1996 Winston Select 500

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

{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Course_km=4.28|Caption=The 1996 Winston Select 500 program cover, featuring Mark Martin.|Pole_Time=49.654|First_Team=Morgan–McClure Motorsports|First_Driver=Sterling Marlin|Attendance=|Announcers=Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Network=ESPN|Most_Team=Morgan–McClure Motorsports|Car=4|Most_laps=48|Most_Driver=Sterling Marlin|Pole_Driver=Ernie Irvan|Avg={{convert|149.999|mph|km/h}}|Location=Lincoln, Alabama, Talladega Superspeedway|Pole_Team=Robert Yates Racing|Scheduled_km=804.8|Distance_km=804.8|Distance_laps=188|Scheduled_laps=188|Scheduled_mi=500.08|Season_No=31|Race_No=9|Race_Name=Winston Select 500|Course_mi=2.66|Date=April 28|Year=1996|Distance_mi=500.08|Official_name=27th Annual DieHard 500|Image=1996_Winston_Select_500.jpeg}}

The 1996 Winston Select 500 was the ninth stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 27th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 28, 1996, in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. At race's end, Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Sterling Marlin would manage to hold off the field in the final 20 laps to take his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.{{Cite web |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=April 29, 1996 |title=Craven flips; Marlin flies |url=http://www.thatsracin.com/96/docs/4_28wins.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815213943/http://www.thatsracin.com/96/docs/4_28wins.htm |archive-date=August 15, 2000 |access-date=October 14, 2022 |website=That's Racin' |publisher=The Charlotte Observer}}{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Mike |date=April 29, 1996 |title=Patient Marlin takes advantage of crash |pages=8 |work=Morning Sentinel |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111270922/patient-marlin-takes-advantage-of-crash/ |access-date=October 14, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would finish second and third, respectively.

The race was marred by a series of crashes and an overall wreck-filled race. The first major crash included Bill Elliott on lap 79, when Elliott's car would spin into the backstretch grass area and blow over into the air. The car would land on the ground hardly, with Elliott suffering a broken left femur, causing him to miss the next eight weeks of racing.{{Cite news |last=McCollister |first=Tom |date=April 29, 1996 |title=Elliott hurt in crash-filled win by Marlin |pages=31 |work=The Atlanta Constitution |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111271061/elliott-hurt-in-crash-filled-win-by/ |access-date=October 14, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |date=May 2, 1996 |title=Injured Elliott will miss Sears Point |pages=19 |work=The Sacramento Bee |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111271333/injured-elliott-will-miss-sears-point/ |access-date=October 14, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} Later into the race on lap 130, the Big One involved 14 cars and most infamously sent Ricky Craven flipping wildly into the air and into the protective catch-fence in turn 1. Craven would be knocked unconscious during the crash, and would suffer a broken back in the process.{{Cite news |last=Grant |first=Joe |date=April 29, 1996 |title=Craven survives spectacular crash |pages=15 |work=Morning Sentinel |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111271429/craven-survives-spectacular-crash/ |access-date=October 14, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite web |last=Houston |first=Rick |date=July 1, 2020 |title=The Scene Vault: Ricky Craven And The Talladega Big One |url=https://www.jayski.com/2020/07/01/the-scene-vault-ricky-craven-and-the-talladega-big-one/ |access-date=October 14, 2022 |website=Jayski's Silly Season Site |language=en-US}}

Background

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

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.

= Entry list =

(R) denotes rookie driver.

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!Driver

!Team

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!Sponsor

1996 Winston Select 500

Background

= Entry list =

Qualifying

= Full qualifying results =

Race results

References