Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord23.538155.5441033Todd BodineAndy Petree RacingChevrolet23.551155.4581142Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac23.560155.399128Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingFord23.584155.241137Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord23.592155.1881423Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord23.601155.129153Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet23.602155.1221694Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord23.602155.1221711Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord23.604155.109181Rick MastPrecision Products RacingPontiac23.614155.044195Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet23.633154.9192028Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord23.640154.8732190Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord23.651154.8012299Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord23.652154.795239Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord23.659154.7492417Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet23.691154.540252Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord23.693154.527Failed to lock in Round 12643Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac23.601155.1292712Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFord23.637154.893284Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet23.677154.6312941Ricky CravenLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet23.693154.5273029Robert PressleyDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet23.731154.2793125Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet23.735154.2533295Gary BradberrySadler Brothers RacingFord23.766154.0523337Jeremy MayfieldKranefuss-Haas RacingFord23.771154.0203421Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord23.772154.0133578Billy StandridgeTriad MotorsportsFord23.830153.6383615Wally Dallenbach Jr.Bud Moore EngineeringFord23.836153.6003771Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet23.869153.3873830Johnny Benson Jr. (R)Bahari RacingPontiac23.887153.272Provisionals3975Morgan ShepherdButch Mock MotorsportsFord -* -*4087Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet -* -*4122Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac -* -*4277Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord -* -*Failed to qualify4360Ed BerrierBerrier RacingFord -* -*4479Norm BenningT.R.I.X. RacingPontiac -* -*4582Terry ByersByers RacingChevrolet -* -*Official first round qualifying resultsOfficial starting lineup

Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings1210Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord39381running180$90,0252188Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord393207running180$62,1253195Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3930running165$46,72542028Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord39347running165$35,95052299Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord39314running160$25,6756518Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet3931running155$33,300746Mark MartinRoush RacingFord3930running146$31,1008252Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord3930running142$28,9009153Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet39337running143$30,700101423Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord3930running134$28,10011128Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingFord3930running130$17,40012324Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3921running132$35,00013284Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet3920running124$29,150143421Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord3921running126$23,70015137Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord3920running118$28,200161711Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord3920running115$23,200174122Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac3910running112$29,20018916Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord3910running109$22,70019881Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord3910running106$15,400201033Todd BodineAndy Petree RacingChevrolet3900running103$25,850212417Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet3900running100$21,525222941Ricky CravenLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet3900running97$21,325233125Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3900running94$21,125244087Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet3890running91$20,925251142Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac3890running88$20,92526698John AndrettiCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord3871running90$13,525273295Gary BradberrySadler Brothers RacingFord3870running82$10,125282643Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac3860running79$20,225293975Morgan ShepherdButch Mock MotorsportsFord3850running76$13,025303771Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet3770running73$12,825312190Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord3530running70$12,600321694Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord3260handling67$19,000334277Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord3110water pump64$9,400343337Jeremy MayfieldKranefuss-Haas RacingFord3110crash61$16,30035239Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord3050crash58$16,200363615Wally Dallenbach Jr.Bud Moore EngineeringFord3030crash55$16,175373029Robert PressleyDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet2940engine52$16,17538181Rick MastPrecision Products RacingPontiac2810crash49$16,100392712Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFord2673crash51$17,675403830Johnny Benson Jr. (R)Bahari RacingPontiac2250crash43$17,100413578Billy StandridgeTriad MotorsportsFord1400handling40$9,10042740Robby GordonTeam SABCOChevrolet40crash37$9,100Official race results

References