1995 Winston Cup Series

1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Jeff Gordon won his first Winston Cup Championship.
Duration	February 19, 1995 through November 12, 1995
TV	CBS/TNN/TBS; ESPN/ABC
Season statistics
No. of races	31
First race	1995 Daytona 500
Last race	1995 NAPA 500
Drivers' champion	Jeff Gordon
Manufacturers' champion
Rookie of the Year	Ricky Craven
Most popular driver	Bill Elliott
Previous	1994
Next	1996

The 1995 Winston Cup Series was the 47th season of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The season began with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19 and ended with the NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 12.

Jeff Gordon won his first championship in his third full-time season and became the second youngest champion in series history. He managed to win 7 races and led a lap in all but two races in the year. It was Hendrick Motorsports first championship.

Ernie Irvan missed most of 1995, but made an emotional return to the Cup Series at North Wilkesboro in October, finishing 6th and leading 31 laps. He would run 3 total races in 1995 to prepare for a full time return in 1996.

Bill Elliott left the Junior Johnson team to form his own team, taking McDonalds with him as his primary sponsor. Dale Jarrett left Joe Gibbs Racing to fill in for Irvan at the Robert Yates Racing #28 team, while Bobby Labonte replaced Jarrett at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Chevrolet dominated the season with 21 wins after debuting a redesigned Monte Carlo, while Pontiac struggled before redesigning the Grand Prix for 1996.

At the end of the season, Bill Elliott skipped the Most Popular Driver Award ceremony in order to stay home with his wife following the birth of his son, Chase. Also at the end of the season, Junior Johnson sold his teams to Brett Bodine and David Blair, ending a career that included six championships and 132 victories.

1995 Winston Cup Team Chart

No.	Driver	Sponsor	Make	Team/Owner
1	Rick Mast	Skoal		Richard Jackson
2	Rusty Wallace	Miller Genuine Draft		Penske Racing
3	Dale Earnhardt	GM Goodwrench		Richard Childress Racing
4	Sterling Marlin	Kodak Max		Morgan-McClure Motorsports
5	Terry Labonte	Kellogg's Corn Flakes		Hendrick Motorsports
6	Mark Martin	Valvoline		Roush Racing
7	Geoffery Bodine	Exide Batteries		himself
8	Jeff Burton	Raybestos Brakes		Stavola Brothers
9	Lake Speed	Spam/Melling		Harry Melling
10	Ricky Rudd	Tide		himself
11	Brett Bodine	Lowe's		Junior Johnson
12	Derrike Cope	Straight Arrow		Bobby Allison
15	Dick Trickle	Quality Care		Bud Moore
16	Ted Musgrave	Family Channel		Roush Racing
17	Darrell Waltrip	Western Auto		himself
18	Bobby Labonte	Interstate Batteries		Joe Gibbs Racing
19	Loy Allen, Jr. (7 races)	Healthsource		Tri-Star Motorsports
21	Morgan Shepherd	Citgo		Wood Brothers Racing
22	Randy LaJoie	MBNA		Bill Davis Racing
23	Jimmy Spencer	Smokin' Joes		Travis Carter
24	Jeff Gordon (C)	DuPont		Hendrick Motorsports
25	Ken Schrader	Budweiser		Hendrick Motorsports
26	Hut Stricklin	Quaker State		Ken Bernstein
27	Elton Sawyer	Hooters		Junior Johnson
28	Dale Jarrett	Texaco Havoline		Robert Yates Racing
29	Steve Grissom	Meineke		Gary Bechtel
30	Michael Waltrip	Pennzoil		Chuck Rider
31	Ward Burton	Hardee's		Alan Dillard, Jr.
32	Greg Sacks (20 races) Chuck Bown (9 races)	Active Tracking		Dean Myers
33	Robert Pressley	Skoal Bandit		Leo Jackson
37	John Andretti	K-Mart/Little Caesars		Michael Kranefuss
38	Butch Gilliland	Ultra Wheels		Jim Smith
40	Rich Bickle	Kendall		Dick Brooks
41	Ricky Craven (ROTY)	Kodiak		Hendrick Motorsports
42	Kyle Petty	Coors Light		Felix Sabates
43	Bobby Hamilton	STP		Petty Enterprises
44	Jeff Purvis (7 races)	Jackaroo		James Finch
47	Billy Standridge(2 races)	WCW		Berendt Johnson
71	Dave Marcis	Olive Garden		himself
75	Todd Bodine	Factory Stores		Butch Mock
77	Davy Jones (7 races)	Jasper Engines/USAir		D.K. Ulrich
81	Kenny Wallace (11 races)	TIC Finacial		Fil Martocci
87	Joe Nemechek	Burger King		himself
88	Ernie Irvan (3 races)	Texaco Havoline		Robert Yates Racing
90	Mike Wallace	Heilig Meyers		Junie Donlavey
94	Bill Elliott	McDonalds		himself
98	Jeremy Mayfield	RCA		Cal Yarborough

