1996 First Union 400

{{Short description|Seventh race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}

{{NASCAR race season infobox|Type=NASWINSTON|Details ref=|Year=1996|Race_No=7|Season_No=31|Image=1996_First_Union_400.jpeg|Caption=The 1996 First Union 400 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt.|Official name=46th Annual First Union 400|Location=North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina|Distance_laps=400|Course_mi=0.625|Course_km=1.006|Distance_mi=250|Distance_km=402.336|Avg={{convert|96.37|mph|km/h}}|Pole_Driver=Terry Labonte|Pole_Team=Hendrick Motorsports|Pole_Time=19.287|Most_Driver=Terry Labonte|Most_Team=Hendrick Motorsports|Most_laps=167|Car=5|First_Driver=Terry Labonte|First_Team=Hendrick Motorsports|Network=ESPN|Announcers=Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons|Scheduled_laps=400|Scheduled_mi=250|Scheduled_km=402.336|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Race_Name=First Union 400|Date=April 14}}

The 1996 First Union 400 was the seventh stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 46th and to date, final iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 14, 1996, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a {{Convert|0.625|mi|km}} oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte would manage to take advantage of a late-race restart with 20 to go and pull away to take his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.{{Cite web |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=April 15, 1996 |title=Labonte wins, catches Petty |url=http://www.thatsracin.com/96/docs/4_14firs.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815213953/http://www.thatsracin.com/96/docs/4_14firs.htm |archive-date=August 15, 2000 |access-date=October 13, 2022 |website=That's Racin' |publisher=The Charlotte Observer}}{{Cite news |last=Macenka |first=Joe |date=April 15, 1996 |title=Labonte ties record in grand style |pages=19 |work=Star-Gazette |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111219314/labonte-ties-record-in-grand-style/ |access-date=October 13, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

File:NorthWilkesboroSpeedwayMap.svg, the venue where the race was held.]]

North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about five miles east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures {{convert|0.625|mi|km|abbr=on}} and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch. It has previously held races in NASCAR's top three series, including 93 Winston Cup Series races. The track, a NASCAR original, operated from 1949, NASCAR's inception, until the track's original closure in 1996. The speedway briefly reopened in 2010 and hosted several stock car series races before closing again in the spring of 2011. It was re-opened in August 2022 for grassroots racing.

= Entry list =

(R) denotes rookie driver.

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

!Driver

!Team

!Make

!Sponsor

|Rick Mast

|Precision Products Racing

1996 First Union 400

Background

= Entry list =

Qualifying

= Full qualifying results =

Race results

References