1995 Coca-Cola 600 Explained

Type:NASWINSTON
Date:May 28
Scheduled Km:965.606
Distance Km:965.606
Avg:151.952mph
Pole Team:Hendrick Motorsports
Network:TBS
Most Driver:Ken Schrader
Radio:Performance Racing Network
Announcers:Ken Squier, Ernie Irvan, Richard Petty
Most Team:Hendrick Motorsports
First Driver:Bobby Labonte
First Team:Joe Gibbs Racing
Most Laps:169
Season No:31
Location:Concord, North Carolina, Charlotte Motor Speedway
Pole Time:29.370
Attendance:175,000
Scheduled Mi:600
Distance Laps:400
Scheduled Laps:400
Course Km:2.41
Course Mi:1.5
Race No:11
Official Name:36th Annual Coca-Cola 600
Car:18
Race Name:Coca-Cola 600
Year:1995
Distance Mi:600
Pole Driver:Jeff Gordon

The 1995 Coca-Cola 600 was the 11th stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 36th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 28, 1995, before an audience of 175,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would manage to dominate the late stages of the race with the help of changing his racing line according to Labonte. The victory was Labonte's first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1] [2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and Bahari Racing driver Michael Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, as well as the UAW-GM Quality 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.

Entry list

DriverTeamMakeSponsor
1Rick MastPrecision Products RacingPontiacSkoal
2Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFordMiller Genuine Draft
3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevroletGM Goodwrench Service Plus
4Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevroletKodak
5Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevroletKellogg's Frosted Flakes
6Mark MartinRoush RacingFordValvoline
7Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFordExide
8Jeff BurtonStavola Brothers RacingFordRaybestos
9Lake SpeedMelling RacingFordSpam
10Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFordTide
11Brett BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFordLowe's
12Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFordMane 'n Tail
14Jimmy HensleyHagan RacingFordInternational Brotherhood of Teamsters
15Dick TrickleBud Moore EngineeringFordFord Quality Care
16Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFordThe Family Channel
17Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevroletWestern Auto
18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevroletInterstate Batteries
19Loy Allen Jr.TriStar MotorsportsFordHealthSource RI
20Bobby Hillin Jr.Moroso RacingFordFINA
21Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFordCitgo
22Randy LaJoie (R)Bill Davis RacingPontiacMBNA
23Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFordSmokin' Joe's
24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevroletDuPont
25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevroletBudweiser
26Hut StricklinKing RacingFordQuaker State
27Elton SawyerJunior Johnson & AssociatesFordHooters
28Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFordTexaco, Havoline
29Steve GrissomDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevroletMeineke
30Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiacPennzoil
31Ward BurtonA.G. Dillard MotorsportsChevroletHardee's
32Chuck BownActive MotorsportsChevroletFINA
33Robert Pressley (R)Leo Jackson MotorsportsChevroletSkoal Bandit
37John AndrettiKranefuss-Haas RacingFordLittle Caesars, Kmart
40Greg SacksDick Brooks RacingPontiacKendall
41Ricky Craven (R)Larry Hedrick MotorsportsChevroletKodiak
42Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiacCoors Light Silver Bullet
43Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiacSTP
44Jeff PurvisPhoenix RacingChevroletJackaroo Barby-Q-Sauce
67Johnny ChapmanRaDiUs MotorsportsFordRaDiUs Motorsports
71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevroletOlive Garden
75Todd BodineButch Mock MotorsportsFordFactory Stores of America
77Davy JonesJasper MotorsportsFordUS Airways, Jasper Engines & Transmissions
81Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFordTIC Financial Systems
87Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevroletBurger King
90Mike WallaceDonlavey RacingFordHeilig-Meyers
94Bill ElliottElliott-Hardy RacingFordMcDonald's, Batman Forever
97Chad LittleMark Rypien MotorsportsFordHarris Teeter
98Jeremy MayfieldCale Yarborough MotorsportsFordRCA

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Wednesday, May 24, at 7:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 25 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Thursday, May 25, at 6:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 26-38 would be decided on time,[3] and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; up to four provisionals were given. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.

Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.370 and an average speed of 183.861mph in the first round.[4]

