The 1996 Hanes 500 was the 26th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 48th iteration of the event.

In a one-lap shootout to the finish, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to defend the field to take his 18th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his ninth victory of the season.

At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Bobby Hamilton, driving for Petty Enterprises, would win the pole, setting a time of 20.119 and an average speed of 94.120 miles per hour (151.471 km/h).

[4] Six drivers would fail to qualify: Derrike Cope, Brett Bodine, Chad Little, Ward Burton, Billy Standridge, and Gary Bradberry.