| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 11 of 34 in the1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1999 Pontiac Excitement 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | May 15, 1999 | ||
| Official name | 45th Annual Pontiac Excitement 400 | ||
| Location | Richmond, Virginia,Richmond International Raceway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 0.75 miles (1.21 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Average speed | 100.102 miles per hour (161.099 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 21.344 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 104 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins,Benny Parsons,Ned Jarrett | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The1999 Pontiac Excitement 400 was the 11thstock car race of the1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 45th iteration of theevent. The race was held on Saturday, May 15, 1999, inRichmond, Virginia, atRichmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end,Robert Yates Racing driverDale Jarrett would manage to make a pass for the lead with 32 to go and hold onto the lead to win his 19th careerNASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium,Roush Racing driverMark Martin andJoe Gibbs Racing driverBobby Labonte would finish second and third, respectively.
Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km),D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outsideRichmond, Virginia inHenrico County. It hosts theMonster Energy NASCAR Cup Series andXfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCARCamping World Truck Series race, anIndyCar Series race, and twoUSAC sprint car races.
The first practice session was held on Friday, May 14, at 11:00 AMEST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes.[3]Rusty Wallace, driving forPenske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.379 and an average speed of 126.292 mph (203.247 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 21.379 | 126.292 |
| 2 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 21.431 | 125.985 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.486 | 125.663 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
The second practice session was held on Friday, May 14, at 2:30 PMEST. The session would last for two hours.[3]Bobby Labonte, driving forJoe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.305 and an average speed of 126.731 mph (203.954 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 21.305 | 126.731 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.329 | 126.588 |
| 3 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 21.402 | 126.156 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Qualifying was held on Saturday, May 15, at 1:00 PMEST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[3] Positions 1-36 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.[6]
Jeff Gordon, driving forHendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 21.344 and an average speed of 126.499 miles per hour (203.580 km/h).[7]
Three drivers would fail to qualify:Dave Marcis,Buckshot Jones, andHut Stricklin.
*Time not available.
| Previous race: 1999 California 500 | NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1999 season | Next race: 1999 Coca-Cola 600 |