• (C)=Champion
• (ROTY)=Rookie of the Year

Schedule

Round	Date	Race Name	Track	TV
	February 12, 1995	Busch Clash	Daytona International Speedway	CBS
	February 16, 1995	Gatorade Twin 125s	Daytona International Speedway	CBS
1	February 19, 1995	Daytona 500	Daytona International Speedway	CBS
2	February 26, 1995	Goodwrench 500	North Carolina Motor Speedway	TNN
3	March 5, 1995	Pontiac Excitement 400	Richmond International Raceway	TBS
4	March 12, 1995	Purolator 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ABC
5	March 26, 1995	TranSouth Financial 400	Darlington Raceway	ESPN
6	April 2, 1995	Food City 500	Bristol International Raceway	ESPN
7	April 9, 1995	First Union 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway	ESPN
8	April 23, 1995	Hanes 500	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN
9	April 30, 1995	Winston Select 500	Talladega Superspeedway	ESPN
10	May 7, 1995	Save Mart Supermarkets 300	Sears Point Raceway	ESPN
	May 20, 1995	Winston Select	Charlotte Motor Speedway	TNN
11	May 28, 1995	Coca-Cola 600	Charlotte Motor Speedway	TBS
12	June 4, 1995	Miller Genuine Draft 500	Dover Downs International Speedway	TNN
13	June 11, 1995	UAW-GM Teamwork 500	Pocono International Raceway	TNN
14	June 18, 1995	Miller Genuine Draft 400	Michigan Speedway	CBS
15	July 1, 1995	Pepsi 400	Daytona International Speedway	ESPN
16	July 9, 1995	Slick 50 300	New Hampshire International Speedway	TNN
17	July 16, 1995	Miller Genuine Draft 500	Pocono International Raceway	TBS
18	July 23, 1995	DieHard 500	Talladega Superspeedway	CBS
19	August 5, 1995	Brickyard 400	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	ESPN
20	August 13, 1995	The Bud At The Glen	Watkins Glen International	ESPN
21	August 20, 1995	GM Goodwrench Dealer 400	Michigan Speedway	ESPN
22	August 26, 1995	Goody's 500	Bristol International Raceway	ESPN
23	September 3, 1995	Mountain Dew Southern 500	Darlington Raceway	ESPN
24	September 9, 1995	Miller Genuine Draft 400	Richmond International Raceway	TBS
25	September 17, 1995	MBNA 500	Dover Downs International Speedway	TNN
26	September 24, 1995	Goody's 500	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN
27	October 1, 1995	Tyson Holly Farms 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway	ESPN
28	October 8, 1995	UAW-GM Quality 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway	TBS
29	October 22, 1995	AC-Delco 400	North Carolina Motor Speedway	TNN
30	October 29, 1995	Dura Lube 500	Phoenix International Raceway	TNN
31	November 12, 1995	NAPA 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ESPN

