1995 MBNA 500

{{Short description|25th race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Scheduled_km=804.672|Official_name=27th Annual MBNA 500|Caption=The 1995 Miller 500 program cover.|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Network=TNN|First_Team=Hendrick Motorsports|Most_Team=Hendrick Motorsports|First_Driver=Jeff Gordon|Most_Driver=Jeff Gordon|Pole_Team=Precision Products Racing|Pole_Driver=Rick Mast|Most_laps=400|Car=24|Distance_km=804.672|Location=Dover, Delaware, Dover International Speedway|Scheduled_laps=500|Scheduled_mi=500|Distance_laps=500|Avg={{convert|124.74|mph|km/h}}|Date=September 17|Pole_Time=23.461|Course_km=1.6|Course_mi=1|Race_Name=MBNA 500|Year=1995|Season_No=31|Race_No=25|Distance_mi=500|Announcers=Mike Joy, Dick Berggren, Buddy Baker|Image=1995_MBNA_500.jpeg}}

The 1995 MBNA 500 was the 25th stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 27th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 17, 1995, in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to dominate the race to take his ninth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his seventh and final victory of the season.{{Cite news |last=Baker |first=Kent |date=September 18, 1995 |title=Gordon wins MBNA 500 to strengthen points lead |pages=38 |work=The Baltimore Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112997803/gordon-wins-mbna-500-to-strengthen/ |access-date=November 13, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |last=Schnatz |first=Pete |date=September 18, 1995 |title=Jeff Gordon cruises to victory at Dover |pages=17 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112997988/jeff-gordon-cruises-to-victory-at-dover/ |access-date=November 13, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} To fill out the top three, Petty Enterprises driver Bobby Hamilton and Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

File:Dover_International_Speedway.svg, 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 =

  • (R) denotes rookie driver.

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"

!#

!Driver

!Team

!Make

!Sponsor

1

|Rick Mast

|Precision Products Racing

|Pontiac

|Skoal

2

|Rusty Wallace

|Penske Racing South

|Ford

|Miller Genuine Draft

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

|Exide

8

|Jeff Burton

|Stavola Brothers Racing

|Ford

|Raybestos

9

|Lake Speed

|Melling Racing

|Ford

|Spam

10

|Ricky Rudd

|Rudd Performance Motorsports

|Ford

|Tide

11

|Brett Bodine

|Junior Johnson & Associates

|Ford

|Lowe's

12

|Derrike Cope

|Bobby Allison Motorsports

|Ford

|Mane 'n Tail

15

|Dick Trickle

|Bud Moore Engineering

|Ford

|Ford Quality Care

16

|Ted Musgrave

|Roush Racing

|Ford

|The Family Channel

17

|Darrell Waltrip

|Darrell Waltrip Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|Western Auto

18

|Bobby Labonte

|Joe Gibbs Racing

|Chevrolet

|Interstate Batteries

21

|Morgan Shepherd

|Wood Brothers Racing

|Ford

|Citgo

22

|Ward Burton

|Bill Davis Racing

|Pontiac

|MBNA

23

|Jimmy Spencer

|Haas-Carter Motorsports

|Ford

|Smokin' Joe's

24

|Jeff Gordon

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|DuPont

25

|Ken Schrader

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|Budweiser

26

|Hut Stricklin

|King Racing

|Ford

|Quaker State

27

|Elton Sawyer

|Junior Johnson & Associates

|Ford

|Hooters

28

|Dale Jarrett

|Robert Yates Racing

|Ford

|Texaco, Havoline

29

|Steve Grissom

|Diamond Ridge Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|Meineke

30

|Michael Waltrip

|Bahari Racing

|Pontiac

|Pennzoil

31

|Greg Sacks

|A.G. Dillard Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|Hardee's

32

|Michael Ritch

|Active Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|ATS Wood Recycling

33

|Robert Pressley (R)

|Leo Jackson Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|Skoal Bandit

37

|John Andretti

|Kranefuss-Haas Racing

|Ford

|Little Caesars, Kmart

40

|Rich Bickle

|Dick Brooks Racing

|Pontiac

|Kendall

41

|Ricky Craven (R)

