The 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 46th season of NASCARprofessionalstock car racing in the United States and the 23rd modern-era Cup series. The season began on Sunday, February 20, and ended on Sunday, November 13. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing was crowned champion at season's end, winning consecutive Winston Cups for the third time in his career and tying Richard Petty for the record of most top-level NASCAR championships with seven. It was also the 7th and final NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championship for Dale Earnhardt before his death 7 years later in 2001, this was also the final season for 18-time Winston Cup winner Harry Gant.
One of the highlights of the season occurred on August 6, when the NASCAR Winston Cup Series made a highly publicized first visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the inaugural Brickyard 400. This season also marked the end of the second of two tire wars, as Hoosier left NASCAR after the season-ending Atlanta race, leaving Goodyear as the series' exclusive tire distributor.[1]
Two days earlier, during practice, Neil Bonnett died of massive head injuries after his car had a tire failure in turn 3 and hit the wall head-on.
The day after this race, Rodney Orr died of massive head and chest injuries after his car lifted at over 175 mph and slammed into the outside retaining wall and catch fence, with the caution light piercing through the roof.
Sterling Marlin becomes the 5th driver to score his first career win in the Daytona 500.
First career win in 279 starts for Sterling Marlin after finishing 2nd 8 times, tying Bill Elliott for most 2nd-place finishes before 1st career win.
This was the first points Cup race when cars were mandated to have roof flaps after Rusty Wallace had violently flipped at both Daytona & Talladega in 1993.
Rusty Wallace became the 2nd and final driver in NASCAR history to score 3 Straight Wins at Rockingham, joining Richard Petty
Rusty Wallace is the only driver in NASCAR history to score back-to-back Rockingham wins on 2 different occasions (Fall 1988 & Spring 1989, and 3 Straight Wins)
Jerry Hill may have made a second attempt for James Hylton's entry.
Terry Labonte started 37th (last) as he withdrew his time & took a champions provisional to allow Ricky Rudd to qualify on his time as Rudd's time would not have been fast enough and his new team had no owners points from the previous season and he would not have been eligible for a provisional. Rudd would finish 2 laps down in 18th.
For the first time since 1989 when the team failed to qualify for four races, Petty Enterprises would fail to qualify for a race. This would be the first of six times with driver Wally Dallenbach Jr. the team would fail to qualify in 1994.
During the race, a scary crash occurred just 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. He was only slightly injured.
After the race, Earnhardt dedicated his win to fallen Formula One driver Ayrton Senna, who died earlier in the day at the San Marino Grand Prix.
The race was marred by a violent crash between Derrike Cope and John Krebs in which Krebs' #9 car went up and over an embankment and flipped over several times.
This was Jeff Gordon's first Winston Cup victory. The 22-year-old driver benefited from all the wrecks that day along with only taking 2 tires on his final pit stop to score his first win. The rising young star cried in Victory Lane.
John Andretti, who finished 10th in the Indianapolis 500 earlier that day, finished the 600 in 36th. He became the first driver to run both races in the same day.
As of today, Rusty Wallace is the only driver of the Modern Era to score 3 consecutive victories in back-to-back seasons. His 3 straight wins in 1993 were at Bristol, North Wilkesboro, and Martinsville. His 3 straight wins in 1994 were at Dover, Pocono, Michigan. Rusty Wallace is also the only driver in NASCAR history to score 3 consecutive victories in back-to-back seasons driving for different manufacturers. Wallace drove a Pontiac to his 3 straight wins in 1993, and he drove a Ford Thunderbird to his 3 straight wins in 1994.
Tim Steele replaced the injured Chuck Bown in the No. 12 for Bobby Allison Motorsports. However he would fall out of the race after completing 61 of 200 laps due to a crash and finished 39th.
Jimmy Spencer passed Ernie Irvan on the last lap (the only lap he led) to score his first Winston Cup win.
For the second race in a row, Petty Enterprises with driver Wally Dallenbach Jr. failed to qualify. It was the fifth race overall the team failed to qualify for in 1994. By now the rumors that were circulating wondered when Wally would be replaced, not if.