Results

Round	Race	Pole Winner	Winner	Make	Cautions	Caution Laps	Average Speed	Number of Lead Changes
	1995 Busch Clash	Geoffrey Bodine	Dale Earnhardt		2	0	188.482	4
	1995 Gatorade Twin 125 (Race 1)	Dale Jarrett	Sterling Marlin		2	8	150.050	3
	1995 Gatorade Twin 125 (Race 2)	Dale Earnhardt	Dale Earnhardt		4	13	131.887	7
1	1995 Daytona 500	Dale Jarrett	Sterling Marlin		10	41	141.710	12
2	1995 Goodwrench 500	Jeff Gordon	Jeff Gordon		11	58	125.305	19
3	1995 Pontiac Excitement 400	Jeff Gordon	Terry Labonte		5	28	106.425	17
4	1995 Purolator 500	Dale Earnhardt	Jeff Gordon		5	27	150.115	9
5	1995 TranSouth Financial 400	Jeff Gordon	Sterling Marlin		15	87	111.392	16
6	1995 Food City 500	Mark Martin	Jeff Gordon		7	65	92.011	12
7	1995 First Union 400	Jeff Gordon	Dale Earnhardt		3	14	102.424	19
8	1995 Hanes 500	Bobby Labonte	Rusty Wallace		7	84	72.145	8
9	1995 Winston Select 500	Terry Labonte	Mark Martin		2	8	178.902	24
10	1995 Save Mart Supermarkets 300	Ricky Rudd	Dale Earnhardt		5	14	70.681	4
	1995 Winston Select	Bobby Labonte	Jeff Gordon		6	8	148.410	4
11	1995 Coca-Cola 600	Jeff Gordon	Bobby Labonte		7	33	151.952	32
12	1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500	Jeff Gordon	Kyle Petty		5	38	119.880	20
13	1995 UAW-GM Teamwork 500	Ken Schrader	Terry Labonte		6	20	137.720	24
14	1995 Miller Genuine Draft 400	Jeff Gordon	Bobby Labonte		8	44	134.141	20
15	1995 Pepsi 400	Dale Earnhardt	Jeff Gordon		3	11	166.976	8
16	1995 Slick 50 300	Mark Martin	Jeff Gordon		6	29	107.029	16
17	1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500	Bill Elliott	Dale Jarrett		5	25	134.038	37
18	1995 DieHard 500	Sterling Marlin	Sterling Marlin		2	11	173.188	21
19	1995 Brickyard 400	Jeff Gordon	Dale Earnhardt		1	4	155.206	17
20	1995 The Bud At The Glen	Mark Martin	Mark Martin		3	7	103.030	9
21	1995 GM Goodwrench Dealer 400	Bobby Labonte	Bobby Labonte		3	16	157.739	17
22	1995 Goody's 500	Mark Martin	Terry Labonte		15	106	81.979	16
23	1995 Mountain Dew Southern 500	John Andretti	Jeff Gordon		12	94	121.231	21
24	1995 Miller Genuine Draft 400	Dale Earnhardt	Rusty Wallace		4	30	104.459	15
25	1995 MBNA 500	Rick Mast	Jeff Gordon		5	34	124.740	10
26	1995 Goody's 500	N/A	Dale Earnhardt		10	85	73.946	16
27	1995 Tyson Holly Farms 400	Ted Musgrave	Mark Martin		2	10	102.998	28
28	1995 UAW-GM Quality 500	Ricky Rudd	Mark Martin		7	35	145.358	19
29	1995 AC-Delco 400	Hut Stricklin	Ward Burton		7	64	114.778	14
30	1995 Dura Lube 500	Bill Elliott	Ricky Rudd		8	39	102.128	11
31	1995 NAPA 500	Darrell Waltrip	Dale Earnhardt		2	11	163.633	22