|Larry Hedrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|Kodiak

42

|Kyle Petty

|Team SABCO

|Pontiac

|Coors Light Silver Bullet

43

|Bobby Hamilton

|Petty Enterprises

|Pontiac

|STP

66

|Billy Standridge

|Johnson Standridge Racing

|Ford

|Duragloss

67

|Terry Fisher

|RaDiUs Motorsports

|Ford

|NC State Wolfpack

71

|Dave Marcis

|Marcis Auto Racing

|Chevrolet

|Terramite

75

|Todd Bodine

|Butch Mock Motorsports

|Ford

|Factory Stores of America

77

|Bobby Hillin Jr.

|Jasper Motorsports

|Ford

|US Airways, Jasper Engines & Transmissions

87

|Joe Nemechek

|NEMCO Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|Burger King

90

|Mike Wallace

|Donlavey Racing

|Ford

|Heilig-Meyers

94

|Bill Elliott

|Elliott-Hardy Racing

|Ford

|McDonald's

98

|Jeremy Mayfield

|Cale Yarborough Motorsports

|Ford

|RCA

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 15, at 3:00 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, September 16, at 11:45 AM EST.{{Cite news |date=September 15, 1995 |title=MBNA 500 |pages=30 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112998376/mbna-500/ |access-date=November 13, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} 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; which was usually four. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.

Rick Mast, driving for Precision Products Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 23.461 and an average speed of {{Convert|153.446|mph|km/h}} in the first round.{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Mike |date=September 16, 1995 |title=Rick Mast gains third pole of his career |pages=148 |work=The Morning Call |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112998630/rick-mast-gains-third-pole-of-his-career/ |access-date=November 13, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

Three drivers would fail to qualify.

= Full qualifying results =

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"

!Pos.

!#

!Driver

!Team

!Make

!Time

!Speed

1

|1

|Rick Mast

|Precision Products Racing

|Ford

|23.461

|153.446

2

|24

|Jeff Gordon

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|23.502

|153.178

3

|42

|Kyle Petty

|Team SABCO

|Pontiac

|23.555

|152.834

4

|18

|Bobby Labonte

|Joe Gibbs Racing

|Chevrolet

|23.558

|152.814

5

|22

|Ward Burton

|Bill Davis Racing

|Pontiac

|23.559

|152.808

6

|10

|Ricky Rudd

|Rudd Performance Motorsports

|Ford

|23.576

|152.698

7

|2

|Rusty Wallace

|Penske Racing South

|Ford

|23.587

|152.626

8

|26

|Hut Stricklin

|King Racing

|Ford

|23.631

|152.342

9

|37

|John Andretti

|Kranefuss-Haas Racing

|Ford

|23.690

|151.963

10

|98

|Jeremy Mayfield

|Cale Yarborough Motorsports

|Ford

|23.690

|151.963

11

|75

|Todd Bodine

|Butch Mock Motorsports

|Ford

|23.698

|151.912

12

|33

|Robert Pressley (R)

|Leo Jackson Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|23.703

|151.880

13

|16

|Ted Musgrave

|Roush Racing

|Ford

|23.717

|151.790

14

|29

|Steve Grissom

|Diamond Ridge Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|23.725

|151.739

15

|15

|Dick Trickle

|Bud Moore Engineering

|Ford

|23.729

|151.713

16

|6

|Mark Martin

|Roush Racing

|Ford

|23.734

|151.681

17

|94

|Bill Elliott

|Elliott-Hardy Racing

|Ford

|23.735

|151.675

18

|12

|Derrike Cope

|Bobby Allison Motorsports

|Ford

|23.749

|151.585

19

|17

|Darrell Waltrip

|Darrell Waltrip Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|23.755

|151.547

20

|5

|Terry Labonte

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|23.757

|151.534

21

|40

|Rich Bickle

|Dick Brooks Racing

|Pontiac

|23.767

|151.471

22

|41

|Ricky Craven (R)

|Larry Hedrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|23.777

|151.407

23

|77

|Bobby Hillin Jr.

