1996 in NASCAR

none February 2025 In 1996 in NASCAR, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) sanctioned three national touring series, eight regional touring series, and the Winston Racing Series for local competition. NASCAR champions in 1996 were Terry Labonte, Randy LaJoie, Ron Hornaday Jr., Lance Hooper, Dave Dion, Tony Hirschman, Lyndon Amick, Mike Cope, Kelly Tanner, Chris Raudman, Joe Kosiski, and Larry Phillips. Off-track activities During 1996, NASCAR expanded its brand into several new entertainment areas. The NASCAR Online website went live during the year,Kelly 1997, p.22. while the first four NASCAR Thunder stores, operated in conjunction with Gaylord Entertainment, were opened.http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/nov/10/new-nascar-stores-a-gas-you-used-to-be-only-able/ New Nascar Stores A Gas November 10, 1996 The Spokesman-Review 2014-04-06 Spokane, WA In addition, the NASCAR Racing Online Series, based on Papyrus's NASCAR Racing 2 game, was formed using the Total Entertainment Network system.http://www.ten.net/199706/html/12-3-96.html NASCAR Speeds onto the Internet: TEN Puts Pedal to the Metal with Sierra On-Line and NASCAR December 3, 1996 Total Entertainment Network 2014-04-06 National touring series Winston Cup Series 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series thumb|150px|right|1996 Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte The 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series consisted of 31 events, run at 18 race tracks in 15 states.http://www.racing-reference.info/raceyear/1996/W 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Results Racing-Reference USA Today Sports Media Group 2014-04-05 Terry Labonte won his second series championship, beating Jeff Gordon by 37 points;https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19961111&id=EZs0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=i0UDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6647,4371074 'The Iceman' Cometh November 11, 1996 Rome News-Tribune B1 2014-04-05 Rome, GA the Rick Hendrick-owned No. 5 Kellogg's Corn Flakes Chevrolet team won the series' owner's championship.Kelly 1997, p.52. Labonte's team, led by crew chief Gary DeHart, also won the series' Pit Crew Championship, held in October at North Carolina Motor Speedway.https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19961020&id=P2ceAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9cgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1333,2767375 Labonte's crew wins pit stop championship October 20, 1996 TimesDaily 8C 2014-04-05 Florence, AL Eleven drivers won races over the course of the 31-race season; Jeff Gordon won the most events, with ten victories.Kelly 1997, p.48. Bobby Hamilton was the season's only first-time winner, winning at Phoenix International Raceway in October.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/1997/nascar/nsphoe.html https://web.archive.org/web/20010508002424/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/1997/nascar/nsphoe.html dead May 8, 2001 The King's Return Hinton Ed October 27, 1996 Sports Illustrated 2014-04-05 The Busch Pole Award was won by Jeff Gordon, who won five pole positions during the season.Kelly 1997, p.18. Johnny Benson Jr. won the series' Rookie of the Year title over Randy MacDonald and Stacy Compton,Kelly 1997, p.16. while Bill Elliott won his eleventh Most Popular Driver award.Kelly 1997, p.53. The series' Manufacturers' Championship was won by Chevrolet, whose teams won 17 of the series' races; Ford won 13 events while Pontiac drivers scored a single win.Kelly 1997, p. 34. In addition to the 31-race regular season, three exhibition races were run during the year. The Busch Clash, an event for the previous year's pole-winning drivers at Daytona International Speedway in February, was won by Dale Jarrett,http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-02-12/sports/9602110218_1_busch-clash-second-segment-gordon-and-earnhardt Busch Clash Newcomer Jarrett Wins With Superior Car, Luck Williams Charean February 12, 1996 Orlando