Frontstretch: Length: 1,229 feet, Width: 90 feet, Banking: 3 degrees
Backstretch: Length: 1,229 feet, Width: 90 feet, Banking: 2 degrees

Qual. Record: Ward Burton, 173.797mph, March 1996
Race Speed Record: Dale Earnhardt, 1994, 132.432mph
Last Year's Pole Sitter: Jeff Gordon, 173.167mph
Defending Winner: Jeff Burton

Darlington Raceway
 
RE CAP ~~

7 LAP LEADERS in The Mall.com 400, Darlington, SC (VERY Unofficial)
Ward Burton! +10 Points Lead most laps Gatorade Award $10,000 
Jeff Gordon + 5 Points 
Bobby Hamilton + 5 Points 
Bobby Labonte + 5 Points 
Dale Jarrett + 5 Points 
Matt Kenseth + 5 Points 
Kevin Lepage + 5 Points 
--- 
Recap of The Mall.com 400, Darlington, SC (Unofficial)
GREEN, GREEN, GREEN, GO, GO, GO!!!!

CAUTION #1 Lap #3 Steve Park got into Sterling Marlin. Kenny Schrader, Joe Nemechek, and Terry Labonte were all involved.
Michael Waltrip lost a gear? Working on Trany. (lost a lap)
RESTART Lap # 8 

CAUTION #2 Lap # 9 The field checked up for a slow car (#7) Rusty Wallace got into Kenny Irwin. Jerry Nadeau ((BIG SIGH)) and Jeremy Mayfield were involved in this mishap.

RESTART Lap # 15

CAUTION #4 Lap #19 Ted Mustgrave Scraps the wall. (lost a tire?)
Ward Burton did not pit. Mark Martin stalled on the pit, LONG Time to refire.
Ricky Rudd has front screen damage from one of that past wrecks. Seems to be okay.

RESTART Lap # 22

CAUTION #5 Lap # 57 Jeff Fuller spins and hit the wall (Hard) in the #27 Viagra, Pontiac. (Sorry I had to add that, hey that was my first joke on Viagra this season, I was behaving :).
Many 16 second pits! 
- Robert Pressley had to repit so they could remove the wrench left in his car. The Gas catch man was trying to remove it when Pressley drove away, the crew member held on so hard it bent the wrench and he fell -- the Gas Catch man and the wrench are all okay! 
RAIN NOOOOOO It WAS so nice ...... I will never have a career in weather ...

RESTART Lap # 64
Lap 106- Kyle Petty slowed down to pit ,,, Dave Marcis hit him, Tony Steward and Kevin Lapage also had slight contact.
Lap 108 - Kevin Lapage Pits, Very Loose. Green Flag Pits begin,,,, 15.7 second pit for the #88 team!
Lap 146 - Ward Burton leads at halfway
Lap 171 - Green Flag Pits begin ,,, 
CAUTION #5 Lap 204 # DE Jr hit the wall HARD coming out of turn 2, inpacted head on into the inside wall.... Jr. is okay he walked to the ambulace...all drivers today have been okay.

RESTART Lap # 212
Lap 215 - Steve Park appears to have lost his engine...
Lap 252 - Bobby Labonte missed pit road, had to drive around again....Green Flag Pits begin ,,, Matt Kennseth also missed pit road, had to drive around 

YES! Finally, a very well earned win for WARD BURTON!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Congratulations to EVERYONE on the #22 team!!!!!!! First time back to Victory Lane since 1963! 
"I am pumped, Ward said, "We are gonna have fun tonight!."

MISC RACE STATS

Time of Race: 3 hrs, 7 min., 30 sec. 

Margin of Victory: 1.420 Seconds 

Average Speed: 128.076 mph 

Lead Changes: 13 among 7 drivers 

Caution laps: 5 for 30 laps 

Lap Leaders: Jeff Gordon 1-14, Ward Burton 15-36, Bobby Hamilton 37-55, Jeff Gordon 56-63, Bobby Labonte 64-72, Ward Burton 73-119, Bobby Labonte 120-144, Ward Burton 145-178, Kevin Lepage 179, Dale Jarrett 180-204, Ward Burton 205-252, Dale Jarrett 253, Matt Kenseth 254-256 and Ward Burton 257-293.