|Jasper Motorsports

|Ford

|23.778

|151.400

24

|87

|Joe Nemechek

|NEMCO Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|23.784

|151.362

25

|8

|Jeff Burton

|Stavola Brothers Racing

|Ford

|23.788

|151.337

colspan="7" |Failed to lock in Round 1
26

|28

|Dale Jarrett

|Robert Yates Racing

|Ford

|23.571

|152.730

27

|9

|Lake Speed

|Melling Racing

|Ford

|23.592

|152.594

28

|3

|Dale Earnhardt

|Richard Childress Racing

|Chevrolet

|23.648

|152.233

29

|4

|Sterling Marlin

|Morgan–McClure Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|23.657

|152.175

30

|30

|Michael Waltrip

|Bahari Racing

|Pontiac

|23.677

|152.046

31

|21

|Morgan Shepherd

|Wood Brothers Racing

|Ford

|23.727

|151.726

32

|43

|Bobby Hamilton

|Petty Enterprises

|Pontiac

|23.729

|151.713

33

|27

|Elton Sawyer

|Junior Johnson & Associates

|Ford

|23.730

|151.707

34

|23

|Jimmy Spencer

|Travis Carter Enterprises

|Ford

|23.760

|151.515

35

|71

|Dave Marcis

|Marcis Auto Racing

|Chevrolet

|23.788

|151.337

36

|25

|Ken Schrader

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|23.806

|151.222

37

|11

|Brett Bodine

|Junior Johnson & Associates

|Ford

|23.826

|151.095

38

|90

|Mike Wallace

|Donlavey Racing

|Ford

|23.836

|151.032

colspan="7" |Provisionals
39

|7

|Geoff Bodine

|Geoff Bodine Racing

|Ford

| -*

| -*

40

|32

|Michael Ritch

|Active Motorsports

|Chevrolet

| -*

| -*

colspan="7" |Failed to qualify
41

|66

|Billy Standridge

|Johnson Standridge Racing

|Ford

| -*

| -*

42

|67

|Terry Fisher

|RaDiUs Motorsports

|Ford

| -*

| -*

43

|31

|Greg Sacks

|A.G. Dillard Motorsports

|Chevrolet

| -*

| -*

colspan="7" |[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112973393/nascar/ Official first round qualifying results]
colspan="7" |[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112973502/nascar-lineup/ Official starting lineup]

Race results

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"

!Fin

!St

!#

!Driver

!Team

!Make

!Laps

!Led

!Status

!Pts

!Winnings

1

|2

|24

|Jeff Gordon

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|500

|400

|running

|185

|$74,655

2

|32

|43

|Bobby Hamilton

|Petty Enterprises

|Pontiac

|500

|83

|running

|175

|$62,505

3

|7

|2

|Rusty Wallace

|Penske Racing South

|Ford

|500

|0

|running

|165

|$46,905

4

|24

|87

|Joe Nemechek

|NEMCO Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|500

|0

|running

|160

|$34,465

5

|28

|3

|Dale Earnhardt

|Richard Childress Racing

|Chevrolet

|500

|0

|running

|155

|$40,970

6

|29

|4

|Sterling Marlin

|Morgan–McClure Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|500

|0

|running

|150

|$31,515

7

|18

|12

|Derrike Cope

|Bobby Allison Motorsports

|Ford

|499

|1

|running

|151

|$22,155

8

|16

|6

|Mark Martin

|Roush Racing

|Ford

|499

|0

|running

|142

|$31,065

9

|4

|18

|Bobby Labonte

|Joe Gibbs Racing

|Chevrolet

|498

|0

|running

|138

|$29,415

10

|6

|10

|Ricky Rudd

|Rudd Performance Motorsports

|Ford

|498

|0

|running

|134

|$33,665

11

|13

|16

|Ted Musgrave

|Roush Racing

|Ford

|498

|0

|running

|130

|$24,665

12

|36

|25

|Ken Schrader

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|498

|0

|running

|127

|$24,065

13

|23

|77

|Bobby Hillin Jr.

