1996 Winchester 400
Encyclopedia
Winchester 400
The Winchester 400 is a 400-lap short-track stock car race held each fall at the Winchester Speedway, approximately east of Indianapolis, Indiana. Held annually since 1970, the race has served as a launching point for the careers of several young drivers including former winners Rusty Wallace and...
motor race (yearly since 1970) was held under All-Pro Series sanction on September 29, 1996, at the Winchester Speedway
Winchester Speedway
Winchester Speedway is a half-mile paved oval motor racetrack in White River Township, Randolph County, just outside Winchester, Indiana, approximately northeast of Indianapolis. It seats 4000 spectators. It is also known as the "World's Fastest 1/2 mile"....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
(USA).
Scoring the biggest victory of his racing career, Scot Walters
Scot Walters
Scot Walters is an American stock car racer from Cornelius, North Carolina. He competed in NASCAR from 1997 to 1999 in the Camping World Truck Series, as well as one Nationwide Series race in 1998.-NASCAR career:...
of Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, won the 1996 running of the "Winchester 400". The 1993 All-Pro Series Rookie of the Year took the lead from three-time defending winner Mike Cope
Mike Cope
Mike Cope , is a retired NASCAR driver. He became famous during the mid-1990s one of the best drivers in the Slim Jim All-Pro Series. In the late-90s he started a five year tour in the high levels of NASCAR...
on lap 358 and drove on for the win.
Five years after a life threatening crash in the 1991 running of the Winchester 400, Dave Jackson used his outside front-row starting position to jump into the early lead. Jackson's lead was to be short-lived, as pole sitter Wayne Anderson
Wayne Anderson
Wayne Anderson is an American late model race car driver. Anderson was born in Wildwood, Florida, and graduated high school in 1986. He has two championships in the NASCAR Pro-Series, which were in 1999 and 2001. Anderson also participated in the Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series,...
took the lead on lap 12. Staying in front for the next 96 circuits, Anderson led ahead of Hal Goodson, Ray Skillman, and Walters. Starting 12th, Cope was utilizing the lower groove as he marched through the field. Advancing to fifth by lap 35, disaster struck as a broken wheel caused him to pit under green and lose three laps to the leaders. Walters worked his way to second on the 89th circuit, with former Winchester Mini-Stock driver Jeff Fultz moving to third on lap 100. Walters then drove into the lead on lap 107 with Fultz following him through for second.
The final round of pit stops occurred with about 40 laps remaining. While Cope, Ron Barfield Jr., and Steven Christian all took on four fresh tires, Walters took on only right-side tires and grabbed the lead exiting the pits. Having made up all three laps, Cope was hopeful of a fourth-consecutive win when he moved to second with 20 laps to go. Walters proved too strong over he closing laps as he snapped the winning streak by leading Cope across the line by 0.33 seconds. Christian took third-place honors ahead of Barfield Jr. and Brian Rievley, all on the lead lap. The win was worth $12,775 for Walters.
Table of results
| Results of the 27th Annual Winchester 400 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Start | Car # | Driver/Hometown | Sponsor/Make | Laps | Winnings (in US$ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... ) |
Status | |
| 1 | 5 | 55 | Scot Walters Scot Walters Scot Walters is an American stock car racer from Cornelius, North Carolina. He competed in NASCAR from 1997 to 1999 in the Camping World Truck Series, as well as one Nationwide Series race in 1998.-NASCAR career:... / Owensboro, KY |
Southern Metals/ABC Signs/Mother’s / Chevrolet | 400 | $12,775 | running | |
| 2 | 12 | 57 | Mike Cope Mike Cope Mike Cope , is a retired NASCAR driver. He became famous during the mid-1990s one of the best drivers in the Slim Jim All-Pro Series. In the late-90s he started a five year tour in the high levels of NASCAR... / Weeki Wachee Springs, FL |
Penrose Meat Snacks / Chevrolet | 400 | $8,175 | running | |
| 3 | 17 | 0 | Steven Christian / Sugar Hill, GA | BellSouth / Chevrolet | 400 | $6,200 | running | |
