1992 Coca-Cola 600

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1992 Coca-Cola 600
Race details[1]
Race 10 of 29 in the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Layout of Charlotte Motor Speedway
Layout of Charlotte Motor Speedway
Date May 24, 1992 (1992-May-24)
Official name Coca-Cola 600
Location Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.500 mi (2.414 km)
Distance 400 laps, 600 mi (965 km)
Weather Extremely hot with temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C); wind speeds of 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h)
Average speed 132.98 mph (214.01 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Junior Johnson & Associates
Most laps led
Driver Kyle Petty SABCO Racing
Laps 141
Winner
No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network NASCAR on TBS
Announcers Ken Squier, Neil Bonnett

The 1992 Coca-Cola 600, the 33rd running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 24, 1992, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

For the first time in NASCAR history, the was offered to the United States Army veteran who demonstrated patriotism and sacrifice above the typical expectations of a soldier or commissioned officer.[2] This award was named after Confederate general Stonewall Jackson for his meritorious devotion to service during the American Civil War.

Background[]

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, as well as the Bank of America 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.

Race report[]

There were 42 drivers on the starting grid; almost half of them failed to finish the race. It took four and a half hours to resolve 400 laps. Dale Earnhardt defeated Ernie Irvan by nearly half a second. There were several crashes, some engine problems, and Stanley Smith's vehicle managed to lose all of its tires by lap 248. Jimmy Means legitimately blew his engine 8 laps in; the smoke was pouring out of his engine. He was one of the best of the very low budget owner/drivers at babying a car with poor equipment to a finish ahead of the attrition. Had Means' engine not blown early in the race, he would have probably finished anywhere between 15th to 20th, like Dave Marcis did in this race.[3]

There were 12 caution flags handed out by NASCAR officials throughout 62 laps of the race. Kyle Petty managed to develop a lengthy lead late in the race but could not prevent Dale Earnhardt from winning it. While Dale Earnhardt made his 400th start in this event, it would be his only win of the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season.[3] This would the final race for Travis Carter Enterprises until the 1994 Daytona 500.[3]

Bill Elliott qualified for the pole position with speeds reaching up to 175.479 miles per hour (282.406 km/h) in the solo qualifying session. Actual racing speeds would be 132.98 miles per hour (214.01 km/h); more than 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) slower than qualifying. Rusty Wallace, Bobby Hamilton, and Randy Porter would accomplish individually solid finishes despite not being able to finish the race.[3] The total prize purse for this racing event was $859,485 ($1,585,064 when adjusted for inflation). While the winner of the race received $125,100 of this total figure ($230,710 when adjusted for inflation), the last place finisher only received a meager $5,100 ($9,405 when adjusted for inflation).[4]

Gary Balough would make his final start in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.[5] Dave Mader III would make his 10th and final Cup Series start in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series; starting in 21st place but finishing in 39th place.[6]

This race finally broke Ford's winning streak going back to the Fall 1991 race at Charlotte. Ford took the circuit by storm in the 1992 season, winning every race until the Coca-Cola 600.[7]

Notable crew chiefs for this race included Kirk Shelmerdine, Tim Brewer, Jeff Hammond, Larry McReynolds, Andy Petree, Robin Pemberton, and Junie Donlavey.[8]

Qualifying[]

Grid[3] No. Driver Manufacturer
1 11 Bill Elliott Ford
2 42 Kyle Petty Pontiac
3 5 Ricky Rudd Chevrolet
4 26 Brett Bodine Ford
5 6 Mark Martin Ford
6 25 Ken Schrader Chevrolet
7 2 Rusty Wallace Pontiac
8 7 Alan Kulwicki Ford
9 22 Sterling Marlin Ford
10 8 Dick Trickle Ford
11 4 Ernie Irvan Chevrolet
12 43 Richard Petty Pontiac
13 3 Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet
14 94 Terry Labonte Oldsmobile
15 30 Michael Waltrip Pontiac
16 55 Ted Musgrave Ford
17 28 Davey Allison Ford
18 17 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet
19 15 Geoffrey Bodine Ford
20 66 Jimmy Hensley Ford

Failed to qualify: Eddie Bierschwale (#23), James Hylton (#48), Delma Cowart (#0), Mike Potter (#77), Phil Barkdoll (#73), Mike Skinner (#85)[9]

Top 20 finishers[]

Pos[3] No. Driver Manufacturer Laps Laps led Time/Status
1 3 Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet 400 54 4:30:43
2 4 Ernie Irvan Chevrolet 400 2 +0.41 seconds
3 42 Kyle Petty Pontiac 400 141 Lead lap under green flag
4 28 Davey Allison Ford 400 33 Lead lap under green flag
5 33 Harry Gant Oldsmobile 400 0 Lead lap under green flag
6 94 Terry Labonte Oldsmobile 400 0 Lead lap under green flag
7 7 Alan Kulwicki Ford 400 43 Lead lap under green flag
8 55 Ted Musgrave Ford 399 0 +1 lap
9 5 Ricky Rudd Chevrolet 398 33 +2 laps
10 8 Dick Trickle Ford 398 0 +2 laps
11 66 Jimmy Hensley Ford 398 11 +2 laps
12 18 Dale Jarrett Chevrolet 397 1 +3 laps
13 31 Bobby Hillin, Jr. Chevrolet 397 0 +3 laps
14 11 Bill Elliott Ford 396 0 +4 laps
15 71 Dave Marcis Chevrolet 394 0 +6 laps
16 41 Greg Sacks Chevrolet 390 6 +10 laps
17 10 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 388 0 +12 laps
18 2 Rusty Wallace Pontiac 386 38 Engine failure
19 83 Lake Speed Ford 385 0 +15 laps
20 26 Brett Bodine Ford 378 0 +23 laps

Standings after the race[]

Pos Driver Points[3] Differential
1 1rightarrow.png Davey Allison 1564 0
2 1rightarrow.png Bill Elliott 1453 -111
3 1rightarrow.png Harry Gant 1444 -120
4 1rightarrow.png Alan Kulwicki 1432 -132
5 Increase Dale Earnhardt 1420 -144
6 Increase Terry Labonte 1378 -186
7 Decrease Morgan Shepherd 1333 -231
8 1rightarrow.png Geoffrey Bodine 1248 -316
9 Increase Dick Trickle 1245 -319
10 Decrease Mark Martin 1217 -347

References[]

  1. ^ "Weather information for the 1992 Coca-Cola 600". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  2. ^ "Coca-Cola 600 weekend focused on military tributes". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Racing information for the 1992 Coca-Cola 600". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  4. ^ "Prize winnings for the 1992 Coca-Cola 600". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  5. ^ "Retirements after the 1992 Coca-Cola 600". Race Database. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  6. ^ "Dave Mader III 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  7. ^ "1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  8. ^ "1992 Coca-Cola 600 crew chiefs information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  9. ^ "Qualifying information for the 1992 Coca-Cola 600". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
Preceded by
 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1992 		Succeeded by
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