# 1993 Mountain Dew Southern 500

The 1993 Mountain Dew Southern 500 was the 22nd stock car race of the 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 44th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 5, 1993, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race was shortened from its scheduled 367 laps to 351 laps due to rain delays, which caused the race to be cut short due to darkness. When the final ten-lap warning was given out, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to pull away from the field to take his 11th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his fourth victory of the season, and his fourth consecutive victory. To fill out the top three, King Racing driver Brett Bodine and Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | Skoal |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | Miller Genuine Draft |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Jeff Purvis | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Jimmy Hensley | AK Racing | Ford | The Family Channel |
| 8 | Sterling Marlin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Raybestos |
| 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 12 | Jimmy Spencer | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | Meineke |
| 14 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | Keystone |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Western Auto |
| 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
| 20 | Bobby Hamilton | Moroso Racing | Ford | FINA |
| 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Bobby Labonte (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Ford | Maxwell House |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | Quaker State |
| 27 | Hut Stricklin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | McDonald's |
| 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Jeff McClure | McClure Racing | Chevrolet | Texaco, Havoline |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 40 | Kenny Wallace (R) | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Dirt Devil |
| 41 | Phil Parsons | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Manheim Auctions |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Mello Yello |
| 44 | Rick Wilson | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 48 | Trevor Boys | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 52 | Mike Skinner | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 53 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | USAir, Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 56 | Jerry Hill | Hill Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bell Motors |
| 68 | Greg Sacks | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | Country Time |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Southwest Technical Group |
| 75 | Todd Bodine (R) | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Factory Stores of America |
| 85 | Bob Schacht | Mansion Motorsports | Ford | Burger King "I Love This Place!" |
| 90 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Bojangles |
| 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ball Motorsports |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 3, 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 4 at 11:30 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, 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.
Ken Schrader, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 30.495 and an average speed of 161.259 miles per hour (259.521 km/h) in the first round.
Three drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.495 | 161.259 |
| 2 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.545 | 160.995 |
| 3 | 22 | Bobby Labonte (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Ford | 30.677 | 160.303 |
| 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.679 | 160.292 |
| 5 | 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 30.750 | 159.922 |
| 6 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.752 | 159.912 |
| 7 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 30.783 | 159.751 |
| 8 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 30.869 | 159.305 |
| 9 | 8 | Sterling Marlin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 30.927 | 159.007 |
| 10 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 30.929 | 158.996 |
| 11 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 30.941 | 158.935 |
| 12 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 30.960 | 158.837 |
| 13 | 68 | Greg Sacks | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 31.015 | 158.556 |
| 14 | 12 | Jimmy Spencer | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 31.080 | 158.224 |
| 15 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.102 | 158.112 |
| 16 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.104 | 158.102 |
| 17 | 75 | Todd Bodine (R) | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 31.109 | 158.076 |
| 18 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 31.146 | 157.889 |
| 19 | 90 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 31.149 | 157.873 |
| 20 | 14 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 31.150 | 157.868 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.179 | 157.722 |
| 22 | 4 | Jeff Purvis | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.194 | 157.646 |
| 23 | 27 | Hut Stricklin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 31.194 | 157.646 |
| 24 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.210 | 157.565 |
| 25 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 31.226 | 157.484 |
| 26 | 7 | Jimmy Hensley | AK Racing | Ford | 31.235 | 157.439 |
| 27 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 31.261 | 157.308 |
| 28 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 31.280 | 157.212 |
| 29 | 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 31.283 | 157.197 |
| 30 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.292 | 157.152 |
