|| *Comments on the 1996 Mountain Dew Southern 500:* View the most recent comment <#41> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Dave posted: 01.05.2005 - 5:49 am Rate this comment: (3) (0) The rainbow warriors do it again as Jeff Gordon's better pit work nets his 2nd consecutive Southern 500. A surprisingly dominant Hut Strickland winds up 2nd. 2. Darrell posted: 11.19.2005 - 8:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Clearly the best run ever for Hut Stricklin. David Blair Motorsports reappears briefly after a long hiatus. 3. Matthew Sullivan posted: 12.14.2005 - 3:32 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) This race marked Lake Speed's final career top ten finish. 4. Matthew Sullivan posted: 05.29.2006 - 8:58 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Because I remember this race so vividly, I'll recall Lake Speed's day. After starting near the back of the pack, Speed moved his way near the top ten before cutting a tire under green putting him two laps down and way down in the standings. But he had a great car, perhaps one capable of winning and he was able to move back to the top twenty in the last hundred laps, and as the race ended he finally got into the top ten. With a few laps left, Speed got by Gordon to make up one of the two laps he lost. Certainly Gordon was just trying to finish the race and he let Speed by, but it was clear from watching that if Speed didn't have a cut tire, he probably would have been a contender. 5. MOST posted: 06.10.2006 - 4:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Jarrett had a shot at the winston million 6. Rob posted: 10.21.2006 - 10:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I'm in the wall." - Dale Jarrett, after making contact in what was Turns 3 and 4...last Southern 500 before they switched the start/finish line around, second to last Darlington race run under the old configuration. Jeff Gordon wins what will be the 2nd of 4 straight Southern 500s. 7. myself posted: 05.18.2007 - 1:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (3) Final ride for "The Squeal" in Cale's car. He never showed Cale enough gratitude for getting his career started. 8. stricklinfan82 posted: 07.04.2007 - 6:02 am Rate this comment: (1) (1) I thought this was going to be Hut's day. Late-race overheating problems and contact with Ernie Irvan knocking the toe out handed Jeff Gordon the win. Truly a bittersweet day for this Hut Stricklin fan. 9. RaceFanX posted: 12.27.2007 - 1:40 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) Last race for John Andretti in the #37 Ford, finishing a strong 5th. The next week, he and Jeremy Mayfield literally traded rides. Both drivers later won for their new teams. 10. myself posted: 02.26.2008 - 9:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Typical Irvan! Ruin someone's chances @ winning! 11. Rad83 posted: 08.23.2008 - 1:11 am Rate this comment: (2) (1) Irvan may have been aggresive and moody, but the guy survived 2 bad wrecks and clearly had alot of talent. He really did alot of wild things in a race car. I mis Irvan, he truly was enertaining. 12. GJinVA posted: 08.25.2008 - 4:31 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Such a shame Hut Stricklin couldn't hold on to win this race, I was rooting for him. I think he had one other 2nd place finish in his career, but this is the one he really deserved. 13. RaceFanX posted: 01.18.2009 - 11:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lake Speed's last top-10 14. Art D posted: 06.26.2009 - 9:05 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) 16th career win for J. Gordon 15. allen posted: 07.20.2009 - 9:29 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Hut was the man on this day,,If he had won you have to wonder if his career would have taken a different path... 16. myself posted: 08.17.2009 - 1:34 pm Rate this comment: (1) (4) I LOL so hard @ Jarrett's "I'm in the wall" that I nearly pi$$ed myself!! 17. SoxFan24 posted: 11.18.2009 - 3:38 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Jeff's 16th career win, 3rd win at Darlington 18. 18fan posted: 01.21.2010 - 11:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rusty Wallace had moved up from 28th to 3rd when Jarrett hit the wall and he hit the wall much harder than Jarrett. 19. 18fan posted: 01.22.2010 - 5:51 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Spencer was dominating the race shortly before halfway when he spun all by himself, had 4 flat tires, and lost a lap pitting for a tire change. This set the stage for Hut Stricklin to dominate only to lose late to Gordon. Also, how did Gordon pull so far away from Stricklin in the last 16 laps. 20. 18fan posted: 02.27.2010 - 1:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 3rd straight Darlington win for Gordon. 21. Spen posted: 03.25.2010 - 11:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Stricklin's car was overheating. 22. Doc posted: 09.21.2010 - 9:28 pm Rate this comment: (2) (1) Poor Hut Stricklin. If possible I always like to root for a guy who hasn't won a race. You think Gordon could've let old Hut have that one considering he'd win many more races. But you gotta always race to win. 23. 3man posted: 12.23.2010 - 3:31 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) If only Brett Bodine didn't blow an oil line right in front of Dale Jarrett causing him to hit the oil and slide into the wall. He would have ended up winning all four of NASCARs "majors" in the same season, having already won the Daytona 500, World 600, and Brickyard 400. It would have been one of the all time greatest single season accomplishments!! 24. Schroeder51 posted: 03.24.2011 - 5:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ward Burton had a fiery qualifying crash and went to a backup car for the race. He managed to move all the way up to the top 10 early, but tangled with Michael Waltrip and totalled his backup car as well. 25. Ryan posted: 07.06.2011 - 10:28 pm Rate this comment: (2) (4) @23: It is not fair to call the Brickyard 400, an event in its third year, a major event if you are going to call the Coca-Cola 600 the "World 600." 26. RLB posted: 09.05.2011 - 9:37 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) The last 168 laps were green and only 3 car's on the lead lap,that's awesome. 