Final Points Standings

Pos.	Driver	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	Points	Difference
1	Jeff Gordon	31	7	17	23	8	4614
2	Dale Earnhardt	31	5	19	23	3	4580	-34
3	Sterling Marlin	31	3	9	22	1	4361	-253
4	Mark Martin	31	4	13	22	4	4320	-294
5	Rusty Wallace	31	2	15	19	0	4240	-374
6	Terry Labonte	31	3	14	17	1	4146	-468
7	Ted Musgrave	31	0	7	13	1	3949	-665
8	Bill Elliott	31	0	4	11	2	3746	-868
9	Ricky Rudd	31	1	10	16	2	3734	-880
10	Bobby Labonte	31	3	7	14	2	3718	-896
11	Morgan Shepherd	31	0	4	10	0	3618	-996
12	Michael Waltrip	31	0	2	8	0	3601	-1,013
13	Dale Jarrett	31	1	9	14	1	3584	-1,030
14	Bobby Hamilton	31	0	4	10	0	3576	-1,038
15	Derrike Cope	31	0	2	8	0	3384	-1,230
16	Geoffrey Bodine	31	0	1	4	0	3357	-1,257
17	Ken Schrader	31	0	2	10	1	3221	-1,393
18	John Andretti	31	0	1	5	1	3140	-1,474
19	Darrell Waltrip	31	0	4	8	1	3078	-1,536
20	Brett Bodine	31	0	0	2	0	2988	-1,626
21	Rick Mast	31	0	0	3	1	2984	-1,630
22	Ward Burton	29	1	3	6	0	2926	-1,688
23	Lake Speed	31	0	0	2	0	2921	-1,693
24	Ricky Craven	31	0	0	4	0	2883	-1,731
25	Dick Trickle	31	0	0	1	0	2875	-1,739
26	Jimmy Spencer	29	0	0	4	0	2809	-1,805
27	Steve Grissom	29	0	1	4	0	2757	-1,857
28	Joe Nemechek	29	0	1	4	0	2742	-1,872
29	Robert Pressley	31	0	0	1	0	2663	-1,951
30	Kyle Petty	30	1	1	5	0	2638	-1,976
31	Jeremy Mayfield	27	0	0	1	0	2637	-1,977
32	Jeff Burton	29	0	1	2	0	2556	-2,058
33	Todd Bodine	28	0	1	3	0	2372	-2,242
34	Mike Wallace	26	0	0	1	0	2178	-2,436
35	Dave Marcis	28	0	0	0	0	2126	-2,488
36	Hut Stricklin	24	0	2	5	1	2082	-2,532
37	Bobby Hillin, Jr.	18	0	0	1	0	1686	-2,928
38	Elton Sawyer	20	0	0	0	0	1499	-3,115
39	Greg Sacks	20	0	0	0	0	1349	-3,265
40	Randy LaJoie	14	0	0	0	0	1133	-3,481
41	Loy Allen, Jr.	11	0	0	1	0	890	-3,724
42	Kenny Wallace	11	0	0	0	0	878	-3,736
43	Chuck Bown	9	0	0	0	0	618	-3,996
44	Jimmy Hensley	9	0	0	0	0	558	-4,056
45	Rich Bickle	8	0	0	0	0	538	-4,076
46	Davy Jones	7	0	0	0	0	520	-4,094
47	Jeff Purvis	7	0	0	0	0	391	-4,223
48	Ernie Irvan	3	0	0	2	0	354	-4,260
49	Steve Kinser	5	0	0	0	0	287	-4,327
50	Wally Dallenbach, Jr.	2	0	1	1	0	221	-4,393

Complete statistics can be found at Racing-Reference.info.

Rookie of the Year

Ricky Craven won the Rookie of the Year award for 1995. He defeated Robert Pressley by 13 points. Randy Lajoie and Davy Jones both declared for Rookie of the Year, but did not complete 15 races, which was the requirement to win the award in 1995. By running 7 or more races, they became ineligible to compete for Rookie of the Year in future seasons. Steve Kinser, Mike Chase, Gary Bradberry and Terry Byers all declared for Rookie of the Year, but did not run 7 or more races, thus remaining eligible for Rookie of the Year in future seasons. Elton Sawyer did not declare for Rookie of the Year, but completed 20 races, and thus became ineligible to run for the award in future seasons.

Rookie of the Year Standings

Position	Driver	Points	Race Wins
1	Ricky Craven	255	0
2	Robert Pressley	242	0

Manufacturer's Championship

With 21 wins, Chevrolet won the 1995 Manufacturer's Championship.

Position	Make	Points	Race Wins
1		245	21
2		204	8
3		140	2

External Links

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