The 1999 Winston Cup Series was the 51st season of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The season consisted of 34 races, starting with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14 and ended with the NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 21.
Dale Jarrett was crowned champion with 4 wins and 24 top 5's. He finished the season with 5,262 points and clinched the championship in the 33rd race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Bobby Labonte finished second, 201 points behind Jarrett. 1998 Cup Champion Jeff Gordon won the most races in the year, but finished 6th in the standings.
The season is notable for being Tony Stewart's first full time NASCAR Cup Series season. It was also the last season for Ricky Rudd as an owner, as he would move to the #28 Robert Yates Racing team for 2000. Ernie Irvan retired from NASCAR racing after a Busch Series practice crash at Michigan during the Pepsi 400 weekend. In October 1999, it was announced that Ray Evernham would lead Dodge's return to NASCAR, and in December 1999, NASCAR announced a new TV contract that would come into effect in the 2001 season, where FOX/FX and NBC/TBS (later TNT) would air all Winston Cup Series and Busch Series races live.
Teams Competing (Full Time)[]
# - indicates a Rookie of the Year contender
(#) - indicates the number of races if the driver did not run the full season with the team.
Teams Competing (Part Time)[]
| Car No. | Driver | Sponsor | Make | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Jeff Green Steve Grissom Ron Hornaday, Jr. |
Tracfone | Chevrolet | Felix Sabates |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Budweiser | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt Inc. |
| 14 | Boris Said Randy LaJoie |
Federated Auto Parts | Ford | Mark Simo |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | DeWalt | Ford | Jack Roush |
| 93 | Dave Blaney | Amoco | Pontiac | Bill Davis |
Schedule[]
| Round | Date | Race Name | Track | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 7, 1999 | Bud Shootout | Daytona International Speedway | CBS | |
| February 11, 1999 | Gatorade 125s | Daytona International Speedway | CBS | |
| 1 | February 14, 1999 | Daytona 500 # | Daytona International Speedway | CBS |
| 2 | February 21, 1999 | Dura Lube / Big K 400 | North Carolina Speedway | TNN |
| 3 | March 7, 1999 | Las Vegas 400 # | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | ABC |
| 4 | March 14, 1999 | Cracker Barrel 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | ABC |
| 5 | March 21, 1999 | TranSouth Financial 400 | Darlington Raceway | ESPN |
| 6 | March 28, 1999 | Primestar 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | CBS |
| 7 | April 11, 1999 | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway | ESPN |
| 8 | April 18, 1999 | Goody's Body Pain 500 | Martinsville Speedway | ESPN |
| 9 | April 25, 1999 | DieHard 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | ABC |
| 10 | May 2, 1999 | California 500 Presented By NAPA | California Speedway | ABC |
| 11 | May 15, 1999 | Pontiac Excitement 400 | Richmond International Raceway | ESPN |
| May 22, 1999 | The Winston | Lowe's Motor Speedway | TNN | |
| 12 | May 30, 1999 | Coca-Cola 600 # | Lowe's Motor Speedway | TBS |
| 13 | June 6, 1999 | MBNA Platinum 400 | Dover Downs International Speedway | TNN |
| 14 | June 13, 1999 | Kmart 400 Presented By Castrol Super Clean | Michigan Speedway | CBS |
| 15 | June 20, 1999 | Pocono 500 | Pocono Raceway | TNN |
| 16 | June 27, 1999 | Save Mart / Kragen 350 | Sears Point Raceway | ESPN |
| 17 | July 3, 1999 | Pepsi 400 | Daytona International Speedway | CBS |
| 18 | July 11, 1999 | Jiffy Lube 300 | New Hampshire International Speedway | TNN |
| 19 | July 25, 1999 | Pennsylvania 500 | Pocono Raceway | TBS |
| 20 | August 7, 1999 | Brickyard 400 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | ABC |
| 21 | August 15, 1999 | Frontier @ the Glen | Watkins Glen International | ESPN |
| 22 | August 22, 1999 | Pepsi 400 Presented by Meijer | Michigan Speedway | ESPN |
| 23 | August 28, 1999 | Goody's Headache Powder 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway | ESPN |
| 24 | September 5, 1999 | The 50th Pepsi Southern 500 # | Darlington Raceway | ESPN |
| 25 | September 11, 1999 | Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 | Richmond International Raceway | ESPN |
| 26 | September 19, 1999 | Dura Lube / Kmart 300 | New Hampshire International Speedway | TNN |
| 27 | September 26, 1999 | MBNA Gold 400 | Dover Downs International Speedway | TNN |
| 28 | October 3, 1999 | NAPA AutoCare 500 | Martinsville Speedway | ESPN |
| 29 | October 11, 1999 | UAW-GM Quality 500 | Lowe's Motor Speedway | TBS |
| 30 | October 17, 1999 | Winston 500 # | Talladega Superspeedway | ESPN |
| 31 | October 24, 1999 | Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | North Carolina Speedway | TNN |
| 32 | November 7, 1999 | Checker Auto Parts / Dura Lube 500 | Phoenix International Raceway | TNN |
| 33 | November 14, 1999 | Pennzoil 400 Presented by Kmart | Homestead-Miami Speedway | NBC |
| 34 | November 21, 1999 | NAPA 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | ESPN |
