# 1994 Winston Select 500

The 1994 Winston Select 500 was the ninth stock car race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 25th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 1, 1994, before an audience of 150,000 in Lincoln, Alabama, at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66-mile (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would make a charge to the front with six to go, defending the lead for the final five laps to take his 62nd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season. Earnhardt dedicated his win to the late Ayrton Senna, who lost his life earlier that day in a crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Ernie Irvan and Bahari Racing driver Michael Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval, a 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) tri-oval.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | Masters Inn Economy |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | Skoal |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | Miller Genuine Draft |
| 02 | Ronnie Sanders | Taylor Racing | Ford | Children's Miracle Network Hospitals |
| 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 | Rich Bickle (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | Melling Racing |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 12 | Chuck Bown | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | ReLife |
| 14 | John Andretti (R) | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | Hagan Racing |
| 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 | ATS Wood Recycling |
| 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 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | Country Time |
| 52 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | NAPA Auto Parts, Williams Companies |
| 53 | Ritchie Petty | Petty Brothers Racing | Ford | Le Bleu Bottled Water |
| 55 | Jimmy Hensley | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | Petron Plus |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Southwest Technical Group |
| 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Factory Stores of America |
| 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | US Airways |
| 80 | Jimmy Horton | Hover Motorsports | Ford | Hover Motorsports |
| 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Racing | Ford | Mueller Racing |
| 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 95 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | Shoney's Inn |
| 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Fingerhut |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 29, at 4:00 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, April 30, 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.
Ernie Irvan, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 49.540 and an average speed of 193.298 miles per hour (311.083 km/h) in the first round.
Seven drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 49.540 | 193.298 |
| 2 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 49.567 | 193.193 |
| 3 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 49.649 | 192.874 |
| 4 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49.687 | 192.726 |
| 5 | 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 49.837 | 192.146 |
| 6 | 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | 49.861 | 192.054 |
| 7 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.929 | 191.792 |
| 8 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 49.972 | 191.627 |
| 9 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 50.008 | 191.489 |
| 10 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.022 | 191.436 |
| 11 | 29 | Steve Grissom (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.150 | 190.947 |
| 12 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.176 | 190.848 |
| 13 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.184 | 190.818 |
| 14 | 12 | Chuck Bown | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 50.310 | 190.340 |
| 15 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 50.321 | 190.298 |
| 16 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.343 | 190.215 |
| 17 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 50.407 | 189.974 |
| 18 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 50.439 | 189.853 |
| 19 | 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 50.441 | 189.846 |
| 20 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 50.499 | 189.628 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.208 | 190.727 |
| 22 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 50.420 | 189.925 |
| 23 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 50.473 | 189.725 |
| 24 | 95 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Sadlers Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.544 | 189.459 |
| 25 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 50.547 | 189.447 |
| 26 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 50.591 | 189.283 |
| 27 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 50.599 | 189.253 |
| 28 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 50.613 | 189.200 |
| 29 | 55 | Jimmy Hensley | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 50.652 | 189.055 |
| 30 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 50.655 | 189.044 |
| 31 | 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 50.659 | 189.029 |
| 32 | 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 50.669 | 188.991 |
| 33 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 50.680 | 188.950 |
| 34 | 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.684 | 188.935 |
| 35 | 43 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 50.708 | 188.846 |
| 36 | 14 | John Andretti (R) | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 50.755 | 188.671 |
| 37 | 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.782 | 188.571 |
| 38 | 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.789 | 188.545 |
