1999 TranSouth Financial 400
The 1999 TranSouth Financial 400 was the fifth stock car race of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 43rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 21, 1999, before an audience of 71,000 in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race was shortened from its scheduled 293 laps to 164 due to rain. In the final laps of the race, a wreck involving five cars, including the leader at the time, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton would occur in the midst of rain on lap 163. Despite major damage to his car, Burton would manage to keep up with pace car speed and when the race was stopped a lap later due to increasing rain, NASCAR decided to let the race end due to a lack of sunlight.[1][2] The victory was Burton's seventh career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Jeremy Mayfield and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 34 in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1999 TranSouth Financial 400 program cover, featuring Dale Jarrett. | |||
| Date | March 21, 1999 | ||
| Official name | 43rd Annual TranSouth Financial 400 | ||
| Location | Darlington, South Carolina, Darlington Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 164 laps, 224.024 mi (360.531 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 293 laps, 400.238 mi (644.12 km) | ||
| Average speed | 121.294 miles per hour (195.204 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 71,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 28.398 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 59 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Future champion Matt Kenseth took over for Bobby Labonte at the second caution, and finished 10th.
Background
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, March 19, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes.[3] Bill Elliott, driving for his own Bill Elliott Racing team, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.783 and an average speed of 170.850 mph (274.956 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 28.783 | 170.850 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.829 | 170.578 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.839 | 170.519 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Friday, March 19, at 1:00 PM EST. The session would last for 55 minutes.[3] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.688 and an average speed of 171.416 mph (275.867 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.688 | 171.416 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.703 | 171.327 |
| 3 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 28.810 | 170.690 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 20, after the preliminary 1999 Diamond Hill Plywood 200 NASCAR Busch Series race. The session would last for one hour.[3] Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.821 and an average speed of 164.904 mph (265.387 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.821 | 164.904 |
| 2 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.845 | 164.771 |
| 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.878 | 164.589 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 19, 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, March 20, 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.[7]
Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 28.398 and an average speed of 173.167 miles per hour (278.685 km/h) in the first round.[8]
Three drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
Race results
References
- Poole, David (March 21, 1999). "Burton survives bizarre finish to win". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on February 16, 2001. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- Strubin, John (March 22, 1999). "Burton tames Darlington". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 30. Retrieved January 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 1999 Darlington 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 8, 2001. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- "Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. March 19, 1999. Archived from the original on February 15, 2001. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- "Second Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. March 19, 1999. Archived from the original on February 16, 2001. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- "Happy Hour practice speeds". That's Racin'. March 20, 1999. Archived from the original on February 15, 2001. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- "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 (March 19, 1999). "Gordon wins second pole of season". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on February 16, 2001. Retrieved January 20, 2023.