# 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. To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and owner-driver Darrell Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

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

* (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

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, 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.
Three drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| 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

| 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

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,795 |
| | 2 | Rusty Wallace | 3,568 (-227) |
| | 3 | Mark Martin | 3,428 (-367) |
| | 4 | Ricky Rudd | 3,319 (–476) |
| | 5 | Ken Schrader | 3,304 (–491) |
| | 6 | Morgan Shepherd | 3,211 (–584) |
| 1 | 7 | Jeff Gordon | 3,054 (–744) |
| 1 | 8 | Ernie Irvan | 3,026 (–769) |
| | 9 | Bill Elliott | 2,966 (–829) |
| 2 | 10 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,959 (–836) |
| Official driver's standings ||||