# 1994 GM Goodwrench Dealer 400

The 1994 GM Goodwrench Dealer 400 was the 21st stock car race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 25th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 21, 1994, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Geoff Bodine, driving for his own Geoff Bodine Racing team, would manage to dominate the race to take his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Precision Products Racing driver Rick Mast would finish second and third, respectively.
The race weekend was marred when on Saturday, a near-fatal crash involving championship contender Ernie Irvan would occur in the race's first Saturday practice session. Irvan would suffer a basilar skull fracture and a collapsed lung, and it would take over a year for Irvan to get back into the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

## Background

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

### Entry list

* (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 |
| 02 | Jeff Purvis | Taylor Racing | Ford | Kendall |
| 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 |
| 9 | Phil Parsons | Melling Racing | Ford | Farmer Peet |
| 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 | Ernie Irvan* | 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 |
| 34 | Bob Brevak | Brevak Racing | Ford | Scaffidi Truck Centers |
| 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 |
| 44 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Charles Hardy Racing | Ford | Buss Fuses |
| 45 | Rich Bickle (R) | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | Terminal Trucking |
| 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | Johnson Standridge Racing |
| 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 54 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Manheim Auctions |
| 55 | Jimmy Hensley | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | RaDiUs Motorsports |
| 59 | Andy Belmont | Andy Belmont Racing | Ford | Metal Arrester |
| 61 | Rick Carelli | Chesrown Racing | Chevrolet | Total Petroleum |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Terramite |
| 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Factory Stores of America |
| 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | US Airways |
| 82 | Laura Lane | Miskotten Racing | Ford | Adesa Auto Auction |
| 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Fingerhut |
*Withdrew due to injuries sustained in the race weekend's second practice.

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, August 19, at 3:30 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, August 20, at 10:30 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.
Geoff Bodine, driving for his own Geoff Bodine Racing team, would win the pole, setting a time of 39.761 and an average speed of 181.082 miles per hour (291.423 km/h) in the first round.
Eight drivers would fail to qualify, in addition to one withdrawn entry.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 39.761 | 181.082 |
| 2 | 43 | John Andretti (R) | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 39.770 | 181.041 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.012 | 179.946 |
| 4 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 40.012 | 179.946 |
| 5 | 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 40.025 | 179.888 |
| 6 | 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.030 | 179.865 |
| 7 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 40.076 | 179.659 |
| 8 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 40.093 | 179.582 |
| 9 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 40.105 | 179.529 |
| 10 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 40.123 | 179.448 |
| 11 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 40.150 | 179.328 |
| 12 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.162 | 179.274 |
| 13 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 40.182 | 179.185 |
| 14 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 40.194 | 179.131 |
| 15 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 40.271 | 178.789 |
| 16 | 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | 40.290 | 178.704 |
| 17 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.291 | 178.700 |
| 18 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.291 | 178.700 |
| 19 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.310 | 178.656 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 20 | 29 | Steve Grissom (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.034 | 179.847 |
| 21 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 40.132 | 179.408 |
| 22 | 45 | Rich Bickle (R) | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | 40.278 | 178.758 |
| 23 | 02 | Jeff Purvis | Taylor Racing | Ford | 40.305 | 178.638 |
| 24 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 40.373 | 178.337 |
| 25 | 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | 40.396 | 178.235 |
| 26 | 31 | Ward Burton (R) | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.400 | 178.218 |
| 27 | 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 40.403 | 178.205 |
| 28 | 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 40.405 | 178.196 |
| 29 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 40.410 | 178.174 |
| 30 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.410 | 178.174 |
| 31 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 40.438 | 178.050 |
| 32 | 44 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Charles Hardy Racing | Ford | 40.439 | 178.046 |
| 33 | 9 | Phil Parsons | Melling Racing | Ford | 40.443 | 178.028 |
| 34 | 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.446 | 178.015 |
| 35 | 61 | Rick Carelli | Chesrown Racing | Chevrolet | 40.481 | 177.861 |
| 36 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 40.524 | 177.672 |
| 37 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 40.545 | 177.580 |
| 38 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 40.591 | 177.379 |
| 39 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 40.642 | 177.157 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 40 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 41 | 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||
| 42 | 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 40.691 | 176.943 |
| 43 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 40.790 | 176.514 |
| 44 | 55 | Jimmy Hensley | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 40.793 | 176.501 |
| 45 | 54 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.869 | 176.173 |
| 46 | 59 | Andy Belmont | Andy Belmont Racing | Ford | 41.103 | 175.170 |
| 47 | 82 | Laura Lane | Miskotten Racing | Ford | 41.387 | 173.968 |
| 48 | 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 41.847 | 172.055 |
| 49 | 34 | Bob Brevak | Brevak Racing | Ford | - | - |
| WD | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 40.295 | 178.682 |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Ernie Irvan practice crash

