1996 UAW-GM Teamwork 500

{{Short description|13th race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}

{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Date=June 16|Network=TNN|Most_Driver=Jeff Gordon|Most_laps=94|First_Driver=Jeff Gordon|Most_Team=Hendrick Motorsports|First_Team=Hendrick Motorsports|Car=24|Pole_Team=Hendrick Motorsports|Pole_Driver=Jeff Gordon|Pole_Time=53.027|Avg={{convert|139.104|mph|km/h}}|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Official_name=15th Annual UAW-GM Teamwork 500|Location=Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway|Distance_laps=200|Scheduled_laps=200|Race_Name=UAW-GM Teamwork 500|Year=1996|Season_No=31|Race_No=13|Course_km=4.0|Course_mi=2.5|Scheduled_mi=500|Scheduled_km=804.672|Distance_km=804.672|Distance_mi=500|Announcers=Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren|Image=1996_UAW-GM_Teamwork_500.jpeg|Caption=The 1996 UAW-GM Teamwork 500 program cover, featuring Terry Labonte.}}

The 1996 UAW-GM Teamwork 500 was the 13th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 15th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 16, 1996, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to dominate a majority of the race, leading 94 laps en route to his 14th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his fifth victory of the season, and his second consecutive victory.{{Cite web |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=June 17, 1996 |title=Gordon's shift of fortune means victory at Pocono |url=http://www.thatsracin.com/96/docs/6_16uawg.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815213815/http://www.thatsracin.com/96/docs/6_16uawg.htm |archive-date=August 15, 2000 |access-date=October 17, 2022 |website=That's Racin' |publisher=The Charlotte Observer}}{{Cite news |last=Brinster |first=Dick |date=June 17, 1996 |title=Gordon drives without flaw to capture Teamwork 500 |pages=29 |work=The Indianapolis Star |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111452068/gordon-drives-without-flaw-to-capture/ |access-date=October 17, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} To fill out the top three, Rudd Performance Motorsports driver Ricky Rudd and Geoff Bodine Racing driver Geoff Bodine would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

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

The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.

Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.

Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

= Entry list =

(R) denotes rookie driver.

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

!Driver

!Team

!Make

!Sponsor

|Rick Mast

|Precision Products Racing

1996 UAW-GM Teamwork 500

Background

= Entry list =

Qualifying

= Full qualifying results =

Race results

References