1996 NAPA 500

{{Short description|31st race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}

{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Avg={{convert|134.661|mph|km/h}}|Radio=Motor Racing Network| Booth_Ann = Barney Hall, Allen Bestwick

| Turn_Ann = Turns 1 and 2: Joe Moore
Turns 3 and 4: Kurt Becker

|Caption=The 1996 NAPA 500 program cover, with artwork by Sam Bass.|Official_name=37th Annual NAPA 500|Pole_Driver=Bobby Labonte|Pole_Time=29.476|First_Team=Joe Gibbs Racing|Most_Team=Joe Gibbs Racing|First_Driver=Bobby Labonte|Most_Driver=Bobby Labonte|Most_laps=147|Car=18|Pole_Team=Joe Gibbs Racing|Date=November 10|Location=Hampton, Georgia, Atlanta Motor Speedway|Season_No=31|Race_No=31|Network=ESPN|Race_Name=NAPA 500|Year=1996|Scheduled_laps=328|Distance_laps=328|Distance_km=803.41|Scheduled_mi=499.216|Scheduled_km=803.41|Course_km=2.48|Course_mi=1.54|Distance_mi=499.216|Announcers=Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons|Image=1996_NAPA_500.jpeg|Attendance=}}

The 1996 NAPA 500 was the 31st and final stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 37th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 10, 1996, in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a {{Convert|1.522|mi|km}} permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 328 laps to complete. At race's end, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would manage to dominate for a majority of the race to take his fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.{{Cite web |last=Green Jr. |first=Ron |date=November 11, 1996 |title=Labontes take home all the prizes |url=http://www.thatsracin.com/96/docs/11_10nap.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815213641/http://www.thatsracin.com/96/docs/11_10nap.htm |archive-date=August 15, 2000 |access-date=October 27, 2022 |website=That's Racin' |publisher=The Charlotte Observer}}{{Cite news |last=Sonderegger |first=John |date=November 11, 1996 |title=At NAPA 500, Labontes Win More Than Race |pages=24 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112086048/at-napa-500-labontes-win-more-than-race/ |access-date=October 27, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would finish second and third, respectively.

In the process, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte, needing an eighth-place finish or better to clinch the championship, would ride to a fifth-place finish, finishing ahead of runner-up Jeff Gordon, Labonte's teammate by 37 points. The championship was Labonte's second and final championship of his career.{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Mike |date=November 11, 1996 |title=Labonte, brothers cruise to race, NASCAR crowns |pages=53 |work=Citizens' Voice |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112086303/labonte-brothers-cruise-to-race/ |access-date=October 27, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}

Background

File:Atlanta_International_Speedway.svg, the circuit where the race was held.]]

Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a 1.522-mile race track in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.

The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of {{convert|1.54|mi|km|adj=on}} where before it was {{convert|1.522|mi|km|adj=on}}. The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.

= Entry list =

(R) - denotes rookie driver.

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

!Driver

!Team

!Make

!Sponsor

|Rick Mast

|Precision Products Racing

1996 NAPA 500

Background

= Entry list =

Qualifying

= Full qualifying results =

Race results

References