At around 8:40 AM EST, nearing the end of the first practice session that occurred on Saturday, Robert Yates Racing driver Ernie Irvan was told to go for a practice run of 10 laps. The weather was extremely foggy and hazy according to Irvan's crew chief Larry McReynolds. In an interview for a documentary, McReynolds would say that Irvan would have a tendency to run a couple extra laps in order to "feel the car out". Irvan had completed his 10 lap run when he decided to run one more lap, as McReynolds had anticipated. According to the driver behind Irvan, Ted Musgrave, when Irvan exited the second turn of the track, Irvan's car would suffer a right front tire failure at around 170 miles per hour (270 km/h). Musgrave would then say that Irvan tried to lock the brakes up in vain, as the car careened towards the outside wall. In another report by Ricky Rudd's crew chief, Bill Ingle, he had seen Irvan's car slip onto its left side before flipping back onto all four wheels and stopping.
When first responders had arrived at the crash scene, they saw Irvan's mouth filled and spilling with blood, along with his nose also spilling blood; with this, his brain could not get enough oxygen in order to live. The doctor at the scene, Dr. John Maino, ordered an emergency tracheotomy to be performed on Irvan while he was in the car. The kit Maino had was missing his surgical knife, so he used a pocket knife in order to perform the tracheotomy, which was successful. After inserting a tube to let air into Irvan's system, he was airlifted to the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ypsilanti, Michigan where the doctor at the hospital, Dr. Errol Erlandson had reported that Irvan had suffered "severe major injuries in two organ areas, either of which could be fatal." Erlandson would report that Irvan had suffered a skull fracture along with bruised lungs that had filled with fluid. According to Ernie's wife, Kim, the doctor gave a 10-15% chance of survival to live through the night. He would manage to make it through the night, but was unconscious for the next two days in critical condition. On Monday, his medication was reduced when he would regain some consciousness, with Irvan being able to move all of his extremities; but he was still in critical condition. After around a month of recovery, Erlandson had reported that the condition of Irvan had been upgraded to "good", with his lungs back to normal and his brain recovering fast in a "miraculous" recovery. With this report, Irvan was allowed to head back to his home in Charlotte, North Carolina and enter the Charlotte Institute of Rehabilitation for further recovery.
One week later, Irvan would make his first public appearance, making a news conference. In the conference, Irvan stated that he had hopes of returning to racing at the 1995 Daytona 500, and stated that his rehabilitation had been going well. While he would not be featured on the entry list for that year's Daytona 500, he would eventually be cleared to race on September 5, and would eventually race his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race in the 1995 Tyson Holly Farms 400.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 1 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 200 | 160 | running | 185 | $89,595 |
| 2 | 13 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 4 | running | 175 | $50,320 |
| 3 | 9 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 200 | 7 | running | 170 | $38,320 |
| 4 | 7 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 200 | 2 | running | 165 | $34,070 |
| 5 | 5 | 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 155 | $28,415 |
| 6 | 40 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 150 | $36,690 |
| 7 | 4 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 199 | 13 | running | 151 | $23,015 |
| 8 | 17 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 142 | $24,640 |
| 9 | 30 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 1 | running | 143 | $21,190 |
| 10 | 15 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 134 | $17,940 |
| 11 | 19 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 130 | $17,690 |
| 12 | 21 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 127 | $17,190 |
| 13 | 29 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 124 | $21,790 |
| 14 | 10 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 199 | 0 | running | 121 | $18,190 |
| 15 | 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 8 | engine | 123 | $21,565 |
| 16 | 27 | 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 115 | $14,240 |
| 17 | 2 | 43 | John Andretti (R) | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 112 | $13,690 |
| 18 | 24 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 197 | 0 | running | 109 | $16,590 |
| 19 | 20 | 29 | Steve Grissom (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 106 | $11,815 |
| 20 | 41 | 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 197 | 5 | running | 108 | $12,640 |
| 21 | 6 | 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 100 | $11,665 |
| 22 | 14 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 196 | 0 | running | 97 | $9,365 |
| 23 | 39 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 196 | 0 | running | 94 | $11,365 |
| 24 | 38 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 189 | 0 | running | 91 | $15,165 |
| 25 | 18 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 179 | 0 | engine | 88 | $15,015 |
| 26 | 36 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 168 | 0 | running | 85 | $18,815 |
| 27 | 35 | 61 | Rick Carelli | Chesrown Racing | Chevrolet | 162 | 0 | wheel bearing | 82 | $8,765 |
| 28 | 23 | 02 | Jeff Purvis | Taylor Racing | Ford | 139 | 0 | engine | 79 | $8,715 |
| 29 | 26 | 31 | Ward Burton (R) | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 133 | 0 | running | 76 | $8,615 |
| 30 | 31 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 133 | 0 | running | 73 | $19,965 |
| 31 | 33 | 9 | Phil Parsons | Melling Racing | Ford | 132 | 0 | running | 70 | $8,415 |
| 32 | 16 | 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | 126 | 0 | engine | 67 | $9,865 |
| 33 | 28 | 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 121 | 0 | running | 64 | $12,315 |
| 34 | 12 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | engine | 61 | $18,265 |
| 35 | 22 | 45 | Rich Bickle (R) | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | 106 | 0 | engine | 58 | $8,215 |
| 36 | 37 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 76 | 0 | engine | 55 | $8,190 |
| 37 | 11 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 54 | 0 | crash | 52 | $22,915 |
| 38 | 8 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 54 | 0 | running | 49 | $8,140 |
| 39 | 25 | 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | 0 | 0 | crash | 46 | $8,115 |
| 40 | 32 | 44 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Charles Hardy Racing | Ford | 0 | 0 | crash | 43 | $8,065 |
| 41 | 34 | 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | crash | 40 | $8,565 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 42 | | 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 43 | | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | | | | | |
| 44 | | 55 | Jimmy Hensley | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 54 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 59 | Andy Belmont | Andy Belmont Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 47 | | 82 | Laura Lane | Miskotten Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 48 | | 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 49 | | 34 | Bob Brevak | Brevak Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| WD | | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,105 |
| | 2 | Ernie Irvan | 3,026 (-79) |
| 1 | 3 | Mark Martin | 2,899 (-206) |
| 1 | 4 | Rusty Wallace | 2,892 (–213) |
| | 5 | Ken Schrader | 2,818 (–287) |
| | 6 | Ricky Rudd | 2,763 (–342) |
| | 7 | Morgan Shepherd | 2,682 (–423) |
| | 8 | Jeff Gordon | 2,524 (–581) |
| | 9 | Michael Waltrip | 2,518 (–587) |
| | 10 | Lake Speed | 2,467 (–638) |
| Official driver's standings ||||