This is the third NASCAR Winston Cup race at Darlington on the newly paved track surface. The track was repaved prior to the 1995 TranSouth 400.
The Unocal Challenge is worth $114,000 at Darlington. It was last won 15 races ago by Bobby Labonte ($7,600) at Michigan last August. The race has been won from the pole 18 times at Darlington, the most of any starting position. But the Unocal Challenge, which began in 1989, has been won only once at Darlington, in 1990 when Dale Earnhardt won the spring race.
1995 NASCAR Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon has moved from 43rd to 16th in the last two races.
Mark Martin, Darrell Waltrip, Kyle Petty, Morgan Shepherd, Ward Burton, Derrike Cope, Wally Dallenbach, Steve Grissom and Ted Musgrave are just a few of the drivers yet to lead a lap in 1996.
Dale Jarrett leads all drivers with a 4.0 average finish in the first four races this season.
The top five in NASCAR Winston Cup points are separated by a margin of 127 points. The top 10 in NASCAR Winston Cup points are separated by 193 points.
Dale Earnhardt leads all active drivers with nine victories at Darlington. He is one win shy of tying David Pearson's record 10 Darlington victories.
There have been eight different winners in the last 10 NASCAR Winston Cup races at Darlington (since 1991). Only Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott were able to repeat during the 10-race period.
Earnhardt, in 1990, was the last driver to sweep both races at Darlington. He also won both Darlington races in 1987. Bill Elliott (1985), David Pearson (1976), Bobby Allison (1975), Leroy Yarborough (1969) and Richard Petty (1967) are the other drivers to post sweeps at Darlington.
A Chevrolet won both NASCAR Winston Cup races at Darlington in 1995.
Jeff Gordon heads the list of 12 drivers who have posted two DNFs in the first four races of 1996. Loy Allen Jr., John Andretti, Geoff Bodine, Derrike Cope, Wally Dallenbach, Mark Martin, Robert Pressley, Morgan Shepherd, Lake Speed, Mike Wallace and Michael Waltrip also have two DNFs this season.
A Chevrolet has led 794 of 1,321 , or 60 percent, of the laps raced in 1996. The Fords have led 27 percent and the Pontiacs 13 percent.
Bill Elliott, in his 36 starts at Darlington, has a 8.05 average finish, the best of all active drivers.
Several drivers have struggled at the track often called "Too Tough to Tame"...
Jeff Gordon, in his six previous starts at Darlington, has one victory and a 19.3 average finish.
Dale Jarrett, current leader in NASCAR Winston Cup points, has a 20.8 average finish in 16 starts.
Ted Musgrave has a 22.4 average finish in 10 starts.
Joe Nemechek has a 29.75 average finish in four starts.
Kyle Petty has a 20.0 average finish in 30 starts.
Jimmy Spencer has a 28.0 average finish in 12 starts.
Issues
This is the fourth superspeedway race of 1996. The posted awards for this weekend's NASCAR Winston Cup TranSouth Financial 400 total $1,336,602.
The NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus rolled over to $30,000 for this week's TranSouth 400. To claim the bonus, a driver must win Sunday AND lead the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings.
Chevrolet maintains an early lead over Ford in the Manufacturers' point battle (33 to 27) with three Chevrolet victories in 1996. Pontiac is third with 16 points.
There have been three different winners in the first four NASCAR Winston Cup races of 1996 (Jarrett at Daytona, Gordon at Richmond and Earnhardt, the first repeat winner of the season, winning at Rockingham and Atlanta). Jarrett and Earnhardt are the only drivers to post three top-five finishes in the first four races in 1996.
There have been three different NASCAR Winston Cup Busch pole winners in the first four races of the season (Dale Earrhardt at Daytona, Johnny Benson at Atlanta and Terry Labonte, the only multiple pole winner this season, at Rockingham and Richmond).
Three of the four NASCAR Winston Cup Busch poles have been scored by Chevrolets this season. Pontiac has one pole and Ford remains shut out.
Ricky Rudd is the only driver to post four top-10 finishes this season and extended his streak to six straight top-10 finishes, a streak which began at Phoenix last fall.
Terry Labonte is the only driver to lead at least one lap in each of the four races of 1996.
After four races, there remain several drivers who finished the 1995 seascn in the final top 25 in NASCAR Winston Cup points that are not in the current top 25. They include Lake Speed (26th), Bobby Labonte (29th), Darrell Waltrip (30th), Derrike Cope (31st), Brett Bodine (32nd), John Andretti (33rd), Geoff Bodine (38th) and Morgan Shepherd (40th).
