1999 UAW-GM Quality 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 29 of 34 in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1999 UAW-GM Quality 500 program cover, with artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass. | |||
| Date | October 11, 1999 | ||
| Official name | 40th Annual UAW-GM Quality 500 | ||
| Location | Concord, North Carolina, Lowe's Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 334 laps, 501 mi (806.281 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 334 laps, 501 mi (806.281 km) | ||
| Average speed | 160.306 miles per hour (257.987 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 125,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 29.082 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 136 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TBS | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
The 1999 UAW-GM Quality 500 was the 29th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was originally scheduled to be held on Sunday, October 10, 1999, but was delayed to Monday, October 11 due to inclement weather.[1] The race was held in front of an audience of 125,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Lowe's Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. In the closing laps of the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to close in and pass for the lead with eight to go to take his 49th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his seventh and final victory of the season.[2][3] To fill out the podium, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte and Richard Childress Racing driver Mike Skinner would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
[edit]
Lowe's Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, as well as the UAW-GM Quality 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.
Entry list
[edit]- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
[edit]First practice
[edit]The first practice session was held on Wednesday, October 6, at 2:00 PM EST. The session would last for three hours.[4] Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.242 and an average speed of 184.665 mph (297.190 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.242 | 184.665 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.326 | 184.136 |
| 3 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 29.338 | 184.061 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
[edit]The second practice session was held on Thursday, October 7, at 9:00 AM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes. Johnny Benson Jr., driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.711 and an average speed of 181.750 mph (292.498 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.711 | 181.750 |
| 2 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 29.776 | 181.354 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.781 | 181.323 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third practice
[edit]The third practice session was held on Thursday, October 7, at 12:35 PM EST. The session would last for 40 minutes.[4] Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.847 and an average speed of 180.922 mph (291.166 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.847 | 180.922 |
| 2 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.927 | 180.439 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 30.127 | 179.241 |
| Full third practice results | ||||||
Final practice
[edit]The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, October 9, after the preliminary 1999 All Pro Bumper to Bumper 300. The session would last for one hour.[4] Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.321 and an average speed of 178.094 mph (286.615 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 30.321 | 178.094 |
| 2 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.323 | 178.082 |
| 3 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 30.327 | 178.059 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
[edit]Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Wedesnday, October 6, at 7:00 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. 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 Thursday, October 7, at 10:45 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[4] 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 29.082 and an average speed of 185.682 miles per hour (298.826 km/h).[9]
Seven drivers would fail to qualify: Darrell Waltrip, Buckshot Jones, Dave Marcis, Ed Berrier, Gary Bradberry, Hut Stricklin, and Andy Hillenburg.
Full qualifying results
[edit]Race results
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Poole, David (October 10, 1999). "NASCAR will take another crack at it Monday". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on November 19, 2001. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Poole, David (October 11, 1999). "Puzzling victory Gordon's 2nd in row". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 21, 2001. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "Crew chief unbeaten". The Windsor Star. October 12, 1999. p. 45. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 1999 Lowe's 2 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on August 23, 2000. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. October 6, 1999. Archived from the original on December 22, 2001. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. October 7, 1999. Archived from the original on November 19, 2001. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "Happy Hour practice speeds". That's Racin'. October 9, 1999. Archived from the original on November 19, 2001. Retrieved August 29, 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.
- ^ Poole, David (October 6, 1999). "Labonte takes third LMS pole of season". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on December 22, 2001. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "1999 UAW-GM Quality 500 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved August 26, 2022.