| 4 | 24 | 97 | Ron Barfield, Jr. Ron Barfield Ron Barfield is a former NASCAR driver. He raced in all of the major NASCAR series: Winston Cup, Busch Series, and Craftsman Truck Series, but did not win a race. He is a former protege of Bill Elliott.- Beginnings :... / Florence, SC |
Michael Motorsports / Ford | 400 | $4,000 | running | |
| 5 | 8 | 1 | Brian Rievley / Alexandria, IN | Hendricks County Auto Parts / Chevrolet | 400 | $3,625 | running | |
| 6 | 11 | 14 | Rick Crawford / Mobile, AL | Circle Bar Motel & RV Park / Ford | 399 | $3,825 | running | |
| 7 | 9 | 80 | Toby Porter / Greenville, SC | All Star Truck Brkrs./Carolina Signs / Chevrolet | 398 | $3,500 | running | |
| 8 | 15 | 21 | Brian Ross / Plymouth, IN | R & R Fabrication, Inc. / Pontiac | 396 | $2,225 | running | |
| 9 | 19 | 78 | Bull Baker / Daleville, IN | Low Bob’s Discount Tobacco / Chevrolet | 392 | $1,850 | running | |
| 10 | 27 | 52 | Tammy Jo Kirk Tammy Jo Kirk Tammy Jo Kirk is a racecar and motorcycle racer. She was the first woman to race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and later returned to NASCAR to run the Busch Series. She has not driven in NASCAR since 2003.... / Dalton, GA |
Lovable / Chevrolet | 387 | $2,350 | running | |
| 11 | 28 | 33 | Conrad Burr Conrad Burr Conrad Burr is a former NASCAR driver. He competed a limited schedule in the Craftsman Truck Series from 2000-2003.... / Concord, NC |
Burr Construction / Chevrolet | 377 | $2,050 | running | |
| 12 | 26 | 44 | Derrick Gilchrist / Raleigh, NC | Lee McAllister Race Cars / Chevrolet | 360 | $2,150 | running | |
| 13 | 13 | 12 | Scott Neal / Middletown, IN | Martin Landscaping/Four-Star Auto Place / Chevrolet | 342 | $1,250 | engine | |
| 14 | 1 | 25 | Wayne Anderson Wayne Anderson Wayne Anderson is an American late model race car driver. Anderson was born in Wildwood, Florida, and graduated high school in 1986. He has two championships in the NASCAR Pro-Series, which were in 1999 and 2001. Anderson also participated in the Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series,... / Wildwood Springs, FL |
Porter Cable Power Tools / Chevrolet | 301 | $2,100 | running | |
| 15 | 25 | 04 | Brian Ball / Louisville, KY | Stinnett Chevrolet/Allison Engines / Chevrolet | 295 | $1,650 | running | |
| 16 | 22 | 22 | Brad Payne / Owensboro, KY | JAB Racing/Payne Automotive / Ford | 275 | $1,600 | overheating | |
| 17 | 18 | 4 | Ron Young / Conyers, GA | Wegner Engines/Young Racing / Chevrolet | 269 | $1,650 | running | |
| 18 | 6 | 30 | Jeff Fultz / Milford, OH | Cherry Mufflers/Vogue Cleaners / Pontiac | 258 | $1,500 | engine | |
| 19 | 10 | 28 | Kurt Hough / New Palestine, IN | New Palestine Drywall Supply / Chevrolet | 214 | $975 | engine | |
| 20 | 21 | 96 | Dan Matthews | Lacy Buffalo Construction/John Boy & Billy / Chevrolet | 212 | $1,450 | running | |
| 21 | 7 | 74 | Nipper Alsup / Huntersville, NC | Lift Services/Wire Rope Specialists / Chevrolet | 191 | $1,525 | engine | |
| 22 | 2 | 27 | Dave Jackson / Loveland, OH | Equipment Specialists / Chevrolet | 173 | $900 | engine | |
| 23 | 4 | 16 | Hal Goodson / Darlington, SC | Hooterade / Ford | 168 | $1,775 | handling | |
| 24 | 3 | 27 | Ray Skillman / Indianapolis, IN | Kendall Oil/Dupont/Mark III / Chevrolet | 161 | $850 | overheating | |
| 25 | 26 | 17 | Chad Bland / Huntingburg, IN | Jasper Engines & Transmissions / Chevrolet | 147 | $825 | accident | |
| 26 | 22 | 50 | Joe Williamson / Louisville, KY | Trio Hobby Shop/Copy Quality / Chevrolet | 127 | $1,250 | engine | |
| 27 | 30 | 86 | Hank Parker, Jr. / Denver, NC | Delco Voyager Batteries / Chevrolet | 119 | $1,250 | engine | |
| 28 | 16 | 2 | Kenny Tweedy / Greenfield, IN | Bryant Heating & Colling/Apex Inc. / Chevrolet | 37 | $750 | accident | |
| 29 | 20 | 29 | Rick Turner / Yorktown, IN | Yorktown Auto Body / Pontiac | 37 | $750 | accident | |
| 30 | 23 | 54 | Josh Clemons / New Albany, IN | Starlite Cabinets/Conway Auto Parts / Oldsmobile | 18 | $750 | engine | |
Race statistics
- Average Speed: 73.514 mi/h
- Margin of Victory: 0.33 seconds
- Time of Race: Two hours, 43 minutes and 14 seconds
- Lead Changes: 11 among 9 drivers
- Lap Leaders: Dave Jackson 1-11; Wayne Anderson 12-107; Scot Walters 108-115; Steven Christian 116-123; Ray Skillman 124-161; Ron Barfield, Jr. 162-187; Ron Young 188-205; Jeff Fultz 206-233; Christian 234-264; Walters 265-356; Mike Cope 357; Walters 358-400.
- Cautions: 11 for 89 laps
- Entries: 30 Qualifiers: 30