For the sixth and final time in 1994, Petty Enterprises with driver Wally Dallenbach Jr. failed to qualify. It was the third consecutive race the team failed to qualify for.
Buzz Aldrin, one of the first humans to walk on the Moon, served as the grand marshal for this race; held four days after the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. Instead of the traditional command to start engines, he said "Drivers, energize your groundcraft."[2]
Spencer's victory would also be the last for a car with primary sponsorship from McDonald's until the 2021 YellaWood 500 race, also at Talladega, when Bubba Wallace drove the McDonald's-sponsored #23Toyota Camry to his first career victory.
Ernie Irvan was holding off Jeff Gordon up until 5 to go when his right front tire cut down and Gordon took the lead; Irvan would finish 1 lap down in 17th as a result.
Brett Bodine caused controversy on lap 101 when he spun out his older brother Geoff, who seemingly made the winning pass on Brett. After being released from the infield hospital, Geoff responded to the accident by publicly announcing that he and Brett were feuding behind-the-scenes. This was a feud that lasted for several years, ending with both brothers reconciling in the late-1990's (with Geoff joining Brett's team).
"Years from today, when 79 stock car races have been run here, we'll remember the name Jeff Gordon, winner of the inaugural Brickyard 400!" - Bob Jenkins as Jeff Gordon crossed the start/finish line to win the race
Jimmy Spencer was injured in a crash that relegated him to last place (forty third) and was forced to miss the next race.
During the weekend for this race, Ernie Irvan wrecked his No. 28 in Turn 2 for a practice run, and suffered near-fatal head, chest, and lung injuries. The team withdrew from the race.
Jimmy Spencer returned from injury and finished in 20th, 3 laps down to the winner .
Other changes included John Andretti replacing Wally Dallenbach Jr. in the No. 43 Pontiac at Petty Enterprises and starting on the front row for the first time since Richard Petty did in 1992 at Daytona. John would finish seventeenth, two laps down to the winner.
Kenny Wallace began his duties driving in substitution for the injured Ernie Irvan, a role that lasted the rest of the season. He would finish the race in 13th, 1 lap down to the winner.
40th career Winston Cup Series win for Bill Elliott. This would be Bill's first win since the season finale at Atlanta in November 1992, breaking a 53 race winless streak. This would also be Bill's last win until November 2001 at Homestead, 7 years, and 226 races later. As of 2024, the 226 race winless streak is the longest drought in NASCAR history.
Rusty Wallace became the 1st driver in NASCAR history to score 3 straight wins at Dover
This would be the final Dover race on asphalt, and Rusty Wallace would actually win the final 3 asphalt races. Beginning with the June race in 1995, the surface would transition to concrete.
Mark Martin was leading with 6 laps to go when he tangled with the lapped car of Ricky Rudd. Rusty Wallace assumed the lead and soon had a blown tire (possibly by running over debris). The race finished under caution and Wallace kept the lead.
8th and final win of 1994 for Rusty Wallace. This marked back-to-back seasons for Rusty Wallace winning the most races in a season (winning 10 races in 1993), but unfortunately, even though he scored most wins in back-to-back seasons, a major lack of consistency in both years kept him from winning back-to-back Winston Cup Championships.
This would be the 2nd time in his career that Rusty Wallace scored the most victories in back-to-back seasons. He scored 10 wins in 1993, and 8 wins in 1994. The 1st time he did this, he won the most races in 1988 and 1989, scoring 6 wins each. However, Rusty shared that feat in 1988 with that season's championBill Elliott, and he also shared that feat in 1989 with Darrell Waltrip, and as a bonus for 1989, Rusty won the championship that year. Rusty Wallace is the only driver in NASCAR history to score the most wins in back-to-back seasons on 2 different occasions (6 wins each in 1988 & 1989) (10 wins in 1993, and 8 wins in 1994)
This would be 4th and final time that Rusty Wallace scored the most victories in a single season.
Dale Jarrett won after failing to qualify for the previous race at North Wilkesboro. This would be the first time that a driver failed to qualify for a race and then go on to win the next race.
