1999 Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
The 1999 Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on August 22, 1999, at Michigan Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. This was the twenty-second race in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series schedule.
{{Infobox NASCAR race report
|Type=NASWINSTON
|First_Team=Joe Gibbs Racing
|Year=1999
|Season_No=34
|Race_No=22
|Race_Name=Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer
|Pole_Team=Bill Davis Racing
|Pole_Driver=Ward Burton
|Network=ESPN
|Most_laps=73
|Most_Team=Hendrick Motorsports
|Most_Driver=Jeff Gordon
|First_Driver=Bobby Labonte
|Location=Michigan Speedway,
Brooklyn, Michigan, U.S.
|Distance_laps=200
|Distance_km=643.738
|Description=Race 22 of 34 in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
|Course_mi=2.0
|Course_km=3.219
|Car=18
|Avg={{convert|144.332|mi/h}}
|Announcers=Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons, and Ned Jarrett
|Distance_mi=400
|Course=
|Fulldate={{Start date|1999|08|22}}
|Image=1999_Pepsi_400_presented_by_Meijer_program_cover.png
|Caption=1999 Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer program cover
|Pole_Time=38.127
}}
Background
The Michigan Speedway is a 2-mile tri-oval built in 1969. The frontstretch is 3,600 feet while the backstretch is 2,242 feet. The track features 18 degrees in the corners, 12 degrees in the frontstretch, and 5 degrees in the backstretch.{{Citation|title=1999 Pepsi 400 Presented by Meijer|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HchJz1ncemI|language=en|access-date=2020-05-30}}
Ernie Irvan suffered head and lung injuries in a Busch Series practice session the previous day.{{Cite web|title="Irvan Retires from Winston Racing"|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/autorace/daily/sept99/03/irvan3.htm|last=|first=|date=September 3, 1999|website=Washington Post|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000829065410/http://washingtonpost.com:80/wp-srv/sports/autorace/daily/sept99/03/irvan3.htm |archive-date=2000-08-29 |access-date=May 30, 2020}} His #36 M&Ms Pontiac was relieved by Dick Trickle for this race. Ernie would later announce his retirement from racing two weeks later.
Future 2000 Winston Cup rookies and then-Busch Series championship contenders Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Matt Kenseth made one of their pre-rookie season starts in this race.
Entry list
| class="wikitable"
!Driver !Team !Manufacturer !Sponsor !Hometown |
| 1
|Steve Park |Chevrolet |Pennzoil | |
| 2
|Rusty Wallace |Ford |Miller Lite | |
| 3
|Dale Earnhardt Sr. |Chevrolet |GM Goodwrench Service Plus | |
| 4
|Bobby Hamilton |Chevrolet |Kodak | |
| 5
|Terry Labonte |Chevrolet |Kellogg's, Rice Krispies Treats | |
| 6
|Mark Martin |Ford |Valvoline, Cummins | |
| 7
|Michael Waltrip |Chevrolet |Philips Electronics | |
| 8
|Dale Earnhardt Jr |Chevrolet |Budweiser | |
| 9
|Jerry Nadeau |Ford |WCW | |
| 10