# indicates a Winston No Bull 5 Race.
Results[]
| Round | Race | Pole Winner | Winner | Make | Cautions | Caution Laps | Average Speed | Number of Lead Changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Bud Shootout | Rusty Wallace | Mark Martin | Ford | 0 | 0 | 181.745 | 6 | |
| 1999 Gatorade 125 (Race #1) | Jeff Gordon | Bobby Labonte | Pontiac | 1 | 4 | 163.570 | 2 | |
| 1999 Gatorade 125 (Race #2) | Tony Stewart | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 2 | 6 | 155.280 | 1 | |
| 1 | 1999 Daytona 500 | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 4 | 20 | 161.551 | 14 |
| 2 | 1999 Dura Lube/Big K 400 | Ricky Rudd | Mark Martin | Ford | 6 | 39 | 120.750 | 25 |
| 3 | 1999 Las Vegas 400 | Bobby Labonte | Jeff Burton | Ford | 5 | 22 | 137.537 | 25 |
| 4 | 1999 Cracker Barrel 500 | Bobby Labonte | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 6 | 44 | 143.284 | 25 |
| 5 | 1999 TranSouth Financial 400 | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Burton | Ford | 3 | 19 | 121.294 | 13 |
| 6 | 1999 Primestar 500 | Kenny Irwin, Jr | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | 8 | 39 | 144.276 | 24 |
| 7 | 1999 Food City 500 | Rusty Wallace | Rusty Wallace | Ford | 7 | 57 | 93.363 | 7 |
| 8 | 1999 Goody's Body Pain 500 | Tony Stewart | John Andretti | Pontiac | 10 | 70 | 75.653 | 20 |
| 9 | 1999 DieHard 500 | Ken Schrader | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 3 | 18 | 163.395 | 29 |
| 10 | 1999 California 500 Presented by NAPA | N/A | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 5 | 23 | 150.276 | 28 |
| 11 | 1999 Pontiac Excitement 400 (WCS) | Jeff Gordon | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 8 | 58 | 100.102 | 19 |
| 1999 The Winston | Bobby Labonte | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | 6 | 0 | 183.495 | 8 | |
| 12 | 1999 Coca-Cola 600 | Bobby Labonte | Jeff Burton | Ford | 5 | 23 | 151.367 | 23 |
| 13 | 1999 MBNA Platinum 400 | Bobby Labonte | Bobby Labonte | Pontiac | 4 | 31 | 120.603 | 15 |
| 14 | 1999 Kmart 400 | Jeff Gordon | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 0 | 0 | 173.997 | 12 |
| 15 | 1999 Pocono 500 | Sterling Marlin | Bobby Labonte | Pontiac | 11 | 46 | 118.898 | 22 |
| 16 | 1999 Save Mart/Kragen 350 | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 7 | 26 | 70.378 | 7 |
| 17 | 1999 Pepsi 400 | Joe Nemechek | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 3 | 9 | 169.213 | 17 |
| 18 | 1999 Jiffy Lube 300 | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Burton | Ford | 7 | 49 | 101.876 | 9 |
| 19 | 1999 Pennsylvania 500 | Mike Skinner | Bobby Labonte | Pontiac | 9 | 49 | 116.982 | 27 |
| 20 | 1999 Brickyard 400 | Jeff Gordon | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 3 | 12 | 148.194 | 13 |
| 21 | 1999 Frontier @ the Glen | Rusty Wallace | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 7 | 15 | 87.722 | 11 |
| 22 | 1999 Pepsi 400 Presented by Meijer | Ward Burton | Bobby Labonte | Pontiac | 6 | 26 | 144.332 | 24 |
| 23 | 1999 Goody's Headache Powder 500 | Tony Stewart | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 10 | 60 | 91.276 | 11 |
| 24 | 1999 The 50th Pepsi Southern 500 | Kenny Irwin, Jr | Jeff Burton | Ford | 6 | 62 | 107.816 | 20 |
| 25 | 1999 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 | Mike Skinner | Tony Stewart | Pontiac | 6 | 45 | 104.006 | 13 |
| 26 | 1999 Dura Lube / Kmart 300 | Rusty Wallace | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | 11 | 53 | 100.673 | 12 |
| 27 | 1999 MBNA Gold 400 | Rusty Wallace | Mark Martin | Ford | 4 | 22 | 127.434 | 25 |
| 28 | 1999 NAPA AutoCare 500 | Joe Nemechek | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 8 | 79 | 72.347 | 17 |
| 29 | 1999 UAW-GM Quality 500 | Bobby Labonte | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 2 | 9 | 160.306 | 21 |
