The 1999 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) race held on February 14, 1999 at Daytona International Speedway. Defending Cup champion Jeff Gordon won from the pole, passing Rusty Wallace with 11 laps to go.
| 1999 Daytona 500 | |
| General info | |
|---|---|
| Series | Winston Cup Series |
| Location | Daytona International Speedway |
| Date | February 14, 1999 |
| Qualifying | |
| Pole Sitter | Jeff Gordon |
| Pole Speed | 195.067 mph |
| Race Data | |
| Winner | Jeff Gordon |
| Margin of Victory | 0.128 secs |
| Average Speed | 161.551 mph |
| Cautions | 4 for 20 laps |
| Points Leader | Jeff Gordon (+10) |
Qualifying notes[]
Jeff Gordon won the pole for the race at over 195. He was joined on the outside pole by rookie Tony Stewart. Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt started on the second row after winning their respective Gatorade 125 qualifying races.
The following drivers did not qualify: Dan Pardus (#50), Dick Trickle (#13), Steve Grissom (#91), Buckshot Jones (#00), David Green (#41), Billy Standridge (#47), Stanton Barrett (#84), Andy Hillenburg (#80), Jeff Green (#15), Ken Bouchard (#73), Gary Bradberry (#78), Morgan Shepherd (#81), Glen Morgan (#48), Jim Sauter (#72), Mark Gibson (#59), Norm Benning (#79)
Additional race data[]
- Leaders: 7
- Time of race: 3:05:42
- Cautions: 4 for 20 laps
- Most Spots Improved: Kenny Irwin, Jr. (+38)
- Tony Stewart made his NASCAR debut in this race. Despite qualifying on the outside pole, he fell back to the rear of the field due to engine problems.
- Several new teams made their debuts in this race. Joe Bessey Racing and SBIII Motorsports made their NASCAR debuts in this race, while Travis Carter Motorsports, Andy Petree Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing expanded to multi-car teams for the first time in their existence.
- Despite the advent of new racing teams, some operations made their swan song in this race. Among them were the #13 team of Bill Elliott Racing, the #73 Barkdoll Racing team, the #81 FILMAR Racing team, and the #78 Triad Motorsports team, which had a fallout with sponsor PHARB Hangover Relief. Each of those teams did not qualify for the race.
- This weekend was a tumultuous one for Donlavey Racing. They had announced in the offseason that they would field their familiar #90 Ford Taurus driven by rookie Mike Harmon and with sponsorship from Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce. However, during the week before the race, reports surfaced that Big Daddy's had not made good on their sponsorship commitments. The ordeal ended with Big Daddy's' contract being cancelled and Harmon being fired from the ride. Mike Wallace was hired as a last-minute driver, and Kodiak was brought on board as a one-race sponsor after its regular team did not qualify.
Results[]
| Finish | Start | No. | Name | Sponsor | Make | Laps | Laps Lead | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (W) | DuPont Automotive Finishes | Chevrolet | 200 | 17 | running |
| 2 | 4 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt (W) | GM Goodwrench Service Plus | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running |
| 3 | 41 | 28 | Kenny Irwin, Jr. | Texaco Havoline | Ford | 200 | 0 | running |
| 4 | 12 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Lowe's | Chevrolet | 200 | 31 | running |
| 5 | 13 | 7 | Michael Waltrip | Philips/Klaussner | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running |
| 6 | 7 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Skoal | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running |
| 7 | 24 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Hot Wheels | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running |
| 8 | 10 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Miller Lite | Ford | 200 | 104 | running |
| 9 | 26 | 97 | Chad Little | John Deere | Ford | 200 | 0 | running |
| 10 | 21 | 98 | Rick Mast | Sonic | Ford | 200 | 0 | running |
| 11 | 25 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau | Cartoon Network | Ford | 200 | 0 | running |
| 12 | 34 | 25 | Wally Dallenbach, Jr. | Budweiser | Ford | 200 | 0 | running |
| 13 | 14 | 16 | Kevin Lepage | Primestar | Ford | 200 | 0 | running |
| 14 | 31 | 36 | Ernie Irvan (W) | M&M's | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running |
| 15 | 27 | 75 | Ted Musgrave | Remington Arms | Ford | 200 | 0 | running |
| 16 | 35 | 71 | Dave Marcis | RealTree Camouflage | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running |
| 17 | 39 | 26 | Johnny Benson, Jr. | Cheerios | Ford | 199 | 0 | running |
| 18 | 20 | 30 | Derrike Cope (W) | Jimmy Deans | Pontiac | 199 | 0 | running |
| 19 | 15 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Engines | Ford | 199 | 0 | running |
| 20 | 6 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Mobil 1 | Ford | 199 | 7 | running |
| 21 | 43 | 66 | Darrell Waltrip (W) | Big Kmart | Ford | 199 | 0 | running |
| 22 | 40 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Paychex | Ford | 199 | 0 | running |
| 23 | 42 | 90 | Mike Wallace | Accu-turn/Kodiak | Ford | 199 | 0 | running |
| 24 | 18 | 22 | Ward Burton | Caterpillar | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running |
| 25 | 3 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Interstate Batteries | Pontiac | 198 | 20 | running |
| 26 | 28 | 58 | Ricky Craven | Hollywood Video | Ford | 197 | 0 | running |
| 27 | 37 | 94 | Bill Elliott (W) | McDonald's | Ford | 194 | 7 | handling |
| 28 | 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart (R) | Home Depot | Pontiac | 181 | 0 | running |
| 29 | 16 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Kodak | Chevrolet | 174 | 0 | crash |
| 30 | 29 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Tide | Ford | 168 | 0 | running |
| 31 | 9 | 6 | Mark Martin | Valvoline/Cummins | Ford | 147 | 0 | crash |
| 32 | 17 | 40 | Sterling Marlin (W) | Coors Light | Chevrolet | 144 | 0 | crash |
| 33 | 22 | 45 | Rich Bickle | 10-10-345 | Pontiac | 142 | 0 | crash |
| 34 | 23 | 1 | Steve Park | Pennzoil | Chevrolet | 139 | 0 | crash |
| 35 | 5 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Exide Batteries | Ford | 138 | 0 | crash |
| 36 | 32 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | BellSouth | Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | crash |
| 37 | 8 | 88 | Dale Jarrett (W) | Quality Care/Ford Credit | Ford | 134 | 14 | crash |
| 38 | 19 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Kellogg's | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | crash |
| 39 | 30 | 60 | Geoffrey Bodine (W) | Power Team | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | crash |
| 40 | 38 | 21 | Elliott Sadler (R) | Citgo | Ford | 132 | 0 | crash |
| 41 | 11 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Winston | Ford | 121 | 0 | crash |
| 42 | 33 | 55 | Kenny Wallace | Square D | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | engine |
| 43 | 36 | 43 | John Andretti | STP | Pontiac | 25 | 0 | engine |
- (R) - Denotes rookie driver
- (W) - Denotes past winner of the race
Points[]
- Jeff Gordon 180
- Dale Earnhardt -10
- Kenny Irwin, Jr. -15
- Mike Skinner -15
- Michael Waltrip -25
- Rusty Wallace -28
- Ken Schrader -30
- Kyle Petty -34
- Chad Little -42
- Rick Mast -46