1995 First Union 400

Last updated


1995 First Union 400
Race details
Race 7 of 31 in the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1995 First Union 400.jpeg
The 1995 First Union 400 program cover, featuring Terry Labonte.
DateApril 9, 1995
Official name 45th Annual First Union 400
Location North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 0.625 miles (1.006 km)
Distance 400 laps, 250 mi (402.336 km)
Scheduled distance 400 laps, 250 mi (402.336 km)
Average speed 102.424 miles per hour (164.835 km/h)
Attendance 56,000
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 18.945
Most laps led
Driver Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Laps 227
Winner
No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1995 First Union 400 was the seventh stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 45th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 9, 1995, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to dominate a majority of the race to take his 64th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. [1] [2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

Contents

Background

The layout of North Wilkesboro Speedway, the venue where the race was held. NorthWilkesboroSpeedwayMap.svg
The layout of North Wilkesboro Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about five miles east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures 0.625 mi (1.006 km) and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch. It has previously held races in NASCAR's top three series, including 93 Winston Cup Series races. The track, a NASCAR original, operated from 1949, NASCAR's inception, until the track's original closure in 1996. The speedway briefly reopened in 2010 and hosted several stock car series races before closing again in the spring of 2011. It was re-opened in August 2022 for grassroots racing.

Entry list

#DriverTeamMakeSponsor
1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Pontiac Skoal
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford Miller Genuine Draft
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Service Plus
4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Valvoline
7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford Exide
8 Jeff Burton Stavola Brothers Racing Ford Raybestos
9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford Spam
10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford Tide
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford Lowe's
12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford Mane 'n Tail
15 Dick Trickle Bud Moore Engineering Ford Ford Quality Care
16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford The Family Channel
17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet Western Auto
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet Interstate Batteries
21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Randy LaJoie (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac MBNA
23 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Smokin' Joe's
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Budweiser
26 Steve Kinser King Racing Ford Quaker State
27 Jeff Purvis Junior Johnson & Associates Ford Hooters
28 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet Meineke
30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac Pennzoil
31 Ward Burton A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet Hardee's
32 Chuck Bown Active Motorsports Chevrolet Active Trucking
33 Robert Pressley (R) Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
37 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford Little Caesars, Kmart
40 Greg Sacks Dick Brooks Racing Pontiac Kendall
41 Ricky Craven (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kodiak
42 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac Coors Light Silver Bullet
43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
47 Billy Standridge Standridge Motorsports Ford World Championship Wrestling
52 Randy MacDonald Jimmy Means Racing Ford Jimmy Means Racing
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Olive Garden
75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford Factory Stores of America
77 Davy Jones (R) Jasper Motorsports Ford US Airways, Jasper Engines & Transmissions
78 Jay Hedgecock Triad Motorsports Ford Equipment Supply Company
81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford TIC Financial Systems
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet Burger King
90 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford Heilig-Meyers
94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Hardy Racing Ford McDonald's
98 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford RCA

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 24, at 2:30 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 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, March 25, at 10:00 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-32 would be decided on time, [3] and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; which was usually four. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.

Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 18.945 and an average speed of 118.765 miles per hour (191.134 km/h) in the first round. [4]

Nine drivers would fail to qualify: Jeremy Mayfield, Kenny Wallace, Chuck Bown, Jay Hedgecock, Davy Jones, Billy Standridge, Jeff Purvis, Steve Kinser, and Randy MacDonald.