| 39 | 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 50.792 | 188.534 |
| 40 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.892 | 188.163 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 51.023 | 187.680 |
| 42 | 52 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 51.099 | 187.401 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 53 | Ritchie Petty | Petty Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.904 | 188.119 |
| 44 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Racing | Ford | 50.977 | 187.849 |
| 45 | 9 | Rich Bickle (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 51.016 | 187.706 |
| 46 | 80 | Jimmy Horton | Hover Motorsports | Ford | 51.052 | 187.573 |
| 47 | 02 | Ronnie Sanders | Taylor Racing | Ford | 52.010 | 184.118 |
| 48 | 31 | Ward Burton (R) | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.634 | 181.936 |
| 49 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | 56.325 | 170.013 |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 4 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 64 | running | 180 | $94,865 |
| 2 | 1 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 188 | 78 | running | 180 | $67,990 |
| 3 | 8 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 0 | running | 165 | $50,995 |
| 4 | 5 | 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 188 | 14 | running | 165 | $32,570 |
| 5 | 7 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 1 | running | 160 | $33,540 |
| 6 | 6 | 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | 188 | 1 | running | 155 | $19,905 |
| 7 | 18 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 146 | $28,300 |
| 8 | 10 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 10 | running | 147 | $26,850 |
| 9 | 12 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 188 | 1 | running | 143 | $25,550 |
| 10 | 11 | 29 | Steve Grissom (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 134 | $18,600 |
| 11 | 17 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 130 | $20,495 |
| 12 | 39 | 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 1 | running | 132 | $21,915 |
| 13 | 27 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 0 | running | 124 | $23,185 |
| 14 | 16 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 121 | $19,005 |
| 15 | 19 | 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 118 | $15,325 |
| 16 | 22 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 5 | running | 120 | $14,235 |
| 17 | 28 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 112 | $17,420 |
| 18 | 26 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 187 | 0 | running | 109 | $10,180 |
| 19 | 30 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 187 | 0 | running | 106 | $16,790 |
| 20 | 25 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 187 | 0 | running | 103 | $17,130 |
| 21 | 9 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 186 | 0 | running | 100 | $20,860 |
| 22 | 41 | 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 186 | 0 | running | 97 | $15,940 |
| 23 | 13 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 184 | 0 | running | 94 | $15,730 |
| 24 | 40 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 184 | 3 | running | 96 | $15,525 |
| 25 | 33 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 180 | 0 | running | 88 | $9,045 |
| 26 | 42 | 52 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 179 | 0 | running | 85 | $11,265 |
| 27 | 14 | 12 | Chuck Bown | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 168 | 0 | running | 82 | $15,110 |
| 28 | 3 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 160 | 10 | running | 84 | $11,155 |
| 29 | 36 | 14 | John Andretti (R) | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 128 | 0 | engine | 76 | $14,800 |
| 30 | 29 | 55 | Jimmy Hensley | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 121 | 0 | crash | 73 | $10,745 |
| 31 | 31 | 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 115 | 0 | crash | 70 | $10,115 |
| 32 | 21 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | crash | 67 | $19,060 |
| 33 | 20 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 112 | 0 | crash | 64 | $20,730 |
| 34 | 35 | 43 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 112 | 0 | crash | 61 | $8,500 |
| 35 | 32 | 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | crash | 58 | $8,470 |
| 36 | 38 | 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | crash | 55 | $8,440 |
| 37 | 24 | 95 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Sadlers Brothers Racing | Ford | 110 | 0 | crash | 52 | $8,360 |
| 38 | 15 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 103 | 0 | crash | 49 | $20,106 |
| 39 | 34 | 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 102 | 0 | crash | 46 | $12,250 |
| 40 | 2 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 102 | 0 | crash | 43 | $8,720 |
| 41 | 23 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 76 | 0 | crash | 40 | $12,220 |
| 42 | 37 | 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | engine | 37 | $8,720 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 31 | Ward Burton (R) | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 44 | | 9 | Rich Bickle (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 80 | Jimmy Horton | Hover Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 47 | | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 48 | | 53 | Ritchie Petty | Petty Brothers Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 49 | | 02 | Ronnie Sanders | Taylor Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Ernie Irvan | 1,454 |
| | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,429 (-25) |
| | 3 | Mark Martin | 1,227 (-227) |
| 1 | 4 | Ken Schrader | 1,211 (–243) |
| 1 | 5 | Lake Speed | 1,158 (–296) |
| 2 | 6 | Morgan Shepherd | 1,144 (–310) |
| 3 | 7 | Rusty Wallace | 1,135 (–319) |
| 2 | 8 | Sterling Marlin | 1,098 (–356) |
| 2 | 9 | Ricky Rudd | 1,094 (–360) |
| 1 | 10 | Kyle Petty | 1,074 (–380) |
| Official driver's standings ||||