Sentinel 2014-04-05 Orlando, FL 2016-03-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214415/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-02-12/sports/9602110218_1_busch-clash-second-segment-gordon-and-earnhardt dead while The Winston, the series' all-star race for race winners at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, was won by Michael Waltrip, who had advanced into the event as a wild card from the last chance race for non-winning drivers.https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1996/05/19/winless-waltrip-wins-winston-select/ Winless Waltrip Wins Winston Select Coble Don May 19, 1996 Orlando Sentinel 2014-04-05 Orlando, FL Following the regular season, the Winston Cup Series ran the first NASCAR exhibition race in Japan, and the first overseas exhibition race since the 1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500 in Australia,https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19961119&id=CmhSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ihUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2025,1371355 'Mushi-Mushi, I'm going to drive the No. 3 car' Higgins Tom November 19, 1996 Morning Star 1C 2014-04-30 Wilmington, NC the Suzuka Thunder Special run on November 24 at Suzuka Circuit; competed in by invited drivers from the Winston Cup Series, Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series and Winston West Series, the event was won by Rusty Wallace.https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19961125&id=EGhSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ihUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3023,4761271 Wallace wins Japan's Thunder Special November 25, 1996 Morning Star 4C 2014-04-05 Wilmington, NC Top ten drivers standings Pos. Position Driver Car Manufacturer Owner Pts Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Winnings 1 Terry Labonte 5 Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 4657 31 2 21 24 $4,030,648 2 Jeff Gordon 24 Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 4620 31 10 21 24 $3,428,485 3 Dale Jarrett 88 Ford Robert Yates Racing 4568 31 4 17 21 $2,985,418 4 Dale Earnhardt 3 Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 4327 31 2 13 17 $2,285,926 5 Mark Martin 6 Ford Roush Racing 4278 31 0 14 23 $1,887,396 6 Ricky Rudd 10 Ford Rudd Performance Motorsports 3845 31 1 5 16 $1,503,025 7 Rusty Wallace 2 Ford Penske Racing South 3717 31 5 8 18 $1,665,315 8 Sterling Marlin 4 Chevrolet Morgan-McClure Motorsports 3682 31 2 5 10 $1,588,425 9 Bobby Hamilton 43 Pontiac Petty Enterprises 3639 31 1 3 11 $1,151,235 10 Ernie Irvan 28 Ford Robert Yates Racing 3632 31 2 12 16 $1,683,313 Busch Series 1996 NASCAR Busch Series thumb|150px|right|1996 Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie The 1996 NASCAR Busch Series consisted of 26 events, run at 20 race tracks in 14 states.http://www.racing-reference.info/raceyear/1996/B 1996 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results Racing-Reference USA Today Sports Media Group 2014-04-05 Randy LaJoie won his first series championship, beating David Green by 29 points.https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=19961104&id=wOkyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zwcGAAAAIBAJ&pg=2607,744314 LaJoie bounces back to win Busch crown The Free Lance–Star B1 2014-04-05 Fredericksburg, VA Thirteen drivers won races over the course of the 26-race season; Mark Martin won the most events, with six victories.Kelly 1997, p.282. Randy LaJoie,https://www.mcall.com/1996/05/20/lajoie-stays-cool-under-heat-advantage-200-winner-credits-cooler-temperament-brought-about-by-better-equipment/ Lajoie Stays Cool Under Heat Fox John Jay May 20, 1996 The Morning Call 2014-04-05 Allentown, PA 2014-04-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20140407073559/http://articles.mcall.com/1996-05-20/sports/3090806_1_randy-lajoie-busch-driver-meridian-advantage live Buckshot Jones,https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19960708&id=0xtVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dj0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=3514,3437788 'Buckshot' Jones fires off a win July 8, 1996 Reading Eagle D4 2014-04-05 Reading, PA Greg Sacks,https://apnews.com/fb5a0eedae145fb26fe6e9bf46da982d Sacks Gets First Busch Series Victory Harris Mike July 27, 1996 The Associated Press 2014-04-05 Jeff Fuller,https://apnews.com/651e9a36a8e78bc8692fa2c41b156656 Jeff Fuller Gets First Busch Series Win Harris Mike August 23, 1996 The Associated Press 2014-04-05 and Kevin Lepage were first-time winners during the season.http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-11-04/sports/9611040060_1_randy-lajoie-david-hutto-kevin-lepage Lepage Wins A Safe Jiffy Lube Biebrich Richard Jr. November 4, 1996 Sun-Sentinel 2014-04-05 Fort Lauderdale, FL 2016-03-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221659/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-11-04/sports/9611040060_1_randy-lajoie-david-hutto-kevin-lepage dead The series' Busch Pole Award was won by David Green for the third consecutive season, winning four pole positions during the season.Kelly 1997, p.281. Glenn Allen Jr. won the series' Rookie of the Year title over Mike Dillon and Shane Hall, while David Green won the series' Most Popular Driver award.Kelly 1997, p.284. The series' Manufacturers' Championship, the Bill France Performance Cup, was won by Chevrolet. Top ten drivers standings Pos. Position Driver Car Manufacturer Owner Pts Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Winnings 1 Randy LaJoie 74 Chevrolet BACE Motorsports 3714 26 5 11 20 $532,823 2 David Green 96 Chevrolet American Equipment Racing 3685 26 2 13 18 $469,118 3 Todd Bodine 8182 Chevrolet Pro Tech Motorsports 3064 26 1 3 9 $281,616 4 Jeff Green 3 Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 3059 26 0 5 13 $269,285 5 Chad Little 23 Pontiac Mark Rypien Motorsports 2984 26 0 2 7 $317,394 6 Jason Keller 57 Chevrolet KEL Racing 2900 26 0 3 10 $281,902 7 Jeff Purvis 4 Chevrolet Phoenix Racing 2894 26 2 4 7 $266,026 8 Kevin Lepage 7188 Chevrolet Lepage RacingRidling Motorsports 2870 26 1 3 10 $254,925 9 Phil Parsons 10 Chevrolet Phil Parsons Racing 2854 26 0 5 6 $215,023 10 Mike McLaughlin 34 Chevrolet Team 34 2853 26 0 7 10 $290,701 Craftsman Truck Series 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series thumb|right|150px|1996 Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. (left) The 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, renamed from the SuperTruck Series presented by Craftsman,https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19960223&id=yYpOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NxUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2446,3449850 New truck logo makes debut February 23, 1996 Morning Star 8 2014-04-05 Wilmington, NC consisted of 24 events, run at 23 race tracks in 19 states.http://www.racing-reference.info/raceyear/1996/C 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results Racing-Reference USA Today Sports Media Group 2014-04-05 Ron Hornaday Jr. won his first series championship, beating Jack Sprague by 53 points.http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/1996/nov/04/hornaday-earnhardt-share-truck-series-title/ Hornaday, Earnhardt share truck series title Kantowski Ron November 4, 1996 Las Vegas Sun 2014-04-05 Las Vegas, NV Seven drivers won races over the course of the 26-race season; Mike Skinner won the most events, with eight victories.Kelly 1997, p. 300. Dave Rezendes,https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19960318&id=yKcyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5OYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2549,1481051 Rezendes holds off Sprague March 18, 1996 Lawrence Journal-World 9C 2014-04-05 Lawrence, KS Jack Sprague,http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Nationwide/Drivers/Driver-Bio.aspx?DriverID=396&SubSeriesID=2&q=Jack+Sprague%7cNASCAR+Nationwide Driver Bio: Jack Sprague Motor Racing Network 2014-04-05 https://web.archive.org/web/20140407093849/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Nationwide/Drivers/Driver-Bio.aspx?DriverID=396&SubSeriesID=2&q=Jack+Sprague%7cNASCAR+Nationwide 