| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 19 of 34 in the1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1999 Pennsylvania 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | July 25, 1999 | ||
| Official name | 27th Annual Pennsylvania 500 | ||
| Location | Long Pond, Pennsylvania,Pocono Raceway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Average speed | 116.982 miles per hour (188.264 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 95,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Richard Childress Racing | ||
| Time | 52.801 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 51 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier,Buddy Baker,Dick Berggren | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The1999 Pennsylvania 500 was the 19thstock car race of the1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 27th iteration of theevent. The race was held on Sunday, July 25, 1999, in front of an audience of 95,000 inLong Pond, Pennsylvania, atPocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. In the final stages of the race,Joe Gibbs Racing driverBobby Labonte would manage to dominate and pull out to a healthy lead to win his tenth careerNASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium,Robert Yates Racing driverDale Jarrett andRoush Racing driverMark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.
The race was held atPocono Raceway, which is a three-turnsuperspeedway located inLong Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annualNASCARSprint Cup Series races, as well as oneXfinity Series andCamping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted anIndyCar Series race.
Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by eitherSpeedway Motorsports, Inc. orInternational Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year bySports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and anIndyCarrace. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.
The second practice session was held on Friday, July 23.[3]Sterling Marlin, driving forTeam SABCO, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.445 and an average speed of 168.397 mph (271.009 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 53.445 | 168.397 |
| 2 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 53.516 | 168.174 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.562 | 168.030 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
The second practice session was held on Friday, July 23, at 10:35 AMEST. The session would last for three hours and 25 minutes.[3]Sterling Marlin, driving forTeam SABCO, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.007 and an average speed of 169.788 mph (273.247 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 53.007 | 169.788 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 53.033 | 169.705 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.109 | 169.462 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
The third practice session was held on Saturday, July 24, at 9:30 AMEST. The session would last for one hour and 20 minutes.David Green, driving forLarry Hedrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.806 and an average speed of 167.267 mph (269.190 km/h).[3]
During the session,Wood Brothers Racing driverElliott Sadler was involved in a wreck that resulted in an injured left foot. Despite fellowMorgan Shepherd being on standby for Sadler, Sadler would start the race.[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | David Green | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.806 | 167.267 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 53.824 | 167.211 |
| 3 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 53.862 | 167.093 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 24, after the preliminary1999 Pepsi ARCA 200. The session would last for one hour.[3]Ward Burton, driving forBill Davis Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.380 and an average speed of 165.502 mph (266.350 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 54.380 | 165.502 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 54.399 | 165.444 |
| 3 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 54.434 | 165.337 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, July 23, at 3:00 PMEST. 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, July 24, at 11:30 AMEST. 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.[8]
Mike Skinner, driving forRichard Childress Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 52.801 and an average speed of 170.451 miles per hour (274.314 km/h).[9]
Two drivers would fail to qualify:Derrike Cope andMorgan Shepherd.
*Time not available.
| Previous race: 1999 Jiffy Lube 300 | NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1999 season | Next race: 1999 Brickyard 400 |