Former NASCAR Winston Cup champion Cale Yarborough served as a commentator for TBS.
On the final lap of the race, Michael Waltrip, Darrell Waltrip, and Bobby Hillin Jr. crashed, Darrell was the only driver of the 3 to finish the last lap. Hillin finished 15th, 3 laps down to the winner
Dale Earnhardt clinched his 7th and final NASCAR Winston Cup Championship with 2 races to go, tying him with Richard Petty for most championships of all time. In the Bob Latford Winston Cup points system, a driver can clinch the championship with 2 races to go if he has a 370+ point lead over 2nd, and Dale Earnhardt did just that by having a 448-point lead over Rusty Wallace at the end of the race. This would become the 4th and final time in Bob Latford's Winston Cup points system that a driver would clinch the Winston Cup Championship with 2 or more races to go. Earnhardt had already joined Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough when he won the title with 2 races to go in 1987, but as of 2018, the 1994 and 7th championship would make Dale Earnhardt the only driver in NASCAR history to clinch the title twice with 2 races to go. In 1987, his 1st accomplishment, Dale clinched his 3rd championship with 2 races to go by 515 points over Bill Elliott. In 1978, Cale Yarborough clinched his 3rd consecutive Winston Cup Championship with 2 races to go by 396 points over Bobby Allison, but in 1975 however, Richard Petty clinched his 6th championship with 4 races to go because his point lead was 740+ over 2nd. His margin was 827 points over James Hylton. Petty's championship win with 4 races to go is the earliest for a driver to clinch a championship in NASCAR history. Also as of 2021, this feat can never happen again due to several changes in the points system after 2003.
With this 7th championship, Dale Earnhardt ties Richard Petty for most Championships in NASCAR Cup Series history. In 2016, future driver Jimmie Johnson would become the 3rd driver to win 7 championships.
As of 2024, Dale Earnhardt is the only driver in NASCAR history to win 7 championships under one points system (Richard Petty won 7 titles under 5 points systems, and future 7-time champion Jimmie Johnson won 7 titles under 4 points systems).
The race itself came down to a photo finish with Earnhardt prevailing over Rick Mast.
The races first caution flag occurred at lap 34 when Rick Mast blew his engine in turn 3 causing Jimmy Spencer to spin without hitting anything, while John Andretti would hit the outside wall hard enough to break it neccessating a red flag to repair the wall with boiler plate.
The final 189 laps of the race were all under green flag conditions, causing the unusual gaps among the lead cars.
First time in his career that Terry Labonte won 3 races in a season.
Even though he clinched the championship the week before at Rockingham, Dale Earnhardt would blow an engine at lap 91, causing him to finish 40th.
Dale Earnhardt would officially win his 7th and final NASCAR Winston Cup championship by 444 points over Mark Martin, the 4th largest point margin in Bob Latford's Winston Cup points system history. The largest point margin in the Winston Cup points system was back in 1975, when Richard Petty won his 6th championship by 722 points over Dave Marcis, the 2nd largest point margin was in 1987, when Earnhardt himself won his 3rd title by 489 points over Bill Elliott, and the 3rd largest point margin was in 1978, when Cale Yarborough won his 3rd consecutive Winston Cup Championship by 474 points over Bobby Allison.
Jeff Burton, driving the No. 8 Ford for Stavola Brothers Racing, was named Rookie of the Year for 1994, posting two top-five finishes. He was followed by fellow Busch SeriesgraduatesGrissom and Nemechek, each of whom had three top-ten finishes. Allen, despite three poles, struggled to find consistency and finished far back in the standings, while Mayfield and Andretti showed promise with different rides throughout the season. Mike Wallace (who started the year at Atlanta in March) and Ward Burton were plagued by qualifying troubles all season long. Standridge ran a partial schedule and was not a factor. Rich Bickle declared to run for the award in 1993, but failed to make enough races so he was technically still eligible for the award in 1994. Although, he did not officially declare to run as a rookie for the 1994 season and was deemed ineligible for the award despite making the required number of races.
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