| 31 | 40 | Kenny Wallace (R) | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 31.442 | 156.402 |
| 32 | 20 | Bobby Hamilton | Moroso Racing | Ford | 31.461 | 156.308 |
| 33 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 31.528 | 155.976 |
| 34 | 41 | Phil Parsons | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.539 | 155.921 |
| 35 | 44 | Rick Wilson | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.607 | 155.586 |
| 36 | 52 | Mike Skinner | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 31.653 | 155.360 |
| 37 | 85 | Bob Schacht | Mansion Motorsports | Ford | 31.662 | 155.316 |
| 38 | 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.758 | 154.846 |
| 39 | 53 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 32.220 | 152.626 |
| 40 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 32.635 | 150.685 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 41 | 29 | Jeff McClure | McClure Racing | Chevrolet | 32.637 | 150.671 |
| 42 | 48 | Trevor Boys | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 43 | 56 | Jerry Hill | Hill Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 351 | 178 | running | 185 | $67,765 |
| 2 | 12 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 351 | 4 | running | 175 | $40,690 |
| 3 | 11 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 351 | 3 | running | 170 | $27,495 |
| 4 | 6 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 351 | 101 | running | 165 | $31,090 |
| 5 | 10 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 350 | 46 | running | 160 | $28,395 |
| 6 | 16 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 350 | 0 | running | 150 | $16,940 |
| 7 | 2 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 350 | 2 | running | 151 | $19,945 |
| 8 | 21 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 349 | 0 | running | 142 | $16,025 |
| 9 | 1 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 349 | 12 | running | 143 | $19,195 |
| 10 | 31 | 40 | Kenny Wallace (R) | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 348 | 0 | running | 134 | $14,255 |
| 11 | 30 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 348 | 0 | running | 130 | $14,405 |
| 12 | 27 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 348 | 0 | running | 127 | $16,510 |
| 13 | 25 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 348 | 0 | running | 124 | $13,820 |
| 14 | 3 | 22 | Bobby Labonte (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Ford | 347 | 0 | running | 121 | $12,130 |
| 15 | 14 | 12 | Jimmy Spencer | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 347 | 0 | running | 118 | $13,390 |
| 16 | 28 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 347 | 0 | running | 115 | $15,770 |
| 17 | 5 | 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 347 | 0 | running | 112 | $12,500 |
| 18 | 7 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 347 | 0 | running | 109 | $17,625 |
| 19 | 32 | 20 | Bobby Hamilton | Moroso Racing | Ford | 347 | 0 | running | 106 | $7,245 |
| 20 | 29 | 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 346 | 0 | running | 103 | $15,625 |
| 21 | 34 | 41 | Phil Parsons | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 346 | 0 | running | 100 | $9,090 |
| 22 | 15 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 346 | 3 | running | 102 | $8,870 |
| 23 | 26 | 7 | Jimmy Hensley | AK Racing | Ford | 345 | 1 | running | 99 | $15,900 |
| 24 | 19 | 90 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 345 | 0 | running | 91 | $6,325 |
| 25 | 13 | 68 | Greg Sacks | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 344 | 0 | running | 88 | $6,215 |
| 26 | 22 | 4 | Jeff Purvis | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 343 | 1 | running | 90 | $15,655 |
| 27 | 17 | 75 | Todd Bodine (R) | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 341 | 0 | running | 82 | $5,945 |
| 28 | 24 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 339 | 0 | running | 79 | $15,635 |
| 29 | 33 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 333 | 0 | running | 76 | $5,725 |
| 30 | 35 | 44 | Rick Wilson | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 327 | 0 | running | 73 | $7,315 |
| 31 | 9 | 8 | Sterling Marlin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 321 | 0 | running | 70 | $10,080 |
| 32 | 8 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 316 | 0 | running | 67 | $9,965 |
| 33 | 20 | 14 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | engine | 64 | $9,875 |
| 34 | 18 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 257 | 0 | engine | 61 | $9,815 |
| 35 | 36 | 52 | Mike Skinner | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 145 | 0 | engine | 58 | $5,180 |
| 36 | 23 | 27 | Hut Stricklin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 135 | 0 | engine | 55 | $9,620 |
| 37 | 40 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 54 | 0 | engine | 52 | $5,050 |
| 38 | 38 | 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | 13 | 0 | vibration | 49 | $5,010 |
| 39 | 39 | 53 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 11 | 0 | handling | 46 | $4,930 |
| 40 | 37 | 85 | Bob Schacht | Mansion Motorsports | Ford | 0 | 0 | did not start | 0 | $5,760 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 41 | | 29 | Jeff McClure | McClure Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 42 | | 48 | Trevor Boys | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 43 | | 56 | Jerry Hill | Hill Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,379 |
| | 2 | Rusty Wallace | 3,075 (-304) |
| | 3 | Mark Martin | 3,072 (-307) |
| | 4 | Dale Jarrett | 2,987 (–392) |
| | 5 | Morgan Shepherd | 2,938 (–441) |
| | 6 | Kyle Petty | 2,732 (–647) |
| | 7 | Ken Schrader | 2,724 (–655) |
| 1 | 8 | Ernie Irvan | 2,692 (–687) |
| 1 | 9 | Geoff Bodine | 2,670 (–709) |
| | 10 | Jeff Gordon | 2,628 (–751) |
| Official driver's standings ||||