27. TaterRacing posted: 10.14.2012 - 12:39 am Rate this comment: (4) (0) Considering the Brickyard 400 was the highest paying race of 1996, I think it's fair to consider it one of the marquee events. 28. Terry Maynard posted: 03.24.2013 - 9:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor of the Ed Berrier # 60 Ford was Mt. Olive. BTW This was the car that put the oil on the track, not Brett Bodine as someone mentioned above. 29. Ryan W posted: 07.25.2013 - 2:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (12) Jarrett never won a Southern 500. It's a race that uses a lot of driving skill, endurance, luck, and being able to tell your crew what's going on with the car on both sides of the track. I think he was a little overrated and got in on his name just like Dale Jr. 30. BlackChevy14 posted: 01.29.2014 - 2:37 pm Rate this comment: (8) (1) Ryan that is one of the most ridiculous things I have read on this site. Yes he never won the Southern 500, but he won the 400-miler (plenty demanding in itself and requiring just about everything you mentioned) on three occasions. To say he was overrated because he never won the Southern 500 is downright silly. A lot of great drivers, Tony Stewart and Rusty Wallace included, have never or never did win a Cup race at Darlington (Tony did win the 2008 Nationwide race). Are they overrated? And having the Jarrett name probably helped, sure, but it didn't drive the car. Once he got with a solid, established team that was behind him (Cale's team never really found its footing, the Woods were way past their prime, Gibbs was a start-up, and the 28 team and McReynolds never embraced having DJ in their cars) he showed what he really had. Calling him overrated is ridiculous. In any case, that overrated race driver will be going into the NASCAR Hall of Fame tonight. What are you going to be doing, Mr. Ryan W? 31. BlackChevy14 posted: 01.29.2014 - 2:44 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Furthermore, aside from the road races, Dale won nearly everywhere there was to win. He didn't win North Wilkesboro, Chicago, Kansas, or Miami, but that is about it. Daytona, Indy, Charlotte, Michigan, Darlington, Talladega, Atlanta, Bristol, Richmond, Martinsville, Dover, Texas, Loudon, Rockingham. And he was very competitive everywhere except maybe Sonoma (he had some good runs at Watkins Glen including the sure top-10 that NASCAR took away with a bogus black flag, costing him the 1997 championship). Chalk it up to good cars or whatever you want but the fact of the matter is that you've got to be pretty good to win 32 races, and DJ was a damn good race driver. 32. 23andJoe posted: 02.25.2014 - 10:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #60 owner: Max Berrier 33. Walleyewhacker posted: 03.06.2014 - 8:49 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Ryan is so in love with Senior he is blinded to the talents of other drivers. I could say in turn that Earnhardt Sr. wasn't a smooth driver and too stubborn to adopt his driving style to win a single MIS event in August and only two June events, and therefore was overated. 34. Paul M. posted: 09.26.2015 - 2:47 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) I vaguely remember this race but i also remember when ward hit the wall in practice and caught fire then Ricky ran to him and assisted him out of the car he then said "I ran faster there then i did in qualifying" 35. Bramblegrunt posted: 03.21.2017 - 3:48 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) This race had numerous incidents due to oil being dumped on the race track. The first incident which was Dale Jarrett's infamous "Im in the wall" was caused by Brett Bodine. 4 cars actually got caught in the oil which were Jarrett, Irvan, Rusty Wallace and Pressley. The 2nd case this happened on lap 56 was when Ward Burton, who had come back from a vicious practice crash to fight his way all the way up into the top 20 spun in Ed Berriers oil collecting Michael Waltrip. The crash on lap 195 that collected Earnhardt, Mayfield (in his final run in the 98) Bradberry and Shepherd was also believed to have been caused by oil from an unknown source. Bradberry caught a bit of air climbing Mayfield's car in the collision Hut Stricklin looked to be the man who was going to win but his car faded in the late stages after battling overheating issues, revitalizing days he had in the Reybestos 12 and some stellar runs he had in King Racings Quaker State 26, but it was not to be. Gordon dispatched him right in the closing laps and soared into the sunset on this day 36. RaceFanX posted: 12.03.2017 - 3:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff Burton started way back in the field but was charging to the front early in this one. He got the #99 Exide Batteries Ford from 39th up to 11th within the first 50 laps before a mechanical problem sprang up that ruined his day, forcing him behind the wall for some lengthy repairs. Work by his team and some members of teammate Mark Martin's squad got the Exide entry back on track but any hope of a good finish was ruined. 37. Greg1&9Fan posted: 08.17.2018 - 9:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I remember watching this, and when Rusty blew a motor I don't even think it was shown or mentioned. ha 38. GregSacksIsYourGod posted: 07.14.2020 - 10:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great run in this race from Johnny Benson - unfortunately, like so many he had in his rookie season, bad luck meant he wouldn't be able to get quite the finish that he deserved. He was running 5th with 30 to go when a vibration forced him to make a final unscheduled stop. On new tyres he managed to rally back to 11th, but that was a pretty tough break for him. 39. Rich posted: 12.15.2020 - 6:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons were the commentators. Dr. Jerry Punch, John Kernan and Bill Weber. 40. Rich posted: 12.15.2020 - 10:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Punch, Kernan and Weber were the pit road reporters. 41. RaceFanX posted: 01.17.2021 - 2:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Remarkably Hut Stricklin's dominant run to a near victory here was his only top-10 finish of the entire season. Outside of this race the best he and the Stavola Brothers' #8 Circuit City Ford Thunderbird finished all year was an 11th in the rain-shortened race at Bristol in the spring and another 11th in the fall race at Rockingham. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: