1994 Winston Select 500

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1994 Winston Select 500
Race details[1]
Race 9 of 31 in the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Layout of Talladega Superspeedway
Layout of Talladega Superspeedway
Date May 1, 1994 (1994-May-01)
Official name Winston Select 500
Location Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Alabama
Course Permanent racing facility
2.660 mi (4.280 km)
Distance 188 laps, 500.1 mi (804.8 km)
Weather Warm with temperatures reaching up to 81.9 °F (27.7 °C); with wind speeds as fast as 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h)
Average speed 157.478 miles per hour (253.436 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Yates Racing
Most laps led
Driver Ernie Irvan Yates Racing
Laps 78
Winner
No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins
Benny Parsons
Ned Jarrett

The 1994 Winston Select 500 was held on May 1, 1994, at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama.

Background[]

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.[2]

Summary[]

Jeff Gordon was the most favored driver to enter this racing event just prior to the actual running.[3] However, he would not rack up his first victory until the 1994 Coca-Cola 600, where Gordon would be referred to by Dale Earnhardt as the "Wonder Boy".[4] It was the ninth race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. During the race, a scary crash occurred after halfway when Mark Martin's #6 car, without brakes, hit the inside retaining wall and crashed through two guardrails, through a catchfence and into a third guardrail.[5] He was only slightly injured.

At the end of this 190-minute race, Earnhardt would beat pole-sitter Ernie Irvan by less than 0.10 seconds. The strongly-favored Gordon would finish in 24th, finishing four laps behind the lead-lap vehicles.[5] Earnhardt would later dedicate his win to fallen Formula One driver Ayrton Senna, who died earlier in the day (European Time) at the San Marino Grand Prix while leading. Senna's death was announced during this race.

Winnings for this race varied from the winner's portion of $94,865 ($165,641.02 when considering inflation) to the last-place finisher's paycheck of $8,720 ($15,225.74 when considering inflation).[6]

Top 10 results[]

  1. 3-Dale Earnhardt
  2. 28-Ernie Irvan
  3. 30-Michael Waltrip
  4. 27-Jimmy Spencer
  5. 25-Ken Schrader
  6. 77-Greg Sacks
  7. 15-Lake Speed
  8. 4-Sterling Marlin
  9. 21-Morgan Shepherd
  10. 29-Steve Grissom

Failed to qualify (Flippin' Burgers)[]

The term Flippin' Burgers was used during the ESPN coverage as a reference of the following drivers who failed to qualify:

Standings after the race[]

Pos Driver Points[5]
1 1rightarrow.png Ernie Irvan 1454
2 1rightarrow.png Dale Earnhardt 1429
3 1rightarrow.png Mark Martin 1227
4 Increase Ken Schrader 1211
5 Increase Lake Speed 1158
6 Increase Morgan Shepherd 1144
7 Decrease Rusty Wallace 1135
8 Increase Sterling Marlin 1098
9 Decrease Ricky Rudd 1094
10 Increase Kyle Petty 1074

References[]

  1. ^ "1994 Winston Select 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  2. ^ "Track Facts". talladegasuperspeedway.com. Talladega Superspeedway. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  3. ^ "Jeff Gordon is ready for the second time at 1994 Winston Select 400". Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  4. ^ "Jeff Gordon's First Victory". Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
  5. ^ a b c "1994 Winston Select 500 racing information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  6. ^ "1994 Winston Select 500 prize purse information". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2015-01-05. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
Preceded by
 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1994 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""