1995 Winston Select 500 Explained

Type:NASWINSTON
Course Km:4.28
Caption:The 1995 Winston Select 500 program cover.
Pole Time:48.725
First Team:Roush Racing
First Driver:Mark Martin
Announcers:Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio:Motor Racing Network
Network:ESPN
Most Team:Roush Racing
Car:6
Most Laps:88
Most Driver:Mark Martin
Pole Driver:Terry Labonte
Avg:178.902mph
Location:Lincoln, Alabama, Talladega Superspeedway
Pole Team:Hendrick Motorsports
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 30
Year:1995
Distance Mi:500.08
Official Name:26th Annual Winston Select 500

The 1995 Winston Select 500 was the ninth stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 26th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 30, 1995, 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. In the final laps of the race, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to complete a pass for the lead with two to go and defend the field to take his 15th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1] [2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Wood Brothers Racing driver Morgan Shepherd would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

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

DriverTeamMakeSponsor
0Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingFordMasters Inn Economy
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
19Loy Allen Jr.TriStar MotorsportsFordHealthSource RI
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
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 RacingFordJackaroo Barby-Q-Sauce
47Billy StandridgeStandridge MotorsportsFordWorld Championship Wrestling
53Ritchie PettyPetty Brothers RacingFordSouthern Pride Trucking
65Steve SeligmanO'Neil RacingChevroletO'Neil Racing
71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevroletSouthwest Technical Group
75Todd BodineButch Mock MotorsportsFordFactory Stores of America
77Davy Jones (R)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

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 28, at 4:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 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 Saturday, April 29, at 11:30 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-38 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; which was usually four. 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.

Terry Labonte, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 48.725 and an average speed of 196.532mph in the first round.[4]

Five drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

Pos.DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed
15Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet48.725196.532
219Loy Allen Jr.TriStar MotorsportsFord48.863195.977
36Mark MartinRoush RacingFord48.925195.728
418Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet48.941195.664
528Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord48.956195.604
624Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet48.979195.512
74Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet49.057195.202
815Dick TrickleBud Moore EngineeringFord49.152194.824
933Robert Pressley (R)Leo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet49.161194.789
1030Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac49.173194.741
1116Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord49.206194.610
1275Todd BodineButch Mock MotorsportsFord49.255194.417
131Rick MastPrecision Products RacingFord49.309194.204
1421Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFord49.315194.180
159Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord49.343194.070
163Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet49.345194.062
1726Hut StricklinKing RacingFord49.368193.972
1822Randy LaJoie (R)Bill Davis RacingPontiac49.429193.732
1923Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord49.436193.705
2025Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet49.458193.619
2117Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet49.484193.517
2277Davy Jones (R)Jasper MotorsportsFord49.490193.494
2381Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord49.543193.287
2494Bill ElliottElliott-Hardy RacingFord49.622192.979
2512Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFord49.667192.804
2610Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord49.693192.703
2790Mike WallaceDonlavey RacingFord49.723192.587
2844Jeff PurvisPhoenix RacingFord49.736192.537
2942Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac49.762192.436
3043Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac49.790192.328
3127Elton SawyerJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord49.796192.305
3240Greg SacksDick Brooks RacingPontiac49.816192.227
3398Jeremy MayfieldCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord49.828192.181
3437John AndrettiKranefuss-Haas RacingFord49.833192.162
352Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord49.867192.031
3671Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet49.885191.962
378Jeff BurtonStavola Brothers RacingFord49.948191.719
3841Ricky Craven (R)Larry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet50.000191.520
Provisionals
3929Steve GrissomDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet-*-*
4011Brett BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord-*-*
417Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord-*-*
4231Ward BurtonA.G. Dillard MotorsportsChevrolet-*-*
Failed to qualify
4353Ritchie PettyPetty Brothers RacingFord-*-*
4447Billy StandridgeStandridge MotorsportsFord-*-*
4587Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet-*-*
4665Steve SeligmanO'Neil RacingChevrolet-*-*
470Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingFord-*-*
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

FinStDriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings
136Mark MartinRoush RacingFord18888running185$98,565
2624Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet18812running175$165,315
31421Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFord1880running165$62,145
42117Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet1885running165$43,095
5418Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet1880running155$40,115
62494Bill ElliottElliott-Hardy RacingFord1880running150$22,605
7417Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord1880running146$38,700
81275Todd BodineButch Mock MotorsportsFord1880running142$29,050
91923Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord1880running139$22,650
10219Loy Allen Jr.TriStar MotorsportsFord18818running139$20,350
111116Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord1880running136$25,070
121030Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac1880running127$24,490
131822Randy LaJoie (R)Bill Davis RacingPontiac1880running124$24,960
143398Jeremy MayfieldCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord1880running121$18,380
153043Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac1880running118$18,950
16159Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord1880running115$13,910
173841Ricky Craven (R)Larry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet1880running112$17,295
18933Robert Pressley (R)Leo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet1880running109$21,455
19528Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord18835running111$27,240
20352Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord1889running108$27,755
21163Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet1886running105$34,735
222610Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord1870running97$25,115
232790Mike WallaceDonlavey RacingFord1870accident94$15,405
241726Hut StricklinKing RacingFord1870running91$20,400
25378Jeff BurtonStavola Brothers RacingFord1870running88$20,270
2615Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1872running90$26,540
273127Elton SawyerJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord1870running82$21,185
28131Rick MastPrecision Products RacingFord1870running79$24,730
292844Jeff PurvisPhoenix RacingFord1870running76$11,575
304011Brett BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord1870running73$24,520
312942Kyle PettyTeam SABCOPontiac1860running70$19,365
324231Ward BurtonA.G. Dillard MotorsportsChevrolet1860running67$11,310
332277Davy Jones (R)Jasper MotorsportsFord1850running64$14,280
343671Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet1850running61$11,250
353240Greg SacksDick Brooks RacingPontiac1850running58$18,720
362381Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord1850running55$11,190
373929Steve GrissomDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet1840running52$11,126
38815Dick TrickleBud Moore EngineeringFord1800running49$15,990
3974Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet1451running51$23,990
402025Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet13712engine48$15,990
413437John AndrettiKranefuss-Haas RacingFord650accident40$10,990
422512Derrike CopeBobby Allison MotorsportsFord640accident37$10,990
Failed to qualify
4353Ritchie PettyPetty Brothers RacingFord
4447Billy StandridgeStandridge MotorsportsFord
4587Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsChevrolet
4665Steve SeligmanO'Neil RacingChevrolet
470Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingFord
Official race results

Notes and References

  1. News: Harris . Mike . May 1, 1995 . Martin squeezes out victory . 13 . Wausau Daily Herald . November 1, 2022 . Newspapers.com.
  2. News: Higgins . Tom . May 1, 1995 . Martin edges Gordon for Talladega victory . 7 . Green Bay Press-Gazette . November 1, 2022 . Newspapers.com.
  3. News: April 28, 1995 . Winston Select 500 . 37 . . November 1, 2022 . Newspapers.com.
  4. News: Higgins . Tom . April 29, 1995 . Labonte, Hendrick team roll to yet another pole for Winston 500 . 48 . St. Lucie News Tribune . November 1, 2022.