|Ricky Rudd |Ford |Tide Hydrogen Peroxide Bubbles | |
| 11
|Brett Bodine |Ford |Paychex | |
| 12
|Jeremy Mayfield |Ford |Mobil 1 | |
| 16
|Kevin Lepage |Ford |TV Guide, NFL '99 | |
| 17
|Matt Kenseth |Ford |DeWalt | |
| 18
|Bobby Labonte |Pontiac |Interstate Batteries | |
| 19
|Tom Hubert |Pontiac |Bradford White Corp. | |
| 20
|Tony Stewart |Pontiac |Home Depot | |
| 21
|Elliott Sadler |Ford |Citgo | |
| 22
|Ward Burton |Pontiac |Caterpillar | |
| 23
|Jimmy Spencer |Ford |Team Winston | |
| 24
|Jeff Gordon |Chevrolet |DuPont Automotive Finishes | |
| 25
|Wally Dallenbach Jr. |Chevrolet |Budweiser | |
| 26
|Johnny Benson Jr. |Ford |Frosted Cheerios | |
| 28
|Kenny Irwin Jr. |Ford |Texaco, Havoline | |
| 30
|Derrike Cope |Pontiac |Jimmy Dean / Sara Lee | |
| 31
|Mike Skinner |Chevrolet |Lowe's | |
| 33
|Ken Schrader |Chevrolet |Skoal | |
| 36
|Dick Trickle |Pontiac |M&M's | |
| 40
|Sterling Marlin |Chevrolet |Coors Light, Brooks & Dunn | |
| 41
|David Green |Chevrolet |Kodiak | |
| 42
|Joe Nemechek |Chevrolet |BellSouth | |
| 43
|John Andretti |Pontiac |STP | |
| 44
|Kyle Petty |Pontiac |Hot Wheels | |
| 45
|Rich Bickle |Pontiac |10-10-345 | |
| 50
|Ricky Craven |Chevrolet |Midwest Transit | |
| 55
|Kenny Wallace |Chevrolet |Square D | |
| 58
|Hut Stricklin |Ford |Turbine Solutions | |
| 60
|Geoff Bodine |Chevrolet |Power Team | |
| 66
|Darrell Waltrip |Ford |Big Kmart / Route 66 | |
| 71
|Dave Marcis |Chevrolet |Realtree | |
| 75
|Ted Musgrave |Ford |Remington Arms | |
| 77
|Robert Pressley |Ford |Jasper Engines & Transmissions | |
| 88
|Dale Jarrett |Ford |Quality Care, Ford Credit | |
| 90
|Stanton Barrett |Ford |Hills Brothers / Nestle / Carnation | |
| 94
|Bill Elliott |Ford |McDonald's | |
| 97
|Chad Little |Ford |John Deere | |
| 98
|Rick Mast |Ford |Woody Woodpecker | |
| 99
|Jeff Burton |Ford |Exide Batteries | |
Qualifying
| class="wikitable"
!Driver !Car !Manufacturer !Time !Speed (mph) |
| 1
| Ward Burton |22 |Pontiac |38.127 |188.843 |
| 2
| Mike Skinner |31 |Chevrolet |38.298 |187.999 |
| 3
| Dale Jarrett |88 |Ford |38.382 |187.588 |
| 4
| Geoffrey Bodine |60 |Chevrolet |38.387 |187.563 |
| 5
| Jeremy Mayfield |12 |Ford |38.430 |187.354 |
| 6
| Ricky Rudd |10 |Ford |38.464 |187.188 |
| 7
| Mark Martin |6 |Ford |38.482 |187.100 |
| 8
| John Andretti |43 |Pontiac |38.482 |187.100 |
| 9
| Jeff Gordon |24 |Chevrolet |38.500 |187.013 |
| 10
| Rusty Wallace |2 |Ford |38.512 |186.955 |
| 11
| Ted Musgrave |75 |Ford |38.525 |186.892 |
| 12
| Steve Park |1 |Chevrolet |38.540 |186.819 |
| 13
| Hut Stricklin |58 |Ford |38.565 |186.698 |
| 14
| Bill Elliott |94 |Ford |38.630 |186.384 |
| 15
| Ernie Irvan |36 |Pontiac |38.687 |186.109 |
| 16
| Chad Little |97 |Ford |38.696 |186.066 |
| 17
| Dale Earnhardt, Jr. |8 |Chevrolet |38.701 |186.042 |
| 18
| Sterling Marlin |40 |Chevrolet |38.715 |185.974 |
| 19
| Bobby Labonte |18 |Pontiac |38.732 |185.893 |
| 20
| Michael Waltrip |7 |Chevrolet |38.754 |185.787 |
| 21
| David Green |41 |Chevrolet |38.823 |185.457 |
