The 1996 NASCAR Busch Series began February 17 and ended November 3. Randy LaJoie of BACE Motorsports was crowned the series champion.

Teams and drivers

List of full-time teams at the start of 1996.

Races

Goody's Headache Powder 300

The Goody's Headache Powder 300 was held February 17 at Daytona International Speedway. Jeff Purvis won the pole. Top ten results

Goodwrench Service 200

The Goodwrench Service 200 was held February 24 at North Carolina Speedway. Mark Martin won the pole. Top ten results

Hardee's Fried Chicken Challenge 250

The Hardee's Fried Chicken Challenge 250 was Held March 2 at Richmond International Raceway. Jeff Purvis won the pole. Top ten results

Busch Light 300

The Busch Light 300 was held March 9 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Dick Trickle won the pole. Top ten results

BellSouth/Opryland USA 320

The BellSouth/Opryland USA 320 was held March 17 at Nashville Speedway USA. Sterling Marlin won the pole. Top ten results

Dura Lube 200 (March 23)

The Dura Lube 200 was held March 23 at Darlington Raceway. Jeff Green won the pole. Top ten results

Goody's Headache Powder 250

The Goody's Headache Powder 250 was held March 30 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Chad Little won the pole. Top ten results

Sundrop 300

The Sundrop 300 was held April 6 at Hickory Motor Speedway. David Green won the pole. Top ten results

CoreStates/Meridian Advantage 200

The CoreStates/Meridian Advantage 200 was held May 19 at Nazareth Speedway. David Green won the pole. Top ten results Shane Hall flipped in this race.

Red Dog 300

The Red Dog 300 was held May 25 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Dale Jarrett won the pole. Future Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth made his debut. Top ten results

GM Goodwrench/Delco 200

The GM Goodwrench/Delco 200 was held June 1 at Dover International Speedway. Bobby Labonte won the pole. Top ten results

Winston Motorsports 300

The Winston Motorsports 300 was held June 8 at South Boston Speedway. Randy LaJoie won the pole. Mike Harmon would make his NASCAR debut in this race Top ten results

Carolina Pride/Advance Auto Parts 250

The Carolina Pride/Advance Auto Parts 250 was held June 22 at Myrtle Beach Speedway. David Green won the pole. This race marked the NASCAR debut of Dale Earnhardt Jr., driving the #31 Chevrolet. Earnhardt started 7th and finished 14th. Top ten results

Lysol 200

The Lysol 200 was held June 30 at Watkins Glen International. David Green won the pole. Top ten results

Sears Auto Center 250

The Sears Auto Center 250 was held July 7 at The Milwaukee Mile. Hermie Sadler won the pole. Top ten results

Stanley 200

The Stanley 200 was held July 12 at New Hampshire International Speedway. The race was originally scheduled to run on May 12, but was rescheduled for July 12 (Friday morning) because of rain. The field was set according to where they qualified on May 11. David Green won the pole. Top ten results

Humminbird Fishfinder 500K

The Humminbird Fishfinder 500K was held July 27 at Talladega Superspeedway. Joe Nemechek won the pole. Top ten results

Kroger 200

The Kroger 200 was held August 2 at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Randy LaJoie won the pole. Top ten results

Detroit Gasket 200

The Detroit Gasket 200 was held August 16 at Michigan International Speedway. Ricky Craven won the pole. Top ten results

Food City 250

The Food City 250 was held August 23 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Jeff Fuller won the pole. Top ten results

Dura Lube 200 (August 31)

The Dura Lube 200 was held August 31 at Darlington Raceway. Mark Martin won the pole. Top ten results

Autolite Platinum 250

The Autolite Platinum 250 was held September 8 at Richmond International Raceway. Michael Waltrip won the pole. Top ten results

MBNA 200

The MBNA 200 was held September 14 at Dover International Speedway. Ricky Craven won the pole. Top ten results

All Pro Bumper to Bumper 300

The All Pro Bumper to Bumper 300 was held October 5 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Bobby Labonte won the pole. Top ten results

AC-Delco 200

The AC-Delco 200 was held October 19 at North Carolina Speedway. Buckshot Jones won the pole. Top ten results

Jiffy Lube Miami 300

The Jiffy Lube Miami 300 was held November 3 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Bobby Labonte won the pole. Top ten results

Full Drivers' Championship

(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by owner's points.

• – Most laps led.

Rookie of the Year

Former short track racer Glenn Allen Jr. was named Rookie of the Year in 1996, posting two top-ten finishes early in the season, as well as being of only two full-time contenders for the award. Mike Dillon was the other, finishing 23rd in points. Shane Hall, Mark Green and Tony Stewart were the other contenders, all running part-time schedules.