| Type: | NASWINSTON |
| Scheduled Km: | 643.737 |
| Official Name: | 31st Annual MBNA Platinum 400 |
| Caption: | The 1999 MBNA Platinum 400 program cover. |
| Radio: | Motor Racing Network |
| Network: | TNN |
| First Team: | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Most Team: | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| First Driver: | Bobby Labonte |
| Most Driver: | Tony Stewart |
| Pole Team: | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Pole Driver: | Bobby Labonte |
| Most Laps: | 127 |
| Car: | 18 |
| Distance Km: | 643.737 |
| Location: | Dover, Delaware, Dover International Speedway |
| Scheduled Laps: | 400 |
| Scheduled Mi: | 400 |
| Distance Laps: | 400 |
| Avg: | 120.603mph |
| Date: | June 6 |
| Pole Time: | 22.596 |
| Course Km: | 1.6 |
| Course Mi: | 1 |
| Race Name: | MBNA Platinum 400 |
| Year: | 1999 |
| Season No: | 34 |
| Race No: | 13 |
| Distance Mi: | 400 |
| Announcers: | Eli Gold, Dick Berggren, Buddy Baker |
The 1999 MBNA Platinum 400 was the 13th stock car race of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 6, 1999, in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. Depending on fuel mileage, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would manage to save enough fuel to almost lap the field to win his eighth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first of the season.[1] [2] To fill out the podium, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.
Dover International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.
The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.
The first practice session was held on Friday, June 4, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for one hour.[3] Kenny Wallace, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.678 and an average speed of 158.744mph.[4]
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 22.678 | 158.744 | |
| 2 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 22.736 | 158.339 | |
| 3 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.739 | 158.318 | |
| Full first practice results | |||||||
The second practice session was held on Friday, June 4, at 1:20 PM EST. The session would last for 40 minutes. Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.677 and an average speed of 158.751mph.[5]
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.677 | 158.751 | |
| 2 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 22.717 | 158.472 | |
| 3 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 22.726 | 158.409 | |
| Full second practice results | |||||||
The third practice session was held on Saturday, June 5, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Dick Trickle, driving for LJ Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.100 and an average speed of 155.844mph.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 91 | Dick Trickle | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 23.100 | 155.844 | |
| 2 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 23.116 | 155.736 | |
| 3 | 60 | Geoff Bodine | Joe Bessey Racing | Chevrolet | 23.137 | 155.594 | |
| Full third practice results | |||||||
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 5, after the preliminary 1999 MBNA Platinum 200. The session would last for one hour. Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.293 and an average speed of 154.552mph.[6]
During the session, Ernie Irvan would crash on the frontstretch, forcing Irvan to go to a backup car and to start at the rear for the race.[7]
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 23.293 | 154.552 | |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 23.351 | 154.168 | |
| 3 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.403 | 153.826 | |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | |||||||
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 4, at 3:30 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 Saturday, June 5, at 11:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. Positions 26-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[8]
Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 22.596 and an average speed of 159.32mph.[9]
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Darrell Waltrip, Buckshot Jones, and Hut Stricklin.