| 22
| Ricky Craven |50 |Chevrolet |38.834 |185.405 |
| 23
| Kenny Wallace |55 |Chevrolet |38.863 |185.266 |
| 24
| Wally Dallenbach, Jr. |25 |Chevrolet |38.864 |185.261 |
| 25
| Matt Kenseth |17 |Ford |38.886 |185.157 |
| 26
| Jeff Burton |99 |Ford |38.867 |185.247 |
| 27
| Robert Pressley |77 |Ford |38.889 |185.142 |
| 28
| Ken Schrader |33 |Chevrolet |38.931 |184.943 |
| 29
| Jerry Nadeau |9 |Ford |38.942 |184.890 |
| 30
| Kenny Irwin, Jr. |28 |Ford |38.966 |184.776 |
| 31
| Rick Mast |98 |Ford |38.984 |184.691 |
| 32
| Elliott Sadler |21 |Ford |38.992 |184.653 |
| 33
| Kevin Lepage |16 |Ford |39.044 |184.407 |
| 34
| Joe Nemechek |42 |Chevrolet |39.045 |184.403 |
| 35
| Dave Marcis |71 |Chevrolet |39.058 |184.341 |
| 36
| Jimmy Spencer |23 |Ford |39.069 |184.289 |
| colspan="6" |Provisionals |
|---|
| 37
|Tony Stewart |20 |Pontiac |0.000 |0.000 |
| 38
| Dale Earnhardt |3 |Chevrolet |0.000 |0.000 |
| 39
| Terry Labonte |5 |Chevrolet |0.000 |0.000 |
| 40
| Bobby Hamilton |4 |Chevrolet |0.000 |0.000 |
| 41
| Johnny Benson, Jr. |26 |Ford |0.000 |0.000 |
| 42
| Kyle Petty |44 |Pontiac |0.000 |0.000 |
| 43
| Rich Bickle |45 |Pontiac |0.000 |0.000 |
| colspan="6" |Failed to qualify |
| 44
| Derrike Cope |30 |Pontiac |39.117 |184.063 |
| 45
| Stanton Barrett |90 |Ford |39.136 |183.974 |
| 46
| Darrell Waltrip |66 |Ford |39.302 |183.197 |
| 47
| Brett Bodine |11 |Ford |39.458 |182.473 |
| 48
| Tom Hubert |19 |Pontiac |40.613 |177.283 |
Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (#30), Stanton Barrett (#90), Darrell Waltrip (#66), Brett Bodine (#11), Tom Hubert (#19){{Cite web|title=08/22/1999 race: Pepsi 400 Presented by Meijer (Cup) - Racing-Reference.info|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/race/1999_Pepsi_400_Presented_by_Meijer/W|website=www.racing-reference.info|access-date=2020-05-30}}
Race recap
The race was very competitive with 24 lead changes among 11 drivers. Many underdog drivers ran very well throughout the race, including Chad Little, Jimmy Spencer, and the underfunded Hut Stricklin in the unsponsored SBIII Motorsports Ford. It was the only top 10 for the SBIII team.
The final 20 laps featured a fierce battle between the sport's then-current stars of Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt, Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett, and Jeff Gordon. At the end, it was Bobby Labonte who prevailed with his third win at Michigan and fourth of the 1999 season.
Timeline
- Start: Ward Burton leads the field to the green flag.
- Lap 48: First caution is out for debris on pit road. The outside pole-sitter Mike Skinner broke a pinion gear while trying to leave his pit box during the first caution flag stop of the day.
- Lap 54: The pole-sitter Ward Burton got loose underneath Bobby Labonte and crashed hard into turn 3, causing the second caution.
- Lap 130: Robert Pressley crashed in turn 4, causing the third caution.
- Lap 141: Metal debris spotted in turn 1 causes the fourth caution.