|Jasper Motorsports

|Ford

|497

|0

|running

|124

|$14,465

14

|12

|33

|Robert Pressley (R)

|Leo Jackson Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|495

|11

|running

|126

|$24,365

15

|20

|5

|Terry Labonte

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|495

|0

|running

|118

|$29,865

16

|34

|23

|Jimmy Spencer

|Travis Carter Enterprises

|Ford

|495

|0

|running

|115

|$17,815

17

|37

|11

|Brett Bodine

|Junior Johnson & Associates

|Ford

|494

|0

|running

|112

|$26,615

18

|17

|94

|Bill Elliott

|Elliott-Hardy Racing

|Ford

|494

|0

|running

|109

|$17,500

19

|10

|98

|Jeremy Mayfield

|Cale Yarborough Motorsports

|Ford

|493

|0

|running

|106

|$17,215

20

|25

|8

|Jeff Burton

|Stavola Brothers Racing

|Ford

|493

|0

|running

|103

|$23,815

21

|5

|22

|Ward Burton

|Bill Davis Racing

|Pontiac

|493

|0

|running

|100

|$21,915

22

|22

|41

|Ricky Craven (R)

|Larry Hedrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|492

|0

|running

|97

|$17,265

23

|15

|15

|Dick Trickle

|Bud Moore Engineering

|Ford

|492

|0

|running

|94

|$21,615

24

|39

|7

|Geoff Bodine

|Geoff Bodine Racing

|Ford

|491

|0

|running

|91

|$27,765

25

|14

|29

|Steve Grissom

|Diamond Ridge Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|491

|0

|running

|88

|$16,615

26

|3

|42

|Kyle Petty

|Team SABCO

|Pontiac

|490

|0

|running

|85

|$21,365

27

|35

|71

|Dave Marcis

|Marcis Auto Racing

|Chevrolet

|482

|0

|running

|82

|$16,115

28

|1

|1

|Rick Mast

|Precision Products Racing

|Ford

|439

|3

|engine

|84

|$26,965

29

|30

|30

|Michael Waltrip

|Bahari Racing

|Pontiac

|425

|1

|running

|81

|$20,915

30

|26

|28

|Dale Jarrett

|Robert Yates Racing

|Ford

|410

|1

|crash

|78

|$29,765

31

|38

|90

|Mike Wallace

|Donlavey Racing

|Ford

|403

|0

|crash

|70

|$12,815

32

|27

|9

|Lake Speed

|Melling Racing

|Ford

|267

|0

|handling

|67

|$15,255

33

|31

|21

|Morgan Shepherd

|Wood Brothers Racing

|Ford

|262

|0

|engine

|64

|$17,705

34

|40

|32

|Michael Ritch

|Active Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|226

|0

|engine

|61

|$12,655

35

|21

|40

|Rich Bickle

|Dick Brooks Racing

|Pontiac

|218

|0

|engine

|58

|$17,605

36

|19

|17

|Darrell Waltrip

|Darrell Waltrip Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|148

|0

|handling

|55

|$17,430

37

|11

|75

|Todd Bodine

|Butch Mock Motorsports

|Ford

|53

|0

|crash

|52

|$17,430

38

|8

|26

|Hut Stricklin

|King Racing

|Ford

|48

|0

|crash

|49

|$17,430

39

|9

|37

|John Andretti

|Kranefuss-Haas Racing

|Ford

|39

|0

|crash

|46

|$12,430

40

|33

|27

|Elton Sawyer

|Junior Johnson & Associates

|Ford

|10

|0

|crash

|43

|$20,430

colspan="11" |Failed to qualify
41

! rowspan="3" |

|66

|Billy Standridge

|Johnson Standridge Racing

|Ford

! colspan="5" rowspan="3" |

42

|67

|Terry Fisher

|RaDiUs Motorsports

|Ford

43

|31

|Greg Sacks

|A.G. Dillard Motorsports

|Chevrolet

colspan="11" |[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112957398/sundays-results/ Official race results]

References