1994 SplitFire Spark Plug 500

The 1994 SplitFire Spark Plug 500 was the 25th stock car race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 24th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 18, 1994, in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. With a handful laps to go in the race, previous damage sustained from an earlier incident caused Roush Racing driver Mark Martin to blow his right front tire with six laps to go in the race, propelling Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace to the lead when the caution would come out for Martin. Running with barely any fuel and a punctured left rear tire, Wallace was able to coast to the finish line, running at 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) under caution to take his 38th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his seventh victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and owner-driver Darrell Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.

1994 SplitFire Spark Plug 500
Race details
Race 25 of 31 in the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1994 SplitFire Spark Plug 500 program cover.
The 1994 SplitFire Spark Plug 500 program cover.
Date September 18, 1994
Official name 24th Annual SplitFire Spark Plug 500
Location Dover, Delaware, Dover International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance 500 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Scheduled Distance 500 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Average speed 112.556 miles per hour (181.141 km/h)
Attendance 94,000
Pole position
Driver Geoff Bodine Racing
Time 23.554
Most laps led
Driver Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing
Laps 170
Winner
No. 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South
Television in the United States
Network TNN
Announcers Mike Joy, Buddy Baker
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Dover International Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Dover International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.

The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford Skoal
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford Miller Genuine Draft
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Service Plus
4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Valvoline
7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford Exide
8 Jeff Burton (R) Stavola Brothers Racing Ford Raybestos
10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford Tide
11 Bill Elliott Junior Johnson & Associates Ford Budweiser
12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford Mane 'n Tail
15 Lake Speed Bud Moore Engineering Ford Ford Quality Care
16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford The Family Channel
17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet Western Auto
18 Dale Jarrett Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet Interstate Batteries
19 Loy Allen Jr. (R) TriStar Motorsports Ford Hooters
21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Bobby Labonte Bill Davis Racing Pontiac Maxwell House
23 Hut Stricklin Travis Carter Enterprises Ford Smokin' Joe's
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kodiak
26 Brett Bodine King Racing Ford Quaker State
27 Jimmy Spencer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford McDonald's
28 Kenny Wallace Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet Diamond Ridge Motorsports
30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac Pennzoil
31 Ward Burton A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet Hardee's
32 Dick Trickle Active Motorsports Chevrolet Active Motorsports
33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
40 Bobby Hamilton SABCO Racing Pontiac Kendall
41 Joe Nemechek (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet Meineke
42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac Mello Yello
43 John Andretti (R) Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
47 Billy Standridge (R) Johnson Standridge Racing Ford Johnson Standridge Racing
52 Brad Teague Jimmy Means Racing Ford Bender Plastics
55 Tim Fedewa RaDiUs Motorsports Ford RaDiUs Motorsports
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Olive Garden
75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford Factory Stores of America
77 Greg Sacks U.S. Motorsports Inc. Ford US Airways
79 Doug French Waters Racing Chevrolet Aljo Custom Embroidary
84 Norm Benning Norm Benning Racing Ford 84 Lumber
90 Mike Wallace (R) Donlavey Racing Ford Heilig-Meyers
98 Jeremy Mayfield (R) Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford Fingerhut

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 16, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, September 17, at 11:00 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 would be decided on time,[3] and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; up to two provisionals were given. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.

Geoff Bodine, driving for his own Geoff Bodine Racing team, would win the pole, setting a time of 23.554 and an average speed of 152.840 miles per hour (245.972 km/h) in the first round.[4]