- Lap 150: Dick Trickle, Ricky Rudd, and Kevin Lepage crashed in the frontstretch, causing the fifth caution.
- Lap 163: Tony Stewart made a move on Jeff Burton, made contact when coming up the track on the frontstretch, and sent Jeff Burton into the wall, causing the sixth caution.
- Lap 184: Bobby Labonte took the lead for the final time after a fierce battle with Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon.
- Lap 200: Bobby Labonte takes the checkered flag.
Results
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Fin{{Cite web|title=1999 Pepsi 400 Presented by Meijer - The Third Turn|url=https://www.thethirdturn.com/wiki/1999_Pepsi_400_Presented_by_Meijer|access-date=2021-06-20|website=www.thethirdturn.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=1999 Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer race results|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/1999_Pepsi_400_Presented_by_Meijer/W/|url-status=live|website=Racing-Reference|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428031237/https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/1999_Pepsi_400_Presented_by_Meijer/W/ |archive-date=2021-04-28 }} !St !# !Driver !Sponsor !Make !Team !Laps !Led !Status !Pts !Winnings |
| 1
|19 |18 |Bobby Labonte |Interstate Batteries |Pontiac |200 |45 |running |180 |121320 |
|---|
| 2
|9 |24 |Jeff Gordon |DuPont Automotive Finishes |Chevrolet |200 |73 |running |180 |83030 |
| 3
|37 |20 |Tony Stewart |Home Depot |Pontiac |200 |4 |running |170 |60505 |
| 4
|3 |88 |Dale Jarrett |Quality Care, Ford Credit |Ford |200 |27 |running |165 |57650 |
| 5
|38 |3 |Dale Earnhardt |GM Goodwrench Service Plus |Chevrolet |200 |27 |running |160 |51005 |
| 6
|16 |97 |Chad Little |John Deere |Ford |200 |0 |running |150 |43790 |
| 7
|7 |6 |Mark Martin |Valvoline, Cummins |Ford |200 |4 |running |151 |47065 |
| 8
|36 |23 |Jimmy Spencer |Team Winston |Ford |200 |0 |running |142 |52590 |
| 9
|13 |58 |Hut Stricklin |Turbine Solutions |Ford |200 |0 |running |138 |32140 |
| 10
|8 |43 |John Andretti |STP |Pontiac |200 |0 |running |134 |46590 |
| 11
|32 |21 |Elliott Sadler |Citgo |Ford |200 |0 |running |130 |39980 |
| 12
|31 |98 |Rick Mast |Woody Woodpecker |Ford |200 |0 |running |127 |33140 |
| 13
|20 |7 |Michael Waltrip |Philips Electronics |Chevrolet |200 |3 |running |129 |35640 |
| 14
|25 |17 |Matt Kenseth |DeWalt |Ford |200 |0 |running |121 |25040 |
| 15
|18 |40 |Sterling Marlin |Coors Light, Brooks & Dunn |Chevrolet |200 |0 |running |118 |36190 |
| 16
|10 |2 |Rusty Wallace |Miller Lite |Ford |200 |0 |running |115 |39190 |
| 17
|4 |60 |Geoffrey Bodine |Power Team |Chevrolet |199 |0 |running |112 |27065 |
| 18
|5 |12 |Jeremy Mayfield |Mobil 1 |Ford |199 |0 |running |109 |37740 |
| 19
|14 |94 |Bill Elliott |McDonald's |Ford |199 |0 |running |106 |34180 |
| 20
|12 |1 |Steve Park |Pennzoil |Chevrolet |199 |0 |running |103 |35140 |
