1999 MBNA Platinum 400
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 13 of 34 in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1999 MBNA Platinum 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | June 6, 1999 | ||
| Official name | 31st Annual MBNA Platinum 400 | ||
| Location | Dover, Delaware, Dover International Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1 mi (1.6 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 400 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Average speed | 120.603 miles per hour (194.092 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 22.596 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 127 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN | ||
| Announcers | Eli Gold, Dick Berggren, Buddy Baker | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
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.
Background
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.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
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 158.744 mph (255.474 km/h).[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 | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Friday, June 4, at 1:20 PM EST. The session would last for 40 minutes.[3] 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 158.751 mph (255.485 km/h).[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 | ||||||
Third practice
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 155.844 mph (250.807 km/h).[3]
| 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 | ||||||
Final practice
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.[3] 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 154.552 mph (248.727 km/h).[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
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.[3] 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 159.320 miles per hour (256.401 km/h).[9]
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Darrell Waltrip, Buckshot Jones, and Hut Stricklin.
Full qualifying results
Race results
References
- ^ Poole, David (June 6, 1999). "Gamble returns big payday for Labonte". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ Brinster, Dick (June 7, 1999). "Crew chief's call fuels Bobby Labonte's victory". Messenger-Inquirer. p. 13. Retrieved August 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 1999 Dover 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on August 23, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ "First session practice speeds". That's Racin'. June 4, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ "Second-session practice speeds". That's Racin'. June 4, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ "Happy Hour practice speeds". That's Racin'. June 5, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ Utter, Jim (June 5, 1999). "Crash in practice moves Irvan to back of field". That's Racin'. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 1999 Provisional Start Status". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on April 18, 1999. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
- ^ Brinster, Dick (June 4, 1999). "Labonte shatters Dover record". That's Racin'. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ "1999 MBNA Platinum 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved August 20, 2022.