Six drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

Pos.DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed
124Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet29.370183.861
218Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet29.550182.741
341Ricky Craven (R)Larry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet29.624182.285
411Brett BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord29.680181.941
530Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac29.732181.622
625Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet29.749181.519
74Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet29.765181.421
827Elton SawyerJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord29.845180.935
987Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet29.857180.862
1021Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFord29.860180.844
1115Dick TrickleBud Moore EngineeringFord29.870180.783
1226Hut StricklinKing RacingFord29.874180.759
135Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet29.909180.548
1475Todd BodineButch Mock MotorsportsFord29.910180.542
151Rick MastPrecision Products RacingFord29.933180.403
169Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord29.933180.403
1797Chad LittleMark Rypien MotorsportsFord29.933180.403
1810Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord29.953180.282
1994Bill ElliottElliott-Hardy RacingFord29.962180.228
208Jeff BurtonStavola Brothers RacingFord29.964180.216
Failed to lock in Round 1
2117Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet29.968180.192
2228Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord29.979180.126
2343Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac29.983180.102
242Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord29.984180.096
2533Robert Pressley (R)Leo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet29.986180.084
2612Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFord30.009179.946
2716Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord30.048179.712
287Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord30.095179.432
2990Mike WallaceDonlavey RacingFord30.114179.319
3031Ward BurtonA.G. Dillard MotorsportsChevrolet30.115179.313
3119Loy Allen Jr.TriStar MotorsportsFord30.120179.283
326Mark MartinRoush RacingFord30.143179.146
3332Chuck BownActive MotorsportsChevrolet30.149179.110
343Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet30.160179.045
3571Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet30.226178.654
3637John AndrettiKranefuss-Haas RacingFord30.241178.566
3781Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord30.263178.436
3823Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord30.269178.400
Provisionals
3929Steve GrissomDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet30.303178.200
4042Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac30.333178.024
4122Randy LaJoie (R)Bill Davis RacingPontiac30.324178.077
4298Jeremy MayfieldCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord30.349177.930
Failed to qualify
4340Greg SacksTeam SABCOPontiac30.278178.347
4420Bobby Hillin Jr.Moroso RacingFord30.360177.866
4514Jimmy HensleyHagan RacingFord30.379177.754
4677Davy JonesJasper MotorsportsFord30.623176.338
4744Jeff PurvisPhoenix RacingChevrolet30.885174.842
4867Johnny ChapmanRaDiUs MotorsportsFord31.310172.469
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

FinStDriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings
1218Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet40085running180$163,850
2135Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet4001running175$93,050
3530Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac4009running170$70,650
474Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet39931running165$62,700
51810Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord3993running160$49,000
6343Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet39938running155$52,500
71226Hut StricklinKing RacingFord3990running146$30,000
8169Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord3980running142$27,500
92343Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac3980running138$25,400
10341Ricky Craven (R)Larry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet3970running134$30,400
111021Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFord3977running135$28,300
122990Mike WallaceDonlavey RacingFord3970running127$20,800
133929Steve GrissomDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet3970running124$21,500
14151Rick MastPrecision Products RacingFord3970running121$23,300
152716Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord3970running118$23,300
161115Dick TrickleBud Moore EngineeringFord3970running115$20,550
173637John AndrettiKranefuss-Haas RacingFord3960running112$14,600
182117Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet3960running109$18,750
192612Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFord3960running106$13,000
20987Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet3950running103$11,350
213332Chuck BownActive MotorsportsChevrolet3940running100$8,800
224298Jeremy MayfieldCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord3940running97$11,650
234122Randy LaJoie (R)Bill Davis RacingPontiac3930running94$16,725
242533Robert Pressley (R)Leo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet3930running91$15,820
25827Elton SawyerJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord3920running88$16,300
26287Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord3910running85$22,000
273823Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord3900engine82$10,250
28326Mark MartinRoush RacingFord3904running84$21,310
294042Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac3800running76$14,480
30625Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet358169engine83$40,300
313781Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord3330rear end70$6,750
322228Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord3170engine67$21,050
33124Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28337suspension69$64,950
34242Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord25810handling66$22,500
35411Brett BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord2300accident58$21,950
363119Loy Allen Jr.TriStar MotorsportsFord2250accident55$6,405
373571Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet1590engine52$6,360
381475Todd BodineButch Mock MotorsportsFord1466engine54$11,920
391994Bill ElliottElliott-Hardy RacingFord1340accident46$6,320
40208Jeff BurtonStavola Brothers RacingFord1340camshaft43$11,320
413031Ward BurtonA.G. Dillard MotorsportsChevrolet710accident40$6,320
421797Chad LittleMark Rypien MotorsportsFord90engine37$6,320
Failed to qualify
4340Greg SacksTeam SABCOPontiac
4420Bobby Hillin Jr.Moroso RacingFord
4514Jimmy HensleyHagan RacingFord
4677Davy JonesJasper MotorsportsFord
4744Jeff PurvisPhoenix RacingChevrolet
4867Johnny ChapmanRaDiUs MotorsportsFord
Official race results

Notes and References

  1. News: Coble . Don . May 29, 1995 . Bobby Labonte finds real groove at Coca-Cola . 23 . The Times . January 21, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  2. News: Macenka . Joe . May 29, 1995 . Bobby Labonte puts brakes on brother . 47 . Austin American-Statesman . January 21, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  3. News: May 23, 1995 . Race week at Charlotte . 12 . . January 21, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  4. News: Macenka . Joe . May 25, 1995 . Gordon grabs pole, seeks new nickname . 15 . The Advocate-Messenger . January 21, 2023 . Newspapers.com.