2014-04-07 dead Rick Carelli,https://apnews.com/e1560a67b8e784f008483e5a2484e8c5 Carelli Scores First Victory June 23, 1996 The Associated Press 2014-04-05 and Mark Martin were first-time winners during the season.https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19960929&id=yGYwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cjMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4460,8568693 Martin coasts in Lowe's 250 September 29, 1996 Rome News-Tribune 8B 2014-04-05 Rome, GA The series' Busch Pole Award was won by Mike Skinner, winning five pole positions during the season.Kelly 1997, p.298. Bryan Reffner won the series' Rookie of the Year title over Doug George and Lance Norick, while Jimmy Hensley won the series' Most Popular Driver award.Kelly 1997, p. 302. The series' Manufacturers' Championship was won by Chevrolet, followed by Ford and Dodge. Top ten drivers standings Pos. Position Driver Car Manufacturer Owner Pts Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Winnings 1 Ron Hornaday Jr. 16 Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 3831 24 4 18 23 $614,084 2 Jack Sprague 24 Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 3778 24 5 18 21 $580,112 3 Mike Skinner 3 Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 3771 24 8 17 20 $590,995 4 Joe Ruttman 80 Ford Roush Racing 3275 24 0 7 16 $276,012 5 Mike Bliss 2 Ford Ultra Motorsports 3190 24 2 9 11 $345,322 6 Dave Rezendes 7 Ford Geoff Bodine Racing 3179 24 3 8 13 $335,840 7 Butch Miller 982819 FordFordDodge Liberty RacingIrvan-Simo RacingWalker Evans Racing 3126 24 0 7 11 $258,333 8 Jimmy Hensley 30 Dodge Grandaddy Racing 3029 24 0 5 14 $228,936 9 Bryan Reffner 44 Ford Irvan-Simo Racing 2961 24 0 3 9 $200,898 10 Rick Carelli 6 Chevrolet Chesrown Racing 2953 24 1 2 9 $216,625 Regional touring series Winston West Series 1996 NASCAR Winston West Series The 1996 NASCAR Winston West Series consisted of 15 events, run at 11 race tracks in 6 states; two races, at Sears Point Raceway in May and at Phoenix International Raceway in October, were combination events with the Winston Cup Series.http://www.racing-reference.info/raceyear/1996/P 1996 NASCAR Winston West Series Results Racing-Reference USA Today Sports Media Group 2014-04-06 Lance Hooper won his first series championship, beating Jeff Krogh by 30 points;http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-ns/news/busch-hooper-to-drive-twice-at-fontana/ BUSCH: Hooper to Drive Twice at Fontana July 16, 1998 Motorsport.com 2014-04-06 2014-04-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20140407082629/http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-ns/news/busch-hooper-to-drive-twice-at-fontana/ dead Hooper was the first driver to win the championship during his rookie year in the series.http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2003/oct/28/columnist-brian-hilderbrand-busch-calls-eighth-pla/ Busch calls eighth-place Atlanta finish 'great' Hilderbrand Brian October 28, 2003 Las Vegas Sun 2014-04-06 Las Vegas, NV Eight drivers won races over the course of the 15-race season; Hooper won the most events, with four victories, in addition to finishing first among Winston West competitors in the Phoenix combination race;Kelly 1997, p. 394. the four overall wins were a series record for a rookie driver.Kelly 1997, p. 393. The series' Busch Pole Award was tied for by Mark Krogh and Butch Gilliland, who each won three pole positions during the season. Hooper won the series' Rookie of the Year title, while Larry Gunselman won the series' Most Popular Driver award.Kelly 1997, p. 396. The series' Manufacturers' Championship was won by Chevrolet, followed by Ford, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick. Top ten drivers standings Pos. Position Driver Car Manufacturer Owner Pts Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Winnings 1 Lance Hooper 07 Pontiac Golden West Motorsports 2185 15 5 11 14 $63,395 2 Jeff Krogh 1 Chevrolet Excel Motorsports 2155 14 1 12 13 $55,805 3 Larry Gunselman 37 Ford Olson Technology Racing 2070 15 1 10 12 $58,300 4 Mark Krogh 24 Chevrolet Excel Motorsports 1907 14 1 3 10 $23,625 5 Scott Gaylord 2 Chevrolet Oliver Racing 1883 15 0 7 8 $43,170 6 Rich Woodland Jr. 86 Chevrolet Woodland Racing 1841 15 0 1 11 $34,195 7 Joe Bean 3 Chevrolet Bean & Krebs Motorsports 1789 15 1 2 8 $24,300 8 Butch Gilliland 38 Ford Bill Stroppe Motorsports 1675 11 3 5 7 $45,325 9 Bill McAnally 202 Chevrolet Bill McAnally Racing 1623 15 0 0 4 $17,225 10 Pete Graham 59 Chevrolet 1404 12 0 0 2 $14,975 Manufacturer's standings Pos Manufacturer Wins Points 1Chevrolet 5 87 2Ford 4 81 3Pontiac 4 78 4Oldsmobile 0 14 5Buick 0 10 Busch North Series The 1996 NASCAR Busch North Series consisted of 21 events, run at 14 race tracks in 8 states; two races, at Daytona International Speedway in February and at Nazareth Speedway in May, were combination events with the Busch Series.http://www.racing-reference.info/raceyear/1996/E 1996 NASCAR Busch North Series Results Racing-Reference USA Today Sports Media Group 2014-04-06 Dave Dion won his first series championship, beating Andy Santerre by 116 points.http://hometracks.nascar.com/records/NKNPSE_Champions K&N Pro Series East: Champions NASCAR.com 2014-04-06 https://web.archive.org/web/20140407075527/http://hometracks.nascar.com/records/NKNPSE_Champions 2014-04-07 dead Eight drivers won races over the course of the 21-race season; Andy Santerre won the most events, with four victories.Kelly 1997, p.404. The series' Busch Pole Award was won by Santerre, who won eight pole positions during the season. Brad Leighton won the series' Rookie of the Year title, while Brandon Butler won the series' Most Popular Driver award.Kelly 1997, p.406. Top ten drivers standings Pos. Position Driver Car Manufacturer Owner Pts Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Winnings 1 Dave Dion 29 Ford Dion Racing Enterprises 2803 19 2 10 12 $74,060 2 Andy Santerre 44 Chevrolet Andy Santerre Motorsports 2687 20 4 8 13 $100,700 3 Dale Shaw 60 Pontiac Shaw Racing 2654 20 2 9 12 $76,900 4 Kelly Moore 24 Pontiac Moore Racing 2637 20 0 6 13 $67,675 5 Brad Leighton 55 Chevrolet Grizco Racing 2596 19 2 8 10 $73,150 6 Mike Stefanik 51 Chevrolet Greci Racing 2523 20 0 8 9 $54,920 7 Robbie Crouch 6 Pontiac Ling Racing 2415 19 0 7 10 $42,495 8 Tom Bolles 76 Chevrolet Bolles Motorsports 2380 21 0 2 7 $45,590 9 Brandon Butler 7 Pontiac Shaw Racing 2321 19 0 3 10 $31,675 10 Stub Fadden 16 Chevrolet Fadden Racing 2243 19 0 1 7 $28,055 Featherlite Modified Tour The 1996 NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour consisted of 20 events, run at 11 race tracks in 7 states.http://www.racing-reference.info/raceyear/1996/N 1996 NASCAR Winston Modified Tour Results Racing-Reference USA Today Sports Media Group 2014-04-06 Tony Hirschman won the series championship for the second consecutive year, beating Steve Park by 12 points.Kelly 1997, p. 398. Eight drivers won races over the course of the 20-race season; Steve Park won the most events, with five victories;Kelly 1997, p.400. Park also won the series' Busch Pole Award, winning won four pole positions during the season,http://www.racing-reference.info/yeardet/1996/N NASCAR Winston Modified Tour standings for 1996 Racing-Reference USA Today Sports Media Group 2014-04-06 and the series' Most Popular Driver award.Kelly 1997, p.402. Top ten drivers standings Pos. Position Driver Car Manufacturer Pts Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 1 Tony Hirschman 3 Chevrolet 2919 20 3 12 14 2 Steve Park 8 Chevrolet 2907 20 5 13 13 3 Rick Fuller 17 Chevrolet 2698 20 2 9 12 4 Jan Leaty 25 Chevrolet 2689 20 3 7 11 5 Mike Stefanik 6 Chevrolet 2669 19 3 10 11 6 Tim Connolly 4 Dodge 2664 20 0 8 11 7 Jerry Marquis 21 Chevrolet 2649 20 2 9 13 8 Ed Flemke Jr. 11 Chevrolet 2568 20 1 4 11 9 Tom Baldwin 7 Pontiac 2501 20 1 3 9 10 Tony Ferrante Jr. 31 Chevrolet 2387 20 0 0 6 Goody's Dash Series The 1996 NASCAR Goody's Dash Series consisted of 21 events, run at 18 race tracks in 5 states. Lyndon Amick won his first series championship, beating Robert Huffman by 34 points.Kelly 1997, p.409. Eight drivers won races over the course of the 21-race season; Amick and Will Hobgood tied for winning the most events, with four victories.[42] Hobgood also won the series' Busch Pole Award, winning five pole positions during the season.Kelly 1997, p.408. Jimmy Foster won the series' Rookie of the Year title over Andy Houston and Brian Sockwell, while Andy Houston won the series' Most Popular Driver award.Kelly 1997, p.410. Top ten drivers standings Pos. Position Driver Car Manufacturers Pts Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 1 Lyndon Amick 33 Pontiac 3170 21 4 12 17 2 Robert Huffman 37 Pontiac 3136 21 3 13 16 3 Will Hobgood 65 Pontiac 3128 21 4 12 14 4 Danny Bagwell 10 Ford 3044 21 1 13 16 5 Mike Swaim Jr. 28 Pontiac 2932 21 2 8 14 6 B.J. Mackey 11 Chevrolet 2822 21 1 7 11 7 Jimmy Foster 7 Pontiac 2753 21 1 6 13 8 Ned Combs 9 Pontiac 2620 21 0 4 10 9 Mickey York 24 Pontiac 2611 21 10 3 10 10 Scott Weaver 2 Pontiac 2423 21 0 1 5 Slim Jim All Pro Series The 1996 NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series consisted of 23 events, run at 19 race tracks in 11 states. Mike Cope won his second series championship, beating Toby Porter by 184 points.Kelly 1997, p.413. Eleven drivers won races over the course of the 21-race season; Toby Porter and Ron Young tied for winning the most events, with four victories each.Kelly 1997, p.415. The series' Busch Pole Award was won by Wayne Anderson, who won five pole positions during the season; Tammy Jo Kirk won two poles, becoming the series' first female pole winner.Kelly 1997, p.412. Steven Christian won the series' Rookie of the Year title over Wayne Anderson and Nipper Alsup, while Tammy Jo Kirk won the series' Most Popular Driver award.Kelly 1997, p.414. Top ten drivers standings Pos. Position Driver Car Manufacturer Pts Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 1 Mike Cope 57 Chevrolet 3544 23 2 18 19 2 Toby Porter 4480 Chevrolet 3360 23 4 13 17 3 Steven Christian 0 Chevrolet 3359 23 3 12 18 4 Rick Crawford 14 Ford 3348 23 3 11 15 5 Ron Young 4 Chevrolet 3282 23 4 11 15 6 Wayne Anderson 25 Chevrolet 3065 23 1 7 12 7 Tammy Jo Kirk 52 Chevrolet 2985 23 0 5 11 8 Derrick Gilchrist 8344 Chevrolet 2732 23 0 3 16 9 Nipper Alsup 74 Chevrolet 2716 22 0 1 12 10 Conrad Burr 33 Chevrolet 2623 22 0 1 7 Reb-Co Northwest Tour The 1996 NASCAR Reb-Co Northwest Tour consisted of 13 events, run at 7 race tracks in Washington and Oregon. Kelly Tanner won his first series championship, beating Garrett Evans by 156 points.Kelly 1997, p.417. Eight drivers won races over the course of the 13-race season; Garrett Evans won the most events, scoring four victories. The series' Busch Pole Award was won by Kelly Tanner, who won four pole positions during the season;Kelly 1997, p.416. Marc Groskreutz won the series' Rookie of the Year award. Top ten drivers standings Pos. Position Driver Car Manufacturer Pts Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Winnings 1 Kelly Tanner 65 Chevrolet 2123 13 2 11 13 $26,760 2 Garrett Evans 64 Ford 1967 13 4 8 10 $23,550 3 Ron Eaton 7 Pontiac 1852 13 1 7 8 $24,130 4 Chris Cunningham 04 Ford 1795 13 1 4 10 $19,550 5 Marc Groskreuz 72 Chevrolet 1774 13 1 1 8 $14,555 6 Rick Schultz 84 Chevrolet 1737 13 0 4 8 7 Bill Lawrence 21 Chevrolet 1697 13 0 1 8 8 Martin Rosler 81 Chevrolet 1648 13 0 3 5 9 Gary Lewis 73 Chevrolet 1647 13 2 6 6 10 Ken Bailey 27 Chevrolet 1644 13 0 2 4 Featherlite Southwest Tour The 1996 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour consisted of 18 events, run at 13 race tracks in 5 states. Chris Raudman won his first series championship,https://apnews.com/0b929bd77ebc5f29aa8311bdcfbd75bd NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour: NASCAR Winter Heat December 8, 1996 The Associated Press 2014-04-06 beating Bryan Germone by 160 points.Kelly 1997, p.421. Twelve drivers won races over the course of the 18-race season; Craig Raudman won the most events, with three victories each.Kelly 1997, p.422. The series' Busch Pole Award was tied for by Chris Raudman, Craig Raudman, and M. K. Kanke, who won three pole positions