this race, broke the record for most consecutive starts with his 514th consecutive start. The previous record, 513, was held by Richard Petty. A special "Iron Man" paint scheme was used to commemorate this feat. Winston Select 500 The Winston Select 500 was run on April 28 at Talladega Superspeedway. Ernie Irvan won the pole. Top 10 results 4-Sterling Marlin 88-Dale Jarrett 3-Dale Earnhardt 5-Terry Labonte 21-Michael Waltrip 29-Steve Grissom 33-Robert Pressley 16-Ted Musgrave 37-John Andretti 30-Johnny Benson Failed to qualify: 73-Phil Barkdoll, 65-Steve Seligman, 77-Bobby Hillin Jr., 0-Delma Cowart, 97-Chad Little Controversy developed before the race; after winning the pole, Ernie Irvan's Ford was taken to a flatbed-mounted chassis dynamometer and "driven" by Gary Nelson to check horsepower; the engine was over-revved and subsequently damaged beyond repair. Sterling Marlin's Chevrolet was supposed to be tested as well but the chassis dyno failed to produce a horsepower figure and the test was scrapped. Several reporters in the garage area questioned Nelson on the test and crew chief Larry McReynolds got into a heated dispute with Nelson over the test. Irvan struggled in the race and reacted after the Ricky Craven crash where he was buried in midpack, "It's all a result of what happened on Friday when (NASCAR) blew our motor up." Two major accidents marred the race: Bill Elliott suffered a broken femur after going airborne and landing driver side-first in a single-car crash on lap 77. Then, "The Big One" hit on lap 130, collecting 14 cars and sending the #41 of Ricky Craven flying into the catch fence and nearly over it. The race was red-flagged for clean-up on lap 131 because Craven's car had completely destroyed the catch fence in turn two. Bob Jenkins, ESPN's lap-by-lap announcer, was so shocked by the crash that he said "Oh shit!" over the raw satellite feed when Craven's car was flipping. Craven sustained compression fractures in his back and a concussion, injuries that derailed what had been a successful 1996 campaign. Fourth in points going into the race, Craven fell to twentieth by season’s end. Sterling Marlin won by passing the entire field on three separate occasions after pit stops. Save Mart Supermarkets 300 The Save Mart Supermarkets 300 was run on May 5 at Sears Point Raceway. Terry Labonte won the pole. Top ten results 2-Rusty Wallace 6-Mark Martin 15-Wally Dallenbach Jr. 3-Dale Earnhardt 5-Terry Labonte 24-Jeff Gordon