Full qualifying results

Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed
124 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 18.945118.765
211 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 18.959118.677
312 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 19.011118.353
443 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 19.012118.346
53 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 19.052118.098
69 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 19.092117.850
76 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 19.106117.764
887 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 19.108117.752
916 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 19.135117.586
1021 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 19.140117.555
112 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 19.154117.469
1210 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 19.166117.395
131 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 19.175117.340
148 Jeff Burton Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 19.175117.340
1529 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 19.197117.206
1694 Bill Elliott Elliott-Hardy Racing Ford 19.197117.206
1725 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.207117.145
1831 Ward Burton A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet 19.207117.145
1915 Dick Trickle Bud Moore Engineering Ford 19.208117.139
204 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 19.210117.126
Failed to lock in Round 1
2141 Ricky Craven (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.216117.090
2217 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 19.217117.084
2330 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 19.218117.078
2442 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 19.218117.078
2575 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 19.218117.078
2690 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford 19.222117.053
277 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 19.248116.895
2833 Robert Pressley (R) Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 19.259116.828
2923 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 19.262116.810
305 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.268116.774
3122 Randy LaJoie (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 19.278116.713
3240 Greg Sacks Dick Brooks Racing Pontiac 19.296116.604
Provisionals
3328 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 19.298116.592
3437 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 19.728114.051
3518 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 19.304116.556
3671 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 19.384116.075
Failed to qualify
3798 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford -*-*
3881 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford -*-*
3932 Chuck Bown Active Motorsports Chevrolet -*-*
4078 Jay Hedgecock Triad Motorsports Ford -*-*
4177 Davy Jones (R) Jasper Motorsports Ford -*-*
4247 Billy Standridge Standridge Motorsports Ford -*-*
4327 Jeff Purvis Junior Johnson & Associates Ford -*-*
4426 Steve Kinser King Racing Ford -*-*
4552 Randy MacDonald Jimmy Means Racing Ford -*-*
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings
153 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400227running185$77,400
2124 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 40095running175$61,625
376 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 40025running170$40,250
4112 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 40056running165$29,630
51529 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 4000running155$20,655
6916 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 3990running150$19,855
7204 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 3990running146$22,105
8131 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 3990running142$17,915
9211 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 3996running143$21,090
102217 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 3980running134$19,595
113328 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 3980running130$24,140
121725 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3980running127$16,840
13443 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 3980running124$11,590
14277 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 3980running121$21,815
153518 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 3980running118$16,865
16305 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3970running115$21,815
173437 John Andretti Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 39712running117$6,915
182833 Robert Pressley (R) Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 3970running109$16,865
191021 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 3960running106$15,665
20887 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 3960running103$8,065
212575 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 3950running100$15,390
222330 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 3950running100$15,240
233122 Randy LaJoie (R) Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 3940running97$15,490
241831 Ward Burton A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet 3940running94$6,465
2569 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 3940running88$6,615
26148 Jeff Burton Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 3940running85$14,765
272923 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 3940running82$9,565
281694 Bill Elliott Elliott-Hardy Racing Ford 3930running79$6,225
291210 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 3920running76$19,215
30312 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 3920running73$15,040
312442 Kyle Petty Team SABCO Pontiac 3742fatigue75$13,865
321915 Dick Trickle Bud Moore Engineering Ford 3690running67$14,740
332141 Ricky Craven (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3600running64$8,715
343671 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 3340running61$7,715
353240 Greg Sacks Dick Brooks Racing Pontiac 3250fatigue58$13,215
362690 Mike Wallace Donlavey Racing Ford 2260accident55$5,715
Failed to qualify
3798 Jeremy Mayfield Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford
3881 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford
3932 Chuck Bown Active Motorsports Chevrolet
4078 Jay Hedgecock Triad Motorsports Ford
4177 Davy Jones (R) Jasper Motorsports Ford
4247 Billy Standridge Standridge Motorsports Ford
4327 Jeff Purvis Junior Johnson & Associates Ford
4426 Steve Kinser King Racing Ford
4552 Randy MacDonald Jimmy Means Racing Ford
Official race results

References

  1. Foreman Jr., Tom (April 10, 1995). "Earnhardt's first victory of season comes easily". Wausau Daily Herald. p. 11. Retrieved October 29, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  2. Higgins, Tom (April 10, 1995). "Earnhardt breezes to NASCAR win". The Daily Herald. p. 12. Retrieved October 29, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. "First Union 400". The Charlotte Observer . April 7, 1995. p. 25. Retrieved October 29, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. Foreman Jr., Tom (April 8, 1995). "Red-hot Gordon racks up another pole on tough track". Messenger-Inquirer. p. 14. Retrieved October 29, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
Previous race:
1995 Food City 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1995 season
Next race:
1995 Hanes 500