| Type: | NASWINSTON |
| Course Km: | 4.28 |
| Caption: | The 1996 DieHard 500 program cover, featuring Sterling Marlin. |
| Pole Time: | 49.779 |
| First Team: | Hendrick Motorsports |
| First Driver: | Jeff Gordon |
| Attendance: | 100,000 |
| Announcers: | Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett, Buddy Baker |
| Radio: | Motor Racing Network |
| Network: | CBS |
| Most Team: | Richard Childress Racing |
| Car: | 24 |
| Most Laps: | 40 |
| Most Driver: | Dale Earnhardt |
| Pole Driver: | Jeremy Mayfield |
| Avg: | 133.387mph |
| Location: | Lincoln, Alabama, Talladega Superspeedway |
| Pole Team: | Cale Yarborough Motorsports |
| Scheduled Km: | 804.8 |
| Distance Km: | 552.249 |
| Distance Laps: | 129 |
| Scheduled Laps: | 188 |
| Scheduled Mi: | 500.08 |
| Season No: | 31 |
| Race No: | 18 |
| Race Name: | DieHard 500 |
| Course Mi: | 2.66 |
| Date: | July 28 |
| Year: | 1996 |
| Distance Mi: | 343.14 |
| Official Name: | 28th Annual DieHard 500 |
The 1996 DieHard 500 was the 18th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 28th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 28, 1996, before an audience of 100,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race was shortened from its scheduled 188 laps to 129 laps due to darkness caused by rain delays and lengthy crash cleanups. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to avoid numerous crashes and stay in front when the race was eventually called to take his 15th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series and his sixth victory of the season.[1] [2] To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.
On lap 117, a major crash involving 13 drivers, including the drivers of Dale Earnhardt and Sterling Marlin, would occur on the track's frontstretch. Marlin would be spun by hitting Ernie Irvan's front bumper, sending him into Earnhardt. Earnhardt would proceed to crash violently into the outside wall, sending Earnhardt into a flip before landing on all four wheels. In the midst of the chaos, others would be involved in the accident, with many placing blame on Irvan and Marlin for the crash. In the process, Earnhardt would be transported to the Carraway Methodist Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama where he was diagnosed with a broken sternum and a broken left collarbone.[3]
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.
Qualifying was originally scheduled split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, July 26, at 4:00 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.[4] However, on Saturday, July 27, rain would eventually force the cancellation of second-round qualifying, and the decision was made that positions 26-38 would be determined by their first round qualifying speeds 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.[5]
Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Cale Yarborough Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 49.779 and an average speed of 192.37mph in the first round.[6]
Chad Little was the only driver to fail to qualify.
The race was due to start at 12:15pm CST but rain delayed the start time to 3:35pm and ran eleven laps before rain red flagged the race at 4:09pm with the race restarting at 4:32pm and the race starting at 4:36pm on lap thirteen.
Wight light fading, NASCAR elected to shorten the race with a five lap shootout from the green flag on lap 125.
The Diehard 500 was covered by CBS with Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett and Buddy Baker in commentary.