each; Chris Raudman won the series' Rookie of the Year title as well as the championship.Kelly 1997, p.420. Chris Raudman also won the series' "Winter Heat" exhibition race at Tucson Raceway Park in December. Top ten drivers standings Pos. Position Driver Car Manufacturer Pts Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 1 Chris Raudman 93 Chevrolet 2739 18 2 13 13 2 Bryan Germone 5 Chevrolet 2579 18 2 8 14 3 Craig Raudman 2 Chevrolet 2575 18 3 8 11 4 Chris Trickle 70 Chevrolet 2441 18 1 6 9 5 Bob Lyon 44 Chevrolet 2387 18 1 4 12 6 Michael Alsup 61 Chevrolet 2384 18 0 1 8 7 Mark Reed 73 Chevrolet 2352 18 2 6 9 8 Doug McCoun 34 Pontiac 2219 18 1 4 10 9 Keith Spangler 37 Chevrolet 2141 18 0 2 8 10 Tony Toste 33 Chevrolet 2088 17 0 0 6 Busch All-Star Tour The only NASCAR regional series to compete on dirt tracks,Kelly 1997, p.424. the 1996 NASCAR Busch All-Star Tour consisted of 16 events, run at 11 race tracks in 5 states. Joe Kosiski won his fourth series championship, beating Ray Guss Jr. by 19 points.Kelly 1997, p.425. Eight drivers won races over the course of the 18-race season; Joe Kosiski won the most events, with four victories. Donnie McClellan won the series' Rookie of the Year title, while Denny Osborn was named the series' Most Popular Driver. Top ten drivers standings Pos. Position Driver Car Manufacturer Pts Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 1 Joe Kosiski 53 Chevrolet 2586 16 4 14 15 2 Ray Guss Jr. 12 Chevrolet 2567 16 1 14 15 3 Steve Kosiski 52 Chevrolet 2304 16 2 7 11 4 Gary Webb 70 Chevrolet 2224 16 1 8 13 5 Donnie McClellan 22 Chevrolet 2105 16 0 2 8 6 Jay Johnson 5 Chevrolet 2092 16 0 3 8 7 Denny Osborn 72 Chevrolet 1995 16 0 0 4 8 Brian Birkhofer 15 Chevrolet 1716 11 4 6 8 9 Bob Helm 1X Chevrolet 1712 13 2 4 6 10 Curt Martin 45 Chevrolet 1675 14 0 1 8 Winston Racing Series The 1996 NASCAR Winston Racing Series was a local racing series operating under NASCAR sanction, comprising 100 member tracks grouped into 10 regions. Each track ran weekly races in a variety of classes, with one class being the track's featured class; each featured class champion at each track was then ranked using a Competition Performance Index (CPI), based on the driver's winning percentage, a weighed car count for the region's tracks, and percentage of races competed in, with the driver having the highest CPI being declared the regional champion. The regional champions' CPIs were then ranked, with the highest-ranking driver being awarded the national championship.Kelly 1997, p. 316. Larry Phillips, competing in the Grand American Late Model class at I-44 Speedway in the Heartland Region,Kelly 1997, p. 323. won the series' national championship in 1996, his fifth Winston Racing Series national championship.https://apnews.com/956ec667e651c038e6b454fc7cf32b59 Phillips Wins Short Track Title For Fifth Time September 11, 1996 The Associated Press 2014-04-06 Second in the national rankings was John Blewett III, competing at Flemington Speedway in the Northeast Region,Kelly 1997, p. 330. third was Wes Troup of Old Dominion Speedway in the Atlantic Seaboard Region,Kelly 1997, p. 337. fourth was Steven Howard competing at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in the Blue Ridge Region,Kelly 1997, p. 344. fifth was Steve Boley from West Liberty Raceway in the Midwest Region,Kelly 1997, p. 351. sixth was Bobby Hogge IV competing at Antioch Speedway and Altamont Raceway Park in the Pacific Coast Region,Kelly 1997, p. 358. seventh was Eddie McKean of Magic Valley Speedway in the Great West Region,Kelly 1997, p. 365. eighth was Mike VanSparrentak from Kalamazoo Speedway in the Mid-America Region,Kelly 1997, p. 372. ninth was Carl Trimmer of Tucson Raceway Park in the Sunbelt Region,Kelly 1997, p. 379. and tenth was Dale Planck, who competed at Fulton Speedway and Utica-Rome Speedway in the New England Region.Kelly 1997, p. 386. References Citations Bibliography Bob Kelly The Official NASCAR Preview and Press Guide 1997 1997 UMI Publications Charlotte, NC B002I7L7UU 1995 in NASCAR 1997 in NASCAR NASCAR seasons 1996 Category:NASCAR seasons