| 21
|41 |26 |Johnny Benson, Jr. |Frosted Cheerios |Ford |199 |0 |running |100 |34655 |
| 22
|34 |42 |Joe Nemechek |BellSouth |Chevrolet |199 |0 |running |97 |32490 |
| 23
|24 |25 |Wally Dallenbach, Jr. |Budweiser |Chevrolet |199 |3 |running |99 |32265 |
| 24
|17 |8 |Dale Earnhardt, Jr. |Budweiser |Chevrolet |199 |0 |running |91 |21765 |
| 25
|28 |33 |Ken Schrader |Skoal |Chevrolet |199 |0 |running |88 |31915 |
| 26
|39 |5 |Terry Labonte |Kellogg's, Rice Krispies Treats |Chevrolet |199 |0 |running |85 |36415 |
| 27
|23 |55 |Kenny Wallace |Square D |Chevrolet |199 |0 |running |82 |25140 |
| 28
|43 |45 |Rich Bickle |10-10-345 |Pontiac |199 |0 |running |79 |24690 |
| 29
|29 |9 |Jerry Nadeau |WCW |Ford |199 |0 |running |76 |24190 |
| 30
|22 |50 |Ricky Craven |Midwest Transit |Chevrolet |198 |0 |running |73 |21365 |
| 31
|42 |44 |Kyle Petty |Hot Wheels |Pontiac |198 |0 |running |70 |23965 |
| 32
|21 |41 |David Green |Kodiak |Chevrolet |197 |0 |running |67 |23415 |
| 33
|35 |71 |Dave Marcis |Realtree |Chevrolet |197 |0 |running |64 |21365 |
| 34
|30 |28 |Kenny Irwin, Jr. |Texaco, Havoline |Ford |195 |0 |engine |61 |28215 |
| 35
|40 |4 |Bobby Hamilton |Kodak |Chevrolet |192 |0 |engine |58 |35765 |
| 36
|2 |31 |Mike Skinner |Lowe's |Chevrolet |192 |12 |running |60 |33040 |
| 37
|26 |99 |Jeff Burton |Exide Batteries |Ford |188 |0 |running |52 |41715 |
| 38
|6 |10 |Ricky Rudd |Tide Hydrogen Peroxide Bubbles |Ford |186 |0 |running |49 |27640 |
| 39
|33 |16 |Kevin Lepage |TV Guide, NFL '99 |Ford |183 |0 |engine |46 |27630 |
| 40
|15 |36 |Dick Trickle |M&M's |Pontiac |178 |0 |running |43 |27620 |
| 41
|11 |75 |Ted Musgrave |Remington Arms |Ford |147 |0 |running |40 |20610 |
| 42
|27 |77 |Robert Pressley |Jasper Engines & Transmissions |Ford |127 |1 |crash |42 |20800 |
| 43
|1 |22 |Ward Burton |Caterpillar |Pontiac |52 |1 |crash |39 |33090 |
| colspan="12" |Failed to qualify or driver change |
| 44
| |30 |Derrike Cope |Jimmy Dean / Sara Lee |Pontiac ! colspan="5" rowspan="6" | |
| 45
| |90 |Stanton Barrett |Hills Brothers / Nestle / Carnation |Ford |
| 46
| |66 |Darrell Waltrip |Big Kmart / Route 66 |Ford |
| 47
| |11 |Brett Bodine |Paychex |Ford |
| 48
| |19 |Tom Hubert |Bradford White Corp. |Pontiac |
| DC
| |36 |Ernie Irvan |M&M's |Pontiac |
Post-Race Championship Standings
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Driver !Points !Differential |
| 1
|3524 | -- |
|---|
| 2
|3210 | - 314 |
| 3
|3177 | - 347 |
| 4
|3057 | - 467 |
| 5
|3031 | - 493 |
| 6
|2995 | - 529 |
| 7
|2864 | - 660 |
| 8
|2626 | - 898 |
| 9
|2593 | - 931 |
| 10
|2566 | - 958 |
References
{{s-bef
| before = 1999 Frontier at the Glen
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = NASCAR Winston Cup Series
| years = 1999
}}
{{s-aft
| after = 1999 Goody's Headache Powder 500
}}
{{s-end}}
{{1999 Winston Cup}}
Category:1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series