1995 Goody's 500 (Martinsville) Explained

Type:NASWINSTON
Location:Ridgeway, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway
Distance Mi:263
Pole Time:Set by 1995 owner's points
Course Mi:0.526
Car:3
Scheduled Km:423.257
Distance Km:423.257
Distance Laps:500
Scheduled Laps:500
Scheduled Mi:263
Avg:73.946mph
Date:September 24
Race No:26
Season No:31
Year:1995
Race Name:Goody's 500
Most Laps:253
Most Driver:Dale Earnhardt
Most Team:Richard Childress Racing
First Driver:Dale Earnhardt
First Team:Richard Childress Racing
Pole Driver:Jeff Gordon
Pole Team:Hendrick Motorsports
Network:ESPN
Radio:Motor Racing Network
Announcers:Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Official Name:47th Annual Goody's 500
Course Km:0.847
Caption:The 1995 Goody's 500 program cover, featuring Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt.

The 1995 Goody's 500 was the 26th stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 47th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 24, 1995, in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526miles permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would make a late race pass on Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace with eight to go to take his 67th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth victory of the season, while in the process cutting down his points deficit down to 275 points with points leader Jeff Gordon.[1] [2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and the aforementioned Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

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
15Dick TrickleBud Moore EngineeringFordFord Quality Care
16Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFordThe Family Channel
17Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevroletWestern Auto
18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevroletInterstate Batteries
21Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFordCitgo
22Ward BurtonBill 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
31Jimmy HensleyA.G. Dillard MotorsportsChevroletHardee's
32Greg SacksActive MotorsportsChevroletFINA
33Robert Pressley (R)Leo Jackson MotorsportsChevroletSkoal Bandit
37John AndrettiKranefuss-Haas RacingFordLittle Caesars, Kmart
40Rich BickleDick Brooks RacingPontiacKendall
41Ricky Craven (R)Larry Hedrick MotorsportsChevroletKodiak
42Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiacCoors Light Silver Bullet
43Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiacSTP
71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevroletTerramite
75Todd BodineButch Mock MotorsportsFordFactory Stores of America
77Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFordUS Airways, Jasper Engines & Transmissions
81Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFordTIC Financial Systems
87Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevroletBurger King
90Mike WallaceDonlavey RacingFordHeilig-Meyers
94Bill ElliottElliott-Hardy RacingFordMcDonald's
98Jeremy MayfieldCale Yarborough MotorsportsFordRCA

Qualifying

Two round of qualifying were scheduled to be held on Friday, September 22, and Saturday, September 23. However, Friday's sessions were cancelled due to rain, with both rounds then scheduled to commence on Saturday.[3] However, Saturday's sessions would also be cancelled due to rain, leaving qualifying to be determined by a system of owner's points and postmarks on entry list blanks. The top 30 positions would be determined by the current 1995 owner's points, while the final six spots would be determined by a system of provisionals that included past winners, and finally postmarks.[4] As a result, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would win the pole.[5]

Six drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

Pos.DriverTeamMake
124Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
23Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
34Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet
46Mark MartinRoush RacingFord
516Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord
62Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord
75Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
818Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet
930Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac
1021Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFord
1194Bill ElliottElliott-Hardy RacingFord
1243Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac
1310Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord
1428Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord
1525Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
1612Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFord
177Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord
181Rick MastPrecision Products RacingFord
1937John AndrettiKranefuss-Haas RacingFord
2017Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet
2111Brett BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord
229Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord
2329Steve GrissomDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet
2441Ricky Craven (R)Larry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet
2515Dick TrickleBud Moore EngineeringFord
2633Robert Pressley (R)Leo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet
2723Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord
2842Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac
2987Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet
308Jeff BurtonStavola Brothers RacingFord
Provisionals
3127Elton SawyerJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord
3222Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac
3398Jeremy MayfieldCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord
3475Todd BodineButch Mock MotorsportsFord
3526Hut StricklinKing RacingFord
3690Mike WallaceDonlavey RacingFord
Failed to qualify
3731Jimmy HensleyA.G. Dillard MotorsportsChevrolet
3832Greg SacksActive MotorsportsChevrolet
3940Rich BickleDick Brooks RacingPontiac
4071Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet
4177Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord
4281Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord
Official starting lineup

Race results

FinStDriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings
123Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet500253running185$78,150
275Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet500164running175$45,600
362Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord50053running170$42,400
41243Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac5000running160$24,450
5177Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord5000running155$32,100
61194Bill ElliottElliott-Hardy RacingFord5000running150$17,600
7124Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet5003running151$25,150
82017Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet5000running142$21,050
91612Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFord5000running138$15,350
101428Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord50011running139$27,050
112842Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac5000running130$18,685
1246Mark MartinRoush RacingFord4990running127$22,900
131937John AndrettiKranefuss-Haas RacingFord4990running124$12,900
14818Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet4990running121$21,600
152515Dick TrickleBud Moore EngineeringFord4980running118$18,700
163398Jeremy MayfieldCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord4970running115$12,400
173690Mike WallaceDonlavey RacingFord4970running112$14,100
182723Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord4960running109$11,605
191021Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFord4940running106$15,950
20229Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord4940running103$12,500
213222Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac4940running100$15,550
222111Brett BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord4910running97$20,050
2334Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet4840brakes94$21,000
243475Todd BodineButch Mock MotorsportsFord4790running91$15,250
25930Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac4751running93$15,250
262329Steve GrissomDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet45813running90$9,850
271310Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord4500running82$19,700
28181Rick MastPrecision Products RacingFord4500running79$14,600
29516Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord4340running76$14,500
302987Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet4290running73$8,950
31308Jeff BurtonStavola Brothers RacingFord4010crash70$11,450
321525Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3860running67$11,450
333127Elton SawyerJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord3780rear end64$11,450
342633Robert Pressley (R)Leo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet3680crash61$13,050
352441Ricky Craven (R)Larry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet3242engine63$6,950
363526Hut StricklinKing RacingFord2020brakes55$11,450
Failed to qualify
3731Jimmy HensleyA.G. Dillard MotorsportsChevrolet
3832Greg SacksActive MotorsportsChevrolet
3940Rich BickleDick Brooks RacingPontiac
4071Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet
4177Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord
4281Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord
Official race results

Notes and References

  1. News: Harris . Mike . September 25, 1995 . Earnhardt triumphs, trims 34 points off Gordon's lead . 7 . Messenger-Inquirer . November 14, 2022 . Newspapers.com.
  2. News: Martin . Gerald . September 25, 1995 . Earnhardt just out for a Sunday ride . 36 . The News and Observer . November 14, 2022 . Newspapers.com.
  3. News: Blake . Ben W. . September 23, 1995 . Qualifying washed out, but rain tire is tested . 37 . Richmond Times-Dispatch . November 14, 2022 . Newspapers.com.
  4. News: Higgins . Tom . September 24, 1995 . Rain stalls qualifying, Irvan's plans . 117 . . November 14, 2022 . Newspapers.com.
  5. News: Higgins . Tom . September 24, 1995 . Showers grant Gordon a pole . 117 . . November 14, 2022 . Newspapers.com.