Three drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 23.554 152.840
2 32 Dick Trickle Active Motorsports Chevrolet 23.571 152.730
3 31 Ward Burton (R) A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet 23.578 152.685
4 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 23.698 151.912
5 26 Brett Bodine King Racing Ford 23.755 151.547
6 8 Jeff Burton (R) Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 23.779 151.394
7 28 Kenny Wallace Robert Yates Racing Ford 23.823 151.114
8 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 23.832 151.057
9 75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 23.858 150.893
10 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 23.864 150.855
11 40 Bobby Hamilton SABCO Racing Pontiac 23.884 150.729
12 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 23.886 150.716
13 11 Bill Elliott Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 23.886 150.716
14 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 23.889 150.697
15 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 23.911 150.558
16 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 23.920 150.502
17 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 23.920 150.502
18 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 23.948 150.326
19 18 Dale Jarrett Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 23.950 150.313
20 21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 23.951 150.307
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 41 Joe Nemechek (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 23.939 150.382
22 15 Lake Speed Bud Moore Engineering Ford 23.965 150.219
23 43 John Andretti (R) Petty Enterprises Pontiac 24.012 149.925
24 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 24.031 149.806
25 90 Mike Wallace (R) Donlavey Racing Ford 24.042 149.738
26 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 24.043 149.732
27 27 Jimmy Spencer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 24.083 149.483
28 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 24.084 149.477
29 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 24.108 149.328
30 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 24.146 149.093
31 22 Bobby Labonte Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 24.151 149.062
32 23 Hut Stricklin Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 24.151 149.062
33 98 Jeremy Mayfield (R) Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 24.157 149.025
34 29 Steve Grissom (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 24.180 148.883
35 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 24.226 148.601
36 77 Greg Sacks U.S. Motorsports Inc. Ford 24.258 148.405
37 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 24.486 147.023
38 55 Tim Fedewa RaDiUs Motorsports Ford 24.578 146.472
39 52 Brad Teague Jimmy Means Racing Ford 24.722 145.619
40 19 Loy Allen Jr. (R) TriStar Motorsports Ford 25.093 143.466
Failed to qualify
41 84 Norm Benning Norm Benning Racing Ford -* -*
42 79 Doug French Waters Racing Chevrolet -* -*
43 47 Billy Standridge (R) Johnson Standridge Racing Ford -* -*
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 10 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 500 56 running 180 $55,055
2 37 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 500 62 running 175 $47,980
3 35 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 500 11 running 170 $36,705
4 14 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 20 running 165 $32,965
5 1 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 500 170 running 165 $31,520
6 15 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 500 0 running 150 $24,965
7 29 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 0 running 146 $23,015
8 34 29 Steve Grissom (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 499 1 running 147 $16,815
9 22 15 Lake Speed Bud Moore Engineering Ford 499 0 running 138 $21,765
10 20 21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 499 0 running 134 $23,565
11 12 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 499 0 running 130 $20,615
12 17 12 Derrike Cope Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 499 0 running 127 $13,415
13 30 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 499 0 running 124 $17,015
14 26 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 498 0 running 121 $16,615
15 8 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 498 0 running 118 $16,665
16 9 75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 497 0 running 115 $11,865
17 31 22 Bobby Labonte Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 497 0 running 112 $15,665
18 16 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 496 0 running 109 $15,450
19 4 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 494 158 crash 111 $23,065
20 7 28 Kenny Wallace Robert Yates Racing Ford 494 2 running 108 $20,965
21 2 32 Dick Trickle Active Motorsports Chevrolet 494 0 running 100 $11,165
22 40 19 Loy Allen Jr. (R) TriStar Motorsports Ford 491 0 running 97 $9,115
23 38 55 Tim Fedewa RaDiUs Motorsports Ford 487 0 running 94 $8,565
24 33 98 Jeremy Mayfield (R) Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 472 0 running 91 $10,915
25 23 43 John Andretti (R) Petty Enterprises Pontiac 468 1 running 93 $10,765
26 5 26 Brett Bodine King Racing Ford 462 0 running 85 $14,615
27 3 31 Ward Burton (R) A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet 417 0 running 82 $8,465
28 13 11 Bill Elliott Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 404 0 running 79 $14,415
29 25 90 Mike Wallace (R) Donlavey Racing Ford 398 0 rear end 76 $10,265
30 18 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 380 0 running 73 $18,215
31 11 40 Bobby Hamilton SABCO Racing Pontiac 379 0 crash 70 $14,165
32 32 23 Hut Stricklin Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 367 0 running 67 $9,605
33 28 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 326 0 running 64 $12,055
34 19 18 Dale Jarrett Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 323 0 crash 61 $19,405
35 24 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 273 0 engine 58 $7,805
36 21 41 Joe Nemechek (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 225 8 crash 60 $8,280
37 6 8 Jeff Burton (R) Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 189 8 crash 57 $13,280
38 36 77 Greg Sacks U.S. Motorsports Inc. Ford 118 3 crash 54 $7,780
39 27 27 Jimmy Spencer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 100 0 engine 46 $7,780
40 39 52 Brad Teague Jimmy Means Racing Ford 29 0 timing chain 43 $7,780
Failed to qualify
41 84 Norm Benning Norm Benning Racing Ford
42 79 Doug French Waters Racing Chevrolet
43 47 Billy Standridge (R) Johnson Standridge Racing Ford
Official race results

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ Snyder, Brad (September 19, 1994). "Cautious ending lifts Wallace". The Baltimore Sun. p. 61. Retrieved December 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ Higgins, Tom (September 19, 1994). "Rusty Wallace good to the last drop of gas at Dover". The Republic. p. 12. Retrieved December 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer. September 16, 1994. p. 25. Retrieved December 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Brinster, Dick (September 17, 1994). "Bodine takes pole with record lap". Bennington Banner. p. 12. Retrieved December 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
Previous race:
1994 Miller Genuine Draft 400 (Richmond)
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1994 season
Next race:
1994 Goody's 500 (Martinsville)