Race of the week, 1999 Goody's 500 at Martinsville

March 25, 2:21 PMAtlanta NASCAR ExaminerJeremy Dunn

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Atlanta NASCAR Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

 Previously featured races

• 1998 Daytona 500
• 1983 Carolina 500 at Rockingham
• 1986 Miller High Life 400 at Richmond
• 2001 Cracker Barrel 500 at Atlanta
• 1989 Holly Farms 400 at North Wilkesboro
• 1990 Valleydale Meats 500 at Bristol

In 1999, Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton dominated the win column, as they won a combined total of thirteen races that season.  Both drivers failed to win the championship, Dale Jarrett earned that honor, but they had the dominant cars when the Winston Cup Series circled the Martinsville Speedway in April of 1999. 

In 1999, the more powerful teams had come to the forefront, especially Roush Racing and Hendrick Motorsports.  At the time, Petty Enterprises was a second tier team, which meant that they still contended for wins on several occasions.  Bobby Hamilton Sr won twice in the famed No. 43 in 1996 and 1997.  In 1998, two prominent racing families joined forces when Petty Enterprises signed John Andretti, the nephew of open wheel luminary Michael Andretti.

Andretti did not win in 1998, but he scored ten top ten finishes, and enjoyed some solid performances.  In 1999, he rallied from a lap down after Ward Burton spun him out early in the race.  Andretti’s rally was rather surprising as he passed the likes of Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon, and Jeff Burton en route to his second career victory.  His first win was with Cale Yarborourgh at Daytona two years earlier.

This was the final victory for Petty Enterprises, as the team continued its downward spiral into the 21^st century.  Andretti left Petty Enterprises in 2003, and has since driven part-time for several teams such as Dale Earnhardt Inc., Haas CNC Racing, and BAM Racing.  Currently, he is driving for Front Row Motorsports, which had a technical alliance with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing for the 2009 Daytona 500.

Petty Enterprises merged with Gillette Evernham Motorsports, taking on the name Richard Petty Motorsports.

This is not just a clip of the final laps.  It is a condensed version of the 1999 Goody’s Body Pain 500 that I borrowed from youtube.com. 

Also, there is a bonus clip from Martinsville from 1957 that I found.  There is no sound, but there is some action.