| 30 | 1999 Winston 500 | Joe Nemechek | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 3 | 17 | 166.632 | 32 |
| 31 | 1999 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | Mark Martin | Jeff Burton | Ford | 3 | 18 | 131.103 | 18 |
| 32 | 1999 Checker Auto Parts/Dura Lube 500 | John Andretti | Tony Stewart | Pontiac | 2 | 10 | 118.132 | 12 |
| 33 | 1999 Pennzoil 400 Presented by Kmart | David Green | Tony Stewart | Pontiac | 1 | 5 | 140.335 | 19 |
| 34 | 1999 NAPA 500 | Kevin Lepage | Bobby Labonte | Pontiac | 8 | 53 | 137.932 | 38 |
- The TranSouth Financial 400 at Darlington was shortened to 164 laps (out of a scheduled 293) due to rain.
- The 50th Pepsi Southern 500 at Darlington was shortened to 270 laps (out of a scheduled 367) due to rain.
Final Points Standings[]
| Pos. | Driver | Races | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Poles | Points | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dale Jarrett | 34 | 4 | 24 | 29 | 0 | 5262 | |
| 2 | Bobby Labonte | 34 | 5 | 23 | 26 | 5 | 5061 | -201 |
| 3 | Mark Martin | 34 | 2 | 19 | 26 | 1 | 4943 | -319 |
| 4 | Tony Stewart | 34 | 3 | 12 | 21 | 2 | 4774 | -488 |
| 5 | Jeff Burton | 34 | 6 | 18 | 23 | 0 | 4733 | -529 |
| 6 | Jeff Gordon | 34 | 7 | 18 | 21 | 7 | 4620 | -642 |
| 7 | Dale Earnhardt | 34 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 4492 | -770 |
| 8 | Rusty Wallace | 34 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 4 | 4155 | -1107 |
| 9 | Ward Burton | 34 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 4062 | -1200 |
| 10 | Mike Skinner | 34 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 2 | 4003 | -1259 |
| 11 | Jeremy Mayfield | 34 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 3743 | -1519 |
| 12 | Terry Labonte | 34 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3580 | -1682 |
| 13 | Bobby Hamilton | 34 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 3564 | -1698 |
| 14 | Steve Park | 34 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3481 | -1781 |
| 15 | Ken Schrader | 34 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3479 | -1783 |
| 16 | Sterling Marlin | 34 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3397 | -1865 |
| 17 | John Andretti | 34 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 3394 | -1868 |
| 18 | Wally Dallenbach, Jr. | 34 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3367 | -1895 |
| 19 | Kenny Irwin, Jr. | 34 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3338 | -1924 |
| 20 | Jimmy Spencer | 34 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3312 | -1950 |
| 21 | Bill Elliott | 34 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3246 | -2016 |
| 22 | Kenny Wallace | 34 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 3210 | -2052 |
| 23 | Chad Little | 34 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3193 | -2069 |
| 24 | Elliott Sadler | 34 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3191 | -2071 |
| 25 | Kevin Lepage | 34 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3185 | -2077 |
| 26 | Kyle Petty | 32 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3103 | -2159 |
| 27 | Geoffrey Bodine | 34 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3053 | -2209 |
| 28 | Johnny Benson, Jr. | 34 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3012 | -2250 |
| 29 | Michael Waltrip | 34 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2974 | -2288 |
| 30 | Joe Nemechek | 34 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2956 | -2306 |
| 31 | Ricky Rudd | 34 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2922 | -2340 |
| 32 | Rick Mast | 34 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2845 | -2417 |
| 33 | Ted Musgrave | 32 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2689 | -2573 |
| 34 | Jerry Nadeau | 34 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2686 | -2576 |
| 35 | Brett Bodine | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2351 | -2911 |
| 36 | David Green | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2320 | -2942 |
| 37 | Darrell Waltrip | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2158 | -3104 |
| 38 | Rich Bickle | 24 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2149 | -3113 |
| 39 | Robert Pressley | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2050 | -3212 |
| 40 | Ernie Irvan | 21 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1915 | -3347 |
| 41 | Ricky Craven | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1513 | -3749 |
| 42 | Dave Marcis | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1324 | -3938 |
| 43 | Hut Stricklin | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 918 | -4344 |
| 44 | Derrike Cope | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 915 | -4347 |
| 45 | Buckshot Jones | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 676 | -4586 |
| 46 | Todd Bodine | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 529 | -4733 |
| 47 | Dick Trickle | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 528 | -4734 |
| 48 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 500 | -4762 |
| 49 | Matt Kenseth | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 434 | -4828 |
| 50 | Steve Grissom | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 336 | -4926 |
Complete statistics can be found at Racing-Reference.info.
Rookie of the Year[]
The 1999 Rookie of the Year battle was expected to be one of the most competitive in years. However, Tony Stewart ran away with the honor with three wins and a fourth place finish in points. Elliott Sadler, who was considered the top favorite for the award during the pre-season, only had one top-ten finish and was the only rookie besides Stewart to complete the full schedule. Buckshot Jones was another favorite, but a long string of DNQ's and DNF's forced him to cut back his schedule and abandon his run for the award. Stanton Barrett began the year with his own team, then left for Junie Donlavey, only making two races. Dan Pardus hoped to run a part-time schedule with Midwest Transit Racing, but he did not qualify for any of his attempts, and was released after the Coca-Cola 600. Finally, Mike Harmon was scheduled to drive the #90, but did not even attempt a race after a sponsorship fallout with Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce.
| Position | Driver | Points | Race Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Stewart | 346 | 3 |
| 2 | Elliott Sadler | 225 | 0 |
| 3 | Buckshot Jones | 111 | 0 |
| 4 | Stanton Barrett | 34 | 0 |
| 5 | Dan Pardus | 3 | 0 |
Manufacturer Championship[]
With 13 wins, Ford won the manufacturer's championship. [2]
| Position | Make | Points | Race Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford | 231 | 13 |
| 2 | Chevrolet | 210 | 12 |
| 3 | Pontiac | 205 | 9 |
Other Season Awards[]
- Most Popular Driver: Bill Elliott (received 60% of 21,000 phone votes)
- Exide All Charged Up Award: Jeff Burton
- True Value Hard Charger Award: Jeff Gordon
- Gatorade Front Runner Award: Bobby Labonte
- Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award: Doug Yates, Robert Yates Racing
- Tosco (76) Oil Contingency Award: Dale Earnhardt
- Tosco (76) Gasoline Contingency Award: Dale Jarrett
- Raybestos Top Stopper Award: Bobby Labonte
- Plasti-Kote Quality Finish Award: Todd Parrott, Robert Yates Racing (Dale Jarrett's Crew Chief)
- MCI WorldCom Fast Pace Award: Bobby Labonte
- DuPont Point Fund Award: Dale Jarrett
- Bud Pole Award: Jeff Gordon
- Goodyear Tire Award: Dale Jarrett
- National Motorsports Press Association-Myers Brothers Award: Junie Donlavey, Honored for his contribution to the sport.[3]
External links[]
References[]
| NASCAR Cup Series seasons |
|---|
| 1949 |
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| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |