1994 Winston Select 500

1994 Winston Select 500

Race details[1]
Race 9 of 31 in the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
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	Ernie Irvan	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, 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.

Winnings for this race varied from the winner's portion of $94,865 ($151,711.58 when considering inflation) to the last-place finisher's paycheck of $8,720 ($13,945.34 when considering inflation).^[6]

Top ten 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:

• 31-Ward Burton
• 9-Rich Bickle
• 80-Jimmy Horton
• 89-Jim Sauter
• 0-Delma Cowart
• 53-Ritchie Petty
• 02-Ronnie Sanders

Standings after the race

References