Conversely, Ricky Craven finished last season 24th in NASCAR Winston Cup points and currently is ranked fifth. Others showing improvement are Bobby Hamilton, 14th to ninth; Jeremy Mayfield, 31st to 11th; Jimmy Spencer, 26th to 13th; Jeff Burton, 32nd to 14th; Kyle Petty, 30th to 15th; Kenny Wallace, after a partial season in 1995 is 18th; Ernie Irvan, after a partial season in 1995 is 19th; Wally Dallenbach returned to a full time schedule and is 21st.
Thirteen of the current top 20 drivers in NASCAR Winston Cup points have never won a NASCAR Winston Cup race at Darlington (65 percent). Dale Jarrett, Ricky Craven, Ken Schrader, Ted Musgrave, Bobby Hamilton, Jeremy Mayfield, Jimmy Spencer, Jeff Burton, Kyle Petty, Rusty Wallace, Kenny Wallace, Ernie Irvan and Michael Waltrip all seek their first Darlington NASCAR Winston Cup victory.
Move of the Week...
Ernie Irvan made the biggest point jump of the week, from 34th to 19th, a gain of 15 positions, a result of his fourth-place finish at Atlanta. It was his first top-five finish this season.
Would You Believe?
Sixty-five NASCAR Winston Cup races have been held at Darlington since a Pontiac last visited victory lane, when Joe Weatherly won the 1963 Rebel 300.
How the Top 10 in NASCAR Winston Cup Points Have Done
Previously at Darlington'96 Point Driver Starts Wins Best Top 5s Top 10s Standings
lst Jarrett, Dale 16 ** 3 (1 Time) 2 4
2nd Earnhardt, Dale 34 9 1 (9 Times) 6 21
3rd Rudd, Ricky 38 1 1 (1 Time) 6 20
4th Elliott, Bill 96 5 1 (5 Times) 18 28
5th Craven, Ricky 2 ** 18 (1 Time) ** **
6th Schrader, Ken 22 ** 3 (1 Time) 4 8
7th Labonte, Terry 35 1 1 (1 Time) 9 16
8th Musgrave, Ted 10 ** 3 (1 Time) 1 2
9th Hamilton, Bobby 10 ** 9 (1 Time) ** 2
1Oth Martin, Mark 20 1 1 (1 Time) 10 13
Bill Elliott leads all active drivers with five NASCAR Winston Cup Busch poles in 36 starts at Darlington. Geoff Bodine is second among active drivers with four Busch poles. Retired driver David Pearson holds a record 13 Busch poles at Darlington.
Overall Modern Era Performance for
Active Drivers at Darlington
Dale Earnhardt leads all active drivers with nine NASCAR Winston Cup victories at Darlington. Retired driver David Pearson has a record 10 Darlington victories.
Bill Elliott and Darrell Waltrip are tied for the most top-five finishes at Darlington with 18 each. Elliott also has 28 top-10 finishes at Darlington, the most of all active drivers.
Dale Earnhardt has led more laps at Darlington (2,600) than any active driver. Darrell Waltrip is second among active drivers with 1,722.
Last Wins at Darlington...
in a Ford..............Bill Elliott................. 1994 Mt. Dew Southern 500
in a Chevrolet..... Jeff Gordon.............. 1995 Mt. Dew Southern 500
in a Pontiac......... Joe Weatherly.......... 1963 Rebel 300
in an Oldsmobile.. Harry Gant.............. 1991 Heinz 500
What a Difference a Year Makes...
Keeping Pace with 1995 Points at this time one year ago'96 '95 Position Driver Ranking Ranking Gain/Loss
D. Jarrett 1st 5th +4
D. Earnhardt 2nd lst -1
R. Rudd 3rd 7th +4
B. Elliott 4th 18th +14
R. Craven 5th 23rd +18
K. Schrader 6th 16th +10
T .Labonte 7th 4th -3
T. Musgrave 8th 12th +4
B .Hamilton 9th 20th +11
M. Martin 1Oth 3rd -7
J. Gordon 16th 6th -10
R. Wallace 17th llth -6
E. Irvan 19th
Who's Hot / Who's Not HOT
Dale Earnhardt has two victories and three top-five finishes in the first four races.
Ricky Rudd has finished in the top 10 in every race this season.
Terry Labonte has led at least one lap in each race of 1996 and has moved from 30th to seventh in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings since Rockingham.
Jeff Gordon has posted two consecutive top five finishes, first at Richmond and third at Atlanta.
NOT
Morgan Shepherd has yet to finish among the top 25 this season.
Geoff Bodine still seeks his first top-20 finish of 1996.
Darrell Waltrip still seeks his first top-15 finish of 1996.
'95 Winners yet To Win in '96...
Driver '95 wins
Martin, M. 4 Labonte, B. 3 Labonte, T. 3 Marlin, S. 3 Wallace, R. 2 Burton, W 1 Petty, K. 1 Rudd,R. 1
